CARPUTER

Post by **alfantz** » Fri Dec 17, 2004 12:56 pm

PCman, where do you buy your keyboard from? I have searched for these type of keyboards to no avail. I considered myself lucky to find this one on ebay.

Post by **pcman** » Fri Dec 17, 2004 1:03 pm

they used to sell with a pc that was designed to be hooked up to a tv a mate had brought about 10 of them for his work and they wherent using the keyboards or mouse so i managed to aqquire a set and a spare keyboard (luckly cause i managed to smash one)
unfortunatly he left this place and i cant get any more :(

ive seen them few and far between on ebay but there a perfect setup for incan the mouse dosnt move all around the screen like a trackball and its easily controlably

ive seen 1 for sale on the aus.ads.forsale.computers.used newsgroup but they wanted a stupid price for it

keep browsing ebay or import one check ebay usa you might have better luck

Post by **-Richo-** » Fri Dec 17, 2004 2:06 pm

alfantz wrote:I originally ran a pentium 4 on an inverter but i found the inverter wasn't getting enough power and the pc dropped out. Another guy I know has similar problems running his PII laptop through an inverter but has a hand throttle to increase the revs. Thats when I decided to stick to 12 v DC. Why convert from 12v DC to 240 AC then back to 12v DC? This is also why lower spec PCs work best. Less power drain. The GPS I use has a magnet on it which mounts on the roof. I have noticed that the red light stays on when the PC is off so I disconnect from the power when not in use. I also run my PC from the second battery to eliminate the pc turning off with the ignition and losing any information from tracks that havn't been saved. I use a wireless keyboard with a joystick type controller on it for a mouse. This is attached to the passenger sun visor.

Tom, the LCD you are looking at is the same as I got. I run the resolution at 800 x 600 as any higher and it is hard to read. I have been very happy with the monitor performance. I would probably prefer a dash mounted one that is out of sight when not in use and the touchscreen not entirely necessary.

When powering the pc directly from 12v dc, how are you doing it? I work for a computer company and have bits and pieces lying around, this thread has inspired me to have a go, do you use a 12v dc power supply suitable for pcs or are you just modifying a 240v ac one? If so can you post a link to where i might be able to ge tmy hands on a 12v power supply or tell us how you modded the 240v one. Cheers.

Post by **V8 Middy** » Fri Dec 17, 2004 2:48 pm

If you are using a laptop, you could just plug it into the cigarette lighter socket and it should be fine.

I use: http://www.eyo.com.au/details_G-Car-80.html

$120 is a little on the pricy side but even if the car battery drops to 9V it will still work (I'll run a small gel cell to avoid spikes/dips in voltage too) and it has a normal itx connector

Post by **RaginRover** » Fri Dec 17, 2004 3:00 pm

V8 Middy wrote:If you are using a laptop, you could just plug it into the cigarette lighter socket and it should be fine.

You can buy a generic laptop cigarette lighter kit from jaycar

http://www1.jaycar.com.au/productView.a ... &SUBCATID=

Suits laptops 15V, 16V, 18V, 19V and 20VDC @ 3.5A regulated and 22V, 24VDC @ 2.9A regulated which would cover most popular models

$89.50 - not cheap either, Wes Electronics might be worth a look too

Tom

Post by **-Richo-** » Fri Dec 17, 2004 4:21 pm

Only reason i am asking this is because of this...

alfantz wrote:I originally ran a pentium 4 on an inverter but i found the inverter wasn't getting enough power and the pc dropped out. Another guy I know has similar problems running his PII laptop through an inverter but has a hand throttle to increase the revs. Thats when I decided to stick to 12 v DC. Why convert from 12v DC to 240 AC then back to 12v DC?

Could go a lappy, but like i said i have lots of bits i can get for cheap and i could make something up at the fraction of the cost of the lappy. Plus i like the idea of booty fabbing it myself

. I will do some tests tonight, i have a power supply i can pull apart to see if it can be modded for 12v (bypass the ac/dc coverter). Will let let you all know the results.

Post by **alfantz** » Fri Dec 17, 2004 5:39 pm

I used a power supply from a mini itx case that was 12v from the plug. I just bought a 12v 5amp cigarette lighter power lead from Dick Smith Electronics. You can buy just the power supply from ebay in the states but it is around $100 once shipped. If you buy the case you can mod it to suit your needs for $130.

http://www.mini-box.com/s.nl/c.ACCT127230/sc.8/category.13/.f
http://www.eyo.com.au/details_G-3688BK.html

Post by **V8 Middy** » Thu Dec 23, 2004 10:48 am

Can you guys reccommend some TV card software for the fm tuner?

I'm using a Winfast TV 2000XP card. Works perfectly and quality is excellent. Problem is, the panel is way too small to use with the touch screen and I can't find a way to re-size it.

Post by **Rainbow Warrior** » Mon Jan 03, 2005 10:40 am

I installed a 6" B&W monitor in the centre console between the seats of my GQ, I had a P166 mounted behind the back seat running off my inverter. I used an extension lead for a trackball and glued it next to the gear lever and cut up and old keyboard, mounting rocker switches in the console for PLAY/STOP, FFW/REV, VOLUME UP/DOWN and SKIP FWD/REV.
I used Winamp 2.8, because I had these key's I should never had to look at the screen.

My problems were Windows would switch programs and my controls would cease responding until I clicked back on Winamp, the hard drive crashed sometimes on harsh offroad use, I had a buzzing in the PC speakers from the inverter.

The cure?
I brought a $300 Sony MP3 deck, which fits 200 odd songs on one CD, fitted it 5 months ago and haven't pulled the CD out yet.

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