I finally decided to start my carputer project for my 2002 audi TT:
About two weeks ago, my trusty old powerbook (JUN '05) decided to have its screen shattered on a long trip in the car from florida to Philly.
cost of a new panel wasn't worth it, so I decided to let the old baby go to rest.
However, i began feeling sad for the thing. it had always been a dependable computer, and I wanted it to live on. Here I had the perfect opportunity to start my Carputer project, an idea i had been tinkering with since I got the car 2 years ago.
I always wanted to get a pc, run roadrunner with iguidance, and presto! Carputer...
this will be a bit more... interesting, especially software wise. Ice3 looks very promising and i'm playing around with it now.
On to the laptop:
Powerbook 12" Alu 1.5 GHz G4, 786 Mb RAM, running OS X Leopard
I took it apart, piece by piece, and cut the lower housing in half. (I didn't need the half that housed the cd drive and I relocated the battery) then I puzzled it together again and added a big 80mm fan to keep things cool.
I put it together in a temporary plexi case. i will be making something more rugged for the final install.
TADAAA!
I have been looking for a spot to put the computer where it won't be very obtrusive. I tried the trunk, passenger seat, glovebox... none of these spots were big enough, and the trunk loacation just seemed dangerous since I have a lot of stuff in there at times.
My last guess involved taking the CD changer out (I don't use it anyway) I took it out after about an hour of wrestling with interior panels, and immediately I saw the possibility here:
From L to R: Factory CD changer - Powerbook - Powerbook size before the frankensteinization.
The Frankenbook sitting in the Cd Changer Bracket.
Neatly tucked behind the interior panel.
This made me really excited about the build.
I love that if everything goes well, the only visible part of the computer will be the screen! the flipup door also provides easy access to all the ports on the laptop. (thank you apple for putting all the connections on the same side)
To do:
-Make stronger case to bolt to the bracket
-Get screen (thinking Xenarc 700TSV, opinions?)
-Get car power adapter
-Get audio cable
-Install (duh)
A couple of weeks after the install and everything is working right, i'm going to mold the screen in my dash to make it look 100% OEM.
More next time!
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