in car computer... what would work best?

[DSMjrv]

k i have a mini computer 933mhz, 20gb, 128ram, etc.... very basic

i have a nice 7 inch dash flip up monitor and a head unit that plays dvds and mp3 and all that... now my monitor has 2 inputs, one of course will come from the head unit and the other from the computer which im thinking about mounting in the trunk area...

the computer will be used for whatever i want, plus dsmlink... now i need to find a good mouse and keyboard, or maybe just a keyboard with the little touch mouse pads... i want to be able to put it away easily, i was thihnking about maybe getting a touch ball or whatever its called mouse and mounting that somewhere...

anyone have any ideas or experience with in car computers?

 

[DSM BEEYACH]

If you have a micro ATX mother board than you could just mount it in the center consul and, install your Cd rom drive right under you car CD player. If you have a full size mother board you can mount it in your glove compartment. Make sure you have a good copper cooler on your Processor or you will just fry your processor when it get over 100 degrees in the car after it has been siting in the sun. Also get your self a good DC to AC Power Inverter that is at least 150 Watt's and you should be good to go. Also you can get your self a Wireless Mouse and, keyboard small like for a laptop. Also you might want to install a wireless network card so that you could get updates or you can transfer your MP3's from your home computer to your cars hard drive. Anyway just something to think about.

 

[SoonToBeDSM06]

I had a car computer in my chevy cavalier and then transferred it to my talon. It is a 1.6Ghz P4 with 512 MB of Ram, 5.1 Surround Sound, GPS, 7 inch touchscreen that fits snug into the 2din slot for the CD Player, DVD/CD-RW drive and a touchpad. I also have some custom software for everything. PM me for more details.

 

[-silencer-]

Laptops or older (P3 or older) computers are best for power consumption - preferably a P3 laptop that can operate without powering the display. Or you could get a Stinger alternator and pump a dual-proc system..

 

[Defiant]

Historic references:
http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/showthread.php?t=93197
http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/showthread.php?t=93165
http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/showthread.php?t=95454
http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/showthread.php?t=145833
http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/showthread.php?t=168235

I'm a bit baffled why there hasn't been more progress in putting real computers in cars. Most of the electronics is getting closer and closer all the time anyway.

 

[DSMjrv]

the wireless network would be really nice... but i got everything setup, all i need is a good keyboard and mouse... just need to find a compact and wireless one

 

[adm2204]

I would recommend (for a car comp) something like a PCChips motherboard, or similar, because they consume very little power, and best of all, many of them don't even need a fan on their heat sinks. This makes for a worry free experience when it comes to mounting the computer itself. As far as keyboards go, what I'm doing is putting a ps/2 port in-dash so I can plug in a KB when I need it. Try buying one of those soft flexi-rubber keyboards that you can roll up and shove in the glove compartment when you're not using it. They're easy to store and clean, rugged, and if you whip someone with them it really hurts! For a mouse, of course, there's the touch screen solution but I've also seen little touchpads (I think they're USB) that would probably be a perfect fit in the ashtray cubby on the console, which would be cool because you can use it with your arm on the armrest, plus it won't be unsightly or get in the way of anything.

 

[Defiant]

Yeah. Might be a little late.