cw42

iTrader: (1)

This is the start of my project to install a carpc in my MY99 UK TURBO. I will document all the highs and lows of the install here, with as many pics as I can.

Some background to start off then:
I've had my car for just over 2 years now, and in that time have modded: breathing, ecu, suspension, brakes, wheels and fitted new speakers. My current headunit is from my old car, a sony md head, with 10 disc cd changer. While this is ok, I've not actually used the md part for a while now, and would love mp3's on my 10 disc changer. As no-one makes them, especially not sony, I'm stuck with what I have, or upgrade to a new mp3 head unit.
So, after looking at the cost of the upgrade, and working out some other things I'd need, I figured a carpc is the route to go.

Heres what I eventually want my car pc to do:
1/ play my 11gig mp3 collection
2/ listen to digital radio
3/ navigate me to any location in europe and warn me of speed cameras
4/ record film of my car driving trips
5/ store images off my digital slr's cf card
6/ play mulitmedia on the move
7/ share files with my home pc

All of the above are acheivable, with a little knowledge and patience, and a big overdraft
So, as of this morning, the basic carpc has been ordered. This consists of:

LinITX 7" Widescreen VGA/Composite Monitor with Touchscreen
Carnetix CNX-P1260 Power Regulator
VIA EPIA M10000 motherboard
Morex Cubid 2699 Black case
Seagate Barracuda 200GB 7200rpm hard drive
Toshiba TS-L462A slimline dvd reader/cd writer
Kingston Value Ram 512MB PC2100 DDR memory
Generic Slimline CD adaptor.

The only thing missing for a running system is the os, which I already have a copy of, and the main software for running in the car.
I want to get the system up and running first in the house, leaving it on for a few days to check stability. I'll then transfer my mp3's/multimedia across, and have a play to check all is ok. Hopefully, some time next week, I'll be installing it in the car with some help
Watch this space.
chris.

messiah

Looking forward to following your exploits - but I can't help thinking an iPod photo will do most of that.

Good luck anyway.

ru'

I considered a car PC, but couldn't stomach the costs so I chickened out.


I'm very interested in this thread - looking forward to the pictures etc.

3barboost

Hi there


I have done this and had it running in my classic for the last 15months and can highly recommend it, the most expensive and difficult part to get right is the power, I built a custom startup shutdown controller to work with the ign switch

Make sure you get Delta dash to make it really worthwhile !!

Costs are actually not that high if you use old pc equipment !!!

if you want pics or help drop me a line


Cheers


Hylton

jowl

I'm considering an incar PC too.

I don't think the costs are too bad. The main one for me would be the Screen - as I want a in-dash head-unit style one.

Very much looking forward to viewing the photos. Still not sure where the best place for mine would be.

cw42

iTrader: (1)

Thanks for you comments guys

messiah not really, sat-nav? digi radio? filming car trips? cf reader?

3barboost, thanks for the help offer, *****, ace car electrician, is going to give me a hand next week, so I should be ok Got the Carnetix CNX-P1260 Power Regulator
for all my startup and shutdown needs, it also watches the battery, and will completly shutdown the pc if its dropping below a certain voltage

Jowl, after running tom tom 3 on a pda just to the right of my sightline incar, I've decided against a lowdown din screen, as it's too far out of sight to be useful. So, I'm going to be installing my screen in the top glovebox in the classic. Hopefully, as I lift the box to open, the screen will fold open, and also be shielded from the sun too
chris.

All items dispatched and due delivery tomorrow Will post pics when I get the lot

VAL113R

It's actually called a Carputer, this is the technical term for it

I am working on one myself, but the car is away to the garage for some repairs so I won't have it for a week or so.

I think you will be mega disappointed in the screen you have ordered.

I went for a Lilliput 7" Touch screen which is I was going to flush fit. I then found a site called Digitalwww in America selling an empty enclosure which you could install the Lilliput into. It was motorised and one of the first on the market. I ordered the enclosure but after reading reviews about the company I didn't think it was going to be sent.

I then ordered the monitor which you are getting tomorrow. The first one arrived and the screen had a crack down it. Obviously I sent it back and they sent a replacement.

The replacement was ok, but really poorly made.

It's spring loaded but sometimes the spring doesn't seem strong enough to push the screen out.

I was scared to touch it incase it broke like the first.

It's made of funny metal which gets fingerprints all over it.

It's not strictly din sized, its slightly too wide and a little higher, resulting in the screen hanging over onto the stereo I had fitted underneath.

It stuck out about an inch and a half in the dash and if you fit it in the top space its difficult to open infront of the drinks holder.

Lastly there is no way to secure it into the metal cage as its not supplied with screws and the random screw holes on the side don't match up with anything !

I sent it back and got a refund and am thinking about buying a different kind off eBay. The one I have seen is motorized with a built in TV tuner. The price has just dropped on the one you bought I paid £380 for it ! This one on eBay is only £260 or something.

Good luck with the carputer. I am setting a wireless network up on mine as I have a wireless network at home. I can drive into my drive and surf the net or upload new mp3s.

This may also interest you....

GC8

Ive been building Mini-ITX systems for a while, principally for in-car use. Id suggest that you use a 2.5" form factor fixed disk, principally because itll take a lot less juice to spin up, and also because it will generate a lot less heat. A 4200RPM device will be more than adequate (as opposed to 5400RPM) because disk access speed isnt critical in a system like this.

Id second the opinion about the Lilliput display too; but you can pay anything from £150-£300+ for the same piece of kit... A good selection of 12v / 12v boards and regulator/start-up/shut-down controllers can be found at www.mini-box.com. Mini-ITX ( www.mini-itx.com ) have a reasonably good range and an enthusiasm for the kit, but a lot of their prices take the ****.

The 'Travla C134' DIN sized chassis is nice, and very easy to locate, but I prefer to use a 'wall mount' chassis that costs £25, although you cant mount an optical drive in it.

Simon

GC8

I forgot to say; between MEDIACAR and MediaEngine (popular applications used as front ends), Id choose the former and run without a keyboard. For when you cant get-by use the touchscreen with a cheap replacement PDA stylus and the accessability on-screen keyboard.

Simon

cw42

iTrader: (1)

Thanks for all the comments and suggestions guys
VAL113R, I'm actually putting the screen in the top glovebox on the dash of the scooby, not where the radio sits now, pictures soon. I'm not building it in as such, just going to install it in there, with some sort of runner in place so it flips up when I open the box. Thats the plan anyway
GC8, wish I'd known about your building skill beforehand I needed a big harddrive, and didn't really think about spin speeds or juice consumption, nevermind, I'll see how I go on,

chris.

VAL113R

I didnt realise you had the facelift classic

I have a 93 you see and don't have that compartment

I second the opinion regarding the laptop hard drive, remember you will need a 3.5" to 2.5" ide cable

If you have already bought the 3.5" and would prefer the 2.5" then remember you can send the item back for a full refund in the first 7 days under the distance selling regulation.

cheers

VAL113R

Just some pics to keep people reading the thread.....

The monitor you have just bought. Looks nice in the picture, but I didnt like it in the flesh.



The lilliput I bought, the base can be removed and I was going to flush mount it



Here is a picture of the enclosure which I bought to fit the Lilliput into



Lastly the monitor which I am thinking about buying which has built in tuner.



And if you really fancy, what about digital free to air tv, which will give a crystal clear picture at up to 200kph ? Never miss Big Brother again

messiah

Well no, obviously it won't do sat nav or digi radio, but the new ipods have a camera adapter so you would be able to ditch vids and pics from a camera onto the ipod.

Some very nice gadgets on show there - any chance of some in car pics? Can the screen from those Pioneer DVD headunits be used also? I like the idea of most of the stuff being built into the head unit.

jowl

I think thats the screen I was looking at - not quite available yet I believe?

http://www.linitx.co.uk look pretty good for equipment too.


Cw42, I see what you mean about having the screen of out eyeline. I always prefer my Tom-Tom + PDA up where I can see it easily...even though you tend to listen to intsructions, it's nice to have a quick glance now and again.

But I don't have the top glovebox on my 97 Turbo either.

jowl

Just been reading about this screen.....(http://www.digitalww.com/DWW-K301.htm)



linitx.co.uk are getting them in (approx 5/6 weeks) for 320 inc VAT

from http://www.digital-car.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1083

cw42

iTrader: (1)

Next step
Got all my stuff this morning, ready and waiting when I got up at 2pm (I'm on nights this week) Unpacked and assembled for the first picture:

all sat on the cooker, waiting to go

Phew! This is a lot of stuff! So, first thing to do is to assemble the pc. Main problems when assembling is the lack of room in the case. The mb is tiny though, as is the cd drive (it actually came with a slimline cd adapter, although I'd bought one, doh!)
So, after some trouble with the cables, and finally working out which bit went where, I am in the process of formatting the hd as I type this, and using my daughters monitor to view things. I figure I won't be able to install the screen until I have the software installed, and I cant do that until I have a screen I can use
I think tonight is just going to be getting windows xp pro running, install the screen if I have time, then have a quick play before work.
This is my custom arrangement to get the thing working for now:


One thing I did have to do, into bios, change boot menu to cd then hd, disable floppy support, as I'll be using a card reader in that slot.
I also had trouble connecting the ide cable to the back of the cd, as it was pressing against the power cable, and cutting out
Sorted now, but I deffo need a smaller ide cable, I may swap the one in my pc, as that is the round type.

Thanks for all your suggestions about screens, but unless my top glovebox idea doesn't work, I've no need for a din mount unit. The screen I've got actually looks quite good, I'll give my thoughts on that when I get it up and running.
Keep you posted,
chris.

muddy

You may know that I have already done this in my car and it's very successful.


I can confirm that the carnetix power regulator is very good.

However what power supply are you using??

I have a 3.5" HD and have had no problems, that's also with very stiff suspension which is dropped by 45mm.


I think it took me about 2 months on a test bench in the study before I finally built it into the car.

I wouldn't be too hasty fitting it into the car just yet.

Get it set up they way you want it and then when your happy fit it loosely.

Muddy

VAL113R

Yep this is available

Digitalwww are stocking it and its also on ebay at the moment for about £250

UHF

I have just put a carpc into my furby, everything is perfect EXCEPT I have the lilliput 7" touch screen mounted on the dash and in bright sunlight its TOTALLY unreadable, so be careful and do some serious research before you shell out for a screen.

I want to go in dash but the screens all use one of two panels so the brightness of around 300-400 (somethings), seems to be the best.

There are some people on mp3car.com doing custom mods to upgrade the backlights tho.

cw42

iTrader: (1)

It's all up and running Got the touchscreen setup and working, and TBH, it looks quiet good, I'll try and get some shots later tonight.
I've bought a card reader, but unfortunatly it wont fit in the pc case, so I will install it somewhere in the car, maybe in the dash?
I've had trouble with the cables inside the case, it is very tight in there. So I just bought a round ide cable today, and that has eased things a bit. I'll be connecting it to my network tonight, transfering most of my files across, then having a good play tomorrow.
muddy: Thats good advice, I think I will have a good play first, and check everything is working ok. Had it on all day now, and no crashes yet

Does anyone know how to get into bios with a touchscreen? Usually just press delete on startup, but obviously can't do that!

chris.

jowl

from what I've read, the liliput screens are poor...and the have QC problems.

What software are you using? I've heard mediacar (?) is good

cw42

iTrader: (1)

UPDATE: the lid is back on! I've built my first ROCK playlist! and its coming out of the headphones for now
I'm using mediaengine for the front end. I've had a good look around at whats available, and tried downloading some different frontends last night, but not very well
So, I'll stick with this for now, and see how it goes.

Does anyone know what's the best format to rip dvd's in for viewing on my pc? I've backed up a few so far, but they wont play, I need to convert the .vob files to something smaller than the current 4.5gb per film!

chris.

UHF

I'm using media engine too, lots of people like frodo player but i just find its too cluttered. Check out mp3car.com, there is a section in there with all the details on.

Media engine links nicely in with map monkey gps too

cw42

iTrader: (1)

I've yet to sort out the gps side of things. Got to wait for my bank balance to recover before I buy the software Are you using destinator UHF?
I've read that you can use mapmonkey to do POI's, as a camera database would be very important to me.
How do I eventually get mediaengine playing my mp3's, and destinator navigating me at the same time though?
chris.

UHF

yeah i'm using destinator with mapmonkeys wrap around.

It runs embedded in media engine, so basically you fire up your pc with media engine as the shell, it then loads mapmonkey in the background, so you're busy playing tunes etc and its just there not doing anything until you press the gps button, the music continues and the gps screen comes up INSIDE the media engine window, you can then plan your route etc and switch between music and gps.

I've got it configured to mute the sound for 5 secs when giving directions.

Since its there all the time, if you're driving along without GPS and listening to music it'll tell you when you're approaching red light cameras or gatsos etc.

Its very cool! If you were local i'd invite you round to have a look! Its in a Fabia VRS

UHF

how are you building playlists etc? I havent got around to working that out in media engine yet, there are also a few icons in the front end which dont do anything, like the tree type thing and the microphone symbol, also when you hit the tick it adds it to favourites but how do you find them again?

jowl

Very interesting about Mediaengine/gps.

I was wondering how playing mp3 AND having GPS worked. I obvisouly will want it to work like yours UHF.

My pda+tomtom has been worth it's weght in gold with the Camera POI - I'd NEED that on any gps I had.

Lets have some more pics / screenshots cw42!!

muddy

As i tested mine on my bench for a month or too, I was able to test the different front ends that are available.


I tried Mediaenginebut found the GUI slightly off putting. There' no easy way to change the style of it either.

I eventually ended up using Mediacar as I could change the style of the front end. And there are plenty other people out there done it too, which youc an download and use as your own.

I'm also using Autoroute 2005, as I didn't have enough money to fork out for Destinator or Navigator which seem the most popular choices. It's stable enough and at some point I'll see If I can get a database running fro cameras--although I have a road angel so may not bother.

What power supply are you going to run??

A picture of the front end I did for mediacar::


Showing the Subaru text in the bottom left corner.










Muddy

UHF

Nice, how did you fabricate the surround etc so it fits so nice?

And what screen is that? Looks quite bright

UHF

btw muddy, how are you using autoroute to plan routes? it doesnt give directions does it? Or do you just follow the route it plots by eye?

I played with Media Car in December, support was fading, but i heard Road Runner is basically the new version so might be worth looking at that, apparently all the skins work. I've downloaded both now so i'll take a look