I know this thread died 2 years ago, but I just wanted to give it a bump bc it was awesome back then, and it's awesome now...and i want to keep it in "my posts" so i can find it easier when it's time for me to build more into my scion, lol

 

it is a xA it screams it all over the dash errr gauge cluster

 

WWW.MINI-ITX.COM
more SFF stuff than you can throw an 80mm fan at

 

HOw about a 120mm fan? :-P

nice site btw, thank you

 

i've gotten alot of info off of mp3car.com i love that site.

i'm working on building up a carpc, just trying to figure out which one of my boxes is being taken from the house to the car. LOL

 

Ok the computer is a good idea and all BUT.... Putting the freaking tower next to your subs has got to be the dumbest idea yet. You are going to ruin your hard drive. Give it time and you will see.

 

This thread is so damn inspiring, I've got a p3 700mhz to go drop in to my box once I get my touch screen. Now I just have to worry about keeping it cool

 

I don't get it though... Is this gui just for the main menu or does it actually "skin" the applications you are lauching?

I see a lot of people running a few different skins but I really don't see a need for it other than the fact that it looks cool and futuristic. In my car pc right now, im just running win xp pro with a really minimal desktop - i only have 4 icons on it - video, music, navigation (shortcut to microsoft streets and trips 2006) and a shutdown batch file which shuts down the computer within 10 seconds...

This is what my desktop looks like when im driving:



I also have my start menu set to auto hide so it stays away...

This is what it looks like when I have music playing. I have set Winamp to DOUBLE it's size, so it's easier to navigate through while driving :D




Sorry for the huge a$$ pics....

 

What type of mini-tower did you use, where did you find it. I'm having some dificulty finding a "micro/mini" tower that is actually small. Also what type lcd did you go with? Did you get a pop out or did you use a double-din?

 

Hey guys, so you know..this post was started back in 2004, i just bumped it up because i ran into it again and figured i'd make it easier to access, haha

 

Yea I read that too, but I am so damn interested! It seems so much better than a damn $2000 navigation.

 

I want to be able to access this thread easier also...

 

Yeah, so once I get my new gaming rig built and get my own apt in tustin or costa mesa....I'm thinkin i might put my xb on bags or coil-overs....then maybe some nice wheels, and them time to build me a car pc...with wifi so i can connect next to most hotels

 

midtowndesi - What type of screen are you using? Doubledin or pull-out?

 

One more question, how do you control the volume if your not running a seperate HU. Just use windows OS to volume up or down?

 

my setup is actually a laptop mounted to the dash via the "cubby" beneath the temp controls. all of my volume controls are via winamp. the screen is my laptops 12.1" awesome quality and high res screen.

sorta sucks in the sun but it's still an awesome solution.

and this is MUCH BETTER THAN THE $2,000+ option. sure, you have to do a little bit of wiring but the PC is capable of doing so much more than just telling you where you are.

i have movies copied onto my laptop, 900+ mp3s, a gameboy emulator (super mario world 2 for gameboy owns you), and gps. I am also considering buying a USB camera that i can install in the rear door so that way i'll also have a backup camera!

you can easily spend like $3,000+ to have all of these options if you bought the standalone components seperately. I can also connect to wireless networks access the internet. HOW COOL IS THAT?

plus, since im in nyc, i cant always leave my laptop inside (for obvious reasons...) the way that i am mounting it, all you have to do is pull the laptop off, disconnect the 3 cables (power, usb gps locator and audio cable) and pack up your laptop!!

I PROMISE ALL OF YOU GUYS that i will have pictures of my rig up by this sunday! it's such a clean clean installation!

PS - F*ck the law that tells me that i cant have more than an 8" screen by the driver!!!!!!!

=]

 

Cool thanks for all the info... That sounds really sweet!!!

 

the "tower" is unnecessary unless you truly want to game

the miniITX form factor is made for über small cases and have low power and heat requirements
i think the top of the line now is a 1.2GHz processor

i have a VIA EPIA M10000
plays music, movies, pics and can run GPS and WiFi no prob
the case is from CaseTronic
Imagine a sheet of paper then add 2" height
i have seen these crammed in a double din custom case
17cm² motherboard can fit anywheres!!

 

But, your looking at spending some $$ on the case $150, and the HDD 2.5" $100 and the mother board $300, memory $100 etc. Then you still need gps and wifi, bluetooth (if you want) dvd player, sound card, and list keeps going. If you take a home pc and put it into a smaller case you have everything already and just need the screen and a power converter

 

i don't wanna argue your logic but....
3.5" hard drives are not very vibration resistant
memory is insanely cheap now
a few EPIA mboards use PCMCIA cards and CF cards
the case is not that expensive...maybe $80 now??
you can go full size but the power required for a normal machine is quite high
not to mention the noise from case fans and CPU fans
i am just trying to offer alternatives
and no one had mentioned mini ITX yet (except the mp3car.com site)
just suggestions...i have my EPIA on my TV @ home
i am going to use the Vantec Avox for my car