Mac Mini On board?

[lowenbrau]

How do you thing one of these Mac Mini computors would survive as the onboard computor tucked in the glove box of an expedition rig? I'd use it for Onboard navigation, holding trip photos, and for the passenger to watch DVDs. I'd also use something like this Roof Monitor

[alvarorb]

Besides the DVD and a very small fan there are no moving parts on the Mini. If you could somehow keep the glove box, or where you install the Mini free of dust and relatively cool, you most likely could do it.

At the Darpa race there was a Touareg driven by a set of Mac Minis.
http://team.gobanzai.com/

Regards

Alvaro

[lowenbrau]

Originally Posted by alvarorb

At the Darpa race there was a Touareg driven by a set of Mac Minis.

Hmmm, the ultimate cruise control.

[rgsiii]

Mine are under the driver's seat. I thought it might be a little more open/cooler and less likely to pull out various plugs if it was in a fixed position. It would be more likely to get dirty or drown in this position. It might be less likely to be noticed in a break in under the seat. I guess there is no perfect place.

My positioning is shown in my ROTW write up.

[lowenbrau]

Thanks guys I found this http://www.mp3car.com/vbulletin/maccar/ forum as well. Lots of good info there.

There's no hope of anything (other than mold) surviving under my seats. I'll have to work on moving filtered air through the glovebox.

[bj70_guy]

If you get an Intel Mini you can run windoze on it and use Garmin's GPS software. If you get an older Mini you could still use Parallels. A pre-Intel Mini would sure be dirt cheap.

Cool idea. Are you planning a dedicated 12V battery/alternator? Seems like the 12V accessories are adding up.

[rgsiii]

I am not sure of the latest Parallels, earlier versions limited the number of USB devices and for me created problems with USB keyboard, mouse, touch screen and GPS. Boot camp allowed a better way for USB when I was getting mine set up. You may want to check on this.

[lowenbrau]

Originally Posted by bj70_guy

If you get an Intel Mini you can run windoze on it and use Garmin's GPS software. If you get an older Mini you could still use Parallels. A pre-Intel Mini would sure be dirt cheap.

Cool idea. Are you planning a dedicated 12V battery/alternator? Seems like the 12V accessories are adding up.

I already have the 'mini' It's an intel one that sits behind my TV for when i want to surf in the livingroom.

Yup I have the 24/12v converter charging an optima and all the 12v accessories are distrbuted from it.

[brownbear]

I think you could definitely have is working in the glovebox. I would cut a hole in the glove box and mount a normal PC fan in there. Having it pull air in there. Cover the outside of the glove box with a piece of furnace filter type stuff... good to go.

The glovebox will then vent out the door gaps.

then you could also set up a gps antenna to it and have it all displayed on a screen like a nav system.

For night time you could watch shows you down loaded with a bit torrent from places like this www.isohunt.com


I like this idea better than having a notebook in the car.

[TEPUI]

I like this thread! I know next to nothing about carputers but I'd like to learn more about them. What is normally done about keyboards with a roof monitor setup? Do you have to install a small keyboard?

(I can't imagine what it would be like to operate OSX on a touch screen)

[brownbear]

you can get a wireless small keyboard. Those mac mini's come with bluetooth wireless.

My ibook is bluetooth. I have a wireless mouse, works pretty good.

[TEPUI]

lowenbrau, I found this, maybe it will help ya

http://www.fastmatt.com/carputer/

[PKP80]

I use a Dell Inspiron

[bj70_guy]

Forgot about the prospect of using iTunes though the stereo - and I thought having an iPod interface was a nice touch.

I like this idea more by the minute...!

[GulfShoresFJ60]

This would be a very cool thing to have in a Cruiser. The possibilities are endless almost with a system like this. Wish I had some money to do something similar.

[lowenbrau]

The beauty of the setup is that it isn't really very expensive. This is especially true if it causes you to not buy a lot of other electronics. I think I spent about $600 on the mini last fall and it'll be enother couple hundred for the monitor. About $50 for the wireless mouse and keyboard.

Do you think a plain old webcam will work for a back up camera? If I get a better one I could actually record video of the rigs behind me on the trail. Maybe one out front too. (oh boy I'm gonna need a bigger harddrive).

[alvarorb]

Low,

Matthias Krauss has a great utility called MacCam. It's a MacOS X driver for hundreds off the shelf webcams.
http://webcam-osx.sourceforge.net/

Have you pondered with the idea of playing Internet radio as you drive?

Alvaro

[lowenbrau]

Thanks for the camera link.

Internet access is going to be a bit thin, I think, between Calgary and Alaska and as a result I haven't looked into aircards etc. Maybe the technology is there. I listen to a lot of Pandora while I'm at my desk.

I've been thinking of other uses for this thing.

Turbo timer.
Webasto controller
Remote starter
Antitheft vehicle tracking (connectect to the 2M)
Antitheft device

Uuggh I thought I was done wiring

[alvarorb]

This is what I had in mind:

Linksys Router

Coupled with a nice high gain antenna. You could be a rolling/crawling hotspot. If fact you could do live video streams from the trail.

The new CNN: Cruiser News Network.

Alvaro

[lowenbrau]

I'm not sure any of the Canadian cell companies have an unlimited transit package. I had a look on Telus's site and they want $100 for 250 megs. and $3/M for overage and US roaming. If I was in Sprintland and could get unlimited usage for $60 per month, that'd be the way to go.

[TEPUI]

Originally Posted by lowenbrau

I'm not sure any of the Canadian cell companies have an unlimited transit package. I had a look on Telus's site and they want $100 for 250 megs. and $3/M for overage and US roaming. If I was in Sprintland and could get unlimited usage for $60 per month, that'd be the way to go.

I'm in the same boat. My main interest is to be able to see real-time google maps or other topo data as I travel the Andes or Atacama desert, and with the mobile internet prices we get down here, it'd be cheaper to travel by helicopter

[GeoRoss]

Check out http://www.mp3car.com/

There is a mobile mac forum there. Some guys have had good luck downloading the google maps prior to the trip.

[PKP80]

Came across it so figure I"d post.

I got the mount from a cop in Florida off Ebay. Adjusts in virtually anyway possible:
Full Topo
Stree maps
Endless music
Internet thnx for verizon (but have to get a card of my own)
And Movie

Plugs right into my stereo

[sethos1]

In the latest Popular Science there is a good article on building a mobile computer with a touch screen, using a Mac mini. It is in the "HOW 2.0" Section and lists all parts used, and how to put it together. They used some software called "StreetDeck". The coolest part was you can get a usb adapter that plugs into your cars diagnostic port and monitor real time data. Looks like a really slick set up they made.

[pnwadventurer]

Originally Posted by sethos1

In the latest Popular Science there is a good article on building a mobile computer with a touch screen, using a Mac mini. It is in the "HOW 2.0" Section and lists all parts used, and how to put it together. They used some software called "StreetDeck". The coolest part was you can get a usb adapter that plugs into your cars diagnostic port and monitor real time data. Looks like a really slick set up they made.

Here is the link for the article:

http://www.popsci.com/popsci/how20/d...cbccdrcrd.html

Steve