BhashaZ

iTrader: (18)

Some of you guys know I was going to be putting a computer in my car. Initially, the plan was to order and install sometime early summer, but as always, plans get delayed. I guess this allowed me more time to research!

I've been following StreetDeck for a long time now and knew that was the system I wanted. It seemed a bit pricey at first, but then again, I was getting access to all my music, Navigation, internet, back-up camera, BlueTooth phone intergration, and a handful of other things that I can upgrade to later on! Being that it is a computer, the possibilities are numerous.

I FINALLY purchased the main system on Sunday, and it is scheduled to arrive later this week. This is what I purchased:

Intel based Mp3car Custom Car Computer (OPUS)
- MB896F Celeron M/Pentium M Motherboard
- Intel Celeron M 370 1.5GHz
- CoolerMaster Socket 479 Low Profile Heatsink and Fan
- 512 DDR PC2-4200 RAM
- 80GB 2.5” 5400RPM HD
- Panasonic Slot Load DVD-ROM/CD-RW Combo Drive
- Xenarc 700TSV
- Build and Test

StreetDeck (North America) Software with Development tools

BU-353 Weather-proof GPS Receiver

Xenarc 700 Series extra long Monitor Cable 5 Meters (16.4 feet)

Soundgate AUX-NISSV3

Since I have a 2004, my cubby will not allow for easy fitment of the Xenarc Touchscreen. So on Saturday I purchased a 2003 cubby with retractable door. I also locally purchased a 3.5mm-to-RCA cable, and a Linksys WMP54GS Wireless PCI card.

The actual PC will be mounted in the passenger side "glove box" and the touchscreen will go where the stock nav screen would go.

Anyways, I will post here my experiences with StreetDeck and the Carputer. I was going to install everything this Saturday, but I want to play with the system and tweak it before I put it into the car, so it will probably go in sometime next week. I'll post some pix up soon.

MERK350Z

good luck you will enjoy it so much . i have a laptop in my glove box its IBM x23 runing windows 2000 900mhz 40 gig drive and using lillput touch screen. i have a usb hub set up also that gets its power from the usb port so my usb wifi connection gets the power from the ports and so does the 80gig usb drive powerd from the usb port. just make sure your screen is touch screen that is a must. and also there are issues with the screen you have and the lillput the glare cane make the screen almost impossable to read or see i know MP3CAR.COM has a transflective screen but its like 600 dollers but because i have a drop top Z i should have gone with that screen and i think i will upgrade in a few month the winter is coming and its going to get dark way before i get out of work and when the top is up everything is ok but if you get alot of light you wont see crap on the screen. i am also runing a pc card 5.1 crative sound card all sound is coming out of the bose system sound s good and all the movies and mp3 on hard drive play and look perfect on the screen. just in case if you have a 2nd aux input and if you have an ipod viedo run another wire to the input and run the yellow line to the screen so you can run movies and music from the ipod incase you just dont want to run the computer sometimes when i am in NYC i dont turn on the laptop because i dont want the guys at the garage to know what i have in there and they see me walk out with ipod so they think thats all i got in it. good luck with it post some pics once its done.

BhashaZ

iTrader: (18)

Thanks for the info! I also saw the transreflective screen on the website, but as you said, it's REALLY expensive (nearly 2x as much as the Xenarc, which I think is already expensive). On your Liliput, do you have problems seeing the screen when the top is up? Since I have a coupe, I'm hoping mine shouldn't be to bad.

I'll definitely post pix! So far all I have is my 2003 nav cubby (paint-matched so it matches 2004), the linksys wireless card, and the 3.5mm-to-rca cables.

MERK350Z

sounds nice man i think it should come out good as for the door you will never us it i have mine always up because i am always tapping the screen 3000+ songs and 5 movies and navi and e mail, just keep your eyes on the road to be honest since i drive every other day to nyc i really dont mind traffic; to be honest i enjouy it. i have a little wired usb keyboard its great. as for the glair with the top up the glair is a min or near none but sometimes you get that day time light where its just hitting perfect and there goes the screen just a little.
Will

jtabraham

iTrader: (46)

just curious, in a car pc, is the hard drive shock mounted to prevent any problems from all the cars vibrations and tight suspension.

My brother took my desktop once, and just put it in the back of his car without any padding, or packaging. Three hours of it bouncing around in the back of his eclipse, and suprise suprise, the hard drive no longer worked.

BhashaZ

iTrader: (18)

There is an option vibration mount kit available, but I didn't purchase it. I am using a laptop HDD so hopefully it will hold up to the dips and bumps!

BhashaZ

iTrader: (18)

Does anybody have any suggestions for a back-up camera? I was looking at the Pioneer ND-BC1:





Or is there anything similar (and smaller) than this?

jtabraham

iTrader: (46)

does that rearview camera just fit over the license plate holder, or is it mounted elsewhere?

Also, i hear a lot of member setting up carputers with older laptops...so what made you decide to go with a street deck (especially with the difference in cost)?

BhashaZ

iTrader: (18)

Actually im not sure if it fits right over the license plate holder since we also have the trunk release button located right there. I was thinking of putting it there, or possbily right below the license plate. Of course, if I can find something smaller, that would be better.

In terms of using a lap top, many people do choose to go that route. In fact, I might also have done that, but I didn't feel like doing the research and trying to find a way to rig up a system that works effectively in the car. So I chose to buy a system built specifically for the car environment--one that consumes less power and produces little heat. The one available on mp3car.com (the Opus/StreetDeck system) seemed to be a perfect choice in terms of hardware. And so I also chose to run StreetDeck for the fact that if I went out and bought another GPS software solution, it would cost me around $100 anyways, and since Streetdeck includes the maps already, in a sense it is only $100 more.

jtabraham

iTrader: (46)

can't wait to see your setup.

I'm definately considering a carputer now, especially since it seems to cost the same or less than having a standalone aftermarket GPS reciever

BhashaZ

iTrader: (18)

Yeah I'll definately post pix. In fact, it everything is scheduled to arrive at my house today!

And yeah, it seems like a carputer is a good choice since price-wise it's similar to an aftermarket GPS/HU, plus since it's a computer, it's relatively cheap/easy to upgrade. The only negative about it is that unless you also have an aftermarket stereo, your sound quality won't be great. But I can live with that.

nissansource

iTrader: (10)

nice check my streetdeck vids out


http://www.nissansource.com/doug/InFillcar/
it studdered in vid b/c i loaded a app wrong its PERFECT now

BhashaZ

iTrader: (18)

Hahah...I already saw it on mp3car.com like the night you posted it! LOL

How is SD treating you so far? And how is the Infill T3? I think in that video you had the unit installed in your Pathfinder. Did you get time to put it in your Z as well (I'm assuming you did already)?

Oh and what studdered in the video? I don't remember anything being wrong?

nissansource

iTrader: (10)

nah SD works Great on the infill unit is awsome i have the best car stereo nothing comes close to this bad boy

BhashaZ

iTrader: (18)

Good to hear Doug! I hope to be joining you soon!

Well, I just got all my pieces in yesterday (touchscreen, PC, GPS, software, etc). UPS was supposed to deliver everything on Friday, but of course nothing ever goes as planned. They ended up delaying delivery until Monday, so I finally got everything I ordered just yesterday! Packing was great with lots of bubble wrap.

After unpacking and admiring everything, I went ahead and ripped apart the PC to disconnect the DC-DC power supply (OPUS), and connect a normal ATX PSU in order to set everything up, and also to install my own PCI WiFi card. After loading the OS and installing all the necessary drivers etc., I FINALLY got around to installing StreetDeck. Upon inserting the StreetDeck DVD disk into the drive, I noticed that no pop-ups came up. I found this odd, but thought maybe they didn't have any auto-load screen. So I went to "My Computer" and double-clicked to access the software on the DVD only to realize that the damn thing was BLANK! I guess they forgot to burn the thing before they sent it out! I was pretty pissed, but you know what? Stuff happens and it was a mistake. So I called them up today and they said they would send out a replacement copy of the software ASAP. That's good customer service! They also agreed to send it out priority to avoid any further delays.

Just thought I would update the guys who PM'd me and wanted to be kept in the loop. I took several pictures of everything and will post pix later on tonight!

jtabraham

iTrader: (46)

I'm definately excited to see how your setup looks. Hopefully there won't be anymore glitches along the way.

buffmanjeff

iTrader: (9)

i am going to do one of these, just finishing some other crap first. goodluck with the project. Carputers are the future, just manufactuers haven't figured out how to make it dummy proof

BhashaZ

iTrader: (18)

Thank, I'm really eager to get it done. I hope there's no more hold-ups, though. So far it's really only been inconveniences versus problems. *knock on wood*

Definitely do it! Once you download and play with StreetDeck, you'll want to get it! And carputers are the future. I think the manufacturers haven't perfected it, but SD is a step in the right direction. It is actually still considered beta software and still undergoing minor changes/tweaking.

rcdash

iTrader: (18)

+1 StreetDeck makes all of the brand name expensive head units look like crap. BUT (and this is a biggie), it runs on XP and nothing on XP is 100% stable, particularly when you thow multiple USB devices into the mix. It's getting there though. This is NOT an issue with StreetDeck so much as finding the right combination of USB devices that are stable when put into standby mode, restarted, can deal with high car temps, etc... Also keep in mind that I have added on hardware that is not official StreetDeck gear, so I may well be to blame - but I think the main benefit of the PC is having the option to expand, reconfigure, customize, etc...

BhashaZ

iTrader: (18)

Can you list your specs and what you're running that may be causing problems?

Also, I agree very much with your last statement. I love the fact that I can customize and upgrade or add-on to the system as time goes one. That was one of the sellings points for me.