New custom car PC enclosure finished!!!

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I have never seen anything like that before and im a computer tech.



if you live in an area that has cold or moisture then that wont last very long. Enviroment plays an important role in how long a computer will last. Condensation or too much heat will cause you capacitors to swell. Not to mention that type of system is not ment to be mobile especially in a bumpy vehicle.



I think a laptop with the display screen removed might be more suitable for that type of requirement. That way you get mobility with battery power and it can be mounted anywhere with the bonus of WIFI to connect to a Router in the house and sync data when your parked. You will also get Wireless internet hotspots too while driving around.



For me i just use my Dell Axim X51V
 
I like it. Thinking of how to install one myself. Any more pics on the inside of the panel. I'm wondering how you mounted the hard drive?
 
kcmdata says:



I have never seen anything like that before and im a computer tech.
Click to expand...



and



If you live in an area that has cold or moisture then that wont last very long. Enviroment plays an important role in how long a computer will last. Condensation or too much heat will cause you capacitors to swell. Not to mention that type of system is not ment to be mobile especially in a bumpy vehicle.
Click to expand...



Who says that type of computer wasn't meant for mobility? I don't remember Larry saying it isn't a carputer...and it sure looks like one from the form factor.



There are computers especially made for cars. Such computers and related accessories are designed to deal with harsher conditions; 12v power that is interrupted often, etc. Laptops are a good alternative for temporary placement in a car; but for a true carputer they are a poor substitute for many of the reasons you mentioned.



If you want to learn more about them, I suggest hitting a website like www.mp3car.com.



TJR
 
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By all means it was very well done.



The motherboard in the pictures are desktop motherboards in a Mini form factor.

The motherboard wont have a problem with being mobile but i asked about the temperatures it would have to live through. As we all know Heat and Friction are the worst enemy of a vehicle.

For a computer Heat is the worst moisture is another bad one.



I cant see the the Hard Drive or power supply.

I do see a USB source cable.

Desktop hard drives would develop bad sectors if bumped around too much.

New motherboards can now boot to a USB source.



Im curious if the Motherboard Manufacturer would warranty any of the parts if they new where it was used?

Not that it would matter because nowadays the parts are so inexpensive. On the other hand Micro-ATX is more money than standard form factor.



I suggested a laptop as an alternative. Take the HD out and boot to Knoppix and store data on USB sources. If you pull the power plug to a laptop the battery kicks in. Laptop system use less power and therefore generate less heat.



There are a lot of pros and cons



It would be the same as trying to take a home stereo system and adapt it to a car.

Is it practical? No... would it work? sure...



 
Kcmdata, I also assumed that Larry used a slim, 2.5" laptop HDD.



That's what most carputers use.



Again, take a look at www.mp3car.com. Though Larry may have gutted a mini-ATX desktop (not sure about that), there are carputer mobos and accessories that are made for this environment, taking into account all those things you mention, and run cooler than your average laptop.



One thing to note is most of these carputers don't have that much horsepower (lower clock speeds, less memory, slower memory), because their tasks aren't that burdensome.



P.S.



I've been working hands on with PC since 10MB was a large hard drive, and you had to run a special program in order to "park" the heads of the disk before you moved the PC...so I can appreciate where you are coming from, KC when discussing the differences between a regular PC and a laptop. But there are further differences between a true carputer and either of those, that's all I was saying.





TJR
 
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It might be VIA Nano-ITX mainboard

They are designed for custom enclosures.



They are also very pricey Motherboards



If it uses a C7 processor then your one step ahead for cooling.



In the past i had thought about adding computer access to my truck.

I have searched for Car Decks that have built in WIFI that would connect with your home Router and network to sync all your music or files when ever your vehicle is parked in front of your house.



If you want simple and inexpensive but practical do-it-yourself type of setup wouldnt a laptop mounted under a seat or behind the backs seat be a comparable method?



If you were to total the cost involved in the parts seen above just to accomplish the same task as building a laptop, wouldn't it be feasible to just start out with a laptop?



just my 2 cents
 
It's a VIA mini-ATX. The power supply is a special DC-DC unit specifically designed for this application. Look at the last picture. If you look close, you'll see that the fan is on the edge of the motherboard. The slender circuit board to the left IS the power supply. The HD is hidden. I thought about using a laptop, but at the time I found this computer (from a member here) it was a cheaper way to go to achieve the system I was looking for.
 
I'm wondering how you mounted the hard drive?
Click to expand...

Right now, it's secured to the backside of the door with industrial strength adhesive velcro. Hopefully, the velcro will absorb some of the bumps and shock. It's still a learning process...
Click to expand...

This will give you an idea on how to mount the drive...

http://www.silentpcreview.com/article39-page1.html

No need to buy one though. I'm sure you can figure out how to make one yourself with an old 5.25 bay insert and a few very small bungee-type bands. You may want to run a ground wire off of the drive though, your call (never heard of issues caused by not doing this but some folks swear by it).



If the talk of moisture bothers you, just drop a couple of large packets of desiccant into the bottom of the compartment and replace them on occasion.
 

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