Some question about my first carputer project...

**masaki** · 11-19-2009, 01:50 AM

Hi, greetings from Peru... I'm new in this forum, so please be patient with some of my question...

I have a Ford Taurus LX 1988 SW, for some time, I'm planning to construct a carputer for my car, finnaly I started my project, but now, I have some question I don't know what solution is a better way...

I have tested my first carputer version, and I feel is too slow for my taste, and, I want to see some HD videos, and the processor can't play those videos...

First config...
Intel Atom 270 D945GCLF
2GB DDRII ram
Seagate 160GB HDD (regular PC HDD)
Lilliput LED LCD touchscreen 8 inch

Now, I want to chage the config, I have two option, but, I don't know wich is better

Option 1
Zotac ION Mobo + Atom 330
2GB DDRII ram
Seagate 160GB HDD (regular PC HDD)
Lilliput LED LCD touchscreen 8 inch

Option 2
AMD Athlon II 240 X2
Asus AM2 mobo (nvidia 7050 or ATI/AMD 785 chipset with video)
2GB DDRII ram
Seagate 160GB HDD (regular PC HDD)
Lilliput LED LCD touchscreen 8 inch

Option 1
advantage
Low Power requirement
Very small factor
Con
No PCI ( I can't use a PCI sound card or TV or other expantion...)
Maybe, too slow?

Option 2
advantage
Avaiable PCI, PCIe
Easy to upgrade
Cost less than Zotac
Fast processor
Con
Power requierement
The case can be big...

So I need to know about the power consumption, ok, I undestand, I can use some power calculator over the internet, but I want to listen some real world result.. so, I want to use this carputer as my main HU, with the engine running and when the engine are not running, according with your experience, how much time can work each option with engine off?

the other part of my system

JL Audio amplifier Slash 300/2 (or 450/4)
JBL Amplifier BP1200.1
Eclipse EQ (optional)

**PalmBeachBoxer** · 11-19-2009, 03:07 PM

Be sure to take pictures of your install , im learning as well and am very interested in seeing different methods of installation

Sorry i cant help you with any answers to your questions

**masaki** · 11-21-2009, 02:02 AM

Sure I will put pictures, when I start to put the PC in the car...

Any help about my question ??

**DarquePervert** · 11-21-2009, 06:52 AM

Originally Posted by masaki

Any help about my question ??

This one?

Originally Posted by masaki

according with your experience, how much time can work each option with engine off?

There's no way to answer it.
Anyone could do the math to calculate the total amperage draw of all your equipment and compare that to the battery amperage rating.
But those are theoretical numbers and don't necessarily represent anything "real-world".

A typical setup will run 1-2 hours without running the engine with no problems.

**masaki** · 11-21-2009, 10:27 PM

ok, I understand, but, an aproximation will be usefu, because I want to choose one of the options I wrote before, you say a "Typical setup" which of the options is more close to this "typical setup" ?

**trader007** · 11-21-2009, 10:36 PM

option 1 would run for a couple hours and probably still start the car. option 2 would go for an hour at best before you need to start and charge. however, system #2 murders #1 as far as performace goes, and amd has their x4 45w chips out now so you can even go for more value for the watt. i wouldnt want to bother with an atom setup myself, theyre cute but its nice to have real tools to get the job done.

**RipplingHurst** · 11-21-2009, 11:17 PM

I've had a mATX board in my M35, and I couldn't go anything closer to one hour. Defragmenting, creating a ghost or simply sync media files can be tricky. I once inadvertently synced tags in all files, left to sycn with the car but it run out of batteries before half the job was done (I though it would sync just an album, not the whole library, it would turn off the carputer after that).

I now use a mini-ITX board (DG45FC) 1333 FSB with a 2.36 GHz Core 2 duo 6550. Slow boot, but boy, it's fast. Now I wouldn't spend much time running it on batteries though, 2h would be the most.

However, I used two circuit brakers to disconnect the PSU from the car's electrical system, and then I feed power from my regular ATX AC PSU from my testbench. I just press two buttons on the circuit brakers, and connect together a molex connector. Easy. Can stay running all night, I sometimes use a gigabit wired network and enjoy remote deskop with practically no lag at all.

**trader007** · 11-22-2009, 12:03 AM

sounds good hurst, a cheap solution. i went the smart battery charger way myself, a cord hangs off my truck and when i plug it in my car battery stays charged, and its also 20a of power to run my stereo and sub... great for work as i can open the doors and play music all day long and never worry about the battery at all. nice for the winter too, it should keep the battery a little warmer then -20f or whatever.