So you're a newbie to Car PC's. You're all wound up and really itching to do this in car computer thing but there's just SO MUCH STUFF to learn.
That's okay. You're smart. You can figure it out. The only problem is...you don't know enough to figure out where to start.
Never fear. This thread will show you where to go and what to look at so you can begin to get a feel for the Car PC scene.
How to start to know what you don't know how to start to know?
1. Start
here. It's a sticky in the "FAQ Emporium" that links to all of the FAQs on the board. A "FAQ to the FAQ's". It will both link you to the topics but also let you look at the range of topics covered.
2. Here's a
link to the FAQ Emporium itself, where many, but not all of these threads are contained. (Why not? Some threads are stickies in other parts of the forum, so the links are in the "FAQ to the FAQ's")
3. Tired of reading? Head over to the
Show Off Your Project forum where members post their completed installations. Use the "search this forum" link to look for YOUR car. Chances are, somebody's done an install on it.
4. While you're there, don't overlook the
Worklogs subforum (it's right up there just below the top of the page). This is where members who are working on their installations document how they are doing it and what progress they are making. This is where YOU will post your progress when you begin to install your system!
5. Make sure you don't get flamed. There are few questions that are posted almost daily (e.g. "How to hook up my PC to my amplifier", "What screen is the best?", "What GPS software is the best?", "What do I need to know to install a PC?"). Needless to say, many members find this exasperating and may reply testily to your post if you haven't made an honest effort to use the search tool. Since you've followed numbers 1-4, this won't be a problem for you. You'll be able to ask more intelligent questions like, "Booting from CF looks cool but I am worried about the limited number of writes to the card. Has anyone had one fail yet because of this?"
Car PC installations are
custom installs. There is no "one size fits all" or "best" choice for your car. It really is up to you to decide what you'll put in your car and "best" is what works for YOU!