i have a problem , i was thinking of installing a carputer

and had all of the materials needed in place when i came across a problem

i have a mini cooper 2009 and was going to take the screen of my laptop and put the laptop in the glove conpartment then wire this up to a screen in my center console using this set:

http://www.qualitymobilevideo.com/99-9306.aspx

the only issue is that this will make my volume *** unacessable wich is needed becuase i was just going to connect the laptop to the aux input on my original sterio then when i want to listen to the laptop i can just use the original head unit to click on the aux option this way i can also keep my handsfree working on the original sterio

and i dont have steering wheel controls else i could have just used them

please can somone help

 

A few other problems i see with your setup.

1. the lap top screen in not going to fit in the dash unless it is a 7" diagonal screen or smaller.

2. the kit you linked to is ONLY for adding a aftermarket radio in place of the OEM radio but that leads to many other issues.
a. You will loose gong notifications.
b. You will loose the trip computer, average speed, average mpg and all other info that is displayed on the speedo display.

3. There is a kit that allows for Double DIN style radio and would allow you to place another single DIN below the OEM radio but again the motorized screen will cover over the volume OEM control.

4. If you have a sun roof then the screen will be rahter hard to see in that location becuase of sun glare thru the sunroof. Especailly with a standard laptop screen. Even with out a sun roof a standard laptop screen will be hard to see as they are not made to be used in direct sunlight or areas with such as in a vehicle dash. You really need a transflective screen (I.E. one that sucks in light and uses that to make the screen more readable.

5. Not sure what you intend to use as a motorised screen but to be able to control the computer in the glove box it will require being a touch screen that can connect to the computer via USB to control the applications you intend to use for music etc.

A Note for you. The OEM Radio also houses the Central Car Computer and as such really should stay in the car. The Japanese have a cable kit available to move the OEM head unit to the Secrect compartment but last I checked the kit would cost in excess of $400 plus shipping.

Here is a link to my carputer install
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...-upgrades.html

I am having trouble finding another thread to help you out but if you search for threads by lancing74. he put a touch screen monitor in the center console by making his own center console panel.

Another good place to get carputer info is http://www.mp3car.com there are forums there where people converse alot about the issues installing carputers.

 

thank you for helping pow ,

can i have a link to the kit that will allow me to install the flip out touch screen monitor under the original oem radio , i dont mind about the flip out screen covering the volume *** while its out becuase if the screen is out i will be controlling the volume via the laptop , i will just put the volume up high then lower it through the laptop as it will only be connected to the aux of the original head unit anyway if you understand?

many thanks again

 

Here is the link to the Double Din Kit by Metra. Unfortunately I can not be sure if it comes with a single DIN cover panel or not. you may have to make your own to cover the OEM radio and put a hole in it for the volume ****.

http://www.metraonline.com/part/99-9309

 

Are you only wanting the carputer for music because of so there are numerous other less expensive ways of getting a lot of music in the car.

If you are wanting to use it for other things like navigation and ODBII then it bay be worth while.

But let me tell you something from my vast experience. My new Android phone will out do the carputer i have for reliability on NAV ODBII and many other things.

The only two things that the carputer does better is allow me to work on MS Office Documents and Holds much more music. I have 360 gig of music in the car where my phone will only hold up to about 14 gig on the card installed.

Navigation from Google is a million times better than any of the NAV apps you can get for a computer. It even gives real-time traffic for free now.

With a free application and $149 for the Scantool ODBII to Bluetooth adapter I can add ODBII via bluetooth and have it display all the info right on the screen of the phone while driving. And it has much more functionality than the costly programs for computers.

 

i am wanting the carputer for all the applications you can get and it is so customisable if you get me? , you can do many thiings from getting your cars tyer pressures up on screen to surfing the web this is my main reason , also was looking at what you have done , how did you mount your screen to the top of the mini? ,

many thanks

 

I am not trying to talk you out of it but lets be realistic. I spent $2800 on my carputer and my $299 Android phone blows it away. In fact my Android phone is MUCH more customizable than any aftermarket computer it a car at this point in time. I also spent over 40 hours to install it and because it is a computer it takes lots of time to keep it up. My phone on the other hand take very little time for up keep and just works all the time.

Now depending on where you live you may or may not have the following problems with the carputer.

Mine hates to work when it is below 20 degrees F and will not work when the interior of the car hits 115+. And my carputer is a Military Ruggedized Unit. Most hard drives that you will find in a laptop have limits of 40F to about 100F and don't really work out side those temps. So look at repalcing it with a Solid state drive but ensure that you get one that will work in extreme temps and vibrations. But unfortunately that really reduces the capacity. So look at gettign a Western Digital Passport drive for your music. They are made to be very rugged. I have two 500 GB ones in my car for storage of music and video.

The lap top will need lots of ventilation or it will probably overheat unless it is one of the new netbook styles, they tend to be able to run hot. So you may need to run with the glove box open.

As I stated the ONLY things I can not do easily on the Android phone is to have 360 gig plus of music in the car and MS Office Documents. Every thing else you mentioned can be done easier on the Android phone and much of it for free or much reduced costs from what the computer and parts will cost you.

Now for some of the things you want to be able to use it for.

AFAIK the only thing you can get for tire pressure on the MINI is if it is in spec or out of spec not the actual pressure. Unless you purchase other hardware to read the actual pressure but then you will also probably need different sensors in the wheel to work with that hardware and then they will not work with the MINI system.

ODBII - can read the systems in the car and display the info on the screen. And my Android Phone can do that as well with just as much customization.

Surfing the web - You will need an Air Card (second bill form you cell) of some sort and or a tethering to your Phone for a internet connection while you are moving. Or if you will only use it out side Starbucks or MacDonald's etc then WiFi would work. But for WiFi you will probably need a high power Wireless adapter. I can do both much easier with my Phone and with the phone. Many web sites detect it and make the screen readable. With the computer you will not have that as easily, you will have to go in and make adjustments to the text size for many sites.

Navigation - I have not found a Navigation program that is as easy to use on a carputer as the Google NAV app on the Android or iPhone. It is even better than many of the GPS only units. With Google I can make up my routes ahead of time and save them and then the Google Nav app on the phone pulls them from my google account and used that to navigate by.

Also of note is that WINDOWS in not designed well for use as a mobile desktop, the icons are way to small. You will need a program like Centrafuse or Roadrunner to make it really work for you.

As for mounting of the Screen I manufactured a custom bracket that mounts to the sunroof frame. All the wiring for the monitor goes thru the roof console and above the headliner and then down the A-Pillar.

Good Luck and if you need any other help or suggestions let me know.

 

ok cheers for the advice ,

so can you connect you android phone to a external screen inside the car? , just wondering many thanks

 

No I can not connect the Android to a seperate screen at this time and make is usable.

The Droid X does have a HDMI output but that only shows movies or videos normally. There is an app that allwos for all the screens to display on an HDMI monitor but then you have to guess where to press on the phones screen (becuase the phone screen goes blank) for any input to the phone.

How are you going to handle the turn on and off of the computer?

If you plan on doing that manually that works find until you shut the car off and the laptop shuts down instantaneously do to lack of power if no battery is installed, or hard shut down when the battery goes dead.

Also what input voltage does your computer use? If it is not 12VDC and is more like 19-20 volts like many laptops you will need some sort of power supply to power it properly. In that case you will need a DC to AC inverter or a DC to DC converter.

I use a start-up/shutdown contorller power supply for mine which starts the computer up when the car is unlocked. This way the computer is ready to use by the time I get in the car and get it started. It also shuts the computer down properly when the ignition is turned off and does not hard crash the computer.

 

ok cheers for this mate , have you got a list and links to all the things you had to buy to create your carputer?

also may i add i have a little issue with the kit
http://www.metraonline.com/part/99-9309

because i dont have them climate control buttons where they have put holes in the kit? , is there one withought them?

many thanks mate

 

Your best bet would be to go check out http://www.mp3car.com there is all kinds of equipment there form power supplies to USB hubs to ODBII adapters just about anything you may need to do a carputer installation.

As for all the pieces I had to purchase look at my install thread and you will see everything i had to buy to get it to work.

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...-upgrades.html

My understanding is that the enter console piece comes with little button covers that will fill the holes that are not used by you AC/Heating system.

I can not confirm that they do as I have not purchased one but that is what a few of the websites say that sell them.