as far as 12v to 12v im lookin into modding an ittps switch used on mini itx boards. as far as the whole thing goes, ive got plenty of time to screw with it. If I have to I'll do a little bread board work. Patience is the key really.


**EDIT
a cap or small ups might need to be added for stability, but hey the whole point for me is to learn something

 

I thought the ITPS was used as a startup/shutdown controller but had nothing in it to help survive crank when the voltage drops like the Carnetix and Opus power supplies.

 

they have been saying the nano - itx is coming out forever I think the capuccino pc's are smaller have to check.

 

the caps are smaller, but A LOT MORE expensive... and itx board is under $100 for something that will play back video and mp3s... GPS, etc... I have mine setup running MAME (arcade...) and it works great... the itx setups are extremely thin... my setup is shorter than a PS2..

my next setup will have a removable hard drive bay OR wifi for update, my old dvd burner, and that is about it...

costs to build...
motherboard/cpu = $50 to 120
RAM = $20 to 50
HD = $50 to 100
powersupply = $80 for shutdown and dc-dc...
touchscreen = $250 to 450 depending on size and quality...

you can skip the touchscreen as I did in my first install... I used the RF remote from ATI called the "Remote Wonder" and it worked very well... it has a few programmable hot buttons and allowed for mouse control... pretty much useless driving because it takes too much focus to make stuff happen... but touchscreen would be better and my next setup is voice controlled...
NaviVoice

 

Maybe not an answer for the "bling" factor, but it is perfect for the $$ and functionality factor:

PocketPC with a GPS receiver.

I've used PPCs in my vehicles for GPS navigation for years now. Currently I use two Toshiba e755 PPCs with 1GB SD cards and Globalsat CF GPS receivers. GPS software I mainly use is CoPilot Live 5.0, Routis 2004, followed by Destinator and Tom Tom Navigator.

I use a windshield mount to the left of my steering wheel so I don't have to take my eyes far off the road to view the screen. In my truck I have a JVC head unit with a 1/8" AUX jack on the faceplate that I can plug into the PPC. I can play MP3s (mostly Howard Stern and Opie & Anthony commercial free edited shows), listen to the GPS voice guidance through truck speakers. A finger stylus works much better than using the pen stylus for using the touchscreen also.

In the Xb I also use a windshield mount, but use a FM transmitter if I want to listen to guidance or MP3s. I have a transmitter that connects between the HU and antenna, but still have to connect it.

The 1GB memory cards hold all the east coast maps for every GPS app I use, plus have plenty of storage left over for MP3s. In addition, when not using the CF GPS receiver, I have a 1GB CF card that I can pop in and watch movies (still in the theater), TV shows, etc. I carpool with my wife and she likes to drive, so I relax and do my thing while my daughter watches her reading DVDs in the backseat.

PPCs can be picked up for under $300 easily and GPS receivers cost about $100. Do some usenet searching and you can find the software you need.

Here's a link to my truck's gallery - go to the interior section and you'll see a pic of the PPC playing a Howard Stern E-Show.

http://chevytruckworld.tenmagazines....ry.asp?id=6170

 

I have tried the gps / pda setup before, it is clunky and doesn't flow well no matter how it is installed...

check out the mp3car.com forums and you'll be able to see what I think the majority of people here are going for... and that is a clean, functional setup... something to rival the iDrive system in BMWs, but do more for a whole lot less money...

pda's are good for your pocket, but in the car you need a little more screen real estate and I would hope for a whole lot more functionality...

 

Nah, the PocketPC setup is ideal for me because I need functionality of style when it comes to GPS and computing. I'm a network engineer and usee my PPC for work on our wireless network and on my home wireless network. It's ideal for me to take with me everywhere.

The GPS software is much better than the in car software too...you just have to use the right software. Streets & Trips is not navigation software...it's route planning. Big difference.

A friend of my has a the in dash GPS setup in his Denali and it's WAY too cumbersome and slow to input an address by scrolling thru the letters/ numbers. That's fine for entering a high score on an arcade game, but not cool to use when driving. I use my finger stylus and bebop all over the screen for typing and entering info.

I also use the PocketPC GPS system for Geocaching because I can walk around with my setup and am not tied to the truck/Xb. Check out www.geocaching.com for info on this cool activity/sport/whatever.

I've used my PPC GPS setup when going to NYC to conferences as well. I get off the train/subway and have my directions to whatever hotel I need to be at.

I'm all about the killer app over style when it counts.

In fact, I'm leaving right now to drive to someone's house to pick up some furniture and I'm using the PPC GPS to get there.

 

but there are many more choices than Streets & Trips... Destinator, Delorme's products, Iguidance, Tripmate, Copilot, just to name a few... not to mention the many offerings of topo maps, oceanography, etc...

the selection is there for PPC, but often times it is just a subset of what the parent company is offering in its "desktop" products... I'm not saying there aren't some good proggys out there for PPC, I'm just saying that bang for the buck in car navigation on a ITX motherboard with a 7" widescreen VGA running at 800x480 can give the driver a better overall experience... touchscreen is an option and the cost is right in line with what you'd pay for a PocketPC and a GPS and the required adapters to connect the two... (most ppc's aren't readily equipped with PC Card or Compact Flash slots)... battery life, cables...

I'll trade in the portability for functionality...

 

It doesn't sound like you've used a PPC based GPS system lately. There is no loss of functionality versus an in-dash GPS system. The latest software uses 3D maps, various routing options, POIs, etc...same as the in-dash software. Except I can play a DVD while using my PPC GPS because my in-dash DVD player isn't being used for the map DVD. :D

If someone needs 800x600 resolution for a map, I don't know why a person would, then there are VGA PPCs available. But 800x600 is way overkill for maps.

I'll accept that of course an in-dash screen system obviously has the visual "wow" factor. But that's all it has over a PPC setup. PPC portability is a huge benefit. Most in dash systems don't allow the screen to be adjusted to different heights and angles. I can mount the PPC anywhere pretty cleanly, and if I'm the navigator while my wife is driving then I can just hold it in my hand while reclined comfortably in my seat.

In August we took a family vacation from NJ to NC. I relaxed in the rear of our minivan while my wife and her friend drove up front. The PPC portability allowed me to navigate from the back of the van while I chilled out and watched movies on my DVD player.

Portability also allows me to take the GPS on my hiking and camping trips on foot. I save my campsite/base location and then I can always find my way back to it and am free to explore without worrying about getting lost.

Just wanted to clear up some facts for anyone else reading this thread who wants a GPS system, but doesn't want to sink $1000-$1500 into a $15,000 car. A ppc GPS system will cost $400-$500 tops. You don't need a CF receiver because there's BT, SD and even a new receiver that's built into a windshield mount. Of course there's also the newer PPCs with built-in GPS receivers as well.

 

and that's exactly why my last statement was "trading portability for functionality"... a PocketPC cannot do the things that you have the freedom to do with a PC...

Voice Recognition.... extremely limited capacity for ppc
Bluetooth phone control.... no apps for ppc
emulators... every emulator on pc, a few on ppc
storage... HD are cheap compared to flash memory
screen size... set by user, not marketing or form factor
OS... wide open, a few use Linux, most windows, some even Mac
SPEED... limited by user budget

then we get into the things like VisualBasic support on the PPC, which is limited at best which means that programmers have to choose from a subset of the programming languages available...

but the fact remains that you don't have to spend a fortune to have a car system that can do a ton, but it comes down to preference... my first system was $300 for CPU +100 for screen... it did movies and mp3s, then I added MAME, it was 640x480 and I was the first guy in my city with a setup... I have had my xB now for three months and the $400/month that I save on my car payment with the Scion allows me to justify spoiling myself... so if I spend more, that's okay... you spent more than $400, cause you have a DVD player in dash and a PDA... no biggie... if you got the cash - spend it... I am...

I am looking for more than a GPS, that is a side effect.. I want more screen real estate so that I don't have to squint... I like the options of voice control and turn by turn voice instruction... but I am a tech junkie, and my goal is to take the iDrive a step further... sometimes its not only about the destination, sometimes it is about the journey...

anyone can throw $400 at Bestbuy and roll away with GPS, but how many have the patience and determination to put together a top notch multi-use, multi-function car computer system... but I would say that the majority of the xB owners on this forum aren't willing to settle for a factory stereo... so spend the same money wisely and you can build something out of the ordinary...

so I understand that you choose the PPC, that's cool... that's why they make them... but for me - I choose the CarPC...

 

[quote]anyone can throw $400 at Bestbuy and roll away with GPS, but how many have the patience and determination to put together a top notch multi-use, multi-function car computer system[\quote]

Not many people would need a full blown PC sitting in the car, which I why I posted my message so others know there is an alternative for GPS navigation. You're obviously not in that camp, so my message didn't apply or was directed at you.

I personally could put together a killer car PC system and it would be a great toy. But I have to be realistic about how much I'd use it. Can't use it when driving, except for the MP3 and GPS features....and I have those covered with my PPC and headunit that can play MP3s also. Can't play games, watch videos, surf the web when driving either. I'm not going to sit in my driveway or parking lot playing games or watching videos. Besides, I have my DVD player if I was waiting around in a parking lot and wanted to watch something. I also have my PPC loaded with games if I feel the urge to play a game or browse the synced internet content.

A lot of people don't take their vehicles to shows, so it's they're not out to impress judges or other owners. What some people prefer is substance and usability over complexity and expense. That's why I posted, so that alternative is out here for anyone to read and think about.

 

You can build a carputer for much less than any of you think...

Anyhow, I use every ounce of it. I play DVD's for my nephew when he's with me, if we stop somewhere I'll pop in the emulator and get some mario cart going...etc...

The GPS is a life saver...

Oh, and when I'm feeling like acting a fool, I turn on my PA Speaker under my hood and throwing on a Document Talker (sh*t talker 1.2) and talk to people with the computerized voices and Arnold Schwarzenegger sound boards

 

Man I never did think of that can't wait for my next show... :D (Sexy voice over - "yeah guys I am a Hot Black Cherry xB with smooth leather interiror and I like to be driven hard ... ")

Seriously anybody know of a USB radar detector and/or parts to make? I was thinking this would be a cool setup… You can have a GUI interface with some cool monitoring graphics on the touch screen and mount hidden remote sensors connecting to the computer via USB whataya think?

 

so where did pimp my ride get that custom frame for their carputer, i doubt that they made it they never make anything. thats a big screen :?: :?: :?: :?: :?:

 

Or a GPS unit with a speed trap database like they have in some European countries.

 

This thread is a good read.
I want to listed to music vids where ever I go :D

 

Here's a tip on music videos. If you already have a DVD player you don't need a CarPC to watch music videos. Download and burn them to a DVD yourself. You can either quickly burn them with Nero or I choose to use DVD authoring software to make at least a basic menu.

In fact, if anyone wants to trade, I have almost a thousand music videos archived. They range from VH1 classics, country, punk, current, rap, etc. I build MP3/music video jukeboxes for gamerooms and began this collection so I could provide content for my customers.

Use your newsreaders to search for the music videos groups and you can begin leaching.

 

If you are like me and have so much music, and like to have it at hand. Having all your cds in your car will fill up the back seat, and they don't make a iPod with enough space yet. The translator for Alpine is too slow for that kind of music library, then the carpc is definately the way to go.
I have not installed my as of yet. I am waiting for it to finally arrive. When it comes I think I will do a "how to". I had planned on doing this for my HU and sub setup, but got lazy. This time I think I will try to stay motivated and hook everyone up.
Also, as a side note when I finally do my custom sub box in the back of my xB, I will try and stay motivated and make a "how to" for that also.