Case In Point
Posted on October 16, 2008
It’s been a while since my last post and I know I promised pictures as soon as I got the case, but I’ve been very busy lately. However, here are said pictures and my detailed account of installing the parts in the case. Also an update on my current status with the project.
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This is not the case
Posted on August 15, 2008
When I started this blog, I had a specific case lined up, the Morex 2677. This case would have been fine for a normal mini-ITX PC, however not so good for a CarPC due to the fact that it comes with a power supply that would be completely useless without a much more expensive regulator. Most people, me included, would think that any 12V power supply would be fine, however this is not the case when dealing with power coming from a car.
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GPS Navigation
Posted on July 17, 2008
In most countries, there are a miriad of navigation programs to choose from. However, I’m in Australia, where no companies really care about mapping. This leaves me with very few choices. I can either go with the software included with Centrafuse, Destinator, or go down a completely different route.
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On-board Diagnostics
Posted on July 3, 2008
One of the great features of a CarPC is the ability to hook it up to the car’s on-board computer system. In order to do this, you need an OBD-II scanner. Generally all cars built after 1996 have an OBD-II compatible port under the dash. The main problem has been that the scanners were very expensive (running up hundreds of dollars), until now. There are now plenty of cheap asian replicas on the market that do essentially the exact same job as the expensive ones.
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Touching on the screen
Posted on July 3, 2008
The screen is the most expensive part of the whole setup. It is also one of the most crucial decisions that you need to make while building a CarPC as it is what you’ll be looking at and what you’ll be using as your main input device. There are so many different screens for different needs and what I say below probably won’t be relevant to most people reading this. The screen should always be chosen for the purpose it is needed.
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The right Frontend for the job
Posted on June 26, 2008
Let me first explain what a frontend is. In order to operate a computer in a car, you need a piece of software that is touchscreen friendly, quick and easy to use and supports all the features you need while in a car. These features include media playback and library functions, AM/FM radio, GPS, Bluetooth phone integration and a few others.
Finding a frontend that is best for the job you want is generally a decision to make yourself, in this post I’ll detail the choices I had to make and why I am going with the one I chose. Bear in mind, I am completely open to changing to any other, please leave suggestions in the comments.
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Choosing an Operating System
Posted on June 25, 2008
This, along with choosing the frontend to go with it (which I’ll go into in a later post) was one of the more difficult decisions. In this post I’ll detail the system I eventually chose and the reasons for doing it.
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Intro
Posted on June 25, 2008
Chances are if you’re reading this, you’d know that I intend on putting a computer in my car. This blog will serve to provide updates on my progress a general how-to for other people that may be interested in putting a computer in their own car.
First things first, my car is a silver Mitsubishi Lancer 2006 (2.4L CH) ES badge. The car only has a 1-din slot for aftermarket stereo systems – or in this case, a touchscreen.
The specifications for the PC I have chosen are detailed on the Specifications page.
Over the next few weeks I will be posting regularly and uploading photos of the installation. At the time of posting, I have all the parts of the PC itself except the case (it’s current assembled in a spare ATX case I had lying around) and the screen.
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