I'm starting my Car PC soon but i'm having problems deciding on how to install the LCD touchscreen.

i listen to FM and AM radio a lot so an aftermarket HU is a must for me... Also I really really want to keep the HU Cover so that why i can't use an indash motorized lcd....

I just bought this


ive been researching all the different installs on WWW.MP3CARS.COM for the past years now and this is the best setup i can think of for my situation



VS.





-The first setup requires the least amount of work and is easiest for me all i have to do is build a Single DIN enclosure with sliding rails attached to the LCD case which has mounts already built in so that means i won;t void the warrenty... the only bad thing i can think of is it won;t look OEM....


-The second setup is a tons more work which involves taking apart the LCD screen to fit it in a smaller housing which will void the warrenty... I would also have to extend the lcd screen out more so the lcd would lower enough to install a Single DIN HU instead of the DVD drive you see there

Anyways this is the only valid LCD installations i can think of for my situation...

so what do you guys think???

 

What about keeping the Double DIN monitor in the dash and custom build a housing on top of the dash that will hold the Radio unit? Or vice versa.

 

lol ive thought about it but i;ve never fiberglassed or bondo before and if i screw up it;s pretty much over, my car ony has 6k miles on it so it;s still a bit early for me to be destroying it lol unless i fine a bezel off another tc somewhere fabricating won;t be an option anytime soon...

 

Why not set up your PC with an AM/FM receiver card (PCI) and wire the antenna to it? The antenna wire is just CoAx, so it is pretty simple to terminate with a BNC or threaded tip, which ever your specific PCI card requires. This way, you could ditch a headunit and use strictly the PC and just need to worry about the touchscreen.

 

lol i thought about that too but the problem is the reliability of the pc... don;t get me wrong i am the biggest fan of Bill Gate's wonderful OS but even i know that it will eventually start to freeze, and shutdown occassionally... The car environment is only gonna make things worst with the limited wattage, constant bumps, and extreme temperatures compared to that of my office table...

and then theirs the issue of ease of use... i;m not the only one thats gonna be driving the car so i don;t think i want otherpeople messing with the setup... also how would i get sound out of the system wouldn;t i need like an entire new audio system???

 

Most car-pc systems have a nice audio interface already on board with a an equivalent codec to Dolby 5.1 or even 7.1. You would have to provide some sort of amplification for the audio, but that is pretty simple to do. Using a few mini (headphone jack) to RCA conversion Y-cables and a decent multi-channel amp, you could actually have yourself a reasonable theater-quality surround sound setup in your car.
Windows environments are not exactly the most stable OS's in the world, that is for sure. You could try using Linux, but you might have some trouble getting the appropriate drivers for things such as the touchscreen support, or even the audio codec itself. I would get the system set up, allow it to run through its proper security updates and appropriate service packs, then turn off the updates and make a backup image of the system with Acronis or Ghost. That way, if you ever have issues with it, all you need to do is re-image the machine, which takes minimal time.
As for the user-friendliness of the car PC, that is a different story. You might have to give whoever else would be using your car "lessons" on proper usage of the system, or just keep it secure with some sort of login and don't allow them access to it. It might ____ 'em off a bit, but who cares?

 

im a newbie when it comes to audio in the car lol... so ur saying all i need is a decent amplifer and a sub and use the stock speakers? how is the reception of the pci radio card??? it sounds really cool but imma wait until there are more peoplle who go this route. i don;t think i wait 30 seconds for the computer to boot into windows just to listen to the radio... lol anyways all this is of big help so any comments are welcome.

 

I've had my carpc set up for a while now and occasionally use my radio. i've got the 7" lillput screen with a lil bondo fab on the sides

I have my aftermarket sony receiver in the back of the screen. which i control using this


the only bad thing about my set up is that you cant see the read out of the stations. however you can preset the stations on the receiver and have the ability to change station using the wired remote. Plus I think this set up gives more of an oem look and i still retain my console cover. am just waiting for internet radio to come in handy and then i would not have to worry about using my radio ever again.

 

There are PCI cards that can do AM/FM well and then there are some that have poor reception. You may need to do some research before buying, rather than just buying whatever is cheapest or readily accessible. But, if you are truly planning out a good car-pc, then you have already been doing your research, I am sure.
If you build your car-pc with enough good quality, high-speed RAM, you should be able to avoid waiting 30 seconds to boot up the pc. A small, mini-ITX unit with a good VIA processor (1.5 GHz or higher), a minimum of 1GB of memory, and a reasonably quick HDD should boot up in 10 seconds or so. If the unit will accept 2G of memory or more, do it. It will only make things that much faster.

 

I used that Xenarc!!! good stuff...

 

That clear double din case, where can that be purchased!?!

 

This is my setup, I used a single DIN flip out screen that can also swivel side to side, which is nice. I still have my headunit under it (Pioneer Premier DEH-P780), its actually the same headunit as pictured in one of the first pics above, but its under the touch screen and not above it.
Sorry for the blurry pics, haven't had a chance to take new ones yet.

 

Not something you can purchase, these are usually custom made by ppl, here is a the CAD models I did for mine .

 

You might find this to be what you need:

http://digitalww.com/DWW-6500.htm

Its a Fip down LCD touch screen monitor with a PC DVD drive built into it. It also has an FM tuner , so you wouldn't need to keep your HU. But its pricy .

 

Awww drats, guess eventually Ill have to go with my original plan of designing from scratch and having http://www.protocase.com/ build the case.

 

wow that all in one design is the answer to my problem!!! Too bad its so expensive... owell perhaps one day in the future when i gots more cash....


i like your setup Borismo does your cover still work? or did u completely take it off? i thought about putting the screen on top but was afraid the door will be in it;s way...

thx guys all this is actually a big help

oh and jester28 let me know how your setup turns out that looks really interesting...

 

The cover still works, but I took it off since when its on I cant swivel the screen left and right. I like it better that way although I might put it back on, dont know yet.

This is the screen I got:
http://digitalww.com/DWW-700H.htm