Real computer in the double din spot -$400
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I'm busted....So that's WTF you do back there on our runs. No wonder why you're so damn slow.
I checked that navisurfer website out, after it got posted on engadget, looks pretty cool! Remember you will need an amp to power the speakers, and some of the different carputers from that company do not have AM/FM tuners. But I am very interested in them, and if I had any money at all, I would probably go with something like that!
Well I'm intrigued. Use a SSD instead of the HDD it ships with and that'd take care of any vibration issues. Heat OTOH would be something I'd be concerned about. Looks like a damn spiffy setup, especially if you can use your phone for internet access and hook up to Pandora while you're driving. With that, I wouldn't need an AM/FM tuner and could use my Firestick exclusively for my CB. Verizon's pretty damn good for signal everywhere I've taken my Droid so far, so losing my connection wouldn't be a common issue. Plus if you REALLY wanted AM/FM signal (only time I would actually NEED it is if I were at a drive-in theater), you could always buy an external tuner and plug it in.
Wonder what kind of iPod control interface it offers, being an Ubuntu system.
Wonder what kind of iPod control interface it offers, being an Ubuntu system.
I am doing the pandora/slacker radio feed through my phone with a simple aux input to the stereo. a couple of the rigs I have units with no CD player, so no moving parts at all... just a tuner an SD card slot and aux input jack. This works real nice for a trail rig or back road rig that sees a lot of dust, vibration and other abuse. Plus they are cheap so f they do succumb to the abuse, they are cheap to replace.
The in dash computer is intriguing for a road oriented rig though.
Mark...
The in dash computer is intriguing for a road oriented rig though.
Mark...
Im hoping this has the same functions plus more than my pioneer avic can do(aka built in equalizer and other sound adjustments with ipod integration)! First upgrade of the summer!
I did that a few years back, it was pretty silly. I can't understand why anyone would be doing this nowdays. I had to look at the date on the forum thread to make sure it wasn't from 2001.
That Lilllyput thing from china is so so cheap. The silly virtual keyboard, the booting up and working with the unit was just dum. Now I have a 2DIN kenwood touch screen, the nav is perfect perfect perfect! That unit combined with our phones meets alll our requirements; internet, youtube, DVD's, Nav, Netflix, news, police scanners, you name it.
You cannot compair an indash computer from china with a headunit at least I can't. To each his own, I just see no point in doing IT work while Im on a trail.
just my 2 centavos
That Lilllyput thing from china is so so cheap. The silly virtual keyboard, the booting up and working with the unit was just dum. Now I have a 2DIN kenwood touch screen, the nav is perfect perfect perfect! That unit combined with our phones meets alll our requirements; internet, youtube, DVD's, Nav, Netflix, news, police scanners, you name it.
You cannot compair an indash computer from china with a headunit at least I can't. To each his own, I just see no point in doing IT work while Im on a trail.
just my 2 centavos
thinking the same ting... sorta
when i was replacing my blown subwoofer on my 100, I thought about my MFU down the road, "what if it stops working today"? well hopefully the A/C control still works but what about audio and nav?
the factory nav and audio systems are showing their age on my 2003. so i started doing my research and I think a double din or ipad solution would be the best way to go. however it is a nightmare trying to get the LX's factory harness to work with the aftermarket double din unit, let alone finding the housing to install it at the factory location. so my "ideal" solution would be to cut the functionality of the stock unit to just A/C and regular maintenance stuff, and to use a second aftermarket unit for audio, BT, backup camera and other functionality like internet and entertainment.
it would be nice to have a good name brand unit like Pioneer or Alpine as the head unit however they won't fit in the factory location. so have anyone tried or saw any mods for separating the touchscreen from a single or double din unit and mounting it separately? the reason for this is I can find a place to mount it where the ash tray is right now and also be able to detach it and take with me when I park the car on the street for theft deterrent.
doing so would allow me to use the factory amps and speakers with minimal modifications to the factory system (maybe just remove the audio connectors from the factory unit and plug into the new head unit) and be able to accept future upgrades when they became available? i like the iPad idea also however how would I be able to hook that up to the audio system? the iPad does not have pre-amp to power the amp? or is there third party manufacturers making something fort that already?
oh and i hate those Chinese all-in-one systems, all i have heard so far is they only work for about 3 months or so and then die... getting warranty work is close to impossible...
when i was replacing my blown subwoofer on my 100, I thought about my MFU down the road, "what if it stops working today"? well hopefully the A/C control still works but what about audio and nav?
the factory nav and audio systems are showing their age on my 2003. so i started doing my research and I think a double din or ipad solution would be the best way to go. however it is a nightmare trying to get the LX's factory harness to work with the aftermarket double din unit, let alone finding the housing to install it at the factory location. so my "ideal" solution would be to cut the functionality of the stock unit to just A/C and regular maintenance stuff, and to use a second aftermarket unit for audio, BT, backup camera and other functionality like internet and entertainment.
it would be nice to have a good name brand unit like Pioneer or Alpine as the head unit however they won't fit in the factory location. so have anyone tried or saw any mods for separating the touchscreen from a single or double din unit and mounting it separately? the reason for this is I can find a place to mount it where the ash tray is right now and also be able to detach it and take with me when I park the car on the street for theft deterrent.
doing so would allow me to use the factory amps and speakers with minimal modifications to the factory system (maybe just remove the audio connectors from the factory unit and plug into the new head unit) and be able to accept future upgrades when they became available? i like the iPad idea also however how would I be able to hook that up to the audio system? the iPad does not have pre-amp to power the amp? or is there third party manufacturers making something fort that already?
oh and i hate those Chinese all-in-one systems, all i have heard so far is they only work for about 3 months or so and then die... getting warranty work is close to impossible...
I've been discussing this with Moby, since he built a custom setup in his 62. It's a great concept, but if you can find a good stereo that does what you want it, I'd say leave it at that. I dig the idea, but was curious as to what drawbacks there were, and one big one that he mentioned is having it go into hibernation when the power is cut to the stereo as you crank the engine. It's not a low-maintenance solution by any means (and he's a software engineer telling me this), but maybe in time the bugs will be worked out. I do still really dig the idea of something I can customize and upgrade over time, but after talking with Moby, I feel that it's just not there yet for the average Joe.
I've been thinking along the same lines but I am building a custom center console for my fj40 so space and size are not really an issue. I temporarily hooked up my iPod touch to my amp thru an iPod/RCA cord and it works great. I however like the idea of connecting via Bluetooth to a headunit as well as having cd/fm/USB inputs so I think that is going to be my route. I started down the road of using a beagle board( small low power computer) but decided that is was overkill. I am instead using an arduino to control RFID entry/start and some pneumatic actuators. I'm right in the middle of it so maybe I'll write something up on it. Good luck. Brog
Check out Mp3car.com: Your #1 source for Car computing, mobile vehicle technology & software development for ideas. They have been doing stuff like this for ages. There are vendors there that can sell you the parts or even pre-built systems.
In my 60, I installed a Lilliput 7" multi-touch LCD on the dash. It's connected via HDMI to a 12" laptop that I have stashed in my armrest / center console. I put a remote power button* on the laptop so I can start it up / shut it down as needed. Audio goes to a simple Jensen HU (no cd player - just radio & aux in) and from there to an amp & speakers. I put a sub in the RH rear quarter panel and 2 speakers in each front door (one woofer & one wideband). For a software front-end I'm using XBMC with the Joggler skin (touch-screen friendly). I have MS Streets & Trips for maps.
I went with a laptop so I could save time sourcing & assembling parts for a tiny computer and so that I could use the built-in battery to ease shut down. I can also slide it out of the console and take it into a cafe if I need an internet fix while I'm on the road.
* I still have to find & disable the magnetic reed switch that tells it not to boot when the lid is closed.
In my 60, I installed a Lilliput 7" multi-touch LCD on the dash. It's connected via HDMI to a 12" laptop that I have stashed in my armrest / center console. I put a remote power button* on the laptop so I can start it up / shut it down as needed. Audio goes to a simple Jensen HU (no cd player - just radio & aux in) and from there to an amp & speakers. I put a sub in the RH rear quarter panel and 2 speakers in each front door (one woofer & one wideband). For a software front-end I'm using XBMC with the Joggler skin (touch-screen friendly). I have MS Streets & Trips for maps.
I went with a laptop so I could save time sourcing & assembling parts for a tiny computer and so that I could use the built-in battery to ease shut down. I can also slide it out of the console and take it into a cafe if I need an internet fix while I'm on the road.
* I still have to find & disable the magnetic reed switch that tells it not to boot when the lid is closed.