car puter *pics*

Topic: car puter *pics* (Read 6069 times) previous topic - next topic

Re: car puter

Reply #30 – July 30, 2005, 10:06:20 AM

-Mini itx motherboard (purchased)$125
-touch screen $200
-laptop hdd and cdrom (freebie)
-adaptars for laptop to ide cables $10(edit $8)
-keyboard and mouse usb $20(edit$10)
-Video card with t-v out (optional)
so far I am at $150 shipped for a motherboard and $8 for the adaptar and $10 for the keyboard/mouse.
So far my total is $168
I am planning on the dvd drive from my old puter, so really it is all freebie stuff. Total I see, will be about $300 on top of that for the power supply and the screen. So really it will be about .....
$468 total. Maybe more maybe less. Alex, how much was that mini mac again? Maybe I should have just gotten one, but for now I am happy with this.

Re: car puter

Reply #31 – August 05, 2005, 12:55:35 AM

http://www.apple.com/macmini/

It's around there. As Eric and I have been saying from the beginning, it'll run you around the same.

Re: car puter

Reply #32 – August 05, 2005, 09:21:27 AM

Haystack, if you have the hard drive and optical drive already, the challenge of finishing the build with the rest of the components will be rewarding in the end. The money you've estimated isn't really all that bad for ANY computer, much less one going into a car. After seeing Alex's friend Erik's car, and what he did with a PC, I think you can make a winning combination. And you've obviously done your homework on the parts. Honestly, I'd recommend that you try out a Mac mini before buying...it may not do everything you want. For example, a good GPS program is non-existant for the Mac OS. Don't get me wrong--Alex's setup is incredible. But if you're used to Windows you may want to just stick with a PC setup.

Re: car puter

Reply #33 – August 05, 2005, 05:58:54 PM

I agree with Eric. I'm pretty sure what you'll do is going to blow us all away. I did this for the plain fact of answering the question of "Can it be done?", and now that it can be, the only thing we'll see is improvements in people's setups hence forth. Not to mention i'll be making improvements on mine in a short while, mainly the 5.1 dolby surround sound. And the GPS thing is only half true, there IS a GPS solution for macs, however it doesn't do route planning, it only follows your current location on a map.. which all in all is still pretty cool, I think and I just may opt for getting it..

But before all this happens, I have to solve the battery drain issue. I cant seem to run the mac for 15 minutes, when the car is off, without it draining the battery and it's starting to get on my nerves. If the system is on while I drive, I have no problems.

Re: car puter

Reply #34 – August 06, 2005, 09:06:46 AM

yeah thanks for the comments guys. I am dead sure I can get it to work, and it will cost less then a mac mini with the screen. Right now the motherboard is giving me fits still. I am dead sure that there is a problem with it. First it started smoking with ddr266 type of ram in it. It looks like to me that the ddr266 should work. Specally because that is what it says to use. Well I got some ddr333 and it worked fine in the bottom of my dads computer case fine for a whole day. I unplug it and what not, and bring it into my room to set up windows (And linux) in my room rather then f'ing up my good hard drive, it wouldnt even turn on. So I bring it back into my dads room and the same thing happends. I clear out the cmos and what not, and It will now turn the power supply on, but nothing else. When the ram is out, it will give me a ram beep code but that is it. Sigh. I will prolly have to send it back. If that is what happends, Look for a 300mhz pc to be going into the trunk of my car with a power inverter to a regular case and everything, oh and for that loud thumping and what not, My 120 watt guitar amp hooked up to the computer. All I will have to do is keep a screen in the trunk and start the play list, and then take the screen off to conserve power.

All joking aside, if I cannot get this stupid thing to work in the next little while, I will just have to buy a new one while this one is in for repair. Then I will HAVE to live with two car pc's. Aw it could really suck then.

I would like to think that I have done my homework on this, I have litterly been drooling over a min-itx motherboard for more then 3 years when they were first released. Also, I was planning on putting a computer in a car, I dunno about 5 years ago.

Re: car puter

Reply #35 – August 09, 2005, 01:19:25 AM

some updates for ya'lls

Re: car puter

Reply #36 – August 09, 2005, 08:14:14 AM

That's lookin good man.. that's lookin' real good. Glad to see another guy who's old dreams are comin' true.

Re: car puter

Reply #37 – August 09, 2005, 10:54:40 AM

working on a mount for the laptop hard drive right now. I just want to keep it from touching the mainboard. I am still getting all pissed off at it though. I cannot get it to post. Any cards that I put in there will light up and power on. No display from the motherboard. Tried clearing cmos and everything but still no where. Changed out the ram and still dosent work. I litterly have everything that I need exept the power supply. Here is an update on what I have

-Motherboard $125
-PCI riser $8 (with two day shipment from euroupe!)(optional)
-Laptop hard drive $freebie
-2.5" to 3,5" adaptar $8
-256 ddr 400 $25(I think)
-keyboard/mouse $10
-diffrent from freebie laptop drive(mine wont do dvd's) 1of 2 missing parts >$80
-powersupply/controller missing part 2 of 2 >$60
-screen (whoops forgot this one) missing part 3 of 3 >$250

This should include all parts and shipping. The only problem that I have right now is that I cannot get the stupid thing to boot.I cannot even get it to post with just the ram in. No beep codes at all. No display at all, on onboard or pci video card. If I pull the RAM it will give me a ram beep code. This thingy is starting to piss me off. I may just break down and send it in for repair.

This makes me feel so stupid. All brand new parts(almost) and I still cant get it to work. Maybe I will present myself to the mp3car.com forums. I did join before you alex.

Re: car puter

Reply #38 – August 09, 2005, 01:38:41 PM

Quote

I did join before you alex.

man please explain to me this fascinaition you have with wanting to be the first to come up with this idea? I'm in no way trying to be in competition man. It doesn't matter who's done it first, or who thought of it first. All that matters is that those who want to have a computer in their car will have one in their car.

I really hope you get that problem fixed. it looks like you've done a lot of work so i hope it all works out for ya man. But for chrissake, the competition has got to stop. No need to compete against your own kind.. If you want real competition, compete against those rich asses on mp3car who are putting their systems in porches and beamers.

I don't know whether you think I'm rich or something, but I'm not rich man. at all. I shouldn't ahve done this because i put myself in a little debt to do it. The difference between me and others is that I wasn't afraid to put myself in debt to accomplish my goal.

Haha I know i've just gone off on a tangent. I'm happy you're getting this done for a fraction of what it cost me. Because it shows people the other side of the spectrum and shows there are a lot of ways to go about putting a computer in a cougar.

Re: car puter

Reply #39 – August 09, 2005, 03:44:35 PM

Yeah I am just kinda being a dick arent i? Sorry I guess I do go off on it alittle bit. It was ment to be in good fun but yeah. Sorry about that.

Re: car puter

Reply #40 – August 09, 2005, 04:11:22 PM

It's all good man,

What size will your screen be anyway?

Re: car puter

Reply #41 – August 10, 2005, 08:49:40 AM

I dunno for sure yet. I am leaning twoards a 7 inch. I also have decided that it is time to send the computer in for repair.

Re: car puter

Reply #42 – August 10, 2005, 10:06:14 AM

I was gonna go with the 7 inch. then i figured 800x600 resolution would distort on that so i'd have to run some weird ratio, and since I wasn't 100% sure what combinations the mini would handle, I decided to go with the 8 inch. That's pretty much how the design of retrofitting it right in the dash took place. My original plan was just to mount the screen in that area. actually a 7" would probably fit a lot better if it were to be retrofitted in there.. OH well, I love the 8 inch. I get comments like "you can't even tell its a monitor when it's shut off"

Re: car puter

Reply #43 – August 10, 2005, 10:24:09 AM

Yeah it is pretty slick. I will prolly just velcrow it over the clock. Maybe make some kind of mount. I want to make it so that it is removable. Or at least really hideable. I just started thinking about it, and I really oughtta get some kind of car alarm or maybe working door locks. The guy I bought the car from gave me the wrong key.
the resolution I think is like 800X420 or something like that. The video card should be able to do that but I am not able to verify that.

Re: car puter

Reply #44 – August 14, 2005, 10:23:01 AM

yeah so it is such a pain setting up an RMA(return merchendice authorization) through email. Everytime I try calling the hot line it is dead or it tells me the number is disconnected. So I set it up through email, which they just barely got back to me for the first time about. Kinda funny cause I sent them the email a couple of weeks ago. They basically told me to call tech support. Here is what I said.

"I have a mini itx model XXXX and I cannot get it to post. It dosent seem to matter wether the ram is in it or not, it just gives me a ram beep code. I have tested and traded out the ram and have still gotten the same thing."

And here is there response

"What is it doing?"
I am so pissed right now