Carputer part 3

Topic: Carputer part 3 (Read 8132 times) previous topic - next topic

Carputer part 3

Reply #30 – April 17, 2006, 01:09:39 PM

yah, and you can run gps from the "hoodtop" .. sorry.. desktop if you have the reciever. you can always get a pci to pcmcia converter for a gps card. would be much easier to run and install.

Carputer part 3

Reply #31 – April 18, 2006, 12:57:06 PM

Well...it was bound to happen at some point...but this may be a good solution for ya, Haystack. There are now (coughcoughblatantlyrippedoffcoughcough) Mac mini clones in the PC variety available at our computer distributor at work. I can't direct you to their website but I am allowed to share the spec sheets on the mini PC's:

http://www.coolcats.net/ximages/RTS_970910.pdf
http://www.coolcats.net/ximages/RTS_970911.pdf

Essentially these are laptop components...all that's missing is a screen.

Carputer part 3

Reply #32 – April 18, 2006, 03:21:17 PM

the mini pcs have been out for a long time for lan gamers.
nothing new

heheh. silly mac ppl...

Carputer part 3

Reply #33 – April 18, 2006, 03:36:50 PM

The PC minis have never been packaged almost 100% identically to the Mac mini though. If you read the specs at Apple's site here, and compare them to the PC ones, they are virtually the same (single/dual core processors, ports, etc.). Even the case is near the same. And since Alex ran the Mac mini in his car last summer, now anyone that wants to do the same with a mini PC can, and not have to build one from scratch.

That was the point. Believe it or not...Mac ppl do know what they're talking about...especially when every computer manufacturer starts to copy the Apple designs...

Carputer part 3

Reply #34 – April 18, 2006, 03:51:58 PM

Even the dimensions are identical.. that means I already have a pre-built mount for it that can make that baby fit right in and replace the stock radio.

Carputer part 3

Reply #35 – April 18, 2006, 05:17:55 PM

they prolly bought the same cases or similar ones and are building to sell on the popularity of the mac mini.. though the apple IIe could be the first mac mini, that was pretty small..

i was just messing with yah, i didn't even look to see the specs or anything

Carputer part 3

Reply #36 – April 19, 2006, 11:29:04 AM

No harm done.

We got an e-mail at work with those 2 mini PC designs and my co-worker asked, "Eric, what size is the Mac mini?" And I said, "Offhand I think it's 6.5 x 6.5 x 2 inches. Why?" Then he showed me those PDF's...and the mini PC dimensions are exactly the same. I started digging into the specs and was blown away...this is the first mini PC I've seen that almost perfectly mimics the Mac mini. The only differences I see, for the price, is that the PC minis come with a keyboard and mouse (the Macs don't). But the memory speed is slightly slower. And of course there are the standard software differences. What is nice with the PC mini is that the power button is on the front...that makes for a much easier installation in a car. Anyway, this was bound to happen, and now that it has, I can't say I'm unhappy...it's a nice homage to the original.

Carputer part 3

Reply #37 – April 19, 2006, 12:42:58 PM

hell now you can get a mac in an intel proccessor and run windows on it!!! macs are good machines, but I am just soooo used to pcs, they just wierd me out, and sometimes the artists that design those things are too into their own talent and some very odd designs come out of em.. like mentioned, the power botton in the back???

Carputer part 3

Reply #38 – April 19, 2006, 12:59:27 PM

My carputer project is kinda on hold until I get some decent money. I need an LCD/touchscreen and a DC/DC power supply, the inverter causes tons of interference in the audio output.

Carputer part 3

Reply #39 – April 19, 2006, 02:38:56 PM

From what i have read the PC mini is the same as the Mac Mini, Mac actually designed it and used dual intel processors. Due to the performance capabilities over the Mac G4's. The dual intel processors rated at 1.6G are 4.8x faster than the G4 counterpart. Eric is this correct?

Carputer part 3

Reply #40 – April 19, 2006, 02:53:53 PM

welcome freind, what power suppy are you going to use. inverters are the suck. You could always post up your specs to the system you want to use or what not

Carputer part 3

Reply #41 – April 19, 2006, 03:12:47 PM

Quote from: t-bird85

From what i have read the PC mini is the same as the Mac Mini, Mac actually designed it and used dual intel processors. Due to the performance capabilities over the Mac G4's. The dual intel processors rated at 1.6G are 4.8x faster than the G4 counterpart. Eric is this correct?

Well...I really don't think the 'Intel is this-much-faster' benchmark is based in real life because it all depends on the software you're running, and how much of a load you're putting on the processor(s). But the Intels are definitely faster, that much is very certain. Consensus is at least twice as fast as the G4.

The original Mac mini was basically thrown together with laptop parts and the same G4 (Motorola/Freescale) chip Apple used for years. All that was needed was a new motherboard and new case design, and you had a small form factor Apple computer for almost no effort and low cost. For basic tasks it worked fine. But things like a slow 4200rpm hard drive and a relatively slow front bus meant that you couldn't push it as hard as you'd like (read: Photoshop).

Now with the Intel move, the new motherboard is still an Apple design (AFAIK) but can use either a single- or dual-core Intel chip (some people have swapped a single for a dual--plugs right in). Bus speeds are improved...memory speed is improved...hard drive speeds and capacities are up...from a hardware point of view, this Intel mini kicks the old one's backside all over the place.

I read an article that 200GB laptop drives will be on the market by year's end, so that will make a great upgrade. I haven't seen anything about Apple designing the PC mini case...but sheesh, it sure does look like it. If one of these little guys doesn't entice you to put a computer in a car, I don't think anything will! I'm just happy that everyone is on the same playing field now, with the same hardware and all...it just depends on your flavor (Windows, Mac, Unix, etc.). All of them look sweet as hell.

Carputer part 3

Reply #42 – April 19, 2006, 03:23:20 PM

Quote from: Haystack

welcome freind, what power suppy are you going to use. inverters are the suck. You could always post up your specs to the system you want to use or what not

if this is directed at me, its just some old parts i had laying around, p2 400mhz, old gateway atx motherboard, some ram and an 8 gig hd, i dont know what kind of power supply to use, the dc-dc's i have seen are a bit pricey. i just want to play music on it, maybe have gps, and videos and maybe even games.

Carputer part 3

Reply #43 – April 19, 2006, 04:25:03 PM

yeah, I really dont care for intel. That is basically what I am trying to make. I am just doing it the hard way. If I cut a bit off of the heat sink and added a fan, I should be able to fit power supply, hdd, and slimline dvd in 2 inches. I dont really know though.

Basically, it is a p-4 vairiant of the mini-itx's with a laptop moble processor cooler, from what I can tell. The mini-itx's (which are 6 1/2 x 6 1/2) came before the mini macs, I had mine back in 02. Man, and I still havent gotten the d@mned thing to boot more then once.

Carputer part 3

Reply #44 – April 19, 2006, 04:30:01 PM

Quote from: bhazard

if this is directed at me, its just some old parts i had laying around, p2 400mhz, old gateway atx motherboard, some ram and an 8 gig hd, i dont know what kind of power supply to use, the dc-dc's i have seen are a bit pricey. i just want to play music on it, maybe have gps, and videos and maybe even games.

You will wanna hit non-p3 1ghz for gps. Try to get a amd for cheap if you are gonna go that cheap, also, 96 or more megs of ram, unless you will be running nothing but windows media player, the 32 or less is fine.

You will not be playing alot on a 400mhz system, specially not a gateway, I used to work for them, and there systems back in the day sucked. still do.

Honestly, right now I am thinking a laptop is the way to go. Get a busted laptop,(read bad battery or screen)and throw a $20 ebay power supply at it and you are set.