Pimp my Ride!!!
- Thread starter superczar
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sabret00the
Contributor
superczar
Keymaster
Whoa, It's almost been 2 years since the first install and the baby is still going strong.
Heere are some updates, esp. on the issues that irked me and how I solved them
- To save costs, I started with a DC-AC inverter. DO NOT repeat the same mistake if you are planning one. The restarts you face after each crank is enough to drive you nuts (not to mention making you prone to keep the engine running even on 5 min long traffic lights) Within a few months, I switched to a DC-DC SMPS and life is good ever since
- The Via processor , although a capable one two years ago just doesnt cut it anymore. An upgrade to the Intel Atom board has worked wonders with the performance
- As good as Roadrunner is, it doesn't beat the ease of use offered by Centrafuse..which is what I have been using for over a year now
- Satguide maps still leave a lot to be desired, although they do give you a decent idea of your co-ordinates, thus making it less than a perfect turn-by-turn direction GPS but better than say a Eicher paper map
- I was worried about the poor 2.5" HDD not being able to withstand the jerks and shocks of a moving car (not to mention the heat in a parked vehicle) but it's been running well for 2 yrs now so no reason to complain
- Covering the LCD with a cover when parking in the Sun is a MUST... I ignored it on a couple of ocasions to be straddled with a LCD with an erratic touchpanel (resistive touchpanels are stuck by adhesive and the heat from direct sunlight is enough to melt that adhesive) a bit of DIY helped me revive the panel and now am always careful about shielding the LCD from direct sunlight when parking (I just throw a magazine over it)
- Phone integration is a PITA. Although I was able to make it work, the calling party gets a lot of echo, since the calling party's voice is routed via the car audio system which the microphone picks up, and there is no easy way in Windows to handle Echo cancellation (at least I wasn;'t able to figure out a way).... So i took the easy way out and got a visor mounted BT speakerphone
Minor niggles apart, the whole car PC idea turned out to be a great decision.. Not to mention it's a chick-magnet
(Something that I can't take advantage of anymore though 
)
Heere are some updates, esp. on the issues that irked me and how I solved them
- To save costs, I started with a DC-AC inverter. DO NOT repeat the same mistake if you are planning one. The restarts you face after each crank is enough to drive you nuts (not to mention making you prone to keep the engine running even on 5 min long traffic lights) Within a few months, I switched to a DC-DC SMPS and life is good ever since
- The Via processor , although a capable one two years ago just doesnt cut it anymore. An upgrade to the Intel Atom board has worked wonders with the performance
- As good as Roadrunner is, it doesn't beat the ease of use offered by Centrafuse..which is what I have been using for over a year now
- Satguide maps still leave a lot to be desired, although they do give you a decent idea of your co-ordinates, thus making it less than a perfect turn-by-turn direction GPS but better than say a Eicher paper map
- I was worried about the poor 2.5" HDD not being able to withstand the jerks and shocks of a moving car (not to mention the heat in a parked vehicle) but it's been running well for 2 yrs now so no reason to complain
- Covering the LCD with a cover when parking in the Sun is a MUST... I ignored it on a couple of ocasions to be straddled with a LCD with an erratic touchpanel (resistive touchpanels are stuck by adhesive and the heat from direct sunlight is enough to melt that adhesive) a bit of DIY helped me revive the panel and now am always careful about shielding the LCD from direct sunlight when parking (I just throw a magazine over it)
- Phone integration is a PITA. Although I was able to make it work, the calling party gets a lot of echo, since the calling party's voice is routed via the car audio system which the microphone picks up, and there is no easy way in Windows to handle Echo cancellation (at least I wasn;'t able to figure out a way).... So i took the easy way out and got a visor mounted BT speakerphone
Minor niggles apart, the whole car PC idea turned out to be a great decision.. Not to mention it's a chick-magnet
(Something that I can't take advantage of anymore though )
cisco_tech
Herald
nice. czar.
Yup DC-DC is must. can sustain crank.
Nothing can beat CF for sure. I tried Road Runner For a day. I didn't like the features and UI. CF 3.0 is coming in July. YouTube - Centrafuse 3 : Sneak Peak
Satguide map is not that good. But works pretty well. I meant POIs are very less than MMI and others.
Yup. I always put the cloth on LCD.
Well for Phone Integration. I am yet to Order Bluetooth Dongle and Sound Max Noise Cancellation Mic. But you have to use that sound card that bundled with Mic to Get the Noise Cancellation.
PureAudio USB-SA External Digital Sound Card
Yup DC-DC is must. can sustain crank.
Nothing can beat CF for sure. I tried Road Runner For a day. I didn't like the features and UI. CF 3.0 is coming in July. YouTube - Centrafuse 3 : Sneak Peak
Satguide map is not that good. But works pretty well. I meant POIs are very less than MMI and others.
Yup. I always put the cloth on LCD.
Well for Phone Integration. I am yet to Order Bluetooth Dongle and Sound Max Noise Cancellation Mic. But you have to use that sound card that bundled with Mic to Get the Noise Cancellation.
PureAudio USB-SA External Digital Sound Card
Party Monger
Juggernaut
i have no experience abt a carputer, but if needed, one can simply buy a whole netbook and attach somewhere in the car??
No offence, when you built this, i was drooling, but right now a net book makes more sense? with battery even a long drive wil be no problem..Ans since it wil have bluetooth and all, remotes can be easily used..Basically u can use it for work and when in car you can use it as a carputer..
OMG a simple search brought this up..http://www.mp3car.com/vbulletin/worklogs/126754-2007-mini-cooper-project.html
No offence, when you built this, i was drooling
, but right now a net book makes more sense? with battery even a long drive wil be no problem..Ans since it wil have bluetooth and all, remotes can be easily used..Basically u can use it for work and when in car you can use it as a carputer..OMG a simple search brought this up..http://www.mp3car.com/vbulletin/worklogs/126754-2007-mini-cooper-project.html
superczar
Keymaster
^^
a) more expensive (netbook + touchscreen lcd - a carputer w/o a TS screen is like a ferrari with wooden rims)
b) you'd need to hack your way thru the power board on the netbook to wire a switch (the idea of bending under your seat to switch the device on/off each time is ok for the 1st one week when you hav enewly set it up)
also, the additional wiring paraphernalia woul render the device ,ostly useless as a stanalone netbook)
c) lack of flexibility as compared to a modular PC
of course, A well setup car PC is more work than a netboook...but if done well, it is far more effectve too
a) more expensive (netbook + touchscreen lcd - a carputer w/o a TS screen is like a ferrari with wooden rims)
b) you'd need to hack your way thru the power board on the netbook to wire a switch (the idea of bending under your seat to switch the device on/off each time is ok for the 1st one week when you hav enewly set it up)
also, the additional wiring paraphernalia woul render the device ,ostly useless as a stanalone netbook)
c) lack of flexibility as compared to a modular PC
of course, A well setup car PC is more work than a netboook...but if done well, it is far more effectve too
Party Monger
Juggernaut
superczar said:^^
a) more expensive (netbook + touchscreen lcd - a carputer w/o a TS screen is like a ferrari with wooden rims)
Wouldnt a simple remote on the steering would be much more effective, a touch screen would be a distraction..
b) you'd need to hack your way thru the power board on the netbook to wire a switch (the idea of bending under your seat to switch the device on/off each time is ok for the 1st one week when you hav enewly set it up)
also, the additional wiring paraphernalia woul render the device ,ostly useless as a stanalone netbook)
i really dont understand any of this
But i assume a 7hr battery backup would suffice for most drives, else soem way of powering the charging adaptor is possible right?
c) lack of flexibility as compared to a modular PC
of course, A well setup car PC is more work than a netboook...but if done well, it is far more effectve too
Again, if you can manage to fit it in such a way that you can take the netbook out once ur outta the car, it would be much more usefull, plus 100%use of money..
Also, i browsed the link i mentioned above, and there was usb screen which worked as an extended monitor and cost some 110$..Maybe it migh be difficult in reality than im able to imagine right now..:huh:
Any way, hopefully mods can remove this OT discussion from your showoff..
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