# UUBer Car PC Build Thread



## PhReE (Sep 16, 2004)

Ok so I finally got together some money to put togehter the CarPC I have had thought out in my head for years. It will be running 4.1 discreet channels, the 4 main channels powered by a JL 300/4 and GTI stock components, and then a rockford bd1501 and a JL 12" W7 for the ".1" heh. Now it is time for me to replace my old tired Kenwood CDMP3 player with a real solution. (the speakers and amps above along with the kenwood headunit and a EQ/Crossover have been in the car basically since it was new)
Here are the highlites: 
-VoomPC2 case ($100)
-160W DC-DC atx power supply (M2-ATX) ($70)
-Intel 915GM Socket 479 mobo ($200)
-1.5Ghz 2MB L2 400Mhz bus CPU ($42)
-Probably 1GB of ram (not ordered yet)
-7" VGA LCD Touchscreen ($200)
-Hardwired VAG-COM (already have $25 ebay cable)
-Valentine 1 Serial interface (I may ditch my V1 remote display in favor of onscreen display.) (already had this but it was ~$50)
-USB FM Tuner (With RDS) *($35)*
-USB GPS with map software ($50)
-Mini PCI 802.11 b/g (Had laying around)
-USB Bluetooth Dongle (not ordered yet)
-Some form of wireless keyboard with an integrated pointer (not ordered yet)
-Laptop HD 40 or 80gb or maybe both
I already ordered everything except the few things noted. So far the total invested in this is about $750. I am not counting the $25 vag cable as I boght that long ago anyways. I think thats a hll of a deal considering it will cost $2,000+ for a dual din headunit with NAVI, MP3, dvd playback with 4 channel out and dolby decoding, and ~20GB of hd space. This will do everything that will do plus VAG-COM, V1 interface, and be an entire computer!. I am planning on eventually getting the spring EVDO based wireless internet so I will have internet anywhere I go. There will probably end up being a total under $1,000









VoomPC Case 2 -- this is the second version of the case, mainly they added a slot in the front for a slim (laptop) cd/dvd drive, and it was only like $15 more. I am not sure if I will mount this in the back (maybe where the monsoon amp & cd changer go?) and use a USB drive up front, or just mount it up front somehow. I am looking for some thoughts on this. 

























So I went with the M2 ATX power supply. There is an M1 model which makes 90w or the M2 which makes 160W, while I am sure this pc would run on 90w, it was only like $15 more. This power supply has lost of spiffy features and is easily found online ("M2-ATX") so I wont put all the specs here. Basically the gist of this thing is it will automatically hibernate and standby or whatever I want it to do when I turn the car on and off, and it will be as graceful as possible to the pc at all times.

















I went with an Intel rig because mainly I got this mobo for only $200. I got it from here http://store.mp3car.com/Produc...2D011 
Normally Intel Mini ITX boards are very expensive like 250-270+, so being that I got the cpu on ebay for $42 and a VIA C7 1.5Ghz mobo+cpu is 250, I think I got a good deal, and I know the Pentium M will be faster than a C7. (Also the C7 1.5Ghz = rated 25w, P-M 1.5Ghz 2mb = 21w, actually less heat!)
(pics)mobo









Ram havent got yet

I will have the cpu underclocked and undervolted most of the time to save heat and power. I havent bought the ram yet but I will probably put a gig of ram in, the board takes DDR2. I will use notebook hardware control to do this. I have used that app on several laptops in the past and have been quite pleased.
Got the CPU from ebay.
I got what seems to be the defacto standard in CGA touchscreens, the Lilliput 7" VGA Touchscreen. Not much to say here.









For the VAG COM I will probably just unscrew the big purple OBD socket from the car, plug the vag com cable in and just tuck it up under the dash. I dont want to cut/solder any of the harnesses on the car here.
For the V1 Serial interface I have this little unit 

















which basically plugs into usb, and then it has another cable that terminates into a phone jack like the V1 cables. You just run it in parallel with the remote display and your set. (A 2 way splitter works great for this.) I am not sure of the software here, I may roll my own or use some of the ones available. I have done some research into this but am too lazy to type more about it right now. Comments welcome though.
http://www.ttl2usb.com

For the USB FM Tuner I got a nifty little device. It took me a long time to find this but its friggin perfect, and it even came with the SOURCE CODE FOR THE CONTROL APP too







and the other best part was it was only $35, shipped. Another cool thing about it is that it sends the audio via USB, it does not loop back through the line in. http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif You can buy it here http://www.silabs.com/usbradio but the only hitch was I couldnt buy it on the web site (it was a while ago and I dont remember why but looking now it looks like you can). I had to find a local distributor (they have a list on their site) call them up and order it. It was funny, as the dude was expecting me to order a large amount but when I said just one he was like ok. It was part number USBFMRADIO-RD









http://www.silabs.com/usbradio

EDIT: Ok I just ordered the GPS unit.
It's just a decent looking one on ebay. 32 channell yadda yadda. Costed $48.98 shipped. 








I have a spare mini PCI 802.11b/g card laying around $0








Dont have the bluetooth yet.
I also still need to get a slim cdrom drive.
I have 2 laptop HD's laying around so I will be using at least one of them. One is an 80gb and the other a 40. I think the 80 might be bad though









So far the only parts I have recieved are the USB Radio and the V1 serial interface. I will keep this thread updated as I get all hte parts and pics of all the building progress








Pic of the ride it will be going into:









*EDIT: By the way all of the images and downloadable files linked on my article here are hosted on my web server so they should remain there for a long time, and there is plenty of bandwidth







*


_Modified by PhReE at 8:57 PM 2-26-2007_


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## pwnt by pat (Oct 21, 2005)

*Re: UUBer Car PC Build Thread (PhReE)*

good to see another pc buildup. A couple of things:
1) you're going to have a hard time fitting that case in the stock "cubby" area - if that's where you were thinking. A VERY hard time. 
2) 512mb of ram is going to be more than enough. The more ram you have, the longer you'll be waiting for the unit to come out of hibernation.
3) don't buy a lilliput. Save an extra $100 up and buy a xenarc. The lil will die quickly.
4) you will have to make an antenna for the mini-pci wireless card. Their reception isn't that great without it.
My "budget" was $800 + 150 for a rux-c701. I'm currently sitting at over $1200, but then again, I did buy a bit more than you, and spent most of the extra money on cabling.
Also, you'll want to hardwire the screen to the psu of the computer. You'll get a regulated 12v and it will turn on/off with the computer when it starts and goes into hibernation.
Finally, you'll want two relays. The first relay will go up in the dash. This will control the switched ignition and a strong 12v source to the computer/amps. The second relay will use the PC power suppy 12v as the switched 12v signal so, again, the amps will turn on-off with the computer. If you don't, your computer will still stay on for 10-15 seconds playing music while your amps are shut off.

I'm sure you saw my thread, so keep the pics coming!


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## PhReE (Sep 16, 2004)

*Re: UUBer Car PC Build Thread (pwnt by pat)*

I didnt see your thread, I am actually petty new to this sub forum. 
**** I already ordered the lili. I will see if I can cancel it and get the xenarc one. Any suggested places to buy?
Yeah I knew I need to make an antenna for the mini pci wireless card but 802.11 is low on my list of stuff to make work at the moment. I have seen single wire antennas for like $15 or less (you'd need two; main and aux)
The DC-DC psu I am using will take care of the powerup/down of the pc (it is actually programmable and you can choose things like delays). Then I was just going to get another relay and run it off the 12v rail on the pc psu and use it for power to the lcd and remote turn on for the amps in the back. (I am thinking I only need one relay for this? Am I conused?)
TIA http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif


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## pwnt by pat (Oct 21, 2005)

*Re: UUBer Car PC Build Thread (PhReE)*

mp3car has the screens but they're expensive. Maybe ebay or used of mp3c forums.
Yeah, no reason you can't run the 12v of the psu to amp remote-on. Just keeping the relay outside of the box makes things MUCH easier to work on should something happen. You'll need one relay controlling remote on to trigger the psu to start up. It's just like an amp, won't power on without a remote on signal. From there, you can use the psu's 12v line as a remote-on for the amps and to power the screen.
Check out my thread, specifically the third page of it. You'll see how many wires I have coming out of my PC and how tight the fit was.
Here's the link:
http://forums.vwvortex.com/zerothread?id=3033115


_Modified by pwnt by pat at 10:34 PM 2-25-2007_


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## PhReE (Sep 16, 2004)

*Re: UUBer Car PC Build Thread (pwnt by pat)*

I am going to see if I can fit it in the area in the back where the stock monsoon amp went (MkIV GTI). I am not worried about the wiriring of the relays thats easy stuff hehe. Well how bad are the lili screens? The xenarc one is almost twice as much so I think I am just gonna wing it and see how it goes. 
Im gonna check out your thread now.


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## PhReE (Sep 16, 2004)

*Re: UUBer Car PC Build Thread (PhReE)*

So how is the 800Mhz C3 treatin ya?
I have another general question, how is the video quality gonna be if I run a VGA cable from the trunk?? I am thinking I will just put the pc back there and get a USB DVDROM and then run a USB cable up front, have a USB hub there for DVDROM, touchscreen, and whatever else I want up there, and then also run a VGA cable from the back but I dont want it to look crappy. Anyone with experience with that?


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## pwnt by pat (Oct 21, 2005)

*Re: UUBer Car PC Build Thread (PhReE)*

the 800mhz was too slow so I sold it. the 1ghz was too slow, so I sold it. C3's are just too slow.
I bought a AMD 1.4ghz Geode to use and it's perfect. I have music before I pull out of my driveway.
video quality depends more on your screen than the computer but it's just fine. As for the usb hub, as long as it's "powered" you'll be okay. You might as well just use usb extensions, however. They're much easier to work with.


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## PhReE (Sep 16, 2004)

*Re: UUBer Car PC Build Thread (pwnt by pat)*

Yeah I avoided the via gig alltogether and the more I think about it/look back on it the better I feel about it. I have used a P-M 1.5 Ghz notebook quite extensively so I am familliar with their speed, they are not too bad at all. Plus this one will have 2MB of l2 instead of the 1MB like the laptop I had.
Yeah I was thinking definatly a powered hub coming off of a relay or possibly right off the computers 5v rail is the USB hub is 5v in and not 12v in. Then again little extentions or powered extentions would be a lot easier to deal with.
How about front ends? I have seen some cool looking screenshots on various threads, what has been your experience with them?
EDIT: and about video quality i meant by running a longer cable it makes it look ****ter than running a shorter cable. Cable length tends to affect VGA quite a bit.


_Modified by PhReE at 9:12 PM 2-25-2007_


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## pwnt by pat (Oct 21, 2005)

*Re: UUBer Car PC Build Thread (PhReE)*

You can use a 10' video extension that does nothing for video quality.
I use Centrafuse. It's the most user-frendly I've found and the blue is a pretty close match. I hate the layouts for RR and really don't want to develop my own skin.


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## PhReE (Sep 16, 2004)

*Re: UUBer Car PC Build Thread (pwnt by pat)*

So it looks like Centrafuse doesnt support my USB FM Tuner







Hmm I will have to mess with this in the morning.


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## PhReE (Sep 16, 2004)

*Re: UUBer Car PC Build Thread (PhReE)*

So I got Centrafuse to support the SiLabs USB FM Tuner by using another application called Radiator. I then had to extract the _USBRadio.dll_ from a visual basic test application into the _\Radiator\Plugins_ directory. Then run radiator, right click and select Config, and pick the USBRadio.dll input driver.
















Radiator Download Page
SILab Test App (5.4MB)
Just USBRadio.dll (92KB)

The test application is somewhat interesting too, if you have VB6 you can play around with the source which is included in that file.
Here is a screenshot of it:








So since I dont have any of the hardware yet I am going to work on some OS tuning. I want to run XP on here but its going to be lean and fast.
I will start with nLite, a spiffy utility that can *really* customize a windows install, including remove many things that you "cant remove." 
nLite HomePage
And I will include my INI file as an example, it took me probably 30-45 mins to go through all the options because there are so many! I will probaby be redoing this several times to get it just right, but I will keep updating the ini file on my web server so the download link here is always the most recent file. Use it at your own risk, and no my CDKEY isnt in there. 
NOTE: I am using an MSDN XPSP2 install to begin with, so i dont know if this ini will work with anythging else.
My nLite Config (right click, save as)
nLite makes me an ISO and I will be using VMWare to test my builds. VMWare is computer emulation software, basically allows me to run a virtual computer inside my desktop pc here. (NOTE: When I get the hardware I will be doing a clean install to it -- I am just ironing out the options in nLite at this point, as you need to reinstall windows every time you want to change your options.)
After installing windows there is 1.2GB of hd space used, and 768MB of that is the swap file! That means windows is using about 450MB of hd space, not bad!








Now nLite is only the beginning of the tuning we are going to be doing







First thing we will be doing is un registering several shell plugins that will never be used on a carpc.
To do this go to Start -> run and type 
regsvr32 /u FILENAME
for each file below
Folder Redirection _fdeploy.dll_
Microsoft Disk Quota _dskquota.dll_
QoS Packet Scheduler _gptext.dll_
Internet Explorer Branding _iedkcs32.dll_
Image Previews in Left-Hand Explorer window Pane _shimgvw.dll _
Video Previews in Left-Hand Explorer window Pane _shmedia.dll _
for example the first one would be like:








and you should see a message like:








for each one. If you get an error its ok you probably just dont have that file (could have been stripped already by nLite for example)
Now I will go through the services. I am somewhat conservative with stopping services as honestly they dont really take that much ram up, as most of the windows services used shared ram and are pretty efficient. I also always set the service to Manual not Disabled, so that if it is needed it can be fired up.
Here is a screenshot of the services that remain. Ignore the VMWare one as thats just for the VMWare drivers and will not be in my final car pc build.








Another tweak to increase network browse speed is the one that disables polling for remote scheduled tasks. You just need to go into the registry and delete the key 
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\RemoteComputer\NameSpace\{D6277990-4C6A-11CF-8D87-00AA0060F5BF}
Now I will make XP do its background optimization bit by going to start -> run and typing
rundll32 advapi32.dll,ProcessIdleTasks
You then need to let the pc sit until the HD actvity stops (there will be nothing displayed but the process is running in the background). Then do a defrag.
Now I am going to run bootvis on it. Bootvis does NOT actually speed up the boot process as many people believe. It is a handy tool however to allow you to see everything going on under the hood during bootup. 








(This screenshot was taken after doing the minilogon mod below)
Now for frontend software. I am skipping this part at this point in time because I really need to spend some time playing with the different front ends and getting a feel for them. 

This last step is pretty cool, but it really needs to be done last. What we will be doing now is replacing winlogon.exe with the mini logon from the windows xp embedded version. What this does is bypasses the entire logon process and the welcom screen and boots you right to the desktop logged in as the "SYSTEM" user. You are using the "DefaultUser" profile. This means all of your profile needs to be copied here or you will loose all of your profile specific stuff.
All we need to do is replace the winlogon.exe file, and add a registry key. The easiest way to do this is by putting the HD in another computer, or you need to fight windows file protection.
Here are the files
Run the .reg file in the zip and then replace the winlogon file in BOTH directories (\WINDOWS\system32\ and \WINDOWS\system32\dllcache\)

C:\WINDOWS\system32\winlogon.exe -> C:\WINDOWS\system32\winlogon.bak
minlogon.exe -> C:\WINDOWS\system32\winlogon.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\dllcache\winlogon.exe -> C:\WINDOWS\system32\dllcache\winlogon.bak
minlogon.exe -> C:\WINDOWS\system32\dllcache\winlogon.exe
(**NOTE** You can disable windows file protection in nLite, if you do that it makes this a LOT easier, and you will NOT need to worry about the file in the dllcache folder, only the one in system32.)
Then reboot. It will build your profile the first time it boots, but next boot will be very quick.
NOTE: Using the minilogon will disable CTRL+ALT+DEL, so someone has made a workaround. You can download it here. Please read the readme file in that zip for instructions on its use.

So thats all for today folks. I am going to move on to deciding which front end I want to use, and see if I can get the FM Radio to work a little more smoothly.


_Modified by PhReE at 8:54 PM 2-26-2007_


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## PhReE (Sep 16, 2004)

*Re: UUBer Car PC Build Thread (PhReE)*

So I got some parts today.
Touchscreen LCD
































Note the interesting wiring harness it comes with. The two actually screw together (nice) and the vga/usb go to the PC, and then the other end goes into the LCD.








I did fire up the LCD to test it out and it works great, the touchscreen is spiffy, and overall its a pretty nice LCD. Not stunning by any means, but thats what you get for $200. It does have one bad pixel, stuck red in the top left quadrant. Oh well.

M2-ATX DC-DC PSU








Note the three wires with crimp connectors in this pc








This is how it will end up wired. Actually the 20 pin ATX connector can be plugged into the power supply at either end. I may end up plugging the other end into the power supply -- it depends on how the wires lay out, etc.









Voom PC 2 Case








What the front end will look like








Power Connector at the back, note this uses the same connectors as the power supply cables have, which means I wont even need the power supply connector cables as these will plug right into the PSU. VoomPC also provides a connector here so the PC may be removed from the car easily. The connector even has wires for remote amp turn on, and some spare wires for custom stuff.
























Header at the front for RCA audio out (which I wont be using) some USB connectors, and a power splitter for the 2 front fans.








Too bad one of the front fans is broken! The shaft actually snapped where the plastic part in the middle connects. It arrived broken like this, but I called the company I bought it from and they said they would ship me out another fan. Sounds good to me http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif









There are still a few more things I need to figure out:
-Antenna for FM radio (Impedence matching the car's antenna with the USB stick antenna)
-Heatsink/Fan for the CPU, or mainly the mounting system for it. I have to wait until I get the motherboard so I can see exactly how this is going to mount but I have a box of misc heatsinks and fans and I am sure I can come up with something.
-Mounting the LCD & making it look decent.
-Choosing front end software (Probably RoadRunner or CentraFuse)
-What GPS software to use (Probably MS Streets & Trips or iGuidance)
-Thats all I can think of off the top of my head right now, but I am sure there will be plenty more little things.
And I still have to buy some more stuff:
-DDR2 Ram (I will get a gig, its about $64, not bad)
-Slim CD/DVDrom -- I am waiting on this because I want to see exactly where the case will end up getting mounted. If the case ends up in the trunk I will get an external slim USB drive, otherwise I will do an internal slim one. 
I am excited to finally get this project underway. I have been planning out some of the details of this for several years now.














http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif


_Modified by PhReE at 8:02 PM 2-28-2007_


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## zaxonortesus (Mar 11, 2005)

*Re: UUBer Car PC Build Thread (PhReE)*

Good for you man, this looks like it could end up being a really cheap but nice set-up, I've been looking to do something like this in my car for a while too, so http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif for pulling the trigger!


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## PhReE (Sep 16, 2004)

*Re: UUBer Car PC Build Thread (zaxonortesus)*

So I have a few quick updates:
-I recieved the Processor, Pentium M 1.5Ghz 2MB 
-I recieved the replacemnt fan for the case
-I installed the power supply and new fan into the case, and somewhat assembled the case.
I am kinda stuck at the moment waiting on the motherboard. UPS says it should be here tuesday, (over a week in shipping!!) Anyways there isnt really anything else I can do until I get the board.


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## blackvento36 (Mar 17, 2003)

*Re: UUBer Car PC Build Thread (PhReE)*

That screen is rebranded. It either isn't really a lilliput or mine is a Lilliput. I bought the same screen off Ebay, branded as Ex-Audio, only mine was like $150 I think.


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## PhReE (Sep 16, 2004)

*Re: UUBer Car PC Build Thread (blackvento36)*

Yeah I have heard of that -- but I think the Ex-Audio screens are actually re branded lilliputs. There was a thread about them on the mp3car.com forums.


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## Project A2 JTA (Apr 30, 2002)

*Re: UUBer Car PC Build Thread (PhReE)*

dont want to sound like an a$$, but what would you use the computer for? who knows, maybe ill start my build


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## blackvento36 (Mar 17, 2003)

*Re: UUBer Car PC Build Thread (Project A2 JTA)*


_Quote, originally posted by *Project A2 JTA* »_dont want to sound like an a$$, but what would you use the computer for? who knows, maybe ill start my build








Personally, I'm no computer geek, I did it mainly cuz I'm cheap and want good ****. All of the good navigation head units used to go for like $2g's, I built mine for ~$700. I have nav, I never need CD's or DVD's cuz it's all stored in the hard drive, I can always change the way the interface looks or acts by using a different skin, I use Vag-com to log and change things without having a laptop sitting on the seat, and as soon as I run a mic in the headliner, I'll have bluetooth integration for my cel phone.


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## blackvento36 (Mar 17, 2003)

*Re: UUBer Car PC Build Thread (blackvento36)*

Just a few suggestions to the OP......
1 gig of ram is way too much memory for a car PC, it seams funny but you will be better off using less. 256mb is the best, 512 at the most. The more RAM, the longer it will take to restore and go into hibernation, plus RAM is gonna suck more power off the PSU. I have the M2-ATX too, 160 watts seems like more than enough, but you will want to power your screen off the 12v line and your DVD and USB hubs off the 5v line of the PSU.
That screen doesn't have a real auto on feature, it has a video signal sense. In order for you to use the video signal sense to turn the monitor on automatically you have to run a constant 12v to it, the monitor has to have power before it can sense the video. The PSU doesn't have a constant 12v, just a switched 12v for the drives that you can tie into. I tried running it off the cars 12v, the screen will get static everytime the bass hits if ya have a powerful system, and within a week it will drain the battery and be dead everytime you try to start the car. You can avoid all of those problems by running it off the PSU, but you will have to push the power button to turn it on everytime you start the car. There's just no way around it.
I'm not sure if your case has space for it, but a standard hard drive works just fine, reguardless of what the ppl on MP3car say. They say laptop drives are better for vibration, maybe so but I never had any type of problems with mine, and I pound that 12" W7 right next to it. I like the standard drives cuz they are cheaper to get bigger capacities. You should also pick up a cheap extra hard drive once you you have it running so you can clone it, whether you use a laptop drive or not. It's gonna take you forever to set everything up just right and you will be pissed if that drive ever craps out on ya without a backup.


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## PhReE (Sep 16, 2004)

*Re: UUBer Car PC Build Thread (blackvento36)*

Im not worried about the ram, and I mentioned this in another thread but this machine should honestly be able to cold boost faster than resuming from hibernation with a gig, especially if I end up using a nice quick desktop drive.
I am planning on using a laptop drive only because it fits nicely in the case, and I have some laying around. I also happen to have lots of other hard drives laying around so I will just find the largest working one and use that. 
How many watts are you running next to your 12" W7 because I have one back there too and I am running a little over 1000W RMS into it and was wondering how that would work out








I can figure out the LCD turn on problem, hell I have seen some light mods on mp3car.com which only require minor soldering that allow you to make them auto turn on. I will cross that bridge when I come to it, and I am not worried about the soldering, heh my dad taught me how to solder when I was like 7 years old. I will probably just wire up a relay to the car's ignition wire, and run the LCD off that -- that way it will come on a few seconds before the computer boots up.
I'll keep a ghost imahge of the OS somewhere. I have plenty of space on other computers.
But yeah let me know how close the sub is to your carpc. I was thinking of mounting it at least on the other side of the trunk. (My sub box takes about as much room as the '40%' foldable rear seat -- and is strapped to the drivers side of the trunk.


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## pwnt by pat (Oct 21, 2005)

*Re: UUBer Car PC Build Thread (PhReE)*

I don't know if that model screen is like mine, but the auto-turn on mod on mp3car doesn't work on my screen. What I had to do was solder the two pins that control the power button at the end of the ribbon cable together. That way, it always stays on when power is applied.
Also, running the screen off of an unregulated power source long term is a sure fire way to kill it.


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## PhReE (Sep 16, 2004)

*Re: UUBer Car PC Build Thread (pwnt by pat)*

The display comes with a small inline regulator, used for plugging it into a 12v cig lighter adapter. I am sure I could make use of that to smooth it out. Bah I will figure it out. That stupid motherboard needs to hurry up and get here. 
I am going to be going down to moab for the car show at the end of April, I am hoping I can have it complete by then. Oh well we will see.
I am going to look into fabbing the LCD enclosure myself -- are tehre any good threads on ehre you'd suggest I take a look at that have some good info on that process?


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## pwnt by pat (Oct 21, 2005)

*Re: UUBer Car PC Build Thread (PhReE)*

mine







- has the entire build logged out
That reminds me, I don't have pictures of the screen mounted yet. I've been driving around with it for a week and haven't postes pictures. Gosh!


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## blackvento36 (Mar 17, 2003)

*Re: UUBer Car PC Build Thread (PhReE)*


_Quote, originally posted by *PhReE* »_
But yeah let me know how close the sub is to your carpc. 
Car PC case is on the right









_Quote, originally posted by *pwnt by pat* »_ What I had to do was solder the two pins that control the power button at the end of the ribbon cable together. That way, it always stays on when power is applied.
 You've actually tested it running off your power supply in a running setup, and it works? I don't think that's gonna work, I could be wrong tho

_Quote, originally posted by *PhReE* »_The display comes with a small inline regulator, used for plugging it into a 12v cig lighter adapter. I am sure I could make use of that to smooth it out. 
 That little black box is gonna keep the screen from seeing over 12v, which is gonna save it from burning up. What it can't do is regulater the dips in voltage from hitting the screen. I run a JL1000/1, since you're gonna run a W7, you must be close to that in power. The screen is gonna get flickery when the bass hits unless you run it off the PSU, even with that inline regulator, I've tried it. If you do run it off the PSU, just snip that regulator off, it's unnecessary and the screen performs better.

_Quote, originally posted by *PhReE* »_
I am going to look into fabbing the LCD enclosure myself -- are tehre any good threads on ehre you'd suggest I take a look at that have some good info on that process? 
 I did mine, It was a pain in the ass with that screens bezel because of the way it contours in the middle. pics are in the sig.

_Modified by blackvento36 at 1:54 PM 3-5-2007_


_Modified by blackvento36 at 2:07 PM 3-5-2007_


----------



## blackvento36 (Mar 17, 2003)

*Re: UUBer Car PC Build Thread (blackvento36)*

I use a standard windows XP copy, not nLite or anything, I tried it, but ran into too many problems with things that weren't in it that I needed . I 'm not all that spectacular when it comes to the software side of this. I did manage to strip what I could from XP, and I got rid of some of the login garbage, but there is still probably alotta stuff in there that I don't need.


----------



## pwnt by pat (Oct 21, 2005)

*Re: UUBer Car PC Build Thread (blackvento36)*


_Quote, originally posted by *blackvento36* »_ You've actually tested it running off your power supply in a running setup, and it works? I don't think that's gonna work, I could be wrong tho

Yep, works perfectly. If you notice when the lil is in the stock bezel, if you hold the power button in it remains on but the other buttons don't work. So, soldering the power button pins together does the exact same thing as holding the button itself in.


----------



## blackvento36 (Mar 17, 2003)

*Re: UUBer Car PC Build Thread (pwnt by pat)*


_Quote, originally posted by *pwnt by pat* »_
Yep, works perfectly. If you notice when the lil is in the stock bezel, if you hold the power button in it remains on but the other buttons don't work. So, soldering the power button pins together does the exact same thing as holding the button itself in.
Haha, I was just about to post that. I was trying to figure out how I could test it without popping the screen out. I held the button down while starting the PC, and yeah, it did work. That's cool, I'n gonna have to pop it out and solder it when I get a chance then. So what, the other buttons won't work at all then? 


_Modified by blackvento36 at 6:58 PM 3-5-2007_


----------



## pwnt by pat (Oct 21, 2005)

*Re: UUBer Car PC Build Thread (blackvento36)*

right. The other buttons won't work, but if you're molding a screen, you won't use the other buttons anyway.


----------



## PhReE (Sep 16, 2004)

*Re: UUBer Car PC Build Thread (pwnt by pat)*

Ok so I got the mobo in the mail today. Haha its so tiny. So I did some work as far as the heatsink mounting situation -- but I dont quite have enough little washers and other little bits lying around, and I need 4 springs for the screws too. I should have some somewhere, and I will need to stop by home depot and maybe a computer shop sometime. So far I have been pirateing parts from my old watercooling setup, my nitro R/C car, and other various old computer parts laying around







. I am hoping I will be able to at least boot the board into the bios within a day or two, but that depeonds on how busy I am at work because I need to get the heatsink sorted before I can turn it on. I can borrow a stick of DDR2 from work until I buy my own one. I have some pics from tonights progress but I am too tired -- I will post them tomorrow.


----------



## blackvento36 (Mar 17, 2003)

*Re: UUBer Car PC Build Thread (pwnt by pat)*


_Quote, originally posted by *pwnt by pat* »_right. The other buttons won't work, but if you're molding a screen, you won't use the other buttons anyway.

I molded the screen, and kept all of the buttons plus IR receiver. Does the remote work? I can't try it cuz my remote is lost.


----------



## pwnt by pat (Oct 21, 2005)

*Re: UUBer Car PC Build Thread (blackvento36)*

Yes, the remote still works. If you send me some money for an envelope and shipping, I can send you my remote. I'm never going to use it.


----------



## blackvento36 (Mar 17, 2003)

*Re: UUBer Car PC Build Thread (pwnt by pat)*


_Quote, originally posted by *pwnt by pat* »_Yes, the remote still works. If you send me some money for an envelope and shipping, I can send you my remote. I'm never going to use it.
Thanks for the offer. I'm not sure if I wanna do it yet cuz it looks like it keeps all of the buttons lit up too, that kinda annoys me. Looks like I'd have to try to disable the buttons or at least the power to the LEDs to keep them unlit. I'll keep that in mind tho.


----------



## cracKness (Feb 20, 2007)

*Re: UUBer Car PC Build Thread (PhReE)*

hey phree, do you have a laptop and some free time? Have you tested the usb radio to see how well it works in a car situation (as in moving around at higher speed than just walking around? I've heard that most pc usb radios have sucky reception once they start to move. I'm starting my own carputer project as well and that's one place i'm a little stuck.
Good choice of components though http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif


----------



## PhReE (Sep 16, 2004)

*Re: UUBer Car PC Build Thread (cracKness)*

I havent tested it myself, but from what I have read on the mp3car.com forums I can expect crappy quality from the USB fm radio unless I hook it up to the cars built in antenna (minding the impedance) in which case it is reported to work pretty well. 

So anyways I decided to ditch making a heatsink for the processor as I just didnt like any of the stuff I had and how it was turning out. I bought a little s479 fan made for use in 1U servers, as my height limit was quite short. The heatsink is pretty small, made of copper, and has a small fan, something like an older chipset cooler. Since the cpu put out very little heat, this will work just fine.
I also got the ram, I dont remember if I posted that before or not, but I booted up the system and ran a full clean install of windows to an hd i had laying around. The install went perfect and I used it for a while, was nice and snappy for a 1.5ghz box








I did the entire windows install using the little lcd screen and was pretty pleased with the results of it throught the various resoulitons of windows setup, and it seemed to look great at 800x600 in windows so I will probably stick with that. I will reg-hack to enable 800x480 later and see if that is notceable crisper (as it is native) or just stick with 8x6.
So I now need to obtain the actual HD I am going to be using for the carpc at this point. I saw a 400GB sata drive for $99 on newegg, I think that is sounding like a winner. Of course it wont fit inside the lil carpc case (as it only can hold laptop drives) but I want lots of space and 400GB for $99 is just a good deal. I will mount it externally of the case inside the car in some sort of small protective case, and just run a power and sata cable back into the carpc case. 
Main thing now is just to figoure out the LCD mount up front, get everything in the car, and we are done. Most of the wiring will be cake as the car is already wired with a 4ch amp for the components, and a seporate amp for the sub. 

I have some pics but I cant post em yet as they are on the raid array on my other pc (p4 3.2ghz pc in sig), which is currently being rebuilt into a core 2 duo box, so I wont be able to access them until that pc is rebuilt. I will be running a E6600 (2.4Ghz) and with some expensive ram and lots of cooling I am shooting for 3.6ghz with this cpu. I will be getting the parts for that this upcoming week, maybe I'll post another thread in the computers forum witht he buildup of that.








http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif










_Modified by PhReE at 1:36 PM 3-18-2007_


----------



## pwnt by pat (Oct 21, 2005)

*Re: UUBer Car PC Build Thread (PhReE)*

Have you decided on how you were going to mount the PC and the hard drive and all it's accessories yet?


----------



## PhReE (Sep 16, 2004)

*Re: UUBer Car PC Build Thread (pwnt by pat)*

For the most part, yes. 
In the trunk of my car on the drivers side there is a sub box which takes up about as much as the 40% fold down seat on that side. 
So I was going to mount the car pc against the wall on the passenger side of the trunk. (The wall that has the 12v outlet.)
The hdd will go also on this wall next to the case for the carpc. Having the drive mounted vertiaclly seems like the safest way to do it, and it will have some sort of small protective case around it -- like a small usb enclosure. It will draw power from inside the carpc case, as well as be connected via SATA to a connector on the mobo, in the case. (I will probably need to find a ~long SATA cable for this)
I will mount a usb (slim) dvd drive up front above the 2-din opening (where the cupholder is in early mkiv cars) (This will come later in the project though, I want to get the carpc up and running first.)
I will also need to be running a USB hub up front. So far it seems like I will need at least the USB fm tuner up there (to connect to the cars ariel), the usb for the touchscreen, usb for the DVD-rom, the usb valentine 1 interface (might be routed to the back via cat3 cable and have the usb bits back there), I may have the gps unit up front, and I would like to have 1-2 free usb ports up front as well. I also need to figure out serial connectivity to the obd interface, currently I have a serial cable, but I might just go for a usb cable from ross-tech (that will be figured out later, but I want a port up front avail for it in the future.). I ordered some antennas for the 802.11 card, and I also happened to come across an a/b/g card so I will be using that instead. I will also need regulated 12v from the psu running to the front, for the lcd, and also the vga cable needs to run to the front. 
What I will do is convert the wire I am currently using as 'remote amp turn on' running the length of the car to an ign wire. That will go to the carpc, and then the carpc will control the powerup of the amps, which will be easy as they are both back there, and I wont need the 'remote' wire up front anymore.

Thats all I can think of ATM.


----------



## my_GTI-02 (Jan 5, 2005)

where do you find the software to set something like this up?


----------



## PhReE (Sep 16, 2004)

*Re: (my_GTI-02)*

There are several software front ends out there. 
Check out the forums here: http://www.mp3car.com/vbulleti...?f=60


----------



## my_GTI-02 (Jan 5, 2005)

*Re: (PhReE)*

WOW!!! that stuff is so bad ass. I would love to do this so bad but then i would have no use for my ipod with any of the front end software can you us your phone Via BT and have a mic and have the audio come out the speakers?


----------



## PhReE (Sep 16, 2004)

*Re: (my_GTI-02)*

I am sure some have that built in, and some can probably do it with plugins. I really havent spent a huge amount of time witht he front ends yet because the pc isnt int he car yet. I think I will have to actually try a few out driving around.


----------



## my_GTI-02 (Jan 5, 2005)

what screen would you all recommend?


----------



## pwnt by pat (Oct 21, 2005)

*Re: (my_GTI-02)*

yes, centrafuse I know has a built-in "phone" function specifically for this purpose.
Xenaric screens.


----------



## PhReE (Sep 16, 2004)

*Re: (pwnt by pat)*

No doubt the Xenaric screen is very nice it costs ~$350, which is almost double what I paid for mine. Lilly has revised their screens and these new ones seem to be pretty good. I hope I can get it to fit, gah I have been so busy.


----------



## my_GTI-02 (Jan 5, 2005)

*Re: (PhReE)*


_Quote, originally posted by *PhReE* »_No doubt the Xenaric screen is very nice it costs ~$350, which is almost double what I paid for mine. Lilly has revised their screens and these new ones seem to be pretty good. I hope I can get it to fit, gah I have been so busy.

where can i buy the screens from?
Im debating if i want to get rid of my Eclipse AVN-5500 unit and get a Pioneer D3 or do a carputer


----------



## pwnt by pat (Oct 21, 2005)

*Re: (my_GTI-02)*

mp3car.com


----------



## my_GTI-02 (Jan 5, 2005)

ya i have been on that website for a while looking at the software. is volume controlled via touch screen?


----------



## pwnt by pat (Oct 21, 2005)

*Re: (my_GTI-02)*

You can make a volume knob out of a joystick or mouse but the front end supports volume control by itself which you adjust using the touchscreen


----------



## my_GTI-02 (Jan 5, 2005)

*Re: (pwnt by pat)*

im not sure if i want this screen








or this one


----------



## pwnt by pat (Oct 21, 2005)

*Re: (my_GTI-02)*

If you can't do your own fabrication and don't want to pay a lot of money, go with the in-dash unit.


----------



## my_GTI-02 (Jan 5, 2005)

*Re: (pwnt by pat)*


_Quote, originally posted by *pwnt by pat* »_If you can't do your own fabrication and don't want to pay a lot of money, go with the in-dash unit.

true true, i have never done my own fabricating, and for a GTI it doesn't look easy. Ill probably go with the in dash though, but i do have friends that do custom fab, if the other one is better then i may just have one of them fab it in.


----------



## PhReE (Sep 16, 2004)

*Re: (my_GTI-02)*

Ok so I am going the custom fab route. The LCD I got is too big to fit in the 2-din spot unless I take it apart. The LCD module itself without the side buttons fits with plenty of room, and as discussed earlier in this thread I can just permanantly power on the LCD, and run it from the PC's PSU and everything will be peachy. I am going to see if I can get some sort of dual din cage and mount the lcd to that and then get a plastic bezel to fit around that. If that turns out like crap I know a guy that can custom fab me stuff but it will be ~spendy. This happens to be the most important part of the install IMHO so I wont be cheaping out on this.
On other thoughts I got ahold of a 60GB 5400RPM SATA laptop drive for very cheap, and will be basing the carpc off that. I will be also getting a desktop 3.5" SATA drive and mount it externally from the carpc, and it will be about 400-500gb. I have seen these things for sale for ~$100 several times so I am not worried.
The 60GB laptop drive will go inside the VoomPC case, and the 3.5" drive will obviously not fit, so I will come up with a solution for that externally.
I am currently looking for a slot load (no tray!) SLIM USB 2.0/Firewire DVD-ROM. If it also burns cd's/dvds that would be great but it must at least read both cd/dvd. I will mount it above the LCD in the place where the cup holders go in earlier MkIV's. I think I will run a seporate USB/Firewire cable for this, and then a hub for the other sutff.
Which brings me to my next thought, anyone know of a powered USB hub that runs off 12v? (as I will already have 12v from the PC PSU up front for the LCD) and I want to avoid running a 5v line too.
Anyways this is coming along slowly but surely. Check out the other project I have been spending my time on Here


_Modified by PhReE at 9:29 PM 4-3-2007_


----------



## PhReE (Sep 16, 2004)

*Re: (PhReE)*

Heres a Pic Update:

Parts Strewn About:








Various Heatsinks








First Heatsink Design:








































Mounting the CPU:
















Final heatsink Solution:
















Running Windows!


----------



## pwnt by pat (Oct 21, 2005)

*Re: (PhReE)*

If you think that's bad you should see my basement/garage/second garage/room!!!
Anyway, the custom route is definitely the way to go.


----------



## PhReE (Sep 16, 2004)

*Re: (pwnt by pat)*

I think its description of "basement/garage/second garage/room" is enough


----------



## pwnt by pat (Oct 21, 2005)

*Re: (PhReE)*

wan't pics? haha


----------



## PhReE (Sep 16, 2004)

*Re: (pwnt by pat)*

Sure (maybe IM?)


----------



## pwnt by pat (Oct 21, 2005)

*Re: (PhReE)*

I wasn't serious but I'll be back...


----------



## pwnt by pat (Oct 21, 2005)

*Re: (pwnt by pat)*

edit


_Modified by pwnt by pat at 1:06 PM 4-10-2007_


----------



## PhReE (Sep 16, 2004)

*Re: (pwnt by pat)*

Oh goodness... heh


----------



## my_GTI-02 (Jan 5, 2005)

thats alot of..........stuff








How do these front ends run with Vista?
whats the best front end in your guys opinions?
I have downloaded alot of info on them but still cant decide which one to go with.
basicly i want it to be able to use a phone Via bluetooth, have a simple and organized media player w/ the cool visualizations. want it to look pretty cool. I want it to have a nice but simple to use Navi software and i want it to be able to calculate traffic if possible (ex: XM Traiffic) I want to be able to change skins too. I was looking at streetdeck and Centrafuse. whats your guys take on these or any other?


----------



## PhReE (Sep 16, 2004)

*Re: (my_GTI-02)*

My opinion is to download and install several of them. I had 4 or 5 installed on one pc at one time without any conflicts so I could play around with them and see what I wanted to use.
I am either going to use road runner or centrefuse. I like RR being opensource and I have been programming in VB for many years now so it will be nice to be able to alter it if I need to. 
I am planning on doing a Valentine 1 integration, and if there isnt already some sort of plugin for RR out there to do such maybe I will make one. I am still currently mainlyng on getting the LCD mounting sorted out, and I am going to try and get that 60GB sata laptop drive for me to install windows on to and start getting things stup as far as software wise goes.


----------



## my_GTI-02 (Jan 5, 2005)

*Re: (PhReE)*


_Quote, originally posted by *PhReE* »_My opinion is to download and install several of them. I had 4 or 5 installed on one pc at one time without any conflicts so I could play around with them and see what I wanted to use.
I am either going to use road runner or centrefuse. I like RR being opensource and I have been programming in VB for many years now so it will be nice to be able to alter it if I need to. 
I am planning on doing a Valentine 1 integration, and if there isnt already some sort of plugin for RR out there to do such maybe I will make one. I am still currently mainlyng on getting the LCD mounting sorted out, and I am going to try and get that 60GB sata laptop drive for me to install windows on to and start getting things setup as far as software wise goes.

i wish i knew VB, that would make things so much more interesting. Centrafuse looks like a keeper but i didn't see anything regarding Bluetooth integration for the phone


----------



## pwnt by pat (Oct 21, 2005)

*Re: (my_GTI-02)*

bluetooth is supported


----------



## PhReE (Sep 16, 2004)

*Re: (pwnt by pat)*

Pat your pics got all shuffled about..









Anyways the bezel project HERE is making some progress and this looks like a winner as far as mounting the LCD.

Check it out:







(NOT MY CAR)


----------



## pwnt by pat (Oct 21, 2005)

*Re: (PhReE)*

hah, I deleted 'em and guess I uploaded some with the same names.


----------



## my_GTI-02 (Jan 5, 2005)

*Re: (PhReE)*


_Quote, originally posted by *PhReE* »_Pat your pics got all shuffled about..









Anyways the bezel project HERE is making some progress and this looks like a winner as far as mounting the LCD.

Check it out:







(NOT MY CAR)


































im already waiting for the OK to send money LOL


----------



## PhReE (Sep 16, 2004)

*Re: (my_GTI-02)*

Yeah me too my name on there is Extide


----------



## petekalo (Apr 15, 2007)

Hey, I am curious about the boot times and i read about you changing windows registry settings and a couple other things to mimic something like XP embedded. I wanted to know how fast a boot time you are getting and if there is any vag-functionality programming you intend to do, anything like oil temp or oil pressure, stuff like that. Thanks, Pete


----------



## PhReE (Sep 16, 2004)

*Re: (petekalo)*

Well it just so happens I am working on fine tuning my windows install on the real hardware right now. (I got ahold of a 60GB SATA laptop HD which I will be using for the OS.) So far it looks good and seems to be booting pretty fast. Somehow my digicam went missing so no pics for now, but I will post some more info about my boot times and whatnot once I get this finalized.


----------



## WebDog (Oct 30, 2005)

*Re: (PhReE)*

Update on the vw bezel!!! 
They are starting to take pre-orders on the store: https://store.mp3car.com/Produ...2D015


_Modified by WebDog at 12:03 PM 4-30-2007_


----------



## PhReE (Sep 16, 2004)

*Re: (WebDog)*

I just ordered mine a few mins ago. I hope I got in on that first 10. 
So there is something fried in my car stereo right now, I think its my Lanzar EQ/crossover that I have in there, at least I hope it is (and I hope its NOT my JL 300/4 amp heh) 
Anyways I will be tearing the car down probably tomorrow and I'm going to bring most of the components into the house, run them off a known good 12VDC power source and see whats going on, but I am pretty sure its the lanzar eq as it gets very hot when its on and after a while (30+ mins) the audiowill just get preogressively worse and I will either loose all my trebel or all my midrange. I wont be using the Lanzar when I get the carpc installed as I will just use the pc to do all my EQ/crossover crap and output 5 ch of audio from the pc directly to the amps (4.1 surround).


----------



## PhReE (Sep 16, 2004)

*Re: (PhReE)*

Ok so I yanked out the crossover and it is toasted. The PCB board inside it is quite warped also. I need to open it up and check out the guts to see what happened







(This was a Lanzar Vibe E750s line level crossover / 7 band eq)
So this thing has been basically outputting clipped audio on the line levels to my JL 300/4 amp. This seems to have done some damage to the tweeters, but right now it sounds a hell of a lot better than with that stupid Crossover/EQ in there. 
I have some new tweeters and speaker level crossovers that I am going to install (right now I'm just using caps for high pass filters for the tweeters...) but they are such a PITA to get to that I wont be putting them in for a bit. 
Oh and I cant remember if I said this before or not but my digicam was stolen so my picture posting ability has been reduced for the moment. I will see what I can do to get that figured out.


----------



## pwnt by pat (Oct 21, 2005)

*Re: (PhReE)*

losing equipment always sucks. At least the amp is okay.
Good luck mang.


----------



## PhReE (Sep 16, 2004)

*Re: (pwnt by pat)*

Well I **HOPE** the amp is ok. So far I am thinking it is. Between getting ripped off on ebay for my first one, and then my second one dieing, I really DONT want to have any more issues with the 300/4 amp. Haha I love the thing I have just had some really chitty luck with it.


----------



## PhReE (Sep 16, 2004)

*Re: UUBer Car PC Build Thread (PhReE)*

Okay so I havent updated this in a while.
I did finally recieve the bezel from MP3car.com.








BUT heres the bad news. The stupid mobo fried. Im not exactly sure what the deal is but I think it was bad from the start, as it only really worked once. Anyways I will call them up tuesday and see if I can get the mobo replaced. I cant remember if it has warranty, I sure hope so as it was $200 which is a DAMN lot for a tiny ass mobo. (Compareatively). 
Anyways, I had it all mounted inside the voom case and I was going to get at least the PC mounted in the car this weekend, and the new crossovers in, but now thats all on a halt. 
I will prolly still do my new crossovers tomorrow, but other than that .. Sigh. Got a lot of work done on the house tho at least. Oh well.


----------



## CaR-oDDo (Apr 16, 2003)

*Re: UUBer Car PC Build Thread (PhReE)*

did you finish??!?!?! I was thinking about doing this a while ago but didn't know of any material i could reference when hitting roadblocks. Very nice read. Hope it turned out well for you. Lets see some pics!


----------



## pwnt by pat (Oct 21, 2005)

*Re: UUBer Car PC Build Thread (CaR-oDDo)*

look at my thread, it's in the link in my sig.


----------



## PhReE (Sep 16, 2004)

*Re: UUBer Car PC Build Thread (pwnt by pat)*

Ok guys I know it seems like I have abandoned this one but I have not! I had to rma the mobo and then lost the CPU around my house for a bit







But I got it all put back together now and got the OS finalized, latest version of Road Runner on there and am now figureing out what cables I need to get for running from back to front in the car. 
Anyhoo I have been doing some experiments with seeing how low I can run the voltage on this CPU and I have it running at 0.7v (the lowest it will go) @ 6x mult and then ~0.890v @ 15x multiplier and its still totally stable. Stock was like 1.4v or so at 15x mult (1.5ghz)
Anyhoo I was doing some load testing today and running prime95 for 4 hours straight inside the cramped tinly little case it never went above 93F, which is pretty impressive. I was wondering how well it would stay cooled inside there. Seems like that wont be an issue. 
Anyways I'm excited -- this damn thing is taking forever and I am finally getting close!


----------



## PhReE (Sep 16, 2004)

*Re: UUBer Car PC Build Thread (PhReE)*

I will add some pics of my progress to this post later tonight when I get home.
I ordered a couple more parts today. I will be mounting a 4port USB hub into the glove box for various devices. I want at least 1-2 free USB ports up front to be able to plug memory sticks or whatever in later on down the road, and I will also be adding a Slim USB DVD drive up front eventually. I have heard from some people that the LCD(Touchscreen part) does not like being on a USB hub -- but I will have to experiemtn myself with that, and also the USB radio stick will need to be up front to have access to the FM antenna. I will have the FM tuner stick run directly to the carpc, as it needs a steady stream back to the pc to stream the uncompressed PCM audio data back to the pc (~150KB a sec or so). I have a few powered USB extention cables that I will be running from the back -- so far probably one for the HUB and one for the FM radio stick. 
I am also going to be running regulated +5v, +12v, and a ground line from the PC PSu up to the front. I will need 12v for the LCD and 5v for the USB HUB. I will probably just get some speaker wire and braid 3 strands together and then solder them into a molex connector so that the whole harness can be easily removed from the carpc'c PSU. 
The keyboard was cheap, small, has a mouse built in. Itsa obviously not going to be the best KB (optimally I would have gone with a bluetooth solution) but it will be great for $25 and I shouldnt need the KB too much. I do eventually want to move to bluetooth stuff -- and will be getting a bluetooth USB stick at some point in time...
Heres some pics of what I bought today:


----------



## .SLEEPYDUB. (Jul 28, 2005)

*Re: UUBer Car PC Build Thread (PhReE)*

Bumping this thread because i want to do this one day in my VRT also...
For the sheer fact that i could tune the car on my standalone from it


----------



## PhReE (Sep 16, 2004)

*Re: UUBer Car PC Build Thread (.SLEEPYDUB.)*

Damnit I had a huge reply typed up and I lost it all. ANyways I have done a lot of stuff but I dont ahve time to retype all that right now. Just know I had to deal with this yesterday







which set back my carpc project quite a bit.

So since i broke my old screen







I decided to go with a diff setup.
Screen: http://www.xenarc.com/product/700IDT.html
Sound Processor Controller: http://www.alpine-usa.com/US-e...-C701
Sound Processor Back End: http://www.alpine-usa.com/US-e...-H701


_Modified by PhReE at 9:25 PM 6-30-2008_


----------



## pwnt by pat (Oct 21, 2005)

*Re: UUBer Car PC Build Thread (PhReE)*

Would you be interested in doing the processing via the computer? I can hook you up with my old sound card and teach you the software.
I need to change sound cards from PCI to a firewire version...


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