SleepyMSP's Carputer/Audio build

[Amdeus]

J/w as why you didnt try and heat pipe to the shell? This might of helped with some of the heat. Also to trim down xp did you use Nlite or just manually run into msconfig to snatch out services you didnt need? I thought about doing somethen like this with a stripped down Eee pc and using ubuntu that was stripped down. But none the less good work on the build.

 

[LinuxRacr]

I can't believe I'm just now seeing this thread. I'm actually in the process of rebuilding my carputer now. I've been wanting to put it in the dash for a while.

On a side note, nice DNS & Bind book in the pictures. I have the same one myself...

 

[yudkib]

lmao then you two should tag team why my ISP is constantly telling me its having issues resolving the mazdas247.com hostname. i dont know who hosts the site, but their DNS server is pretty... well not good.

 

[SleepyMSP]

its probably not the server but your isp's naming server try fliushing your dns entries on the machine

cmd> ipconfig /flushdns

BTW linuxracr your pics of centrafuse were the inspiration for thie whole think...just FYI

 

[SleepyMSP]

pics added to first post

update: the center console is almost done, its in the final stages of sanding. There is still a little work to do on the edges for the screen and the whole for the 2 usb ports on the console as well but it gives an idea of what I'm shooting for

 

[special--k]

Wow, looking good man!

 

[Wagonbacker9]

do want. too bad doing something like this is way over my head.

 

[SleepyMSP]

I'm willing to help you out on building something like this, actually you can get a box pre-built and a double din screen that will be a direct drop in to the center console of the car

 

[Wagonbacker9]

whats the cost look like for that? can you jump on AIM or something and discuss? I'd love to take on a project like this, now that I'm not using a smartphone this might be a decent stand-in option for it.

 

[SleepyMSP]

I'll hit you up tonight and we can discuss all you want

 

[Wagonbacker9]

K, this is my AIM SN.

I think this is my starting point:
board
http://store.mp3car.com/Intel_D410PT_Intel_Desktop_Board_With_integrated_I_p/mtb-064.htm
case
http://store.mp3car.com/Silver_Double_Din_Nano_ITX_Carputer_Enclosure_p/enc-032-s.htm
monitor
http://store.mp3car.com/Lilliput_629GL_70NP_7_VGA_Touchscreen_p/mon-016.htm

thinking I can share an RF keyboard/touchpad between this and my PS3

 

[yudkib]

man mini itx hardware got cheap in a hurry - when i was considering my build all the atom boards were still north of 130.

 

[yudkib]

by the way wagonbacker, this was the site i used when scoping out my hardware. their prices were as good as they came when i was researching short of buying refurb boards off clearing houses on google shopping.

 

[SleepyMSP]

I always found that the mp3car store a little expensive, mini-box is a good source and so is mo-co-so.com I have had positive experiences with both.

The problem with the case selection is the physical dimensions of the case, it is designed to fit a nano-itx form factor which is 140x140mm vs the mini-itx is 170x170mm. Even if we modified the case it will not allow enough room to fit the screen infront as you need atleast a good 1/2" to mount the screen

the dimensions of my case design is 7"(w) x 4"(H) x 7.5"(d). you need that little extra in the depth.

 

[SleepyMSP]

for your keyboard is it RF or bluetooth?

the monitor is a good choice its a very good standard on the market today, I went with the EBY-701 for the price point as essentially they are the same screen the main difference is the mounting options of the buttons on the screen.

EBY-701 = single PCB board mounting

629GL = dual PCB board IIRC (so you can mount the buttons for control purpose if you need it

 

[Wagonbacker9]

I don't have the keyboard yet, but I was planning RF. I'm VERY open to recommendations though.

From what I understand the 629 has higher contrast, or is that information old?

Only thing I'm really pretty set on is using an off the shelf double din case, as anything else is going to take fab work that I don't want to put into it. I don't plan on doing much more with it than playing music and vid, hopefully an OBDII scanner, and possibly navigation.

Mini-ITX motherboards are small enough to fit in a standard DIN-sized dash opening. We offer a range of motherboards with built-in CPUs that range in speed from 600mhz to 2.0Ghz. There are also models that will accommodate a P4 CPU. They measure a little less than 6.7" X 6.7" (17cm X 17cm).

I take it this means "fits in the opening, but doesn't fit in the case that fits in the opening"... my misunderstanding.

 

[SleepyMSP]

for double din mounting I would suggest this. for a keyboard that works with both the PS3 and a carputer I would recommend a bluetooth keyboard like the logitech diNivo if your willing to put out the cash for it. Also if you have a bluetooth adaptor in the car you can use handsfree with your cellphone..

for basic usage the MB you've selected will work fine for you. for OBD-II the adapter is only 20$ and the GPS module is about 40$ which will work very well.

there is a downside I should mention to carputers...they a un-amplified, which means you will either need an amp to power your speakers or your head-unit to pump out volume and a proper level

 

[Wagonbacker9]

I have been planning to add a 300/4 to my 250/1 for a while, so thats really not an issue.
I think I'm going to waste less doing uneducated parts searches and hold off til I have more guidance.

Also, to make this easier, I do have a 12V power source I can plug in at home to get this going prior to install... assuming I can find it.

looking through some prebuilts... I think I want RCA outs...

 

[SleepyMSP]

the RCA outs are nothing more than a stereo 1/16" conversion jack, also to test your carputer setup you can use any laptop PS with a DC-DC PSU for example my M2-ATX PSU will accept any input from 6V to 24V DC and refine it to a 12V DC current for the MB, the laptop PSU i use outputs about 19V

if you are an audio buff you might want to consider a sound card as opposed to the on-board one but that can be added after the fact


for the amp I have a 300/4 that I will be installing so if you want to go that route we can share notes on the install options

 

[Wagonbacker9]

I thought about a sound card... but unless its really bad I should be able to survive for a while. I take it the days of DC-DC converters being too low in output is over?

I'm almost second guessing going with an in-dash setup. maybe I'm better off using a traditional HU and having a flipout screen. then if I don't wanna use it, I've got the traditional option, and amplification would be a non-issue, plus I could go with a cheaper, larger computer... hmm.. decisions decisions.