Car pc using old laptop and LCD screen for santro

haithereitsme · 25th February 2009, 21:04

Hey guys.

Firstly, moderators this is a very specific project and i need advice from the gurus/Tbhpians.

I have a fujitsu P4 laptop with 256 mb ram.I would like to connect this to a reverse cam system with a 7 inch LCD screen to be fitted on my dashboard.

The audio wil be through my existing pioneer music system with an aux input.The controls would be through a tracker ball i/p device to be fitted on my dash of the car.

Help me with this.

saurabhkum · 5th November 2011, 19:25

I was also something on similar lines, but I'm surprised not to find any support in any of the forums. I'm reviving this thread to make this possible.

the_joker · 6th November 2011, 10:30

Quote:

Originally Posted by saurabhkum

I was also something on similar lines, but I'm surprised not to find any support in any of the forums. I'm reviving this thread to make this possible.

I have a couple of points for you.
1. There are a lot threads here that are about car pc. They may not use a old laptop, but you can get some ideas from there. You can use those as a base and build on it.
2. A laptop which is described here will be overkill for this project. If you truly want to go DIY, you can design the system yourself using an arduino or something similar.

k_nitin_r · 6th November 2011, 10:42

Saurabh,

If you would like to have a laptop fitted into your car, do look into the use of solid state disks instead of regular hard disk drives because of the expected vibration while driving. Many hard disk drives are not built for operating in such conditions.

A regular laptop screen would also not hold up to the temperatures that you would observe in the car when parked outdoors in summer so that would have to come off the laptop. A P4 processor would need appropriate cooling but I imagine you can locate it near the lower AC ducts. An old Maruti Zen has the lower AC ducts conveniently located below the center console and there's an open area down there to place a laptop. You may need to have the end of the duct taken off to better direct the cool air. If you can get a netbook with an Intel Atom processor instead, you would have much less heat to deal with.

You can route the audio of the laptop through the aux input of your Pioneer music system using a cable with a male pin on both ends. I took one off an old multimedia monitor that I had. A 7-inch screen is quite small and you wouldn't be able to use the PC normally. If you intend to use the PC from the back seat, you could get a larger roof-mounted screen. As long as it has a VGA or S-Video input, an old P4 laptop should be able to feed it the video.

If you have a laptop car adapter that can work with the laptop, that solves the power issue too. If not, you might want to try using a universal laptop car adapter - they come with an assortment of pins but you still need to check if they have a pin that can fit your laptop.

I'm unsure of how the reverse cam would fit. The CCTV cameras typically require an interface card to get the input from cameras into a PC but you might be able to get a Logitech webcam (these tend to have excellent image quality, particularly the higher end ones) and take off its outer shell to fit into your car. You would be surprised at how small the actual webcam is when you take off its outer covering.

I would imagine that the laptop would have at least 2 USB 1.1 ports so you can have an input device and a webcam attached to it.

BTW, you might want to consider attaching a mini keyboard-trackpad combo to your glove compartment if it doesn't see much use or better yet, check out Lenovo's mini keyboard offering that looks like an oversizes gamepad yet provides you with a handheld keyboard and a mouse.

Bass&Trouble · 6th November 2011, 16:31

Quote:

Originally Posted by saurabhkum

I was also something on similar lines, but I'm surprised not to find any support in any of the forums. I'm reviving this thread to make this possible.

So what is the exact obstacle you are facing?

Quote:

Originally Posted by k_nitin_r

I'm unsure of how the reverse cam would fit. The CCTV cameras typically require an interface card to get the input from cameras into a PC but you might be able to get a Logitech webcam (these tend to have excellent image quality, particularly the higher end ones) and take off its outer shell to fit into your car. You would be surprised at how small the actual webcam is when you take off its outer covering.

No interface etc required, reverse cams directly connect to car LCD screens. You can buy a screen that has a switching input for reverse cams. It is triggered by the reversing light line.

DerAlte · 6th November 2011, 19:27

Get a touchscreen LCD where the unit switches the view automatically when you engage reverse. Most common ones need one to press a button to switch input.

haithereitsme · 7th November 2011, 01:54

Am out of this craze, thinking of buying a cheap tablet pc with gsm connectivity. Works as music player, GPS, access to Facebook etc.

A tablet with USB connectivity serves the purpose better, as I can play from the stick instead of occupying system memory.

Prowler · 7th November 2011, 10:04

Quote:

Originally Posted by k_nitin_r

Saurabh,

The CCTV cameras typically require an interface card to get the input from cameras into a PC but you might be able to get a Logitech webcam (these tend to have excellent image quality, particularly the higher end ones) and take off its outer shell to fit into your car. You would be surprised at how small the actual webcam is when you take off its outer covering.

Webcams don't have wide angle views needed for a Reverse view of cars. Ideally you need at least 110 degree of horizontal view and 80 degree of vertical view to see what is behind you. Car reverse cameras are cheap enough - in the same range as a good Webcam.

The camera in my bumper shows enough background view so that you don't miss protruding objects just above the car.

They give composite Video out. If you plan on to use a Carputer to double up as a monitor , then you need a ADC card - not worth the cost.

DerAlte · 7th November 2011, 18:06

One doesn't need an ADC card for the reverse camera. A web cam's field of view is good enough, but you will be searching for ideas how to mount it, and it will be always on if used with a Carputer! On top of it, you will have switch to that window manually.

As @prowler said, getting a dedicated reverse camera is a better idea.

25th February 2009, 21:04	#1
haithereitsme BHPian Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Chennai Posts: 82 Thanked: 15 Times	Car pc using old laptop and LCD screen for santro Hey guys. Firstly, moderators this is a very specific project and i need advice from the gurus/Tbhpians. I have a fujitsu P4 laptop with 256 mb ram.I would like to connect this to a reverse cam system with a 7 inch LCD screen to be fitted on my dashboard. The audio wil be through my existing pioneer music system with an aux input.The controls would be through a tracker ball i/p device to be fitted on my dash of the car. Help me with this.
	() Thanks

5th November 2011, 19:25	#2
saurabhkum BHPian Join Date: May 2007 Location: Mumbai Posts: 479 Thanked: 115 Times	Re: Car pc using old laptop and LCD screen for santro I was also something on similar lines, but I'm surprised not to find any support in any of the forums. I'm reviving this thread to make this possible.
	() Thanks

6th November 2011, 10:42	#4
k_nitin_r BHPian Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Dubai,Hyderabad Posts: 470 Thanked: 80 Times	Re: Car pc using old laptop and LCD screen for santro Saurabh, If you would like to have a laptop fitted into your car, do look into the use of solid state disks instead of regular hard disk drives because of the expected vibration while driving. Many hard disk drives are not built for operating in such conditions. A regular laptop screen would also not hold up to the temperatures that you would observe in the car when parked outdoors in summer so that would have to come off the laptop. A P4 processor would need appropriate cooling but I imagine you can locate it near the lower AC ducts. An old Maruti Zen has the lower AC ducts conveniently located below the center console and there's an open area down there to place a laptop. You may need to have the end of the duct taken off to better direct the cool air. If you can get a netbook with an Intel Atom processor instead, you would have much less heat to deal with. You can route the audio of the laptop through the aux input of your Pioneer music system using a cable with a male pin on both ends. I took one off an old multimedia monitor that I had. A 7-inch screen is quite small and you wouldn't be able to use the PC normally. If you intend to use the PC from the back seat, you could get a larger roof-mounted screen. As long as it has a VGA or S-Video input, an old P4 laptop should be able to feed it the video. If you have a laptop car adapter that can work with the laptop, that solves the power issue too. If not, you might want to try using a universal laptop car adapter - they come with an assortment of pins but you still need to check if they have a pin that can fit your laptop. I'm unsure of how the reverse cam would fit. The CCTV cameras typically require an interface card to get the input from cameras into a PC but you might be able to get a Logitech webcam (these tend to have excellent image quality, particularly the higher end ones) and take off its outer shell to fit into your car. You would be surprised at how small the actual webcam is when you take off its outer covering. I would imagine that the laptop would have at least 2 USB 1.1 ports so you can have an input device and a webcam attached to it. BTW, you might want to consider attaching a mini keyboard-trackpad combo to your glove compartment if it doesn't see much use or better yet, check out Lenovo's mini keyboard offering that looks like an oversizes gamepad yet provides you with a handheld keyboard and a mouse.
	() Thanks

6th November 2011, 19:27	#6
DerAlte Senior - BHPian Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Bangalore Posts: 8,069 Thanked: 2,919 Times	Re: Car pc using old laptop and LCD screen for santro Get a touchscreen LCD where the unit switches the view automatically when you engage reverse. Most common ones need one to press a button to switch input.
	() Thanks

7th November 2011, 01:54	#7
haithereitsme BHPian Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Chennai Posts: 82 Thanked: 15 Times	Re: Car pc using old laptop and LCD screen for santro Am out of this craze, thinking of buying a cheap tablet pc with gsm connectivity. Works as music player, GPS, access to Facebook etc. A tablet with USB connectivity serves the purpose better, as I can play from the stick instead of occupying system memory.
	() Thanks

7th November 2011, 18:06	#9
DerAlte Senior - BHPian Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Bangalore Posts: 8,069 Thanked: 2,919 Times	Re: Car pc using old laptop and LCD screen for santro One doesn't need an ADC card for the reverse camera. A web cam's field of view is good enough, but you will be searching for ideas how to mount it, and it will be always on if used with a Carputer! On top of it, you will have switch to that window manually. As @prowler said, getting a dedicated reverse camera is a better idea.
	() Thanks