I have been doing a lot of research on powering a computer in the car but I can't seem to figure out how I would go about powering up a dc-dc power supply unit. Would I have to run wires from the battery? or is there another way of powering the computer without using an inverter.

 

tap the cigarette lighter, i believe it's 12v and it turns off completely once the car is turned off so you won't have to worry about the motherboard running down your battery. You could use an inverter too, but you would have to hit a button to turn the carpc on each time you turn on the car.

 

For true stability, you'll need one of these:

http://www.mp3car.com/store/product_...products_id=97

 

Or you can use this http://www.mp3car.com/store/product_...products_id=67 - if your not comfortable with running wires, this one plugs into the lighter socket and will auto start and shutdown your PC http://www.cartft.com/catalog/il/445

Here is a pic (bad one) but a pic none the less of my carpc



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okay that is SWEEEET . . . can you give details on how you got it in there, and how about booting up - does it take a long time or what? i WANT ONE now!!!

 

The screen is a 7in touchscreen xenarc, In order to make it fix without cutting the cut up itself, is to remove the black panel that is on the back of the AC controls. This will give you the needed clearance for the bottom of the screen. After that you just find a method to keep the screen in plcace. I used a hinge from lowes. My XP boot time is about 30sec. I used a program calling nlite (http://www.nliteos.com) to remove uneeded files from the windows OS, which cut down on the boot time by leaps and bounds.. I never see it boot anyhow I have a remote start, so once the car is on the PC auto boots. By the time i get to the car windows is running. Here is a pic of the PC itself, about the size of a text book

 

i am using a Mini-ITX box right now
but i will change to an Athlon Micro ATX soon

the Via ITX just does not have the processing power to do what i want in the car
it barely plays DVD and forget about DivX or XviD
Games HAHAHAHAHAHAHA

get a big inverter and build a shuttle with laptop parts for vibration resistance

 

Nice setup Thatch!

I'm going Alpine head unit with a high end laptop doing
DVD, Navi, and MP3, *and* it has an optical OUT!

 

to TXboxdriver, I dont know what Mini ITX your using, but i'm using the MII board and I can do divx ( all my movies are divx/xvid) and DVD perfectly. actually Im able to watch a DVD while using my GPS software.. and still dont notice any lag, As far as games, no problem there as well, then again im not playing doom or unreal.. & inverters don't normally survive the engine crank, and also dont have a startup/shutdown controller..

 

The via boards work just fine for doing almost all the tasks you would do in a car (Dvd, gps, etc). The SP-13000 is the fastest i believe and with a firmware update can also support the native resolution of those touchscreens.

Btw Thatch what case are you using and does it fit perfectly in the glovebox? I've been trying to choose a case for my setup but I would love it if it fit in the glovebox.

 

Is there anyway that you can show me the back side of the panel so I can see the hinge and how its keeping the screen in place. It would really help out.

Thanks

 

I run the OPUS 90W Power Supply. It goes into Hibernate 10 seconds after I turn the car off and starts up on ignition. It also has a low voltage protector. If the battery starts to wear down it will cut power to the PC.
Edit:
You should run the DC power from the battery with a heavy gauge wire(not difficult). You should also fuse the DC power from the battery as close to the battery as possible.

The ground should be as close to the unit as possible, and a solid one.
you can tap into the ACC wire from the HU harness.

I haven't had any problems with it.

I power the LCD(XENARC) off the Power Supply as well.

The DIVx and Various other programs run fine on my M10000.

I also just put in a custom case (for show).
here it is.

 

My M10000 plays dvd and games great. I went from a micro ATX to the ITX due to heat issues. With 512 of RAM it runs great. GPS, DVD, Games, EVERYTHING!!

Check the link in my sig for pics of my 8" screen setup, and by the way do not use the cig lighter for power.

 

here is a useful site that might also answer your question. http://mp3car.com

 

Search before you post on that site. Search & Read. Repeat.Repeat.Post.

Everything I ever needed to know could be found by reading old posts on that site. Its a good site.

 

check my sig, I got the parts you need... the link is below: ALL FOR SALE! FREE S/H!!!

 

how do any of you guys play the radio?

 

I don't. I thought it would be an issue so I had an FM tuner card in the PC but I never used it so I removed it. With internet and MP3's I have all the entertainment I can use. I have all the movies for my passengers as well.

 

I still have a pioneer HU in the cubby. I use it for AUX input. I have found the antenna quality to be rather poor on the xB, maybe there is a ant amplifier I missed in the setup....

I rarley use the radio.
I have XM via the PC, 14 gig of MP3s and movies if I want them.

Realistically you could go without the HU and run from the PC straight to an amp.

Edit:
I do use the volume control **** on the HU. Although you could go with the knobby thing that he is selling up above. I believe it is a powermate or something?

 

anyone figure out how to transfer the satellite radio to the carputer without running a headunit on the side?