hello all:
received my VIA TC-10000 motherboard a few weeks ago and perhaps it is time i should begin working on it. i am posting this thread to see if anybody as some suggestions/advice i can use along the way on this project and definitely appreciate any responses one might have. following is a laundry list of items i have so far:

VIA EPIA TC-10000 motherboard
Toshiba SD C-2712 Slim DVD-ROM drive
Toshiba 60GB 2.5" hard drive
1 GB SODIMM PC2100 RAM
ITPC Power Regulator
Lilliput 7" Touchscreen
Utility aluminum enclosure 8" x 8" x 3"

i have fashioned the enclosure to hold the motherboard and fabricated some home made aluminum brackets to house the DVD-ROM drive. A lot work still remains to be done on this piece as metal working is not my forte so to speak.

my initial plan is to have a basic system that will act as a navigation device and play some MP3/AAC and also allow me to connect to my work over VPN while i am travelling long distance. i already have the Sierra Aircard from Verizon and unlimited service to facilitate the wireless internet. eventually i will interface an OBD-II reader for detailed diagnositics.

however, i am concerned about two issues: vibrations and temperature.
i planned on mounting the device under passenger seat to minimize the distance between the monitor and the device itself. under the seat though on the floorboard, are vibrations more pronounced?
while making turns, negotiating corners etc, considerable inertial momentum will act on the hard drive or am i wrong? any comments?

so far i have not thought of any cooling mechanism for the device itself and i am certain that summer temperatures will be quite unforgiving .

pardon the long message.

 

damn I could of sold you my stuff. I have basically the same stuff as you but the xenarc 700TSV with this C134 case. i made it to canada and back with it, and then i removed it from the car.

no vibration issues as far as I know. it did not freeze on me either and the hard drive is still 100% functional. i heard that some ppl had more issues with the bigger hard drives. i used one of those laptop ones. it did get pretty hot once in a while since it was in the middle of the summer but it never crashed due to heat.

I put mine under the passenger seat as well. I also used some foam and put it on the bottom hoping that it wont take bounces as hard and that closed up some breathing space of the case.

 

I put mine under the passenger seat as well. I also used some foam and put it on the bottom hoping that it wont take bounces as hard and that closed up some breathing space of the case.

the c134 i think is 2 by 7 by 10. It is just exact size of a din space. it almost fit in the glove box if it was just a little smaller.

 

thanks for the reply. if you dont mind me asking, why did you remove it from the car? and secondly, where did you find the case? i was looking for a smaller case myself but turns out i can only buy the c134 with motherboard and i had already purchased the mobo...

ps: how is the quality on the xenarc? i mean during daylight condition. yeah, i went cheaper on the lcd and settled for the lilliput.

 

u can purhcase the c134 without the motherboard. damn i forgot where i got it. i will try to find out. i removed it because i didnt like leaving it in the car here in NYC. That plus I dont use it for GPS that often so on long trips that i would need it, i use it. just didnt get to go any where since since last summer from nyc to toronto which was 500 miles away.

i never saw a lilliput in person before so i guess i cant really say. it is probably just minor details. during the day for the most part it is nice and good, once in a while there would be some glare on the lcd and it was hard to see but that is just where i had positioned it.

 

Man those new mac G4 minis would sure be easy to put in a car. I though t about it because of the price and size. you can put them pretty much anywhere

 

Some people have already done so.

 

lolz if u look for my post a few months ago.. i got all my gear also... its a good investment and idea... as stated earlier, best way to go for HD is with a laptop.. since they are designed to take impact and shock and it has been debated to mount it horizontally or vertically... its all personal preference... but good luck..

 

Yeah, I am working on mine as well. Trying to find a good deal on a decent sized laptop HD. I am still deciding what to do about the screen. I have found a few Motorized LCD USB touch panels on the net, which I think would be the cleanest install in our cars, since there isn't really enough room tom mount a permanent screen in the dash without removing the headunit and I don't feel like using the computer for EVERYTHING. I still want a decent radio/cd player that would be a little faster to use. But I think these pullouts will work well. Gonna check out pricing in Florida end of April see if any of my connections can get me a good deal.

 

I think there are good deals, I saw a "good" deal with refurbs of laptop hdd basically $1 a gb not too long ago.

THIS IS WHAT YOU GUYS WANT for the LCD!!!!

http://www.digitalww.com/DWW-700M.htm

They released a non-motorized one for the longest and now they just released a motorized ones. You can buy the kit and then covert your lilliput or xenarc but it is $$$

 

where do you plan on installing the single DIN motorized monitor? or are you going to replace the stock HU with another single DIN unit?

i totally agree with you on the HU though... personally i do not want to part with the stock HU; just for the convenience. because if not, i will have to install FM tuner card or add-on in the carputer and not to mention external amplifier etc.

 

I already have an aftermarket HU, so yes in the UPPER section of the double DIN oopening. Yeah BXSCIG, I saw that one already, but they are not shipping it yet. I am going to see if any of my friends in the car-audio business can get any other kinds, apparently there are several new ones of the same idea coming out in the next few months. Should hopefully bring the prices down a bit.

 

i have an extra laptop hd i never got to install.. i decided to use a regular hd for the carputer instead.. its for sale... i bought it for 80... its a 20 gig.. any offers????