Car Computer?, Ideas? Options

[cnelson]

I would like to install a car computer. I need to know about how much it would cost me. I just want to take an old laptop mount it somewhere power it up to a touch screen monitor then somehow rig it so when the car comes on so does the laptop and when the car shuts off so does the laptop. I also want GPS. I know its a big under taking but i have high hopes on how sweet it would look. I posted in pittfire's theard but he hasn't been around in a couple days so i made my own topic. -cnelson.

[orvillescelica]

Im not sure which guy on mp3car.com you were talking about, but that might be me. i posted on there a while ago about my experience building a car computer. If you want to use a laptop, search on there for that. Also, there was a member on here that made a carputer using a mac laptop, shid i think. He doesnt post here anymore, but if you search for his posts on teh subject you might find wha the used as a power supply.

-Your other option is to use one of the carputer power supplies on mp3car.com and wire that to your laptop instead of using the battery. They are made to turn on and off with the car and delay to shut off the computer properly. That way you can turn off your car and walk away like normal without worrying about the computer. This would also take care of your voltage conversion problems.

-You can keep you radio, i did. I ran the computer audio through the aux port on my head unit actually.
-GPS is as simple as buying a map program like microsoft maps and trips and a GPS receiver. Some programs come with the reciever, or you can buy one on ebay for $35.
-Back-up camera i dont know, search mp3car for that.

Feel free to ask more specific questions and ill field them best i can, but i built my computer from scratch so rigging it to work with the car was easier than adapting a laptop.