MP3Car.com - General Hardware Discussion

How to power my NEC Tnetpc-ion?

tweakedogic — Wed, 22 May 2013 01:12:06 GMT

I've been using a TNetpc-Ion form NEC for an HTPC for a few months. I have since upgraded and want to use the NEC for a car PC. It's a Zotac 1.6 GHz dual core Atom with 2 gig of ram and a 200gb hard drive. My problem is it has an external 110 volt power supply that outputs 19 volts to a barrel connector that plugs into the PC case. The female barrel connecter goes straight to the mobo. I do see where I think I could solder in the power header.

I want to use this because, firstly, I already have it, it is capable, it's fan-less, it has all the USB, HDMI, eSATA, and every other port I will need, the case is small and has predrilled and tapped holes for mounting brackets. It's seemingly perfect except for the power supply.

I haven't removed the mobo from the case to see what's on the bottom yet. I might do that after I finish this post. I don't see any numbers from the manufacturer or anything on this top side.

If I can't solder on the power header, I was hoping I could use the power switch header for signal from the key switch, or some other header that may work. There is one next to the power switch header labeled RST SW, anyone know what that is for?

Windows 8 tablets and desktop navigation

VegasGuy — Sun, 19 May 2013 03:22:18 GMT

The Asus Vivotab, like many new tablets, has a built-in GNSS chip for precise location information. The Windows location API uses this for detailed position data. Unfortunately, most desktop navigation and mapping programs (Streets and Trips for example) can't use the windows location platform. They need a "real" GPS with a comport.

Centrafuse Localizer solves this problem. It creates a virtual comport and translate the location platform data provided by the GNSS chip into standard NMEA 0183 protocol strings and sends them out the port to any program that needs it.

You can check it out for yourself with a free, fully functional 30-day trial.

http://www.centrafuse.com

Needless to say, I'm running Centrafuse on my VivoTab with integrated Sygic Fleet navigation and it works great.

Check it out!

VegasGUy

Using iPad Dock as "Head Unit"?

Bazzy — Sat, 18 May 2013 22:18:25 GMT

I had a little iphone dock laying around. I took it apart and started looking it over and.. wouldn't this be an easy way to eliminate the head unit and use as the sound processor? What would be the bad part? The dock has a power button, volume control, play, pause, skip, next, back buttons, iphone Dock for sound processing and charging, and Left - +, Right - + for the speakers. Lets say I found the right dock with 4 speakers, could I run a line out converter to an amp, then to speakers? The volume control uses the ipad/iphone volume.. So couldn't I just add a remote level controller: http://www.pac-audio.com/productDeta...&CategoryID=28 for volume control? This seems completely obvious that something has to be bad

http://www.mp3car.com/attachment.php...1&d=1368915679

Won't allow image attaching..

How do I wire a momentary switch correctly?

krampot — Sat, 18 May 2013 04:01:06 GMT

This seems like it should be simple, but for some reason it just isn't working.
I purchased this momentary switch: http://store.mp3car.com/Silver_Metal...13&Click=29952
It did not come with any wiring diagram. I am switching power for a 12v DC device.
The terminals on the switch are labeled 1,2,3,4. What is the correct way to wire this switch?
I am testing with a meter and can't seem to get it to work properly.

Thanks for your help.

Windows 8 touch keyboard too small?

david69leonard — Fri, 17 May 2013 04:28:52 GMT

]Anybody have issues with the touch keyboard (not the OSK) being too small?

I have built a system for a customer that is identical to one I have installed in my car, I am using a 10.1 inch Lilliput Multitouch monitor in both, the one I have installed in my car is working fine, the touch keyboard spans all of the way across the screen and the keys do as well. The new systems touch keyboard spans all of the way across the screen but the keys only take up a small portion in the middle of the black area and are so small they are barely readable.

any help would be fantastic!

Here is an image of what I am talking about

Attached Images

I screwed up, Please help!

meth68 — Fri, 17 May 2013 03:45:16 GMT

Hey whats up everyone, so I cracked my touchscreen a while back and finally decided to have it fixed. I was 99% sure I had a 7" screen so I ordered a Lilliput 669GL-70NP/C/T 7" w/HDMI. I had a shop completely remove my dash and remove my old screen, I opened the new Lilliput out of the case only to realize my broken screen was actually a hitachi tx20d16vm2baa 8" touchscreen and the new one will just not look right with my current ddkit.

So now I am trying to find a replacement that will cause the least amount of issues (the way my DDkkit was from end to end and top to bottom was all screen perfect fit, no boarders. I am looking at other 8" screens and the sizing does not seem to match

hitachi tx20d16vm2baa
Display Area Height: 104.4mm
Display Area Width: 174mm

Lilliput 869GL-80NP/C/T-HB 8"
Viewable area is 176.64(W) X 99.36(H) mm.

I tried to find a replacement hitachi tx20d16vm2baa and only thing that comes up are older websites from China, none in the USA

Does anyone have any advice, suggestions? My car is still currently at the shop with my dash ripped out :mad::mad:

New member in need of help

Evicmar — Thu, 16 May 2013 21:47:29 GMT

Hi all,

I have an intel DN2800MT, a Hauppage 2550, and a lilliput 669GL-70NP/C/T-HB that I would like to make into a carputer. I have a 500GB Samsung SSD and 4 gig of ram on the board currently. The SSD has windows 7 32 bit installed on it. The motherboard also has a wireless-N bluetooth 4 mini pci card in it. Both bluetooth and wifi are working just fine. My intention is to use HDMI for video to the display and use the spdif to a TOSlink into a DSP. I may try and get the LVDS display connection working from the motherboard to the display to eliminate the HDMI cable. I'm not sure how the touch screen would work then though. I'm going for SQ on the audio end hence not needing to upgrade the card by sending the raw audio to the TOSlink. I'm looking for help on what case and power supply.

For the power supply, the board only needs 2 of the 4 prong power plug normally used for addon cards to operate. The motherboard and monitor are low power draw. I was looking at the pico-90, but I am not sure if it will be enough power for the board, TV tuner card, and monitor. The board is 7 watts, and the monitor is also a low wattage, and SSD drives are low wattage as well. I do not know how much the TV card will draw. I figured the 90 would be enough but I would appreciate input if others have tried and found it not to be. Also will I need something to eliminate engine noise?

I was looking at the BBX-1 case. It's the only mini-ITX available in the store. When looking from the back of the motherboard the pci-e expansion slot is on the right hand side. The TV tuner card is a half height card intentionally bought for this purpose. Looking at the back of the case I do not see where the card slot would be as on a traditional case. I'm fine with drilling out holes that are sized to fit the card on the back of the case. My concern here is the fan being so close. Has anyone tried this board in this case? Are there any other case available that I missed?

Again any help would be appreciated. Suggestion are welcome.

Thanks in advance.

4 pin ATX to female USB

naiku — Thu, 16 May 2013 19:51:39 GMT

Does anyone know of a harness that has a 4 pin ATX connector on one end, and a female USB port on the other? I have spent a good deal of time trying to find one, and the closest I can find is a 4 pin molex to USB. While I can probably get a 4 pin ATX to 4 pin Molex converter (see below), I would prefer to just find a 4 pin ATX to female USB.

I realize I can solder my own female USB port onto a 4 pin ATX lead, but my soldering skills on wires that small are pretty poor, so I am hoping to find something pre-made.

Thanks.

Over year of looking. New spec. SIMPLE.

Behold — Wed, 15 May 2013 18:46:25 GMT

All I need is ODB gauges.

Music is a bonus. Radio is not needed.

Thoughts?????

I have a double din hole and happy to connect to OBD via wifi/Bluetooth or USB.

Looked at tablets but there is no room okay car to fit power and aux cable. It's a tight fit and cutting dash is not an option as its not easy to replace if it goes wrong.

Antony

Which IP Camera for Car PC

wprime — Sat, 11 May 2013 02:40:37 GMT

I've set up my car pc software to stream feeds from IP cameras so right now when I put my car into reverse it'll stream a feed from a Russian Internet cafe, I'd prefer to see what's behind me while reversing so I need to purchase an IP camera.

I've found this one: http://www.belkin.com/us/p/P-F7D7601

Framerate and resolution seem good enough, has night vision too but it's ugly. I'll be mounting one just above the numberplate and another behind the middle mirror so I'd like them to be as noninvasive as possible. Any suggestions?

Also it'd need to run off 12V for obvious reasons.

Also a wide viewing angle would be good too

Cool product for power distribution

sebberry — Thu, 02 May 2013 20:57:51 GMT

I've been searching for a small relay/fuse block and came across this. It's designed for motorcycles but can easily be used in a car. It has 6 circuts that can easily be configured for constant/ACC with a simple move of a fuse.

Any thoughts? I know it's a bit spendy, but I can't think of anything else that does what this does in a nice tidy little package.

http://www.fuzeblocks.com/index.php

Radio tuner for pc? how to hook up speakers?

antleo — Thu, 02 May 2013 02:52:52 GMT

Okay so i want to do a car pc, but i need to know is there a way to hook up the antenna (or any antenna) to the pc for am/fm radio? also how do you guys go about hooking up the sound to the speakers?

Theses are probably very stupid questions and have been asked before. i tried to use the search function but couldnt find the right keyword.

also this may be in the wrong section?

Thanks for any help
antleo

Wont boot

rizaydog — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 22:53:27 GMT

I am running an intel DG945GCLF and xp pro sp3.

I had a working system until this morning. When I went to boot, windows wouldn't load. I tried safe mode and last config that worked several times. Neither would get me into windows.

When I got home from work, I grabbed my xp install disk with the intention of using it to repair the install, or if that didn't work, reinstall a fresh copy. However, I loaded the cd into the usb cd rom drive and started the pc. The post screen flashes then goes black. On the bottom right hand corner of the screen is 94. I waited several minutes as the cd spun but nothing happens. The number 94 stays on the bottom right and I never get an option to boot from cd.

I checked the boot sequence and cd is first.

I removed the cd from the drive and it tries to boot again but it never gets into windows.

I don't know what is causing this 94 issue. I used this dvd drive to install xp originally...

Any thought about this guys? I would hate to have to tear apart my dash again to get at the pc.

looking for help with Adruino, Bluetooth & lipo add-on, Touchscreen.

97stang — Sat, 20 Apr 2013 00:19:46 GMT

Hi mp3car world,

I just joined this site cuz I seen a guy on here that did the same project with his Android phone. I will just get stright into it:

What he did was program the Adruino and used a Bluetooth Lipo add-on and he could control his android phone with a external touch screen. Amazing right? Thats what I thought until It came down to building and programming this device to meet my android hopes into my car. Well with programming I'm no wiz kid at this so I'm asking for a little help from the forum to help me program and maybe learn something on the way.

So what do I really need to make this happen

Hardware:
Adruino Uno R3? (will this board do?)
Bluetooth & lipo add-on
4 wire touch screen (Do you guys have a choice one that you like?)

Software:
I know something like the Adruino library is a good place to start

I know this might be alot to ask for but I really do not want to go to the app radio 2 for my android car I would love to build something and learn about my field more. I work with touch screens and monitors at work alot. Just replacing bad caps. And changing out boards that are bad. I work at a casino. As a Tech. So board work and soldering is not a big deal to me. Its the programming and planing I need help with. SO THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU for the help guys.

Thank you mp3 car gods. lol. Have a good weekend everyone.

NUC suitable for CarPC?

motas — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 08:17:02 GMT

Hi. I am about to build a carpc and have begun ordering parts (fascia kit and touch screen), was planning on using the NUC but wanted some opinions on it and whether it is suitable and what problems I may run into?
Thanks for any help.

CustomGadz=Bad Business

mjw2008 — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 04:58:55 GMT

All I can say to anyone ordering this product is this guy Dave who runs this operation is either a fraud or a completely irresponsible business man. I ordered the MimicsX2 whatever back in January 2013 only to receive promises of delivery in a week then oh I've been busy and forgot about you to, I've got your package right in front of me waiting to go to the postal carrier. Lately the lie has been to send me a tracking number by email to an Australian postal carrier but the number tracks to nothing. It is now April 14, 2013

I even told this guy that I would search this product and warn all who are considering ordering from this company/guy Customgadz/Dave. I am sick and tired of dealing with this guy.

I have all the email correspondence with verifiable proof of this guys fraud or lies or whatever kind of business this guy is running. I don't know how they do business in Australia but anywhere else in the world these kind practices would put you out of business. and I am considering posting it on the net make it searchable for others to see the method of lies he tells to the unsuspecting.

Don't get me wrong Dave has answered some, not all email correspondence and he has been most cordial. I want to be sweet talked out of my money as badly as I want to be a victim of armed robbery. Which is honestly what this is starting to feel like. I don't know what recourse I have due to being on two different continents.

Since I lost my money I hope my story saves someone else from the same fate.
No MimicsX2, no money no way to get JUSTICE!

This is some B.S. Dave!

SO FAIR WARNING TO ALL CONSIDERING ORDERING THIS PRODUCT.

If this guy sends my merchandise I will update my post. But the fact remains about the blatant lies and bad business this guy Dave has presented thus far.

Power On/Off

mp3carfrank — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 13:12:10 GMT

Hi,

I've got a simple setup in my car that I'm testing:

Cigarette Lighter Socket -> 12v Inverter (with UK Plug Socket) -> Minix NEO X5 (Android)

This powers the Android based Minix NEO X5 unit fine and I can power it up/down from the devices hardware button. However I now want to automate this so when the ignition off the unit goes into sleep mode, and when the ignition is turned on that it comes out of sleep mode.

Any ideas on how this can be achieved?

Thanks!
Frank

FM Tuner card that takes car antennae cable

Pho3niX90 — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 10:37:53 GMT

Hey guys,

So I have all the required parts I need to start my project, except the FM Tuner card, I am not sure what the best card is to use, but would like one that can take the standard car antennae cable? Is there such a card available, if not, what are my options?

The project will be on a 2005 E46 330i BMW, and would like to use the sharkfin.

Proposed Project

therabble — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 15:14:08 GMT

Hello all,

I'm new, so please be kind! I've got a big old Toyota Granvia and four kids and the missus. I'm planning on kitting out the rabble-mobile with an in car entertainment system for the kids for a road trip to France this summer.

Anyway this is what I think I'm going to do, and I'd welcome any comments or suggestions

5 x Sumvision Cyclone Voyager tablets (or similar - I'd prefer Google Nexus 7, but they cost a bit more!) for each of the kids and one in the front connected via wifi to some sort of central dlna server to serve media such as films, music or tv shows, all hooked up to the Internet via my phone, or maybe via a 3g dongle.

I've decided to go down the tablet route so that the kids can play games, watch different shows, and take them out of the car if they want to.

I've got a couple of raspberry pis knocking around that I could possible make into a wireless dlna server, but I'm not sure if they'd be able to handle potentially four (or five with the missus watching the one in the front) seperate video streams.

Is this realistic, or am I completely off the mark? Any help appreciated.

Thanks

TR

Steering wheel controls - Nissan 370Z

stu_c — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 19:25:08 GMT

Hi all
I have got a Nissan 370Z, I am fitting a Incar computer and wondered if its at all possible to get the buttons to work, I have seen there's a thread on here but I don't have a single clue where I would even start to get this to work :-(

78xx replacement

SNOtwistR — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 23:17:49 GMT

I have found this little gizmo and wondered if anyone has any past experience using them. They claim no heat @90% efficiency. SNO
http://canada.newark.com/jsp/search/...sp?SKU=72R3616

Attached Images

Ride Runner to control arduino relay board

ral6639 — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 19:51:00 GMT

I am having a hard time finding information to interface an arduino board (uno) to my pc runing ride runner. I am wanting the arduino to control a relay board that will switch 12V on and off. I want to implement buttons on the ride runner screen to tell the arduino to turn on and off. Is there a Plug-in that will do this or do I also need a bus adapter? Would it be easier to just spend the money and buy a fusion brain that already has the plugin software for RR? Any help is appreciated!

Riderunner to control Arduino relay board

ral6639 — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 15:24:53 GMT

I am having trouble finding information on how to interface an arduino board to the PC with ride runner front end. I want to use the arduino to control a relay board to switch on 12v power supply. Do I need to use a bus adapter to communicate with the arduino? Should i just scrap the Arduino idea and go with a fusion brain which has established plugin software? Any help is appreciated!

Would a USB OBDII reader provide power to my device?

steelfrog — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 12:42:42 GMT

I've embedded an Androit tablet in my dash. However, the unit has a single USB port which is used to keep the device charged. The tablet does not have Bluetooth so I'm looking at USB-based OBDII readers. My biggest concern is that I couldn't charge the unit while using the reader, unless it provided power.

Any ideas?

RGsB to Video RCA

stu_c — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 07:52:59 GMT

Hi all

I need to find a adaptor that can convert RGsB to Video RCA and in 12V as I need it in my car anyone got any ideas?

the problem is I have a standard car signal thats in RGsB that goes to a current standard screen but I want to replace the screen but it only has the standard video input anyone got any ideas?

2006 Honda civic convert standard radio to OEM touchscreen navigation

morussia — Sat, 16 Mar 2013 21:38:14 GMT

I have a 2006 civic LX Sedan and it comes with this horrible radio. I have been looking at install a carputer, which would be a fun project.
I also looked into OEM touch screen system with navigation for that make and model. These system are variously priced from 300 to 1200 dollars. My question is if I where to purchase one of these all in one system will I have troubles installing it over my boring old radio.

Please share your car DVR experience and recommendations

dalepres — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 19:16:05 GMT

I have experience in security DVR systems - years back - so I'm not totally ignorant but I'm way out of date and definitely budget constrained.

I would like to include 8 to 12 channels of DVR in my car PC setup. I'd like video of all directions, front, sides, and back, on the outside. I'd like video of all the car entrances on the inside. I think probably 6 on the outside - two on each side and one front, one back. Depending on coverage, 4 to 6 on the inside. I'd like the cameras to upload through a cellular wireless to the web on any alarm or panic button. In fact, I want the system to upload video that was recorded up to 30 seconds before the panic button or alarm if I can get the right APIs to write the software for that.

I've bought some sample cameras to determine what quality I can afford and I can get quite good video quality in the cameras for an affordable price. What I haven't found is any affordable DVRs that will support the quality of the cameras.

Have any of you installed DVR systems in your own cars? What kind of results did you get? What kind of cameras and DVRs did you use? Pictures, of course, would be hugely appreciated.

Car PC freezes when i hit a bump or when bass hits with a SSD

CharlieBrown — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 18:30:47 GMT

Hello,
Im new here, i built a car pc a while ago and have been having problems alot. Right now my main issue is the fact that my pc will freeze whenever i hit a bump or when the bass hits and sometimes it wont and all will be well. i have a biostar mobo intel pentium 3.2GHz, samsung 60GB SSD and a PCI sound card, im using the M4-ATX-HV 250W to power the whole thing. Please help asap ive been dealing with this problem for 8 or 9 months now and cannot find any solutions. Thanks in advance. Also my touch screen goes on and off when bass hits and i tend to lose touch ability for no apparent reason moments after starting the system.

Best Regards,
Charles

Screwed up BIOS; options?

heretic — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 02:14:15 GMT

I attempted to reflash my Zotac IONITX-A-U BIOS after altering the stock BIOS by inserting my own OEM Logo. Now I have a blank screen.

The way I see it I have a few options:

- replace the bios chip with this one http://www.ebay.ca/itm/BIOS-Chip-ZOT...ht_1272wt_1262

- buy an eeprom programmer and attempt to reprogram stock chip - any suggestions ? (I used to hack satellite dishes so I have some electronic knowledge but am no way an electronics expert or computer software designer, but I can muck my way through it; that's why I'm in this situation)

- use an alternate BIOS like Coreboot or something like that - again, anyone have a suggestion?

and / or (I would still like to save this motherboard for financial reasons)

- buy a new motherboard and CPU and memory, etc

No self-power-on when car started

SupaMonkey — Tue, 05 Mar 2013 18:20:05 GMT

Hey Guys,
Having a bit of a noob problem here. I recently reset my calu-m2c's bios settings and now the thing wont start up when i power on my car. It powers on fine by the power button and I checked the bios settings and both are set to "Pass" - Im not sure if Im missing something?
I know the wiring, etc is fine because it was working fine for the last few years before I reset the BIOS :P

7" screens for Win 8

Destroyeron — Mon, 04 Mar 2013 14:47:36 GMT

I'm planning my carPC right now, and plan on 2 7" screens (one in existing 2din slot and the other above it where nav would be if I had it equipped). I'd really like suggestions as to which screens to go with to be Win 8 compatible. It seems every screen I look at is 800x480 resolution. Is this just the "standard" resolution and can most of them go higher than that? I'm probably going to initially use Win 7, but I think the Metro interface might actually be nice in a car pc, so I'd like to be future proofed for that. I'd like to stay somewhat on the cheap, but would at least like the top screen to be pretty good in the sunlight and viewing angles. Is using Nexus 7 or other tablet screens a viable option?

Check my build/screen recommendation requests

Destroyeron — Sun, 03 Mar 2013 15:41:15 GMT

Goals in order of importance: Nav, Audio, Security, ODB2, other stuff
Application: 2007 Nissan 350Z

Case: http://store.mp3car.com/M350_Univers..._p/enc-031.htm
Power: http://store.mp3car.com/M2_ATX_160W_..._p/pwr-015.htm
Mobo: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131841
CPU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819115094
Memory: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820145315
HD: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...2E16820211596y

I'm still lost for screens. From what I've read I can fit a 7" screen above my current double din slot and I think that would be better for nav and stuff, and then possibly put another 7" in the double din for dual display. I'm probably going to run Win 7 initially but I would think that Windows 8 might not be bad in the future so I'd like to find screens that have the minimum resolution for that. Any suggestions?

Joystick trouble

rizaydog — Sat, 23 Feb 2013 21:04:31 GMT

Well I had a Logitech Extreme 3D Pro Joystick in my car for years. It finally stopped working. So I bought a new one thinking it would just pop in an work. Well it doesn't.

Im running XP, roadrunner, and Joy2mouse. When I plugged the new joystick in, the cursor immediately moves to the left of the screen. Somehow I got it to stop doing that. I don't know how. Now I can move the cursor around the screen with the toggle type button.

On my old joystick, I had button 5 skip to the next track on the playlist and button 3 go to the previous. Button 6 increased the volume and button 4 decreased it.

I somehow had the trigger set up like a shift button. If I would depress the trigger and hit button 5, it would simulate a left mouse button click. If I held the trigger and pressed button 6, it would act as a right mouse button click.

I have been playing with the settings in joy2mouse all day. I can't figure this out. Can anyone help me assign actions to these buttons on this joystick?

Trying to figure out a Motorcycle HUD

chunkyks — Mon, 18 Feb 2013 03:02:31 GMT

I want one of these: http://www.designboom.com/technology...d-gps-goggles/

But I want it with a bluetooth hookup so it can talk to my OBDII dongle in my bike.

How would you go about building such a thing? The biggest kicker, as far as I can see, is the display; I'm having a hard time finding an off the shelf part I could use for the display. I like the idea of having a raspberry pi in my pocket with a wire going up to the HUD, or something like that, but I don't know how I'd get started.

So, any ideas?

Cheers!
Gary

Planning a build around Android.

Hdale85 — Sun, 17 Feb 2013 20:46:31 GMT

Well a little over a year ago I was working on a CarPC build and just ended up not happy with the functionality, or glitches of the front end software. So I sold everything off and decided to just wait.

Well this year I got a new car (2005 VW Passat Wagon GLX 4-Motion) and well I want to do a full build up again. I was thinking about a tablet but you have to do all kinds of stuff to get lots of USB ports and stuff. So I'm kind of thinking of using the Samsung Arndale platform, it's a dual core Arm Cortex A15 CPU with a very nice GPU, 2GB of DDR3 ram and plenty of expandability. It is 249 dollars, but it also comes with GPS, Compass, Accelerometer, Wifi, FM, Soundboard, and so on for the 249 dollar price so I don't think the cost is THAT bad. It may be a bit more in the end then using a tablet, but I should also have a lot more flexibility even more so that if I decide to not use Android it will still run Ubuntu and the likes. So just curious what you guys think? I've heard that Capacitive touch panel USB devices work out of the box, so I'm hoping to get a nice LCD display and run it on it. The other reason I like that it's not a tablet is that I should be able to easily connect GPS, WIFI, and FM antenna's rather easily.

http://www.howchip.com/shop/item.php?it_id=AND5250B

As for the LCD, I think I want to try and get an HD 7-8" lcd. I'd really like to get something in the 8" range but a bit larger but not finding many options out there. Also am planning to get a sunlight readable display with anti glare glass and what not. Someone mentioned one online that has all that + anti fingerprint coating and so on with a 1280x800 resolution for 680 bucks or so with a 1200nit backlight. You can get just the LCD with projected capacative panel for like 480. There aren't a lot of options out there for nicer screens though.

Zotac D2700-ITX - Poor Cold Starting At Low Temps - Options To Resolve?

356Speedster — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 16:06:03 GMT

My Zotac D2700 is the heart of my CarPC install. The car lives in the garage and while I appreciate it's cold outside, the garage is integrated into the house and hasn't dropped below 4-5degC.

The issue is, at these temps the PC won't start. The M3-ITX PSU runs fine (LEDs light up and flash to state they're initialising the mainboard), but the board doesn't respond. If I warm up the PC with a hairdryer for 30-60secs, it then starts fine. I've mailed Zotac and they say the board is good down to 0degC, therefore, the issue is elsewhere.... grrrr!

I'd like to know if anyone else has experiences of this board struggling to start when it's chilly and if anyone has any ideas of a way around it? Is there a hidden BIOS setting I can change to bypass this temp check? Or does anyone know where the temp probe is on the board? Maybe I can insulate it a bit?!

Any ideas gratefully received!

Bad static from tablet and speakers - need help, please!

dynamok — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 04:56:49 GMT

I have Samsung Galaxy 2 (7.0") installed in my truck, bought Alpine amp KTP-445U and upgraded the speakers. Best Buy did the install.
Here are 2 problems:
1. Huge static when the nothing is playing on the tablet. I actually have to play something and just mute it so that I can talk on the phone.
The tablet is hardwired now. Any idea what should I do?
2. When I unplug the power from the tablet the sound stops coming from 3.5mm to speakers. Music is only playing on the tablet. This is crazy!

Please help, I'm lost here.

All-in-one car computer questions. Please Help!

corbinscion2012 — Sun, 10 Feb 2013 16:26:59 GMT

Hello,

i am thinking about ordering an all in one computer, such as this one : http://www.aliexpress.com/item/2011-...496860196.html . if i was to buy this, would i still be able to use the radio? how would i wire this to my factory radio harness? keep in mind i have a 2012 Scion tC.

Thanks!
TomC

USB sound output to JBL MS-8 DSP which is the better option?

James39 — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 03:05:39 GMT

The JBL MS-8 DSP accepts high level speaker inputs and standard RCA inputs that can handle a balanced signal.
I'm looking at 2 options:

1 - USB sound card (Creative Labs or other?) for standard RCA hookups

2 - USB playback adapter from peavy that converts audio from the PC to a balanced signal http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...SB_Direct.html

I'm thinking the Peavey unit is the better choice, rather than a full-blown USB sound card?

Any other options I should consider?

I plan to hook it up through an Aux input on the MS-8 for bench testing, but I imagine the headphone out of the computer is not going to give me the best results.

Thanks.

USB Hub recommendations?

CyberBill — Wed, 06 Feb 2013 21:13:54 GMT

I've tried searching on the forum for a good USB hub, but I think the search is broken.

I've got a bunch of USB devices that I'm trying to run, and want to get a recommendation for a couple hubs. Right now I've got a powered 7-port hub from Monoprice ( http://www.monoprice.com/products/pr...seq=1&format=2 ) that works pretty well, but it's not 100%. I'm powering the hub with 5v from the PC (M4-ATX), but about 10% of the time when I boot up the hub fails. I have my low-bandwidth devices all plugged into it (arduino, bluetooth, touch screen, sound card), and when it fails I lose most functionality. There doesn't seem to be any particular steps to reproduce the issue - sometimes it happens when I boot up after having the car off for a minute, sometimes it happens the first time turning on the car in the morning.

I'm in need of two USB hubs - One 4+ port powered hub that will be behind the dash. I'm considering the mp3Car hub, but it's $85 and does more than I need. The other 4-port hub will probably need to be unpowered, and needs to be VERY SMALL, as it will be mounted up above the headliner.

Any recommendations for specific brands that might not have issues? Thanks!

OEM Navigation, Non navigation touchscreen to control PC

vetteguy82 — Wed, 06 Feb 2013 15:47:20 GMT

Hey everyone,
I tried posting this in LCD forum, did not get many replies.
Does anyone know of a good way to connect a carpc to a aftermarket din?

Run a Carpc to say a clarion or pioneer, hide the PC but switch back and forth to it, control it with the touchscreen?

Not really worried if the din has Navigation, or if it required? Looking for both options in a single din or double din.

Some replies that RGB does not work good for quality?, It seems not many make VGA inputs into there head units.

Any info would be great, my car is a 06 Vette, ill post pictures when i figure out my project plans and start building.

Thanks :confused:

Looking for advice to easily mount (and remove) a tablet from my dash...

lessthandan — Sat, 26 Jan 2013 04:33:49 GMT

Hey all,

Looking to re-modify my dash to go from supporting a 6" liliput touchscreen to a 7" galaxy tab 2 ... this is the dash now:

I would imagine that I would just take a dremmel and basically open that up a bit to support the tablet, but I'm looking for some ideas on how to easily stick it in and take it back out (giggidy) whenever I need to. A simple idea would be velcro, but...I don't wanna be too ghetto-fab with it ;)

Although, I would say that 90% of the time, it's going to stay in my car.

Ready, set, go!

Attached Images

Vibe 11.6" tablet

SNOtwistR — Thu, 24 Jan 2013 04:06:04 GMT

Just wanted to give a heads up on the Vibe/exopc/bmodo tablet. Its a 11.6" multitouch atom tablet with 2 gig ram 64gig ssd wifi bluetooth win7 home premium 2 usb ports sd hdmi and a very nice look. This link will get it for 299.00 cad. https://usm.channelonline.com/hypert...0071D000002639 These were around 700 when they first came out. Been using this model in a bunch of transports with out a hitch SNO

2004 Mazda 6 Map box Nexus 7 Tablet

Gamerxx13 — Wed, 23 Jan 2013 20:44:34 GMT

Hello Forums,
Well I have a 2004 mazda 6. It has a mapbox where I am thinking of putting a tablet in and integrating it with my sound system.
The tablet is a Nexus 7. I have the tablet. I was wondering few things:
1. What apps do you recommend when using your tablet into your car integration sound system? Im thinking that navigation doesnt work because it requires 3g/4g coverage?
2. I am thinking of fiber glassing the thing into my mapbox. Is that possible and even worth it? Or should I get a cheap alternative like some kind of mounting equipment such as these:
http://www.dhgate.com/car-swivel-mou...html#s1-2-null

Thanks any advice would be great and really appreciated.

General Tablet Questions

lessthandan — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 02:23:25 GMT

Hello,

My current CarPuter is on its last leg, and I'm thinking about swapping it for a tablet. However, I have a few general questions:

1) How are most people powering them? Am I just going to keep it connected to my DC jack the entire time? If so, is that wrecking my battery?

2) Do I need a separate head unit? If so, what is the purpose of having one?

3) How does the sound operate?

4) Is there one tablet that is superior to another? I'm unsure as to whether or not I'd go Android, iPad Mini, or Kindle Fire. I mean, I do know technical and general differences between the three, but...I just wasn't sure if there was a "right" or "wrong" interface to pick. Note: the most important part of all of this is sound quality!

5) Is there a general tablet FAQ somewhere on these forums that I overlooked? I saw a few in the Projects section, but couldn't seem to find what I was looking for...

The equipment I have:
Kicker 4-channel amp for my speakers
Kicker amp for my subwoofers
x2 Comp VR 12" subs
No current head unit
I can likely re-mold my current dash to support the tablet.

Thanks everyone!

--Dan

Seeking users who have experience using compactflash as a replacement hard drive

redls1bird — Sun, 20 Jan 2013 17:13:51 GMT

Basically, I'm wondering if there are any drawbacks/issues to using a compactflash card with an ide-compactflash adapter. On the positives, I know it will be quieter, hopefully less heat, and smaller overall dimensions. Is there anything i'm missing?

Idea to keep standard stereo buttons

KennyKen — Fri, 18 Jan 2013 20:14:01 GMT

Hi All
I havent been around for a while but i am thinking about rejoining the ranks and installing a new CarPC in my current car (2010 Ford Fiesta).

however if your not aware the stereo in the for fiesta is quite unique, it has a front panel full of buttons, a separate small screen and a hidden unit which controls everything.

For the last couple of years ive had a Chinese stereo installed which is based on Wince5 and is basically a Carpc that got terrible software and is drastically under specced. so i am thinking about keeping the 7" touch screen from this unit and stripping out all the electronics from the main unit and installing a new car PC. this is all great but it leaves me with 1 problem.

I have to keep the existing stereo button because to blank them off would just look silly, and if i keep them then i would like them to control the PC...

This is the issue i am stuck on at the moment. there are 30+ buttons on the panel, however there are only 14 pins on the plug. I am looking into using the RCJoyCon to accept the signals from the front panel and send them to the PC. so this leaves me with 2 questions:

1) will the RCjoyCon work in the way i am wanting
2) how can i work out which pin does what if there are only 14 pins then each button must share a pin with another button?

here is a picture of the front of the stereo

Thanks in advance and i'm sure there will be a few more questions to come later on
Ken

Attached Images

Iphone/Carpc/canbus Audi a8 project

xadamadax — Thu, 10 Jan 2013 21:53:09 GMT

Ok, this is my first time posting so bear with me if i sound like a noob

I have a 2007 audi a8 (d3 facelift, mmi 2g) and I've been going back and forth between putting my iphone or a car pc on my oem mmi screen
Either way I'm hoping that through the canbus I'll be able to use the factory mmi/steering wheel buttons to control it

My plan is to use the below video interface module, my iphone 4s, an iphone a/v cable, and a couple jailbreak apps to get my iphone on the oem screen (similar to the mimics x2)
http://gsmserver.com/shop/car/car_vi...en_support.php

Here is where it gets tricky, the a8 has a motorized screen that comes out of the dash, so unlike the mimics interface, I do not want to make it a touchscreen for fear of breaking it from touching it

instead I would like to
a.) hack the can bus to talk to the iphone as a serial device (like when using a mouse to control the iphone via the btc mouse/keyboard hacks)
I would want to only program a few key buttons (siri, home, volume, phone, next/previous track, play/paue, safari, a couple random car useful apps, etc..)
The plan would be to use siri or the physical iphone for any text input.

b.) use the mimics solution but mount the touchscreen film on the cupholder instead of on the screen and calibrate it to work like a wacom tablet or a touchpad). The hope is with this solution that the touchpad would seem somewhat invisible and oem

c.) if i can't figure that out I would probably just mount a touchpad in the cupholder or just wait for leapmotion and use that to control the iphone (video input would be the same)

My questions are:

Does anyone know what I would need or if its even possible to send commands to the iphone via the oem mmi/steering wheel buttons? I've looked at the canusb interfaces, and some other interesting stuff (mimics, a centrafuse installation using the oem mmi buttons to control it). I'm a system administrator by trade, so i can get pretty technical, my programming/development skills have never been strong though

If not is this easier accomplished through android?

If I used a pc, what would i need to get the mmi controlling the pc? Any recommended accessories to make a pc setup be more audi friendly? (I'm open to a pc solution, i can connect it to the internet easily via 4g. I just like the idea of using the phone because i like having one consistent interface. my phone goes everywhere, if i update the music, contacts or apps i want that to reflect to my car solution)

One last question i have is what would it take to get custom text displayed on the instrument cluster (sent via the phone or a pc)

thanks in advance for any help pointing me in the right direction
I'm in the chicagoland area if anyone has any interest on working this. I figure this is a beta, if it works i would want to control more of the cars components (climate, lighting, etc) from the iphone or pc through some sort of can or vagcom interface

Pictures of the inside of a Mo-co-so Black box case?

bmw_car_pc — Wed, 09 Jan 2013 17:06:25 GMT

I am thinking about buying a new case but I can not seem to find any pictures of the actual inside of the case and where the motherboard, PSU, hard drives and all that go. Does anyone have the case or pictures of the inside by any chance?

Solution the provides USB input, SD Card Reader, and Aux input for carputers?

04LS1GTO — Wed, 09 Jan 2013 16:30:42 GMT

Hi everyone, I've been doing some searching but have come across such a product that will connect to a carputer somehow. I'm looking to see if there is any hardware that can be connected to carputer via USB (or maybe RCA/3.5mm jack) that can be mounted remotely and provide inputs for USB audio, SD card, and Aux in. I know I could obviously run a separate cable/component for each of these type inputs I would like to have, but I'd love a hardware interface of some sort that combines the 3 of these inputs into one piece of hardware that can be mounted somewhere near the dash, in a center console, or in a glove box. Thanks in advance!

-Andrew

hdmi to rgb

Champak — Tue, 01 Jan 2013 17:41:54 GMT

I want to connect my computer to my stock screen. scando 800 wont work because i have hdmi and display port out. Is there something else that works as well as scando 800, and preferably as small that I can get?

High-side LED dimming

denpo — Sun, 30 Dec 2012 07:32:00 GMT

Hi everyone.
Recent member here, and that's my very first post.

I'm doing a classic car restoration/customization and I have, amongst many updates, a mini-itx mb and 7" screen waiting to bring my car into the current millenium.
I'm also planning stuff with arduinos and OLED....

But today's question in not about the carputer itseft, it's about LED.

DISCLAIMER: I got banned without notice from a forum for asking that seemingly simple question, so if I'm breaking any forum's rules , pleeeease, let me know beforehand.

Here is it:
I want to convert my dashboard lights to LED (about a dozen of 50mA SMD leds replacement bulb), and I want to be able to control the dimming level. Eventually by the computer, but let's start with a simple physical knob for the sake of simplicity.

I found out that almost all led dimmer works on the low side of the circuit, plugging themselves between the led and the ground.
Looks like it's the sound way to do it electronically speaking.
Since each bulb take its ground locally on my car, I would have to add an extra wire everywhere and change all my bulb sockets.
So I started to investigate high side switching (between the 12v source and the led), learned a bit about 555 dimming, P-channel & N-channel Mosfets and such.
As much as I can implement existing schematic, I'm definitely not confident designing my own.

Anyone knows about existing product? Any available design I could etch? or I'm just plain foolish and should rewrite my harness for a standard dimmer?

Pretty good GPS unit

SNOtwistR — Tue, 25 Dec 2012 17:57:45 GMT

I have found a pretty good GPS unit that might be of use to someone. Here is the link https://solarbotics.com/product/52235/ It's bluetooth/usb/serial accuracy of 2m and an external antenna. SNO

Special Hinge for Linear Actuator

torres1708 — Mon, 24 Dec 2012 22:21:43 GMT

I just want to know if anyone knows if there is a hinge or solution to do a horizontal mount for a linear actuator? What I want to do is place a linear actuator horizontally behind the iPad that pushes 1" towards the right and ends up pushing the iPad outward about an inch? Any help would be appreciated, Thanks.

Error resuming from hibernation on cold weather

croko — Mon, 24 Dec 2012 13:25:41 GMT

Hello guys,

I have a Asrock Ad2700B-ITX motherboard and a OCZ vertex SSD.
When the temperature drops below 0 degrees Celsius, resuming from hibernation gives me an error, so I have to delete the session and fresh start.
When the car is getting warmer everything is fine.
I have windows 7.

What seems to be the problem?

Thanks

Looking for a circiut board Genius!

SNOtwistR — Sat, 22 Dec 2012 15:24:06 GMT

I am working on a project and I am needing someone with circiut board design experience. I have a circiut I have put together in expressPCB and need someone to go over it and make it perfect. Let me know if you can help me out. It's worth a few dollars for the job. SNO

Mini PCI-e to USB and SATA adapter..do they work?

davekra — Thu, 20 Dec 2012 15:58:57 GMT

So, I've been having some problems with my USB music drive disappearing. It may actually be more than just the music drive as the Boomzbox radio has gone missing a couple times as well.
Anyway, I was surfing e-bay and found a simple looking adapter for Mini PCI-e to USB and SATA.
It would allow me to change my music drive to SATA and provide an additional USB port.

There are other adapters that are either SATA or USB and they seem to have more components on them.

Has anyone used something like this with success?

Thanks,
davidk

p.s. my motherboard is an Intel D510mo. Further reading tells me that if your motherboard supports an ssd on the mini-pci-e slot that the simple adapter in the picture might work because the sata controller is already built into the motherboard.

P.P.S The Intel D510mo does not have SATA signals in the mini PCI slot. Any of the mini PCI SSD will NOT work on this board. The adapter pictured would work IF the board passed SATA to that connector.
Should have searched more before posting but hopefully this will help someone else.
Thanks,
davidk

Attached Images

Carputer POSTing Problem

MZ3Alex — Thu, 13 Dec 2012 02:14:17 GMT

Hi everyone,

I came here in hope that someone could help me out with an issue that I have been having with my new carputer project. First off, I just want to get some of the specs out of the way. The motherboard of for the computer is an Intel DN2800MT Cedar Trail board with an Intel Atom N2800 Dual-core 1.86Ghz processor on it. I have 2 GB of Crucial DDR3 RAM installed, a 32GB OCZ SSD, and an internal 802.11n Intel Centrino Wifi mini-PCIe card. The power supply powering the board is the Mini-Box DC-DC Buck-Boost USB Programmable PSU. The PSU is currently set in automotive mode and programmed to output 12V at all times.

The problem I am having with my carputer is that I cannot always get it to POST when I have the mobo in the car. Sometimes it will post very quickly, while other times it will take about 15 seconds to POST, and then there are times it just won't POST at all. When the computer does POST however, it operates completely fine and doesn't have any problems at all. But here's the thing, when I take the computer inside and hook it up to a 12V DC supply from the wall outlet, it POSTs fine all the time, and the POST is significantly quicker as well.

Thinking it was an issue with the motherboard, I got that replaced and realized the error kept happening with the new board. I then thought it was a display issue so I got a new logic board for my LCD display and that is also not the cause of the problem. The only difference between taking the computer inside and having it in my car is the power source. But why would that cause the computer to get suck when POSTing? I have eliminated all other sources of problem problem in USB connections as well. I am stumped. Does anyone have any ideas? Could it really be a problem from a ground loop?

Thanks,
Alex

This looks pretty good.....

VegasGuy — Mon, 10 Dec 2012 17:14:00 GMT

http://arduino.cc/en/Main/ArduinoBoardEsplora

This has REAL possibilities in a carPC install. Features:

Analog joystick with central push-button two axis (X and Y) and a center pushbutton.
4 push-buttons laid out in a diamond pattern.
Linear potentiometer slider near the bottom of the board.
Microphone for getting the loudness (amplitude) of the surrounding environment.
Light sensor for getting the brightness.
Temperature sensor reads the ambient temperature
Three-axis accelerometer measures the board's relation to gravity on three axes (X, Y, and Z)
Buzzer can produce square-waves.
RGB led bright LED with Red Green and Blue elements for color mixing.
2 TinkerKit Inputs to connect the TinkerKit sensor modules with the 3-pin connectors.
2 TinkerKit Outputs to connect the TinkerKit actuator modules with the 3-pin connectors.
TFT display connector connector for an optional color LCD screen, SD card, or other devices that use the SPI protocol.

Availability may be an issue, although it's possible you might see it at Radio Shack in the near future. SparkFun or even right here on mp3Car might be an option, too. Looks like around $60 delivered or there abouts, but an awful lot of capability for that price.

Cheers!

VegasGuy

8GB SSD...what to do with it

chris350 — Wed, 05 Dec 2012 07:15:36 GMT

I just recently got a 8GB SSD SATAII... i heard that wXP is not going to be good for the long term health of the drive and w7 need 16 GB of space to install... so now what do i do?:sad:

Tablet Connectivity - trying to keep it simple

pardegt — Wed, 05 Dec 2012 03:03:53 GMT

Edit...I moved this to the worklogs section to document my build.

Hacking the Pyle PLDNV78I / any other Windows CE navi

Pseudo Nim — Tue, 04 Dec 2012 15:43:16 GMT

Hi all,

So I picked up this Pyle device, which runs WinCE and iGo Primo. I'm wondering whether anyone has tried to hack these WinCE devices. I feel like there is a lot of potential - Web browser, better video player, better iPod connectivity, etc. - but I'm not sure how to get into its filesystem and start modding the built-in menu.

Currently, all I have access to is the GPS SD card, and a way to set the path to it in the system menu. I am thinking maybe I can run an alternative front-end by doing so by running the "navi" icon which would drop me into an alternate shell over which I would have full control - or maybe there is an easier way?

Any suggestions welcome.

Thanks,

-pN

Biostar NM70I-847 - What do you guys think?

cdevelasco — Mon, 03 Dec 2012 04:37:20 GMT

Hello Everyone, I've been looking into upgrading, its been long overdue (currently running an Epia M10K). Basically I'm looking for a low power consumption all in one mother board solution which is able to run music, videos, bluray, GPS, in RideRunner smoothly. I've stumbled upon this board which seems to cover all my needs, (just wish it had more USB ports)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813138368
http://www.biostar.com.tw/app/en/mb/...?S_ID=617#spec

I plan on running it with;

-Capacitive Touch Lilliput 669 HB
-4 GB RAM (2 x 2GB)
-USB GPS Dongle
-USB External slim Bluray/DVD/CD player
-USB Bluetooth
-Maybe a USB hub

All with an M3-ATX, (Would this power supply be enough?)

Thank you all for your input!

Arduino as a touchscreen controller. Is it possible?

HiJackZX1 — Thu, 22 Nov 2012 18:45:22 GMT

I have been breaking my head trying to find a way to get resistive touchscreens to work with the MK802 and SS808 (MK808). I know there are linux drivers, but I dont understand all that recompiling stuff. Still not sure if it would work after that! Would it be feasable to make Arduino as a controller. I know it connects to Android, but I do not know if its worth the trouble.

Some Radio Signal Help Please

Scion07Tc — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 15:30:29 GMT

Hi Everyone.
First time posting a help thread.
Heres whats up maybe someone can shed some light on it, or give me a signal boost.

I have a 07 scion tc.
I have my LCD wired into the ignition and main power where the headunit used to be.
I have my vga cable and usb cables and speaker cables running along my pass side to the trunk.

In the trunk I have my PC my amp and my Hd direct radio.

Awesome! now I had to modified the antenna cable since it gets power from where the headunit is. So I cut the cable and soldered a new antenna wire to the stock connect and left the power led with that.

Ok I figured that would work. Well I dont think it is.

Here is what happens.

Turn on the car and my pc boots up... which is another problem I am having it never goes into hibernation it just shuts down and I have to wait for the boot up. but that isnt my worry right now.

It turns on RR loads, the radio starts to play if I am lucky. I see the signal at full and then it goes completely away, then it goes back to full and it just keeps doing that. Sometimes it will not go to full at all and it shows no signal the radio is completely unintelligible :) . I have lost a lot of stations that I used to pull in. etc....

So I need some help or suggestions.

I hope that I gave enough information if not please ask.

Thank You so much I know someone might be able to help me or tell me what I am doing wrong.

Raspberry Pi and Audi RNS-E

allanmb — Fri, 16 Nov 2012 11:53:18 GMT

I have an Audi A4 with an RNS-E unit. I was wondering if anyone has used a Raspberry Pi in their car? In particular, if you have used one with an RNS-E then I would like to know how it works! I reckon it would be easy enough to work but I don't have any idea how I would get the buttons on the RNS-E unit to send signals to the RPi. If anyone has any resources they think that would help then I would much appreciate it.
Cheers
Allan

Current detection

Champak — Fri, 16 Nov 2012 01:10:31 GMT

Is there a device out there that can read amp draw and voltage that I can attach to my distribution block?
Better yet, is there something like that for a computer that would feed the info through usb?

Subwoofer freezes CarPC

demitrix — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 18:03:47 GMT

So I recently installed a new amp and subwoofer in my setup. Now when I try to turn the gain up on my sub any hard bass hits freeze the PC. I was hoping for some insight that any one else with this problem has. My first thought is that the PC is being undervolted and freezing because of this. So I was going to try a capacitor and see if that helps the issue at all. I know its an electrical issue as I have moved the PC away from any vibration.

NUC - Check This Out!!!

RAWPWR — Mon, 12 Nov 2012 14:19:11 GMT

I stumbled upon this little marvel.

This should make installing a PC behind a touchscreen a breeze now. :eyebrows:

Will be released in December. A bit expensive, but should come down in price.

Check it out.........

http://www.anandtech.com/show/6444/i...uting-hands-on

(Make sure to take a look at the unboxing vid)

And.....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4r2lC...eature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_KvGv...ture=endscreen

And mate up with this,,,, (should do the trick being it's a 19v input.)

http://store.mp3car.com/DCDC_USB_Int..._p/pwr-047.htm

Suggestions on motherboard/PC?

Pseudo Nim — Sun, 11 Nov 2012 23:34:50 GMT

Hi all,

So I finished the second car PC iteration and it's time for a third. The first time, I used a VIA mini-ITX board. The second, an Asus EEE. It's been 4 years and I'm back on the market. I don't want to spend a fortune on the car PC... Thought of using a Raspberry Pi, but that might be a little bit TOO low-end.

What are some interesting options these days? I wouldn't mind running Windows, as I still have a Centrafuse license, but I'd consider Android if there were good apps available.

Thanks!

-pN

Need assistance putting together list of hardware for my carputer needs. Please help!

04LS1GTO — Fri, 09 Nov 2012 04:09:27 GMT

Hi everyone, I have an Infill G4 but want more features so I'm going to build a custom carputer to fit my needs. I know a little bit about PC hardware, but I'm not terribly familiar with what is needed to build a carputer with the features I'm looking for. I plan on likely buying this double-DIN case/screen combo to start everything off:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/2DIN-IN-DASH.../110966372323?

The above kit is a mini-ITX case with an LCD screen that supports HDMI input. Here are the features that I'm looking for from my custom carputer:

-(AM/)FM Stereo
-Navigation
-Bluetooth (for hands-free calling, but A2DP support would also be great if it's even possible)
-SATA Hard drive (maybe solid state if I can find a good deal)
-External Blu-Ray/DVD/CD drive (SATA connection, I suppose)
-TV Capture Card with HDMI input (PCI Express)
-WiFi (preferably not USB, but if most mini-ITX boards only have one PCI Express slot then USB will have to do)
-Bluetooth keyboard/touchpad combo (can be a USB dongle)
-Sirius satellite radio (optional, don't really need this)

A big concern is sound quality. I'm not sure what hardware is needed for good sound processing, so I can definitely use some help with that.

The other area that I need help in is the motherboard and all hardware needed to make this thing run properly. I plan on mainly using the device for playing music (CDs, MP3s (via flash drive and hard drive), Slacker Radio [via 4G broadcasted from my phone]), movies (Blu-Ray, DVD, YouTube [via 4G broadcasted from my phone, and video file types stored either on the hard-drive or a USB flash drive)], and Bluetooth hands-free calling. I also want to make sure that the machine only goes into "hibernation" mode after the ignition is turned off, and I want something that will boot back up quickly when the ignition key is turned on. I'm not sure what all is needed for this.

I'm also not sure what I need for a power supply, cooling fan, processor, mini-ITX board, memory, nor all of the other necessary components to make this work properly based on what I want.

Anyone that can give me some feedback on what I need for this build would be greatly appreciated. I don't need to build a $2k carputer, I want to do this on somewhat of a budget while still getting great performance and the features that I need.

Much thanks,
Andrew

Any hardware for carputers with HDMI input as well as HDMI output?

04LS1GTO — Wed, 07 Nov 2012 21:29:29 GMT

Hey everyone, I've been looking around and doing some searches and can't seem to find the answer. I'm looking for carputer hardware that has an HDMI input so I can plug something like an Android phone with HDMI-out into the carputer, and still view the output from the carputer using HDMI to an in-dash touch-screen. Is this possible? Thanks!

Options for integrating a carputer to aftermarket double-DIN touch-screen stereo?

04LS1GTO — Wed, 07 Nov 2012 16:24:36 GMT

Hi guys. I'm looking to get great sounding audio in my vehicle and have had great luck with getting the sound I want from Pioneer head units over the years. I'm not sure if I can expect the same quality and EQ adjustments in order to tweak the sound just as good with a carputer.

I was thinking of for my next project installing a double-DIN touch-screen DVD receiver in my dash. What methods might I have for integrating a separate carputer into such a receiver and be able to control everything for the carputer via the touch-screen of the stereo receiver as well as integrate the audio and video of the carputer?

I know something like the X2 Module will allow me to integrate a compatible Android smartphone with a stereo like this, but are their any options for integrating a carputer the same way?? Thanks!

-Andrew

Double-DIN carputer case vs. Remotely mounted case

04LS1GTO — Wed, 07 Nov 2012 16:16:40 GMT

Hi everyone, I just picked up a used Infill G4 double-DIN carputer but I think I might be looking at building something new since the G4 is kind of outdated.

I'm posisbly looking at building a new carputer, but I'm not sure of the difference between using a double-DIN enclosure (like this: http://store.mp3car.com/Black_BBX_1_..._p/enc-045.htm) versus a separate case mounted remotely.

Can you essentially install the same hardware and have the same features between the two different types of cases? Or does the double-DIN case limit you? If the double-DIN limits you, what differences can I expect when it comes to options for hardware and whatnot?

I mainly want to you the carputer for multimedia and Internet. I won't be doing video processing, using Photoshop, or any of that type of high-demanding software. I just want to play music, video (digital files, Blu-Ray, DVD, YouTube) and have a good enough graphics processor for providing great video quality, and cruise the Internet. Having several USB ports is a must, but I'm not too picky on where the USB ports are located because I can always run USB extensions to my glove box or something. I will also want HDMI as well as RCA video inputs and outputs. Navigation, FM Radio, and reverse camera support would be great too.

Can I accomplish all of the above with a Double-DIN case, or should I be looking into a separate case mounted somewhere else in the car? Thanks in advance!

-Andrew

M2 ATX 160W P4 connector voltage.

torture — Tue, 06 Nov 2012 14:17:58 GMT

Hi guys. For some reason i can not get 12V from the P4 connector of the M2 ATX 160W. I get 11.90V. And i was wondering is that okay to power my monitor? The monitor is working just fine in the car but there are some vertical lines which are barely noticeable if you stare at the monitor up close than you can see them. When i was testing it at home i did not see this. So is that voltage fine or i can kill it if i continue to use it?

Backup Camera with Android

Omyn.Z — Sat, 03 Nov 2012 05:05:09 GMT

I'm looking to replaced my Nook Color in my car with a Nexus 7 in the coming weeks. Can be seen here One of the things that I wanted to do was a back up camera.

My intentions were to originally do either a BT or WiFi camera but I realized that it would be ridiculous for me to sit in reverse for 10+ seconds while my tablet pairs/connects with the tablet. This leaves me with the only one other option which is to use the front facing camera. I am considering extending the cable by about 9 feet. I have no idea if this will even work because of the length needed.

I think the way I want to do it is by using hot air to remove the connector for the camera from the board, then solder thin wire to each contact. Then in the back of my car, above the license plate, I would have a backup camera housing which would house the front facing camera and some sort of FPC/FFC board allowing me to install the connector I removed from the main board earlier. I would then plug in the front facing camera to the board with the installed connector.

My biggest question at this point is.... Do you think the range is too long for something like this? I drive a fairly small car so it won't be as long as say an RV or something. Here's some of the parts. I was able to find the part number for the connector by using the M370T diagrams floating around the forums.

Board Connector

Camera Side Connector

Below is the kind of board that I would like to find to put into the backup camera housing. The pitch is right but the width is off. I'd have to hunt a little more but I think I can find something that would work.
http://www.proto-advantage.com/store...cts_id=2200081

Kind of what I'm thinking..

Let me know what you guys think. Any input would be greatly appreciated.

Input on a TV tuner card...

rtuite — Fri, 02 Nov 2012 18:43:44 GMT

I am looking at one of these cards because it is about the only TV/FM tuner card available for my mobo, which has only mini PCIE slots. Avermedia seems to be the only company that makes mini PCIE tuner cards, and as a bonus most models have integrated FM tuners as well.

Has anyone ever used one of these? I can pick these up for around $20 on eBay, such as this one...
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Avermedia-A3...item43b543aaa8

I'm open to alternatives & suggestions as well...

No audio when using Directed DMHD-1000. Help needed.

tbird2340 — Sun, 28 Oct 2012 02:30:26 GMT

So I have a DMHD-1000 connected to my CarPC via serial to USB. I use Centrafuse and it sees the radio and is able to scan stations etc but I get no audio. I have it plugged into my blue audio jack on my motherboard which is the line in so I don't get why I gots no audio..

I tried using that Sat-Amp program too to make sure it wasn't Centrafuse and I got no audio with it either..

What am I doing wrong here?

Thanks

Heat shrink tubing- weather tight seal

Rell — Thu, 25 Oct 2012 21:52:29 GMT

I'm working on a engine harness and after much reading of debates between 'proper' crimping and soldering I decided to do a little of both throughout the harness. Some what of an test really to see how both hold up. Anyways after crimping some non insulated connectors to my wires, I was going to buy some adhesive lined heat shrink tubing but I have a ***** ton of plain heat shrink tubing laying around that I usually use for inside car wiring etc. Some of the wires I crimped will be under the hood so I want a nice water proof seal. I was wondering if there was a good glue that would not corrode or damage the crimped connector or wiring?

Basically is there an glue I can apply to the un-insulated butt connector and the small amount of exposed wire and then slip an regular heat shrink tube over it and shrink it, let the glue dry and be water tight just like adhesive lined heat shrink?

Some of these wires are for the ignition coils so using a glue that would interfere with conductivity would be my concern.

In dash double DIN DVD stereo enclosure

tomtahoe — Wed, 24 Oct 2012 17:04:48 GMT

I need a low cost in dash double DIN DVD stereo cabinet for shelf mounting unit outside of car dash. Who sells these?

XMD1000 & MP3Car USB Adapter Ground Loop

we87 — Tue, 23 Oct 2012 09:11:28 GMT

Prebuilt car pc from MoCoSo with intel board, XM Radio Directed XMD1000, USB Adapter from MP3Car store (being powered by pc's M2-ATX)

The XM Radio XMD1000 is being powered by the USB Adapter from MP3car, and that is being powered by the M2-ATX power supply from the pc. Yet I am still getting a ground loop. Using a ground loop isolater fixes this issue. This is the way its been for a few years. However I need to fix this issue now because I have added some new components (auto sensing AUX switcher and HD Radio) and the XM radio is causing issues.

Since the XM Radio is getting its power and ground directly from the PC, I am not sure how exactly I can isolate the problem or fix it. I would think this would be the ideal source for power and ground. The MP3Car usb adapter needs regulated power so I cant connect it directly to the battery and I am not sure how to get another regulated 12v source.

Any and all information is always greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!

Trunk mount PC with dash mount optical drive, USB, and monitor...

rtuite — Fri, 19 Oct 2012 03:40:28 GMT

I have a smaller car, and not a lot of options for mounting the PC. I was looking to use my rather large glove box, but it is going to be barely too small lengthwise. So, it is back to the trunk idea. Anyway, I need (want...) to run an optical drive, possibly even Blu Ray at some point, in the dash where the radio will be removed from. I can do this via USB 3.0, but I believe that will be too far of a run for a USB cable. I also want a dash mounted USB port or 2 for connecting thumb drives and such.

I have seen USB/Cat5e extension systems, but none that expressly say USB 3.0. I don't think USB 2.0 will let a regular DVD drive run efficiently, much less a Blu Ray. Does anyone make a USB 3.0 extender, or can I just run a cable? It would be about a 15'-20' run by the time I snake around the car. I can shorten that some by running it strait up the middle, but would obviously have to put it in some sort of sleeving to keep it from getting smashed and abraded.

Sorry, I am kind of new at this. I am an IT professional, but my expertise is in systems security for the last 8 years, and I have kind of fallen out of touch with the hardware world, so I really don't know the specs on anything any more. The standard I read for USB 3.0 is 9.8' (3 meters), or up to 50/60 feet using cable/hub/cable/hub/cable... configuration (assuming no cable is longer than 3 meters). That may be my solution, too. I can take a single cable to a hub mounted under the back half of my console (around a 6'-8' run by the time I route around stuff, the console is hollow). Then 2-3 cables up to the dash (another 5' or so), one for an optical drive another one (or 2) for available ports.

Thoughts on this? I won't deny that I am new at this, and I may be missing something.

Trying to reuse resistive touchscreens for an Android device! PLEASE HELP!

HiJackZX1 — Tue, 16 Oct 2012 05:49:35 GMT

I have gone ahead and bought 6 MK802 units. These will be for the independent user units. I also bought a MK808 for shared use. These units would be great for people wanting to jump from Win PC based to Android based. One issue, no USB touchscreen. I have been searching the internet and most deal with capacitive touchscreens. I am not interested in replacing 5 touchscreens. I am already ****ed I worked on a Windows based system for 5 years, just to dump it and use Android. I know that there have to be drivers out there, or a way to make them work, because some tablets are using them, since multi-touch has been added for resistive panels.

I found something from Microchip. Its called the AR1000 and AR1100. They are resistive USB TS, but also have drivers for the unit that work with Android. They say its a universal driver, so does that mean the drivers will work with the type we use in the car? http://www.microchip.com/stellent/id...cName=en543486

I also read this, seemed to explain how to get USB devices to be seen ny Android as an internal devices , blah blah blah. http://www.chalk-elec.com/?p=1426

This is the only thorn in my side right now. If this can be figured out, then these would be the most awesome Car PC unit. Any help would be awesome.

Car PC Wishlist

Arustik1 — Tue, 09 Oct 2012 20:18:02 GMT

Doing research on in Car PCs and figured I'd get some help from the MP3Car board.

What would you want your Car PC to have?

Wi-Fi, BT, DVD, CD, MicroUSB, 5.1 Sound, Tilt Screen?

Let me know what your perfect creation would be using anything that comes to mind (not just the list above).

-Austik1

help solve a 4 monitor problem.

portabuddy — Mon, 08 Oct 2012 07:19:42 GMT

I recently realized that the answer to my problems, whats been hanging me up was a video card. i was looking for a all motherboard lvds solution, and i even wasted money in a usb to dvi box. works... but the are choppy and crap.

Im builing another car computer, a carputer if you will. its base is a Intel H77 mini-itx mobo with a core i5 3.1GHz and 16gb ram.

Why???

Becasue in makeing all my guages digital, the spedo the tach everything. and im going to have the first display the main guages, the upper one for speedo and heads up info, then the two right ones for GPS and Videos. thats alot going on.

Not exacly Crysis or Battalfeild but still alot being processed at once.

i was looking at the gtx 650 2gb origally but when i spoke to tech support he said that it only supports a maximum of three screens.
so plan b is a gtx660 not the ti, no need for that. its still $100 more expensive though. also these cards all take alot of power! in a caputer you try and conserve power where possable. and the PSU's are 250w max! good thing is they are stackable, but at $80 each not cheap. is ther a better option? also the mobo im looking at is a Intel BOXDH77DF it has two outputs as is when useing a i5 with hd grafix, and i am. so dose anyone know if i can retain the onboard video too? becasue then i can go with the gtx650.

Im open for any options

Need help wiring a relay please..

tbird2340 — Sun, 07 Oct 2012 14:54:20 GMT

I bought some LEDs that I want to install as daytime running lights on my car.. I want them to come on when the car is on but go off when the headlights are on..

I would I wire this to accomplish that?

Thanks!

Hardware help!

thacarter546 — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 03:34:21 GMT

I could use some advice on what board to run. Now I have done some research. I will probably be using road runner. I want the average car pc functions music,audio quality is a must. I want dvds to play smoothly, gps, radio, and I want to be able to play my emulators. If I could play ps2 and wii on it Id be absolutely thrilled.

I plan on running xp ive got a license for pro or home.

I seem to be able to run road runner relatively smoothly on my older eeepc. I just dont know if when I get my radio, gps receiver, etc exactly how much horsepower im gonna need.

Hardware I have sitting around.
7 inch usb proximus touch screen
AMD tk-55
2-1gb ddr2 sticks of laptop ram
a 4gb and 2 gb stick of ddr3 laptop ram
2 slim dvd roms and enclosure
a 320 gb seagate 2.5" hdd

I am a big fan of AMD I have had nothing but trouble with intel since the old pentuim 2s and p3s. Remember the slot loaded processors? The p4s were even worse.

Anyway. I would like to avoid intel if at all possible.

I was considering an intel atom d2700 chip until I heard about the driver issues with the graphics chip on xp. They have now released a "working" driver but I have not heard anything positive.

My main choices are an amd e-350 board. I like that its tiny, and power efficient.

A A6 quad core and mini itx board this puts me a little over budget at 160 I can cut this down if I go with a dual core a4

An older a3 socket matx mobo and processor. If Im able to get a cheaper am3 processor to unlock Id be thrilled. This is a relatively cheap option, but its also the only one thats not direct x 11 compatible, consumes the most power and puts off the most heat.

Any help is appreciated. Ive been reading through the projects on here but they dont really answer my question. They vary from i7 quad cores to single core atoms. I also know my usb touch screen is going to be a little harder on the cpu and ram. I will also be driving all of the screens in my car now.

Anyone hear of nextgen: data acquisition device

malkamus — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 00:24:42 GMT

I ran across this setup and was wondering if anyone has heard of it and/or think it could be integrated in a carpc. It seems to have been developed by VTTI under the name Nextgen. It is now being distributed by transecurity as DriveVision R. http://www.transecurity.com/products/drive-vision-r.php that is the site address. It has front and rear facing cameras supports up to 6, front facing radar tracks up to 12 or 14 vehicles up to 400 meters away. has time to collision and headway warnings, obd connection that pulls data from pcm, gps, facial recognition, lane tracking, gsm cell modem, wifi and wired network access, 3-axix accelerometer, yaw rate, forward illumination sensor. As soon as I get it laid out I will add some pics of what all is here. There is a cpu unit the radar unit the front side and driver camera, the rear camera, obd connector, the radar processor unit and not sure what else yet.

Could use a little hardware help.

thacarter546 — Tue, 02 Oct 2012 03:29:38 GMT

I have been doing alot of research. I have a general idea of what I want my set-up to look like and do. As for what its gonna do: I want it to play music primarily and do it well. I plan on replacing my hu with this. It will be feeding alot of audio and video equipment. I would also like to add gps, hd radio, and dvd functionality is a must. I would also like to play my emulators with it. Dolphin would be awesome but if it could play up to an n64 emulator I would be thrilled.

The equipment I have so far. I have 2 1gb sticks of ddr2 laptop ram sticks, a 2gb and 4 gb ddr3 laptop ram stick, a 320 gb 2.5" hard drive, a tk55 processor (can only find one socket s1 mini itx board) Oh yeah and two slim dvd drives.

Ive already ordered my touch screen. I went with a cheapy proximus 7 inch usb unit. As for getting into the bios I will be feeding video into my existing monitors in my vehicle.

I also have a LEGAL license for xp home and pro 32 bit so that is what I will be running (one of the two anyway)

Really what Im having trouble with Is deciding a power plant. I hate intel with a passion. I would prefer not to run intel. I would prefer to use the ram Ive got. I dont mind buying ddr3 ram but ddr2 is expensive!

The serious choices Im considering:

gigabyte GA-E350N Integrated E-350 processor. From my research its quite a bit faster than the comparable atom chips tests higher in pcmark. I know the old atom single core in my eeepc will run project 64 good nuff so this should too. I dont know how itll hold up with a usb monitor and a carpc front. 81 bux total

Zotax 880g-itx AM3 board with an athlon x2 5200+ I see no reason this couldnt do everything im asking for. At 65 watts it outs out alot more heat. Only supports direct x 9 where the other two options support 11. 102 bux total.

AMD a4-A6 with a mATX motherboard not sure which mobo yet. This puts me in at the highest budget at around 140ish. It also consumes alot of space.

The car its going into is a 92 caprice classic. Plenty of room but its almost all occupied by something or another. Power concerns are non existent. Im running dual 135 amp alternators (just until I have the time and funds to rebuild them with the ice 220 amp kits and over drive pulleys) and 4 gel cell oddysseys.

grease on RAM?

soundman98 — Tue, 02 Oct 2012 03:06:12 GMT

I've been have on-going issues with what i believe to be my RAM.

the problem is consistent in that it occurs every 2-3 months, the symptoms are that of loose/unslotted RAM-- it will just plain shut down, the screen would go 'fuzzy'(all different colored streaks running through it). i reslot the RAM and everything will be fine for another 2-3 months.

originally, the problem was caused by bumps, going over rail road tracks and such.. i started suspecting it had to do with my board mounting and flex, so i reinforced the RAM slot by adding a little bit of a folded towel below it to keep it from flexing.

now it's been 2-3 montsh since i've done this, and i'm back to a similar issue, though it's odder.. it now freezes/stutters at random, and is perfectly fine over bumps. now it won't just shut off, it will just freeze at whatever screen it is on-- the music will stop, and it will become completely unresponsive. just tonight, the screen streaked like it had before, so i am confident that reslotting the ram would fix it..

but i'd like to kill the problem once and for all..

so my next theory is that the ram is becoming slightly corroded just from being in the car environment, and i am wondering if it would be a good idea to apply some of that 'anti-corrosion' die-electric grease like they sell for turn signal bulbs and such.

good idea or not?

Looking for Setup Advice/Sanity Check

Xero — Tue, 02 Oct 2012 01:41:18 GMT

Hey guys, been a while since I've done this so I want to make sure I'm not about to put together something that's not going to work out. Here is my proposed build:

Case/screen: Derrick's 2-DIN kit
PSU: CarNetix P2140
CPU: Intel Core i3-3220T (unless someone can find me an i5-3570T)
GPU: Ivy Bridge onboard video
SSD: Samsung 830 Series, 128GB
Motherboard: AsRock Z77E-ITX
Memory: 8GB Crucial DDR3/1600
OS: Win7 of some variety, haven't decided 32/64, can always use the other RAM stick elsewhere if 32
Front End is still undecided

Intended uses (in addition to your basic music/video/gps/etc) are gauge monitoring from both OBD-II and PLX devices, possible 720p+ video capture, and maybe even some light games if the onboard graphics can hack it. Let me know what you guys think!

Is this a good setup?

Yannixx — Sat, 29 Sep 2012 12:47:10 GMT

Hey there,

I'm going to add a carpc to my 2003 Hyundai Tiburon and I was wondering
if guys could tell me whether or not this setup will be good.
I did some research but I'd like to have a second opinion before I buy it :)

Monitor: Lilliput 669
Power: M4-ATX 6-30V DC/DC (250 Watt)
Motherboard: ASUS F1A75-I DELUXE
Processor: AMD A8-3870 4C, 3000 MHz
SATA HDD: Corsair Force GT, 60GB
RAM: Corsair 2x4GB DDR3, 1600Mhz

Any comment is welcome! :)
Thanks!

help with Habey and PSU

krillik — Sat, 29 Sep 2012 04:49:48 GMT

So I currently have an M4-ATX with a custom built carputer. It seems my motherboard died (2nd one) and I am just tired of replacing it. I was thinking about the Habey BIS-6620-I. Mp3Car suggests I use a carnetix PSU with the unit. Is it possible to use the M4-ATX? I as under the impression the M4-ATX was regulated power. How would one wire this in? Does anyone know of any external cases for the M4-ATX? Currently mine is mounted on some plywood (dont judge me) since I have a small form factor ITX case. It is mounted in the 5.25 bay.

CD changer emulator for late 90's American Fords?

Gregg Eshelman — Fri, 21 Sep 2012 02:03:08 GMT

Circa 1995 through 2002 Ford used the same 6 disc CD changer as an option in many different models such as the 3rd generation Taurus and Sable, the Explorer and Mountaineer and large pickup trucks.

What I'd like to see made is a device that connects to the CD changer port with an SD card holding up to 594 tracks, emulating 6 CDs with 99 tracks each. It should respond to the OEM radio's CD changer controls so to the user it's identical in operation to the real changer, though without any lag between changing virtual discs.

I've done some online searching and have found some things like this but only for newer American and European vehicles. Far as I can tell, Ford changed the type of CD changer they used somewhere around 2003 or 2004, that's the one that currently available emulators can replace.

This is NOT simply a gizmo to make the radio think there's a CD DJ connected to turn on the AUX in for connecting the headphone jack of an audio device. Those are available for the first generation Ford CD changers.

Ford sold millions of vehicles with "CD DJ Ready" radios in the late 90's, intending for dealers to use the disc changer as an upsell option that they would have to install.

One type of vehicle this emulator would be especially popular for is the 3rd generation Taurus and Sable with electronic climate controls. A small number of people have hacked up their head units to install a 1DIN radio, but 'behind the scenes' are extremely kludgy and for some reason the tape mechanism has to remain connected or the battery drains quickly. (Should be fixable with some research into which wires need to stay connected and to which particular components, if any, of the tape drive have to be kept.)

For those with manual climate controls, Scoshe and Metra make replacement faceplates with a rear defrost switch. The other controls have to be transplanted from the OEM head unit. The changer emulator would be easier to install and hidden, nobody ever steals the proprietary head units from the 3rd (or 4th) generation Taurus and Sable.

Existing SIM Card on mobile hotspots?

kasemodz — Tue, 18 Sep 2012 15:52:01 GMT

I have a T-Mobile prepaid sim card with the 30 dollars/ month, with 5gb of 4gb data and 100 min of talk time. I'm wondering is it possible to use this sim card in a mobile hotspot such as the ZTE MF61 (which tmobile sells) and use that instead of my current phone?

M$-ATX wiring help to O2 Joggler

jellymonster — Mon, 17 Sep 2012 21:54:02 GMT

Hi,

I'm going to hopefully starting the install this weekend, I just have a question about powering.

I'm going to hopefully be using the M4-ATX PSU from my old install (if it works). Using the PSU in the recommended settings (P1) and hook up power, ground and ignition as normal.

Then use the 5VSB from the 24 pin ATX to power the Joggler. This will turn on when ignition is on and turn off 60 seconds after ignition if off.

I don't think there is anyway of modding a power switch into the Joggler, so that will have to go without.

I think this is the best way to do it? If not, let me know =)

Thanks
JM

O2 Joggler: Any good for Car install?

jellymonster — Fri, 14 Sep 2012 22:56:16 GMT

Hi,

I have an O2 Joggler that I have been searching the webs for software to do what I need.

Basically I need a nice, simple frontend capable of at least Music (preferably more i.e. Video, GPS, Radio, handsfree connection etc) that I can plug a USB HDD into and work.

Has anyone had any luck with these?

Any suggestions much appreciated.

Mimicing a power button press (Bluetooth GPS)

sparx — Fri, 14 Sep 2012 04:54:09 GMT

Hey guys,

I have a TomTom Bluetooth GPS which has a push to make power button. You hold it down for approx 2 seconds to turn it on and then the same to turn it off. If you hold it down continuously it will just turn straight back off again.

I wanted to see if I could somehow get it to just turn on when it gets power, without pressing the button. *somewhere* I read about using a capacitor for this purpose?

Does anyone have any ideas for getting it to just turn on? I will post PCB pics if it will help.

Cheers,
sparx

Lilliput 629, no touch feedback

Archy88 — Sun, 09 Sep 2012 23:37:25 GMT

Good Afternoon,
I continue to have issues with my Lilliput 629gl. My last problem was that the X & Y axis on my touches was being reversed. I decided to take out the carPC and set it up on the bench today and fix the issue. I did a clean install of windows and then tried to install the eGalax touch drivers(I've used them successfully in the past). When it prompted to plug in my display, I did so and the USB Universal Drivers were installed...I assume by WINDOWS 7. At this point, the eGalax software noticed a USB Touch controller, but I cannot calibrate, or get any touches to respond. The screen displays an image, and that is it!

I then uninstalled eGalax and tried the touchkit drivers with the same procedure and the same error.

Next, I blocked Windows from installing drivers automatically and tried both eGalax and Touchkit. The software installed fine, but it would not locate a Touch Controller nor could I add one. Still, and obviously, my touches did not register.

Please help with this situation! How do I get my Lilliupt 629 to work with my Windows 7 install?!

A note; I've tried these procedures on my laptop and also have the same outcome.

Thank you so much for the help!!

Help with a problem?

Voodoo73 — Fri, 07 Sep 2012 03:15:41 GMT

Hello, I am new to this. I am building my first carputer and need advice. I m using ride runner and will be using line in mostly but would really like to have visualization. How can I get the music Page on ride runner to read "line in" and show visualization like normal. It only wants play lists. Thank you in advance for your help.

Is there any way to use a tablet as monitor?

thedocta — Thu, 06 Sep 2012 21:01:37 GMT

I am in the process of deciding how to build my carpc. I want to use a tablet as the monitor. I do not want to use the tablet as anything but a display. The tablet isn't a computer and doesn't have ability to be upgraded etc, etc, etc. I think the touchscreen technology of the new tablets is better than the liliput monitors and I like them better. I want to know if there is a way to connect a nice android or Ipad to a pc running windows and use the tablet as a touchscreen monitor. So far I have been unable to locate any advice toward my goal. I am sure it can be done, I just have to look for advice in the right areas.

Head Unit Modification

GeorgeLopez — Thu, 06 Sep 2012 00:22:02 GMT

Question. Dont know if this has been talked about.

I own a 2011 nissan maxima with the ugly amber screen. I can replace it with a nice 7 inch screen and a carputer setup. After reading article after article. I am not too fond of installing a carputer in my car. I hate load times, I really like an instant on that traditional double din head units give.

Is it too crazy to buy a decent double din navigation unit, with all the bells and whistles (bluetooth, ipod connection, navi, etc). take it apart reposition the screen where I want it. Rewire physical buttons to the stock headunit. Giving a total stock feel and look.

I hope this makes sense.

This is what my interior looks like. I want to keep it as stock looking as possible.

http://images.newcars.com/images/car...o-Controls.png

Thanks

New build by New to incar PCs

realpolaris — Sun, 02 Sep 2012 02:47:47 GMT

First off let me say hello to all as new member but been reading for sometime.

I have been reading several reviews and created a list of requirements and believe I have come up with an initial list of hardware to meet my needs. I still have some reading on reviews and such for software and if i can preset on regular laptop i will need to find out.

What I have for hardware so far is the following.
- habey BIS-9834 mainly for the 4gigs and dual display options
- Liliput 669GL-70NP/C/T-HB-RV
- waterproof infrared backup camera specific model not determined but several to choose from
- USB GPS receiver
- USB XM receiver XM PVR
- reverse parking sensors, complete apckage i have found local, also see individual sensors i may be able to incorporate into an ardiuno project.
- Mini PCI-e SIM adapter 3G (anyone with experience with this option or similar)

What i am asking about is if the above hardware is acceptable for my requirements below. Also any additional suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Windows based solution to work with other non incar type software useful.
Requirements
- GPS
- Backup camera
- backup sensors
- Music from local sotrage to incar audio system
- Car maintenance application
- Clear obdi codes and obtain raw data with logging and reporting
- Wireless connection to home wifi
- Extrnal USB for expandability
- USB CD/DVD/Blueray player
- Second screen for backseat entertainment system
- touchscreen
- DD screen
- separate audo system for rear entertainment system and front music option (is this even possible)
- 3G or/and 4G access for browsing and data plans
- custom system interface with application switching
- reverse parking camera, auto switching
- in-dash USB port accessable for external media and drive devices
- Satalite radio option
- Runs windows
- Uses all speakers in vehicle for music and video

Thanks in advance to all who reply.

ISIS Multiplex vs Tegra VCM?

Noble713 — Sun, 26 Aug 2012 17:17:17 GMT

The Car: 1997 JDM Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IV GSR

The Basic Objective: Digital Main Gauges + Evo ECU for engine management + Center Console Touchscreen + Aftermarket HVAC w/stock HVAC controls + Pushbutton Ignition + general streamlining of the wire harness

Expounding Information: The heater core in my car ruptured. In the process of ripping one out of another vehicle, I was amazed at how large the HVAC unit is. I resolved to source a more space efficient unit, which lead me to the Hurricane series units for hot rods. They have electrically-controlled units but I want to keep my stock HVAC controls.

I currently have an Erisin ES777A (piece of junk, BTW) installed to provide audio and navigation. For one thing, I find a 7" screen mounted low terrible for safe navigation. I'd like to have navigation directions right next to my gauges. Speaking of gauges, I also want to switch from the centralized speedometer to a large centralized tachometer. All of which suggests a switch to a digital cluster.

The new Tesla S is powered by two Tegra Visual Computing Modules. This is a pretty new device so there is almost no knowledge base or user resources for it. Nvidia has some nifty developer support, including software for building a custom user interface, but that's about it. It's also not anywhere near being "plug and play", even for the hobbyist tuner/hacker IMO. In the long run, however, I expect it to have far greater support than the ISIS system due to Nvidia's size as well as the number of OEM's looking into using the system.

The ISIS Multiplex is a more mature system, but the hardware seems incredibly expensive. (another article on the system)

Here's a pic of the stock Evo IV interior:

and here is the same pic with a rough photochop of my intended mods:

The basic layout/aesthetic of my proposed dash is heavily inspired by the Lamborghini Gallardo, with the Pagani Huayra's pair of high-mounted central air vents.

All that being said:

1. Which systems is likely to be most cost-effective?
2. Which is likely to be easiest/most flexible to program?
3. Which should be easier to physically install for someone who isn't an electrician/electrical engineer?

Computer with PoE out

ZeroX — Sat, 25 Aug 2012 06:17:20 GMT

I'm looking for a computer with PoE out capabilities.
I have found a few systems that can deliver this, all thou the systems i have found is delivered with software or is not powerfull enough
What I need is at least an Atom based dual core cpu.
This is the systems i have found so far
http://www.nexcom.com/Products/intel...nce-mobile-nvr
http://www.korenixsecurity.com/produ...rking-computer this is for souter use, if I understood the website correctly
http://www.axis.com/products/cam_q8108r/index.htm extremly expensiv and delivered with software i do not want or need.

Do you guys have any ideas ?
I can very much think about a case with a integrated poe switch and I then but in my own hardware or a complete computer

VIA EPIA M10000 USB HDD Issues

Amphiron — Thu, 23 Aug 2012 01:16:06 GMT

I am currently having issues with the USB COM port on my Epia mobo, I can't get it to boot from USB period. I am using a SATA to USB converter for my HDD and I can boot fine from my other PC... this one just don't want to load it at all. I had to put the HDD in my other pc and installed windows like that since you can't install windows via USB anyways. I have USB Keyboard enabled, I have USB HDD set as my first boot device. I can't understand what I am doing wrong. I am glad I am doing this on the bench and not in the car haha. I am thinking of buying SATA to IDE converter but I really would rather use USB 2.0 for the HDD.
Also, could this be happening because I am using the USB port on the mobo and not the one that is for the case, if it has one?

Morex 5677 Case, way too hot.

Randallflagg — Sat, 18 Aug 2012 01:44:00 GMT

I have a Foxconn 1155 motherboard with an i3, the temps were getting really high a lot of the time. The case is even right near my recirculate intake which helped some, but still hit 70+ 80+ even 90 sometimes.

I switched out the cooler for an i5 cooler with a copper core and cut a large hole right above the CPU fan, made massive amounts of difference. The cpu now almost never gets above 50 with a pretty good load on it.

I just wanted to give a heads up to anyone buying this case that the 2 fans on the side were nowhere enough cooling for my i3 system. A better cooler may help, but I doubt it.

Directed HD Radio reception deteriorating?

jmullan99 — Tue, 14 Aug 2012 14:45:19 GMT

Without having changed anything, the reception on my radio unit is getting worse. PC and wiring locations have remained the same for 2 years.

I have a fender mounted antenna that I installed at that time. I have disassembled and cleaned it up (make sure ground and signal lines are good) and re-assembled. Doesn't help.

I also try the window antenna (with power applied as it has a booster) and reception is just as bad.

This has progressively gotten worse over many weeks and I cannot seem to figure it out.

Is there a known issue with Directed / Visteon radio units slowly dying?

Any and all help appreciated.

John

BB Playbook as carputer with obd2 and backup camera

westcoast — Wed, 08 Aug 2012 18:51:03 GMT

Hi
has anyone found a way to connect the playbook to the OBD2 and a backup camera yet I searched and can't find anything.

Divx/Xvid Capable Head Unit

Numburn — Mon, 06 Aug 2012 21:29:02 GMT

I apologize for asking something I know has been asked before but I had trouble finding anything in a search.

Since my truck is fairly old I'm not looking to invest much into it, but I would really like to be able to watch movies in it. I have a pretty good collection of movies in mkv format, and also some in divx and xvid. Is there a fairly cheap head unit which will play these formats, from USB maybe? Single DIN preferred, but could possibly modify dash for double DIN.

Suggestions for where to get odd USB cables?

sebberry — Sat, 28 Jul 2012 01:43:40 GMT

Hello all,

Can anyone recommend an online store for uncommon USB cables?

I'm needing a few cables with right-angled connectors due to space considerations and my usual source for cables doesn't carry such animals.

Thanks.

Liliput Troubleshooting Stuck on Video Input 2

cdrama — Mon, 16 Jul 2012 17:45:16 GMT

Hey guys,

Back at it again for some troubleshooting advice. This weekend I resolved an issue with the CarPuter, Of course after resolving I attempted to install another module.. The reverse camera! I went ahead and loosely connected everything but was unsuccessful. I feel like something happen because the input did switch to AV2 but I got no camera display.. and it never switched back. It is currently stuck on that input and does not auto-detect/switch back to the computer which is hooked up DVI.

I figured I could change the input from remote, however from day 1, I never got the remote that came with the screen to work, I have installed new batteries. To add I see no IR on the outside of the screen so i'm not clear on how the remote sends signals. <-- Will try it again.

The Liliput I have is a 669GL/T I believe. has bybyte double din and came with the Green Reverse Wire prewired.

With that being said anyone have any ideas? Screenshot and video included.
VIDEO HERE

PS. Does anyone know which wire is the reverse light wire in the rear back quarter panel of a Scion 2006 XB?

Attached Images

Troubleshoot CarPC - Faulty Hardware.

cdrama — Fri, 13 Jul 2012 20:19:45 GMT

I Apologize if this is the wrong section for posting. I didn't see a Carpc / Troubleshooting/Diag section so..

Figured Ill message you all to pick at your brains and see if you can figure anything out.
Anyhow my CarPC is messed up. I’m sure it’s hardware failure, I’m just trying to decide which component has went bad.
A week prior I started getting frequent lockups and BSOD. Every BSOD was different, from ACPI compliance, to Page Fault in Non-Paged area etc. All bsod didn’t point to anything but faulty hardware.
At first I was thinking it was the SDD or Bad Ram. I’ve determined it’s not the SDD, because I have tested and swapped with a laptop hdd and experienced same issue. I don’t believe it’s the ram although could be.
I am now leaning on faulty P/S or motherboard has gone bad. By motherboard I mean the on board Video.
This following link is another user who is kind of experience a similar problem.
http://www.techsupportforum.com/foru...en-413309.html
Attached is screenshots so you can see what I am experiencing,

Click Video Link

My bet is that it’s the P/S gone faulty, I plan on this weekend taking it inside the house and plugging up a standard ATX power supply and powering it up, IF it powers obviously it’s the P/S if I have the same problem it’s the MOBO. I doubt it is ram, although I don’t have a compatible machine that’s DDR2 to test it in though.
Thanks for your thoughts, your input would be nice before I start ordering parts!

Hardware is :
Zotac 8200 w/AMD x2 BE 2400, 32GB OCZ SSD.
2GB of DDR2

Attached Images

Sound problem after wake up. Directed DMHD-1000,

gosep — Fri, 13 Jul 2012 12:51:23 GMT

Hello,

i hope you can help me.

First here is my Hardware:

MB: Zotac ION ITX with ATOM 330
Power Supply: OPUS
RADIO: Directed DMHD-1000
Frontend: Centrafuse 4.3.

So now to the problem:

When i start Centrafuse the Radio works fine, when I change to mp3 the radio mutes and the mp3 music plays. When I switch to HD radio again, the music stops and the radio works fine. <----- everything works like it have to.

But when I switch to the hibernate modus and then start the pc again the mp3 music and the radio play at the same time.

Does anybody know this problem? Does anybody have any solutions for it?

best regars gosep

Directed DMHD-1000, Sound problem after wake up.

gosep — Fri, 13 Jul 2012 12:48:49 GMT

Wanted: Quality Pot! Help!

nFiniteTuning — Thu, 12 Jul 2012 02:56:54 GMT

I've been playing with some cheapies from RadioShack and even tho they work they don't work right. From 0 output to 100 output the volume steps up very harshly. Its like 0%-25%-50%-75%-100% steps. Very cheap imho. Plus there is also a 3 dollar price tag on them so you get what you pay for.

I've been researching others and there is too much wide spread information and I don't want to go through it all.

Can anyone suggest a good one with great volume flow. Must be dual ganged for stereo. I think the one I got from radio shack was meant for after amp adjustment, not pre amp.

Dell Optiplex SX260 Based System - Feedback Needed

samer0214 — Sat, 07 Jul 2012 23:31:46 GMT

I just paid $30.00 for a Dell Optiplex SX260 PC, which I am thinking of using for a system build and would like feedback on whether this would be a good platform. Here is a link to it: http://support.dell.com/support/edoc...n/ug/specs.htm.

Suffice it to say that I'm a noob at this, but here is a list of pros and cons as I see them. Please feel free to comment either way:

Pros:
- Cheap
- Small footprint (3.5'x10"x10")
- Pentium 4
- 2 GB RAM

Cons:
- Brick Style External Power Supply (or is that a good thing?)

The system is currently loaded with Win XP, but I was thinking of either going with Win 7, or an EMBEDDED Win OS. Please help me see the error of my ways!! Your comments are greatly appreciated.

Thanks - Samer

Mo-Co-So Black Box w/dual hard drives?

Slider1385 — Fri, 06 Jul 2012 05:10:58 GMT

Anybody know how to fit dual hard drives in a mo-co-so black box? Can it be done? Any pictures? Thanks!

Help With VM9224BT

neogen — Thu, 05 Jul 2012 20:27:58 GMT

OK so awhile back i purchased a jensen vm9224bt double din touchscreen HU. this unit does not allow me to change backgrounds but the newer vm9225bt does. Is there a way for me to

A) hack this unit OS and just rewrite the background image
B) hack the unit and install the OS from the newer unit (if i can find it of course)
C) create my own OS with WinCE

Any help would be GREATLY APPRECIATED.

Thank you.

20pin to 10pin power DIY

Scion07Tc — Thu, 05 Jul 2012 16:00:37 GMT

I been searching and cant seem to find a way to convert 20pin power connector to a 10pin power connector.

Is there a forum or someplace I can find the pinouts?

thanks!