toykilla

iTrader: (1)

i agree. i build custom computer systems for people. But all I want in my Z are mp3 and DVD capabilities.. cant beat the price for a modded xbox

soundguy

If you are looking for a good gaming system, the PS 2 is in fact 2 pieces of board and they can be folded on top of eachother. The drawer assembly can be moved as well. Its a great solution, and the housing is totally unneceassary at that point. You could hide the cd drawer pretty much wherever you wish as well.

If you are trying to put an actual pc, I know that there are computers made for mobile applications (called "auto pc" I believe) All you need is a screen, an inverter and a good imagination - the rest up to you.

etx

I just ordered the LCD touch screen for my Z. I plan on connecting it to an xbox in the glove box. The xbox is the perfect application for this, trust me. It is cost effective, only about $160. It uses an intel celeron processor and the nvidia nforce chipset with i think 64 megs of ram. People have installed windows on the xbox and used it as a real PC. And just recently a very easy way to mod your xbox came out. It envolves getting a certian file onto a memory card, then booting with 007 agent under fire. It launches a mini distro of linux and you can then have linux flash a hacked bios onto the TSOP of the xbox. The only thing you have to physically do is open the xbox and solder 2 leads that will allow you to program the TSOP (bios chip). This may sound difficult but thier are tutorials at xbox-scene.com. Also the controller ports on the xbox are really USB ports just like on a PC. I cut an xbox controller cable and wired it to a female usb plug. This allows me to connect the xenarc touch screen via USB. I can also hook up a hub and then use any USB stuff I want, keyboard, GPS, etc. the xbox is ready to go and I am waiting on the touch screen lcd to come in. I just need to find out howto install windows on the xbox, I havent got time to do that yet. So for the cost of the xbox i get a windows computer, and all the functions of a regular xbox. So i could use the gps under windows, or reboot and play xbox games and watch DVD's! I'm excited and ill be sure to post pics once i get it done!


Edit:
Also if anyone knows of any way to power an xbox without using a power inverter please let me know! I do not trust inverters, they burn out auto electrical systems. I have had it happen to me before!!!

swoobyz

Xenarc screen, right?
I haven't heard of anyone getting Windows to run on the XBox, only Linux.
Can you leave it "dual boot", so that you can select between booting the OS or the XBox?

Powering the XBox without an inverter probably won't be "turnkey", but it shouldn't be too bad. From my investigations (not much) it is very similar to an ATX power supply. How many watts will the XBox use once it's all hooked up? Have you installed extra hard drives or a DVDRW? You can find 12V powered ATX supplies that you should be able to splice in to the existing AC connector. "How many Watts?" is the important question to answer.

Pv

Sillent Killer

I have an XBOX with a Mod Chip and tons of software. It has a media player that plays burned movies and I installed a 120GB hard drive in it for my mp3's and save my videos to its hard drive. It also plays burned games. I have a CD with over a 100 programs that I can do virtually anything. It even has linux and AIM for computer use with the optional keyboard. The Chip, hardrive and keyboard and mouse only cost me $190. I have a Pioneer 6.5" touchscreen for $474. I put my XBOX in the car and also use it in my house (Have two sets of A/V plugs). I don't have the right stuff yet to use wireless internet in my car. What else do I need to buy?

Sillent Killer

I have an XBOX with a Mod Chip and tons of software. It has a media player that plays burned movies and I installed a 120GB hard drive in it for my mp3's and save my videos to its hard drive. It also plays burned games. I have a CD with over a 100 programs that I can do virtually anything. It even has linux and AIM for computer use with the optional keyboard. The Chip, hardrive and keyboard and mouse only cost me $190. I have a Pioneer 6.5" touchscreen for $474. I put my XBOX in the car and also use it in my house (Have two sets of A/V plugs). I don't have the right stuff yet to use wireless internet in my car. What else do I need to buy?

etx

You could get a USB wifi adapter, but i use my sprint pcs phone. I have the unlimited data plan, 15 kbps its nice. The cable plugs into my n400 and has a usb plug on the other end, I can boot linux and connect to the internet at decently quick speed anywhere my phone works. Its even fast enuf to listen to internet radio stations while i drive, but I have not hooked up the fm modulator yet, I just got the xenarc screen in last night.

The best part of using the xbox over a regular pc is it will not vibrate apart as its one solid unit. My biggest problem with having the pc in my old car was it would vibrate and the cards would come out, or the memory or whatever. It never worked right.

aggie300zx

Fair enough, but the vibration issue is not really a concern with today's technology...or at least not with the right choosen equipment (i.e. Via motherboard, laptop components, etc.). Not saying the route you are going is bad, but to me vibration issue is not really existent if done right now a days.

swoobyz

I do not think that WiFi will be a viable option in a car.
You will constantly be searching for HotSpots.

You should check out Verizon's Express Network.
I don't have it yet, but I am looking in to it myself.
It replaces your cell phone and offers 40-60kbps average, with bursts up to 144kbps.
Plans start at a fairly reasonable $35/mo for 100 minutes (and go up as expected from there).
Their "unlimited" plan looks like they end up charging you for voice.

Pv

toykilla

iTrader: (1)

i am not dissing the in car pc by any means.. i am just suggesting a simpler cheaper alternative which is the xbox.. really depends on what all you plan to do with it.....i would bet MOST people do not know the possibilities of the xbox.

it IS a PC, with proprietary software/op system.. once that is circumvented (READ: MOD CHIP) the full power of a PC is unleashed... and new software is being released daily for it.

i believe when the xbox was first released for 300$, M$ was loosing close to 200 or more $$ on each one sold.... so really you are getting a pretty decent PC for WAY under cost...

i think the biggest deciding point will be that it MAY (i havnt looked into it in a while) be difficult to get GPS and wireless net on the xbox.. someone chime in if they know different..

turtles

I just recently "improved" my xbox and I have to say I agree 100% with toykilla. The xbox is a much cheaper route and will do pretty much anything you could want to do in your car.

SquadElite

Im thinking about whether to go with a Mini-PC or an XBOX after reading your thread.

In order to fully prep the xbox to make it work, what exactly do I need.
I came up with the following items:
Apple-X Mod Chip.
HD, where do I find that...?

Is this what you did, where can I find this stuff (website)?

How do I get my MP3's and videos onto the HD on the xbox?

Is there any way to run a navi system off of this?

How do you power the xbox (without cig lighter)

swoobyz

Someone correct me if I am wrong (I am sure you will ), but if you are planning on running Windows then the obvious choice here is to use a PC.
I do not think that anyone has successfully gotten Windows running on an XBox. I think it is because the Plug-and-Play drivers don't all work (I wouldn't put it past them to do this intentionally), and you would probably run in to the occasional piece of hardware that won't work.
ie: Why just make the XBox hard to run software, when you can also make your software hard to run on the XBox?

As you also pointed out, there are several other considerations when modding a XBox.

My final comments on the XBox or PC issue:

The process of NOT having to deal with a hacked XBox is worth more than the savings of using one.
You still need a screen.
You still need power.
You still need a keyboard/mouse/etc.
There are extra hidden costs and obstacles with hacking an XBox.
There are much MUCH fewer of these with a PC.
How much are you REALLY saving? Is it worth it?

My suggestion:
Give Microsoft a break and don't buy an XBox to hack it just because you know M$ eats most of the cost of the hardware for you (hoping you will buy lots of games, which you will probably not).
2 years ago this would have made more sense, but today the hardware simply ain't that good and it is probably more of a pain than it is worth.
You will have much less hassle and have much more upgradable and manageable equipment if you stick with the mainstream.

Those are my final $0.02.

Pv

toykilla

iTrader: (1)

here are my $0.02:

the process of hacking the xbox is EASY... i can do it in about 30 mins
you cant run windows on the xbox
you can run linux and all linux apps on the xbox
you can run xbox specific apps that are truelly amazing
your passenger can play xbox games on those long rides through town
(the media player is one of the best i have ever seen)
i dont think a screen and keyboard are hidden costs... they seem pretty obvious costs to me and must be bought for the xbox or a PC

it really comes down to what you want to do in your car

i dont see myself surfing the internet or creating excel spreadsheets while driving 120 down the freeway

however a good mp3 selection and a simple interface seem like the perfect combo for ME

aggie300zx

I can see both sides of this and it really comes down to what you want to use this for.

I'm not as knowledgable on Xbox components, but one think that I think has been missed in this discussion is the potential difference if something breaks. Will it be that easy to find replacement parts for things breaking in a Xbox? I can only speak from the PC side (since I have an Auto PC) and I know its really easy to buy and replace a part in the system. Just a thought.

To each there own!

Scott

toykilla

iTrader: (1)

i believe all these are valid points and i agree both sides have their advantages and disadvantages..

i hope you guys dont think im trying to put down the car pc.. it is sweet no doubt.. just wanted to bring to light other alternatives

-josh

aggie300zx

nope, completely fair points of view here. For alot of folks its easier to buy a PC, but don't get me wrong, being a geek I'm damn impressed with people that turn stuff like Xbox into a working PC easy or not.

toykilla

iTrader: (1)

hehe, yeah i really get a kick out of tinkering with stuff like the xbox just to see what i can make it do...

now just if i can find time to install in the z..