I am looking to build/buy a carputer with the following functions:

(1) Control a custom audio/video alarm system that would include in-car cameras and be capable of storing audio/video and uploading to the internet, hard drive and/or home pc

(2) GPS vehicle tracking that could be fed to a mobile cell phone

(3) WI-FI access

(4) Voice activated control

(5) E-book reader capability

(6) Multiple gauge read-out / OBDII scan & data logging

(7) Infra red camera capable

What would I need to know in order to complete construction?? Any hardware suggestions?? I know this project will require that I take a journey to learn new info & skills. I just need someone to suggest what the first steps should be. Again thanks for any help you can provide!!

 

make me one too please

 

Go here ... great site lots of info :http://www.mp3car.com/vbulletin/

 

great site

 

I ran a carputer in my previous car for about a year. My first system was made up of a laptop mounted in the back with the lilliput touch screen in the dash. I had GPS and OBDII connectivity. I would HIGHLY recommend using a laptop if you are unfamiliar with PC hardware/requirements and then move to a hand built system when you are ready.

I am a little concerned why you would want an eBook reader on a carputer. Watching the road is a good habit while driving

 

Sounds like a heck of a project!

I haven't seen anything close to that off-the-shelf so you're going to be a busy hobbyist cobbling together your dream system. Your list would be very close to mine (no book reader though!) and I've kicked around ideas but never gotten to the point where I take down my sound centered system. If you do tackle this be sure to take notes and keep us posted. I work in IT but have +20 years in sound and video (TV broadcaster).

On the video side I might suggest going with an appliance like they use in police cars and school buses to record their installed cameras. These things aren't cheap but are very reliable and often built with Solid State Drives (SSD) and Ethernet connections. If you have a carputer that has Ethernet you could crossover cable down the the appliance to view or transfer the videos. The appliances normally have large scale integration MPEG encoders build into them and can record one or several channels of video at a time, model depending.

This would off-load the CPU intensive process of MPEG compression from your CPU.

 

Same thoughts here. I had the best result combining appropriate CES components as a dedicated installation along with a laptop for the CarPC features.

A CarPC is good if you want to park and sit in your car, and do stuff on a small 7" screen.

I don't get the CarPC concept since there are much better ways to do this.

--Spike

 

Sounds like a hell of a system. Get it up and running, post a DIY and a **** ton of pics.

 

Hardware is just more developed and relatively easier to get a certain level of acoustic performance. With the right set of software, and some real time software audio routing/processing, you could potentially build a very flexible and just as capable system through software, essentially removing the need for hardware crossovers and/or equalizers. All the processing can be done digitally with a single conversion to analog at the amplifiers. I'm not saying this is going to supplant extremely high end hardware, but I think if someone knows what to look for, it can be a pretty good mainstream option.

The price to build a setup really isn't that far fetched from some of the DVD/GPS decks.

 

I recently signed on and have begun research


Certainly will

 

reminds me of........

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I agree. For that matter, we are not far from seeing the car’s CES integrated into the factory computer and its electronics. It’s already happening with integrated GPS function, collision avoidance, parking assist, etc. It’s a small step extending this to the car’s entertainment system.

As you point out in your post, digital H/U’s are very capable of sending the appropriate signal to individual speaker components, eliminating the need for a crossover and the hassle of mounting and tuning the crossover. All of that can be controlled by H/U features.

Audiophiles and purists will be the last to adopt this technology, but the car companies will embrace this and provide better digital systems since the cost is less, and it is a “capture” for the car buyer.

--Spike

 

If you know how to build a desktop, it's not much different. You have to decide whether you want desktop components or laptop components, the latter tends to be a bit pricier, although they do run cooler and consume less power.