Carputer - Next Level In Car Entertainment

[MayhemOfHell]

How far would you go to have the ultimate in car entertainment system that would be he envy of any expert in the industry with your home built system….

For some people, when it comes to their vehicles. They like to have the luxury of home or just something to kill the background noises. In my case, I like to being my projects and hobbies on the road.. sort of… so for a few years I have been playing around with what is commonly known as a Carputer .. Or Car Computer


So what is a Carputer
A car computer is more or less the same as the computer you are most likely using to read post at the moment. It is a normal computer adapted to run in a automotive environment.. in the easiest case this is just finding a place mount the screen and adapting the power input to run from a 12volt setup. Anything more is the fun part.


What can you do with a Carputer

• Audio & Music – Listen to your cds, your mp3′s, the radio, audio books
• Video & Visual – Watch movies, web feeds, video calls, multiple displays
• Navigation – GPS tracking & directions, Route efficiency
• Assistance - Parking sensors, reverse camera, automation, profiling
• Security - Camera recording, tracking, alarm, disable, remote control
• Internet – Pre-paid, remote access, browsing, chat, hosting, reporting
• Tuning - OBD2, BUS CAN, live tuning, monitoring, mechanical control
• Evidence - take your recording to court if your in a accident
• Communications – Phone calls, sms, video calls, emails, social
• Interfacing - custom controls like (locks, suspension, windows, seats)
• User Inputs - wireless, microphone, game pads, keyboards, mice, existing
• Office Work - printing, wifi access point, job logging, notifications, log books

Why do people build them and how?
First of, for me its more about the ability to have certain features which will be useful for the vehicle or the general style of the vehicle… and also the challenge of trying to get anything working at one stage..

As for building them, well its fairly easy and the cost depending on your set up and existing parts that you may already have or can obtain from someone. for a new system you can easily estimate the costs to be around that of a desktop pc.

Your one stop website and place to shop for all of this, building advise and help with plenty of guides… Mp3Car


What do they look like?
Well they can look like anything really, Depending on your vehicle and or your level fabrication work. You can either have the install looking really nice or really bad.. Some times things will start to look really incomplete, usually 2am in the morning.

A small box containing a motherboard or a modified console or any other computer system that can be used, or perhaps you would like to just have your mobile phone in its holder and use that otherwise in my case i like to use a 7inch touch screen lcd running on a windows os on a mini itx motherboard.


So you decided you want one! Where to start!.
When it comes to building a car computer, Make sure you have one thing before anything else and it should work out just nicely if applied right… TIME!!!

The first thing you will want to do is research a few things to help you along the way, I would personally suggest the following key topics.

Existing vehicles like the one you will be doing this to for ideas / plans
Pre made expansion parts for your vehicle (less fabrication = more costs)
Base required components / hardware / tools / software
When doing your research, I suggest your first place to go should be Mp3Car. Checkout their forum and online shop for most of your needs and idea’s.


So what do I use in my car and why!

Firstly the set up in my car changes often due to always wanting something different and exploring various options just to know if it was possible and how well it worked. So firstly the hardware and software as of the moment.

• 1.8 Ghz Intel® Dual-Core Atom D525 - Mini-ITX Motherboard
• 160W 8V-28V Mini-ITX M2 – Power Supply Unit
• 1333MHz Corsair VS2GB1333D3 2GB – System Memory
• 320GB 5600rpm Laptop Drive – Main Hard Drive
• Some brand 7inch Touch Screen VGA LCD – Main Display
• Windows 7 32bit – Main Operating System
• Centrafuse – Main Application / Front End

Okay so the above is how the system is most of the time, But one major change is always the Front End.. Or simply the application that is open all the time with the features to allow things like navigation, video & audio player and so on.

Now as to why I use this set up, Well this was built with a budget in mind and also to not give it more power and heat than it should require.. Well at least for this level of its operations. The main thing here you will want to also note is the Mini-ITX as this is what makes a very efficient change to your car’s battery and electrical system.

A Mini-ITX motherboard (170 × 170mm) is a bit smaller than a standard computer ATX board (305 × 244mm). So this helps on space and requires less power to operate. Now the next stage to using a Mini-ITX board is to use a Mini-ITX power supply as these are designed to run directly from your vehicles car battery / alternator.


This was a copy from my blog, but figured it might make a read for someone or maybe convert a few people as well

 

[DAKSTER]

I've considered doing this, but with the advent of tablet computers, and the now common installation of them, are there any real advantages in this vs a tablet?

Obviously as a PC tablets are generally slightly inferior, but for the applications likely to be used, a great computer isnt really required is it?

The atom isnt a gamer, nor will be it be great at video crunching (not that you really want to do either of those in your car) so is there any real advantage in going for a PC rather than a tablet apart from maybe the option of a larger screen?

I've noticed in the HiFi shops now that they are making car hifi 'tablet style' HU's with no CD player, very simple and compact and with touchscreen, all audio, video, bluetooth and GPS functionalities too. Just stick in a USB stick or bluetooth your ipod to it and you are good to go. Obviously these dont have the tuning stuff etc, but not a bad option either IMO, and very easily installed.

Convince me I am open minded. Nicely written post too, well done.

 

[Nic92]

looks good, how much would we be looking at to get something like this in our cars, estimated price perhaps?

 

[MayhemOfHell]

Tablets ... Well i'm not going to argue this one as it is a form of a car computer, And some people do like the option of using a mobile/tablet/screen only type install.
If I had to say my reasons why i prefer a standard pc vs a tablet.


Replacement Parts / When things go wrong
Well when something goes wrong and it is broken... I like to know i can quickly replace that part that is the issue, Now while you would hope nothing goes wrong... It can and the time to wait for a replacement/repair can be skipped by stopping in at your local electronics shop / computer shop and grabbing the parts you need.


Expansion - 99% can be done via a tablet
In the case of my vehicle, it comes stock with the two headrest screens and dvd player installed in the rear seat. Multiple displays for me here is something that i'm fairly sure a dedicated PC can win over. Plus you can then run things like multiple sound cards for channel/input mixing.


Keeping It Clean & Neat
When it comes to things like having a OBD2 connection, Bluetooth, Mobile phones, controllers, headphones, alarm and other vehicle interfaces.. this can lead to alot of extra devices over the standard pc itself. I dont like the idea of excess cables and having a USB dongle hanging out of my dash where it can be broken off by mistake. This way things can be hidden and made permanent which leaves less room for software errors with things like com ports not matching and being re-addressed. Considering the level of electronics i shall be adding later on to have assisted controls. I'd hate to see the amount of cables and devices that need to connect to a tablet/phone when its on the centre console.



--- Like i said, im not against tablets and phones.. but they would limit connectivity and make it feel like my car is missing something if i took the tablet out each night or the dock breaks/gets dirty connectors.

As for price... i'll try a quick guestimate here... But there are a few ways you can go... so prices always vary per install..

• Motherboard & CPU = around $90 cheapest on ebay
• Memory = around $25 on ebay depending on your board / amount
• Hard Drive = around $70 on ebay depending on size (sata basically)
• Power Supply Unit = around $70 on ebay
• Case = can vary, pre-made guessing about $40
• Linux = Free / Windows usual
• Front End = Free or paid ... Windows Media Centre works as well
• LCD Screen = well you can get a cheap $100 TFT or a $200 Touch LCD

Cheapish Guestimate? = $355 (No Case, Make your own)

Beyond this comes things like your speakers/amps..
Then you also can start to apply 5.1 audio and so on

Cheap Pre-made systems also available from mp3car's store here SHOP LINK

"Most" of the mini-itx boards come with the cpu already installed/single piece unit... so the $90 is for both.
and if you can source a hard drive along with the memory... your looking about even less.

Then add some costs for cables/plugs/connectors/fibreglass


Now you can go the other way and get a inverter to power a old xbox, apple mac, amiga, commodore, playstation and so on to run from 240v but not advised and depending on the system like a laptop people are known to mount the screens and adapt the power supply to work in a 12volt environment.

At the end of the day, if you are the sort to upgrade your own PC at home with a new video card or mess around with things for the fun of it, then then this all may apply. As for pre-made double din units which offer the same stuff.. My argument there is updating and expansion again. Yes you may spend a good $500 or so on one of these units.. But with a good weekend worth of effort you will have the same effect and better with the option to always expand at a cheaper cost in the future.

Excuses the messy write up on this one as early morning... will clean it up another day

One example of what i use to use in my old VP commy was a small web cam stripped out of its shell and installed in the dash near the window facing the cockpit.
that way when the vehicle's doors were opened *Door switches* it would take a single photo every 10 seconds for the first two minutes. Each one of them being emailed to me via a prepaid internet dongle.

With something like this, it's best the system was always installed and was able to have the PC hibernate for about 6 days before the battery low level would trigger a shutdown. So if the car was broken into or stolen. I have the "possible" photos of who did it already waiting.

Taking this to the next level when i reset this up method *dont like to cut into this nice cockpit on my caprice" i will have options like having a silent alarm trigger a sms module to sms me the gps coordinates to my mobile every so often so i can either track it with a mate(s) or have the police do so... and the ability to send a kill message or any other options like take new photo/video/phone call/locks/lights from my mobile or another computer.
or mistune the engine and have it blow up.. But yea...

 

[MAG00]

Carputers are old and in general are superseded by tablets. While they offer more connectivity, most people don't want/need it. Carputers require more installation work (to install power supply, screen and actual computer unit), cost more and lack the software attractiveness of tablets. Unless you can script your own computer programs, you are limited to what you can customize on your computer.

A much more attractive option is an Android tablet. Android is an easily customized operating system, many applications available, several different models available in different screen sizes, most are cheap these day and easy to install. It is also easy to write your own Android applications. Most have built in GPS, Wi-Fi, cameras, solid state drives and some have 3G connectivity.

Another option is the Apple iPad. Difficult to customize, larger size means it's more difficult to integrate into a dash, but other than that, has similar advantages as an Android tablet.

Android tablets are where it's at. Simply transform a car charger for the tablet into a little power supply (pull it apart, attach it to a 12v wire in the dash and heat shrink it) and you'll never have to take it out of the car. Combine it with a good single din, Bluetooth capable headunit and you have everything you need. If you use it for work/pleasure, simply build the enclosure so that you can pop the tablet out whenever you want.

 

[DAKSTER]

I think I tend to agree with Magoo.

That extra connectivity on an Atom board means one PCI-E slot and extra USB ports.. a USB hub on a tablet achieves all but the PCI-E so its only a LITTLE more connectivity. One PCI-E slot, thats it.

Replacing or updating parts OK I can see the benefit, but it seems to me that its unlikely I will need to do so with my own limited applications.

Software is the thing that I wondered about the most.. in order to use all this non-existent extra connectivity.. an ITX board isnt exactly bristling with input/output options.. you need the software to run the extra stuff. That could be an issue, at least for me it would be.

Of course if you dont want a USB sticking out somewhere, Bluetooth is the answer for that one.

Multiple monitors, hey why not have more than one android tablet? Set them all up with a NAS in the glove box and Bluetooth the whole system together. Or I am sure you should be able to get some kind of small wireless monitor..

If you dont like Android, a Win7 or Win8 tablet will have more software available, especially for the engine diagnostics. iPad sucks in my view unless you want to void the warranty and jailbreak it...

How are you going to connect 3 monitors to an Atom board anyway? You would need to move up to an i3 board if you want 3 monitors from ITX... bang, cost savings vs a tablet .. gone. Or are you going to use the single PCI-E slot for a graphics card? 3 bulky cables out for monitors.. add cost for the graphics card.. take away the use of the PCI-E for other purposes so your connectivity gain is gone.. and make the box bigger..

Extra sound cards.. I thought we were talking about an ITX board, which all have no more than one PCI-E slot. Some have a couple mini PCIs on the board, with no input/output, but these are usually occupied by the 'onboard' wifi, bluetooth or whatever.

Unless you want to go with a double riser, at least you can have 2 PCI-E then. Starting to build a pretty big box then though.. and which do you want, a graphics card and multi monitors or a pair of sound cards on a riser. You can only have one of those choices, you only have one slot.

Add to that the peripherals you need to buy for the board.. bluetooth, wifi, gps .. some boards have some of these, none have all.. good luck finding any PC motherboard with gps built in lol

I actually think there would be far less cabling etc with a tablet, most of what most people need is already in the tablet, and your car pc is going to have so many things plugged into USB ports that the tablet already has built into it.

None of the security things you suggested will work any better with a PC than a tablet, and in fact the PC will need more addons to make them work than the tablet.. 3G or 4G connectivity for a start.

Again, I am open minded. Any other reasons you can offer me? I am a PC fan, I dont particularly like tablets of any kind, BUT a tablet is more suited to this purpose for most people.. I'd love it if you could convince me otherwise.

Your auto webcam shots fascinate me.. every time you open a car door, in the following 2 minutes its going to send 12 photos to your phone.. and then nothing???

Screw that lol.. protect my car for 2 minutes and get 12 photos of the interior of my car sent to my phone every time I opened a door. That would also mean 12 photos when I get back in too?
Not the way I would set it up.. a motion sensor would make much more sense.

Incidentally, I have always thought alarm notifications are a waste of time too.. unless you carry a baseball bat around with you or you are confident you can beat up some thug who is stealing your car.. and of course by the time you get there he and the car will be gone anyway.

Your 2 posts have 3 links to the same shop too.. :hmmm: is there a vested interest here? Not an accusation simply a real question.. if you DO have a vested interest you need to declare it. Either way, no worries, I'm just curious.

 

[iChris]

I've long been thinking of installing a carputer myself in my statesman, but more for music and media management and gps, so for me a tablet fits the bill. I've got a iPad with 3G that I'm willing to sacrifice for the cause. I'm also thinking of installing a power inverter to run a 3G router and turn the car into a wifi hotspot. Once again, the installation is holding me back. Im abit of a geek but I'm not too confident on wiring up the inverter and running cables.

The only thing holding me back is where to put it, and I'm not too keen on cutting up my dash to mount it in the car.

 

[50LTRv8]

How about an old phone? I was considering using my old Nokia N8 as a car computer, It had some interesting features as well as internal gps, until I lost it in the back of a cab. I now have a galaxy s3 and I really think the car computer is becoming a thing of the past when these sorts of devices are now available.

 

[MayhemOfHell]

There is always a way

MAG00 / DAKSTER
Like i said, i dont disagree with using a tablet.. just not for me in this case and i still believe there many situations that a tablet/phone wont always work as well. While it maybe a aged way to do things.. Many people still operate with a desktop computer and not a tablet for their main work and entertainment.

DAKSTER
The listed motherboard is just a basic one for now todo the job and as with any pc will be upgraded when required,

--- Connectivity... This still does apply as a standard windows based desktop does allow for the largest market of plug and play devices along with other types of interfaces that are customized for this platform. While more and more USB HID devices are appearing on the market for other platforms and operating systems. This is still a pricey and expensive method on a large scale while limiting the user to one of a few methods to complete a task there for making their install more limited to a certain style and or type of set up.

--- Software... Well this is not really a major issue for myself being i do develop software when required and allows to customize my electronics interface with simple methods. Emulators are also a handy in the way of ICE (In Car Entertainment) as in allowing the passenger screens to access a massive array of games and on various platforms while still having the base application/front end running for various interface reasons like alerts and parental control.

--- Audio... I agree apple is a multimedia platform that does stand out on its own, While most will allow some form of audio input. The ability to manage multiple sound devices with mixing and profiling is still a strong point on something more like a desktop pc.

--- Video... Dual screens can be completed via networking in various ways or having them independent from each other but if your wanting to uniform your vehicles set up and have it matching the feel and look of your vehicle. Things like having the same loading and delays in software installed on a system would look alot cleaner and still allow for the ability of control. Being able to switch a gauge or application/movie to another screen without any delays or network traffic is still an advantage. While there maybe methods to link a second screen on other devices as a another video output device your still limited on some levels.

--- USB Devices... Firstly i just want to point out that not everything needs to be done via PCI/PCI-E... These would normally be allocated to heavy load devices. Video/Audio expansion along with virtually every other type of device is easily expanded here on the general PC platform.

--- Allocated Space / Room... While this is true in the most part for a mainboard taking up more room, It once again depends on the type of install and how things are done... GPS/Internet/GSM... While these are not what you would call standard, Are easily installed for a computer as per normal means. When it comes to a car PC using a mainboard/itx your system is generally planned and installed with the means of hiding everything but the input/output devices like screens and controls. A tablet setup is clean in its most basic form... If you plan on having major expansions you will be required to hide these devices on a USB hub under the dash of have them installed in some means.

--- Security... Security will once again depend on the level of your install and the methods used to monitor and track the vehicle. Using custom electronics like cameras,controllers,splitters,joiners,psu's, avrs, pics and the other general circuity will require a place for these items to be installed and linked/powered/accessed. Once again having a single general purpose access point like your boot with a carpeted box will allow for this expansion easily and save time accessing if ever required instead of ripping out the dash/centre console. As for interfaces for the security, This really depends on your creativity and software/hardware

--- The website i mentioned.... No i dont have any link/investment in them or any affiliation in any sense except for having a general user account on their forum and being a active poster on their site. This site itself seems to be the one stop shop for advise/guides/examples and so on. So just save people doing a google..

--- The Camera Method of pictures....
The set up itself which is no longer active, Would take the pictures, Emailed them instantly as they where taken and sent to my general email account. This way i had a log of the times the vehicle had been accessed and likely pictures of who was accessing it with a GPS marking point. The if the cars default alarm was not triggered the system would continue to work as normal and "IF" it was not noticed i may be able to get coords of where the vehicle is at least staying for the night or time to access it via remote desktop / manual activation.
The install had a GSM module using a SimCard along with a prepaid internet connection.

So daily the photos would be logged, IF someone ever stole it i could then manually with a SMS from my mobile number only.. Trigger it with a set of commands that it would scan the SMS for. Being i have mosfets wired into the vehicles system i could access things like horn/locks/dead switch/lights/piezo buzzers and so on. So it was possible at any stage to wake the PC up with a SMS and then wait remote login from another computer or manually request data in the form of a email/SMS.

This is why i did not want a over the top alarm system, But more something that would help as evidence in the event i need to claim for it being stolen and so on. Plus more likely chance to recover the vehicle and know who has done it... Call the mates or the police... If the car is gone and the PC is still running silently without them having a clue... Then you trigger another GPS check or having it start a live feed to the web/email/sms

iChris
Places to install it and so on... Well this is why its good to have a search on the site which i shall not mention again lol, But i say this because there are various holdens and other models on there... They have a section called "Show off your project" which is for completed installs and will surely give you an idea that suites your needs.. Some people have made motorised installs that basically have the tablet either slide out of the double din and rotate up or others have the screens actually pop straight out of the dash on top near the window and so on...

Some people will go as simple as using a computer arm / swinging type holder while some will get a spare face plate and start moulding a holder out of it fibre glass or plastic type putties which with a little planning and design work will come out nice and you can then make room for the docking so it just slides in with no cables required to plug in.

50LTRv8
A mobile phone will work in the same theory as a tablet or pc, The install can be as simple as a phone holder and a Bluetooth module that interfaces/connects to your audio input on your stereo... Of course depending how far you wish to go with the set up.


Arduino & Android
For interfacing with your vehicle.. As in going beyond just audio/visual/gps/internet
One device to look at is the arduino as it is a simple platform that is growing into the automotive area a little more over time.

There are snap on interfaces that are called "shields" which allow for things like bluetooth/gps/gsm/relays/logic/CAN BUS/OBD2 and so on.. Get one of these, the canbus shield and a usb/bluetooth shield and you have basic access to to your vehicles GMLAN

Software is something that either needs to be custom made or found,

 

[MayhemOfHell]

For a possible tablet to fit the double din, Checkout the Google Nexus 7 (7Inch Tablet)