Thread: MP3CAR.COM and me. 13 Years later... And a new Question!?

I just realized after picking back up on my research and designing a new system how long I have been doing this for...
Back in about 1997 someone at the job I was at told me with amusement that someone actually put a computer into their Jeep Wrangler. At first I laughed. But then the idea began to infect my thoughts. Like a virus, it spread quickly. I found myself coming up with ideas and kept reading and re-reading the persons website (that is no longer active).
He had a full sized tower in his Jeep, bungee corded over the wheel hump in the rear right side of the Wrangler. He had an external number pad secured to the center console that would control Winamp. Computer would output audio to his head unit. THAT WAS IT!

Basic? Yes but that is how this movement started. I didn't find out about MP3CAR.COM till late 1998 when I began doing research for my first install. It was a full sized tower and a 14" CRT monitor in my van. I had to rev up the motor to turn on the monitor otherwise it would trip the power inverter! It was windows 95 stripped down with only winamp and less MP3's than can be held on an iPod shuffle today. But I only had a tape desk head unit.

Needless to say, I stopped using the monitor as I memorized the keypad and how to get to a specific song by number. For the most part, this setup really didnt impress anyone. Most of the time I got the why would you do this comment as many of you have already become used to hearing by the 'media sheep people'.
I varied this setup for years after not changing much. Adding a 2X24 line LCD readout at some point and later built a table on the van's center console to hold my laptop. I used that until about 2000. Then I hit snooze on the Mobile media center thing...

2004 was the transition for me. I researched and studied MP3CAR.com for many months. Learning about hardware mistakes people made, learned what software was going to work for me and even began skinning a few of them to do what I wanted.
By the end I had chosen Frodoplayer and MapMonkey/Destinator 3 as my primary software packages. I purchased a Lilliput 619 and a USB Rikaline GPS-6010 as my first purchases. Later adding a OBD2Pros USB adapter. I built a wooded shroud to hold the monitor, found a hard case to keep the laptop in and wired a button onto the dash to turn the laptop on and off.
I quickly discovered a few major problems. Frodoplayer wasn't really working for me design wise. It was a great product but I just wanted something... different. I chose Mediacar (I think) and made a specific Mustang skin that I showed here. Sadly the pictures I took of this have been lost (It was my Rustang 5.0 project that may still be my profile picture).
This worked for me for a while till I learned what a ground loop was and almost caused a fire in my dashboard. I did however, fry my Lilliput which forever remains in pieces as a warning to always fuse and protect EVERYTHING in the future. In about 2006 I sold my Rustang and have been without a MP3CAR since. However, at some point I did have a 2005 Windstar that had a built in VCR and inputs that I just wasnt going to tear apart.

So hear I am now. At the top of a long shadow and a interesting journey along side many very talented people and amazing technological advancements. I never post much but I research a lot. And this site has been a WEALTH of info. I watched it grow from pretty much just a forum to a store and now a worldwide go-to standard for the elite to teach, brag and help while the newbies ask the same questions over and over again before learning that the best place to start is the beginning. There is no shortcuts if you want something done right. You have to make your own mistakes so you can learn from them and develop your own style and customizations.

Today, I am a Centrafuse 3.1 user, Garmin Mobile PC (possibly iGuidance 2009 or later to come) and thinking about MiFi or Bluetooth tethering for mobile skype and other additions.
I am looking for a way to do GPS data logging to build Google Earth statistical data like speed, direction, altitude and position (possibly Goops at this point). I think it would be great to also gather OBDII data at the same time to overlay on the map somehow so I can see what my engine load and RPM were at a given point in a trip. This way I can output a web document with full statistical analysis... Do i need this? No. But I think it would be pretty neat.

So, given all of this info, have any of you successfully been able to collect GPS telemetry from a USB GPS device while it is being used in Garmin Mobile PC navigation?
Further, how would one go about logging OBDII data in the background?

Lets say in a 3 hour trip, I would like to gather Position, Speed, Location, a few random items from the cars ECU and be able to output the data in such a way that I could make a graph of the readings.
I have done much research but still coming up a bit short and know that SOMEONE has HAD to have done this before as I can see a commercial need for tracking company vehicles and such.

Oh, did I mention that the solution shouldn't be a pre-made package that is targeted for a commercial application that costs hundreds or thousands of dollars. I am just a techie like you guys who has a family and just about 0 budget for this stuff!

Any info is as always greatly appreciated. Thank you all for your wisdom and incite and for helping this geek stay in the game!