Golf Mk4: CarPuter/CarPc sugestions.

[MrRogers]

Evening all,

Iv been thinking about this over the last couple of years that when i did eventually get a decent car that this was definitely an option.

So my questions are as follows and hopfully someone with good knowledge of the mk4 platform can help..

Ok, so currently i have the pioneer double din unit installed in my dash and im not really wanting to part with it as i think its an amazing bit of kit. So What i have been thinking is mounting a 7 or 8" touchscreen on a arm (same type of thing seen on the back of 15" home monitors that extend at retract and has a ball on the end so you can tilt and swival the screen and so forth) but smaller of course and then mounting it on the centre consol just by the hand brake abit further back than the glove box so it can still be used. 

And as regards to the actual computer unit its self lets be honest the glove box hasnt got much space to play around with on the MK4 so i was thinking on strapping it underneith the passenger front seet...some how ...so how much room is actualy under the seats are they generous enough and durable enough to hold a MiniITX computer unit or somthing along the lines of a slim line PC.

Any info/Pics/sugestions would be great.

Cheers.

[mcgee9t2]

can i just ask. what would you want that for?

would proberbly not be the easiest job to do. and well, what are you going to use it for, not asif you can get on the internet, so all you could really do is watch dvds/cds on it and play games / type up word documents, and youde have to be parked to do that because correct me if im wrong, wrighting a novel while your  driving would proberbly get you done for dangerous driving, same with watching a dvd or playing a game.

also doubg that air flow under the seats would be very good so you would have to set up fans/heat sincs to stop the computer over heating, and what about when someone is in the back and there feet go under the seat?

either way, if you do this, let us know how you get on, will be a interesting read

[MrRogers]

Iv just always liked the concept of having it in my car as going back a few years ago this was quite a new idea and alot of people started doing it.

I see it as quite a versitile idea and can sometimes (not always) work out cheaper than buying a 700-800 quid double satnav/cd/dvd player type of thing what i have priced up i could probably do it all for about 250-300 quid maybe cheaper if im lucky.

So on the plus side of having this actualy in the car i could run Windows along with any software i need on it and when i need it i.e VagCom, VagTacho etc without the need of keep having to bring the laptop outside thus having a good amount of disk space for music, videos etc and even install GPS software for use as a SatNav.

And as regards to the internet there is always the 3G dongle route which are cheap enough these days and if worst comes to worst and i am in so desperate need to use the internet i could always conect via bluetooth to my mobile.

And when it boots up you dont always have to see the normal Windows layout you can get software that imitates and runs ontop of the OS the same kind of thing as these double din satnav/dvd units so all music, videos and files are all these with a big CLICK HERE button so it wouldnt be fiddly at all. Such as this type of thing as example below:



Would also be good for the kids as and when i do it i would like to put a couple of monitors in the rear headrests to.

I just think it will be a good intresting project. Of course people may argue and just tell me to get an all in one unit and save the hastle but wheres the fun in that? lol...this could be an all in one unit but theres no limitations on what you can and can't have on it as where those all in one units do.

[mcgee9t2]

Fare enough. You obviouly seem to have done your research on this and know what you want to get out of it so I say go for it. May be a idea (imo it could look good to get one of those really small computers, we have them at work, the type were the computer its self (not including the monitor) is about the size of a large book and try and install it were the ash tray is. Also remember you will proberbly need another battery to power it or face getting stuck with no battery.

[Rhyso]

I take it you've seen this site 

http://www.mp3car.com

[MrRogers]

Yeh thanks Rhyso i came across that site going back a few years ago now but back then it was quite new and not alot of people were doing it thats where i got most of my ideas from.

Im quite a techy person when it comes to puters n wat not n this seems quite a good challenge and would really like to give it ago and quite a feasable project...just having the guts to start pullin my golf apart lol.

Iv had a look around on tinternet and on here and the makeup of the seats the base i think it could quite posibly be done with a small enough pc unit. Iv had a look at Dell ones to and there are quite some small units out there but i think that making my own would be more to spec to get it fitted under the passenger seet. Cooling wouldnt be a problem would just have to be the case of putting obout 3-4 fans in the unit its self i think that would be sufice.

I just always remember watching fast n furious (i think the first or 2nd) wen the main chap (forgot his name) and some sort of monitor by the side of him in his skyline..u know the part where everything started to go wrong and he got big warning messages that started flashing up lol..

Im just going to be greedy i think double din and a 7 or 8" monitor lol

[new to vw]

you might want to have a look at UK PASSATS..When i was a passat owner there were a couple of threads on there..

[mcgee9t2]

Its a white 5 door needed 5 door for business reasons

Dropped 35mm too

Oh and got an alarm and immobiliser fitted by auto sparks

[hainesz]

Fare enough. You obviouly seem to have done your research on this and know what you want to get out of it so I say go for it. May be a idea (imo it could look good to get one of those really small computers, we have them at work, the type were the computer its self (not including the monitor) is about the size of a large book and try and install it were the ash tray is. Also remember you will proberbly need another battery to power it or face getting stuck with no battery.

all pc's run at 12v dc output from the power supply anyway and would not drain a battery!!!

[MrRogers]

They do indeed iv done alot of research into this. Also as the years have gone on in the world of "CarPC" they have now manufactured clever power supply unity which are inside the pc case itself which turn the computer on at the turn of a key and when turning the pc of itsself at the end of a jounery you dont have to go faffing around with "start - shut down" etc the PSU is clever and knows when the motherboard stops drawing power from car battery and automaticly shuts down the computer nice and safe and calmly with no "hard shutdown" (same as holding your finger down on the power button on your home computer/laptop) so in essence is putting your CarPC into "hibernation" (standby for XP users & sleep for windows 7 etc) so when the ignition is then turned on and the motherboard see's power again ha rahh no long boot up required