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Inexpensive Dashboard PC

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the everyone-needs-a-project dept.

Kristian - Dreamless writes "Wanting to war drive with style? The other day I surfed the web to find a free dash pc solution to my car since the commercial ones cost around 2000-2500$ here in Denmark. I found DashPC.com and I must say this looks promising a very nice GUI and the features seems to be endless: Navigation with War driving, Multimedia and so on. Requirements? Low cost pc and a dash LCD display."

6 of 149 comments (clear)

  1. Can I get a dash prompt here? by SYFer · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Well, yes. This guy must be a Slashdotter. From the FAQ:
    Does the car run Windows or Linux?

    "It runs linux. The first generation of it had windows installed. There are still many pictures out on the web of the first generation [windows] dashpc. The pictures over at Parallax are a good example. In them you can also see that the LCD was a 10.4". They are very old pictures, please disregard them. I've moved onto better things. There's a reason that everyone is moving to linux."

    --
    "...all the labours of the ages, all the devotion, all the inspiration, all the noonday brightness..." yada yada
  2. This isn't exactly new news... by mcnut · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I've been watching this project for quite a while. Every time I think its perfect they make it a little better. Now if I could only find a cheap touchscreen LCD, I'd be all set.

    --
    ok.. so heads you lose tails I win. right?
  3. {mini,nano}-itx by name773 · · Score: 1, Interesting
    why not build it yourself? the dc-dc converters for nano and mini itx boards are commercially available or easily made, the boards are cheap, and an lcd shouldn't be too hard to find.
    i'll bet you could build one for like 500 usd

  4. Dangerous Distraction? by vudufixit · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I wrote a pithy note to Forbes five years ago in reply to a story about WinCE-based car computers. What I said still holds true, "Some people can handle any technology while they're on the road and still drive, and some can't. It's the process of sorting them out that frightens me." On a lighter note, it sure changes the meaning of "crashing"

  5. What of the display for this? by AtariAmarok · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Do they yet have a display for this in which the computer output fills the windshield? This would be way cool....

    --
    Don't blame Durga. I voted for Centauri.
  6. Xbox by vveak · · Score: 2, Interesting

    After going through 2 car pc's of my own, I've finally arrived on the cheapest and most practical solution. A modded xbox. If you want it for GPS and wardriving, gotta go gentoox. If not, XBoxMediaPlayer/Center for movies, music, emulator games, etc. Put it in the trunk and throw in a few wireless controllers and you get the added benefit of HALO! All for about $250 with solderless mod chip. Ive spent about $400 for a comparable mini-itx and still the graphics card sucks. The only 2 downsides are the size of the xbox, and AC power, although I'm sure you could find a way around the latter. I basically have an inverter on a relay to power up the whole system. And, there are mods you can do to add a powerbutton to your controller. If im not mistaken, you could also use the dvd remote?