Ordering stuff for Mac Mini in a 05 dodge ram, checklist

**JohnR** · 12-05-2005, 05:41 AM

Well, since my trusty IPod died after 2+ years of faithful service of being dropped, jostled, frozen, and damn-near melted, it gave up the ghost. I'm going to stick my OC'd mac-mini into my 05 2500 truck, so I was going through the checklist of stuff to buy. I don't want to accidentally forget something that's very neccessary and be screwed while installing, ya know..

So far in the shopping cart I have:

CarNetix P1900 Mac Mini Power Button Cable Kit
6ft USB extension cable
USBBT100 Linksys USB Bluetooth Adapter
CNX-P5V 15 Watt +5V Regulator
CNX-P1900 Ver. 2.1 Dual Output 140 Watt 12V DC-DC
Mp3car MTSVO-SC Fully motorized VGA Touch Screen

Do I need one of those "startup/shutdown" timers with the P1900? I have an aftermarket deck with RCA's, and already have a RCA -> Headphone jack cable from my ipod, so I was just going to stick it in. Am I forgetting anything that's very neccessary? I was going to mount the LCD where the radio currently is, move the A/C controls down to the cubby hole (fits there with no mods) then stick the stock deck under the LCD. I'll put the mini under a seat or something.

**fastmatt** · 12-05-2005, 06:43 AM

Sounds like you're on the way. The Carnetix takes care of all the power button sleep timing issues, and there are several ways to jumper it. You will need to crack open your mini to install that power cable of course. I went with a 4 port USB 2.0 hub, and am already maxed out on ports - you might want to look for a 7 port hub if you plan to add a lot of devices. The Griffin Powermate is incredibly useful in this application - it's nice to just reach up and tweak the volume without having to look at the screen. You can also program its behavior by application; for example I have mine set to advance to the next itunes song if push in/turn.

Here's my full writeup with pics if you are interested:
http://www.fastmatt.com/carputer/

**JohnR** · 12-05-2005, 07:25 AM

Thanks for the fast reply Matt. I noticed you're in San Antonio, Tx. I'm down here in Laredo. I plan on keeping the stock HU because I don't know where I'm going to put the Mini as it needs a little more airflow than stock (I played around overclocking it, and due to my impatience I actually killed a solderpad on the mobo, and now I can't de-overclock it back to 1.42 (sitting at 1.58 i think). Damn Micro-SMT is a pita