Proposed system

**fish** · 01-13-2009, 08:45 AM

Hey all,

I'm just in the planning system for my next carputer,

This time I going for the whole hog, Can you tell me any ideas or improvement?

PSU - 140W M2-ATX 160W Intelligent DC-DC PSU
GPS - BU-353 Weather-proof GPS Receiver
Radio - HQCT 1.0 (High Quality Car Tuner) FM Radio
Screen - Lilliput 7" VGA Touchscreen 619GL-70NP
MOBO - Intel D201GLY2 Little Valley with 1.33 GHz Celeron Processor (or somehthing similar)
HDD - Seagate or WD
ram 2G -
Case - Morex 5677 Mini-ITX Case Without PSU
OS - TinyXP
FE - Road Runner with DigtialFX4

What do you guys think about:
1.) Instead of using an desktop or an ITX and use a laptop (fully integrating it in)
2.) Forgive me for this, but putting windows on a mac mini and using that. The main reason is for size
3.)Are laptop hard drives better at taking knocks while driving, as both types of hdd could be damaged by the head when they receive a knock(pothole) while reading/writing to disk. I don't mean to start another mounting it Vertical, Horazontal debate here)

4.) I need to make the screen slide out then tilt up, does anyone know where I can get some ideas on how to make something like this?

Thanks

**FusionFanatic** · 01-13-2009, 11:57 AM

Originally Posted by fish

PSU - 140W M2-ATX 160W Intelligent DC-DC PSU

you're confusing two different PSUs. the M2-ATX can output 160w, the M2-ATX-HV can output 140w (1A less on the +12v rail). either one should work fine for the D201GLY2.

Originally Posted by fish

GPS - BU-353 Weather-proof GPS Receiver

great GPS receiver. I use the same one myself

Originally Posted by fish

Radio - HQCT 1.0 (High Quality Car Tuner) FM Radio

that should work fine. you could also consider getting the Visteon HDZ300 with Mitch's PC cable. this will allow you to listen and control AM/FM and HD radio through your PC. I bought a used HDZ300 on eBay for $30 (it doesn't matter how it looks because the unit itself will be hidden, with Mitch's cable you control everything through the PC. RoadRunner has a HD tuner screen built-in)

Originally Posted by fish

Screen - Lilliput 7" VGA Touchscreen 619GL-70NP

that's a nice monitor for the price, but the $50 extra may be worth it for the 629 instead. it is LED backlit with a much higher contrast ratio. this will make it more usable in sunlight.

[quote=fish;1283041MOBO - Intel D201GLY2 Little Valley with 1.33 GHz Celeron Processor (or somehthing similar)[/quote]
great little board. I use the D201GLY2A (fan-cooled). you could also consider the new Intel "Little Falls" boards with the new dual core ATOM processors. I have no experience with them but they seem to be pretty popular lately.

Originally Posted by fish

FE - Road Runner with DigtialFX4

RR is great, and DFX4 is an awesome skin. best RR skin out there IMO

Originally Posted by fish

What do you guys think about:
1.) Instead of using an desktop or an ITX and use a laptop (fully integrating it in)

that's up to you. both have their pro's and con's. as somebody who has used both, I personally prefer the Mini-ITX system over a laptop install.

Originally Posted by fish

What do you guys think about:
2.) Forgive me for this, but putting windows on a mac mini and using that. The main reason is for size

if you're willing to spend the money on a mac-min, then go for it. the mini is not that much smaller then a mini-ITX system, but if you're very tight on space then saving those extra couple inches might be worth the extra cost.

personally I have never understood why anybody would spend the money on overpriced mac hardware, only to put Windows on it. the MacOS is a mac's strength, if you're not going to use MacOS, then why pay more for the hardware?

Originally Posted by fish

Are laptop hard drives better at taking knocks while driving, as both types of hdd could be damaged by the head when they receive a knock(pothole) while reading/writing to disk.

this question has come up many times here. some say laptop drives are better, others say desktop drives are better. they both seem to do just fine. I have used laptop drives in both my CarPC's and never had a problem with them. there are plenty of members here who have used desktop drives no issues as well.

potholes have the potential to damage any mechanical harddrive (both desktop and laptop). if you're worried about it then get a solid-state drive (they aren't cheap).

Originally Posted by fish

I need to make the screen slide out then tilt up, does anyone know where I can get some ideas on how to make something like this?

it wouldn't be too hard to make a slide out bracket with a hinge at the end. you would have to find a way to secure the monitor in the upright position.

why does it need to slide out? are you keeping a head unit? what kind of car are you putting this in?

**fish** · 01-13-2009, 02:03 PM

Thanks for the great reply,

Opps the power supply is a mistake, I changed my mind on what one to get , as I was going to get the 140W one first, but decided to change.

Space is a big thing for me as I'm going to put it in to a old school mini, which is why I was thinking the Mac Mini.

My plan is to restore the mini to it's hay day era, (with a few extra features), so if I could get it to slide out then it helps with that, and also any would be thief won't see it to be tempted.

Thanks for the tips about the Radio and the Screen, I'll look into it.

Why do you prefer the mini-ITX over the laptop?