Truck Computer - carputer - Build Log - Page 3

if you plan on getting the i3, know that you wont be getting true 23.98 fps. i just figured the zacate would be cheaper overall and fit your media playing needs

I like the idea of the carputer. A nice compact wireless keyboard with backlighting and touchpad is this

I bought one for use in my sit-down arcade racing simulator and it works great. It even has a laser pointer heh.

Power and reset buttons can use any momentary switch buttons and could be placed/hidden anywhere you like. Wire the power converter/psu to the ignition switch to it's on the the key is turned either way would be one way to do it, but then you would get 'instant off' when you turn off the car which is not good for the pc. Maybe better to have a toggle switch for the pc's psu, so it wont automatically turn off everytime you kill the engine, unless you dont mind shutting down your carputer before you pull the keys out of your whip.

Best way to deter theft if to get a alarm or atleast a blinking light that is visible on your dash. I know someone that used to jack/steal from cars in his youth and he said that he just avoided cars with alarms/blinky led light. Also be a smart idea to keep things hidden and keep the look of the truck as close to stock as possible. Your going to see the screen of course.

I also reccomend wireless xbox controllers for the pc. You can buy a wireless dongle for use with pc for gaming and with programms like xpadder you can even control the mouse and reprogram the xbox 360 controller buttons to do whatever you want them to do. If only M$ would release some drivers for the 360 chatpad attachment, it would be the ultimate HTPC/Carputer conrtoller, but alas the mini backlight keyboard attachment for the 360controller doesnot work on pc. The controller works great though, and like thi mini keyboard-touchpad-laserpointer linked above, the batter life is excellent. The keyboard is rechargeable with usb cable BTW.
Edited by bob808 - 4/22/11 at 11:37pm

For what?

???

I did not know there were 12v dc psu's, thanks for teaching me something new. Do you have a link to any? I would love to check some out.

http://www.mini-box.com/M3-ATX-DC-DC...8&category=981

Google is your friend.

Wow, I have never seen one of those before, that's sweet.

A lot of the components in a regular ATX PSU are there for downvolting purposes and then to clean the power up, with DC power you don't need all those parts so a DC PSU is usually very tiny.

I didn't browse the whole thread, but maybe this will help you out a little?

Other considerations:

• Replace the stock audio headunit? I would assume that would be the easiest way to do this. The stock head unit is generally junk usually. If you've got the cash for a carputer, then put some amps in. Use the carputer as the head unit.
• Where to relocate the digital a/c controls? This one is vehicle specific. Your buddy that builds show cars would be better at this than I could over the internet.
• Install amp/subs? Yeah, you better! Don't let your buddy talk you into mainstream garbage stuff either. There's a TON of really good equipment out there, assuming you've got the cash for it. Subwoofer wise, it's all about what you want to accomplish with it (SQ or SPL, size restrictions), and how much power you want. Something nice and small would be a Sundown SA-8 with a small 500-1000w amplifier, probably ported around 35Hz or so. Something big...maybe a Fi BTL, 3000+w RMS, ported at 30Hz? More? Bigger? It all depends on how loud you want to go, how you want it to sound, and how much your wallet can stretch. Car audio is a ton more expensive than computers are.
• Front usb ports? Piece of cake if you're already doing a screen custom mounted. You could mount a lappy DVDRW drive in the dash too, for DVD viewing.
• Power switch? There's specific PSU's to use for a carputer. You'll be limited to around 150w (plenty). But they'll turn the machine on and off with the remote signal. So when your key goes off, so does the computer. When the key is on, the computer will resume from standby.
• Mouse/keyboard? I was personally thinking of finding a really small keyboard with a touch pad built into it. Smallest possible. And modding my glovebox so when it folds down, the KB / Touchpad are right there in the passenger's lap...on a swivel. You could get that fancy and do something similar, or just use a wireless set.
• Power requirements--battery/alternator... You'll definitely be wanting more battery power at the bare minimum. It fully depends on how much power your audio setup takes up. Just the carputer and stock-ish amplifier power...you could get by with the stock alternator, a good battery up front, and a good battery somewhere else....plus the Big 3 (google it). The more power you want to draw, the more beefed up the charging system will have to become.
• How to deter theft? Alarm, good install, bolting through to the trunk, hiding things as much as possible, common sense when bumping / showing off, and of course a garage wouldn't hurt.

Hopefully that'll help you get started. Subbed. This is certainly something I need to learn more about (the actual carputer part). If you have any questions regarding the charging system or audio part....feel free to ask.

~pio

To answer a few more things that have come up:

Heat shouldn't be a concern if you're looking at a low power CPU, and using onboard GPU power (you won't need more for such a small screen, even for gaming). So don't even worry about heat. The goal is to keep the TDP as low as possible, since this system will be PURELY battery based.

Vibrations WILL kill any standard mechanical drive. Laptop or not, doesn't matter. You'll want a SSD, flat out. If you DO decide to throw in a regular mechanical drive, put it in some sort of removable storage bay (built into the rig though, so you don't need to worry about power converting). This way, you could just put another bay in your main rig, and grab the drive and go. Would make copying files 100x easier too. If you can find a full out USB powered external, that would work fine too. But again, vibrations WILL kill a mechanical drive.

As far as speakers (now that I know its a Chevy 1500), I'd stick to a good set of component door speakers, a solid 100-150w 2 channel amplifier (4 channel if you plan to put rear speakers in), and get a solid monoblock amp for the subwoofer section. Again, subwoofer can be anything from something super small, to something huge that takes up your entire bed of the truck. Depends on your wallet. Same with speakers and amps.

I can give you some recommendations to look into for speakers, amps, and subs later on, once you've clarified what your goal is with the audio and budget.

As far as housing the computer...take a look at this site. They have some really amazing cases on there...that look just like a car amplifier. So nobody would even have to know that its a PC in there. Just that you have a screen and amps.

Oh, and the site I linked above has a ton of other handy carputer based stuff too. The only thing I'm personally unsure of on a carputer build myself....is the software to use to give it proper car audio controls (fader, balance, EQ, Crossovers, etc.).