Car PC

[foshizl]

so are you going to modify the boot.ini to make it boot your (carOS) instead of windows, or are you gonna do something differently

[Quijeeboe]

Oh this isn't running on a win 9x box, its on an XP box for a quick boot time and stability. I have the machine auto login then I disabled all unneeded services and basically left only the minimal components installed and running to have this box run windows. And finally I modified the system registry entry for the user account that is automatically logged on to start carmobile.exe as the shell as opposed to explorer.exe the standard windows shell. So all in all the end user is only aware the he/she is running windows for about 10 seconds during the bootup. Overall I've got the boot time down to under 30 seconds most of which is incurred during POST.

[AllTheGoodNamesAreGone]

<blockquote>quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Quijeeboe:
Oh this isn't running on a win 9x box, its on an XP box for a quick boot time and stability. I have the machine auto login then I disabled all unneeded services and basically left only the minimal components installed and running to have this box run windows. And finally I modified the system registry entry for the user account that is automatically logged on to start carmobile.exe as the shell as opposed to explorer.exe the standard windows shell. So all in all the end user is only aware the he/she is running windows for about 10 seconds during the bootup. Overall I've got the boot time down to under 30 seconds most of which is incurred during POST.<hr></blockquote>

NICE!! now all you need to do is rig it so when you turn the car off it goes into hybernation ( i think is what they called it).. it saves the current processes and shuts down and then loads alot faster on start up.. AND! starts where you left off..

What are you developing that progam in? it looks pretty good!

[MrCoffee]

if you had an amp with subs, would a software equalizer be feazable? what about balance settings to control front/rear speakers and the sub. I like that whole setup you've got going on, and am very interested in it.

[AllTheGoodNamesAreGone]

<blockquote>quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by MrCoffee:
if you had an amp with subs, would a software equalizer be feazable? what about balance settings to control front/rear speakers and the sub. I like that whole setup you've got going on, and am very interested in it.<hr></blockquote>

definalty.. get a line driver/cross over combo deal and you have got it made..

this one will allow you to work it jsut like a normal HU.. it will split the signals.. allow bandpass crossover action.. and more.. its a nice little unit..

http://www.coustic.com/products/processors/XM6.cfm

I also found a really cool usb rca imput output deal from edirol.. its good stuff from roland

this one is cool
http://www.edirol.com/products/info/ua1a.html


this one is cooler!
http://www.edirol.com/products/info/ua1d.html

too bad i have yet to see a car audio amp take optical in :0(

anything is possible once you get the computer in there..

the sick thing is.. i have all of that stuff sitting in my apartment waiting to go in the car.. but i just cant work up the nerve to do it.. becasue i fear it will get stolen.. one day i will have the car garaged and it will be on!!

The other option for doing something like this is to buy a profesional grade PC sound card.. and well.. those are REALLLLLY expensive..

[ July 10, 2003: Message edited by: AllTheGoodNamesAreGone ]</p>

[Quijeeboe]

I'm using a soundblaster live right now and the sound quality is absolutely awesome. From the live I run dual 1/8" stereo to RCA adapters and the quality loss is negligable. The live has a decent software package for controlling fade and balance plus it has a nice subwoofer output with crossover control for the satellites and subwoofer built into the drivers so most crossover duties are handled via software. About the only thing I'm missing are a full band equalizer as the drivers don't have a great one. But the really nice thing with the soundblaster live is its relatively high signal to noise ratio of around 94dB which is better than most car audio equipment realistically outputs so while the previous suggestions of expensive crossovers and usb to rca adapters are much appreciated with this sort of application its really not needed in my opinion. This an ongoing process and I really would like to refine the software to a point where I would be comfortable selling customized copies of it.

I'd really like to gauge interest in this software that I've poured so much time into so if you have any interest (not necessarily willing to purchase but a general interest) please fire off an email to carmobile@hayesdata.com I am not a marketer nor any other kind of nefarious internet @ssh0le, I fight those people all day long at my day job so please don't worry about me getting your email addy as I won't be doing anything with it other than replying to any questions.

[MrCoffee]

where would you hide the PC?
is it possable to connect stock car speakers to the PC? The only way I can think of is by using an external amp to drive the speaker and have the RCAs go into the computer.
Does the 7" screen fit where the stock head unit is?
Have you figured out a way to have the PC stay on all the time and go into hibernation when the car is turned off?
Is heat an issue? Its been in the 80s up here for the last few weeks, and my car sits outside.

[AllTheGoodNamesAreGone]

where would you hide the PC?

*well with the mini itx stuff we rigged the hard drive, motherboard, and powersupply into the glove box by welding up a smal chassis for it..

is it possable to connect stock car speakers to the PC?

*you need an external amp in pretty much all cases.. or a HU that has inputs..
but having the HU kinda beats the point..

Does the 7" screen fit where the stock head unit is?

* I have yet to cut up the dash to find out.. but i am pretty sure that stripping down the display unit.. and slightly cutting up the dash.. it shuld fit pretty well.. www.xenarc.com has more info on the size and what not.. if you need more info on the size of it ask me and i can measure it..

Have you figured out a way to have the PC stay on all the time and go into hibernation when the car is turned off?

* not yet.. that is where is stoped working on the project.. you can set up xp to go into hibernation whe nthe power button is pressed.. and I would imagine that a relay on an ignition wire "shuld" work to act as a switch..

Is heat an issue?

*those motherboards are pretty tough.. some are made to run in high temp susuations.. 80 shuld be no problem.. if the temps get into the 90's-100's in your area you may want to upgrade the cpu fan or (mount a big fan in the glove box, as I did)

Mini-itx is the hizzy..

really low power draw also definatly a plus!

if anyone has other mini-itx questions about performence and things of that nature.. or are looking for special hardware hit me up and i will see what i have found..

[ July 10, 2003: Message edited by: AllTheGoodNamesAreGone ]</p>

[AllTheGoodNamesAreGone]

here is more xenarc info

http://www.xenarcdirect.com/detail.a...DUCT_ID=700TSV

its a realllllly good display and i have one of the older ones.. look around and you can buy them for cheeper.. tehn xenarc direct..

[MrCoffee]

I have sort of found an idea for the power supply idea. Quote direstly from thir site

"OPUS Solutions SFX DC-DC smart power supply is designed specifically for ATX motherboards to be used in an automotive environment"

it makes the PC go into hibernation or shutdown... basically a built in UPS. Only problem is, its kinda big, being ATX form factor

[nikon]

chris, I wanna see this thing sometime, if you dont have my number get it from anthony or something, Im way to anxious, and you gotta e-mail me your ftp....of course with a beta of this proggy on there ;)

[AllTheGoodNamesAreGone]

That power supply is pretty cool!! definatly wont fit in a golve compartment though..

BTW all the mini-itx boards use ATX power connectors.. but a small/slim powersupply is best.. due to the nature of our interiors..

[slacker69]

Do you have any pictures of where the lcd screen is mounted or any inside the car pis of all the hardware. Thanks alot if you do

[Quijeeboe]

OK, I'm back to answer a few questions.

1. Heat is definately not an issue I live in south FL and have been using this system for the past several days without a single problem and it has been really hot here.

2. Power Issues, I just use a standard ATX pc with an inverter and I've yet to run into any problems. I shut the system down when I'm leaving my car for extended periods of time because I don't want it to drain my battery nor do I want it to run in a parked car which easily reaches temps of 150 degrees in the middle of the day. I set the system to boot after power failure so it kicks on as soon as I turn on the inverter. And on a side note the current draw appears to be minimal as my friends were using this for at least 20 minutes with the engine off and and the stereo running full blast with no signs of a low battery.

3. Hibernation, I never even considered it because it would be almost worthless in this project because the pc boots so quickly (well under 30 seconds). The only thing I have to "mess with" is clicking the power button in my software to shut down the computer, all in all pretty painless.

4. I do plan on selling this software very soon and the price includes customization of the background to display your car or whatever you'd like the background to be. Further customizations will also be available for varying prices depending upon the complexity of the request.

[jamie]

this is just awesome