Thread: Old school/Ghetto installs

My first experience with toying with carputers was formed by my own thoughts of placing a computer in a car. This was about 7 years ago and I hit up the internet to see what others had been doing. Back then there were only a handful of installs on the internet, most memorable being the one that Chris Bergeron did over at dashwerks.

The only windows 'frontend' software out back then was something called Cobra.

Back then I couldn't afford to build a carputer system. I think I was running on my parents computer at the time, and had no means to build a system. I continued planning everything out for the near future whenever I would be able to build a system.

The biggest hurdle at the time was the screen situation. I had come across the Route66 project in a Linux magazine back in the day. Perhaps I'll scan the article and post it up here for everyone to see.

They used a character display, but it wasnt what I really wanted. VGA screens back in the day with $1000+.

My first install did have a screen, but it wasn't a touchscreen nor VGA. I thought it was a steal to get a dual video input non-VGA non-touchscreen (in-dash) for like $280 or something like that. I went through three or four of those screens (via warranty) because they just plain sucked back then. It was interesting going through the testing process with the supplying company, because I always noticed the screens looked different and have a higher model number. Each screen improved, and finally I got the one that I still use to this day, no problems.

I used an IRMan with a remote to control everything. My install was done over three years ago. I got a digital camera about 3 years ago and that's the first pictures I had of my system.

The carpc itself was a 400 MHz eMachine desktop run off an inverter. I still have and use the same inverter to this day.

Original system, click for larger pic:


Here's a pic showing the IRMan on my dash, non-touchscreen, and fabricated in-dash USB hub:


System features:

• Remote mounted power up button. Ran wires up front (cat5) and placed mini button. This allowed me to turn on machine without having to go to the back of the car.
• Media Engine. I think this was one of the first really nice frontends (probably came out around time of Media Car). ~4 years later and I think ME has been updated maybe once. LoL.
• Custom fabricated in-dash USB hub. For those times when a mouse or keyboard were needed. (didn't have a touchscreen back then)
• 500 Watt power inverter
• FM Modulator How else are you going to patch audio into a stock head unit?

I still have the car, and the system has undergone quite a few revisions since initial install. It's definately fun to look back at the old school installs and see just how far everything has come in the past 6 years.

A link to my previous install:

'87 audi 80 CarPC

Specs:
- Via Epia M10000
- 256MB RAM
- 40GB HD
- PW70A + ITPS
- Matrix Orbital MX2 (char LCD)

Pics:
see original post

No touchscreen but my 1988 install used an actual monochrome 12 volt CRT hooked up to an Atari 800XL. Front end software was my own creation using PRINT statements in BASIC and ASCII characters for the graphics. Here's a link to the installation.


The car was a 1986 Dodge Shelby Charger


The firebreathing beast that ran at a blistering 1.79Mhz.


The original system held trip data in memory and could print it to my Epson dot-matrix printer. The printer had to be plugged in to a power outlet to work.

Remote mounted power up button. Ran wires up front (cat5) and placed mini button. This allowed me to turn on machine without having to go to the back of the car.

DO you have a link that explains this in more detail? I have been searching for this for a while and am having a hard time locating info.

http://www.fortunecity.com/skyscrape...nstallv1.html#

Originally Posted by vwgtipowr

Remote mounted power up button. Ran wires up front (cat5) and placed mini button. This allowed me to turn on machine without having to go to the back of the car.

DO you have a link that explains this in more detail? I have been searching for this for a while and am having a hard time locating info.

Hey man,
No I don't have a link with more info. I have some pictures in the gallery at mobile-effects.com

Basically all you do is find the two wires that connect to the power button on your case. I just spliced into those two wires and put a quick-connect RC battery terminal on it. I ran that out the back of the computer. I connect that to the cat5 (which also has the other end of the quick connect on it) in the car. You only use two wires from the cat5. I ran the cat5 to the front of the car and put a push button on the same two wires.

So when I push the button in the front of my car, it does the same thing as if I pushed the button on the front of my case. Not too complicated, but let me know if you'd like a simple diagram or something. Sometimes its hard to explain/visualize without seeing a diagram.

I have pictures of the exact RC terminal that I bought from Radio Shack at mobile-effects.com The site is down for maintenance, but should be back up by Monday.

If you have any ?'s PM me

I know I have some pictures somewhere, I'll see if I can find them. I had a 4x20 parallel character lcd hooked to an old pentium 133 to start with. Had a 4 gig drive I think... lol. Wired up some momentary switches from radioshack to the keyboard controller board, and built my own custom control panel.

I was running MPXplay thru dos, so it was extremely fast. Set up to power off on exit, resume play after reboot, it was awesome. No remote though, never got that far.

Mine was real old school... 0l33l

It was based on an old mainframe server and took up all of the boot on my volvo estate, trouble was no batteries or psu's powerful enough for the coolers alone.

I didn't need GPS in it as it would only get to the end of my 60ft extension lead then DOS usually crashed on me.

Music wasn't an issue back then either becasue the PC was so loud and I had no room left for Amps & speakers.

There was no phoco as mobiles hadn't been made small enough for one man to carry. MP3's hadn't been invented. Neither had CD's. And videos came on big tape reels so couldn't have many of them with me

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Only jokin