A teaser of my project.

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A teaser of my project.

June 29, 2005, 08:03:39 AM

Here is a teaser picture of something I'll be releasing full information about in 1 or 2 weeks, so stay tuned: (Haystack, You'll definitely be interested in this

) :hick:

I just have to do a little more tweaking and wiring before it's all ready.....

Re: A teaser of my project.

Reply #1 – June 29, 2005, 08:56:32 AM

ooh I hate you now. What is it? VIdeo or a puter? Or does that have to wait as well. I wouldnt mind a pm with some specs either way?

Re: A teaser of my project.

Reply #2 – June 29, 2005, 09:01:01 AM

Well it CAN be video if you choose to pop in a DVD

Re: A teaser of my project.

Reply #3 – June 29, 2005, 10:50:58 AM

Mac mini in the middle of the console?

Re: A teaser of my project.

Reply #4 – June 29, 2005, 12:08:35 PM

Oooooh! Oooooh! I know! I know! Call on me! Ooooh! Ohhh!

Re: A teaser of my project.

Reply #5 – June 29, 2005, 12:12:40 PM

Hahah You can take the honours Mr. Eric, for you're the one that introduced this concept to me.

Re: A teaser of my project.

Reply #6 – June 29, 2005, 12:14:07 PM

Ah, but I did none of the hard work...the honour is yours.

Re: A teaser of my project.

Reply #7 – June 29, 2005, 12:29:54 PM

Alright..
i'll spill the beans now I guess. screw it, I ain't good at holding suspense.

Re: A teaser of my project.

Reply #8 – June 29, 2005, 12:34:50 PM

Here are some pics of the amp and subs installation:

the amps are mounted to the crossbar behind the passenger seat.

And when the box is in place.. you don't see the amps, and I have a maximized trunk space.

Re: A teaser of my project.

Reply #9 – June 29, 2005, 01:05:54 PM

Woohoo I got part of it right!

Can I have my cookie now?

Re: A teaser of my project.

Reply #10 – June 29, 2005, 01:17:39 PM

pssh I will do mine WAY cheaper then that. Prolly at least. K-mart special all the way! How much do those mac mini's cost abouts?

Re: A teaser of my project.

Reply #11 – June 29, 2005, 02:04:11 PM

Quote

pssh I will do mine WAY cheaper then that. Prolly at least. K-mart special all the way!

Ya get what ya pay for...

J/k, you can get good deals on components if you're putting a PC together yourself. All Apple did was take off-the-shelf laptop components and throw them into a small box, meaning we didn't have to try and hunt down compatible components that work with the Mac OS. Alex and I did some cost buttstuffysis and in the end, it doesn't matter whether you go PC or Mac, it's all roughly the same price. Just depends on the components--and quality of those components.

Mac mini starts at $499 US with a 40GB HD. Loaded with all options (wireless G card, Bluetooth, 80GB HD, DVD burner, more memory) it comes to about $860 US. Alex went toward the lower end and got some good deals with the wireless keyboard and mouse. It's not as expensive as you may think. The Lilliput monitor is one of only two monitors that have touch-screen drivers for the Mac OS, but it's also one of the highest-rated monitors for a car, period. He did great for all of his purchases.

Right now there is no front-end Mac car-specific software yet, although lots are in the works. So you sort of have to make your own interface if you want, or just go with the Mac OS which does a pretty good job. Now that OS 10.4 is out (aka Tiger), there is a transparent overlay of widgets that can act as an interface for a carputer Mac. So Alex can find wireless hot spots, control iTunes, control a DVD, etc. all from the desktop. The challenge is to make your brain work, and do an interface/install like nobody has done before. The carputer Mac community has been on fire since the release of the mini (see here for more details: http://www.mp3car.com/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?f=71 )

Obviously I've been giving Alex a hand with the project, and he's been great at hiding it for the last few months. I was going to attempt a similar project for the convertible but decided not to add more wiring to the rat's nest behind the dash. Alex sort of took over the idea and put it into action. This is all custom fabrication, modification and lots of sweat. And this is just Phase 1.

Re: A teaser of my project.

Reply #12 – June 29, 2005, 02:20:21 PM

Now Alex..is an 80G HD gonna be enough to hold all of your midget porn?

Seriously though...looks like it's gonna be a top-notch install. It'll be pretty cool when it's all done. :D A bit too much I.C.E. for my taste, though. The only time I want a PC in the car is for tuning the ECU

Re: A teaser of my project.

Reply #13 – June 29, 2005, 02:51:32 PM

Yeah I still think I came up with a carputer before most did. Still looks killer. Can I steal the way you mounted the screen? I was just gonna get an indash touch screen. But after the $700 sticker I think I might go that way. Good luck with it. Updates are a must!

Re: A teaser of my project.

Reply #14 – June 29, 2005, 03:24:34 PM

Quote from: Haystack

Yeah I still think I came up with a carputer before most did. Still looks killer. Can I steal the way you mounted the screen? I was just gonna get an indash touch screen. But after the $700 sticker I think I might go that way. Good luck with it. Updates are a must!

Hey now, just because I haven't revealed it until now doesn't mean I haven't been planning it.. Being a geek for about 10 years now, and a driver for 5 years this is one idea that's been lingering in my head for a lot of years. It's only been now taht i finally got a car worthy enough and the "money isn't everything" attitude to make it happen.

Eric pretty much summed it all up for the financials most part. The overall price tag wasn't light on the pockets, but It didn't really rip me a new one either.

Haystack, as for the monitor, sure if you want to take on a very painstaking task go ahead and use that method. The biggest obstacle I had to overcome is.. I didn't want to hurt any original pieces or mounts in the car. I want to have the option of going back to completely stock if I ever felt the need to.. so I didn't break off any mounting spots for the stock clock that I removed.

Oh Chuck, not only is it enough to hold my midget porn, but I have room for your puppiesity porn as well.