Car PC

[f1anatic]

Did any of you successfully insert the RoadRunner Logger into Centrafuse ? I cannot do it. I can do the main form but not the logger and cannot understand why.

 

This beta version here has several dashboard options and hiding of parameters

http://www.romraider.com/forum/topic3330.html?sid=aaee84e1763dd59325b035046b4f8d21

 

Please let me know.

[NSFW]

I think you meant RomRaider Logger.

[executor485]

Quick question... If I can buy this setup:

 

Case: Morex 3688

Motherboard: VIA EPIA M1000 Mini ITX Form Factor

Ram: 512 MB

Hard Drive: 80 GB

CD-RW/DVD-ROM: Panasonic Slot Load

Power Supply: MIATX Car Power Supply

Operating System: Windows XP Home with CD

Monitor: Lilliput 629GL-70NP/C/T

 

For $350 shipped... Think thats a good deal? I'm pretty sure I'm sold on it already... I havent seen a full setup like that for such a good price... But just making sure that ya'll think its a fair price before I plunge...

 

Thanks

[Jerboa113]

I'd say so. I sold a similar system for a similar price. Mine had xp pro on it tho but without a CD... and no CDrom. and no screen either. hrmm...

[executor485]

I've looked at the price of the screen alone and it goes for 299, so I'm thinking that this is a great deal... And I might be able to cut some off the price cause it looks like this guy is within driving distance... Hrmm indeed... I'm probably picking it up asap... lol, even though I know I should hold off though cause gas is getting pricy, but hey... A killer deal is a killer deal right?

[Jerboa113]

sure sounds like it. I mean obviously be aware of potential scams and info he may not be telling you but, we are in a rather niche market in regards to carputers. Not many people look for them and it drives the resale value down for good components.

 

I lost my ass on mine. I paid $700 or so for it and wound up letting it go for $325. Still tho it was cool to meet someone in person who was interested in starting the project I was putting on hold/scrapping. I met him at the Varisty downtown over an overpriced burger and some rather tasty fries.

[executor485]

Thats cool... I'm really excited to get a carputer in... I've been wanting to get one for ages now, but just never found a decent deal that I could buy at the time. So this is pretty sweet.

Now I guess its a matter of finding the bezel to modify (kinda wanna keep my stocker just in case). I'm wanting to get GPS, sirius/xm/hd radio, OBDII, etc eventually... But for now getting just the basics is great.

[Jerboa113]

yea, the bezel and the info center is the deal breaker for me. I have a lot of data and ideas on that end of the project but cant use any of them due to financial limitations.. unless I can 'rent" someones oem gps screen to take measurements on it and fab up a facsimile.

 

We had some great data on the info center, but it was theoretical data, but the other day we realized that we may have been wrong. Remember.. your info center remembers the last data set you fed it before you turned the car off.

[executor485]

I've been very interested in the data center part of it all... While I hate the thought of loosing the data center with temp and gas milage, etc... I'm also debating on the route of trying to figure out all the data that is sent to the data center and somehow trying to feed it into the carputer... Not exactly sure how yet though. I am a computer programmer though, and I have some friends that might be willing to help, so I hope maybe that will help a bit. lol

The last option is to just move the info center down to the ash tray, but I'd need the relocation bracket which I dont have yet... lol Guess I'll see what I can work out :S erp...

But I've been following the carputer stuff for a while and I have some ideas on how to check things out, just never had the ability/opportunity thus far.

[Jerboa113]

well, stay tuned economy allowing we plan to do some research on that. We will publish whatever we find out.

[NSFW]

There's another thread here from someone who decoded most (all?) of the info center data. A search should turn it up.

 

I relocated mine, and the former cigarette lighter now powers my screen.

[f1anatic]

NSFW ...did you ever get to embed RomRaider into Centrafuse ?

[Jerboa113]

found it, I pm'd him, hopefully he'll reply. Thats what we were doing and we already have software we just need to mate his data with a laptop. We have also examined inserting this data into roadrunner so you will be able to raw call info center data directly into roadrunner through this program with a serial port connection to the info center harness... no info center at all needed.. thats our goal.

 

Slow in coming, but I'll keep you informed.

[NSFW]

NSFW ...did you ever get to embed RomRaider into Centrafuse ?

 

No, I don't have Centrafuse and RR's logger stopped working for me recently.

[NSFW]

7" LCD bezel, courtesy of LGT member BMac1203, along with a JDM info-panel relocation kit:

 

http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z151/Legacy_NSFW/BezelInstalledVeryDark.jpg

 

http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z151/Legacy_NSFW/BezelInstalled3.jpg

 

For the laptop, I built a shelf from 1/4" HDPE, attached to couple of 3/4" slabs of HDPE that are connected with a hinge:

 

http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z151/Legacy_NSFW/Rack1.jpg

 

http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z151/Legacy_NSFW/Rack2.jpg

 

 

The laptop is a HP 530 (refurbished, $500ish), to which I soldered a remote power switch, controlled by the "W3bm4st3r" auto-on module. I stuck several 4" sections of weather-stripping to the underside of the laptop to absorb shocks and vibration, and a small bungee cord at each corner holes the laptop in place. The laptop has a cooling fan intake on the bottom, so it needs to be lifted above the rack for airflow. I also really like the "floating" idea (no firm contact between the laptop and the car), but I am not 100% sure about weather stripping for vibration absorption since it seems to be packing down over time. I have some latex foam to play with, we'll see if that's better.

 

The bundle of bricks toward the front of the car contains a 12vdc-120vac inverter, the laptop's 120vac-19vdc power supply, and the auto-on module. I intended to ditch the inverter and just use a 12v-19v laptop power supply, at which time I'll tidy up the wiring.

 

Lots of open space on the left, for an amplifier in the hopefully-not-too-distant future.

Edited August 15, 2008 by NSFW
better bezel shot

[f1anatic]

NSFW thank you for the info. All sweet and working. Onto the accelerometer we go !

[Jerboa113]

love the hinge mounted assembly.

[NSFW]

I found a retailer that carries the material in black, but that was only after I'd built the rack using white. It would be pretty straightforward to build another in black though, so I might... but this works well enough that that's way down on the list of priorities.

 

Next step is GPS and WiFi radios in the plastic wing at the top of the rear hatch. I'm waiting for iNav to release iGuidance 2009.

[f1anatic]

How do you like the Destinator maps - if you ever used them, ?

[NSFW]

The only nav I've used so far is MS S&T, which is tolerable on a laptop but blows on a CarPC.

[Jerboa113]

mp3car has some kind of wing antenna thats bmw style. I dont know much about it though. I'd just assume keep all my antennas in the car. I dont have the luxury of a hatch door to run wires through and I am sure as hell not drilling.

[f1anatic]

I considered that antenna in quest of better GPS reception.

I eventually found an external re-radiating antenna as used for many handheld/dashboard mount units. It makes a difference, but I am still at a loss on how to mount that. It has a magnetic base so it can stay on the trunk or the rooftop. But where do I hide the wire ? I am not going to pry it under the rear window rubber seal because water will sip in and that is guaranteed to be a place where rust starts.

[Jerboa113]

I place mine in the rear window as I've always done. I drilled a small half circle in the 3rd brake light cover and the wire runs out of that through holes in the body panel into the trunk.

 

I have been using a microsoft gps antenna, however it cannot take the heat of being located back there and it dies after being there for a month or 2. One of these days i'm going to buy a nicer antenna.

 

I'd show you a pic but my website went down a long time ago. I found out my host did not provide whois protection and when they refused, I told them to shove it.

[f1anatic]

I have mine just behind the 3rd brake light but I have issues down town Chicago. i mean probably most cars will have trouble getting good GPS reception due to the urban canyon but still, there must be some improvement roof top vs tucked behind rear window

[executor485]

I'm looking to make a new skin for RR cause the standard one has a few things that I dont need/want (TV, Radio, Sat Radio, Rip). What do you think of the look so far? I'm by no means a graphics artist, just playing around for now.

 

Anyone have suggestions on good clean looking skins for RR that are already made? These are the things I'm looking to really have on there, nothing more for now.