The CarPC / Carputer Thread

dinar · 18th January 2008, 21:17

Do not mount the HDD flat on , mount it vertically , this prevent the read/write head from touching the magnetic plats and damaging they in an event of the car bouncing violently.....it's been used by most of the in car PC guys around..... Have not tried it myself but , I think it should work...by the way how do you want me to send you the circuit diagram for temperature controller?

dinar · 18th January 2008, 21:23

Do not mount the HDD flat on , mount it vertically , this prevent the read/write head from touching the magnetic plats and damaging they in an event of the car bouncing violently.....it's been used by most of the in car PC guys around..... Have not tried it myself but , I think it should work...by the way how do you want me to send you the circuit diagram for temperature controller?

clipto333 · 19th January 2008, 15:17

Quote:

Originally Posted by gigy

thanks buddy. have grounded the case to prevent static.
hard disk is on a foam base as of now and given a delibrate play in its fix. the hard disk case is stuck by double sticking tape. the box itself will be on another foam base. lets see how its doing.
i will have to control my speed on the potholes

good then.

don't know if foam really helps. you using a 2.5 HDD right? ill try to modify the cd transport in the HU and see if i can fit a HDD. the cd transport is mounted on the dampers and springs. if this does not help you, it might help me in the near future

gigy · 21st January 2008, 00:34

today i got really frustrated waiting for the DC-DC powers supply to come and just listening to music through the mobile in car. evening opened up the pc setup , changed the hard disk positioning after cutting out the pcb as much as possible . had to take the HD out of case to stick it to side of box.
put in a smps and powered up through the inverter. working is saticfactory. only problem remaining in this setup is in case i have to restart the car after pc is running the it will restart.have a 12v bike battery lying in house. thinking to put it in parallel through a diode to prevent this.
the box is sitting on half smiles to give cushioning effect. they are soft enough for the job i think.
Installed a freeware headunit also called media unit and it is working beautifully. i think should change over to windows me for even faster operation.

dinar · 21st January 2008, 01:08

nice setup gigy...... try using a sealed battery from a ups or a laptop... I think it should work fine to give a backup you need..also can try putting in a setup which automatically turns ON / OFF the comp ..I think it's possible to do something like this...you can take a pick line from the ignition and use it do something like this..
Also once you load the OS, remove the non essential programs from the startup so the system boots up fast....

gigy · 21st January 2008, 10:33

my initial plans were to use the powersafe ups itself but when tested realised its battery has gone dead completely. didnt even last 2 sec on load.
Some more pictures of the media engine. its good enough for music, videos, gps running other applications also. although its made optimised for touch screen works well with mouse also. music starts even before windows boots up completely.

the volume control, start and reset switches, power led and hdd led.

the wait for the arrival of parcel continues.....

spadival · 21st January 2008, 10:40

Hey gigy.. Which site did you order the DC-DC powers supply from? Is that the IR receiver for the mouse peeping out of the ash tray ?

gigy · 21st January 2008, 11:02

ordered it from short-circuit.com.
item has cleared customs in India on 10th of this month, but has not yet reached my address.
yes its the IR receiver of mouse in ashtray's position. i dont smoke, so could remove it off

spadival · 21st January 2008, 11:12

How did u wire the keyboard to the usb port? Did u have to drill a hole thru the glovebix? I am asking because I have a similar keyboard sitting in the glovebox. Wondering if I can put another USB hub in the glovebox.

Also, is there a way to pull a USB cable to the top of the dash without any drilling thru one of those vents on the top ?

Have u thought about getting internet access on the go. I am considering BSNL EVDO data card, but they haven't launched it yet ( Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd- Latest News )

gigy · 21st January 2008, 11:17

keyboard is just kept in glove box, not fixed. wire comes out from behind (front of ecu) (no holes drilled anywhere) and goes behind the side panels and comes out below the seat to one of the usb port in motherboard.

gigy · 21st January 2008, 21:25

you can pull out wires from side and bring it up, remove the A pillar fairing and drop the wire inside. there is also a center piece which can be removed but i have not tried it.
i am using vodafone internet through gprs as of now. slow by today standards but ok for general use.
need advice on GPS:
wanted to take satguide for gps but after seeing so many bad reviews i am confused now what to do. does anyother service provider gives gps support for laptop. i asked map my india; they dont as of now. satguide for a city is coming for 6k with bluetooth receiver.
can i later change operator later and use the same receiver?

gigy · 22nd January 2008, 11:47

had talk with satguide also and they dont have satguide s\w for pc or laptop. i think as of now will have to use mapmyindia through gprs for guidance. where to source the gps receiver now?
another option left is a software which gives the phone display on the pc, use satguide on pocket pc.

spadival · 22nd January 2008, 12:30

You can use Destinator compatible maps with free PC based programs such as Freedrive and mapmonkey. Also paid CarPC front end software such as Centrafuse support Destinator maps.

Since satguide maps are Destinator compatible maps, you can use them with these programs mentioned above.

Also, have a look at mgmaps. Mobile GMaps :: View topic - Mgmaps on Windows XP?

While mgmaps does not support driving directions yet, you can create an offline cache of maps (Google or Yahoo or both) and track your location.

For GPS receiver, I suggest you go for the satguide offer of GPS Blue Tooth Receiver with SatGuide + 1 City Map + All India Map - all for Rs 6000.
(http://www.satguide.in/Cart/NewCart.aspx?pid=36). This is the best deal in India so far for a GPS receiver.

VJ_MAVRICK · 22nd January 2008, 12:37

Good going gigy ! and its wonderful to have an innovator of sorts here among others in T-bhp. Hope everything has been scaled down and when is the final mahurat to go on full song? If its already on, then forgive my negligence mate. Once again Congrats on your endeavor.

shldn · 22nd January 2008, 12:44

You can use just about any gps receiver, it does not have to be make/model/vendor specific.

However if you intend to use it specifically with your CarPC, consider using a wired (USB/Serial) receiver, it will save you potential connectivity/pairing issues viz Bluetooth GPS.

In addition to what spadival said about the s/w & maps you could also look at Google Earth with GooPs or similar to get your position real time.

18th January 2008, 21:17	#61
dinar Senior - BHPian Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: goa Posts: 1,066 Thanked: 57 Times	Do not mount the HDD flat on , mount it vertically , this prevent the read/write head from touching the magnetic plats and damaging they in an event of the car bouncing violently.....it's been used by most of the in car PC guys around..... Have not tried it myself but , I think it should work...by the way how do you want me to send you the circuit diagram for temperature controller? Last edited by dinar : 18th January 2008 at 21:22.
	() Thanks

18th January 2008, 21:23	#62
dinar Senior - BHPian Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: goa Posts: 1,066 Thanked: 57 Times	Do not mount the HDD flat on , mount it vertically , this prevent the read/write head from touching the magnetic plats and damaging they in an event of the car bouncing violently.....it's been used by most of the in car PC guys around..... Have not tried it myself but , I think it should work...by the way how do you want me to send you the circuit diagram for temperature controller?
	() Thanks

21st January 2008, 00:34	#64
gigy Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: mumbai Posts: 1,321 Thanked: 47 Times	today i got really frustrated waiting for the DC-DC powers supply to come and just listening to music through the mobile in car. evening opened up the pc setup , changed the hard disk positioning after cutting out the pcb as much as possible . had to take the HD out of case to stick it to side of box. put in a smps and powered up through the inverter. working is saticfactory. only problem remaining in this setup is in case i have to restart the car after pc is running the it will restart.have a 12v bike battery lying in house. thinking to put it in parallel through a diode to prevent this. the box is sitting on half smiles to give cushioning effect. they are soft enough for the job i think. Installed a freeware headunit also called media unit and it is working beautifully. i think should change over to windows me for even faster operation.
	() Thanks

21st January 2008, 01:08	#65
dinar Senior - BHPian Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: goa Posts: 1,066 Thanked: 57 Times	nice setup gigy...... try using a sealed battery from a ups or a laptop... I think it should work fine to give a backup you need..also can try putting in a setup which automatically turns ON / OFF the comp ..I think it's possible to do something like this...you can take a pick line from the ignition and use it do something like this.. Also once you load the OS, remove the non essential programs from the startup so the system boots up fast....
	() Thanks

21st January 2008, 10:33	#66
gigy Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: mumbai Posts: 1,321 Thanked: 47 Times	my initial plans were to use the powersafe ups itself but when tested realised its battery has gone dead completely. didnt even last 2 sec on load. Some more pictures of the media engine. its good enough for music, videos, gps running other applications also. although its made optimised for touch screen works well with mouse also. music starts even before windows boots up completely. the volume control, start and reset switches, power led and hdd led. the wait for the arrival of parcel continues.....
	() Thanks

21st January 2008, 10:40	#67
spadival Senior - BHPian Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Melbourne, AU Posts: 1,773 Thanked: 29 Times View My Garage	Hey gigy.. Which site did you order the DC-DC powers supply from? Is that the IR receiver for the mouse peeping out of the ash tray ?
	() Thanks

21st January 2008, 11:02	#68
gigy Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: mumbai Posts: 1,321 Thanked: 47 Times	ordered it from short-circuit.com. item has cleared customs in India on 10th of this month, but has not yet reached my address. yes its the IR receiver of mouse in ashtray's position. i dont smoke, so could remove it off
	() Thanks

21st January 2008, 11:12	#69
spadival Senior - BHPian Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Melbourne, AU Posts: 1,773 Thanked: 29 Times View My Garage	How did u wire the keyboard to the usb port? Did u have to drill a hole thru the glovebix? I am asking because I have a similar keyboard sitting in the glovebox. Wondering if I can put another USB hub in the glovebox. Also, is there a way to pull a USB cable to the top of the dash without any drilling thru one of those vents on the top ? Have u thought about getting internet access on the go. I am considering BSNL EVDO data card, but they haven't launched it yet ( Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd- Latest News ) Last edited by spadival : 21st January 2008 at 11:23.
	() Thanks

21st January 2008, 11:17	#70
gigy Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: mumbai Posts: 1,321 Thanked: 47 Times	keyboard is just kept in glove box, not fixed. wire comes out from behind (front of ecu) (no holes drilled anywhere) and goes behind the side panels and comes out below the seat to one of the usb port in motherboard.
	() Thanks

21st January 2008, 21:25	#71
gigy Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: mumbai Posts: 1,321 Thanked: 47 Times	you can pull out wires from side and bring it up, remove the A pillar fairing and drop the wire inside. there is also a center piece which can be removed but i have not tried it. i am using vodafone internet through gprs as of now. slow by today standards but ok for general use. need advice on GPS: wanted to take satguide for gps but after seeing so many bad reviews i am confused now what to do. does anyother service provider gives gps support for laptop. i asked map my india; they dont as of now. satguide for a city is coming for 6k with bluetooth receiver. can i later change operator later and use the same receiver? Last edited by gigy : 21st January 2008 at 21:36.
	() Thanks

22nd January 2008, 11:47	#72
gigy Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: mumbai Posts: 1,321 Thanked: 47 Times	had talk with satguide also and they dont have satguide s\w for pc or laptop. i think as of now will have to use mapmyindia through gprs for guidance. where to source the gps receiver now? another option left is a software which gives the phone display on the pc, use satguide on pocket pc.
	() Thanks

22nd January 2008, 12:30	#73
spadival Senior - BHPian Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Melbourne, AU Posts: 1,773 Thanked: 29 Times View My Garage	You can use Destinator compatible maps with free PC based programs such as Freedrive and mapmonkey. Also paid CarPC front end software such as Centrafuse support Destinator maps. Since satguide maps are Destinator compatible maps, you can use them with these programs mentioned above. Also, have a look at mgmaps. Mobile GMaps :: View topic - Mgmaps on Windows XP? While mgmaps does not support driving directions yet, you can create an offline cache of maps (Google or Yahoo or both) and track your location. For GPS receiver, I suggest you go for the satguide offer of GPS Blue Tooth Receiver with SatGuide + 1 City Map + All India Map - all for Rs 6000. (http://www.satguide.in/Cart/NewCart.aspx?pid=36). This is the best deal in India so far for a GPS receiver.
	() Thanks

22nd January 2008, 12:37	#74
VJ_MAVRICK Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Sydney Posts: 1,239 Thanked: 34 Times View My Garage	Good going gigy ! and its wonderful to have an innovator of sorts here among others in T-bhp. Hope everything has been scaled down and when is the final mahurat to go on full song? If its already on, then forgive my negligence mate. Once again Congrats on your endeavor.
	() Thanks

22nd January 2008, 12:44	#75
shldn BHPian Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Mumbai Posts: 94 Thanked: 0 Times	You can use just about any gps receiver, it does not have to be make/model/vendor specific. However if you intend to use it specifically with your CarPC, consider using a wired (USB/Serial) receiver, it will save you potential connectivity/pairing issues viz Bluetooth GPS. In addition to what spadival said about the s/w & maps you could also look at Google Earth with GooPs or similar to get your position real time.
	() Thanks