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For less than $40, I've made a trunk-mounted music carputer for my '04 civic.




I've put together a DIY photo guide of the project (including all trim removal and wiring that I did):




http://michaelvogel.wordpress.com/mp3-carputer/













The computer is pretty basic - it runs on windows 2000 and the music runs from windows media player.





I'm using a USB keypad to control the music (play/pause, shuffle, select playlist, shutdown computer, etc)



Here's the page where I explain the wiring & installation:

http://michaelvogel.wordpress.com/mp...-installation/

 
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moved.

 
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Are you worried about any shock to the computer? What kind of hard drive are you running?

 
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So far things have been ok. I may end up mounting the computer vertically, which would mean that the head could only "bounce" parallel to the hard drive spindle (which is harmless).

For now, I think the trunk has enough spring to it to keep the computer safe (I've tried it on a few speedbumps). I might also add some extra cushioning/dampening.

The hard drive is 6 GB in size. The computer is a Compaq 500 MHz Pentium III.

 
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Nice job redbird.

Heres a link to my carputer in my 2003 hybrid.
http://www.where-does-this-wire-go.c...uter-pictures/

 
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Serious? I find it hard to believe you may have missed it but there are front ends built specifically for this type of thing to keep people from having to use Windows Media Player nor a keypad. Check out Road Runner, Centrafuse or Streetdeck. The first one's free, the others you pay for but they're beauties. Here's some screenshots of Road Runner:

 
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WOW, that's really well done. How are you powering it? Did you have to run a fuse kit from that battery?

 
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I have a second 12v battery in the trunk.

 
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nice setups. the solar panel is pretty neat too. i wonder how much tinted windows affect it? you have it hooked to the battery?

 
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Yeah. It is hooked up to the battery in the back. The solar pannel doesn't seem to be affected too much by the tint.

 
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Not rely man, I have seen hard drives have head crashed both ways. Your car dose not only bounce up and down bout back and forth as well. Good job but I would not think that the hard drive is going to last long. You are putting stress on the arm with it bouncing up and down. Also you made a lot of things more complex than they could of been. Like the usb cable didn't have to be cut and all all you had to do is buy an extender or 2 and wrap with electrical tape. Also the switch you could of just ran that from the mother board and extended the cables to a small push button. Also the SQ can not be that good I mean your probably at what 128 kbps. You could of just got a cheap mp3 player and done something very easy with it. Also it would make it easier to add music as well. All and all a good install.

 
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I actually did connect the keyboard using a USB extension cable (male/female). I'll edit the page to make that step more clear.

I did consider running a direct power button from the computer, but wouldn't it be more complex to run a wire from the motherboard? The way I have it set up, the power switch is a master power switch; that is, not even the inverter is turned on when the switch is off.

Surprisingly, the sound quality is excellent! I've been comparing it with other strong FM stations that I can pick up, and mine is just as clear. The only limiting factor to the sound is the quality of the MP3s themselves.

Yes, I know that I could have bought a cheap MP3 player, but this way was actually cheaper because I already had the computer .

 
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Well if you want to talk SQ a carputer is the only way you'll ever achieve CD quality sound without towing around a bag full of CDs and risking losing them all if someone breaks into the car.

MP3 files are lossy. Period. However, above 192kbps the average human no longer recognizes the difference, and without an aftermarket system you won't notice either. For reference, FM radio is the equivalent of 128kbps mp3.

The distortion from MP3 files comes primarily in the high frequencies -- Your tweeters. If you have high-end components you're going to notice the distortion more so than if you had stock speakers and suddenly the quality of your files becomes more important.

With a carputer though you can run FLAC files and enjoy CD-quality audio without the actual CD. FLAC is the most popular lossless codec and if you have a big enough hard drive, it's well worth it. The only problem is FLAC takes up ~5-10x more space than mp3 (depending on bitrate of your mp3s).

As for running a power switch, a computer's power switch is only two wires. Hell, if you take off the button you can start your computer with a screwdriver. The button just links the two pins together, same as touching them with a screwdriver does. You could easily just cut the end, extend the wires, and re-attach the end after the extension.

 
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Not true I have a ipod loaded up with all loss less format music plugged in using the bottom connector of the ipod. It is as good as a cd.

 
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No, the power button plugs into the motherboard and that's it. Very simple, there are 2 pins on the board specifically for this.

Your iPod is not as good as a CD, it's been proven many times that the audio quality from an iPod is TERRIBLE. Any audiophile I know has complained about the quality of their iPod and saying how it's pretty much worse than any of the competition. I mean real audiophiles, I have a friend that was doing all the audio management for a company I used to work at, it was his job to do all the editing for the online media for the website. Apple really dropped the ball making their product more marketable than functional.