Anyone have a computer in their car?

[notfred]

I have this extra laptop laying around, and me and a friend are thinking about putting it in my car, getting a little LCD for it to mount in the dash, and hooking up a GPS receiver and stuff to it. It'd be an MP3/video player, Map, and w/ a cell phone, have internet capabilities. I don't know if this is worth the time or effort, but it might be fun, and since my stereo was stolen, I need to fill the whole with something.

Anyone else have a PC in the car? What do you use it for? Would you do it again?

 

[Hamburgerpimp]

Just another reason for someone to break into your car. Go for it.

 

[Wduaqnug]

My friend made cool thing. He bought LCD screen for car bumber, he wrote some software for pda and using his little PDA keyboard he can type any message to drivers behind him. Damn no matter how many times I asked him to do it for me, he wouldnt. I am jealous

 

[Darein]

If you have a computer in your car, running linux especially, you are hardcore.

 

[Evadman]

I did. it was cool, but large. I built a desktop system in a briefcase and used a 14.1" lcd. I used it basicly for MP3 storage and playing. Played using a RF modulator (played over the radio) I also bought a 5" LCD that I was going to stick in there and hard mount a smaller computer under the passenger seat. I removed the lcd and computer for the winter. Now I have to do ti to a Zuk.

If you have specific questions, post 'em. I have done quite a bit of research on this topic.

 

[DoNotDisturb]

Originally posted by: Hamburgerpimp
Just another reason for someone to break into your car. Go for it.

of course u can always 'cover it' someway. casing perhaps?

 

[TallBill]

Originally posted by: Wduaqnug
My friend made cool thing. He bought LCD screen for car bumber, he wrote some software for pda and using his little PDA keyboard he can type any message to drivers behind him. Damn no matter how many times I asked him to do it for me, he wouldnt. I am jealous

hehe, thats pretty sweet

 

[oniq]

I was thinking of the same thing, but decided I'd go the serial LCD character display route. Less of a chance that someone will steal it for THAT, and I'm going to see if there is a way to either a) hide it with a pull down cover or b) detach it.

You might want to check out http://www.mp3car.com for some other people's projects as well as forums.

 

[Confused]

Yup

P3 500
128MB
4gb HDD (running XP, and Winamp)
8gb HDD (for all music, in removable hdd rack)
MSI mATX motherboard, with onboard sound/vid
USB-Ethernet adapter, for network hookup
Compaq iPAQ for controlling the music

Custom made enclosure (Old pic of, it currently doesn't have any PCI cards, because they were causing the computer to stop for a second when they moved in the slots)
iPAQ for controlling
View from driving seat
Closeup of the iPAQ

Controlling Winamp using a slightly modified Snowcrash default theme. It runs as plugin on Winamp, and via Internet Explorer on the PocketPC. If you want, I can email you the modified HTML files

I currently just have the iPAQ sitting in the standard cradle, which is screwed down near the gear stick. I am hopefully going Bluetooth or Wi-Fi with the computer, and iPAQ


Confused

 

[Evadman]

Very nice confused! wHy did you not tell the guys in DC? Or did I miss that post?

P.S. Your steering wheel is on the wrong side

 

[Confused]

Originally posted by: Evadman
Very nice confused! wHy did you not tell the guys in DC? Or did I miss that post?

P.S. Your steering wheel is on the wrong side

Uhm, I think i was putting off posting it til i got it more or less how it is at the moment...then i forgot


And btw, steering wheel is on the right side, the right side.





Confused

 

[ElFenix]

several. mostly engine management stuff.