View Full Version : CARPUTER - Computer in a Car!!
EdButler
26-04-2005, 14:08
Right then, theres a few of us Sheffy lot getting these fitted in our Mk4 Ibizas. Heres the essence and feel free to ask me any questions ( may be a n00b but im not really!), should have it finished within the month!
You need:
PC case with 12V PSU OR an old Laptop (1Ghz+) will do - you can do what im doing and put a docking station in the boot so you can still take your laptop out etc. :D
~£300+ Depending on what you want
Touch screen TFT for the front. Motorised DIN versions are *just* being released, some with inbuilt TV tuners. However there is an import issue on these from the USA so a group buy or arm twisting may be beneicial to help customs charges.
~£150 (Non Motorised, Mounted) ~£260 (Motorised +Customs Charges)
Then you add peripherals to taste:
GPS Reciever
Wireless LAN (for communicating with other cars in convoy etc hehe)
Microphone
Web Cam (Im gonna get one constantly saving the previous10 mins)
Keyboard/Trackpad/Mouse
Phone hands free via bluetooth
VAG COM
++Anything else you can think of
You Get:
It gives you a DVD/Div X player, MP3's the lot with cool visualisations
GPS routing on a high res screen and you can pick from a variety of software (with POI Support - Speed Cam Detection :D Restaurants, Filling Stations etc etc (000's available!)
You can do your work on it ;)
Games and so forth
Internet via WAP/GPRS
Live ECU figures while you drive from VAG COM
Sites:
http://www.cartft.com
www.digitalww.com
Forum: www.mp3car.com
Motorised TFT: http://www.digitalww.com/DWW-700M.htm
More info to come, im kinda working on my final year uni project in for friday :bleh: Whoops!
T. Spark
26-04-2005, 14:16
Cheers for slamming this up, he is right aswell!
Whilst he is going down the laptop route, I myself *when I have moneyz* intend to go for a full computer system within the car, a mini computer tho, motherboard etc etc.
Then play about with drivers etc etc from then on.
Anyone fancy a game of Age of Empires 2 using wi-fi lan in ya car at the next meet! Could happen... think of the scoreboard :D
nice on Ed!
Looks like this is going to be good.
Mike
http://www.seatcupra.net/forums/showthread.php?t=42135&highlight=carputer
I have one too. In my Mk3 tdi
Its great.
It just needs to be installed properly which I will n the next few weeks when uni will be over pretty much.
I'll get some pics up when ive done it. Going for a proper stealth install. Hopefully!!
Baz
why not use a remote tracball/mouse and keyboard instead of touch screen ? may work out cheaper
(he says tapping the monitor screen) :p
theres a couple of good interfaces out there as well that will help - ill post em up when laptop boots up
PS- anyone know of a VGA-to-Phono converter ? would be handy for test purposes
djrichard
26-04-2005, 23:25
This sounds like a great idea. If you had wi-fi in it you could even access the internet at broadband speed for free when you are parked up in a wi-fi hotspot!!! Cool!!
Where about are you installing these things? Are you cutting up the dash or what? Trying to consider resale problems here!
I recently upgraded a whole load of components on my pc so i have some stuff spare. Could I use this stuff at all?
XP2600 cpu
Full size mobo
floppy drive
cd-rw
dvd drive
60gb hard drive
mouse
full size tower (hmmm not likely!)
geforce fx5200 128mb
fans etc
I know I would need a screen and a psu. The only thing thats putting me off is the fact that I bought an Alpine CVA-100RR about 5 months ago. I suppose I could sell it, or have them both in the car!!!!!
Would I have any need for it though if I have the pc????
Are the screens that retract high res as in a laptop screen? Security could be an issue. The other thing I did not really like was the fact that I would not want the screen to be too low down. Pretty useless and uncomfortable to watch.
PC case with 12V PSU OR an old Laptop (1Ghz+) will do - you can do what im doing and put a docking station in the boot so you can still take your laptop out etc. :D
~£300+ Depending on what you want
Touch screen TFT for the front. Motorised DIN versions are *just* being released, some with inbuilt TV tuners. However there is an import issue on these from the USA so a group buy or arm twisting may be beneicial to help customs charges.
~£150 (Non Motorised, Mounted) ~£260 (Motorised +Customs Charges)
I've just been looking at doing this myself. Was going to put in a mini-itx PC linked to a 1-Din touchscreen.
Was looking at this one: http://www.xenarcdirect.com/store/p...at=0&bestseller
But it looks like it's $100 more and isn't motorized. Definatley up for a group buy if we can get something together.
Been lookin at buying one of these for the PC: http://www.mini-itx.com/store/?c=11#vkmpk12
It even controls the boot-up and shutdown when the ignition is is turned on or off.
__________________
Any of you worried about your in-car PC being stolen you could always build your PC so it looks like this:
http://www.mini-itx.com/projects/windowsxpbox/
or this:
http://www.mini-itx.com/projects/teddybear/
EdButler
27-04-2005, 00:09
Where about are you installing these things? Are you cutting up the dash or what? Trying to consider resale problems here!
Not at all mate, the wiring can go though the body panels/carpets and the PC can be placed in the boot. The TFT is DIN sized so just goes where your radio would (or over it in a Mk4 Beeza :bleh:
XP2600 cpu
Full size mobo
floppy drive
cd-rw
dvd drive
60gb hard drive
mouse
full size tower (hmmm not likely!)
geforce fx5200 128mb
fans etc
The Car PSU's are only around 180Watt so i think this may struggle. If you chuck one of the CD Drives (CDRW), the floppy, some fans and maybee (hopefully not) downgrade the Geforce youll be better off but ill look into it for you mate.
I know I would need a screen and a psu. The only thing thats putting me off is the fact that I bought an Alpine CVA-100RR about 5 months ago. I suppose I could sell it, or have them both in the car!!!!!
Would I have any need for it though if I have the pc???? Youll need a head unit to drive the sound and if you cant be arsed for the PC to boot up, but the Alpine may be a bit OTT just for that
Are the screens that retract high res as in a laptop screen? Security could be an issue. The other thing I did not really like was the fact that I would not want the screen to be too low down. Pretty useless and uncomfortable to watch.
They run at 800x480 pixels so its not low res at all, people often have issues at getting graphics cards displaying that res but were the lucky ones with Geforce's which do :D
Any other questions ill try to keep peeps filled in
djrichard
27-04-2005, 00:48
cool cheers mate.
I also have 2 X 512mb DDR333 lying about and an 800watt power inverter. However after chatting to Flapper tonight on MSN he showed me a link which was talking about them blowing up etc!!! :-o Dont fancy setting my car on fire to be honest! Would like to keep the cost of things down if possible though.
Is it possible to make the pc go into hibernate mode rather than shut down when you turn the car off? It would be rather annoying waiting for it to boot up everytime that you had to restart the car. Obviously you would want to be able to completely turn it off when the car is going to be parked up for a while, but not when you are just jumping into a shop or whatever.
EdButler
27-04-2005, 09:16
cool cheers mate.
I also have 2 X 512mb DDR333 lying about and an 800watt power inverter. However after chatting to Flapper tonight on MSN he showed me a link which was talking about them blowing up etc!!! :-o Dont fancy setting my car on fire to be honest! Would like to keep the cost of things down if possible though.
Is it possible to make the pc go into hibernate mode rather than shut down when you turn the car off? It would be rather annoying waiting for it to boot up everytime that you had to restart the car. Obviously you would want to be able to completely turn it off when the car is going to be parked up for a while, but not when you are just jumping into a shop or whatever.
Ill try to get you some more info's mate when i have all my Uni work handed in, but i agree that the 800W converter = bad idea!
Hybernation and standby can be enbled in Control Panel / Power Options depending on whether you allow the powersupply to be cut off when the key is removed... Ill do some research of standby power usage of PC's
driveforward
27-04-2005, 19:49
why not use a remote tracball/mouse and keyboard instead of touch screen ? may work out cheaper
That is what I've done
why not use a remote tracball/mouse and keyboard instead of touch screen ? may work out cheaper
Isn't that a little dangerous to use while driving?
T. Spark
28-04-2005, 08:35
Im going to have all the above.... going to *somehow* place a track ball in my mk4 Ibiza just below/above my electrical window button, then have a keyboard underneath the seat.
Have a look at my website for my carPC...
Mini-itx mobo (1ghz) 256MB RAM, 20GIG HDD, wifi, 7" touchscreen, RoadRunner software with custom seat skin, vag-com linked in, usb radio, IR keyboard with built-in trackerball, gps sat-nav receiver and software.....
I love it :D
I am, however, interested in the 1 din sized non-motorised or motorised touchscreens... Would look much more OEM than mine. Then i would have enough space for another din slot too, meaning i could relocate my IR receiver for keyboard/mouse.
Shall keep my eyes on this thread....
Is it possible to make the pc go into hibernate mode rather than shut down when you turn the car off? It would be rather annoying waiting for it to boot up everytime that you had to restart the car. Obviously you would want to be able to completely turn it off when the car is going to be parked up for a while, but not when you are just jumping into a shop or whatever.
Hibernation is the best option over a power down. In laymans terms (if you already know I appologise), Windows will dump the contents of the RAM to your HDD and then use this to boot back up again when you power back on, rather than having to go through all the boot up initialisation. It totally cuts the power to the computer just like if it was shutdown normally. So you get near Standby startup times and the power saving of it being shutdown completely. I only ever shutdown my computers if I need to restart them now, they always hibernate. Depending on the software used, you can get it to hibernate instead of powering down. If you are turining it off via the power button on the PC, you can change this in the Power Options (right click desktop > "Properties" > "screen saver" > "power" > "advanced"/"hibernate")
Hi btw, my name is Chris, Im new on here. Looking to get a Leon Cupra when I finish at uni. Im studying for an MSc in computer science in Reading atm (which I see has quite a large following on these boards).
Agreed - Hibernation is by far the best method. However, If you have USB gps or the dlink usb radio, then you can run into hibernation problems whereby you get a BSOD on power up. Changing the software from MediaCar to RoadRunner sorted my problems.
For information, my carPC takes just under 21seconds to boot from power on, which is pretty good as by that time I have reversed out of my drive.
On a standard boot up (windows xp into RR) it took 35seconds. So a vast improvement eh?
Also, as regards to power issues, I highly recommend a decent carPC power supply, like the carnetix 1260 (www.carnetix.com) which I use, or go for an opus if you can afford it.
This regulates the power meaning that the PC can survive crank (engine start) as an alternator output can vary from 10v-24v depending on engine situation etc. You dont want to go any blow up a motherboard by supplying it with 18v+ now do ya?
My carnetix powers everything for my PC except the monitor, and I have not had ANY power drain issues at all. The PC also remotely turns on the 6channel amplifier and reversing camera.
ok well just thought Id post up too about my car pc,
Im running a mini itx board stored in the glovebox with a opus power supply which powers everything including the screen, the beauty of this power supply is that it turns itself and shuts down windows safely 10secs after the key is removed, you can adjust this to up to 60mn of staying on when the key is removed :)
I've gone for a small sized processor due to heat reasons but it runs my software interface just fine and plays divx and mp3's brilliantly!!!
I have the output from the mobo running to the headunit so I can use that as an amp, so far works brilliantly just as I wanted.
oh and I also went for a touchscreen I could remove just incase Im in a dodgy neigbourhood... ( it mounts in that area infront of the gearstick and fits well.
The indash screen ones looked like they poked out too much from the pictures I have seen, oh and the fact that in the mk4 ibiza you would end up with the screen aiming at the driver which is not what I wanted.
also make sure you mount hard drives vertically... otherwise every bump could be a skip... and then could lead to bad sectors.
just thought Id add my bit :)
about the hard-drive, this is a weird issue. I thought the same, however, it appears that people I know, and myself, have been running with harddrive horizontally for over 2yrs (me for 4months) without any issues, bad sectors or skipping whatsoever.
If its in a decent case, held firmly enough, its probably fine.
awesome thats good to read pabs :) Ive just gone for vertical as its not really in a "normal" layout or case at the minute. :blink: But all is well
i could be wrong, but all i know is my 20gig samsung (3.5") is fine, and has been since installation.
Seeing if I can find a uk distributor for the indash motorised touchscreens recently, could do with one of those to tidy my whole dash up and make it look oem too!
Expensive tho :(
Flamby would it be posible to see a pic of your install please? I have yet to see one in a Mk4 Ibiza!
Cheers
EdButler
04-05-2005, 22:54
i could be wrong, but all i know is my 20gig samsung (3.5") is fine, and has been since installation.
Seeing if I can find a uk distributor for the indash motorised touchscreens recently, could do with one of those to tidy my whole dash up and make it look oem too!
Expensive tho :(
If you find one mate, gimme a hail and i will do likewise. Looks as though the best bet so far is to wait for www.mp3car.com to get them in - £260 inc delivery. We then just hope that Customs dont sting us (perhaps asking mp3Car to sign it as a gift or faulty/return)
driveforward
04-05-2005, 23:32
My new car-laptop is producing audio interference due to the cars electrical system (when the laptop's on it's battery, everything is fine - plug in the supply from the car and :( )
Any idea how the supply could be filtered?
probably a ground loop or something - not sure really. Its a bit late but will think about it and if i can think of anthing i will let you know.
driveforward
05-05-2005, 08:49
probably a ground loop or something - not sure really. Its a bit late but will think about it and if i can think of anthing i will let you know.
Cheers mate :thumbup:
driveforward
08-05-2005, 11:16
I've been having a look at the Carnetix web site, and although my carputer is a laptop, powered using an in-car laptop power adaptor from Maplins, I think my issue could be resolved by using the Carnetix 1260 unit to pass the power supply through before the laptop power adaptor thingy.
http://www.carnetix.com/CNXP1260.html
Where did you buy yours from?
yeh, sounds like a plan. I recon its your inverter that causes the interference, and hopefully (i mean hopefully too) the carnetix will remove this.
I had to import mine from the USA, from the carnetix guy himself. However, I was stunk for import tax/duty as well, which was an extra £25. :( :censored:
Its good tho, cannot fault it. Works all the time, everytime, powering my entire pc setup minus the screen.
NealyCupra
08-05-2005, 23:53
Buy a Laptop, And have it proffesionally installed lol - that would be my option, but this is a seriously great idea. Wont be doing it myself as i have a Laptop thats wireless which im considering having installed into my MK2 somewhere!
NealyCupra
08-05-2005, 23:59
Buy a Laptop, And have it proffesionally installed lol - that would be my option, but this is a seriously great idea. Wont be doing it myself as i have a Laptop thats wireless which im considering having installed into my MK2 somewhere!
or buy a carPC thats much cheaper, smaller and harder to nick if done properly!
lol
Depends on what you want - touchscreen on a laptop? Keyboard while driving? Know which i would prefer.... and not the price tag!
NealyCupra
09-05-2005, 00:04
Lol very true mate - but to be FAIR, i wouldnt ever use it whilst im driving.. Id always pull up because you gotta take your eyes of the road to use something like that regardless of the size.. I already have a laptop so for me thats not a problem! The way i see it is some sort of stand coming from under the glove box on a MK2 pointing the laptop Towards the driver. Just an idea!
My new car-laptop is producing audio interference due to the cars electrical system (when the laptop's on it's battery, everything is fine - plug in the supply from the car and :( )
Any idea how the supply could be filtered?
try a noise filter in the supply line - works on amplifiers and head units
Lol very true mate - but to be FAIR, i wouldnt ever use it whilst im driving.. Id always pull up because you gotta take your eyes of the road to use something like that regardless of the size.. I already have a laptop so for me thats not a problem! The way i see it is some sort of stand coming from under the glove box on a MK2 pointing the laptop Towards the driver. Just an idea!
So what about satnav then? Gonna pull over everytime u mess-up???
What about changing the song thats playing? Gonna lean over and press the keyboard?
That sounds a tad arsey, its not supposed to be. But the carPC is something that can handle all of this without extra equipment, and can be used easily enough its comparable to the sat-nav systems that you buy in shops, but with the bonus of being a hi-fi as well.
All i know is I have around 2000 songs on mine at the moment, along with sat-nav, films, wireless internet, vag-com and lots of other useful stuff - all for less than an average laptop would have cost me.
NealyCupra
09-05-2005, 00:12
Thats fair enough but look @ what im saying, I already own a laptop - my laptop can hold easily 2000 songs.. but i also have a head unit which i wouldnt have to replace and that plays mp3s so for me player songs isnt an issue. and id have a bigger screen for Satnav and audio if needed!!!
NealyCupra
09-05-2005, 00:14
And im not saying that Carpc isnt a great idea it certainly is - im just looking at a way of fitting my laptop into the car..
oh no, i understand where you are coming from entirely, i just thought this whole thread was for the carPC, people that are making something to do all of this to start with, dedicated to car use. Hence why people are building these carPC's.
However, from your point of view, and for what you want to do, its definately possible. Sounds weird but pimp-my-ride did one with the laptop on runners so it could be pulled from out of the glovebox, and I have also seen similar things in m*x P*wer and stuff. DONT FLAME ME PLEASE :LOL:
To get ur lappy into your car powerwise u will need either an inverter (cheap and easy - but imo cr*p too) or a decent 12v (or whatever ur laptop uses) regulator so that you dont blow anything or drain your car battery.
Wiring it in is the easy bit... audio cable into aux input, power supply to laptop, gps receiver and vag-com cable plugged in (if needed) and voila!
NealyCupra
09-05-2005, 00:20
Yeh i dont think il actually power it inside the car because its used a bit so it can be taken out the car and charged - but its just an idea iv had. I think it would be neat just to be able to pull up and use the laptop @ a meet for info or whatever you get my idea!
driveforward
09-05-2005, 07:28
yeh, sounds like a plan. I recon its your inverter that causes the interference, and hopefully (i mean hopefully too) the carnetix will remove this.
I'm not using an inverter - just an in car laptop power adaptor from Maplinos.
Did the 2 UK resellers of Carnetix stuff not have any then? - as you had to self-import?
I had to self import as it wasnt available in the uk at the time - i pre-ordered it before he had even finished designing the thing! lol
tried so far
laptop - on seat and on frame to keep it level has satnav option as a real advantage
acquired a pop out basic screen 7" and now running gamecube (kids love it) and its 12v too will do until full plan acquires but limited to games
thought about ps2 as dvd capable and games but not satnav
then realised xbox holds game/cd's on its own hdd mmmm and can be modded for basic pc applications/interfaces
then - after parts ordered arrived realised i have a perfect slot in the dash lower (LHD CUPRA) for a cd/dvd PC drive
AGGGGGGGGGGH :p
All.
I am glad to have stumbled accross this thread.
I have been designing a reliable system for a short time now. I am going to be marketing it and seeing if i can sucessfully mass produce and sell it to the everyday market.
The features will include 7"Wide touch screen. GPS, sat nav, wireless etc etc
What i need though is a couple of volunteers for the testing stage!
Would ideally want to have it installed into the standard din slot in the dash with the screen mounted in a location of there choice. I am still a few months off testing (mainly due to funding)
I am willing to discuss this with anyone and should 2 of you wish to volunteer for it i will arrange this with you.
Dan
gis a shout
looks like ill be off down the Xbox route at present else
yeh, always interested in this, but there are LOADS of people offering it already, now that in-dash motorised screens are available.
you can build a whole system for around the £500 i recon, and just installation extra. If the design goes small enough, fitting in the glovebox would be a good idea, but heat restrictions would be quite high.
as mentioned, just check out:
www.mini-itx.com
www.mp3car.com
www.digitalww.com
www.mp3car.com/forums
www.linitx.com
www.cartft.com
as mentioned, just check out:
www.mini-itx.com
www.mp3car.com
www.digitalww.com
www.mp3car.com/forums
www.linitx.com
www.cartft.com
Cheers Pabs been on these. Just trying to get this successfully marketed. Am pretty sure that this is the key!!
yeh, always interested in this, but there are LOADS of people offering it already, now that in-dash motorised screens are available.
you can build a whole system for around the £500 i recon, and just installation extra. If the design goes small enough, fitting in the glovebox would be a good idea, but heat restrictions would be quite high.
Hmm i did think abotu the glove box and came to the same conclusion only way i could think of to get round it would be to hack the internals out to get some air flow!!. However i have a couple of aces up sleeve yet ;) Inloves the MK2 centre console LOL. Whatch this space!!
Wreckon if buying in bulk etc can probably lower that price problem is labour!! How on earth would you work out fitting charges for these!!!
yeh, tricky one.
Oh, by the way, there is a place called mini-itx warehouse or itx-warehouse or ICP that do very good prices on mini-itx stuff, supposed to be trade only but I managed to buy stuff. Worked out good prices too. Check it out. (Think ICP is the real name....)
I would want to make something that would suit most cars, without huge redesigns of gloveboxes etc...
However i have a couple of aces up sleeve yet ;) Inloves the MK2 centre console LOL. Whatch this space!!
i have a lhd Cupra one here that apart from 2 round gauge holes in the bottom has a cassette box slot in the top that is almost (give say 3mm tops) DVD/CD Rom drive size ;)
dont forget mk2's have no glovebox as such
personally id tailor a system to a car individually each one - LEON would be a good starter i guess considering installation and satnav style console and the trick is for it to look as standard as possible as in FACTORY fit - how many felt covered slap on mdf boxes you seen in escort 4's ? know what i mean :redface:
yeh, know what ya mean flapper, too much mdf lol
My ideal car system would be to look OEM - stealth I always feel is the key. If it looks standard, then wont stick out and be considered an eyesore or a boy-racer system.
The dash can look very standard, what with the new in-dash motorised touchscreen LCD's. Give them a while to iron out all the problems they are having and then we will have a good system on our hands.
As for the glovebox issue, I think customising a case would be all thats necessary, so long as the overall volume is approx the same. Wires will then be short too.
touchscreen in a leon sat nav console in my opinion would look the dogs ******
im going for a pop out din screen (7") so when all closed up looks like a stereo
current plan seems to be looking good too - Xbox Mods are mad as you can imagine lately
just had a :idea: well maybe a wierd one that some may need to slap me about a bit for
std airbag in stg wheel utilises whats called a slip ring (circular contact device) and is obviously of quality and passes 2 connections soooooo:
i believe albeit in theory only that a screen could be fitted in its place if you were serious enough as my screen only uses 2 wires in phono configuration
then again as its in drivers view would be a bad idea :roflmao:
touchscreen in a leon sat nav console in my opinion would look the dogs ******
im going for a pop out din screen (7") so when all closed up looks like a stereo
current plan seems to be looking good too - Xbox Mods are mad as you can imagine lately
just had a :idea: well maybe a wierd one that some may need to slap me about a bit for
std airbag in stg wheel utilises whats called a slip ring (circular contact device) and is obviously of quality and passes 2 connections soooooo:
i believe albeit in theory only that a screen could be fitted in its place if you were serious enough as my screen only uses 2 wires in phono configuration
then again as its in drivers view would be a bad idea :roflmao:
Probably a bad i dea. Consider yoyrself slapped about a bit!! or alot its up to you!!
However tailoring for each car is a good plan making it look as standard as possible also a good plan. Did think about the roof mounted screen that VW have released for the Toureg. Would look very stock just not so sure what the price would be!! But then there are other manufacturers of such things and they are no quiet reasonably priced!!
well u know sorry about the wheel thing but hey never know til you dream it up
as for roof mounted screen - got flyer at work some place doing em £150 a piece
and a standard screen (6") for £50
not sure on teh make/quality mind though :S
yeh, they are cheap - touchscreen still holding their price tho.
In dash motorised 7" touchscreen for £285ish.
is touchscreen really worth it at the moment ?
i have found em good but after a few presses and the sun on it you only end up looking at blurred finger marks :(
well, the way i see it is it is FAR easier than using keyboard/mouse.
I know what you mean tho, in bright sun i cant see the screen all that well, but its better than having to adjust the damn thing with a keyboard!
gotta say fair enough on that one
but then i'm using a joypad :) or alternatively a remote control
djrichard
13-05-2005, 11:32
gotta say fair enough on that one
but then i'm using a joypad :) or alternatively a remote control
What about a mini trackerball? Not sure if thats the name but you know what I mean.
yeah that is the one problem with my setup.. during a sunny day I can't see anything really :( but a bit of cloud cover and its fantastic... gotta love england ;)
I've heard there are sprays you can get to stop the glare on our touchscreens but I haven't found any yet and I don't know how effective they would be. ( my brother uses one that came with his mp4 player and it works great but I can't find where to buy it from )
has anyone with a carPC managed a good radio reception setup yet?
I am still messing with mine - cannot get a good signal at all, and want better.
I currently use Dlink usb radio, but have seen some usb mem-stick type things with dab radio etc, but no aerial connections....
Anyone?
sorted fine with mine - but using xbox with winamp radio instead - sorry
flapper - tell me more.... Xbox has radio???
djrichard
17-09-2005, 00:57
I bought an in car DVB TV Tuner for my car today. It has all the freeview channels, teletext, EPG, picture and EPG graphics at the same time, 9 channelk previews at one time, built in games, 4 amplified video outputs, remote control and 12ft extender ir sensor, teletext, subtitles and ariel. It only cost me £46 and the picture is IDENTICAL to the quality received from a normal freeview receiver. I was completely shocked at the price of it. For an old analogue tv tuner from Alpine I would have to pay vetween £300 and £400!!! How do they justify those prices?
Also just in from abroad was a touchscreen display which is very high resolution which is specifically designed to be used with PCs in car. The photo on the front of the box even shows it displaying windows xp. I cant remember the exact res but it was more than double the normal amount that is quoted on the high res screens that I have seen around at the moment. The price? Well its a rather remarkable £125. So Im going to be trying to figure out a way of installing this screen in the front of my car. Its not a motorised screen or anything, its just a screen that one could fit in your headrests. It looked absolutely awesome and I would love to get some sat nav on there and watch some high res DVDs too.
Can anyone thing of a place to install that in a mkIV Beeza?
flapper - tell me more.... Xbox has radio???
using a usb tuner to the aerial and setup through a winamp codec - but i was running win98 on it at the time but binned it now after attempting to squeeze WinXP on there instead :) and got nowhere so i formatted it and started again
sticking to a media centre setup now means i can also run the gamecube in the back for the kids then - will run Games/DVD/Mp3/Divx etc just need a wireless joypad (wired at moment) and a network adapter to speed up loading files
NB- they dont seem to like over 120 gig on HDD space either but sussed a way to add 2 :) should hold a few games/films/music for now and a lot simpler considering its in the car but then i havent tried linux yet ;)
setup so i have NOTHING in the boot at all and only a power converter under the seats ;) its all in the front but still havent made the drive/fan cover yet for the full STEALTH effect and switches double up as diag led's as per std one so may leave em lighting up cos they look good at nite :whistle:
have a look
nice mate - what usb radio tuner you using?
happauge tv one - had a built in FM reciever
yeh was trying to get one of those on ebay - these dlink usb jobbies are quite poo really.
Spent the last 3 days sticking a laptop hdd in and setting all up and then the drive died :(
Now redoing the 3.5" drive and getting it all back up.
Ah well... the joys of computers.
use a std hdd ? not that tight fo space is it ?
main one is hidden where the ashtray used to be :) and second in the drivers kick panel under the bonnet pull
George Dores
27-09-2005, 15:13
Try www.allcam.biz for cheap bits.