Is it feasible to simply get a screen for the nav location and run your laptop as the PC in the glove box and therefore have an in car PC?

 

yes

 

yes

 

you can get a very cheap laptop from ebay that comes without a screen (you would use your small screen...such as xenarc). This can cost you less than $200 (it cost me $140 for a PII 350mhz). So if you buy touch-screen xenarc for $500, the laptop for say $150 and cables and connectors, you can get your own in car pc for less than $800 (mine cost me less than $900). Good luck!

 

Well, I ask because I have a Toshiba M15S405 that would be more than enough for an in car pc. I also have my homebuilt desktop so I really would not be out of computer anywhere by using the laptop in the car.

What exactly would I need to do this? The screen (non touchscreen I think), I would get the roll up keyboard I think, I just need a mouse that is good for a car and the cables (what cables?). Also, would I want to use a FM transmitter for the audio? Anyone have any recommendations on the best one? What do I need to do this right??

 

Mr. Potato Head,

I'm currently working on putting my laptop in my Z (if I ever friggin get it back from the dealer...hehe). I had a Dell PIII laptop just sitting around in my house doing nothing, so I grabbed a docking station from work, bought a Xenarc 700TS (touchscreen) off of ebay, a Coleman 400W inverter from ebay, a stereo to RCA 12' cable from Circuit City and a couple other things.

What I'm doing is this:

4ga power cable (amp wiring kit (blue like my Z, of course)) from the battery to a 4 way fused StreetWires distribution block. 8ga cable from the distribution block to the inverter and amps. The 400W inverter has 2 plugs...one will be for the laptop power cord, the other may be for the Xenarc power (if I don't use the HU's power instead). The touchscreen Xenarc (to be installed in NAV area) is a good choice because you don't need a mouse, and can use the Windows native on-screen keyboard (or download other full-screen keyboard programs). There are many posts on the Xenarc installation, but unfortunately, you will need to remove the Xenarc's case which voids the warranty, so make sure it's fully functional before removing it.

I am going to be replacing the crappy factory HU (which is why I'm using the stero to RCA cable instead of an FM Modulator (which sux in my opinion)...and I hooked it up in my 91TT 300ZX...works great. If you are keeping the factory radio or don't have AUX RCA inputs on your HU, you will need the FM Modulator.

Anyway, hope this helps. Let me know if you have any questions and keep me posted on your progress. Feel free to PM me. Good luck.

 

This does help some. Unfortunatley I have the Bose system and don't want to allocate performance funds to replacing the entire stereo system. I may wait a while to install this until I replace the Bose system with aftermarket. That really depends on if Bose ever comes out with an improvement for their system. However, I will PM you should I run into any snags. Thanks!

 

Dude, trust me when I tell you Bose sucks!! Rip that crap out and burn it. This is my 3rd Z...(first w/o Bose). Bose was always a nightmare in the Z's. It's worth the extra $400 to replace the speakers and HU. Anyway, let me know when/if you need help. Good luck!

Mike

 

No highs, no lows, must be Bose!

I haven't heard the bose int he Z, but I've never heard a Bose systems that sounds better than a $200 head unit and $50 speakers when I was seling stuff. Maybe they've gotten better, but...

 

Your 3rd really???? What happened to the first 2?

 

The first one was a 1990 red 2+2. Had it for about 3 years then found a 1991 red TT and bought it. Had them both at the same time for like 6 months...then finally sold the 1990 2+2. Been using the 1991 TT for about 4 years now and recently got a timing belt/water pump done my Amity Nissan in Amityville, LI, NY. Worst mistake of my life! They did something that caused a leak that they tell me will take 45 hours to get to to fix!!!! They also say it wasn't their fault and I can't prove otherwise, so I'm basically screwed up the a$$ without the vasoline! At any rate, I decided that although I really don't like the new 350Z nearly as much as my 1991 300ZX TT, I would have better peace of mind if I just got the new one so I would have no worries (or so I thought (Nissan has had the new one for weeks...I only had it 3 days)). Anyway, I still have the 1991 300ZXTT and would love to fix it up as money becomes available...it's a truly beautiful car and I still get offers for it...it's just great to drive...and I would miss the t-tops terribly, especially since Nissan didn't give us ANYTHING as an option except the roadster, which is pretty ugly. I would love to see a targa top or at least make a conv't that doesn't change the look of the body.

 

Ohhhhhhh... I thought that you meant you were on your third 350Z! That's why I was having a $hit fit over here . It makes sense now.

-Chris