Adding a computer to your car (CarPuter)

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[Featured in the February 7th Newsletter!]

I did this project several years ago, and posted it on MP3Car.com
I have learned alot about carputing and this instructable will be about both the install
and how its been using the carputer these last few years.

This is my 2007 Honda Element, before I attacked it with Soldering iron,
wire cutters, dremel tool and other weapons of mass media

Step 1 PowerPorts

One of the most needed item in any road warrior's arsenal,  is powerports (or if your over 40 they where called "cigarette lighters") so I added two additional ones - one in the dashboard, and one in the center panel. this was actually a easy mod, with me just stealing power from a "only power when ignition is on" line from the car.

Comments

[vov35]

I'm not sure how you got GPS to work on this?

[TheLandYacht]

So far, so good. I've had a 'puter in my ride for going on 13 years now, started way back in the day with a "repurposed" computer & monitor from home (set I'd just upgraded from). Talk about "kludge", this was before LCD's so a big honkin CRT monitor and a huge tower computer...and Bungee Cords EVERYWHERE!

Current setup: 2010 Ford E350 Passenger van:
The current iteration is 1 19" widescreen up front between the driver & passenger seat, directly below that are keyboard & mouse. Mounted to the driver door, placed so the hand falls naturally on it when resting on the door, is a "game pad" (think lots of buttons) with all the most used functions mapped to macros.
In the back are 2 more 19" monitors up high to show the same content as the front monitor, and a 17" touchscreen for the passengers to interact with the system (made, with the assistance of a friend, a touch-friendly interface).
The 'puter sits behind the driver's seat, "strapped" in place with a carrying strap that came with a LanBoy case from Antec years ago. Easy to remove for upgrades, I just "click" it back in place & plug everything back in.

[The Dark Lord]

Dude you read that clockwise, not counter-clockwise

[bendaniel]

Very cool but think you missed one major element of instructable projects - the instructions!

[ArkAngel762]

agreed.

[amishjim]

 I agree. . . this was a "showable"..

[hobomobo]

I second the motion.  Or third, as the case may be. 

[macgeek]

any more, and i'm going to get motion sickness.

Jonathan

[1spartan95]

lol

[four_eyes954]

ha

[klingoncowboy4]

On the subject of "power ports", since you needed to add additional "cigarette lighter plugs" (I am 20 and I use that term lol) why not add nicer plugs such as Anderson Powerpole that lock. The biggest problem I have with cigarette lighter plugs is that they have a habit of working loose. Personally I would wire the puter directly to my fusebox or the battery (much like my ham radio),

[ArkAngel762]

right on. That way, youre not taking up valuable cigarette lighter space so you can plug phone chargers in, etc.

[Foaly7]

How would you make this touchscreen? I think that a touchscreen is all that this needs.

[ArkAngel762]

simple. you can buy touch-sensetive flatscreens for PCs. its just a VGA port and a USB port. They come with software. But if you are running a Mac you may want to be sure theyre compatible.

[ArkAngel762]

and the reason for not showing us where you put the CPU in the car is. . . ? Dude, there are a lot of places to put it, but its a good idea if you'd tell everyone where exactly you put the computer itself.

[bdries]

 ZZ top !!

[Xamith]

epic band.

[reversebias00]

Is there a reason nobody's commented on the super badass flux capacitor photo?  1.1 Gigawatts!!!!  McFly, hello?  Make like a tree and get the hell outta here LOL!

[howlinwolf]

just a note, its 1.21 gigawatts

[M4industries]

Pronounced jigawatts!

[reversebias00]

 lol even MORE power than I remember  holy crap!

[hogey74]

 hey cool mods.  Question - how is the viewability of the screen on a sunny day?  I am trying decide which way to jump with the screen - dedicated touch screen/ 7 inch motorized one, cheap tablet pc.... decisions!  thanks john

[digimancer]

 I have the same question regarding the front-end you speak of. I am an Element owner and am running Linux on a netbook, connected to a touch screen. Currently I am using XBMC as my front end, as like Linux it is free, and fully customizable. It would be cool though to dual boot mac os on my netbook if I could find a good front end. If anything I would use Plex, which is the Mac clone of XBMC. 

[christwitty]

Why not use XBMC in OSX. I wouldn't think that they would change it very much from OS to OS. Oh, andI though Plex was a fork not a clone.

[digimancer]

 Hah I never even bothered to look for XMBC for Mac! I will have to try that later, Plex seems to crash on me all the time.

[Foaly7]

You don't have to make it Mac, do you? I just don't like Mac, so I wanted to know.

[macgeek]

now people, lets not get into a pissing contest on mac / PC here.
there is a BE NICE rule in effect, Don't make me have to start deleting comments

Jonathan

[lonwel]

u crazzy? mac all the way man, sorry i  had like half a dozen pc's go bad in 5 monts so i swear my mac now, they just work, but that's just me, if u like peeling your computer appart every fiftteen minutes to see why it's crashed by all means, i have to ask why you like pc's so much i'm just curious

[zack247]

i custom built my PC and its NEVER crashed.

'Nuff said.

[Foaly7]

I dont know how crazy i am, but you are insane. Macs suck, and I don't care who knows that I think that. Nobody can understand them execpt for superhuman freakish people descended from the first person to ever conceptualize the  Apple/Macintosh company. The software is poorly designed as far as GUI and the user format, and the hardware makes no sense at all. I wonder why the great Microsoft company ever rewrote the Microsoft Office software or Internet Explorer to be Mac-compatible.

[M4industries]

Don't dig up the grave of the OS turf war. I use a mac pro for graphic design and video editing; trust me, it does not suck with 8 gigs of RAM. Now hear me out. I also use a PC at school for day to day work. My CNC router is a PC as well. I have realized that Macs don't crash as often as Windows systems. Just calm down please.

[Foaly7]

It's not a dead issue, the OS turf war, but I was also angry for having my sanity questioned, I just really like PCs, and now, awhile later, I can stand Macs, but for this particular project I just don't know why it can't be Linux.

[thekid]

Linux all the way!!! more stable then mac and no virus infections. plus absolutely free!!

[M4industries]

What distro do you use?

[MT-LB]

haha, i've always called them cigarette lighters and i'm 15.

[zeaps]

I must say, I'm 16 and I've never heard cigarette lighters be called powerports...ever. :P Just my two cents.

[bombmaker2]

Imagine this in a classic carlike my favorite the 1969 Chevrolet Camaro SS

[wannaburst27]

what kind of cpu is this

[Foaly7]

Hey, just throw in a 3G USB antenna device and you can have better internet. Only if it's Verizon, though.

[MagicTom]

Wow. my dreamcar! :D