My goal is to set up a temporary carputer without modifying the stock dash.

The parts I have so far.
1. Shuttle SN85G4 w/
Athlon 64 3400+ 90nm
1GB DDR 4200
fanless AGP Geforce 4 MX
80GB HD
DVD-RW
(I also have an EPIA 800MHZ ITX computer that I can use too, but it's really slow.)
2. 400w Inverter.

Parts I plan on getting
1. Thermaltake 7" lcd monitor $300
(REVIEW)
http://www.overclockercafe.com/Revie...LCD/index.html

I can get this particular monitor at a reseller price. For the money, I don't know of anything better, I just need a way to mount it.

In the future, I would like to get the OEM Center console with armrest and build a Core2Duo ITX machine inside of the armrest running off of straight DC. I would also like to mount a DVD Drive and this screen in a dual din mount where the OEM stereo is located.

Problems I forsee:
Power. TPD on the shuttle will be near 80-140 watts. I will be undervolting the CPU, and swapping other parts as needed.

Location of equipment: The shuttle is large. It will go under the back seat in the center. It may need a pad to cut down on vibration.

 

i did a ton of research for this on my last car and never went through with it. The fact that this car already has an aux input is great, that and with the room in the OEM armrest (already have it ordered)... can easily fit an ITX board in there. I'm not looking to do much on the carputer, besides watch DVD's, navigation and MP3's, possibly some car monitoring as well. Dont need a core duo for that ITX's are quick if you use linux or a stripped down windows

 

If i wanted to have a computer in my car, could i get internet too? Like wireless? I think it would be awesome to talk on FitFreak forums in my Fit. =D

I think during long trips my friends could play SNES roms and talk to friends on AIM, and maybe download music that we want. Or would it just be easier to buy a new laptop with the car?

 

you could do it through your cell phone, but thats a lot of money for internet access in your car, unless of course you have a company that pays for it

 

Several of the major cellular carriers offer mobile broadband through a PC card adapter. Most also offer unlimited data access plans. If you live in one of the many areas they support this is the way to go.

 

Forgive the rookie, but I have a Mazda Protege and I have a carputer.

For more information, check out my thread here. 2001 Mazda Protege - MP3Car.com

I would highly suggest going to mp3car for more information.

I would also suggest going to logicsupply.com for parts. Very helpful and very reasonable prices.

I have a Lilliput screen that I got for $265. Works very well, even driven off of my power supply.

And speaking of power supplies, I went with a generic Opus, called the M1-ATX. Should be enough power for what you want to do.

I would, however, look into my design requirements as they will impact how you design the layout and location and even what components you use.

Good luck on your project!

PS - If you have a cell phone with Bluetooth and a Bluetooth connection on your carputer, sometimes you can hack the phone and set up Dial-Up Networking so you essentially use your cell phone as a modem to the Internet. This would just cost you minutes on your phone if you have unlimited data plan.

 

I also researched this and never pulled the trigger. Some additional things to consider are:

- Spend the money on a good DC-to-AC converter. Most computer power supplies are fairly fussy about what they can regulate. A cheap converter will cause you issues.

- Use laptop harddrive(s) and CD/DVD drive. They are made of more severe environments, and one good bump could kill a standard drive.

- Don't be surprised if the computer doesn't boot without a keyboard attached. They're funny that way. They expect to have an input device.

If I go this route, it's either going to be a disassembled laptop, an iMac or an Apple Mini. The Mini uses a DC input and a DC-DC converter is easily found. The iMac and laptop already have screens and it's a matter of how involved I want this to be. Although looking at what's available in the car stereo aftermarket, I may just go that route. I don't see a built-in 'puter being all the useful when I can take a laptop in to the house.