I need a machine in my truck

Catamaul · Post by **Catamaul** » Mon Jul 21, 2003 1:09 pm

Here's the story...
I was a a video game store and some kid was buying a PS2. Dude behind the counter asked him if he wanted a game with that. He said he did not because it was for his car. I was shocked and asked him about his PS2 and TV in the vehicle situation and he said he had five TVs in his car. We talked for a bit and he said he uses a laptop to run slideshows and such at car shows on the various screens, as well as play games and watch DVDs with the PS2.
I am going to try and do the same thing but I want to get the smallest (size of a tri-corder) system I can get becuase I have a truck without much cab space. Be it a laptop, a handheld or a custom PC in a whatever box I put it in. Any ideas, or people with experience in this realm, please feel free to post. Also any ideas about system requirements, as far as drive space, processing speed, and whatever may help me on this endeavor.

Bruce · Post by **Bruce** » Mon Jul 21, 2003 2:24 pm

A common use for this is for music. You can get small complete pc boxes for a reasonable cost these days. It doesnt need to be very powerful to handle music and such, if you want dvds 500Mhz or so is probably enough. If you are getting a PC not a laptop I recommend Linux or *BSD, as after you've turned the truck on/off 3 times windows will probably decide to die.

Infin8Cyn · Post by **Infin8Cyn** » Mon Jul 21, 2003 3:49 pm

The common way to do this now is through 12V DC -> 120V AC Power inverters and a mini-ITX case. Often people will go with actual screens (panasonic, JVC, sony, etc.) but sometimes you can go cheap and get the small "PSone" screens, they work great for small applications. Anywho, they're pretty simple... though finding a good shock proof, dry, etc. climate can be tough.

Sidenote: 5screens in a car = ghetto. IMHO.

Post by **Martin Blank** » Mon Jul 21, 2003 5:13 pm

In many states, it is illegal to have a TV screen active in the front seat while the vehicle is in motion because of the possible driver distraction. Keep that in mind.

That said, there are several pop-out screens you can get that fit near the radio, including some connected to DVD players kept elsewhere in the vehicle. I'll check with a buddy of mine and see what he has.

Infin8Cyn · Post by **Infin8Cyn** » Mon Jul 21, 2003 7:12 pm

MB, Just about everyone makes one. They vary in sizes from 5.5" up to 7.5". Examples:
Alpine IVA-D900 (7" VGA Wide DVD/MP3 Receiver)
Clarion ProAudio VRX935VD (DVD/CD/MP3 Receiver with 7" Color LCD Monitor)
Kenwood Excelon KVT-911DVD (CD/DVD Receiver / TV Tuner / 6.5" Monitor)
Panasonic CQ-VAD7200U (CD/DVD Receiver with 7" LCD Monitor)
Pioneer AVH-P6500DVD (DVD/CD/MP3 Receiver with 6.5" Touch-screen Monitor)

Most units have external A/V Inputs, so any graphics card with output to a TV can send video to the head unit. Anywho...

TopCat · Post by **TopCat** » Wed Jul 23, 2003 2:11 am

http://www.mp3car.com

thank me later.

Infin8Cyn · Post by **Infin8Cyn** » Wed Jul 23, 2003 2:32 am

TopCat, I would, but you can do it SOOOO much cheaper. I mean $200 for a screen, PSHAW! I could build half the system on $200.

TopCat · Post by **TopCat** » Wed Jul 23, 2003 2:38 am

BUT! ITS OPEN SOURCE!

EDIT: Wow, i'm looking at their software page and they have an mp3 player for DOS!

Infin8Cyn · Post by **Infin8Cyn** » Wed Jul 23, 2003 7:24 am

Open Source... yay, if it's in my car, you can prolly rest assured I'm not gonna spent a 14hr road trip doin' a kernel compile, or compiling for that mater at all....

I used to run an old MP3 Player for dos, based on the Frauenhauffer {sp?} codec. Slow a times, but hell, it worked!

thegrimace · Post by **thegrimace** » Wed Jul 23, 2003 2:16 pm

i would use either a laptop or a tblet pc as they run on there own battery and you can charge it by stopping in any parking lot with plugins

if you setup an actual tower style pc remmember how your going to give it power i would recommend a laptop just because you need special versions of software to run on a tablet pc. as well as a laptop can be slid under your seat incase you get pulled over or something *cough cough*

Infin8Cyn · Post by **Infin8Cyn** » Wed Jul 23, 2003 3:14 pm

TheGrimace, it's a good idea, but most parking lots I know of (at least in the US) don't have outlets. So, you could run a laptop, but they're also pricier especially if you're JUST using it for your car. However, a desktop PC (in a small, or maybe none at all) case, with a tiny DC power inverter doesn't Nuke your car battery, and it's easily hideable and it's also easy to combine it into the car audio system. Most Laptops would have to use the headphone out line. Also, if you use a laptop, that completely makes the indash/whereever you mount it "in car monitor" obsolete. Where's the fun in a laptop?

thegrimace · Post by **thegrimace** » Wed Jul 23, 2003 5:25 pm

first off in canada every parking lot has outlets in it so i was going on that. second not having a case would be a bad idea i can just think of what would happen there.
think as how many people spill a drink in there cars an open case is disaster waiting to happen.
know as for the fun i hiding a moitor in their i would say you could get a small one, or a small tv fro movies per say and hide it inside your dash with a custom made slide door for quick hiding instances. also i sugested the tablet pc which is more money cause they hella expensive it would let you flip the screen any way you want and can change thing quicker then a comp.

for those woh don't know what a tablet pc is its basically a laptop, but you can flip the screen so i faces up when the case is flat (normally how you store laptops) and it lets you use a magic pen to write on the screen instead of typing and you can push the screen to push buttons. there hella cool.

also if you would list what you wanted to do with the system in your cab that would make hardware questions easier for us to answer

NKryptiD · Post by **NKryptiD** » Thu Jul 24, 2003 12:14 am

buddy, my friend had his PS2 in his car hooked up to his dvd deck to watch movies and shit on.

he has a NICE CRX with chameleon paint

TheScaryOne · Post by **TheScaryOne** » Thu Jul 24, 2003 12:30 am

I know a guy with a 1969 Impala, lowriding, PS2, Minimonitor, and a full surround sound system. It was so sweet seeing that thing. I saw another car at a car show once... It was a hearse with BIG NOS canisters, a PS2, Xbox, and like four monitors and a minifridge. That was ludicrous. And the no case thing would be like mounting the part in the inside of the dash, so no one would be the wiser.

NKryptiD · Post by **NKryptiD** » Thu Jul 24, 2003 12:51 am

oooooh the 69 impala was a fuicking BOAT! I need me a car like that I'm 6'5" so I look dumb in compact cars

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