Dashboard Linux

zebziggle writes "The dashPC has Global Positioning (GPS) and Navigation, DVDs, Games (Quake 3, SoF, UT), Address book database, etc. It can run any programs that will run on an Intel/AMD i686 class computer. There is a Basic Stamp micro-controller that interfaces the Linux box to the car ignition for controlled boot/shutdown." The article says Linux, but that screenshot tells a different story. The website has other stuff and a lot more pictures.

Comments

what's better?

[blugecko]

Now when I get hit on my bike again by a car, instead of the old "i was on my cell" they will "i was in the middle of recompiling my kernel..." to the officer

The Next Step

[Talisman]

What with all the automobile modifications for running computers, the next logical step is to simply replace the windshield with a monitor.

Cameras mounted on the front of the car would provide the driver with images from the road. The rest of the 'screen' could be divided into whatever the user(s) would like.

Say the passenger wants to play Quake, he opens a window and plays it on the right side, while the screen in the middle plays The Lion King for the kids in the back.

This would also allow stronger bodies on cars, as the composite used in place of windows would be far stronger than glass.

Talisman

Re:The Next Step

[brer_rabbit]

And after that, the next obvious thing is to replace the mouse with the steering wheel. And wire up the gear shifter as a joystick.

It's all fun and games until someone *thinks* they're playing Carmageddon but they're really driving around the Target parking lot at 80 mph...

He's running VMWare - Windows 98

[tmhsiao]

If you look at the dashpc.com site, he mentions that he's running VMWare for Windows 98 access to the GPS software.

Ho-Hum, Friday afternoon ...

[ReidMaynard]

Please note: This system was designed for the enjoyment of my passengers.

*My* passengers are to busy praying not to die, while I navigate my bmw @ 2xSpeed Limit speeds.

What we REALLY need . . .

[cjpez]

A bunch of us were talking once about how keen it'd be to actually have Linux RUNNING your car. As in, replace whatever's in the "little black box" with Linux.

So you'd actually have /dev/engine, /dev/wheel[0123] . . . Some stuff under /proc to report stats and the like. You'd have things like "steerd" running in the background to handle steering. Get a remote interet connection up and you could even SSH into your car to diagnose engine problems! Think of the possibilities!

You could even use the standard Linux sound structure to deal with your car's audio system. /dev/audio and the like. Have mpg123 for mp3s, some cd player to deal with CDs. Heck, since we're doing mp3s now, you could actually serve mp3s up to OTHER cars running Linux! We could probably hack up Gnutella to do some keen P2P stuff. ("Damn, I forgot my NIN CD at home. But wait! That Honda over there is sharing them! Great!")

Of course, then you've gotta worry about people h4x0ring into your car. That'd bite. We'd have to make sure there's some pretty thorough iptables rules going on . . . And what happens if your kernel panics? Doh! Probably not the best situation to be running a "testing" kernel on. I can see the website now: "Well, the bug that was causing engine meltdowns was fixed in 2.5.13-pre5, so I suggest everyone upgrade . . ."

Gives a whole new meaning to the whole "no warranty implied" thing, eh? Would you want the preemptible kernel patches on that thing?

So what do most cars actually run on, anyway?

Priceless...

[thrillbert]

In-Dash PC emmulating windows: US$1,000

802.11b Wireless LAN card: US$120

Airsnort: Free

Sending a WinPopUp that says "YOU ARE AN IDIOT" to the moron who just cut you off: Priceless

For some things there are hand signals, for everything else, there's Linux.

Something else I want it to do..

[jcr]

My car was stolen a few months ago, and I got it back after about five weeks. From now on, when my car starts up, I want it to note where it is, take a picture of whoever's starting it up, and upload that information to a hidden FTP directory at my ISP.

The next time some asshole takes my car, I want to be able to e-mail their picture and location to the SFPD.

-jcr

major design problem

[Lumpy]

The LCD he uses for the dash will last exactly 1 week in any US location above mid-ohio.
LCD's die when they freeze and most every LCD from his listed source are rated only down to 20 degrees F michigan get's to -1 -2 on a regular basis every winter (except this winter, it was 65 yesterday) and in minnesota it gets to -15 at least twice.

the best choice for an LCD is something designed for vehicle use which has a wide temperature range. Nothing from his supplier is useable in a vehicle in the upper 40% of the northern hemisphere.