Greets! From Louisiana

**FunkyStickman** · 06-12-2008, 10:32 AM

Hey there. I'm an old-school computer modder/builder, and I love anything computer related. But my love for computers is probably only matched by my love for cars and music... which explains how I ended up here!

I've got an '06 Saturn Ion Red Line which is factory supercharged, runs about a 14.6 quarter mile stock. I'm interested in tuning it, so I purchased HP Tuners, and realized I needed a computer to run it on in the car! Well, say no more, I quickly whipped up an old PC I had lying around. With a 15" desktop LCD, a couple of 150W inverters, and no patience, I threw the setup in the car and made it work. The computer was slapped together will parts I had already, so cost was $0 for the PC.

Now, I'm to the point where I want to make the install semi-permenant, or at least usable on a regular basis. I don't really want to replace the factory head unit, but I've got a double-DIN opening which is begging for an 8" touchscreen.

Currently the computer is running XP pro, but I'm a heavy Linux user, so I originally wanted to run MythTV or something similar. It depends on whether or not I can get the tuning software to run under Wine, or in a VM like VirtualBox. If not, I've been testing with RoadRunner and MediaPortal, and since I don't have GPS or satelite radio I'm leaning towards MP because it uses a single player for everything.

Yes, I expect to get a PM from the LinuxICE and NGhost guys... I'm not a programmer, but I'm well versed in the ways of Linux (I think I've used every major distro except Gentoo). I'd love to help out with something like that.

Current computer specs:
MSI socket 478 board (old)
P4 3.0Ghz with HT (used)
AGP geforce 4MX4000 vid card (freebie)
80GB Samsung drive (stole it)
on-board sound (for now! Yuck)
512MB of ram (found under my bed)
2U Enlight server case (low-profile PCI slots)

Here's a shot of the car it's going in:

Looking forward to this!

**2k1Toaster** · 06-17-2008, 01:07 AM

Might want to consider a DC-DC to get rid of the inverter and get SDC possibilites. Also why keep the stock unit? Take it out and keep it for if/when you sell it, and get a spare dash piece to put in a screen. Looks like a 8" or 10" will fit nicely in there.

**FunkyStickman** · 06-17-2008, 10:15 AM

I think you may be right, but I haven't made a budget yet... if money weren't an issue, I'd ditch the factory head unit in a second. Yes, the inverter is horribly noisy, but I originally wanted it only for tuning purposes, and was appalled at how bad it sounded when I plugged it in to the stereo's AUX jack.

I'm pretty sure I can get an 8" in there, I'll just have to ask around for a spare dash piece. I don't really want to wire up an amplifier either, but the good news is my car is the plain-jane 4 speaker setup, not the optional 7-speaker one.