Car mp3/media player (Install Pending)

B

Blekk0

Limp Gawd
Joined
Nov 1, 2002
Messages
225
Pics are on every page - (2 = software, 3 = screen installation)

Just got the comp finished, and the screen is on order. But basically this is a complete media system that is going to be mounted in the trunk of my car, then linked to a 7" xvga touchscreen in the front. I havnt gotten into the actual install yet, but since I did the case custom, I felt like showing off a bit :)

DSC00001.JPG


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Depending on how much time I have this week, hopefully it can be done soon. I still need to get the software end finished up, but it shouldnt take too long. I'll post up more pics along the way.

Case dimensions = 5.25x8.25x10.25 (HxWxD)

Specs = EPIA 800 Mhz Mobo
2x 128mb PC133 Sdram
80gb WD SE hd
128mb Sandisk CF card w/ IDE adaptor
 
why do you have the hd and the cf adapter? why not just boot off the hd (im assuming thats what you are using the cf for)
 
maybe to transfer songs to/from a MP3 player? or use the CF to transfer songs from a home computer?

just my guess....

-Hex..
 
Going to boot linux and a customized media player off the CF card, only albums will be stored on the hd. Another thing I wanted was to have the HD and CF set to read only, allowing the system to be powered off without a shutdown procedure. I also picked up a 54mbit wireless usb network adaptor, and am going to set it so when it is powered on, it connects to my system in the house and checks for new albums.


Thanks for looking :D
 
what an excellent idea - read-only CF so you can just turn it off and not worry about shutting it down...

a few questions:

- what PSU are you using?
- what LCD are you using?
- what Keyboard/Mouse ("kybard/moose")? - or are you just going to use the touch-screen LCD for input?
 
Damn... that's nice.

I was about to say that it would have been better to use a usb2 cf reader that you could install up front near where you will have the display. That would have been more convienient than having to go to the trunk every time you needed to transfer songs to the system. But the wireless network setup definitely beats that outright. Very nice!
 
great job with the case. what's it made out of? which epia is that? i want to know what psu as well.
 
I think the idea is great but don't you worry about hitting bumps with the IDE drives in there? I'd be paranoid I'd trash the drive just because I hit a pothole.
 
reminds me of a "black box". looks like it could take quite the accident and still be intact.

well done. :cool:
 
Originally posted by blindviper
looks like the piece of metal that has 3 holes in it slides out
Click to expand...

Yah, and the screws on top hold the slidey plate in. Man thatlooks really goot. those Epia 800MHz boards are pretty great for runnin something like this. I'm waiting for the M10000 boards to drop a little in price so I can make a book sized 1GHz HTPC for my living room.

Good job man! (y)
 
He's probably using a DC->DC powersupply with takes up no more space than a standard ATX power connector. The whole board part of it plugs into the ATX power connector like a dottor board.

(If I had to venture a guess)

Edit: One can be seen here. Just scroll down a little.
 
i love the idea of booting off linux in a non moving componet, very smart indeed. How fast is bootup? i bet its crazy fast.... I am also wondering about power, or did u just add it later so we could see inside?
 
damn, nice job...now I half dont want to sell my mini itx board...but I want watercooling....ahhh so much modding so little money :(
 
Thanks for all the replies,

Board is the EPIA 800mhz
LCD is a Lilliput 7" xvga touchscreen, not going to use keyboard/mouse input
PSU = iTuner PW60

It does boot up fast, I'll time it once i got everything fully setup

The case consists of 2 parts, a bottom which was origonally 1 flat aluminum plate, then the sides were bent up. Then, just to enclose it a bit more, the inside of the corners were welded

Btw, I should have the LCD this week (depends on how fast ups is), so installation pics will be up soon.
 
well, i had to ditch the linux idea, but otherwise stuff is still moving along. right now im waiting for the amp to come in so i can wire everything up. other than that i have to make the mount for the screen, and get it set in the dash. anyway, i should be able to have it completed next week, and do a full update on here.

i picked up the screen off of ebay, was ~$300 shipped

btw, the final linux bootup was ~20 seconds, but i didnt like the interface at all, and wasnt able to customize it enough
 
well i mean if u were 1337 in programming i bet you "could" do it but since its very complicated from what i hear then i would suggest a very lite version of 98, this way it would fit on a flash card, i love the idea of the linux thing thou. see if someone knows an mp3 version of linux (like made just for it)
 
You could install one of the lite versions of linux for media use. I'll check on a couple of the distro's, you can email me or contact me on AIM(more likely to catch me on AIM) to remind me to get it for you. As far as power, are you hooking up to the car's ignition switch? I am doing an mp3 computer soon as well, and I am planning on the wireless as well.

Good Luck
 
the problem isnt getting it to fit on the card, but the lack of software support. the only "good" software out there for it now is dashpc (www.dashpc.com), and the windows software thats out now (mainly media engine) far surpasses it.

but as for the cf card, it seems useless now, and i dont really know what to put on it.

anyway, i started working on the screen, should have the mount ready tomorrow (i hope)
 
i like the thought of a bootable usb cf reader and a cf slot fo mp3's.
 
Update: I ended up going with windows, and just now everything fully setup. The CF card did end up being used, but its now what i run the software off of (which is ~70mb). I'll post some pics up shortly.
 
Originally posted by Blekk0
I havnt gotten into the actual install yet, but since I did the case custom, I felt like showing off a bit :)

http://www.dodgerdigital.com/images/DSC00001.JPG

Case dimensions = 5.25x8.25x10.25 (HxWxD)
Click to expand...


Hey not bad for home grown but if you want something nicer I would bend it on one of these:

FDB50.jpg


Then it would come out looking more like this:

smbx_02.jpg



Just bustin your chops, great job man! ;)
 
WOW thats sweet! This is Windows Media Engine Software? Awesome setup man. Can't wait to see it complete!

-Logiks
 
after a LONG delay, i'm now finally able to finish my install. the screen is going to be done tomorrow, and hopefully everything else too.
 
what program is that you have running on that thing? it looks kick ass? i reconize the win xp boot screen, but what is the file browser thing you have running?

thanks
 
I just ordered that screen from ebay this afternoon, the seller has like 5 left now. It came out to 300$ for me too after shipping and it looks like an awesome screen.

Where can I get this "Windows Media Edition" and how big is it? I take it is basically a cut down filesystem with Windows Media Player and thats about it?

How do you have the computer wired to the car? By that I mean to power it on... does it start automatically with the car and go off with the car, is it wired to a 'hot' circuit and is always on with a switch?

Just trying to get a grasp of how thwe whole thing came together.

~Kris
 
their FAQ isn't too informative =/....is it something you install after you've installed winxp?
 
yeah, i installed that media engine on my laptop that i use in my car sometimes. it is pretty cool, it is just a shell for windows xp, so you install it after windows. it wokrs pretty good, and skins are really easy to make for it :)
 
sounds pretty cool, i need to make up a skin for my lincoln... so how would i go about making a GPS system?
 
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