Dell mini 10 as carputer

**TheDrake** · 06-29-2009, 04:34 PM

I recently changed my amps to zapco DC's and picked up a netbook for the car to control the amps. Since I have the netbook in there most of the time I figure I would try to use it as a carputer so started doing some research and have a couple questions that I didnt see in the FAQ's and in a quick search.

At this moment in time I am keeping the zapco DC amps so no need for processing to be done through the netbook, that being said I was looking at this USB sound card:

M-AUDIO - Transit - Hi-Resolution Mobile Audio Interface

But I would like to know what USB options there are that that are better and that would allow me to run a 3-way active plus sub (7 channels) for doing all the processing via the netbook if I ever decide to get rid of the zapco amps.

The Dell mini only has HDMI out for video so for a external touchscreen the only one I have seen was this one that accepted DVI:

Xenarc Technologies - 706TSA - 7" Touchscreen TFT LCD Monitor with DVI, VGA, and AV inputs

Any others I should consider?

And then of course I know that I need a external DVD drive and USB HUB which arent difficult to find.

I can get the monitor and the netbook powered via cigarette lighter socket, but are there adapters that would work for an external dvd drive and a USB HUB as well?

The Dell mini adapter I was looking at this one:
http://www.lindelectronics.com/cgi-b...detail_product
or this for a cheaper one:
http://www.allfreeship.com/shopexd.asp?id=2594

And for the multiple lighter socket would this work?

Streetglow Anqla : Mobile Audio Hook Accessories / Installation Accessories / Mobile Audio Video Accessories

I would rather do that option than having to drop another $100 for the Carnetix CNX-P1900 or something similar.

And lastly as far as software I was pretty much leaning toward Centrafuse.

Let me know what you guys think/recommend or if I am missing something completely.

**TheDrake** · 07-02-2009, 08:49 PM

I changed my mind about the m-audio sound card because of the sleep/hibernate issue so I am now leaning toward the bloat by hippohifi.

**DarquePervert** · 07-03-2009, 07:20 AM

Instead of plugging the netbook & screen into a cigarette lighter, I suggest run them directly to the battery.
There are multiple benefits to this:
1 - Cleaner looking wiring, specifically no clump of stuff plugged into the front of your dash.
2 - No risk of overloading the cigarette lighter circuit, which isn't designed for a lot of power draw. I'm not saying your netbook & screen produce a large power draw, but it's better to be safe than sorry.
3 - You keep the cigarette lighter socket freed up for something else you may need to power.

**TheDrake** · 07-03-2009, 09:31 AM

Originally Posted by DarquePervert

Instead of plugging the netbook & screen into a cigarette lighter, I suggest run them directly to the battery.
There are multiple benefits to this:
1 - Cleaner looking wiring, specifically no clump of stuff plugged into the front of your dash.
2 - No risk of overloading the cigarette lighter circuit, which isn't designed for a lot of power draw. I'm not saying your netbook & screen produce a large power draw, but it's better to be safe than sorry.
3 - You keep the cigarette lighter socket freed up for something else you may need to power.

Thanks for the input! Ideally I would like to do that, but first off I cant find a converter that would have just bare wire(or that I could strip myself) to 12V for the netbook or the monitor itself, also I dont want the monitor/laptop on all the time, just when the car is on, but I suppose a relay can solve that issue. So thats why it seemed easier at first to just use cigarette lighter sockets.

Another question I had is would a USB-powered USB HUB have any issues with the netbook? I would probably have the touchscreen, dvd drive(USB powered), keyboard/mouse, and zapco amps connected to it, or would this dictate needing a non-usb powered hub? If thats the case then I have another power issue.... getting 12V converted down to 5V for that.

**Sicarius** · 07-03-2009, 11:10 AM

Also, the HIPPOhifi Bloat is stereo only so if you want more channels, you're going to need multiple ones and software capable of routing the audio in that kind of setup.

**TheDrake** · 07-03-2009, 11:29 AM

Originally Posted by Sicarius

Also, the HIPPOhifi Bloat is stereo only so if you want more channels, you're going to need multiple ones and software capable of routing the audio in that kind of setup.

Yeah, I am not too interested in multiple channels unless I use the netbook for processing as well in which case I would need a 7 channel setup (midbass, midrange, tweeters, sub). But as of now I have the Zapco DC amps doing all the processing for me. Stereo is more than I will need right now, I am just looking for high quality output from a soundcard.