Carputer / In-car PC
03-22-2006, 01:10 PM
#61
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I put together a laptop carpc. Took a few months of research and alot of buying of parts. I had high hopes of MP3, dvd, gps, bluetooth phone, voice recognition, xm, and eventualy a backup cam or two. All this and no headunit just running everything straight from computer to amps.
I put it all together and installed with xenarc 700tsv, initially I had the mp3, voice recog, dvd, and gps working fine. The voice recog was the first to go as it caused problems with the operating system I didn't have the knowledge to fix. Then i nixed the xm as the external sound card I needed to use didn't put out enough juice to power my amps, plus the XM sucked and I never listened to it. I haven't once used the dvd player. And I rarely use the gps nowadays. I use the mp3 feature a ton, but the quality coming out of the laptops sound card isn't the greatest. I also had to get a headunit recently as I hated using the touch screen volume controls all the time, and the tuning ability of the headunit was so much easier and better.
All in all I'm thinking of selling everything and just going with an IPOD hookup to the headunit. Though everyone else thinks it's cool as heck with the computer in there, It's lost it's cool factor to me, and the way I ended up setting everything up and the lack of experience in computer things this in depth just makes it not worth it. Only thing keeping me from selling everything is that I won't get much money out of it so might as well keep it.
I put it all together and installed with xenarc 700tsv, initially I had the mp3, voice recog, dvd, and gps working fine. The voice recog was the first to go as it caused problems with the operating system I didn't have the knowledge to fix. Then i nixed the xm as the external sound card I needed to use didn't put out enough juice to power my amps, plus the XM sucked and I never listened to it. I haven't once used the dvd player. And I rarely use the gps nowadays. I use the mp3 feature a ton, but the quality coming out of the laptops sound card isn't the greatest. I also had to get a headunit recently as I hated using the touch screen volume controls all the time, and the tuning ability of the headunit was so much easier and better.
All in all I'm thinking of selling everything and just going with an IPOD hookup to the headunit. Though everyone else thinks it's cool as heck with the computer in there, It's lost it's cool factor to me, and the way I ended up setting everything up and the lack of experience in computer things this in depth just makes it not worth it. Only thing keeping me from selling everything is that I won't get much money out of it so might as well keep it.
03-22-2006, 01:11 PM
#62
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I put together a laptop carpc. Took a few months of research and alot of buying of parts. I had high hopes of MP3, dvd, gps, bluetooth phone, voice recognition, xm, and eventualy a backup cam or two. All this and no headunit just running everything straight from computer to amps.
I put it all together and installed with xenarc 700tsv, initially I had the mp3, voice recog, dvd, and gps working fine. The voice recog was the first to go as it caused problems with the operating system I didn't have the knowledge to fix. Then i nixed the xm as the external sound card I needed to use didn't put out enough juice to power my amps, plus the XM sucked and I never listened to it. I haven't once used the dvd player. And I rarely use the gps nowadays. I use the mp3 feature a ton, but the quality coming out of the laptops sound card isn't the greatest. I also had to get a headunit recently as I hated using the touch screen volume controls all the time, and the tuning ability of the headunit was so much easier and better.
All in all I'm thinking of selling everything and just going with an IPOD hookup to the headunit. Though everyone else thinks it's cool as heck with the computer in there, It's lost it's cool factor to me, and the way I ended up setting everything up and the lack of experience in computer things this in depth just makes it not worth it. Only thing keeping me from selling everything is that I won't get much money out of it so might as well keep it.
I put it all together and installed with xenarc 700tsv, initially I had the mp3, voice recog, dvd, and gps working fine. The voice recog was the first to go as it caused problems with the operating system I didn't have the knowledge to fix. Then i nixed the xm as the external sound card I needed to use didn't put out enough juice to power my amps, plus the XM sucked and I never listened to it. I haven't once used the dvd player. And I rarely use the gps nowadays. I use the mp3 feature a ton, but the quality coming out of the laptops sound card isn't the greatest. I also had to get a headunit recently as I hated using the touch screen volume controls all the time, and the tuning ability of the headunit was so much easier and better.
All in all I'm thinking of selling everything and just going with an IPOD hookup to the headunit. Though everyone else thinks it's cool as heck with the computer in there, It's lost it's cool factor to me, and the way I ended up setting everything up and the lack of experience in computer things this in depth just makes it not worth it. Only thing keeping me from selling everything is that I won't get much money out of it so might as well keep it.
03-22-2006, 01:39 PM
#63
Funny that you mentioned that. I also have contemplated going the ipod route. In fact, just on Sunday I was checking out the Harman Kardon Drive and Play. It's a neat piece, but the thing is, I never actually bought the ipod yet. I figured it was about $200 for the HK + like $350 or so far the ipod, which is around $550. But I also want GPS, so then I would need a separate unit for that. So why not get the carputer and get mp3, navigation, internet, bluetooth for cellphone, etc? It may cost more, but I hope it'll be worth it!
BTW, how did you connect your PC to the stock system? Was it Bose or non-Bose?
BTW, how did you connect your PC to the stock system? Was it Bose or non-Bose?
03-22-2006, 03:15 PM
#64
Yeah, I would have to say this is not for everybody. It is still a bit bleeding edge for some, I know I would not bother trying to install a CarPC in my wifes car.
I am with Badfish25 on the HU thing, I love the volume **** on my Clarion and substitutes I have seen are not really as good.
If music is your main goal, an iPod and a nice aftermarket HU or other "aux in" setup is easy and quick. My wife is getting that setup for her Pathfinder.
On the other hand, if you like modding stuff, a CarPC can be the ultimate in never ending projects and neat stuff to do. I use mine for music playback daily, Nav weekly (or more if out of town), Audible.com books all the time (in the middle of "Forever Odd" right now), but I did all this because it was cheaper than buying a ready made unit and a lot more fun.
Right now I am rebuilding my RoadRunner skin to work better and match the Z better. I am about 40% done on that but who knows, I may get half done with it and decide I would rather have all my buttons on the other side or something.
Chris
I am with Badfish25 on the HU thing, I love the volume **** on my Clarion and substitutes I have seen are not really as good.
If music is your main goal, an iPod and a nice aftermarket HU or other "aux in" setup is easy and quick. My wife is getting that setup for her Pathfinder.
On the other hand, if you like modding stuff, a CarPC can be the ultimate in never ending projects and neat stuff to do. I use mine for music playback daily, Nav weekly (or more if out of town), Audible.com books all the time (in the middle of "Forever Odd" right now), but I did all this because it was cheaper than buying a ready made unit and a lot more fun.
Right now I am rebuilding my RoadRunner skin to work better and match the Z better. I am about 40% done on that but who knows, I may get half done with it and decide I would rather have all my buttons on the other side or something.
Chris
03-24-2006, 07:43 AM
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Originally Posted by BhashaZ
Funny that you mentioned that. I also have contemplated going the ipod route. In fact, just on Sunday I was checking out the Harman Kardon Drive and Play. It's a neat piece, but the thing is, I never actually bought the ipod yet. I figured it was about $200 for the HK + like $350 or so far the ipod, which is around $550. But I also want GPS, so then I would need a separate unit for that. So why not get the carputer and get mp3, navigation, internet, bluetooth for cellphone, etc? It may cost more, but I hope it'll be worth it!
BTW, how did you connect your PC to the stock system? Was it Bose or non-Bose?
BTW, how did you connect your PC to the stock system? Was it Bose or non-Bose?
I never connected the stock system to the carputer. I ran everything straight to my amps and to my aftermarket speakers. I did have the stock radio hooked up to an aux in on a sound card via hi-low converter.
I now have an aftermarket headunit again I just connect to the aux in.
I would never buy a $2500+ in dash screen/dvd player plus gps and still have to buy an ipod for mp3's. If you need to have all that stuff, Carputer is the best bang for the buck IMO.
03-24-2006, 09:13 AM
#67
Hey, I have a question for you guys.
I have been trying to figure out what the RGB is for the amber gauges and that brown the little digital speedo gauge background is.
I tried taking pictures but it's not the same.
Right now I have 255, 150, 0 for the amber but it's still not quite right. Close, but not the same. And I have no idea what that brown color is.
Here is what it looks like...
Chris
P.S. for those wondering what 800x600 looks like on an 800x480 screen, it looks better than this screen shot.
I have been trying to figure out what the RGB is for the amber gauges and that brown the little digital speedo gauge background is.
I tried taking pictures but it's not the same.
Right now I have 255, 150, 0 for the amber but it's still not quite right. Close, but not the same. And I have no idea what that brown color is.
Here is what it looks like...
Chris
P.S. for those wondering what 800x600 looks like on an 800x480 screen, it looks better than this screen shot.
03-27-2006, 12:11 AM
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Also, hyper, how do get around the problem of the carputer shutting off when u crank the engine? I hate that big time because when i stop to get gas, and i stick the keys back in to start her up again, the carputer shuts down =(
And how did you set your system to autoshutdown after 15minutes? =)
And how did you set your system to autoshutdown after 15minutes? =)
03-27-2006, 09:01 AM
#73
UrbanTacticZ, I am using Roadrunner as my front end, I believe it is the open source version of Media Car as most of the skin stuff is compatible. When I started the project I tried a few and RR is what I ended up with. I like it because it's an open source project and the lead developer very energetic.
The M1-ATX and M2-ATX power supplies can both survive cranking, they will continue to supply 12v to the computer down to 6v. These PSUs also do the auto shutdown based on jumper settings on the supply (there are about a dozen choices concerning shut down). The power supply has two inputs, one is full time power the other is switched. When the car is shut down, the switched goes off and the PSU starts counting to 15min. If 15min is reached without a restart of the car it sends a pulse to the power switch lead on the Mobo. I have windows configured to hibernate on power switch press so this is that it does, after going through the hibernate routine, windows shuts the system down and the PSU turns off.
The other nice thing about the MX-ATX PSUs is if the car goes below 11V for an extended period, it will send the shut down to the Mobo and then turn off the PC so it does not drain your battery. This can be helpful if your Windows config gets trashed and it's normal shutdown hangs. I have not had a problem with this but I did leave my PC on over the weekend once by accident and this featured saved my discovering I had a dead battery on Monday morning
Chris
The M1-ATX and M2-ATX power supplies can both survive cranking, they will continue to supply 12v to the computer down to 6v. These PSUs also do the auto shutdown based on jumper settings on the supply (there are about a dozen choices concerning shut down). The power supply has two inputs, one is full time power the other is switched. When the car is shut down, the switched goes off and the PSU starts counting to 15min. If 15min is reached without a restart of the car it sends a pulse to the power switch lead on the Mobo. I have windows configured to hibernate on power switch press so this is that it does, after going through the hibernate routine, windows shuts the system down and the PSU turns off.
The other nice thing about the MX-ATX PSUs is if the car goes below 11V for an extended period, it will send the shut down to the Mobo and then turn off the PC so it does not drain your battery. This can be helpful if your Windows config gets trashed and it's normal shutdown hangs. I have not had a problem with this but I did leave my PC on over the weekend once by accident and this featured saved my discovering I had a dead battery on Monday morning
Chris
03-27-2006, 12:43 PM
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Originally Posted by HyperSprite
UrbanTacticZ, I am using Roadrunner as my front end, I believe it is the open source version of Media Car as most of the skin stuff is compatible. When I started the project I tried a few and RR is what I ended up with. I like it because it's an open source project and the lead developer very energetic.
The M1-ATX and M2-ATX power supplies can both survive cranking, they will continue to supply 12v to the computer down to 6v. These PSUs also do the auto shutdown based on jumper settings on the supply (there are about a dozen choices concerning shut down). The power supply has two inputs, one is full time power the other is switched. When the car is shut down, the switched goes off and the PSU starts counting to 15min. If 15min is reached without a restart of the car it sends a pulse to the power switch lead on the Mobo. I have windows configured to hibernate on power switch press so this is that it does, after going through the hibernate routine, windows shuts the system down and the PSU turns off.
The other nice thing about the MX-ATX PSUs is if the car goes below 11V for an extended period, it will send the shut down to the Mobo and then turn off the PC so it does not drain your battery. This can be helpful if your Windows config gets trashed and it's normal shutdown hangs. I have not had a problem with this but I did leave my PC on over the weekend once by accident and this featured saved my discovering I had a dead battery on Monday morning
Chris
The M1-ATX and M2-ATX power supplies can both survive cranking, they will continue to supply 12v to the computer down to 6v. These PSUs also do the auto shutdown based on jumper settings on the supply (there are about a dozen choices concerning shut down). The power supply has two inputs, one is full time power the other is switched. When the car is shut down, the switched goes off and the PSU starts counting to 15min. If 15min is reached without a restart of the car it sends a pulse to the power switch lead on the Mobo. I have windows configured to hibernate on power switch press so this is that it does, after going through the hibernate routine, windows shuts the system down and the PSU turns off.
The other nice thing about the MX-ATX PSUs is if the car goes below 11V for an extended period, it will send the shut down to the Mobo and then turn off the PC so it does not drain your battery. This can be helpful if your Windows config gets trashed and it's normal shutdown hangs. I have not had a problem with this but I did leave my PC on over the weekend once by accident and this featured saved my discovering I had a dead battery on Monday morning
Chris
How much power do you think its drawing when its off without me fully killing the switch up front to the PSU?
Im running a EPIA board but I cant remember which one off hand
03-28-2006, 12:54 AM
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Originally Posted by HyperSprite
When mine computer shuts down it's off and consumes no power.
I don't have the EPIA board but you might want to check in your bios for "Wake on lan" settings and USB bus power.
Chris
I don't have the EPIA board but you might want to check in your bios for "Wake on lan" settings and USB bus power.
Chris
03-28-2006, 02:47 PM
#79
Since the project is small, I don't need to fork out a bunch of cash to buy expensive parts. My Celeron M 360 cost me $10 + $4 (s+h).
I had my headunit modded, and I was going to put in a Matrix Orbital display in place of the stock one. I also bought a media keyboard that didn't require special drivers so I can use it with XP. The controller will be rigged to the headunit buttons.
Unfortunately, the project stopped. I'm in love with the Infiniti Coupe Concept ('07 G37c), so I've decided to wait for that car to come out.
I had my headunit modded, and I was going to put in a Matrix Orbital display in place of the stock one. I also bought a media keyboard that didn't require special drivers so I can use it with XP. The controller will be rigged to the headunit buttons.
Unfortunately, the project stopped. I'm in love with the Infiniti Coupe Concept ('07 G37c), so I've decided to wait for that car to come out.
Last edited by DIGItonium; 02-14-2007 at 03:40 PM.
03-28-2006, 03:22 PM
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Originally Posted by djtonium
Since the project is small, I don't need to fork out a bunch of cash to buy expensive parts. My Celeron M 360 cost me $10 + $4 (s+h).
I had my headunit modded, and I was going to put in a Matrix Orbital display in place of the stock one. I also bought a media keyboard that didn't require special drivers so I can use it with XP. The controller will be rigged to the headunit buttons.
Unfortunately, the project stopped. I'm in love with the Infiniti Coupe Concept ('07 G37c), so I've decided to wait for that car to come out.
I had my headunit modded, and I was going to put in a Matrix Orbital display in place of the stock one. I also bought a media keyboard that didn't require special drivers so I can use it with XP. The controller will be rigged to the headunit buttons.
Unfortunately, the project stopped. I'm in love with the Infiniti Coupe Concept ('07 G37c), so I've decided to wait for that car to come out.
Your headunit looks hot with white LED's BTW
