Carputer screen stuff
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Yes, it's an Acura EL
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Carputer screen stuff
Hey hey hey, time for a new project in 05, and for TeLLy it's a carputer. I'm thinking about just putting a nice little 6.5 or 7 inch screen in my console, and relocating my deck to the space above my cupholders. But that part I've already got ideas on. What I'm curious about right now is a question for all my carputer headz. I'm looking at a Lilliput screen right now, but would like to know what all you others are running, and how you're liking them. MP3car.com members seem to be so much about the Lilliput that I don't see a lot of threads praising or damning any other brands. So yeah please post up if you've got an indash (not foldout, I've ruled that out) screen and would like to offer your feedback. Thanks guys.
Electric Boogaloo...
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From: Want to play a game?
Rep Power: 328 Lilliput VGA is a good quality screen that's touch capable and at an easily affordable price that I've seen. Possibly the most budget conscious one you can find that's not shotty in quality. As for the relocation and molding in the screen, there are a few threads here that have lots of good information in them as well. Just for a erference.
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From: MA
Rep Power: 310 I order the Lilliput 7 yesterday ($249 from Case-mod.com). I've heard nothing but good things about it. At $249 its much much cheaper than it's competors. It's designed with car computing in mind, you probably can't go wrong.
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Yes, it's an Acura EL
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From: 416-905, Ontario, Canada
Rep Power: 368 Thanks everyone, keep the comments comin! Looks like I'm gonna end up with a Lilliput after all....but I'm gonna run a wireless keyboard with it, I like having an actual keyboard to type on.
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Rep Power: 337 I really have to recommend an folding in dash screen, that has an ability to swivel and tilt. swivel and tilt will enhance the functionality of your screen, letting you circumvent the glare problem so inherrent in our cars for times when the sun will be in the viewing way.
Sure, molded into the dash looks great and all, but we all know how classic our glare issues are. go for it if you wish, itll be the only mention I give of this big big potential pain in the ****.
anyways, I personally went with a digital world wide. I wouldnt mind minus gps, Ive slowly been using programs like reshack to make it more functional for a small screen. I think you will be much happier with a lilli.
mp3car as far as I know has two great tutorials. How to fit the dww touchscreen overlay onto a lilli, and how to cram a lilli into a dww non motorized fold out drive bay.
as to functionality, I find I dont really like the touchscreen as a primary form of control. I wouldnt part with it for anything, the sheer functionality is too great, but its a shame to have to pay $100 for something that is best used such a small amount. I find the distance too far to work well pushing small buttons. I keep a palm pilot stylus in my car to close windows and such.
if you choose to add voice command support, put your mic closer. I chose my gauge console as the location. I will be relocating my mic sometime to a better spot, I find it doesnt pick up well located there. putting it off center and closer seems to pick up more often and with better accuracy, such as in the center console or door. if you can find a mic designed for use up high, like the GM onstar mic, at the top of the a-pillar I would predict would be a great place. I used the rat shack non-directional mic, which is a fantastic mic, at the cost of being a bulky thing to cram somewhere.
for the keyboard, I chose to mold mine into the visor. Mixed feelings about it. if you are going to be running GPS, you need one. youll be much happier having one than not with GPS. However, if you have no plans for GPS, I might suggest you have no need for one at all. as for its location, also has good and bad points. very VERY functional, easy to reach, and never have to worry about finding a spot for it to tuck it away, like a coordless. no batteries..... The cost is (like the screen) aesthetic difficulty, and minor loss in functionality of the visor. more difficult to fold down compared to nothing at all.
My ideal MP3 browsing coorded input would be five buttons. up down left right, and the enter key. escape key very rarely. if I could find an input device that was a **** that incorporated left and right or up and down, then I could have a controller that looked like certain atari controllers. would work like a champ, too.
so Ive got mixed feelings about the keyboard. same category as the touchscreen. invaluble, but still a pain in the ****.
my ideal ideal ideal setup (without cost or feasibility factored in) would be a 4 or 4.5" screen with a touch panel overlay molded into the steering wheel for mouse functions. The main screen would be approximately 10 inches in size and a trinitron CRT molded into the dash derek-style. the keyboard would be smaller than mine (I run a laptop keyboard) but still up in the visor, installed using a more rigid plastic than the stock visor (so a rebuild from scratch). Finally, I would have a **** two button device, either in the door or in the center console, either the large square pocket or deep skinny one makes no difference to me. the **** would pull out, so pushed in its up and down, and pulled up its left and right, and the two buttons would be mapped to esc and enter.
feasible? hell no. but man, can you imagine the functionality?
Sure, molded into the dash looks great and all, but we all know how classic our glare issues are. go for it if you wish, itll be the only mention I give of this big big potential pain in the ****.
anyways, I personally went with a digital world wide. I wouldnt mind minus gps, Ive slowly been using programs like reshack to make it more functional for a small screen. I think you will be much happier with a lilli.
mp3car as far as I know has two great tutorials. How to fit the dww touchscreen overlay onto a lilli, and how to cram a lilli into a dww non motorized fold out drive bay.
as to functionality, I find I dont really like the touchscreen as a primary form of control. I wouldnt part with it for anything, the sheer functionality is too great, but its a shame to have to pay $100 for something that is best used such a small amount. I find the distance too far to work well pushing small buttons. I keep a palm pilot stylus in my car to close windows and such.
if you choose to add voice command support, put your mic closer. I chose my gauge console as the location. I will be relocating my mic sometime to a better spot, I find it doesnt pick up well located there. putting it off center and closer seems to pick up more often and with better accuracy, such as in the center console or door. if you can find a mic designed for use up high, like the GM onstar mic, at the top of the a-pillar I would predict would be a great place. I used the rat shack non-directional mic, which is a fantastic mic, at the cost of being a bulky thing to cram somewhere.
for the keyboard, I chose to mold mine into the visor. Mixed feelings about it. if you are going to be running GPS, you need one. youll be much happier having one than not with GPS. However, if you have no plans for GPS, I might suggest you have no need for one at all. as for its location, also has good and bad points. very VERY functional, easy to reach, and never have to worry about finding a spot for it to tuck it away, like a coordless. no batteries..... The cost is (like the screen) aesthetic difficulty, and minor loss in functionality of the visor. more difficult to fold down compared to nothing at all.
My ideal MP3 browsing coorded input would be five buttons. up down left right, and the enter key. escape key very rarely. if I could find an input device that was a **** that incorporated left and right or up and down, then I could have a controller that looked like certain atari controllers. would work like a champ, too.
so Ive got mixed feelings about the keyboard. same category as the touchscreen. invaluble, but still a pain in the ****.
my ideal ideal ideal setup (without cost or feasibility factored in) would be a 4 or 4.5" screen with a touch panel overlay molded into the steering wheel for mouse functions. The main screen would be approximately 10 inches in size and a trinitron CRT molded into the dash derek-style. the keyboard would be smaller than mine (I run a laptop keyboard) but still up in the visor, installed using a more rigid plastic than the stock visor (so a rebuild from scratch). Finally, I would have a **** two button device, either in the door or in the center console, either the large square pocket or deep skinny one makes no difference to me. the **** would pull out, so pushed in its up and down, and pulled up its left and right, and the two buttons would be mapped to esc and enter.
feasible? hell no. but man, can you imagine the functionality?
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From: MA
Rep Power: 310 How bout molding and Intelli-mouse into the console. There are 5 buttons and you can set their functions with a software prog that runs as a ghost. Currently on my home PC, my Microsoft mouse buttons click, rightclick, close windows, bring up the file search, back on webbrowser. And it scrolls up down and right left.
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From: MA
Rep Power: 310 Registered!!
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From: bay area, california
Rep Power: 337 see, now THAT is a brilliant idea. two mouse wheels, two button mouse with the software. put them in the deep pocket in the back of the console, front of the pocket, at the surface. the rear half of the pocket would hold the remote controls for all the crap I never use anyways.
combine with media car, pretend I dont need gps, and take out the keyboard. brilliant.
combine with media car, pretend I dont need gps, and take out the keyboard. brilliant.
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From: Northern MA
Rep Power: 0 Here is an expensive solution. http://www.onehandedkeyboard.com/bat.html
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From: bay area, california
Rep Power: 337 my favorite are mediaengine and media car. I cant figure out frodo, which I think is a bummer considering the available support. mediacar has fewer skins easily available, otherwise I love it. if youve got a blue car, you are done. Ive got a red lighting scheme, so the blue color is my only issue....
keyboard in the map pocket..... ever try stuffing a ps2 or usb plug through your door grommet?
keyboard in the map pocket..... ever try stuffing a ps2 or usb plug through your door grommet?
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From: MA
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Originally Posted by WhiteRabbit
my favorite are mediaengine and media car. I cant figure out frodo, which I think is a bummer considering the available support. mediacar has fewer skins easily available, otherwise I love it. if youve got a blue car, you are done. Ive got a red lighting scheme, so the blue color is my only issue....
The lack of skins does suck for MediaCar. I'm considering asking on MP3Car.com if someone will make a skin that's red and light blue/offwhite with a nice big H in the center.
keyboard in the map pocket..... ever try stuffing a ps2 or usb plug through your door grommet?
The lack of skins does suck for MediaCar. I'm considering asking on MP3Car.com if someone will make a skin that's red and light blue/offwhite with a nice big H in the center.
keyboard in the map pocket..... ever try stuffing a ps2 or usb plug through your door grommet?
Something like this
http://www.keyboardco.com/KBC1525WTB...l_keyboard.htm
Last edited by J187; Feb 10, 2005 at 07:56 AM.
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