my low budget cavalier carputer

bramlet · 10-12-2009, 09:47 PM

Hi everyone I have a 2002 Chevy Cavlier that I would love to install a carputer in. I was hoping to get some input and ideas from the community. I have been reading the forums here for a few months, and seeing where we are at technology wise.

I am thinking that I can do almost everything for around $1000 or so including a decent audio setup. What I can't do is get $1000 dollars, so what is the cheapest most ghetto way that I can get my mp3's playing in my stock cavalier.

I have on hand an old 30gig ipod with a broken screen. I also have an old xbox 1 and two broken 360's.

I know I would love to get a lilliput and a mo-co-so 4th gen barebones and a 4 channel amp and new speakers, but until then what do you think I can do because these scratched cds are getting old.

I'm thinking like really ghetto. like a 4 line lcd and a number pad, and maybe a cheap linux box? Anybody feel free to link me to cheapo projects like these. I try to search but I usually only find posts where people ask questions and darquepervert tells them to search.

treetop777 · 10-13-2009, 10:46 AM

Quote: Originally Posted by bramlet

Hi everyone I have a 2002 Chevy Cavlier that I would love to install a carputer in. I was hoping to get some input and ideas from the community. I have been reading the forums here for a few months, and seeing where we are at technology wise.

I am thinking that I can do almost everything for around $1000 or so including a decent audio setup. What I can't do is get $1000 dollars, so what is the cheapest most ghetto way that I can get my mp3's playing in my stock cavalier.

I have on hand an old 30gig ipod with a broken screen. I also have an old xbox 1 and two broken 360's.

I know I would love to get a lilliput and a mo-co-so 4th gen barebones and a 4 channel amp and new speakers, but until then what do you think I can do because these scratched cds are getting old.

I'm thinking like really ghetto. like a 4 line lcd and a number pad, and maybe a cheap linux box? Anybody feel free to link me to cheapo projects like these. I try to search but I usually only find posts where people ask questions and darquepervert tells them to search.

Wine taste with a beer budget!

You can do a little somthing with as little as $300 bucks. That would include an older desktop computer, automotive power supply and a vga screen.

See what your options are, then come back and ask specific questions.

Forget about the junk gadgets you mentioned.

soundman98 · 10-13-2009, 12:43 PM

how about fixing those junk items you listed, and then ebaying them? than you can use the money for the start of a car computer.

kross · 10-13-2009, 01:56 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by bramlet

so what is the cheapest most ghetto way that I can get my mp3's playing in my stock cavalier.

One of these:

http://www.pie.net/pie_store/shopdis...y+Audio+Inputs

Plus a cheap mp3 player, or even your cell phone if it plays mp3's.

KiaTuner · 10-13-2009, 02:47 PM

Can you give us at least somewhat of a budget? And what you want to do? If music is all you need.. then maybe a carputer isnt for you...

Does the ipod play music?

Here is my proposed setup thread, and what I have pieced together for really cheap. If your wanting to have a complete car pc on a budget, I'd start buying what you can afford (mobo/cpu and hdd?) and putting things together from there. I'd buy the initial compute components first so in free time you can work out the software aspect of things. http://www.mp3car.com/vbulletin/newb...ggestions.html

bramlet · 10-13-2009, 02:50 PM

I have been thinking of upgrading the guts of my desktop. Its getting old. It is a micro-atx socket 939 with an athlon 64 running at around 2.2Ghz

I think it uses like 90watts or so. Just one core, with one gig of RAM, If I did use this board for a carpc which powersupply would ya'll recommend? I'd like to also be able to upgrade to newer boards without having to buy a new powersupply...

trader007 · 10-13-2009, 03:35 PM

if you start, $1000 is just a **** in the bucket. if youre on a budget install an ipod... if you are willing to open a drain valve on your bank account, install a carpc. no matter what you start with, it wont be good enough. it never is.

Tidder · 10-13-2009, 03:53 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by bramlet

I try to search but I usually only find posts where people ask questions and darquepervert tells them to search.

Haha! Classic!!

Aaaaand... subscribed.

M2-ATX would be a good power supply to go with.

CMOS1138 · 10-13-2009, 04:13 PM

you need to post your budget. we can't realy help without more information.

bramlet · 10-13-2009, 04:19 PM

well the ipod does play music but I want all my music with me and they don't make an ipod that big. I would also like navigation eventually so I do want a pc...(oh and countermeasures too sounds like fun)

so you think the M2 would power this old athlon 64 huh...interesting

I might have the money to do some wiring, I'm kind of thinking that will be the hardest part of the install anyway.

Well if I go with that and an amp or two what kind of main power run do ya'll recommend. I'm thinking just a fused line from +batt to a distro block in the trunk? What gauge should I use and do we have any favorite distro blocks? fused block worth it? This goes under the carpet huh? I'll get there....

Should I run anthing else on the power side while I'm in there? Or run the rest on the other side when I get the monitor and new speakers? Or do you like to run all on one side and just keep the speaker wire a little separated?

soundman98 · 10-13-2009, 04:22 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by trader007

if you start, $1000 is just a **** in the bucket. if youre on a budget install an ipod... if you are willing to open a drain valve on your bank account, install a carpc. no matter what you start with, it wont be good enough. it never is.

good point--also, the little stuff will nickle and dime you to death,(my install started cheap-- around $750 for everything, 3 soundcards later, and volume controllers-- at least 2k...)

some have suggested that whatever budget you would like the system to cost, double it, and you might come out just below if your lucky.

oh, and i rocked a ipod only install for about 6 months after my aftermarket hu killed itself and while i was building/painting portions of my car. there is nothing wrong with it-- it satisfies most of the reasons most want to build a car computer--take all your music with you, and no cd's. the biggest problem i had with it was fumbling around to change the volume or tracks. a custom ipod dock would have taken care of that though...

DarquePervert · 10-13-2009, 06:36 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by bramlet

I try to search but I usually only find posts where people ask questions and darquepervert tells them to search.

That right there is the quote of the millenium.

One of the things about searching for information is to pare your query down the bare minimum keywords.
OF course, it doesn't help that vBulletin's search functionality is craptastical on the best of days.