In-Car Laptop
04-15-2002
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In-Car Laptop
Ok, before you guys think i'm crazy hear me out:
This is what I want to do:
I want to get rid of my HU (I have the stock) and the pocket, and replace it with an LCD. The biggest size I can get to fit in there. Then I'll get an old IBM Laptop and hook it up to it. I'll get a touchpad wireless mouse and mount the laptop in the back so I'll be able to watch DVDs, now hear me out.
I have a speaker level to RCA Y Converter for my laptop so I can hook it up to an amp. I currently have 1 MTX Powering an RF 10". My plan is to split it the Signal, I'll buy a new AMP hook that up to my speakers, for a total of 2 AMPS, an LCD, and a Laptop which means MP3 and DVD Player straight from the front of my car (LCD)
How does that sound? Let me know if I didn't explain myself very well, I'm kind of in a rush...
This is what I want to do:
I want to get rid of my HU (I have the stock) and the pocket, and replace it with an LCD. The biggest size I can get to fit in there. Then I'll get an old IBM Laptop and hook it up to it. I'll get a touchpad wireless mouse and mount the laptop in the back so I'll be able to watch DVDs, now hear me out.
I have a speaker level to RCA Y Converter for my laptop so I can hook it up to an amp. I currently have 1 MTX Powering an RF 10". My plan is to split it the Signal, I'll buy a new AMP hook that up to my speakers, for a total of 2 AMPS, an LCD, and a Laptop which means MP3 and DVD Player straight from the front of my car (LCD)
How does that sound? Let me know if I didn't explain myself very well, I'm kind of in a rush...
04-15-2002
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Rep Power: 0 Before you start your project, do just a little bit more planning and research. Some questions you must first consider are as follows:
1) The double din area is pretty danged small to fit an entire laptop screen. Will you be willing to fabricate a custom dash to fit the large screen?
2) If you want a car pc, is a laptop going to be most cost-effective. A regular desktop computer will be easier to find, costs less, better performance/dollar, easily expandable,and you can just buy a cheap separate aftermarket screen that can drop right into the double-din location.
3) What operating system willyou run? Remember, you have boot this bad-boy EVERY time you get in the car. I suggest WindowsME...boot time is really quick.
4) Ummm, Are you ever going to change cd's/dvd's while the car is in motion??
5) Is SQ a big concern? You may still want to run the output signal through a cheap Aftermarket H/U to not only get better radio reception and dual pre-amp outputs....but you can detach the face, place the face in your visor and the rest of the H/U in the trunk or something. This way, you have your monitor, radio controls, and S/Q settings easily accessible up front in the cockpit.
Just my 2 cents. Good Luck. I want to do the same thing.....Just remember...PLAN!!!
1) The double din area is pretty danged small to fit an entire laptop screen. Will you be willing to fabricate a custom dash to fit the large screen?
2) If you want a car pc, is a laptop going to be most cost-effective. A regular desktop computer will be easier to find, costs less, better performance/dollar, easily expandable,and you can just buy a cheap separate aftermarket screen that can drop right into the double-din location.
3) What operating system willyou run? Remember, you have boot this bad-boy EVERY time you get in the car. I suggest WindowsME...boot time is really quick.
4) Ummm, Are you ever going to change cd's/dvd's while the car is in motion??
5) Is SQ a big concern? You may still want to run the output signal through a cheap Aftermarket H/U to not only get better radio reception and dual pre-amp outputs....but you can detach the face, place the face in your visor and the rest of the H/U in the trunk or something. This way, you have your monitor, radio controls, and S/Q settings easily accessible up front in the cockpit.
Just my 2 cents. Good Luck. I want to do the same thing.....Just remember...PLAN!!!
04-15-2002
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Rep Power: 0 Well I think the reason I want the laptop is because of the DVD skipping. I'm not sure how DVDs on desktops are nowadays, will they skip while I'm driving? I currently have a laptop and I move it around during DVDs and it doesn't skip, soooooo....
EDIT: The other reason I wanted a laptop was because of the battery.. I was thinking, sometimes If I just pull over to pickup something at 7-eleven I don't wanna have to shut everything off and then back on, so the laptop would remain ON with the battery power. If I get a desktop I'd have to get a UPS and like you said, I'd have to do some research as I have no idea if it would be a big baggage to carry for my car....
Either way, I'll keep you guys posted with pictures.. this will be a big project for me in a month or two
EDIT: The other reason I wanted a laptop was because of the battery.. I was thinking, sometimes If I just pull over to pickup something at 7-eleven I don't wanna have to shut everything off and then back on, so the laptop would remain ON with the battery power. If I get a desktop I'd have to get a UPS and like you said, I'd have to do some research as I have no idea if it would be a big baggage to carry for my car....
Either way, I'll keep you guys posted with pictures.. this will be a big project for me in a month or two
04-15-2002
#6
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Rep Power: 0 Laptop is an alright way to go (if it comes down to it) but it is defenetly not the best one in my eyes.
reason why: (before anyone starts yelling at me because they don't happen to agree, remember these are only my opinions)
1st.
like Tre said.
more power pre dolllar.
a laptop will usually run a lot more $ than a pc of equivalent power.
2nd.
again quoting Tre"A regular desktop computer will be easier to find, costs less, better, easily expandable"
3rd.
how do you plan on powering your laptop?
inverter?
an inverter will do the same thing for a pc as it will a laptop. (and you can wire the inverter straight to the battery and have it on a seperate switch from the car's ignition)
you just have to remember to shut it off when you are done. a lot of them also come with low battery protection. mine will auto shut itself off if the battery gets to 10.6v so that I can still have enough to start my car if I accidently leave it on over night (which I have).
your DVD skipping problem is a reality with regular pc drives.
what you need is one of a couple of options.
1st option:
get a laptop dvd drive and get a laptop to pc converter a.k.a 2.5 to 3.5 IDE converter.
they sell them on ebay for pretty cheap.
example
2nd option:
you can get a slot load drive with a cartrige (i think thatz what itz called)
really old school drive that has a removable tray.
3rd option:
is a dvd drive that is like the stock cd player (pulls the cd in by spinning it) :hard to discribe:
well I hope this helps.
one other piece of advice is to check out mp3car.com while you are doing research. It has a lot of useful info.
I hope this helps
-Lowtek
reason why: (before anyone starts yelling at me because they don't happen to agree, remember these are only my opinions)
1st.
like Tre said.
more power pre dolllar.
a laptop will usually run a lot more $ than a pc of equivalent power.
2nd.
again quoting Tre"A regular desktop computer will be easier to find, costs less, better, easily expandable"
3rd.
how do you plan on powering your laptop?
inverter?
an inverter will do the same thing for a pc as it will a laptop. (and you can wire the inverter straight to the battery and have it on a seperate switch from the car's ignition)
you just have to remember to shut it off when you are done. a lot of them also come with low battery protection. mine will auto shut itself off if the battery gets to 10.6v so that I can still have enough to start my car if I accidently leave it on over night (which I have).
your DVD skipping problem is a reality with regular pc drives.
what you need is one of a couple of options.
1st option:
get a laptop dvd drive and get a laptop to pc converter a.k.a 2.5 to 3.5 IDE converter.
they sell them on ebay for pretty cheap.
example
2nd option:
you can get a slot load drive with a cartrige (i think thatz what itz called)
really old school drive that has a removable tray.
3rd option:
is a dvd drive that is like the stock cd player (pulls the cd in by spinning it) :hard to discribe:
well I hope this helps.
one other piece of advice is to check out mp3car.com while you are doing research. It has a lot of useful info.
I hope this helps
-Lowtek
04-15-2002
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Rep Power: 0 For more hard drive space I would suggest getting a USB 2.0 hard drive of around 80Gbs or so. That'll hold MANY MP3s. Also you may want to contact a friend that you could have over while you do this that knows lots about computers. He may come up with more ideas for you. 
I have my computer setup to play music videos also, another idea for you. Also you could put a network card in your computer so you could just extend a cord out of your house and update your computer. Of couse you could always go wireless and eliminate the cord.
I have my computer setup to play music videos also, another idea for you. Also you could put a network card in your computer so you could just extend a cord out of your house and update your computer. Of couse you could always go wireless and eliminate the cord.
04-15-2002
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Rep Power: 0 USB 2.0 Is definetely the way to go, I couldn't agree more with you. I'm looking into getting that PCMCIA Card which sells for pretty cheap and getting a 32x burner ohhh man burn in 3 minutes YEAAAAAAAAH IT MAKES ME SOOO HORNY (Sorry, I've been using a 2x for the past 4 years).
Anyways back to the subject.
I just bought me the Clarion FM Modulator to hook up to my Stock HU for now while I really lay out my options.
I looked into a 300W Inverter and it's about $60 that's not too bad (I'll also be getting that this week so I can hook up my laptop and that will allow me to expand it to a desktop later in the future.
FOR NOW I'm going to use my laptop as I carry it with me everywhere so it won't be a big hassle.
As for the computer, I can get parts for free from work I have spare parts all over the place... I just shipped a 10 gig WD in today for replacement under warranty, and I'll probably be building me a little baby out of that.. add a USB 2.0 Card, and I also thought about the network card like you said omega, but I live in a condo and my parking is like 1000 feet away from my apartment :-( I was thinking of putting in the NIC so I can upload everything through my laptop with a crossover, and that would be much better than getting a removable rack and going back and forth with a HDD...
I still want my UPS for my occasional 7-eleven stops
Tre, TouchScreen is exciting!! It's prolly out of my budget, we'll see:-)) Thanks for the input peeps! I'll keep yall updated with pics soon!
Anyways back to the subject.
I just bought me the Clarion FM Modulator to hook up to my Stock HU for now while I really lay out my options.
I looked into a 300W Inverter and it's about $60 that's not too bad (I'll also be getting that this week so I can hook up my laptop and that will allow me to expand it to a desktop later in the future.
FOR NOW I'm going to use my laptop as I carry it with me everywhere so it won't be a big hassle.
As for the computer, I can get parts for free from work I have spare parts all over the place... I just shipped a 10 gig WD in today for replacement under warranty, and I'll probably be building me a little baby out of that.. add a USB 2.0 Card, and I also thought about the network card like you said omega, but I live in a condo and my parking is like 1000 feet away from my apartment :-( I was thinking of putting in the NIC so I can upload everything through my laptop with a crossover, and that would be much better than getting a removable rack and going back and forth with a HDD...
I still want my UPS for my occasional 7-eleven stops
Tre, TouchScreen is exciting!! It's prolly out of my budget, we'll see:-)) Thanks for the input peeps! I'll keep yall updated with pics soon!
04-16-2002
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Rep Power: 0 I'm not sure if this is for all inverters or not, but I just bought a 350w that recommended running right of the battery if you were using more than 160watts worth of power. Also- most laptops don't need more than 140w but you may want a surge protector because an inverter probably isn't putting out the cleanest power. Just my 2cents.
04-17-2002
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Rep Power: 0 JeremyC:
I didn't think that a laptop consumed more than 140W.
I thought it was closer to about 80 something tops.
I have an 400W continus\800W peak (I think, I actually don't remember right now)
but mine suggest that if you are gonna be drawing more than 150W to plug it straight to battery.
I think thatz cuz the wires for the 12v adapter plug aren't a thick enough gauge to handle anything more than that (safely).
I used to plug my laptop to the inverter and also have my fog lamps running (they were both connected to the 12V adapter wire)
and it never had a problem.
I'm gonna be putting a full computer in my car soon and a seperate monitor which will consume around 200w-300w tops (i'm over estimating by a lot) so I decided to run my inverter straight to the battery.
it's worked well so far and I've had no probs.
-Lowtek
I didn't think that a laptop consumed more than 140W.
I thought it was closer to about 80 something tops.
I have an 400W continus\800W peak (I think, I actually don't remember right now)
but mine suggest that if you are gonna be drawing more than 150W to plug it straight to battery.
I think thatz cuz the wires for the 12v adapter plug aren't a thick enough gauge to handle anything more than that (safely).
I used to plug my laptop to the inverter and also have my fog lamps running (they were both connected to the 12V adapter wire)
and it never had a problem.
I'm gonna be putting a full computer in my car soon and a seperate monitor which will consume around 200w-300w tops (i'm over estimating by a lot) so I decided to run my inverter straight to the battery.
it's worked well so far and I've had no probs.
-Lowtek
04-18-2002
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Rep Power: 0 For those thinking about using an inverter to power the laptop or destop machine in your ride:
Me and a bud did this in his 99 Pontiac Grand Am GT.... We used his brand new at the time Pentium 700 laptop w/DVD....
We used an RF Modulator, 1/8stereo to RCA converter for sound to factory radio..... and a 300 watt power inverter from Tweeter Audio/Video.... BIG PROBLEM.... The inverter sends feedback (noise) through the stereo while being powered..... Since remedied by purchasing a Cigarette lighter DC power plug for the laptop.... Now it sounds great.... We didn't do any custom install.... The laptops main function was for GPS navigation for his work at the time, but it never hurts to have a DVD player in your car.[IMG]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/IMG]
That's my .02
Me and a bud did this in his 99 Pontiac Grand Am GT.... We used his brand new at the time Pentium 700 laptop w/DVD....
We used an RF Modulator, 1/8stereo to RCA converter for sound to factory radio..... and a 300 watt power inverter from Tweeter Audio/Video.... BIG PROBLEM.... The inverter sends feedback (noise) through the stereo while being powered..... Since remedied by purchasing a Cigarette lighter DC power plug for the laptop.... Now it sounds great.... We didn't do any custom install.... The laptops main function was for GPS navigation for his work at the time, but it never hurts to have a DVD player in your car.[IMG]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/IMG]
That's my .02
04-18-2002
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04-19-2002
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Rep Power: 0 2k1silveR: I'm using my laptop right now but i'm running out of battery power. I will be getting an inverter this weekend.
How was the sound quality/volume w/out the inverter my volume is very low, I'm thinking of pushing it through an amp and then sending it to the RF Modulator
How was the sound quality/volume w/out the inverter my volume is very low, I'm thinking of pushing it through an amp and then sending it to the RF Modulator
04-19-2002
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Rep Power: 0 << Ok, before you guys think i'm crazy hear me out:
This is what I want to do:
I want to get rid of my HU (I have the stock) and the pocket, and replace it with an LCD. The biggest size I can get to fit in there. Then I'll get an old IBM Laptop and hook it up to it. I'll get a touchpad wireless mouse and mount the laptop in the back so I'll be able to watch DVDs, now hear me out.
I have a speaker level to RCA Y Converter for my laptop so I can hook it up to an amp. I currently have 1 MTX Powering an RF 10". My plan is to split it the Signal, I'll buy a new AMP hook that up to my speakers, for a total of 2 AMPS, an LCD, and a Laptop which means MP3 and DVD Player straight from the front of my car (LCD)
How does that sound? Let me know if I didn't explain myself very well, I'm kind of in a rush... >>
i know this doesnt have anything to do with what you wana do with a laptop, but I use my laptop to control my alarm in the car.
04-19-2002
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Rep Power: 0 << Your alarm? Please explain >>
i can control all the settings with the alarm, also it gives me a read out of what zone was tampered, and what type a sensor set it off. Either proximity, glass or tilt sensors.
04-20-2002
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Rep Power: 0 2k1SilverEX:
hey dude, I tried the power inverter with the RF Modulator and you were right, it creates a LOT of static.
needless to say I returned both products. I will be getting the adapter for my laptop and hooking it up straight to the amps.
hey dude, I tried the power inverter with the RF Modulator and you were right, it creates a LOT of static.
needless to say I returned both products. I will be getting the adapter for my laptop and hooking it up straight to the amps.
04-21-2002
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Rep Power: 0 yeah but I've had my laptop for over 2 years and It still kicks butt dude.. PIII 500mhz with 384 megs of RAM? If that's enough to do my work, and not have a desktop it should be enough to play mp3s/dvds in my car for at least 2 more years. Plus I want a new laptop for myself anyways..
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