Challenge: In-Dash PC Interface

I would like to see how it gets interfaced with the existing electrical system and not get fried when the car starts.

i was thinking a dc inverter from the battery, but it takes up alot of space.  perhaps some massive resistor?  lol

why would you use any sort of inverter that is just adding a step to the process because if you have a netbook it is most likely charged by twelve volts that is what most or all computers run off of. That big piece of plastic in the middle of the charging cable isn't for nothing that is what inverts it from 120 VAC so if you use the inverter from the car battery then step it down again it just becomes more inefficient. In my opinion the hardest part would be integration into the car, you would have to make it look nice while keeping it functional. The electronics are easy they sell touch screen kits for most netbooks there are guides cluttering the web about how to take netbooks apart and almost all cellphone providers have those wifi hotspot things.

There are already a lot of different options for CarPcs or CarPuters out on the market. Everything from low power solutions to core2duo systems. On top of that there are a wide range of dc-dc power supplies some that can turn on when the key is turned. There are also different display options, mostly are designed to be intregrated by the end user, but they do have a few "cheaply made" flip outs available as well. The best screens reflect sunlight and are visible under direct light conditions but also hold the hefty price tag of around $600 just for the display. As far as software goes there are a few manufactures of "front end" software that have simalar layouts to the in dash dvd and navigation units made by some of the leading electronic manufactures out on the market. There are also small interface boards that can allow the computer to switch relays to control say the heater or window motors etc. The main thing I've seen with all of these is the intergration part. It takes alot of work to put a complete system together, and if you want it to have remote start capabilities along with rolling your windows up and down its going to take some custom code, a cell phone receiver in the vehicle and other custom made things.

I currently have a project vehicle I have been working on for 3+ years where I took a 10"eee pc apart and flush mounted it into the dash with a touch screen add on and centrafuse front end software, which worked well for navigation, mp3 and video playback but the issues I ran into were not being able to see the screen during the day because of the aweful glare from the sun. The output of the eee pc I ran into the input of a pioneer radio(so I still had a radio tuner if I wanted to listen to local stations(there are usb options for this that tie into front end software though)) and the output of my radio drove my amps. Since installing all that I have uninstalled the computer because vibration caused a component on the motherboard to go, so I put the system back to gether and took it back to my local big box store.

My current build now is a itx based intel atom pc with ion video chipset, with a high end sound card used for studio recording. The sound card drives my left and right\ front  and rear channels of my amps plus sub out, and allows me real time effects (mainly eq and time correction) for the control of my audio. On top of that circuitry is being made so I will have short range rfid access to my vehicle (walk up and doors unlock, I hop into drivers seat and press button on dash and car starts and I drive away. I plan to have a rfid chip inbedded in my hand but for right now I'm using a small rfid tag on my keychain. There is also custom circuitry that controls the motors in my seat, windows and hvac controls in the vehicle. all of which corresponds to a sunlight readable monochrome lcd in the dash with several buttons for control. Avr microcontrollers are the brain of the system and several are tied together for  all the small systems in the car to be  able to talk to each other. I also want to add a led tail light section that would allow me to scroll messages or strobe the lights if the car alarm goes off....

So as you can see this is quiet a work in progress, I would say its 1/4 of the way complete and its completely custom. It would be hard to show how to do even just a carputer in a 30 minute show, But there are many resources available if you just search around on google a bit you will discover some of the possibilities.

Now Pioneer has a few radios out that are starting to use widgets and tie into google maps and pandora radio. There are others that tie into the data port on the vehicle to show engine statics, tuning options etc. I believe the radio makers are just around the corner from intergrating the android operating system into the radios and opening them up to running aps.

Just my .02 cents on the matter, hope it helps ya out.

Thats cool, I wasn't aware of the possibilities of such a project, and how involved it can get!  What drove my concept was the night rider car, and voice activation and touch screens.  Even just radio, maps, and internet was a cool concept.

better still, the ability to run diagnostics/read engine code as you drive, no check engine

Erik, this has been around for longer than you think..

a site mp3car.com has been around for over 10 years and has all the info needed for carputers, touch screens OBDII car diagnostics with custom software to drive it all. i built my first carputer back in 2000 it was an AMD k3 (i think) around 350 Mhz and used a 16 char by 2 lines display driven from the parallel port. back in the day winamp was the choice for playing mp3's .

and all this before the damn ipods came in and ruined it all ... its too easy now ..lol

It's funny, I was thinking along similar lines and just made a post about it.  I know you are complaining about screen size but we already have a PC that is reasonably powerful that we carry in our pockets.  A large screen smartphone.  I was thinking a double-DIN unit that would serve as a mount/charging station/integration unit.  It already has most of what you are looking for built in and just simply needs an interface to the audio system for sound (ODB II connection wouldn't be bad either).  The best part is that you can take it car to car (assuming you have multiple docks) and bring all of your preferences and everything with you.