supermoose

what on average does it cost to put a carput into a car, what do you recommend using it for? I have a head unit which i love and just paid 150 bucks to fix so do you have any good ideas on what to use this for? what would i need to get as well, does it require a keyboard and mouse?

no1knows

U'll need an output display of some sort, a computer, some way of putting the audio through your head unit and some way of controlling it.


You can spend as little (well, not nothing) or as much as you like. You can put a laptop in quite cheaply (assuming u already have the laptop). If you want a permanent install, invertors will save you money, DC-DC power supplies are fairly pricey.

If you are on a tight budget you can go without a TFT LCD and get a smaller one with winamp plugin.

You could use a keypad or full keyboard/mouse to control it, its all up to you.

Your question is a bit broad, have a read around.

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sfay93

If you have to ask, then it is too much money for you. Just kidding. I have spent somewhere in the area of $800 for my carputer and I haven't even mounted it in the truck yet although that shouldn't cost too much more. There are people here who have spent alot more and alot less. It really depends on what you want to do with exactly. I would spen d alot of time reading here and figure out what you want to do and then price out the pieces accordingly.

BTW, no you do not have to have a keyboard and mouse. There are other ways to control your carputer. Read, read, read.

P4_2.66GHz

The headunit you have can be used to drive audio system in your car.
If it has AUX input, that will make things much easier.

As far as the prices, they vary, as there are different configurations available. From a car point of view, they can range from Kia to Mercedes.

Whether or not you need a keyboard and a mouse is all up to you. If you can operate your PC without one, then good for you. I use keyboard/mouse to enter addresses, surf internet, play games, adjust settings, etc. Touchscreen is a must-have feature, as it is quicker to operate while driving, although, I don't recommend that practice. A remote control would be a better solution.

supermoose

ok let me try to make my question more clear, sorry about that, i have an 1988 mercedes benz 190d. i have a pioneer head unit deh-8400mp, i would not be adding a gps system, games, nor the web. Is it possible to control the computer from just a touch screen? and what would i need for the computer itself, i have an old box laying around, and a hard drive or two, what kind of sound card is needed...

parawing742

I have $928 in my system (including LCD). I think that's a good figure to estimate for a decent system.

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P4_2.66GHz

Yes, you can get away with using a touchscreen. I would still recommend a remote control of some kind to make things easier while driving.

As far as the sound card, you can use anything you have to get you started.

hanzacra

Here are some detailed numbers I've saved so far. These all include shipping.

Lilliput 7" XGA Touchscreen (619GL-70NP) $245.58
VIA EPIA-M10000 C3 1GHz Nehemiah/DDR/A&V&L Motherboard (MB-E-M1GNE) $154.00
Delorme Earthmate GPS Kit (GPS Receiver, USB Cable & Street Atlas USA 2004 Software) $119.99
ITPS + PW-70a Combo $97.79
7200RPM 120GB IDE Drive $69.49
K-Byte-512MB PC2700 DDR DIMM Memory-512MB-DDR PC2700 $54.04
TV LEADTEK TV2000XP TV/FM RETAIL $26.25
200-watt 4-channel amp $21.50
Slim ATAPI to Standard ATAPI Adapter $15.64
20' STREETWIRES 4 GA Power Cable RED $15.01
VGA Monitor Extension Cable 10' Black $9.99
Two 10' USB 2.0 Extension Cables $9.50
Bondo $8.00
Slim DVD-ROM Drive $0.00
Media Engine $0.00
Windows XP $0.00

Total $846.78