converting desktop to carpc...?

**Badjack10** · 08-11-2005, 12:06 AM

ok guys this is for the people that built their carpc from scratch or that just know what they are talking about.

I have and old desktop system that is just sitting around and i want to make a carpc out of it. it is curently running win98se. i basicly want to use it for mp3 to start then later on i would like to ad navigation and possibly dvd.
my question is what will i need to buy to convert desktop to a carpc. such as what type of power supply...stuff like that

thanks alot!

**0l33l** · 08-11-2005, 12:38 AM

Easiest and cheapest way: inverter and a SDC (shut down controller). But this may introduce inverter whine into your music.
Also, not a lot of people are using win98

**JaymzRR** · 08-11-2005, 01:00 AM

Check your PSU and see what wattage its running, if its older there potential that it is running less than 250W. In which case you could buy or make Mastero's DIY 250W DC-DC PSU and just plug and play basically.

You'll also want a small touchscreen display likely.

**muldrick** · 08-11-2005, 10:09 AM

Originally Posted by Badjack10

ok guys this is for the people that built their carpc from scratch or that just know what they are talking about.

I have and old desktop system that is just sitting around and i want to make a carpc out of it. it is curently running win98se. i basicly want to use it for mp3 to start then later on i would like to ad navigation and possibly dvd.
my question is what will i need to buy to convert desktop to a carpc. such as what type of power supply...stuff like that

thanks alot!

That's exactly what I did, had a 1.2Gig Gateway. It's got a Micro ATX board. Tore it apart, used the MB with an Opus 90W PSU, then added stuff from there. CD/DVD ROm, Wifi, XM, iGuidance.....read my sig

**PredatorCoder** · 08-11-2005, 11:02 AM

You said an inverter might introduce an "inverter whine..." Can't this easily be corrected with ground loop isolator?

**numbers** · 08-11-2005, 07:42 PM

Inverter whine is a myth. It comes only from not wiring your stuff properly. A ground loop isolator will not usually fix this problem, but it may. The obvious fix is to just hook everything up right as you should have done in the first place.

**PredatorCoder** · 08-11-2005, 10:02 PM

If the obvious way to fix the problem is to wire it correctly in the first place, then what is the way to do this if you are determined to use an inverter?

**numbers** · 08-11-2005, 10:45 PM

Unfortunately the root of the problem could probably be said to be varying standards among various manufacturers. How you need to wire it depends on the internal workings of your sound card, head unit, amp, etc. My advice would be to hook it all up as best you can and see what happens out of the box. If you have any noise problems you can post your setup here and someone will be able to help walk you through any wiring tricks you need to use to make up for differences between your devices. Unless you know your stuff well, it can sometimes be quite difficult to 'hook it up right in the first place' save by trial and error.

By the way - you still have to worry about hooking things up properly even if you're not using an inverter. I imagine that the reason folks say inverters 'cause' noise is because they do open the door to a couple of additional noise sources if you don't wire things properly - dc-dc guys aren't as likely to have to worry about these since they can wire things incorrectly yet still not have any noise issues.

**prerunnerv6** · 08-13-2005, 09:27 AM

Originally Posted by PredatorCoder

If the obvious way to fix the problem is to wire it correctly in the first place, then what is the way to do this if you are determined to use an inverter?

I've installed quite a number of simple mp3 computers in my car over the years. (I only use them for music playback.) I usually use a carputer as an add-on to an already noise-free system. (So make sure your system is noise-free to begin with.)

All of my carputers used inverters. So far, ALL of the computers I've used so far that had "noise" was corrected by grounding the computer power supply properly. I just ran some decent gauge speaker wire, connected it the grate frame of the power supply fan, and ground it to the car. In my case, it's been 100% effective.