Complete Rebuilt Advice...

Hi All,

I've just got a focus titanium and after weeks of digging about I've decided to install a money-is-no-object car computer head unit, now before I continue I'm not a complete noob, my background is engineering. I'm really just here for hardware advice. Here goes!

Initial Analysis
Must have...
- Radio (Preferably DAB)
- DVD Player
- Full UK Sat Nav (Preferably European)
- 3G Dongle
- Wifi
- DVB-T (Freeview TV)
- GPS (For Sat Nav)

Will Reluctantly Compromise On...
- Solid State HDD (I think this would reduce the boot up time of the OS)
- Bluetooth

Initially I stumbled accross this :

and i was thinking hey presto! But when i actually stopped to think about it I thought "If something's to good to be true then it usually is!" and i had visions of it breaking after 10 minutes. So ive started looking at car computer systems. Now I have my eye on this :

and i suppose i could run multiple usb antennas for wifi, 3g, bluetooth, dash usb port etc but i notice it doesnt have any kind of radio support. I downloaded centrafuse to my laptop to have a play around with it and im quite happy but when i click radio it advises i dont have one installed, is there such a thing as a usb radio lol?

Centrafuse - Looks great, really pleased with it but i'd also like to compare it to other similar software products. Whats peoples opinion on centrafuse? Any good alternatives?

Generally im after a reeeeallly small high spec comp i can fit in one of the side panels in the boot and if need be, drill holes in cover and stick in a 12v fan or so.

Any info would be much appreciated,

Thanks in advance,

J :hat:

as for hardware, the atom boards have been very populat with their low price point, though the i3 boards seem to be picking up pace on those, so it might be worth some comparisons on your part..

as for centrafuse, i believe they have a list of recommended hardware that will work and allow radio usage, though, i use ride runner, and only for audio, so can't help much there..

If you are looking at using Centrafuse, then stick pretty much religiously to the approved hardware list, because getting technical support or any kind of bug looked at is non-existant. They will take your money, but they sure won't help you afterwards. The only help you will get is from other people, who usually help because they are stuck in the same problem :)

I'd look at Ride Runner if you are looking to build the ultimate machine. Sure, it takes a bit more work to set it up, but you can customise it how you want, and the support seems to be much better.

Also, for the DVB-T, spend on a good quality aerial, but be prepared for it to only work while stationary. DVB-T is pretty flakey while the car is moving, I think because the antenna has to be pretty well situated and aimed at the tower. I think there is a new standard being worked on which allows for DVB in motion? Anyhow...as a rough idea, I have an amplified powered panel antenna on the roof of my car, which picks up 33 DAB+ stations flawlessly, but can be very flakey at picking up DVB. Come to a halt, and it works fine :)