My carPC project: ongoing thread

[Wombat]

Wow, lots of questions. The computer you linked to looks pretty good, but I'd just be concerned about how you're going to power it. I'm using the M2-ATX power supply and so far it has had plenty of juice to power everything. Granted, I'm using a VIA C7 processor which isn't nearly as much as a power whore as the intel P4.

The screen is pretty large and will take a good deal of custom fabricating to get it to fit and look good. So far my 7" screen has been sufficient, but I certainly wouldn't mind a larger one.

I like that AeroCool front panel with the removable 2.5" drive...that's pretty slick. If you could get that entire front panel mounted in where the cruise control is, that would be one sweet looking setup.

The slim DVD drive I'm using is similar to the one you posted, but I just ganked the drive out of an old laptop that I no longer use and bought a universal case. It works, but the USB interface makes it sooooo slow.

Fingerprint reader is a little over the top and I'm not sure how you would use it for keyless entry if it's in the car? This is one of those things I would probably add to my system wayyyy down the road. The stage I'm at right now is figuring out all of the necessary wiring and attaching it all in a clean and professional manner. Unfortunately, I just brought home another VR-4 today and that will probably be stealing some time away from my carPC endeavor.

[Cool Name Here]

Originally Posted by Wombat

Wow, lots of questions. The computer you linked to looks pretty good, but I'd just be concerned about how you're going to power it. I'm using the M2-ATX power supply and so far it has had plenty of juice to power everything. Granted, I'm using a VIA C7 processor which isn't nearly as much as a power whore as the intel P4.

The screen is pretty large and will take a good deal of custom fabricating to get it to fit and look good. So far my 7" screen has been sufficient, but I certainly wouldn't mind a larger one.

I like that AeroCool front panel with the removable 2.5" drive...that's pretty slick. If you could get that entire front panel mounted in where the cruise control is, that would be one sweet looking setup.

The slim DVD drive I'm using is similar to the one you posted, but I just ganked the drive out of an old laptop that I no longer use and bought a universal case. It works, but the USB interface makes it sooooo slow.

Fingerprint reader is a little over the top and I'm not sure how you would use it for keyless entry if it's in the car? This is one of those things I would probably add to my system wayyyy down the road. The stage I'm at right now is figuring out all of the necessary wiring and attaching it all in a clean and professional manner. Unfortunately, I just brought home another VR-4 today and that will probably be stealing some time away from my carPC endeavor.

I passed on the P4 PC, I was not happy with the integrated graphics card, I would like to play PC games so I need an Nvidia card like the 8600.

The other "complete" setup I posted is on the lines of what you have, is it not? I was worried about whether or not I would be able to use those panels with a system like your.

My BIG issue is the proprietary of these CarPc's. They are so limited in what you can and can not mod.

As for the bio-scan unit with for car security, that will need some looking into. Hell, I even found an affordable retina / Iris scanner that would be sick for entry and start mods


Here is some info on the other setup (the complete setup) :


The items are used but not installed. All items were used when I was building the system and installing the software. All items are used under 5 hours. I have all of the boxes, packaging and manuals. The pc was built by Mobile Computer Solutions. I will try to include all of the specs later in the email. I purchased the screen from a group buy on mp3car.com. It has no branding on the box or screen. I do know though that the LCD is made by Samsung. One of the members in the group buy disassembled their screen to find out what type of LCD it had. That is the reason I purchased it. The screen has great resolution and defaults to 800x600 @ 60Hz. I have had it to 1280x762 @ 75Hz without issue. As far as a DVD, I have a laptop slot load drive I can include but it needs a convertor and usb kit to make it work with the system. You can purchase all of the needed components from mp3car.com store. It also has a Belkin Wireless G usb adapter for LAN. Let me know if you have other questions. Thanks, Steve
Detailed Specifications:

Motherboard:

Processor Intel Celeron 215 with 533 MHz FSB *Includes the P4 to Molex CPU power connector
Chipset SiS SiS662 Northbridge
SiS SiS964L Southbridge
Memory/RAM Up to 1GB of DDR2 400/533 MHz RAM
VGA Integrated SiS Mirage 1 graphic engine
Expansion Slots 1x 5v 32 bit PCI
Onboard IDE 1 ATA 100 40-pin
Onboard Serial ATA None
Onboard USB 6 USB 2.0
Onboard Audio ADI AD1888 audio codec
Onboard LAN Broadcom 10/100
BIOS Intel BIOS 4Mb flash memory
System Monitoring & Management Power Management, Wake on USB, Wake on PCI, Wake on keyboard, Wake on mouse, Wake on LAN
Operating Temperature 0 ~ 50ºC
Form Factor Mini-ITX (17 cm x 17 cm)
Onboard I/O Connectors 4 USB 2.0 via 2 pin headers
1 P4 connector
Front audio connector
ATX connector
Back Panel I/O 1 Parallel port
2 USB 2.0 ports
1 VGA port
1 LAN port
1 RS-232 COM port
1 PS2 keyboard port
1 PS2 mouse port
3 Audio jacks: line-out, line-in, mic-in

[Wombat]

I'd personally stay away from celeron processors.

[BlackStealth]

VIA C7 processors are the weakest of the bunch, I'd much rather have a Celeron. Having owned a C7 processor carpc I vowed I'd never go that path again considering mobile Celeron and mobile AMD processors are much faster.

Comparison of the 1.3Ghz Celeron 215 vs 1.5Ghz C7






More can be found here.
http://resources.mini-box.com/online...nsumption.html

The new Intel D201GLY2 miniITX motherboard with its integrated Celeron processor only costs $67-75, compare that to approx $200 for VIA motherboard/cpu combo. The Celeron will demand 10-20 watts more than the VIA counterpart, but that's only a small price to pay considering the performance difference.

For fun I've ordered the D201GLY2 because it's so cheap and I'll test it as a carpc.

[Wombat]

heh, guess I should have done my research. I'm new to VIA so I don't know a whole lot about them, but I can't say im disappointed so far. My CarPC loads insanely fast and there's hardly any lag between screen switching.

I've just had really bad experiences with Celerons in the past so anytime I see one, I just walk on by.

[Cool Name Here]

Originally Posted by BlackStealth

VIA C7 processors are the weakest of the bunch, I'd much rather have a Celeron. Having owned a C7 processor carpc I vowed I'd never go that path again considering mobile Celeron and mobile AMD processors are much faster.

Comparison of the 1.3Ghz Celeron 215 vs 1.5Ghz C7


More can be found here.
http://resources.mini-box.com/online...nsumption.html

The new Intel D201GLY2 miniITX motherboard with its integrated Celeron processor only costs $67-75, compare that to approx $200 for VIA motherboard/cpu combo. The Celeron will demand 10-20 watts more than the VIA counterpart, but that's only a small price to pay considering the performance difference.

For fun I've ordered the D201GLY2 because it's so cheap and I'll test it as a carpc.

BlackStealth, what would you suggest if I wanted something that would play PC games like NFS Pro; with that game you need a Nvidia 8800 IIRC. I just want to do EVERYTHING with it that I can do on a home PC. TY!


BTW, so are you saying that the CarPc I the info on is a SOLID choice? I am sure it will not play today's PC games seeing how moat if not all require you to run a Ge-Force card, but as a CarPC, is it a SOILD CHOICE?

Here is the info again:




The items are used but not installed. All items were used when I was building the system and installing the software. All items are used under 5 hours. I have all of the boxes, packaging and manuals. The pc was built by Mobile Computer Solutions. I will try to include all of the specs later in the email. I purchased the screen from a group buy on mp3car.com. It has no branding on the box or screen. I do know though that the LCD is made by Samsung. One of the members in the group buy disassembled their screen to find out what type of LCD it had. That is the reason I purchased it. The screen has great resolution and defaults to 800x600 @ 60Hz. I have had it to 1280x762 @ 75Hz without issue. As far as a DVD, I have a laptop slot load drive I can include but it needs a convertor and usb kit to make it work with the system. You can purchase all of the needed components from mp3car.com store. It also has a Belkin Wireless G usb adapter for LAN. Let me know if you have other questions. Thanks, Steve
Detailed Specifications:

Motherboard:

Processor Intel Celeron 215 with 533 MHz FSB *Includes the P4 to Molex CPU power connector
Chipset SiS SiS662 Northbridge
SiS SiS964L Southbridge
Memory/RAM Up to 1GB of DDR2 400/533 MHz RAM
VGA Integrated SiS Mirage 1 graphic engine
Expansion Slots 1x 5v 32 bit PCI
Onboard IDE 1 ATA 100 40-pin
Onboard Serial ATA None
Onboard USB 6 USB 2.0
Onboard Audio ADI AD1888 audio codec
Onboard LAN Broadcom 10/100
BIOS Intel BIOS 4Mb flash memory
System Monitoring & Management Power Management, Wake on USB, Wake on PCI, Wake on keyboard, Wake on mouse, Wake on LAN
Operating Temperature 0 ~ 50ºC
Form Factor Mini-ITX (17 cm x 17 cm)
Onboard I/O Connectors 4 USB 2.0 via 2 pin headers
1 P4 connector
Front audio connector
ATX connector
Back Panel I/O 1 Parallel port
2 USB 2.0 ports
1 VGA port
1 LAN port
1 RS-232 COM port
1 PS2 keyboard port
1 PS2 mouse port
3 Audio jacks: line-out, line-in, mic-in

[BlackStealth]

I don't know why you would want to play games on the carpc, as your car battery would certainly be dead in less than an hour if you run a powerful CPU/graphics card combo. This of course is assuming your engine is turned off, as it would be crazy idea to play games and drive simultaneously.

If such a high end graphics card is necessary, go buy a desktop-replacement gaming notebook and mount it in your trunk. It could double as a computer that you can grab from your trunk later for LAN parties. Install a notebook lock in your trunk too.

[Cool Name Here]

Originally Posted by BlackStealth

I don't know why you would want to play games on the carpc, as your car battery would certainly be dead in less than an hour if you run a powerful CPU/graphics card combo. This of course is assuming your engine is turned off, as it would be crazy idea to play games and drive simultaneously.

If such a high end graphics card is necessary, go buy a desktop-replacement gaming notebook and mount it in your trunk. It could double as a computer that you can grab from your trunk later for LAN parties. Install a notebook lock in your trunk too.

I was thinking on more of the lines as something to do at a car meet when it start to turned for the worst, lol, or for the pass on a long trip. Well maybe I will do the Xbox again.

As for the "Complete" setup I posted above, I missed the Goddamn thing I got too wrapped up at the gym and forgot all about it

[Cool Name Here]

For those wanting to control their A/C with their CarPc, I bequeath to you this link:

http://www.roshanindustries.com/mp3pumphouse/Aircon.htm

[John Monnin]

Originally Posted by fastfalcon94

Looks like it will be a nice setup. I did this once but didn't do as good of job. I should have gone mini-itx and DC power supply. Here was my page.

Vermont Phantom's Lair

Is that power inverter still working for you?

Vector MAXX VEC024
12 Volts DC to 110 Volts AC
400 Watt (3.75 Amps)


I have a bunch of existing PC stuff that I want to use and I would like to have 110AC in the car for other reasons.
There are a lot of Cheap (under $50) power inverters avialable anything I should look for or avoid in one?