I think my CarPC is emotionally attached to me. Freezes when I get out of my car!

**2k1Toaster** · 12-10-2006, 02:10 AM

Hello. I am stumped. For the past few weeks, my carPC has seemed to grow attached to me being in the car. Everything works great in the car, but as soon as my feet touch the ground and my butt leaves the seat, it freezes!

Keep in mind that I have had my PC in since the beginning of the summer and it is only just started doing this with no changes whatsoever.

I tried to pinpoint certain things but no luck here's what I have done and my thinking why:

My PC was located under the driver seat power direct from battery and ground through good wire to a good cleaned bolt that secures the chair to the car.

So my first thought was maybe my ground isn't as good as I thought, and when I get up it jostles it and a spike of no power so it freezes. So I bought a huge 4awg wire and ran it direct to the batteries ground. No help whatsoever.

So I tried a few tests too. I thought that maybe my car couldn't put out enough power to run everything, with the dome light on and headlights on and everything and maybe a spike from the seatbelt unplugging because the seatbelt carries a teeny voltage, but nope.

I also thought that maybe my seat was pushing down against the computer when I sat down, but I have ample room, so I put it behind the seat now in a little cardboard box just for kicks, and same problem so it is not that.

Here are some more mystery pieces...
I can get in the car whether the computer is on, off, or in standby and everything is just peachy. I figured if this happens when I get out, it should happen when I get in, but nope. Music plays on just fine.

Also if the computer is in standby when I get out, I can get out do my thing and come back in and it starts up just fine. So I don't know why. I thought it might be RAM but if it freezes because of some power issue or something than it should corrupt the standby image in the RAM and force a cold boot right?!

Also when I am in the car, I can jump around in the seat, bounce the entire car around while music is playing and not even a skip. If I start the computer while I am outside so I haven't exited yet, I can rock the car push it, tackle it, and unimpaired playback. Crystal clear.

Confusing, eh?!

Also when I am in the car, I can drive over the bumpiest of roads, take speedbumps at 50mph fast turns fast acceleration, fast braking, "swirving" by rockign the wheel back and forth so the car sways, and everything is just fine. Most of that was only done to try and figure this damn problem out.

Also, if the music is going I can open my door and close it infinately and nothing happens. I can plug/unplug my seatbelt infinately and no music problems. I can swivel around in my seat and put my feet on the ground, and back again as often as I want.

The problem arises as soon as my butt leaves the seat getting up, I hear a "quirrrggg" and the music stops, the honda logo stops spinning and the screens image starts to degrade because the entire system is frozen. Really, really odd.

Last night in a bout of frustration I switched my perrty perrty itx board for a flex-atx board also via based and it is slow as all can be. I went from 20 second cold boot times to now about 1.5 minutes!

But this board does the same thing.

The only thing I can think of at this point is that the RAM is loose in the connects so the lateral force of my butt is shorting and it freezes, but then why not when I simulate this by rocking the car? I am compeltely confused.

I only changed the mobo. This mobo has 2 slots for RAM, so I added a 256 stick as well as the 1gb stick in my original setup.

This is really starting to **** me off. Because of all of this and XP's stupid "Your hardware has changed significantly, activate or die" message, I lost most of my drivers and my setup is no longer optimized!

Any ideas?!

**hohenyi** · 12-10-2006, 02:29 AM

Wow that is weird??? you'll need exorcism

**1stclasso** · 12-10-2006, 02:43 AM

have u tried using a different set of wires and connecting them directly to the carpc, out in the open?

or may just relocate it

**ODYSSEY** · 12-10-2006, 02:52 AM

Its a snake.

**2k1Toaster** · 12-10-2006, 02:54 AM

Originally Posted by hohenyi

Wow that is weird??? you'll need exorcism

I hope it doesn't go that far. I'll miss my other side.

Originally Posted by 1stclasso

have u tried using a different set of wires and connecting them directly to the carpc, out in the open?

or may just relocate it

I did relocate it to behind the seat instead of under the seat. I figure behind the seat is just as good as anywhere else for debugging.

By different set of wires, I assume you mean the power, ign, and ground going to the M2. I have a brand new ground wire direct to battery. And it would seem as if this were a problem it would freeze while driving too, or at least as I jump around inside the car!

**2k1Toaster** · 12-10-2006, 02:55 AM

Originally Posted by ODYSSEY

Its a snake.

Ahhh!!!! But it would go after me, not my PC!

**ODYSSEY** · 12-10-2006, 03:01 AM

Well you have me stumped then. It only happens when you remove your butt from the drivers seat?

**2k1Toaster** · 12-10-2006, 03:06 AM

Originally Posted by ODYSSEY

Well you have me stumped then. It only happens when you remove your butt from the drivers seat?

Yup. I can get in and out of the passenger seat just fine. It is almost instantaneous. I have a little coupe, and I am a big guy so when I get up I go all at once. No granny action slowly getting up. So fine when seated, and midair going to stable ground, a squeal, a chirp and then frozen. Or if I am really lucky, it freezes while playing a note, and then I get a high pitched squeal from my speakers at max volume. Loud in my car is master at 5% and RR around 3%. Now picture a full blast squeal when you get up drawing heads. And the only way to shut it down is to hold the power button for 5 seconds to hard-off. So a good 8 seconds of squealling. Pretty frustrating...

**1stclasso** · 12-10-2006, 03:11 AM

Originally Posted by 2k1Toaster

I hope it doesn't go that far. I'll miss my other side.

I did relocate it to behind the seat instead of under the seat. I figure behind the seat is just as good as anywhere else for debugging.

By different set of wires, I assume you mean the power, ign, and ground going to the M2. I have a brand new ground wire direct to battery. And it would seem as if this were a problem it would freeze while driving too, or at least as I jump around inside the car!

yea, but in a attempt to figure out whats goin on i would sit it on the front seat use a new set of wires drive around then get out...that way ur 100% sure that its in the pc...

in my years of doing car audio, i have seen some things that have been just as weird..

**Wiredwrx** · 12-10-2006, 03:15 AM

Originally Posted by 2k1Toaster

Yup. I can get in and out of the passenger seat just fine. It is almost instantaneous. I have a little coupe, and I am a big guy so when I get up I go all at once. No granny action slowly getting up. So fine when seated, and midair going to stable ground, a squeal, a chirp and then frozen. Or if I am really lucky, it freezes while playing a note, and then I get a high pitched squeal from my speakers at max volume. Loud in my car is master at 5% and RR around 3%. Now picture a full blast squeal when you get up drawing heads. And the only way to shut it down is to hold the power button for 5 seconds to hard-off. So a good 8 seconds of squealling. Pretty frustrating...

How about static electricity/discharge? I know I get a shock often when I get out of my car when it is cold out.

Michael