Planning Install where I can not modify the vehicle at all

Ipes · 05-04-2008, 07:21 PM

Hi all, I have been wanting to do this for a while and now with my soon to be career change to a long haul truck driver I figured the time is golden. I have one major problem. In my car and in the truck I can not add any permanent wires or other mods. I have all the space in the world, which is a plus. I think I have a workaround but want to see if it would be possible to make this work.

The system I want to use is the stage 4 complete computer from this website with the XM kit and the GPS antenna.

What my idea is, is to make a box to hold the computer and the xm stuff along with one of those little 12 V batteries. I would then plug in a cigarette lighter power adaptor (I have seen one on amazon that ends in battery clamps) and connect this to the battery. My lighter is switched with the ignition so I wouldn't have to worry about draining car battery when system is off (I think) but I could build a tank circuit if needed. To make the shutdown controller work I can see T'ing into the wire coming from the cigarette lighter and putting it where the power supply expects the acc wire to go.

I haven't had a chance to actually check power coming out of lighter socket but it has a 15A fuse which if I do the math tells me that I should be able to get 13.4V*15A=201W roughly when engine is running which should be more then enough for this to work. This would keep the battery charged and when the car is shut off the comp would run shortly and then be hibernated by the shutdown controller by running off the battery. Next car start would charge battery again and power up the computer automatically I believe.

If I am being a failure at life with this idea let me know. Any better ideas please let me know but I can not mod the car in any way.

And yes I have resigned myself to the horrors of those accursed FM modulators for getting the audio to the speakers.

Bugbyte · 05-04-2008, 11:09 PM

I'd go with a laptop instead of a desktop. You can power it with a cigarette lighter adaptor and easily hook the XM and GPS to it via USB.

Ipes · 05-04-2008, 11:32 PM

Thank you for the reply. You are right on the laptop. It makes way more sense because those tablet models have touchscreens anyway. I will more then likely go that way as you are right but just for fun do you think my idea would work? Could a ciggy lighter actually power one of these little suckers with a small tank battery hooked up?

I have to say it. I am an uber big nerd and the laptop way out just seems like cheating.

Bugbyte · 05-04-2008, 11:50 PM

Probably would work. The Stage 4 comes with a 160watt power supply, so it probably draws less than 110 watts or thereabouts, so yes, it would probably work.

It may seem like cheating with a laptop but you probably would want to take it with you into truck stops with WiFi or depots where you are waiting for stuff to get loaded or back into the house to keep track of logs and stuff. Why complicate your life with a big desktop PC you have to lug around?

Ipes · 05-04-2008, 11:59 PM

Thank you. Now I know you are right about the laptop. I just have to convince the inner geek that "it'll do".

Now the hard decisions begin like which laptop and all that good stuff. Off to the laptop forum for me. Thanks my good man.

DodgeCummins · 05-05-2008, 06:36 PM

I always see pictures of OTR drivers with laptops on mounts next to the driver.

The benefit of the laptop is no installation is required...just plug it in and go.

If it will be a company truck, then mounting it might be a bit more difficult. But maybe your company will let you put a removable mount in. The trucking magazines have a lot of info about this.

For example.

Ipes · 05-05-2008, 08:57 PM

Yeah laptops seem to be pretty good for my anticipated use but there have always been three problems I have had with them.
If they flex at all it can damage connections on the motherboard and ruin the computer (backpack cases are the biggest offender).
I can't think of a way to power them up or down without hitting the power key where a little PC can power itself on and off with your car.
In the big rigs I can see one of those mounts working perfectly but in the Kia with one passenger in the front I can't see a way to mount the laptop that doesn't interfere with either one of us. I found this mount for cars but don't know if it would totally suck or not.
http://www.autolaptoplinkinc.com/1601173.html

I know I should suck it up and get a laptop but that inner nerd still cries out.
Anything else I am missing in my nerdy tunnel vision?

FusionFanatic · 05-05-2008, 09:40 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by Ipes

I can't think of a way to power them up or down without hitting the power key where a little PC can power itself on and off with your car.

you can use this to automatically power the laptop up. I think he still makes them, but even if he doesn't it would be very easy to make yourself (and the schematics are in that thread

)...

...and you can adjust your power settings [control panel] in windows to automatically shutdown/hibernate when the battery reaches a certain level (obviously after cig lighter power is cut).

danielkh · 05-05-2008, 10:07 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by Ipes

I know I should suck it up and get a laptop but that inner nerd still cries out.
Anything else I am missing in my nerdy tunnel vision?

I know you are looking for someone to "back you up" so here goes.....

I used one of those mounts with a laptop and, well, it basically takes every vibration in the car and focuses it right into the laptop. I destroyed 2 harddrives before giving it up. Not saying a laptop won't work, but make darn sure you take vibration into account. Just setting a laptop on top of a hard surface (table), mounted to a harder surface (pole), and that mounted to a paintshaker on wheels (floor, console, etc)....I think you see where this is going.

Good luck!

Ipes · 05-05-2008, 11:51 PM

Hahaha sweet this can rationalize my insane desire to make 10X the work for roughly the same result, all in the name of stubborn nerd pride. " I can do it so I will do it even though it doesn't make sense."

Unless the worlds coolest laptop ever designed shows up in front of me I think I am going to screw up and make a PC in a box. Does this layout seem logical? Go ahead and make fun of me......I deserve it but I think it makes sense. Make it out of plywood and go from there. Carpet it for extra bonus points

danielkh · 05-06-2008, 06:23 AM

Quote: Originally Posted by Ipes

Hahaha sweet this can rationalize my insane desire to make 10X the work for roughly the same result, all in the name of stubborn nerd pride. " I can do it so I will do it even though it doesn't make sense."

Unless the worlds coolest laptop ever designed shows up in front of me I think I am going to screw up and make a PC in a box. Does this layout seem logical? Go ahead and make fun of me......I deserve it but I think it makes sense. Make it out of plywood and go from there. Carpet it for extra bonus points

I'm not going to make fun of you. A friend of mine wants me to design a system for his semi. I'm looking forward to you doing my work for me.

Ipes · 05-06-2008, 08:56 AM

Well if thats the way you want to be then I need some creative design input. My current idea is waffling between putting the computer box on the floor beside the drivers seat, where the cooler normally goes and adding one of these to the front of it

It is called a trailer stake pocket. I would then drop a 2X4 or whatever size it was piece of wood into it (custom height, cut the wood) and my monitor would have another one of these attached to a thin piece of wood on its rear mount. Drop it on and you have a monitor in the perfect location.

But that cooler beside the seat is a really cool idea (pun intended) so I got to thinking, put the PC behind the seat and make a flat base of wood, seat the cooler on it (providing ballast) and screw a 2X4 or whatever to the front and do the same thing, drop monitor on with a trailer stake pocket on the back of its mount.

The bonus of this type of mounting for the monitor is that in addition to holding it in place in the truck, there is a perfect sized hole that it would sit in the dash in the Kia with a little dab of velcro on the back of the monitor to hold it from sliding backward.

Any improvements or does this seem doable? I am a great theorizer but sometimes I theorize things that need another 80 years of technology to accomplish.