hey, new here building a carputer for my 2004 base rsx

**Apache138** · 01-03-2008, 10:59 PM

hey everyone, ive been browsing this forum for quite sometime, and recently got myself registered. First off, id like to say that this is a great website, and the thought of a carpc is pretty awesome......

anyways..... ive been wanting to build a carpc for years now.... even before i knew this site existed, a little google search bought me here and theres certainly a wealth of information.
im not new to computers, ive built a couple in the past and am buildin a new one for school soon too.... but installing one in a car seems alot more daunting than anything ive done before, especially the wiring, the fabricating, and what not....

my first instinct was to do a PC, but only recently ive been really diggin the mac mini....
my question is, what advantage does a mac mini have over a pc? as far as carputers go anyways....... i know that for some programs such as nav, i may have to run windows in bootcamp or parallels... but what are the other advantages/disadvantages, ive done some searching, but its hard to find the info im lookin for.

Some things i would like to do with my carputer would be
Navigation, Video, Audio, maybe TV tuner, DVD, phone integration (calls, phonebook, and possibly use it as modem), Wifi, bluetooth, and some other things i cant think of right now....

Also, i did a little research on havin the carputer boot on ignition and stuff like that, but its all a little confusing..... so i was wondering if someone could clear me up on that.
i would like it to go into sleep mode when i turn the car off, much like a laptop when the lid is closed, so i wont have to wait the full minute or so to boot everytime i start my car...
also, i guess this is a little advanced, but is it possible to run 2 screens? like one dedicated to nav and one for entertainment and what not?

O and also, i read a little somethin on this thing called fusion brain or something, and how it can control everything from windows to ac and all sorts of stuff, could someone enlighten me as to how this works and where to get it?

As the title says i drive an Acura RSX base version...... ive done some searching and found 5 or 6 interesting installs in some neat lookin RSXs here too.... so if any of you all wanna chime in, feel free.
also, im in the Atlanta, GA area, and attend SPSU if anyone wants to gimme a hand when the time comes to install everything and whatnot.... thanks.

i have other inquiries, but i cant remember everything right now.... ill think of em as the thread goes on.

Thanks in advance.

**DarquePervert** · 01-04-2008, 07:14 AM

Originally Posted by Apache138

my first instinct was to do a PC, but only recently ive been really diggin the mac mini....
my question is, what advantage does a mac mini have over a pc?

as far as I'm concerned it's six of one and half dozen of the other when you factor in parallels.
There is more software available for a Windoze-based system, obviously. That's changing...

Also, i did a little research on havin the carputer boot on ignition and stuff like that, but its all a little confusing..... so i was wondering if someone could clear me up on that.

You need a startup/shutdown controller.
It sents the pulse to the motherboard to simulate pressing the power button.
most of the DC-DC power supplies integrate a SSDC.

also, i guess this is a little advanced, but is it possible to run 2 screens? like one dedicated to nav and one for entertainment and what not?

It's possible, but I don't think so w/ a Mac mini.
Granted, i'm not a Mac-head. Someone more familiar with the Mac mini & its capabilities could probably answer this better than I.

O and also, i read a little somethin on this thing called fusion brain or something, and how it can control everything from windows to ac and all sorts of stuff, could someone enlighten me as to how this works and where to get it?

Search the forums for FUSION BRAIN and see what comes up.

[EDIT]
Never mind that. All the info is in Toaster-man's signature. here ya go: http://www.fusioncontrolcentre.com

**Apache138** · 01-04-2008, 10:32 AM

thanks for the reply man....
ill look up how to use a start up shut down thing.....
so you know its possible with a pc to run 2 screens at the same time, well, now that i think about it, i dual monitor all the time.... guess i got functionally fixated and didnt realize it was the same thing in the car... duh.

any mac-heads wanna chime in?

o, and im reading the fusion brain link right now. pretty interesting stuff.

thanks.

**DarquePervert** · 01-04-2008, 10:47 AM

If you haven't found them yet, the FAQs are a great informational resource: http://www.mp3car.com/vbulletin/advfaq.php

Also, we have a forum chock full of informational writeups called the FAQ Emporium: http://www.mp3car.com/vbulletin/faq-emporium/

And we also have a Wiki that is being developed all the time: http://www.mp3car.com/wiki

Welcome to our madness!

**Apache138** · 01-04-2008, 11:20 AM

madness indeed. lol..... more like an obsession.... i love cars and i love computers, so here i am....

wow, this fusion brain looks amazing, it really seems the possibilities with it are endless.... im still a bit confused as to how it works and what not, but ill keep reading.
thanks for the links.