Hey Guys
Well today i have started my carpc install... well ordering everything i need and finding things around the house that i may need...

i just have a few questions though (this is mainly asking the people that have actually done a CarPC):

What length VGA cables should i buy to go from my screen (where the head unit currently is) to my pc (in the boot)?
What rating power cable will i need to go from my battery to my Power Supply and a head unit that will be in my boot
What should i use to shape and mould the screen into the nonclimate fasica... as in what glues and putties?
What OS should i run on the Carpc?.... im thinking ill just use XP


the reason that im only going to run a headunit to run my speakers is that 1, i cant be bothered with an amp and 2, if i use a headunit i can still go to a drive in cinema and not have my car go flat from running the PC


Cheers for your help guys it is much appreciated

Hi mate,

Ive got one in and working, not had time yet to finish it off and make it nice.
but:
- VGA cable i cannot comment as i did an under the seat install to prevent that issue. Make sure you keep it away from power cables to prevent interference over the long distance.
- Power cable - suprisingly the computer shouldnt draw more than 10-15amps if you are using the M2-ATX power supply. So no need to go overboard - will check what i run when im at car next
- I cannot comment on the screen install, i was lazy and used the headrest fitting for mounting. I am however still going to mould it in and all ive bought was Plastibond.
- OS depends largely on what front end software you want to run. I'd avoid vista (too slow) and not recommend going lower than 2000 (driver support) personally i run WinXP Home. This has worked well the last 8 months. I paid for a copy of Centrafuse which works really well, much worth the money if you are wanting GPS. Within XP go through the settings to enable hibernate - im getting start up times of 15 seconds or so. RoadRunner had some issues, Winamp crashed occasionally, but since CF ive never had an issue, i am running P4 1.5ghz processor with 512mb Ram.

Ive still got my headunit and its worked well. Ive got both headunit and screen in dash - good for when you want to listen to radio and dont have a tuner for the computer. Ive got an amp sitting at home, but still deciding whether to use it or not (worked fine the last 8 months on just H/U)

As for flat battery - ive only had one while i was installing the steering wheel controls (had Computer running for about 2-3hours). Ive got the computer set up to hibernate 20mins after the car is turned off (screen is wired through a relay and a switch so that it turns of either by flicking the switch or turning ignition to off) this allows me to fill petrol or run into shops and not have to reboot (M2 ATX has caps to prevent power loss during cranking). Cause im a non smoker in the space where the ash try is ive put: a shutdown button, a reset button, a power on led, a hdd led, and a switch to kill all power to the computer, as well as a small 4 port usb hubs for my flash drives, internet dongle, roll up keyboard, etc. Come in very handy and well worth considering.

I am in the process of upgrading to win7 from xp on mine. New version of centrafuse is out, so I thought I might as well do the whole upgrade.

If you use tiny xp or some other cut down version make sure you know what is missing, i.e voice etc.

Not sure what length vga cable i have, mine is in boot too, about 2.5 metres I think.

Ride Runner, is pretty cool, but as stated has a few issues, but there are some really sweet skins. Especially Crystal silver with the rotating Mitsubishi sign/clock as standard, looks sweet.

I dont have mine plugged into a HU, people say this causes less sound quality, although I have read it is quite the opposite, as you are using more cable and hardware and that will ALWAYS cause some loss of quality, although a HU may APPEAR to clean it up a little, especially if you dont have a good sound card.

I am about to get a USB radio too, not that I listen to much radio, just good to have.

Make sure you have some good fuses if running the pc from battery.

Where are you getting your info from? Checked out mp3car.com?

I did buy a copy of the latest CF and wasnt too impressed. I really like the layout on version 2 and they have removed it all for 3. There are also no skins or anything to change it so you are stuck. It takes up more system resources and my computer wasnt too happy running it, considerably slower. Also the maps included were not Australian, havent found the correct ones yet, otherwise want money back.

yeah. i have just got it going and seems to be a lot slower.

I have aussie maps. just use the old destinator ones, if you have paid for them....

So far not to impressed either, was really looking for to installing it too.

Cheers everyone for your help, and yes i am getting my info from mp3car.com and im also buying most of the stuff from there too... i placed the order yesterday

i just remembered as well that the people with car PC installs, what did you guys mount the PC into and where in the boot? im thinking about making a round box that can fit inside the spare tyre that will house the pc and everything...

Mine is in the left hand corner of my boot.

Not sure about the heat/ventilation if you put it in the tyre well.

Maybe put it in there on a temporary basis and check out for heat and vent. If it seems fine then go for it.

If you use the spare wheel bay make sure you get some ventilation in there. Ive got my install under the seat (still not fully enclosed though). Im getting reasonable temperatures and never overheated (particularly because the passengers would too being in the car). I have a spare case fan in there as well. You might be able to pick one up from Jaycar and draw air in/out
I reverted back to CF2 with old destinator maps...much happier with it.