986 Carputer?

[FrayAdjacent]

I believe someone integrated a Mac Mini into a Boxster, once.

A carputer could be pretty neat... but would cost a lot for what you get out of it.

Personally, I'd find a MicroATX system, install it into an ammo can, wire it up in the front trunk and use a 7" touchscreen. Rig it up with a WiFi and Bluetooth controller, connect it to an amp to drive your speakers, wire up a mic for the wireless headset profile...

There's a ton you could do with it, but it won't be cheap, and it won't be easy...

[cmarks20]

That's where it pays off to be a computer engineer =). I think I'm going to go with an ITX board. I've seen examples in other cars that fit right into the dash. With a custom enclosure, I'm sure I could throw a touch screen on the outside and flush mount it.

As far as cost is concerned, it's either this or an in-dash DVD player for show. Suprisingly enough, their about the same price.

For anyone who's interested in the concepts behind it all, http://www.mp3car.com has a nice faq on how it all works.

[Kirk]

I just read "Geek My Ride", which my local library happened to have. I have a 7" screen and HKS CAMP system that I'm going to put into my Boxster. The book had lots of info on carputers, but may be a little too basic for you. But I thought I'd throw it out there as a resource for ideas.

Personally, I think the Boxster would lend itself really well to a carputer. Think about it - the front trunk has a lot of space, it has the battery right there, the alternator has good output (120 A), and you only need to run cables through the firewall to the passenger compartment. It seems like the install of something would be easier in the Boxster as opposed to doing it in the rear trunk of a standard front engine car.

Kirk