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Complete PC instead of a Car Stereo
An anonymous reader submitted linked to a PC that fits in your
car stereo slot. It's a bit spendy at $1k, but its got CD/DVD, PCMCIA, USB,
Keyboard, Mic, Headphones, VGA, more. And besides being
powered by your car, it also has built in GPS. Lots of interesting
hacking ideas here for people who prefer to spend more time in their
cars then me ;)
Although the Empeg (now known as Rio Car) isn't Intel-based, it runs on a decently powered StrongARM CPU, and includes a nice screen as well. Runs Linux, and I believe is somewhat hackable.
Since they've stopped production, they're selling off the last ones really cheap - $399 for 60GB version. If you want a nice, hackable in-car computer to hack around with you might want to snap one of these up before they're all gone.
You could try to do it yourself if you dare follow this link or in spanish It's simple a conversion from car 12v to the voltage needed by the mainboard. (no monitor yet).
I have a computer in my car.
No display, but it's got plenty of music. I got a cheap 300w Power Inverter for something like $50 from Wal Mart. Plugs into the cigarette lighter.
From there, I have a P166 in a tiny little case under the passenger seat plugged into the inverter. The computer has a network card and a Sound Blaster Awe64. Line Out from the sound card runs to a Ground Loop Isolator (to eliminate the interference buzz from the inverter, $14 at Radio Shack), and from there, connects to my car's factory radio via one of those CD-Player Cassette adapters.
The computer has no display, and is controlled via PS/2 keypad. Around 370 mp3-format songs are loaded on the Western Digital hard drive, which has proven remarkably hardy in all kinds of driving conditions. It also has a built-in NIC, so I can upload new songs.
Cost? About $200. (Computer was around $70, wires - $20, inverter - $50, keypad - $10, GLI - $15, Sound Blaster - $10, Cassette Adapter - $3.) Much cheaper than the above novelty, and much more flexible and expandable.
-- Give him Head? Be a Beacon? :P)
(If you can't figure out how to E-Mail me, Don't.
...and save your stereo slot.
My stereo slot is very very important to me since I like really really loud music. But I also wanted a computer in my car so that I can have mp3's piped through my stereo. I have the World's Smallest PC with it's audio output going into my car stereo. As a screen I am using a 5" LCD screen very sloppily mounted in the passenger side sun visor. With a happy hacker keyboard and a wireless trackball... I don't need to leave my car.
They mention using navigation software and GPS. This pretty much leaves Linux out unless there is a good navigation package for Linux of which I am unaware (and I've looked long and hard, beleive me).
The closest I've been able to come is using older versions of Delorme's MapNGo under Wine, but that is still rather twitchy.
I've pestered Delorme to make a port, but they don't seem interested.
www.eFax.com are spammers
Specs (truncated)
128MB SDRAM; Upgradable to 256MB
~One 144pin DIMM slot for PC100/PC133 SDRAM
~10GB UDMA hard drive
~24X Max. CD-ROM drive ( swap for dvd / cd-rw )
~56k modem & 10/100 ethernet
~Intel 82810E built-in full motion video accelerator w/ 4MB shared video memory
~Supports 1280 x 1024 pixels resolution at 24bit color
~S-Video / RCA composite Out ports
~Speakers and Audio: Built-in 16-bit stereo (Sound Blaster / Adlib compatible)
~Built-in speaker
~microphone in / line out port
~IrDA
~Peripheral Connections: Two USB, one 9-pin serial port, one 25 pin parallel port (EPP / ECP) PS/2 mouse & keyboard ports
~Dimensions: 157mm x 146mm x 45mm (6.18" x 5.75" x 1.77") & approx. 950g (2 lbs)
* One Year Manufacturer Warranty
* No Operating System Included