Ok, I've seen a lot about how people pimp out their nav systems etc. in their 8's. I'm wondering, are there any pitfalls to watch out for if you wanted to install a PC in your car. I've been thinking about it since my last car. Technically you should be able to put a regular PC package together (motherboard, hard drive, memory, CD/DVD player) , mount it somewhere and hook it up to the nav screen.

The stuff I was wondering about is (1) is there a problem with powering it seeing as how a typical home wall outlet is AC and the car battery is DC (2) Can you use the converters that I've heard so much about to connect the PC graphics card to the nav RGB wires (3) Is there a problem with switching between the already factory installed nav system and this auxilary PC

Thanks in advance for any advice

 

1) use a power inverter. you can pick them up at radio shack or elsewhere.
2) there was a thread talking about this.
3) not sure, as i haven't been keeping up w/ these type of threads in awhile, but the answer might be found in the same thread you are looking for in #2.

4) other people are doing this, so it would benefit you alot to run searches and see how other people are tackling it.

 

The power inverters that I've seen have fans on them and get real loud, I was wondering if there was a better alternative. I guess if you leave it in the trunk, though, it's not that bad. I've seen the threads about connecting adapters to the RGB nav wires, and I know how easy people make it seem. They keep talking about carputers though, is this just a regular computer with a special car OS? I see people too running XP on such a system, what's the difference?

 

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Ok, that said....
http://www.mp3car.com/store/product_...ee637fa94ae5b5

This is your only true power option. I'm running this model on a P4 2.8GHZ hyperthreading 1MB cache, 800Mhz FSB, 512MB DDR400 TwinBank, A DVD CDRW, and a WD 8MB cache 200GB.

You are wasting lots of efficiency in using an DC-AC inverter to a AC-DC power supply...The above mentioned 150Watt PSU is somewhere like 90+% efficient compared to home PSUs running around 60%. Trust me, it will run your setup...its all about the efficiency, look at what its running for me...besides, how did you plan on getting it to shut off? With the above unit, it boots/hybernates/shutsdown based on ignition...whatever you prefer!

Here's some pics: http://devoid.mine.nu/pictures/20040809%20-%20RX-8/

Now mine is using composite video out, not RGB, but I have seen on this thread that you can take the RGB out, take the RGB connect those directly, and then take the horizontal sync, set it to 60, and tie it to the nav screen's sync.

Hope all this makes sense, let me know if you have other questions.

 

Regarding OS...you do have some options such as WindowsCE, or some other fast-booting, concise OS. Another option is to install Windows XP on a flash drive, rather than an HDD. Boot time will be greatly decreased with that setup. You'd be wise to maintain an image copy somewhere, though, in case it gets wiped out or something.

Generally speaking though, full-on XP will give the computer more functionality (and software compatibility) than a mobile-OS. The cost is a longer boot time and more complexity (of the OS, that is).

Also, you have to decide how you want it to power down. Running XP off a HDD, you wouldn't want it to just pull power when you turn off the ignition. You'd want to wire it somehow to go into the shutdown sequence (like the power button on your PC). Using a mobile OS or perhaps even XP off a flash drive, you may be able to just hard kill it every time without causing a problem. My thought, though, is that anytime you are dealing with an HDD - whether it is an OS partition or not, you want that drive to shutdown properly by parking the head. Perhaps a mobile OS or flash drive-installed OS will properly shutdown any attached drives and still power down pretty quickly. Stuff to look into.

Edit: Devoid posted while I was drafting. The PSU he mentioned would handle your startup-shutdown options. Maybe he wouldn't mind giving us some more detail on his OS and how it is intalled?

 

Maybe.....

My OS is Full-out WinXP Pro. I utilize the hybernate feature of the OS. Booting...no problem. Because I stuck with minimal hardware, there aren't many drivers to load. Full blown cold boot takes probably 5 seconds. Its the quickest machine I've ever had. Hybernate boot is actually faster. Shutdown...well who cares? The PSU does everything, including the shutdown. In my case, the shutdown is mear seconds again, however, you have a hardware adjustable timer that you can allow for x number of seconds before the PSU completely cuts power after turning the car off. You can also ajust x number of seconds before it sends a shutdown signal, this allows you to turn the car off, than turn it back to accessory, and not reboot the computer.

As you can infer from the pictures and previous description, the OS is booting from the WD HD. The biggest point in keeping a fast booting OS is minimul extra hardware. That is why I chose the ASUS MB with everything built in...LAN, ATI video (even with a composite out), audio (which I use the optical out), USB, etc. The only part I added was a propriatary ASUS 802.11b wireless card, as well as a TDK 150' Bluetooth USB adapter. Beyond that, there is a USB hub, firewire hub, USB 8in1 media reader, USB 2 web cam....and I think that's it? Oh yeah, and a Netgear 5 port switch.

Hope that answers some more questions...feel free to keep asking...

 

Now, you say you're running composit out from the computer. Do you have that hooked up to the factory nav screen or to a different screen mounted somewhere else. If it's hooked to the nav screen, how did you do it?

 

ok...maybe this will cut down on some of the confusion:
https://www.rx8club.com/series-i-interior-audio-electronics-24/design-my-new-rx-8-a-32992/

as well as checking out all my install pics:
http://devoid.mine.nu/pictures

As for your questions...well, I already answered how to do the RGB connection straight to the NAV, that is your best quaility option.
As for me, I completely gutted the entire car (I don't just mean taking a few pieces out, I mean removing everything: seats, carpet, hood liner, dash, center counsel, etc, etc.) and then started over. I am installing a complete Alpine based system and from the Alpine system I have tied into the NAV, thus using a composite to RGB converter from the Alpine. The computer has composite video built in, that is sent directly to the Alpine.

I hope that makes sense!

 

"Now mine is using composite video out, not RGB, but I have seen on this thread that you can take the RGB out, take the RGB connect those directly, and then take the horizontal sync, set it to 60, and tie it to the nav screen's sync."

Now, I'm sorry for asking dumb questions, but what is the horizontal sync? I assume it synchrozes the signal, but what exactly is it synchronizing? Is it a component that is already in the car or is there one for the nav and I need another coming from the PC? And you say to set it to 60, what's this? Are there other settings?

I don't want to waste your time answering these if you don't want. Any help is greatly appreciated though.

 

Sok...
Here goes a 10,000' view:
A most generic RGB signal consists of 4 wires. Red, Green, Blue, and sync. The NAV in the RX-8 utilizes this setup. These 4 signals are being sent from the DVD controller in the rear to the screen up front. Each wire is pretty self expainitory as to its function. The purpose of the sync wire is in a sense the refresh rate of the screen, or the number of times the screen is to be redrawn per second. This is usually described in Hz. Thus on your computer, you have control of what is termed the refresh rate. This can very anywhere from 60Hz to 120Hz and onward. Computer monitors work off of both a vertical and horizontal sync, however, whereas TV screens work off of simply horizontal. Typical TV's need a video signal sent from a computer to be lowered to 60Hz in order to be able to display anything.

Thus, in order to tie the computer RGB connection into the NAV screen...first you need a switch that will allow you to choose either NAV or computer to be displayed. Next, you need to take an RGB computer cable and connect one end to the computer, and the other, you need to cut away and find the R, G, B, and Horizontal sync wires. You will then want to also find the NAV screen R, G, B, and sync wires. Upon finding these wires, you will take the wires from the screen, as well as the wires from the NAV DVD, and plug them into an input side of your switch. Then connect the R, G, B, and sync wires from the screen into the output side of your switch.

Again, hope this explains it!

 

Perfect explaination, I got it now. Thanks for the help. You have a real nice setup going for you there. Sorry to hear about the setbacks. I was looking at the comp setup you have enclosed in the box. Where will that be mounted? Right near the rear console pass through to the trunk?

 

Again...check out ALL the pictures....but this should give you the idea. It is in the trunk, on the driver's side. Passenger side will be a powered cooler and 6disc DVD changer. Just browse the pics...they should be self explainatory. If you have further questions...just ask....

 

Don't they have motherboards that will run off of 12V now?

 

All computer hardware does...oh, and always has... :D PSUs in computers do an AC-DC conversion at 12V.

 

devoid -- with all that wireless capabilities, you should have the OS powered on even when the car is off -- so you can do cool things like a bluetooth proximity sensor to open the door and start the car and, have a buddy of yours w/ the same setup, have the passenger drivers IM each other directions or whatnot .. is that what your vision is?

alex

 

IM each other? Man, that's old hat...they'll be fully networked and they can voice communicate with eachother while playing on the PS2. And of course you can't forget the bluetooth integration of cell phones into the computer, as well as bluetooth control of my ICELED lighting system. :D The occasional DiVX movie or newest music, not yet uploaded to the iPod! Sync with your bluetooth or wireless PDA...oh, and of course the same bluetooth handsfree ear piece I can use with my cellphone I'll be able to use to control the computer! Oh yeah...its integrated. I think there must be something wrong with me... :D

Oh...and for the record, the only part of this that isn't real is the voice communication with eachother while playing PS2. That would simply take the fun out of the verbal battary that compliments every game consule!

 

any final pics of the work..

 

only as final as the install is....check the site, it has the dates of each picture set (ie 20040830 is 2004, 08 (aug), 30) So as you can tell, the car isn't done. Its projected around mid Oct. right now.

 

ok.. really how much are you puttin into this.. I think this is very cool, and wouldnt mind doin a few things.. not goin all out. but I like alot of the possibles.... :D

 

From my thread....