Thinking about a Carputer?

[cam2Xrunner]

I was going to go with the Eclipse AVN5495, but I figured for the 2600 dollars or so that the thing sells for, I can put together an awesome carputer for around the same price if not cheaper. And have ALOT more features and HD storage space, plus better quality than MP3 ripped music.

I'm still in the research stages for mine but have already learned alot in the last few days of researching. I've been doing alot of reading on www.mp3car.com forums.

I've also got some good help and info from the guys over at www.elitecaraudio.com

Here's a thread I made over there if any of you would like to take a peek.
http://www.elitecaraudio.com/forums/...hreadid=111975

So far it looks like this is what my system is going to include...

Audio components:

Front speakers will be a 3 way component set. Right now I'm either going with the DLS Iridium 8.3 or piecing together a component set using different manufacturers like Seas, LPG, Morel, Dynaudio, etc.

The 3 way component set will be powered actively using a new amp coming out called the Zed Audio Leviathan www.zedaudio.com 100 watts RMS to each tweeter, 100 watts rms to each 3" midrange and 200 watts rms to each 8" Midbass.

The subs will be 2 Image Dynamics IDMAX12's powered by the Zed Audio Kronus.
The Zed Audio Kronus is a 4 channel class AB amp that will be bridged to send 700 watts RMS to each sub. The subs will be mounted in a custom sealed Marv enclosure.

Computer: Still researching....

Processor: Alpine PXA-H700

Still doing some research on the power supply and computer case and hardware, I'll update this as I narrow down the choices....

[userlain]

Slightly off topic: If anyone is in the market for a carputer, I can make one for $400-500, depending on the features you desire

[personman]

For the longest time I've been very tempted to build a carputer out of one of these...

http://www.via.com.tw/en/initiatives...head/mini-itx/

[DMDrew812]

what makes a carputer? is it just a normal mini-ATX mobo in a tiny case with a puny power supply and a dinky moniter? shewt, I can make one of those. If its a typical AMD/Intel based computing platform... I noticed you asked on ECA about components... some motherboards make good built in audio, esp. the ones with the nForce 2 and above chipsets... I can help you about those type "?"s
What accessories would you attach to this thing, audio controls + outs, RPM and engine temp monitering? how endless are the options?
Computer components can be had for mega cheep at www.newegg.com. one DIMM of 512mb ram? $30-90 (depending on speed and features) better microATX motherboard for 30-80 bucks.. worth looking into

[cam2Xrunner]

Update:

This is the monitor I'm going to be using

http://www.xenarc.com/product/1040ts.html





The demensions for it are perfect for the 2005 tacoma. It will fit perfectly where the cd player is.

http://www.toyotanation.com/photos/s...cat/510/page/1

Also I'd like to mention that the Alpine PXA-H701 display will be mounted in the area under the ciggarette lighter.

[ekim55121]

i already have a car puter i love it, my boss also has one, we kinda cordinated and built them together it was a sweet project fiberglasses and all

[cam2Xrunner]

Awesome, got pics/specs on what you're running?

Where did you buy all the stuff for it?

[nadir]

Before you guys start a project, it's best to put a price tag on it and stay within those limits.

There are SO MANY options available now.

First, start with a motherboard. Take a look at VIA products, they have some pretty exciting stuff. 1ghz+ is the way to go now if you want a decent media-driven system.

Powering it is your second issue. Most of the VIA boards take a standard ATX power (harness). There are many products available for the VIA boards as well. There are some issues to keep in mind like having the system survive (doesn't reboot) when the car is cranking. Also, most of these power supplies (DC-DC) have features like auto-on when the car starts up and auto-shutdown when the car is turned off. OPUS is one company that comes to mind, as well as many ITUNER products.

Now, worry about your display and interface. Personally, I say you save up for a VGA touchscreen. They are about ~$300 for the lilliput screens. Alot of people have complained about them, but I would recommend them. I have spoken directly with the manufacturer as well as a few distributers and all of them have confirmed that their latest screens have a new power controller (weak link before that people had issues about).

Keep in mind that both lilliput and xenarc use the same LCD screens, just different power boards.

Now, you'll need some sort of GUI. MediaEngine is pretty good, based on winamp. It is skinnable so you can play with it and make something customized to your needs.

If your system is not going to fit in a single or double din (at this point not really possible with mini-itx boards), you might as well get a standard 3.5" harddrive.

GPS is a must-have if you are going to be building a carputer. I recommend the Rikaline GPS mouse that you can easily find on ebay for about $50-$60. The BU-303 GPS mouse is pretty good too. I have both, both of them are great and lock sattelites quickly.

There are different O/S to consider, but for the average carputer enthusiast, you can stick with XP.

As far as all the other fine details, like GPS software, and whatnot, check out MP3Car Forums.


I am working on a similar project... hopefully to be done by Summer. I've spent alot of money and time, testing a bunch of different products, and my feedback here is based off of first-hand experience.

I'm now involved with some of the embedded solutions that aren't found on the consumer-level.... so much available since last year. The project has taken forever now, but soon, I'll have my own hardware and software up and running.

[cam2Xrunner]

Thanks for the reply and info. The stuff you're talking about is what I've been hearing.

What do you think of that Xenarc monitor I mentioned above. I would love to get that one because it will fit perfectly in my dash. It is a TFT VGA LCD, that's what i need right?

[nadir]

the screen is around 550-600, but if it will fit perfect and you're willing to spend the $$, then go for it!

make sure your setup has a spare serial port because that's how the touchcsreen interfaces, for that particular model, to the computer.

[Piddy]

Check this out.... http://mr2oc.com/showthread.php?t=16471

You probably have to register to view it.... but its worth it. Lots of touchscreen carputer pics and info. Some badass software and screens... and some pretty nutty ideas in there.

Sneak peak...

[Knailgun]

man...I should have one of these things

[DMDrew812]

shoot... *props*
haha! is that the stock subwoofer box behind the driver's seat of the MR2? creative!

[Anshu]

nice, your idea has me thinking about converting my laptop when i go to college. long time away but still
over all the idea seems much better then an all out hu. looks like your taking a sweet route with that truck. just hope you have a nice alarm.
my only question is how long is boot up time, or would the computer go to standby. i would find it annoying if it took 30secs plus to start up

[DMDrew812]

Its all about the hardware.. more ram and faster CPU will yeild a faster boot, that along with frequent defragmentation. The start/turnoff shutdown-- look for a UPS (essentially a battery for a computer.) if the carputer is laptop based, there is already a port for the battery, so NP!