Thread: '05 Nissan Altima- Intel D945GCLF2D Mini-ITX in Center Console (Storage Bin Mod)

Ok I have started a post under the forum location for powering laptops/netbooks. Here is the link: Solar Charge your Laptop/Netbook.

My plans are to implement solar energy in my car for charging my eeepc (to start with...who knows where else this may lead to )

In short..here is my brainstorm schema. Please follow more details at the link I posted above located in the 'Powering your Laptop' forum section.

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*********** EDIT *************

Soooo... here is my revised idea. See more details at the forum post for powering your laptop.

Click image for a larger zoom

Ever considered the EeePC T91 tablet? You could fold the screen down and operate it via the touchscreen.

That model actually seems real cool. Although it is LED backlit, I wonder how it looks in sunlight. Either way seems like a good upgrade from my 2G surf.

How does your "mirror" work as a mirror? I know you have the reverse camera, but I'm still curious if the rearview mirror can still function as such when you're not using it for video.

Overall, I really like the install. The idea of using your Wii remote in car is pretty sweet.

Originally Posted by Xygar

How does your "mirror" work as a mirror? I know you have the reverse camera, but I'm still curious if the rearview mirror can still function as such when you're not using it for video.

Overall, I really like the install. The idea of using your Wii remote in car is pretty sweet.

The mirror is polarized an works great as a rear view mirror. At night I don't have the drama with those people that like their high beams. Regarding using it as a monitor..this solution is only temporary and serves its purpose. I will say that during the day it is not as bright, but that can be adjusted on the mirror, in addition, it is connected to a pc-to-tv converter box and I tweak the brightness more with converter box.

I am considering swapping out my EEEPC for a Fit PC 2. The first generation of this small form factor PC had some cons and possibly limitations as a CarPC. This newer generation has stepped up its cpu and remains lower power along with more features. Check it out and tell me what you think.

http://fit-pc2.com/wiki/index.php?title=Main_Page

I think the Fit2 sounds great at first, but it's an expensive solution with some downsides. Its main advantage is that it's pre-packaged.

The Atom Z530 used in the Fit2 has 512KB L2 cache, where the Atom 330, used in the D945GCLF2 mainboard, has 1GB of L2 cache. The Fit2 uses soldered-in memory, meaning you're limited to 1MB. Buying an open system means you can use more memory.

You can easily go to a faster video processor by changing to the new boards available from Logic Supply. I particularly like the look of the Zotac IONITX-A-U, which uses the Atom 330 with Nvidia 9400 graphics and onboard power supply.

Click image to enlarge.

At $189, it's a faster, much-less-expensive solution that allows up to 4GB of memory.

Originally Posted by rdholtz

I think the Fit2 sounds great at first, but it's an expensive solution with some downsides. Its main advantage is that it's pre-packaged.

The Atom Z530 used in the Fit2 has 512KB L2 cache, where the Atom 330, used in the D945GCLF2 mainboard, has 1GB of L2 cache. The Fit2 uses soldered-in memory, meaning you're limited to 1MB. Buying an open system means you can use more memory.

You can easily go to a faster video processor by changing to the new boards available from Logic Supply. I particularly like the look of the Zotac IONITX-A-U, which uses the Atom 330 with Nvidia 9400 graphics and onboard power supply.

Click image to enlarge.

At $189, it's a faster, much-less-expensive solution that allows up to 4GB of memory.

Thanks for the suggestion which actually agrees with another alternative mod I am thinking of doing in my car.

Glad to help. There's an interesting and lengthy review of the Zotac board at Anandtech. Here's the comment that got my attention: "The general application performance of the Zotac Ion isn’t actually any better than the Intel D945GCLF2. It’s when you look at GPU-enabled applications that the Ion holds any real performance benefit. Blu-ray playback or 3D gaming are its real performance strengths; if you plan on doing neither then the platform isn’t very useful." That persuaded me to stick with the Intel D945GCLF2 board I have, which cost only $80.