MP3Car.com - Environmental Considerations in Mobile Computing http://www.mp3car.com/vbulletin/ Problems and solutions for managing environmental variables in mobile computing like heat, cold, humidity, condensation, etc. en Sat, 25 May 2013 15:07:48 GMT vBulletin 1 http://www.mp3car.com/images/misc/rss.png MP3Car.com - Environmental Considerations in Mobile Computing http://www.mp3car.com/vbulletin/ Solar power directly to laptops environmental-considerations-in-mobile-computing/150183-solar-power-directly-to-laptops.html Mon, 09 Jan 2012 13:16:32 GMT Does anyone have an idea as to how to power a bank of 10 laptops directly from Solar power? I'm setting a donation for some children in Africa and to keep costs low, we've decided to power their laptops directly from solar panels through a charge controller for the laptop batteries. But, would like some assistance/recommendations in doing so. Any help would be greatly appreciated!! ]]> Environmental Considerations in Mobile Computing ralowers http://www.mp3car.com/showthread.php?t=150183 Laptop failed (could be cold related) environmental-considerations-in-mobile-computing/150153-laptop-failed-could-be-cold-related.html Wed, 04 Jan 2012 22:17:08 GMT Ok guys, I have a lot of components in my carpc. Everything has been working flawless I think the coldest I have seen is about -6 Celsius and... Ok guys, I have a lot of components in my carpc. Everything has been working flawless I think the coldest I have seen is about -6 Celsius and everything ran beautiful. Until yesterday I get in the car and its -14 Celsius which is 6.8 F for the Americans. I am located in Toronto, Ontario. This is the coldest I have seen this year. The carpc did not boot right away so I disabled my Carnetix with a switch. After about 20min of driving I got to my destination and tried to boot by starting up the Carnetix again. Everything ran fine. I assume it had time to warm up. Now today was maybe -10 Celsius when I started the car and it did not boot. Tried many times and nothing. I can see that the Carnetix is booting up and working as it should. So right now I have everything pulled out of the car. Didn't take long. I plugged in the laptop with an AC charger and the laptop is showing the charging indicator. It will run with or without battery by the way. But if I press the power switch on the laptop there is zero response. No fans, lights or beeps, nothing. So far all i have done is pulled off parts of the laptop to physically press the power switch on the motherboard to make sure I am actually pressing it. Right now I have zero clue where to begin with this. I know I need to let it warm up to room temperature so I was thinking wait until tomorrow to play around with it. But does anyone have any ideas. It ran beautiful before hand. I've never had any type of issue like this. It's my first winter for a carpc. Laptop is an Acer Aspire 5050. It's a bit older. Any ideas? I know a few people here might remember me. Thanks guys. ]]> Environmental Considerations in Mobile Computing DodgeCharger http://www.mp3car.com/showthread.php?t=150153 weather proofing carputer environmental-considerations-in-mobile-computing/149766-weather-proofing-carputer.html Fri, 18 Nov 2011 17:59:47 GMT I've really given allota thought to my build, but Ive Missed one thing..i completley forgot about the weather, the heat and humity should be fine, its the cold and condensation that i'm concerned about. I live in a state that has plenty of frosty morning. my concearn is i'm gonna turn the car on and it's gonna fry it. I've thought about patrolium jel but that can be pretty messy :\ are their any products on the market like that, that harden and can be removed easier? :ear: or does anybody have any other ideas on how to make sure i'm safe. sorry if this has been covered, just loking for help :happy: ]]> Environmental Considerations in Mobile Computing eviling http://www.mp3car.com/showthread.php?t=149766 Consensus on PC placement? environmental-considerations-in-mobile-computing/149222-consensus-on-pc-placement.html Mon, 19 Sep 2011 22:57:46 GMT From reading these forums, it looks like the preferred install area for the PC is in the trunk. Wouldn't it be better to install inside the car because of climate control??? I live in Texas where it could get anywhere from 20F to 106F. Would it be better to install in the trunk? Why? Thoughts? ]]> Environmental Considerations in Mobile Computing lbp775 http://www.mp3car.com/showthread.php?t=149222 Slim Slot Load DVD-RW environmental-considerations-in-mobile-computing/146293-slim-slot-load-dvd-rw.html Sat, 29 Jan 2011 06:45:36 GMT Sounds like second DVD-RW failed. Last one was "Sony Optiarc AD-7670S 8X DVD±RW SATA Slot load Drive", worked just about a month and dead now. Before I had " Pioneer SATA 8X Slim Slot CD/DVD Burner DVR-TS08". I can count that I used Pioneer for prototyping of the dashboard and damaged during it, but Sony is fairly fresh and used hardly. I have DVD drive mounted on the dashboard, separately from PC, and connecting to it with little longer (~6ft) SATA to eSATA cable, and powering from the PC. The power is supplied to it.

Today it was screaming on fresh burn DVD with Win7 install, was able to read it after 20-30 tries and finally dead - no light, no response on the eject button.

I have SUV, with extended tires and use the car for light offroad trails too, so vibration is a case for me - could this cause the damage? Which DVD-RW (must be slim slot load, compatible by size with given those 2) could you recommend? ]]> Environmental Considerations in Mobile Computing riv http://www.mp3car.com/showthread.php?t=146293 Nvm environmental-considerations-in-mobile-computing/145517-nvm.html Fri, 10 Dec 2010 01:59:45 GMT Jinxed myself. Jinxed myself. ]]> Environmental Considerations in Mobile Computing Hectic http://www.mp3car.com/showthread.php?t=145517 <![CDATA[lilliput doesn't like the cold]]> environmental-considerations-in-mobile-computing/145499-lilliput-doesnt-like-the-cold.html Wed, 08 Dec 2010 21:19:51 GMT Hello, I live in North Carolina, It has been a little chilly and my double din lilliput 701 is having trouble in the cold weather. The screen... Hello, I live in North Carolina, It has been a little chilly and my double din lilliput 701 is having trouble in the cold weather.

The screen flashes white when power goes on and then blank. I have to wait for the car to warm a bit then power cycle. When its working correctly there is no white screen displayed.

Has anybody else experienced this? Remedies? ]]> Environmental Considerations in Mobile Computing bramlet http://www.mp3car.com/showthread.php?t=145499 Post your temps (Summer) environmental-considerations-in-mobile-computing/143134-post-your-temps-summer.html Wed, 04 Aug 2010 04:27:00 GMT it was about 106°F today in Dallas went out to lunch about 4pm today, took a pic if the temp. Didnt realize the CPU was gettin this HOT, I dont... it was about 106°F today in Dallas
went out to lunch about 4pm today, took a pic if the temp. Didnt realize the CPU was gettin this HOT, I dont bother turning on the AC since the inside won't get cold enough by the time i get to the food place.

]]> Environmental Considerations in Mobile Computing f1ip http://www.mp3car.com/showthread.php?t=143134 Summer 2010 - Lets hear some ideas environmental-considerations-in-mobile-computing/143059-summer-2010-lets-hear-some-ideas.html Sat, 31 Jul 2010 05:19:19 GMT So here is my car pc. M350 case, Intel mobo, 2 gigs of ram with a *320GB NON SSD HD* with a CPU fan and a case fan, located in the front of the... So here is my car pc. M350 case, Intel mobo, 2 gigs of ram with a 320GB NON SSD HD with a CPU fan and a case fan, located in the front of the case. It is mounted upside down in my glovebox



Front case fan


Cable entry


Upside down


Current setup


When the glovebox is closed, Speedfan shows ambient temps of 50 degrees inside the case. The front case fan has helped but as you can see, there isn't a whole lot of space the hot air can escape where the cable entry hole is. My questions is, how would you guys suggest I move the air around in the box? I sometimes roll with the glovebox door open and that helps a lot, but not the prettiest way to do things. I don't want to cut holes on the bottom or sides because that would kind of defeat the purpose of having the glovebox in the first place. I wouldn't want things to fall out of place. ]]> Environmental Considerations in Mobile Computing volvoman1 http://www.mp3car.com/showthread.php?t=143059 Tap into A/C and heat for PC? environmental-considerations-in-mobile-computing/141845-tap-into-a-c-and-heat-for-pc.html Sat, 29 May 2010 18:31:18 GMT There is an A/C / Heating duct right behind where my truckputer is going. I don't NEED the extra space but could sure use it for my VGA cable that's sticking out the back. Would it be a good idea to cut a small hole in that duct? That way I get A/C on the computer in the summer to cool it and heat in the winter to warm it? I wouldn't put a huge hole in it because I still want some air to come out of the vents it feeds. ]]> Environmental Considerations in Mobile Computing Tical84 http://www.mp3car.com/showthread.php?t=141845 Dust problem environmental-considerations-in-mobile-computing/141608-dust-problem.html Mon, 17 May 2010 18:57:45 GMT Hi,
I've been running a PC in the boot of my car for about a month now. It's been randomly rebooting recently and after taking the case off I have found a LOT of dust inside. Every time I go over a bump, dust must get kicked up out of the carpet and sucked into the case. Its a tower case with two fans sucking air in at the front and two exhaust fans on the back. Does anyone know of a good air filter system that still keeps the PC running nice and cool? Thank you in advance. ]]> Environmental Considerations in Mobile Computing digger24 http://www.mp3car.com/showthread.php?t=141608 definatly have heat issue, also have silicone encapsulant environmental-considerations-in-mobile-computing/141377-definatly-have-heat-issue-also-have-silicone-encapsulant.html Wed, 05 May 2010 21:33:55 GMT Everything works fine except when the car has been sitting in the sun. Location= Raleigh, NC The failure always presents itself as a hung BIOS... Everything works fine except when the car has been sitting in the sun. Location= Raleigh, NC
The failure always presents itself as a hung BIOS screen. Eventually it will boot up maybe 10 minutes later. The hard drive is spinning but nothing is booting. Power is clearly getting to all the components. I have an unorthodox setup with most of my components exposed. (my budget was and still is very small) The motherboard is a foxconn 45CSX which is an atom 330 board. PS is OPUS 150 watts. OS is Windows 7. My commute is very short so having this issue is very annoying. Will getting an SSD solve my problem, or could it be something to do with the motherboard? I have this stuff called sylgard 164, which is a silicone elastomer, which is supposed to shield electronics from the environment including temperature and vibration. Has anybody messed with encapsulants/pottants. my buddy received the stuff in error from dow corning and nobody in his lab wanted it so he gave it to me, due to my mad science predilictions.

this is what I got for free
and I have a picture of what my setup looks like. I have since taken off the rubber jacket and rolled it up and put it between the screen door handle and the top of the hard drive to no avail. (i found a non right angle sata to molex. yay) I am going to put the drive in this enclosure i got now that i can fit the sata cable in it....see if that works before i try anything crazy with silicone. :ohwell:
Attached Images
 
]]> Environmental Considerations in Mobile Computing bramlet http://www.mp3car.com/showthread.php?t=141377 intermittant boot failure environmental-considerations-in-mobile-computing/141100-intermittant-boot-failure.html Fri, 23 Apr 2010 02:44:18 GMT So I have a strange issue. It seems that my computer doesn't want to boot when I leave work. It hangs on the foxxconn BIOS screen until I get home. It works in the morning when I go to work and it works at lunch but when I get out at 4:45 it must be too hot in the trunk and the computer wont boot. I disabled all the temp shutdown in the 45csx's bios. It seems to work fine almost any other time. I think it may be that the scorpio black is about to quit, but it works fine so often that its hard to believe. Has anybody heard of a hdd that doesn't want to boot selectively. all the cables are snug. I have a rubber jam jacket around my drive so that could be the culprit. but again it works fine so often its just the past three days it wouldn't boot when I left work. I even parked in the shade yesterday. Its spooky. I'll get home and go back out maybe half hour later, it boots like it was never a misbehaving carputer. What could possibly be going on here? its got to be the North Carolina heat. but it feels cool to the touch on the motherboard and hdd. I'm ready to drop bucks on SSD as soon as I get the chance, but I can't afford it yet. Any insight you can give me into this bizarre issue is much appreciated. :violin: ]]> Environmental Considerations in Mobile Computing bramlet http://www.mp3car.com/showthread.php?t=141100 Looking for opinions. Better to suck hot air or push cool air? environmental-considerations-in-mobile-computing/140321-looking-for-opinions-better-to-suck-hot-air-or-push-cool-air.html Thu, 25 Mar 2010 00:10:45 GMT I've got my core 2 duo pc successfully mounted in the double din of my rsx. Everything is working, but the combination of a mobo, dsatx, and monitor has the temps of the components way too high. I figured out a way to run hvac tubes to a pc fan which will route air... But which way should I route it? Should I suck cool air from the cabin or suck hot air from the din. Your opinion counts! ]]> Environmental Considerations in Mobile Computing Sonicxtacy02 http://www.mp3car.com/showthread.php?t=140321 Voltage Drops environmental-considerations-in-mobile-computing/138984-voltage-drops.html Thu, 28 Jan 2010 01:58:30 GMT I am looking into setting up a CarPC. I realize that I need to get a power supply that will allow my car PC to run off of DC voltage, however, when... I am looking into setting up a CarPC. I realize that I need to get a power supply that will allow my car PC to run off of DC voltage, however, when my subs hit the voltage drops down to around 12-12.4 volts. Will this damage the power electronics in the car PC? I would assume not since its not dropping below 12 volts...I just wanted to be sure before I nuke my new CarPC by cranking up a good song. Thanks! ]]> Environmental Considerations in Mobile Computing cpuguy06 http://www.mp3car.com/showthread.php?t=138984 computers and loud stereos? environmental-considerations-in-mobile-computing/137741-computers-and-loud-stereos.html Fri, 04 Dec 2009 04:43:27 GMT I'm debating installing a car PC in my Chevy Blazer and one of my primary concerns is damage resulting from my stereo, in particular the bass frequencies. I have broken various parts of my car's interior already (mirror, trim panels, lights, console latches) so I'm worried a motherboard might be damaged. I was planning on using an SSD hard drive.


Is this a valid concern firstly? And second are there ways to manage or deal with this? ]]> Environmental Considerations in Mobile Computing creyc http://www.mp3car.com/showthread.php?t=137741 diy startup/shutdown controller environmental-considerations-in-mobile-computing/137456-diy-startup-shutdown-controller.html Sun, 22 Nov 2009 02:05:41 GMT Hi all, I know there is already a thread on startup/shutdown controllers but I am a complete noob when it comes to reading circuit diagrams etc.... Hi all, I know there is already a thread on startup/shutdown controllers but I am a complete noob when it comes to reading circuit diagrams etc. Some of the links are also invalid now, is there anybody that can help?

Thanks in advance. ]]> Environmental Considerations in Mobile Computing jase1985 http://www.mp3car.com/showthread.php?t=137456 Static discharge between motherboard and carpet environmental-considerations-in-mobile-computing/136152-static-discharge-between-motherboard-and-carpet.html Sun, 04 Oct 2009 10:07:31 GMT Hi all,

Just getting into the fitout of my motherboard into the centre console of my '04 Mazda Tribute, and just wondering about static issues.

I will be mounting an Intel atom board to a piece of 3mm MDF using bolts through the mdf up into the mounting holes on the board.

But I don't have a lot of vertical space in the console, so I was thinking of using velcro strips on the underside of the mdf to stick it all into place on the carpet (The carpet in the Tribute runs all the way up under the centre console, so there is no bare metal there).

The carpet is the usual automotive acrylic, and the mounting bolts would probably be in close contact with the carpet fibres.

Would I have to worry about static buildup killing the motherboard? Would it be worth covering the heads of the bolts where they stick out the bottom, or would the grounding of the motherboard back through the power supply keep the risk of static discharge low enough not to worry? ]]> Environmental Considerations in Mobile Computing Chester http://www.mp3car.com/showthread.php?t=136152 Looking for advice with Arizona Heat environmental-considerations-in-mobile-computing/136012-looking-for-advice-with-arizona-heat.html Thu, 01 Oct 2009 15:35:56 GMT Alright everyone, haven't posted in a while and really need some advice. I live in Arizona in the east valley where we have high heat temperatures in the summer. Now i just wanted some advice from other people in arizona, how they did it and how its working out for them. I was kinda wondering, what the coldest place of the car would be for me to mount it at. The summer is pretty much over so i can't really tell now. I have a 2003 civic that i would like to integrate one in. I was thinking of using this motherboard: http://www.globalamericaninc.com/p33...duct_info.html

looks pretty serious it says it can handle to run at temperatures up to 176 F which is pretty good. Not sure if it would suffice, i hear the temp in cars can get up to 200, not sure if thats true though.

And i would also like to know if solid state drives suffice better for heat or hard drives, and if there would be a good videocard for this heat as well. I plan on having it setup for intense gaming probobly a videocard with 256 mb ram. ]]> Environmental Considerations in Mobile Computing DevilRocks http://www.mp3car.com/showthread.php?t=136012 Extreme Temp Hard Drive Experiences environmental-considerations-in-mobile-computing/134975-extreme-temp-hard-drive-experiences.html Tue, 25 Aug 2009 16:33:27 GMT With all the discussions going around about operating hard drive at extreme temps, I think its a good idea to have a thread devoted to user's experience with their HD. So other users can make informed decisions when they purchase hard drives for their carpc.

Please post your hard drive model and working limits, also where your pc is mounted.

Here is mine:

Patriot Warp V.2 mounted in the trunk
Max Temp: +33*C
Min Temp: -15*C (broke after)
Wouldn't recommend this one for cold winters.

OCZ Vertex 32GB mounted in the trunk
Max Temp: +33*C (this is as hot as it gets here this summer)
Min Temp: -30*C (still working fine, waiting for even colder temp to see) ]]> Environmental Considerations in Mobile Computing Punky http://www.mp3car.com/showthread.php?t=134975 Extreme Cold environmental-considerations-in-mobile-computing/134797-extreme-cold.html Mon, 17 Aug 2009 23:10:20 GMT Has anyone on the forum ever had to deal with extreme cold on their unit?

I'm using a solid-state Asus EEE as my main, and it gets down to close to -50 here in the winter.

2005 Focus.

Ideas? ]]> Environmental Considerations in Mobile Computing redhawk http://www.mp3car.com/showthread.php?t=134797 Liliput screen changes colors environmental-considerations-in-mobile-computing/134248-liliput-screen-changes-colors.html Sun, 26 Jul 2009 18:29:22 GMT For some reason my screen changes back and forth through different hues. Im not sure if it is a heat issue or not. Has anyone else had this problem... For some reason my screen changes back and forth through different hues. Im not sure if it is a heat issue or not. Has anyone else had this problem before? ]]> Environmental Considerations in Mobile Computing Nogarovr6 http://www.mp3car.com/showthread.php?t=134248 Extreme Temperatures environmental-considerations-in-mobile-computing/134095-extreme-temperatures.html Mon, 20 Jul 2009 06:26:04 GMT First off, this is my first post after lurking for a while. What a great site with so many people doing cool things. Just want to say thanks to... First off, this is my first post after lurking for a while. What a great site with so many people doing cool things. Just want to say thanks to everybody who contributes here.

Anyway, we are getting a new pickup in which I am considering putting in a carputer - that is how I found this site. One concern I have is that we live most of the year in Arizona and part of the year in Park City, UT. So, while we would spend most of the summer time in Utah, we will still be in AZ quite often during the summer and while we will be spending most of the winter in AZ, we will be in Utah quite often while it is really cold.

What would I need to do to prevent damage to any of the equipment that will be in extreme heat (110F+ outside) and extreme cold (below 0F)? I searched around the forums for an answer, but couldn't really find much about it. I did see that keeping it in the trunk is helpful, but this will be a pickup truck with no trunk.

PS - if it matters much, I plan to mostly be using it for basic stuff like music, gps and a streaming internet connection.

TIA. ]]> Environmental Considerations in Mobile Computing gremmie http://www.mp3car.com/showthread.php?t=134095 Battling summertime heat issues . . . environmental-considerations-in-mobile-computing/133617-battling-summertime-heat-issues.html Thu, 02 Jul 2009 17:04:58 GMT I haven't installed a carPC, but . . .

. . . my question is basically, how do you cool down your carpc prior to boot when your car has been sitting in the sun for a while. I'd imagine the interior of my car gets north of 50* celsius just sitting in the sun. Then, when power is applied, I'm sure the PSU (Carnetix 2140) will exceed its 60* celsius threshold. So, how do you pre-cool before you get rolling.

tint?
powered vent fans for windows?


Please let me know what solutions you guys have found. Also, I'm curious how hot your interiors get during the summer.


TIA!! ]]> Environmental Considerations in Mobile Computing hartigan http://www.mp3car.com/showthread.php?t=133617