Make it CarMake it Build a car PC hacking Fit a PC in your car Give your car stereo the boot by installing a full PC, and youll be able to play MP3s and DVDs, use satellite navigation and a whole lot more
ars are increasingly You’ll need this… becoming computer controlled, but your only 3 C A CAR glimpse of all this digital To fi t your PC in. power is likely to be a range 3 CAR PC BAREBONES estimation for the current petrol OR CAR PC CHASSIS tank contents. Most of your car’s With Mini-ITX motherboard. computational ability is hidden behind the scenes. Aside from 3 CPU engine management, though, Memory, 2.5in hard disk drive there’s a lot more functionality and slimline optical disk drive. you can add to your vehicle by 3 CAR PC CONTROL fi tting a PC inside it. SOFTWARE Such as Centrafuse. In-car hardware 3 SET OF SCREWDRIVERS Just as desktop PCs come in all shapes and sizes, there are many To help fi t your PC. species of in-car PC. They can be 3 hidden away in the boot, hog the PATIENCE AND 1 An in-car PC such as the Infill G4 will let you carry out a host of activities, glove compartment or go under IMAGINATION from checking your route to receiving live weather reports. the passenger seat like a stereo power amp. You can even fi t them installation is best left to those The DIN standard for car in the space where the hi-fi would who install PCs in cars for a living, audio head units is ISO 7736. normally be. But two features they such as In-Car PC (www.in- This specifi es a face panel of all have in common are the need carpc.co.uk) or InCarOffi ce 180x50mm for a ‘Single DIN’ unit, for low power consumption (it (www.incaroffi ce.co.uk). and 180x100mm for ‘Double DIN’. could all be running off your However, for the less valiant In-car PC barebones are available vehicle’s 12V battery) and the modder, a PC that fi ts into an conforming to either of these limitation on space. existing slot is the least painful standards. However, the ISO Fitting a glove compartment option – although still in a league standard doesn’t specify a depth, or boot PC is likely to be a fairly of diffi culty far beyond building so your chosen barebones may major work of car modifi cation, your own desktop. Considering still not fi t in your car. The only but it does allow a slightly larger that your in-car PC is likely to be way to check is to measure the PC than dashboard installation. expanding on the features of your depth available and consult the If you want to put displays in car stereo, this is the most obvious vendor’s specifi cations, leaving headrests for rear passengers, location for the control interface. plenty of room for cabling. A larger PC will fi t into a Double DIN box, but it will also Do this… be a little harder to install. Your car will probably only have a Single DIN car audio head unit Install satellite navigation installed, so adjacent space will Portable sat nav devices have seen After all, you can still take the PC need to be found. Don’t expect enormous sales growth in the last with you if you get a new vehicle. to be able to buy any car PC and couple of years. Being able to take The Infi ll G4 comes with a GPS simply slip it in as you might a car 1 Satellite navigation is one of the your GPS from car to car is very built in, but you can easily add stereo. Depending on your vehicle, most powerful and useful features handy, and the price signifi cantly this to any in-car PC via USB or you may need a different fascia you can add to an in-car PC. undercuts most pre-installed sat Bluetooth for as little as £38 panel and mounting kit, and to nav options. However, portable (www.tinyurl.com/34cvg9). However, Map&Guides fl eet add amplifi cation or conversion devices are also easy to steal and Next, add your favourite sat nav navigator 4.2 (€219 from www. stages to the audio output. For can be fi ddly to position in your software. Centrafuse XLE comes cartft.com) off ers more features, a PC that isn’t located in the car car. If you have an in-car PC, it with this facility built in and, as this such as traffi c updates and remote stereo space, there will be also be makes a lot of sense to move your is integrated into the interface, it transfer of destinations or position plenty of cabling to perform. sat-nav requirements onto that. makes for a slick experience. compared to a head offi ce. I There are lots of options for the actual PC. You can buy a chassis
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such as the VoomPC-2 and Mini-ITX VIA or Intel Mobile mainboard separately from the Spotlight on… Monitoring your car likes of www.cartft.com or www. With a PC installed, your car will protocols for the transmission, kustompcs.co.uk. Alternatively, have two computers – the other depending on the manufacturer. a variety of barebones are one taking care of engine You can buy an RS232 or USB available, such as the CALU-M management. Its a shame they adapter to connect the PC to your Fanless (www.tinyurl.com/ cant join forces to rule the cars computer via OBD-II. Prices 1 Add an ELM327-based OBD-II 2jey6y) or S631-C or HC (www. automotive world. Well, actually start at £24.99 (www.ecufi x.com) interface between your car PC tinyurl.com/2sg3n3). The HC they can. Since 1996 (in the US) for a dumb interface, which and engine management system. version of the S631 is tall enough and 2001 (in Europe) a standard doesnt support the SAEJ1850- to accommodate a PCI slot riser, interface called OBD-II has been VPW, SAEJ1850-PWM or CAN the widest range of software while the C version is around the used for reading and writing data protocols. ELM327 interfaces that compatibility. The Centrafuse size of a 5.25in optical drive. to and from your cars engine contain the circuitry to support ELM327 even has the ability to Although a barebones will management system, although every possible protocol cost more display certain performance already come with many features there are a number of standard than twice as much, but provide data within its interface. I integrated, including graphics, you will need a processor (in the case of Intel-based mainboards), VIA Mini-ITX board sporting a memory, hard disk and optical 1.5GHz VIA C7 processor. Most drive. You will also need to add an functions are built in, including appropriate power supply which is VIA UniChrome PRO II graphics capable of dealing with the wildly and GPS. It has a built-in 6.5in erratic DC supply from a car touchscreen with an 800x600 battery. However, the most resolution, too. This is motorised, expensive additional component and can be angled for comfortable This is why will be the touchscreen, which usage. So all you need to add to a touchscreen will cost at least £200, plus more this barebones is RAM, an optical is a necessity, with a to mount. This will either be drive and a 2.5in hard disk. fi nger-friendly operating secured onto your car dashboard, Another consideration is how system to go with it. The Infi ll 1 or can be mounted where the you build and set up the operating PC comes with its own interface Check the depth of your in-car PC stereo would have been, either system and software. Car PCs software, capable of driving the before you buy, to be sure it will fit. as Single DIN (www.tinyurl. are intended to receive a 12V DC majority of its abilities, but there your imagination. A GPS system com/35zxf2) or Double DIN input from a car power system. are other options that integrate is an obvious choice, as is a mini (www.tinyurl.com/2m676x). However, they don’t usually come virtually every function you’ll wireless or USB keyboard. An These can even include an with an AC adapter, or have any want into one environment. OBD-II interface (see ‘Monitoring audio amplifi er (www.tinyurl. conventional desktop PC power Most popular is Centrafuse your car’, above) will give you com/2v89n2), which is handy connectivity. The Infi ll G4, for (www.fl uxmedia.net), which on-screen information from your as otherwise you may have to example, simply offers bare wires comes in three versions. The car’s engine management system. purchase one separately. for connection directly to the Standard Edition (€98 from You can download a host of Alternatively, you can buy a 12V DC supply in your car audio www.cartft.com) offers media Centrafuse plug-ins from www. complete ready-built car PC, such head unit bay. The S631 barebones playing, radio functions, DVD fl uxmedia.net/downloads.aspx. as the Single DIN unit available do ship with a test AC supply, playing, a TV tuner, a web But for a true taste of luxury from ADS Shop (www.tinyurl. making them easier to confi gure browser and audio mixing. It automotive options, why not com/2novqy), which has prior to car installation. can also accept a feed from a install a camera in the rear of everything built in. However, the rear camera and monitor your vehicle (£42.99 from www. prince of car PC barebones is Choosing software information from your car’s tinyurl.com/226ojm)? The Infi ll’s G4 (€1,198 from www. Windows is primarily intended OBD-II interface. The XE version wiring will need to be routed to cartft.com), which negates many to be used with a keyboard and (€119 from www.cartft.com) your in-car PC, but this will then of the cable routing issues. This is mouse, but an in-car PC is not includes Bluetooth support. provide a much clearer picture of a Double DIN unit based around a exactly a desk-based environment. Top of the range is Centrafuse what’s behind you when you park XLE (€289 for the European than any rear-view mirror. edition from www.cartft.com), Considering how much this which has all the features of the option costs when purchasing a XE version, plus GPS navigation. new car – and it’s usually only Whichever version you choose, available on top-end luxury Centrafuse’s functions are held vehicles – installing a system together by a simple main yourself underlines how a car interface, which places buttons PC can add to your automotive for the modules in the centre and pleasure. So give your car its own media player controls along the PC and turn it into the perfect bottom. You can also try out digital home away from home, Centrafuse for 30 days before or offi ce away from the offi ce. I taking the plunge (www.cartft. com/community/centrafuse). James Morris loves to bring Once you have your car PC his two passions, cars and 1 The Infill G4 requires a Double DIN space in your cars dashboard, which installed, as with any computer computers, together. means it takes up twice the space of a regular automotive hi-fi head unit. your options are limited only by [email protected]
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