CarPC WIP

[Master X]

I've been working on getting all the necessary parts for quite some time now. I have them all now and have been working at getting the whole thing setup.

A little background as to the setup:

In-car computer completely replacing the head unit.
Touchscreen LCD mounted in double din of dash.
DVD drive mounted in the center console.
Custom built plexiglass case to fit under carpet in trunk.
DC-DC power supply to bypass need for inverter.
Alpine 4 channel amp to ouput sound from computer.
Power on/shutdown switch so computer will hibernate when the car is shut off.

Everything has been purchased and I am now on the construction of the setup. I am doing everything myself aside from the power on/shutdown switch, another CO3S member is going to help me with that.

Here are some of the pieces:








And now onto the custom pieces. I forgot to take a picture of the huge slab of plexiglass I got, but oh well:

Building to case to fit in place of the larger try under the trunk. Here's the match up.


Me gearing up to cut the plexiglass. I have headphones because the sound is deafening when cutting. Don't I look sexay??????


My weapon of choice:


Finished cutout.


Picture of the mobo mounted and the whole system running. (Yes, its a freakin mess)


And here's where I am so far. One side is done. The left side of that side piece will be the hole for the powersupply. The other side is the hole for all the cables (usb, vga, etc).


I may end up molding to the outside to make everything seamless but I'm not totally sure. The top is for sure staying clear. Now before you say anything about cooling I have got that covered. The case is actually going to incline above the trunk cover where the flap is. The flap is still there just folded under. I am going for preserved functionality of my trunk.

I will continue to take pictures as I complete it. I would have gotten farther so far but the damned interface I'm building is being a pain in the ass.

[BlackTopVR4]

Looks like a big fat pain in the ass troy! Good luck with it though.


I am curious...why are you replacing everything with a touch-screen?? Pimp status? Does it improve something....???? I don't know jack about audio or electrical stuff but I've been kinda wondering what this huge project was all about.

[Master X]

I never use radio. Thats about all I get with a normal head unit versus a computer.

I'd be lying if I said this had nothing to do with pimp status cuz it will be really cool when it's done, but the main purposes are gps, music, video, and AEM.

GPS and AEM are the biggest reasons. Once I have AEM I won't have any need to have a laptop sitting in my front seat pushing my girlfriend to the back. (co3s guys know who I'm talking about. ) It puts everything into one easy to control unit.

Easy to control, a huge bitch to set up. I love doing this kind of stuff though. I cleaned the living room a couple days ago and now its a mess, but at least this time is ALL me.

[Deathsled]

bold ambition

usually people try to do this with a mini (itx) motherboards and a small power supply, and you're using full size components! One day I'll get around to building a CarPC as well, however the entire thing will be housed in the factory stereo location

[mehlosTT]

Originally Posted by Master X

I never use radio. Thats about all I get with a normal head unit versus a computer.

I'd be lying if I said this had nothing to do with pimp status cuz it will be really cool when it's done, but the main purposes are gps, music, video, and AEM.

GPS and AEM are the biggest reasons. Once I have AEM I won't have any need to have a laptop sitting in my front seat pushing my girlfriend to the back. (co3s guys know who I'm talking about. ) It puts everything into one easy to control unit.

Easy to control, a huge bitch to set up. I love doing this kind of stuff though. I cleaned the living room a couple days ago and now its a mess, but at least this time is ALL me.

This is great to read....to use my AEM through the laptop with no PC in the seat would be excellent...problem has been finding the right type of touch screen and how to make sure it all fits and connects perfectly with the 9 pin serial cable
as most newer notebook PC's don't have a serial connector.
if you get time later on, please email or PM with your details of set up. it would be reallllly appreciated. Nice work project you have going there. BTW_ will the pc itself be in the trunk, well isolated from jarring, etc or is it a small indash thing?

[VR-4ever]

The touchscreen feeds the cp which feeds a bunch of microcontrollers?

Don't forget to use a respirator when cutting stuff.

Awesome project bro, good luck. =)

[Master X]

The power supply is the smallest I have seen other than the smaller DC-DC power supplies. Guards specifically against power surges from the car turning over.

The PC itself will be in the trunk mounted in the exact same location of that tray. One of my coworkers is hooking me up with some components to make sure the hard drive doesnt get shaken too much. Where it is, it will be hard to notice its full size components.

Jay, one thing I need to know, as far as the interface of AEM. Does it only need to connect to a serial port? Or is there more to it in terms of the computer portion. I need to make sure I have everything covered so I can just place it in without having to redo anything.

And I do have a respirator, I do need to change the filters though. :/

[VR-4ever]

Originally Posted by Master X

Jay, one thing I need to know, as far as the interface of AEM. Does it only need to connect to a serial port? Or is there more to it in terms of the computer portion. I need to make sure I have everything covered so I can just place it in without having to redo anything.

And I do have a respirator, I do need to change the filters though. :/

Nine pin serial is the only connection for test/tune, although the newer versions will be usb.

Take your time bro... you will be very lucky to fit it all the first time. I've had my dash/aem in and out quite a few times... it happens.

I want to see this at NG!!

[Master X]

The computer will be in the back so if need be taking it out wont be a HUGE endeavor.

I'm starting to think I may cover it in carpet. Possibly at least the top so it blends with the trunk cover. So all that would look different is the carpet would be at an incline and a fan would be sticking out of it.

What do you guys think? If I leave it clear I MAY (and its a big may) add some lighting to the inside of it. Otherwise I might just go with carpet.

[Caffinated Soap]

Originally Posted by Master X

The computer will be in the back so if need be taking it out wont be a HUGE endeavor.

I'm starting to think I may cover it in carpet. Possibly at least the top so it blends with the trunk cover. So all that would look different is the carpet would be at an incline and a fan would be sticking out of it.

What do you guys think? If I leave it clear I MAY (and its a big may) add some lighting to the inside of it. Otherwise I might just go with carpet.

I ended up carpeting mine. So far it seems like you've done the exact same things as me (I even used the same dremel ). You've got the same Liliput screen and OPUS psu. MicroATX boards don't seem to mind being installed in that storage compartment, but it looks like you're going full sized ATX with it.

Just let me warn you, that screen's a bitch putting it in the stock radio bezel.