Thread: My carputer is dead, please help me before I drop this project for good :(

Wow somebody from Isreal greetings !

Originally Posted by GibsonLP

Hi guys.

I have tons of problems with my carputer and would very much like to hear your inputs:

Monitor issues:
Xenarc IDT700

1. My touch interface stopped working, I installed the monitor only 4 months ago but it waited to be installed for over a year, so no warranty for me. would you try to fix it? how hard would that be?
2. There are TONS of interferences, I am using a 5M shielded cable (with a filter on each end) and the VGA shows annoying lines that look like a bad RF reception in the old analog TV days... The carpc is in the trunk and the display is in the dash...

1. Did you try it on an other PC? Probably you did... And if it still doesn't work I would disassemble the unit and check the hardware. The flat foil cable is sticked to the touch sensor, this joint is very sensitive. Also check the conroller board, maybe there are some visible defects. But I don't know if you will be able to repair it...
   The other solution would be to buy a new touch sensor f. e. here:
   http://store.mp3car.com/7_Touchscree..._p/mon-028.htm
   or
   http://www.cartft.de/catalog/il/607
   But check the dimensions before or chekc if you will be able to install it.
2. Be sure to lay the vga cable away from power cables! Try to use a shorter cable and see how is the result? Is the bad signal also when the engine is off?
   Did you plug it in the cigarette lighter? Try to use different refresh rates in windows. Try it without filters

Originally Posted by GibsonLP

Carputer issues
My carpc is a modified HP EVO N800, I bought it with a dead monitor and removed it, I soldered a pair of cables (~5m) to the on/off button so I could turn it on remotely.

1. For some reason - the CD doesn't seem to boot most CDs. I tried different CD drives and even a few "USB" CDs, the only thing this computer boots is the HD and a CD containing memtest86... anything else will simply not boot - any idea what wrong? is there a way to run the windows installation from a HD partition (so I won't need the CD)
2. On top of that - my windows stopped working after I installed the latest CentraFuse and set it as a shell (and added -nowarning... etc...). I guess I did something wrong with setting up the shell... I can fix it but it still annoys me.

I would very much like to hear your inputs on these matters... Thanks.

1. Try to do a bios update on the notebook or follow this:
   http://www.tech-recipes.com/windows_...n_tips578.html
2. I don't know, I use Streetdeck

Good Luck !

Thanks for the reply.
I did try another computer, it doesn't seem to help... :|
I think I'll just use an alternative device (like the griffin powermate or the Logitech Nulooq) until a transflective in-dash monitor will be available and then I'll just purchase a new monitor...

I didn't install the VGA cable myself, I am too scared to open up my Audi myself and I let professional people do the job, the cable goes from the 1DIN mount behind the glove compartment and from there it goes on the side rail (behind the plastic cover on the floor near the door) and then under the rear seats (near the fuel pump, ~10cm away) and to the carpc.
The interferences are sometimes stronger and sometimes weaker but it happens when the car is turned off as well...

I will go there before the weekend to take out the cables and let it go through the main console on the center, it might be more visible (I'll see ~40 cm of the vga cable running near the passenger's legs) but it will be interferences free (hopefully) and more important - I will have access to the cables without taking out the glove compartment...)

As for the carpc - I have the latest bios for this unit... it used to boot fine from the CDrom... I guess I fuc*ed something when I soldered the power cable to the mobo... (what a strange result though... being selective of the OS you boot off the cdrom )
I actually found this article and some other interesting ones (boot the installation off a disk-on-key... Assuming it would actually work on this computer...)

Thanks for the help.

My Xenarc 700TS had annoying lines through it when I ran the (25 foot high quality shielded) VGA cable next to the power cord for my screen and dvd drive (up the middle of the car under the armrest). After I relocated the power cord (around the outside of the car, following the other power cables) all the lines on my screen disappeared. Doesn't take much. My screen doesn't seem to care whether it's plugged into the cigarette lighter or carpc.

As for running the cabling, it's usually pretty easy to pull up the carpeting so you can run it underneath. Look around on Audi forums for how-to articles for this type of thing, or get a repair manual.

Thanks for the reply.
I revived my laptop and now my "only" problems are the VGA interferences and the dead touch interface...

The VGA is going around the car, not through the main console, other than speaker cables going from the amp in the trunk to the components in the front there is nothing next to it, maybe that's the problem? (The main ~12V line is routed on the other side of the car to avoid these interferences...

I will go to the shop where I installed it, I will ask them to help me play around with it until I find a better route for it.

Hi, if you tried it with a different PC then it might be the monitor or the connection to the monitor, I also had some problem connecting it and I found an answer in a tech support site with free live support.

here is the page for Xenarc Monitors Support

Good luck

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