indofin

does anyone know the website for the computer system put into the xb on pimp my ride? i think they said it was called drivesoft or something. Anyone know how much this costs?

mmintegra

I've been hunting it down. I'm going to give West Coast Customs a call tomorrow to see price and info on it. I can't find it anywhere on the internet either.

xvolcomx88

http://www.drivesoft.net

BlueScionXB

That was a hard find.

DeliriousVisions

at first i was looking for that drivesoft system....but then i came across www.carcpu.com i think the drivesoft is a specialized computer system with limited upgrade abilities.....even the carcpu web site doesn't allow you to use any pci cards...thats a problem for me.....so i did some more searching and found a few places that just sell the power supply to power the in car cpu...(with processor to initiate shutdown sequence when car is turned off) for aprx 130 dollars. I think i am going to go that route, simply buy a slim pc...from tigerdirect.com possibly....and throwing a new power supply in it....my current problem is finding a cheap, yet good 7 inch touch screen lcd to mount where the head unit is......xenarc was one choice, but they are a bit steep in price....

cAmmoBox

If you guys want a computer in your scions, you should check out the forums at http://www.mp3car.com There are so many more options than drivesoft.

tiber

Thats the best thing to do.

A complete computer system for your car will run you roughly $500. Why so cheap? Because if you want a computer in your car, its probably because you LIKE computers which means you have done SEVERAL upgrades to your home PC, therefore.... you have 3/4 of the parts you need already at home.

Face it. Your not going to playing Doom 3 in your car. So you dont need mega power. If you want to run a GPS, your MP3 collection etc. you dont need anything over a 1.0mhz CPU. Dont know if youve seen it but this is what I have:



Its a simple AMD 1.0 microatx MB with a 80g hard drive and 256m ram. Running Windows XP and holds 5,000+ of my MP3s. Runs my Earthmate GPS which you see in the pic as well. And will soon have a bluetooth for internet connectivity.

Drivesoft etc, as mentioned above, as well as any other "premade" or "boxed" system, will limit your expandability and upgrades.

Just put together your own home PC, shop around for a nice small box, Shuttle makes nice microboxes. You want a barebone system already? You can try

http://www.cappuccinopc.com/default.asp

Screens? You go straight to the authority. This is ALL he does and has the best pricing.

http://www.digitalww.com/LCD_TM_701L_BLACK.htm

Thats the unit I have in my car here 7" TSK VGA:



$340 VGA installed with TSK (Touchscreen kit)

What I do suggest is NOT to get the OPUS powersupply. Its the only powersupply on the market, like Delirious posted, that powers down your PC and powers it up. Why not? Because first of all its only 150watts. Second of all it has issues with freezing your OS etc. Third...what if you dont want your PC on? The best thing to do is invest the $100 in a PURE SINE-WAVE INVERTER. This is the power suppply that will invert your 12v to 120v for your PC to use, and is "clean" power. The on-off button on your PC?? Run that to your dash and make a little button to turn your pc on and off from there.

See that little red button to the left and below my steering wheel? Thats the PC on/off switch.

So figure:

$340 for screen
$100 inverter
$50-60 for case
Everything else... you already have :D

Software?? You can choose http://www.mediaengine.org/ which in my opinion has all the capabilities of doing anything you want it to. Also.. you can choose from here: http://www.mp3car.com/software.php

Sorry if I wrote too much... but computers are my hobby and I can talk about them all day long Just hate to see people spending too much money on things that can be accomplished very easily... they just need the info.

If you have any questions.. dont hesitate to ask.

C2C

I was actually thinking about instlalling an SFF in the tC I've got on the way.

I've been using XP Corporate for the better part of 3 years now; know it inside & out. So, a few of questions for you:

How does the monitor interface with the mobo? Is it the typical VGA-to-VGA? Does it have drivers?

Do you have your desktop on the monitor? I assume not, since I'm not aware of XP supporting a touchscreen configuration. Again, I'm assuming that you're running software on the comp. with its own interface to call up progs/files in XP.

How are the noise levels? I know that using the bog standard built-in sound on most mobos will allow you to hear the whine of fans, etc. Are you running a PCI soundcard instead?

Are you even using a head unit? I'd imagine that, give the comp's ability to play CD, MP3, DVD, the only thing you're lacking is radio, which, given your Bluetooth plans, can even be encompassed somewhat with online radio.

JasonH

Man, my calculator is faster than that.

eugovector

Very nice setup on that xB. Do you ever have recpetion problems with the placement of your GPS?

It must be nice to live in FL with a carputer. I'm afraid that cold weater and condensation may come into play for me up in RI.

JDMBLKbB

xb? where's the xb? i could've sworn that was an xa.

C2C

Actually, I'd imagine that being in FL (like LA, where I am), it's probably hot & humid. Not exactly chocolate & peanut butter! Especially when it comes to computers. I don't know that the heat dissipation properties of plexi are any better than aluminum. That being said, make my computer frosty any day of the week! I'll take chilly core temps versus a HSF that's wheezing to keep the core cool. If condensation is bad enough in your car that you'd think it'd ruin the comp., then you probably have some kind of weather seal integrity problem that needs to be dealt with ASAP.

Houston40387

hey tiber i like your floor mats how much were they

cAmmoBox

I'm also curious on how well your gps will get a lock sitting in the back window like that.

Max2k

Cold=good for computers. Hot=bad for computers. Why do you think they have all those fans in there?

tiber

The monitor connects to your VGA input on the mobo. Its your typical 15 pin.

Yes my desktop is on my monitor. Just as you would turn on your PC at home and get your regular desktop. My computer, recycle bin etc. XP does support a touchscreen config, because the touchscreen is simply an "overlay", a thin film of plastic, which is placed over the screen and detects pressure or touch. The touchscreen is a USB interface just like your mouse. So you plug it into any USB port and XP will recognize it and of course ask you for the correct drivers which come with the screen.

Yes. Soundblaster 5.1. The built-in sound will give you whines

I have a JVC KD-AR3000 Arsenal HU. Which has 2 RCA in lines. My sound card is connected directly to the LINE-IN on my HU. So I use the HU to switch between radio-cd-computer :D [/quote]

tiber

$130 Shipped. You can contact Projectfusion on these boards for more info.


It acquires lock, but doesnt maintain it because of the limo tint. Which is why its being moved to the speedometer casing. Someone else, I forget, dremeled it right into the plastic "faceplate" of the speedometer which is an awesome idea. That spot will get lock immediately because there is no interference.

Update: Found the post. https://www.scionlife.com/forums/vie...232&highlight= Thats the perfect spot the put it

Exactly The case has 1-80mm, 2-60mm, Hard drive cooler, Thermaltake Dragon Orb and an Ultra case conditioner. Which is the exact same reason you dont want to get a CPU higher than 1.0-1.3. It will create too much heat that you DONT need.

And yes.. its an xA

TheBigGuyRy

The one thing that intrigues me about this drivesoft thing is it's LCD touchscreen. It claims:

"Touch Screen LCD Monitor, 7” (size and mounting is typical of most 7" car audio LCD monitors)"

This could possibly mean it's a double DIN sized LCD VGA/USB screen... something that Armin at digitalWW and the folks at MP3car haven't been able to provide...

I sent an email asking about it.

rotarycolt

Since when!? Both digitalWW and MP3car have a 7" vga/usb touch panel... the Lilliput. and the Xenarc are both just such. I have a Lilliput mounted where my head unit used to be...

Drivesoft is ____, they have no product. The only reason they were on the show, is because the guy is friends with the "gotta put da PS2 in da back" guy on Pimp My Jalopy. Their software is weak at best, and their PC solutions are like a 1U rack mount server that takes up your trunk... just think about it... if they knew what they were doing, then they would be ready for the "publicity" and would have had a working web site up for when the show aired. They probably had 6 months to do so, and still couldn't... not very inspiring.

TheBigGuyRy

So how'd you mount the lilli where your HU is? They're about an inch taller than a double DIN opening.

Note : I did say "double din" sized.

After reading a little more about your project, I think you fail to realize that the indash space in the tC and the xB are very different.

You have to deal with the HU door mechanism above, and the HVAC unit below. That leaves little to no wiggle room.

I was merely wondering if Drivesoft had developed a special double DIN sized LCD that would actually fit without having to re-case a lilli.

Such a thing has not been done yet. Not to my knowledge...