carputer?

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mbayer07

New Member
Hey everyone, I have been in the car audio game for awhile and its time to go to the next level. I dont know anything about computers except i want one in my trunk. Everything i have read just confuses the heck out of me. I found a package deal here for what looks like an awesome price (main concern). Does this look like a decent package? I know ill need a screen and such but is there anything else that i will need to add? Main uses will be playing music and video (obviously) and at some point navigation software, bluetooth, and Wi-Fi. Also, how durable will something like this be? Should I avoid potholes like the HIV (I usually dont), or will i be alright on crappy NY roads?
 
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Geoff

Geoff

VIP Member
Did you forget to post the link?

Are you looking for the computer to fit entirely in the dash, or are you going to mount the computer in the trunk for example and just have a touch screen on the dash?
 
PunterCam

PunterCam

Active Member
I looked at doing this a while back but concluded that it was pointless! Laptop if I need wifi, good headunit for music (and video if that's what you're into).

My thoughts at the time involved a mac mini that I could literally 'plug in'. ie, connect all the power, video, audio cables to one big custom 'socket', the just slide the computer into them (so I could take it inside). The mac minis were small enough to fit in the glove box as well. The price of the whole thing eventually put me off though. You still need the touch screen, amps etc... The price was going to be easilly into the 4 figures (of pounds).

I think you'd want to suspend it or certainly dampen it from the rest of the car, no point in damaging things. If it is a specially designed car computer though I wouldn't be as worried.

And I'd consider starting to avoid HIV if I were you... Since us brits patented the cure in 2002 it's not such a big deal here, but in the states...

edit : just saw the link, looks cool. I wouldn't worry about durability with that
 
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thekl0wn

New Member
The laptop drives that people usually use for this application are a bit more resistant to shock and vibration, but they're still suspect to it. If you're really worried about the holes, then look into the solid state drives, if your wallet can afford it.

The VoomPC's have been around for a while, and seem to be fairly well tested and proven. They typically use decent internals, and are a great option for jump-starting yourself into the hobby. Check around on MP3car.com's store for some other comparable deals.

If you're anything like me, your sound quality is a very high concern, so that needs to be addressed from the get-go. Using on-board sound, or a cheap soundcard is going to yield cheap results. Then you have to decide whether you're going to have a complete headunit replacement, or if you're going to run the computer's sound through your headunit.
 
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mbayer07

New Member
thekl0wn said:
...Then you have to decide whether you're going to have a complete headunit replacement, or if you're going to run the computer's sound through your headunit.
Click to expand...

How good would the audio signal be coming right from the onboard sound? Should be as good as a CD right? Sound quality is going to be a main concern. Im not concerned about having to buy amps, as that is a given with any new car. Should i get an external sound card? Is that the only other thing i would need? (again with the exception of a screen) Can this be easily upgraded at a later point so i can just get everything up and running then add the premium sound card?
 
Geoff

Geoff

VIP Member
I would not recommend having your car audio system coming from the headphone/speaker jack on the onboard sound card. You should use a digital mode, such as optical or digital coax, although then the problem arises of trying to find an HU that supports that.
 
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mbayer07

New Member
i wouldnt run sound through a headunit forever, just as a temp solution until i can afford amps. They make soundcards with RCA outputs right? I think that would be the easiest way.
 
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mbayer07

New Member
A friend who is pretty good with computers said this might be slow/ have a hard time when playing movies. What could i do to speed this up? I will be running multiple applications at all times, so if it will have trouble playing movies, it will most likely be slow running everything else that is going on in the background. Right?
 
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