[StreetAddict]

Originally Posted by lateshnair

If the MB is small I can easily mount it behind the touchscreen plus less wiring.

I believe MiniITX would be the best bet as it matches closely with the 2-DIN parameters. MicroATX, being a bit bigger in size, might not fit!

Do remember to leave some space for the connectors at the back of the boards. I had to source a right-angle VGA adapter as the mobo would not fit in the 2-DIN area with the VGA connector.

What car?

My setup & experiments

[D4d-maniac]

Hi all, I was wondering id the following can be used as a carputer coupled to touch screen monitor. Any feedbacks will be appreciated.

VIA announces its $49 Android PC, poses a real threat to the Raspberry Pi - GSMArena Blog

[DerAlte]

Originally Posted by D4d-maniac

Hi all, I was wondering id the following can be used as a carputer coupled to touch screen monitor. ...

With all such boards running Android or Linux (almost all of them; there are others such as Beagleboard), the main problem is the Apps that you would need to make a CarPC. If you are the DIY types and don't mind a scratchy / no UI, yes you can use it as a CarPC.

First list down what functionality you would want in the CarPC - leave out anything that you would use seldom, if ever, even if it sounds nifty or cool. Then search on the Internet for availability of Apps on Android or Linux (paid or free). Once you have this information together, look for a board. There are quite a few boards which are available in India in INR - no hassles of importing the boards and not having support.

[bhp_maniac]

Originally Posted by DerAlte

With all such boards running Android or Linux (almost all of them; there are others such as Beagleboard), the main problem is the Apps that you would need to make a CarPC. If you are the DIY types and don't mind a scratchy / no UI, yes you can use it as a CarPC.

First list down what functionality you would want in the CarPC - leave out anything that you would use seldom, if ever, even if it sounds nifty or cool. Then search on the Internet for availability of Apps on Android or Linux (paid or free). Once you have this information together, look for a board. There are quite a few boards which are available in India in INR - no hassles of importing the boards and not having support.

I think they have ported XBMC on to it (Raspberry Pi). I am sure, a decent Navigation app coupled to that will make it a decent Car PC

[H4ck3R]

I've been eyeing on RB pi and APC. Both look awesome. APC i guess would be more stable and vfm.

Things I am looking for in terms of my own CarPC or should I say Car Pad..

bluetooth integration
video/audio
touchscreen 2DIN with HDMI if possible.
GPS device integration
built in HDD
card reader

[myshanks]

Originally Posted by H4ck3R

I've been eyeing on RB pi and APC. Both look awesome. APC i guess would be more stable and vfm.

Things I am looking for in terms of my own CarPC or should I say Car Pad..

bluetooth integration
video/audio
touchscreen 2DIN with HDMI if possible.
GPS device integration
built in HDD
card reader

Adding to the list and one of the most important item is 'Engine Parameters' to be taken from the Car connector. An SD Card reader/slot would be good instead of HDD. Another point in the wish list could be multiple display connectors for putting up back seat display.

[srishiva]

You can plug the Raspberry to the TV, use a wireless keyboard and have fun (same for a car PC monitor). I wanted to order but they are not shipping it yet

[bejoy]

A new mini board from VIA for Android, at just $49! IMO, a perfect system for carputer!
Called APC, official website here: http://apc.io/



http://techfond.com/via-announced-49-android-mini-pc/

Chip manufacturer VIA Technologies had announced the launch of a new Android based PC (mini motherboard) at a price tag of just $49. It can be easily fitted into a mini-ITX chassis. Customized Android 2.3 Gingerbread OS will run inside it. This Android PC is powered by a WonderMedia ARM 11 SoC with 800MHz WM8750 processor. For this PC we have to separately plug in keyboard and mouse which can be connected using the provided four USB 2.0 ports.

Television and desktop monitors can also be connected to this mini PC using VGA and HDMI ports. The size of the DDR3 RAM is 512MB. It also has 2GB flash storage. The dimensions of this mini PC board is 170mm*85mm. There will be 10/100 Ethernet port and a microSD card slot too. It can play 720p resolution videos and can support H.264 video encoding.
The power consumption of this VIA board is only 13.5W. It will be in the market from the month of July. The pre-order facility had already started. Meanwhile Broadcom had already announced a mini PC named as Raspberry Pi at a price tag between $25 and $35.

More info:
http://www.geek.com/articles/chips/v...d-pc-20120522/

[lateshnair]

Unfortunately, this does not support touchscreens.

APC FAQs

[bhp_maniac]

Originally Posted by bejoy

A new mini board from VIA for Android, at just $49! IMO, a perfect system for carputer!
Called APC, official website here: APC

This plus new XBMC release for android seems to open new doors for Carputer aspirations

[lateshnair]

Hello,

What's the best option to power the touchscreen. I have a lilliput 669GL-70NP 7" inch touchscreen. It did come with a car adapter but I believe it is not advisable to have it connected via car adapter, it will damage the screen in long run, right?

If so, what is the best option to power it up? Can I do some modification to the M2-ATX to power the touchscreen as well? Or is there a another option.

Please advice.

Thanks

[DerAlte]

Originally Posted by lateshnair

... I believe it is not advisable to have it connected via car adapter, ....

And why would it not be advisable? The internal power circuit of the touchscreen is resilient enough to work under +/- 15% conditions on the 12V line. Plus the adapter has a fuse to isolate the touchscreen on fault.

[gigy]

there is no need to modify the m2 to power the screen. Take a 12 line out from the molex connector. There is one disadvantage of this is that in case you need to run the monitor only for reverse camera it will not be possible. There is a noticeable waviness when lcd runs off car power in comparision to power from m2 in my setup.

[gigy]

anybody tried andriod pc setup in car with a touchscreen monitor? Need some info about the touch screen and gps drivers

[lateshnair]

And why would it not be advisable? The internal power circuit of the touchscreen is resilient enough to work under +/- 15% conditions on the 12V line. Plus the adapter has a fuse to isolate the touchscreen on fault.

Thanks for the comment @DerAlte.
Well this is not something I have experienced, couple of my friends kept complaining that their mobile car adapter kept getting damaged, infact one of them even got his phone damaged. Usually it gets damaged while cranking the engine, they said.

Probably that's one of the reasons why we do not use a car inverters. M2 filters the current plus more features. So I thought why not use the same for my touchscreen as well.

Take a 12 line out from the molex connector.

Thanks gigy, thats a good idea. Did not think about that.

There is one disadvantage of this is that in case you need to run the monitor only for reverse camera it will not be possible.

When the engine is not running why would we want to change to reverse. Infact when engine is not running, my ford's steering become hard like hell and brakes too( it becomes virtually impossible to use the brake when engine is not running. Ofcourse handbrake works.