Printable View
The main question I have is... how easy would it be to use this laptop as a carputer.
Acer Aspire One
I would get an external DVD writer through USB and the usual.
For sound to the car speakers, would it be best to use an external sound card? I have two 4x4s and two 6x9s in the truck that I would prefer to use, and the head unit I have will find its way to another vehicle.
Also, what would be the best way to power this from the vehicles battery?
No more or less easy than any other laptop.Quote:
Originally Posted by WakoNako
Just run audio from the laptop to your headunit. If the sound quality is unacceptable, then look into a USB sound card. Remember that a USB sound card will suck away CPU cycles.Quote:
I would get an external DVD writer through USB and the usual.
For sound to the car speakers, would it be best to use an external sound card? I have two 4x4s and two 6x9s in the truck that I would prefer to use, and the head unit I have will find its way to another vehicle.
Easiest would be the car power adapter for this model.Quote:
Also, what would be the best way to power this from the vehicles battery?
It's time to read the FAQs.
I've been thinking of using an aspire one, but modded into a slate umpc. I was searching the net today, and found this:
http://www.slashgear.com/diy-acer-as...-umpc-0218088/
the forum is here, but it's in spanish.
Yup that mod is tits forsure. I run an AAO w/ touchscreen,3G Card and BT soon to have gps in some shape of form. I am completely mobile and perfer to be able to jump cars when need be with my "car puter" ive had the aao in every peice it comes but i just couldnt commet to chopping it up that much as bad as i really waned it.Quote:
Originally Posted by rigg419
I find the aa0 to be a great sub for a traditianol car pc because it is very small light and gives u access to portability. ngranted imo it needs serious mods before its truely fit for a car with true easy mobility but it is possible and ill be doing it.
I'm working towards installing my AAO in my 94 Honda Accord, as of now, the laptop is mounted above the air vents in the center of the dash using velcro (very solid, might I add), powered with the standard charger through a 70 watt AC inverter. I use the standard audio output into the head unit for sound, which sounds awesome on my two 6x6s and 6x9s when I set up the EQ in Winamp. I'll be glad to post some pictures tomorrow for you.
I'm currently working towards getting my AAO integrated with my car, as of now I use the AC charger through a 70 watt inverter (cheap solution), I put the onboard sound through my head unit, connected to two 4x4s and two 6x9s. I use an Xbox controller to control Winamp. The netbook is mounted to the dash with Velcro, works quite well.
I plan to use a USB soundcard once I get set up for surround sound, and I'm going to make a dedicated charger for the laptop. I'm working on a small control panel for music playback, both in the center console and on the steering wheel, using a cheap USB gamepad as the interface. I'll post a few pictures of what it all looks like now.
I saw "mounted with velcro" ... I'm making a swing-arm mount for my AAO similar to what's found here but for a mini. http://www.jottodesk.net/. If you dig around a little you'll find pictures of the swing-arm by itself and a video I think. Oddly enough I found the EXACT same thing through McMaster.com - http://www.jottodesk.net/ but it looks to be more geared toward a desk mount of some sort.
I think this will be the most desirable way to mount an AAO and even give it a classy finish. I believe this could be done a little less high-tech with a drill press instead of a Mill (cnc or not) by just drilling a few holes. It may even be possible to buy some of those small TV mounts and figure out how to fit them into the vehicle.
And the bluetooth thing. You may want to look into that. I found that the transfer rate I have with my internet (cell) is actually faster than the transfer rate of bluetooth. My transfer rate was the same as USB so, in my case, I actually would have taken a performance hit to go bluetooth.
And I use mine as a car-puter all the time and I love it! I have GPS, 30 gig of music, movies, and internet on the road...and it can be transferred into another car (like a rental when i'm out of town on business). Perfect!
This thread is pretty old now so I wanted to update it. I am currently using an aspire one as a car pc, but it it is still totally mobile as well. I did the touch screen mod as well as internal bluetooth and gps. The mods were a little intense to pull off without causing damage but were worth it in the end. This is the most useful laptop that I have ever had and I have had a few. It runs Roadrunner, Digital Effects 4.0, and iGoPC8 when it is in the truck. I have a Lilliput installed in the dash but seldom ever use it now that the aspire one has touch screen, it is just much brighter and bigger. I run the audio out jack into my existing audio system which consists of a 3 way active setup from a Pioneer head unit and a DEQ9200 processor along with six channels of amplification, around 4000 watts rms total. Bass is courtesy of a Digital Designs 9500 10" sub.
For those that have been asking for details on the install, I will post pics and details this weekend. I have been waiting on my mount kit, which I suspect will arrive today. I have been using a make shift mount while I sourced out what I really wanted. I found just that and had it imported from Korea. Nice kit.
My mount kit finally showed up today so I will try and get some pics of the install on here over the next couple of days. This kit is really nice and was worth the wait. Anybody even thinking of installing an Acer aspire one in a vehicle will want one of these.