Happy New Year to everyone. Well I just finished wiring and installing my Truck-puter. It's basically a fully functional computer with a stripped down version of Windows XP. I also have Audio/Video hookups in the console as well as a USB jack in the console in-case i want to add songs/media.

All in all the project took me about 7 months on and off to complete. Most of the time spent was doing research, planning, testing, and working out small bugs. mp3car.com was the best source for all my info and also where i acquired most of my parts from. My LCD screen was purchased from there and I grafted the case of the LCD screen to a Metra Double-Din kit made for our trucks. then after a lil bondo and sanding I sprayed it with SEM Satin Black paint, it matches the black plastic interior of the rest of the truck. I then got some aluminum stock and bent it into a small case to house my motherboard, power supply, and hard drive. I don't wanna write a book on all the components and such but if anyone has any questions i'd be happy to answer them, so here are the pics:

 

Main Screen:


MP3 Player Screen:


HD Radio:


GPS:


Internet, connected thru my HTC Mogul phone:


Weather, also updated thru my phone:


A/V input, electrical plug input, and USB jack:


PS3 mini keyboard for web surfing:

 

WOW!

NICE!

Can you build one for me!?

How much did that run you?

 

that is pretty damn cool...I wouldn't have a use for it, but big props from doing it, and making the install look clean

 

what was the price of your entire system?

 

That's something that I've been wanting to do for along time. Looks really nice.


How embarrassing, you have Kiis Fm as a preset

At least Kroq was on your first one.

 

Forgot to ask,

Is it a touch screen?

 

Very nice! I'd love to have a setup like that but it wouldn't recieve all much function, except for the cool factor.

 

thats awesome, i'll eventually end up building myself one for my truck as well. the pc is in the dash or what?

 

-ManualF150 total alone in parts was close to $800. maybe a lil more but I had a hard drive and a windows XP license key so i saved a few bucks.

-and yes it is a touch screen

-LoveTheTide not sure I understand, my system is just as if not MORE functional than most aftermarket systems.

-coobies5 yea the pc itself is housed in an enclosure i made and is mounted behind the dash, there is actually ALOT of room back there so everything fits pretty good.

Hey Kiis FM has some good music, however I do HATE Ryan Seacrest so I never listen in the mornings.

 

two words...KICK ***, finally ford is doing something similar in the 09's.

 

Very nice install!
I've been contemplating doing this (and envying installs like yours) with my last few trucks. I have 2-3 laptops around here that all work okay but with bad screens or are a little slow for some uses. Did you make a write-up on the other forum?
Is the motherboard just hanging loose back there or is it all screwed down tightly? Seems that you could build a module the size of the factory stereo to incorporate everything into it and easily remove the whole thing in one piece.
Do you have plans for a DVD player in the console?

 

Very cool. If I would use it I would def. look into that, but since i won't and I am not rich I'll have to wait for a winning lottery ticket.

 

It would be awesome to have something like that. But compared to my radio I'm not sure if it would get much use other than when I'm sitting in my truck hanging out with friends. Most of my time is spent driving and I wouldn't need a distraction like that haha. So, I'm not sure I could ever justify building myself one. If it is just a computer I wanted to ask, did you make the program that runs on the screen or was it something you bought? If i did it I would most likely make my own program to run.

 

$800 bucks give or take is a steal when you add in the functionality you get vs. an AVIC or comparable in-dash. just have a couple of questions:

1. i'm assuming you store your music on the HDD for playback, but what if you wanted to play a CD? any accomodations for that?

2. why did you decide to count the PC behind the dash? should the HDD fail (with the environment the HDD is subject to, I would think that the failure rate would increase) it's would make it a pain in the *** to access it.

3. What GUI/Interface are you using?

4. What's the minimum specs on the mobo to run what you've got? I've got a bunch of 650MHz embedded PC's at work that I could snag. I was wondering if they'd be suitable for the applications you're running.

Thanks. Happy New Year!