Thread: Newbie looking for guidance and feedback

Originally Posted by patz2009

So, I was thinking about how to get more out of my car rather than just some fancy stereo system that will never meet my full satisfaction, and then it hit me: Why not put a whole computer in my car? And that brought me along these forums

I come from a computer background, but not so much of a car background. That brought me a few concerns.


How much power can a car supply safely? Is it possible to get a low enough power computer to leave a computer idling while the car is off?

There are a number of factors that play into this, but suffice to say that even the lowest power draw computer will eventually drain your battery. Obviously, the lower the power draw, the longer it will take to drain the battery.
It's very easy to build a PC with off-the-shelf parts that will not drain a good quality car battery within 48 hours if left in a sleep state, so long as you keep power consumption in mind for every component.

I've got a DROID smartphone, which I want to integrate with the car computer as well. How difficult would it be to get in-car integration via Bluetooth with it?

Bluetooth dongles are inexpensive, and most will do what you want.
I prefer the BlueSoleil stack, but that's just one geek's opinion. I use the MS stack on my laptop and don't have any problems.

To get a basic setup, how much should it cost in total to get this project up-and-running? Assume that I have none of the parts to start out with.

That's impossible to answer, as it all depends on what functionality you want and how you want the system to operate.
Case and point: If you want to go with ultra-low power draw hi-performance hardware like a mobile CPUand compatible motherboard, you are getting into a several hundred dollar price point for just motherboard & CPU.
You can also get an Intel Atom based motherboard (lower power draw, but less computing horsepower) for under a hundred bucks.

Would I be able to use this computer to interface with my car and check things such as engine diagnostics?

Yes.
Check the FAQs and the OBD forums.

When mounting in a car, how would I ensure that my computer parts can safely take the shock that can be attained on the road? Optical drives and hard drives don't like to be beat around, to say the least :P

Optical drives are old tech! You want a PC, why not use it!
USB hard drives and flash drives are the way to go!

Honestly, I think an optical drive is the weak link in the chain as far as durability & shock resistance. You can take some measures to protect an optical drive, but that's all a matter of how much time and money you want to spend on it.
Most don't worry about it.

As far as a HDD (mechanical, not SSD), the suspension of your vehicle should be more than enough to protect it, as long as it is securely mounted to the vehicle.

And, finally, what would be a good place to start on software for such a thing?

The FAQs.
Check the link in my sig.

Welcome. Go the FAQs and read them. Then, check out the FAQ to the FAQs in my signature and read those.

Budget $800 for a car pc and you can manage it with ease. That's separate from the audio system, BTW.

Don't worry about the shock. Hard drives don't seem that sensitive to automotive type shock. Plus they are incredibly cheap. If you're really worried about it, spring for an SSD.

All of the answers to your questions are on this forum. The most expedient route to installing the system is to buy a cheap laptop and extend the cable to an in dash touchscreen.

It gets more complex from there.

Originally Posted by DarquePervert

Bluetooth dongles are inexpensive, and most will do what you want.
I prefer the BlueSoleil stack, but that's just one geek's opinion. I use the MS stack on my laptop and don't have any problems.

Thanks for that. I was mostly concerned about the software end of it, but I suppose that I should look into software more.

Originally Posted by DarquePervert

Optical drives are old tech! You want a PC, why not use it!
USB hard drives and flash drives are the way to go!

I was thinking this too, but I was wondering out of curiosity's sake. Being able to just randomly grab a DVD from the shelf and throw it in there was an interesting prospect.

i have played cd's in my car occaisionally, and do not have any skipping issues, but my dvd-r/w laptop drive is partially suspended in a cubby, so that could also contribute to it..

i was going to say to expect to pay around $1,000 all said and done, but this depends entirely on the hardware, and your requirements(my first pc was built for a little less then $800, then i went through 3- $200ea audio cards...)

there has been some very in-depth discussions in the environmental area on the 'best' hdd, or hdd isolation system. a quick summary though is that some users have had even large, solidly mounted, 3.5" platter drives survive multiple car-totaling accidents with no noticeable effect on the drive..

also, some certain hdd isolation designs can also introduce secondary vibrations..