mobile video ideas, need feedback...007 stuff..

[Maverick]

hey all, ive been tossing around ideas for my vx, as far as "gadgets" go..and figured id think "out loud" a bit and get some feedback...
the goal is to build an incar video system with some rather unique additions . Im not really looking for something to watch tv in the car, i think thats a bit silly (im not a tv person and i find those systems distracting) . But i would like that option. Id like to add the rear camera for safety, add a discreet recordable camera (think race cam) with playback in car, and id love to have a nav system.. and i dont want to pay a fortune. With the layout of the VX, its going to be a challenge..

the cameras pose no major problem, nor is a small monitor up front and maybe a larger playback monitor in the back. The problem arrises with a recorder and nav. system tied into it all. at over $1200 for a nav unit, its a bit discouraging. but right now im looking at another option , the new PDA's out there not only offer navigation options, but video recording add ons as well. the units are very small and should be easy to hide (i dont want any of these toys to be noticable or bulky , makes it more difficult) .
Or, maybe tie all the peripherals into a switch box i can plug a camcorder into ..
or...
the other idea is to use a laptop and create a docking station inside the car someplace with an add on nav package and vivo (video in/vid out.)

in short, i need at least two video inputs, ability to record at least one of those inputs, in dash display ability for the back up cam and nav, play back ability for any recording i need to do...and preferably a third video input with audio as a spare..
oh, and im keeping the stock stereo system, so no din vid units...

Another related idea is possibly using an electronic mirror motor and its switch to add the ability to actually move the cameras, but i havent explored that idea any further yet..just tossing it out there as well....

maybe im over thinking all this and theres an easier option that i can afford, not sure..but any ideas or suggestions would be appreciated...


ps- i wasnt sure where to post this , mods please move it if its the wrong place...

[yal^]

Have you thought about a regular PC?
I've been looking at that for a while now. There are cube systems, not bigger than game cube - with video card on motherboard. Recordable DVD drive would be nice touch, and the whole thing could cost around $550 plus LCD.
The reason why I do not look at notebooks yet, is that it is too easy on some part, and too hard on the other - docking station means it will be on display if you want it or not. Cube system would be very neat with set of those mini keyboard and mouse, possibly wireless, what makes it easier to work with when LCD is mounted on/above the dashboard, and you can pull keyboard from glove compartment, having the system underneath it, or maybe behind passenger seat.

Here is my problem; I do not want to wire it to car's electrical system. I'm toying with "portable" idea, maybe a battery... I do not know exactly yet.

About navigation... I would have to look into software, what's out there (maybe someone knows and would like to share), but for now I was thinking that cell phone with Internet access would do. Those things change so fast; I guess everything should be possible soon.

That's only from the top of my head... let me know if this is helpful, maybe you can pitch in to the idea too.

[WyrreJ]

Check out mp3car.com for automotive PC stuff.

[yal^]

WyrreJ: very nice, thx a lot.

[Maverick]

definately an idea worth some thought..initially i thought it would be too big, but then i looked up "itx" and found complete 900mhz pc 's the size of a normal cdrom, din sized..pretty wild stuff, i had no idea.... i almost thinking one of those little buggers might install nicely under the console armrest bin...

[Amack76]

hey everyone long time no see. bro your dreaming, no disrespect. what you are tryimg to do will never come in under 1200. as far as i can see a comp is your best bet with a standard indash lcd (preferrably one with dvi inputs as appossed top rca), but not the less a new prblem will arise, named confusion. imagine trying to opperate a pc while you are driving ( i have the kenwood kvt 911 and it is hard enough(check my gallery). another problem you will have is where to put every thing.possible locations in the vehicross cd changer spot, you can fit the nav their with serious mods(i will be doing soon) no biggy. but the computer is another story, the only hope you have is getting a micro atx. which A will be weak as hell, B requires a mouse & keyboard, and c still have no place for it (only place is maybe under the drivers side seat (not Passanger), but i could barely fit the brain for my kenwood under thier so i doubt it. then you got the power, radio, speakers issues......not to mention that i wouldn't drive around while banging a computer around. to much work. don't mean to kill your dreams. if you do it much luck to ya.

[Whaleboy]

Originally posted by Amack76
hey everyone long time no see. bro your dreaming, no disrespect. what you are tryimg to do will never come in under 1200. as far as i can see a comp is your best bet with a standard indash lcd (preferrably one with dvi inputs as appossed top rca), but not the less a new prblem will arise, named confusion. imagine trying to opperate a pc while you are driving ( i have the kenwood kvt 911 and it is hard enough(check my gallery). another problem you will have is where to put every thing.possible locations in the vehicross cd changer spot, you can fit the nav their with serious mods(i will be doing soon) no biggy. but the computer is another story, the only hope you have is getting a micro atx. which A will be weak as hell, B requires a mouse & keyboard, and c still have no place for it (only place is maybe under the drivers side seat (not Passanger), but i could barely fit the brain for my kenwood under thier so i doubt it. then you got the power, radio, speakers issues......not to mention that i wouldn't drive around while banging a computer around. to much work. don't mean to kill your dreams. if you do it much luck to ya.

For a while I had a PC running in my VX. It was an EPIA 800, in a custom box underneath the drivers seat, and a DC-DC PSU under the passenger seat. The display is a custom mounted 7" wide touchscreen LCD - running at 800x480. That's VGA, not NTSC. I molded the display case out of fiberglass and replaced the ashtray/lighter/cd changer with it.

First, the EPIA being a MINI ATX, is only 170mm X 170mm.. Very small. Small enough I have that mainboard, a 30gig laptop HD, and radeon 9800 all squeezed into the same box - again under the drivers seat. There wasn't enough room for the PS, so that was secured underneath the passenger seat.

My EPIA wasn't weak as hell. It did everything I wanted to do, and only required minimal cooling (the trade off).

As far as it ridin' in the car, it was in there for almost a year and never once did I have an issue. Despite the VX's stiff suspension. Laptop HD's can withstand an enormous amount of shock, most usually rated for 300g's operating, and 950g's parked.

For GPS I was using co-pilot 2003, and it was great with the routing and voice driven directions.

It would have been trivial to install a USB camera for backing up, but i never did get around to doing it.

I ended up paying around $900 total for my current setup (almost a year and a half ago). Pretty cheap, that's a PC that does quite a few things. You can go cheaper then that by say using a desktop HD if you'd like. Others have done it without problems. I personally didn't take a chance as I didn't want to have to remove the system when I went offroading.

I also used sorbathane shock mounts on the system enclosure which shaved off about 70g's worth of shock.

Also you could purchase a NTSC monitor instead of VGA - though I wouldn't recommend it. The type of monitor I bought was a Xenarc, then I tore it out of the OEM casing and put it in my custom molding. The xenarc can be found for about $100's cheaper then the price I paid for it at the time.

I just recently ripped the system out preparing for an upgrade. New LCD with brighter backlight and dimmable inverter. Replacing the Epia 800 with a Epia M10000, adding a remote slotload CD/DVD, and new stereo with Aux in (I was using a FM transmitter for mp3 playing - it sucked).

I had photos of it running but never could find'em. Here's some pics of the indash molding I did for the monitor.

http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/data/500/114dash1.jpg

http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/data/500/114dash2.jpg

[Maverick]

no offence taken, all input on this is appreciated.. from what ive seen so far i think i can come in well under $1200.. i just dont want to put down $1200 for a single piece of equipment , i havent set a cap, but from my research so far, i think i can do all this for well under $1000...
im resourcefull, i dont need packaged set ups, so im lookiing at how the pieces will go together, key components needed, and how i can integrate them to do what i need them to do.. Im pretty sure i can buid a micro itx pc right into the plastic paneling in the back. theres no need for any enclosures or optical drives really, i can run a 802.11g wireless set up and program from my desk at home, or laptop. but a dvd rom drive might be a nice thing to include (i can put it anyplace and just run the cables to the brain.) i can add a touch screen monitor for the controller interface, and elliminate the need for a keyboard as well. the hardest part is creating a driver freindly controll interface to switch from the nav system, to cameras, or what ever else i want to display so im looking at that problem now.. but so far ive figured out that i can use a pc based system including video recording and navigation, and have it almost completely invisible..pretty cool stuff!!

nice set up in the pics above as well (i was composing this when it was put up) and the extra info was very helpfull!! thanks!

[Whaleboy]

Just remember, you'll be dealing with distance limitations when it comes to cabling with USB 1.0/2.0 and IDE. That's one of the reasons I mounted the components under the seat, and not in the rear. The same thing goes with VGA, it also has distance limitations. I wanna say its like 12 feet? Not for certain on that.

I would've gone the biscuit PC route (roughly the size of a DVD case), but I needed that extra PCI slot due to most motherboards onboard video limitations (the epia's had issues with resolutions such as 800x480).

You'll notice the display I was using had a touchscreen. Very nice, trying to use a keyboard/mouse for input in a vehicle was extremely frustrating. I had that type of setup in my rodeo, it was a pain for me personally.

Depending on the plan/provider you're on and with when it comes to your cell phone you can also hop online with your pc.

I had this setup with the system I just had taken out, where it was cabled up to my old Nokia 7160 and I used dial-up thru CSD. Bought quite a few movie tickets with it, lots of fun. :)

With my new system, I'll be using my nokia 3600 and bluetooth. Already tested it at home with the guts I'll be installing. Works like a charm! I'll be using CSD though, not GPRS as I have an unlimited voice minutes plan (I'm with cingular).

Good luck, you'll need it. :)

[Maverick]

theres just some great stuff here!! well, so far ive just been collecting tidbits. i just going to take it slow and work the problems one at a time.. ive decided i dont need to integrate the back up camera system in the electronics package, instead im making that a stand alone system , but i will need to make a housing to integrate that display and a back up radar display into one unit. it may be overkill, but i ve already got the 1.8 monitor and the back up radar, so why not. :) shouldnt be a big deal, just a matter of a bit of reverse engineering and a bit of thjnking to get the existing components into a package the size of the fuzzy hole (both units will live in a single casing when im done.)
the "carputer" im building initially will be pretty basic until i learn how to integrate everything. im basing it on a mini atx based retail type cash register computer with a 12" touch screen display. its fairly old tech, but with existing "culch" i have in boxes, ill only need to buy a few peripherals( gps receiver, additonal touch screen 6 inch(or so) monitor for the overhead up front display, and dvr card), which can be used later on when i build the micro pc. but still, the whole package will be less than a large sized shoebox.. about 12"x12"x7" deep. minimal expence for my learning curve... and swapable into my other vehicles if i decide to run a similar system in them.. .total investment so far, under $300 including cameras.....;Dy;

[Charlie]

A good way to find what you want is look at Crutchfield.com.

Copy the link over to ebay search and usually you can find the stuff new for half the price.

[Dallas4u]

Not to bring back an old thread... but this deal had come, gone, and is now back again...

Soyo micro-ATX board with AMD XP processor (http://www.mwave.com/mwave/skusearch.hmx?&scriteria=MB-BA19875)

It's a Soyo K7VME micro-ATX motherboard which you basically get free (after rebate)... you just pick the processor you want.

Ex: Motherboard and AMD XP 2500+ bundle for $79!! (after rebate)

Could make a nice platform for a cheap mobile PC!

[Maverick]

thats a great price! unfortunatley its still too big for my plans.. when im ready, im going to go with an itx sized board and fit it into a din sized enclosure. i dont need more than a one ghz board, and could probably get away with a 500mhz , as i wont need to run anything that requires more than that. though i might just utilize my spare laptop(thats works great besides a blown lcd inverter) if i can find an appropriate dvr interface to route the video through, anda compatable dvd drive for it... the goal is still to be able to digitally record up to four video inputs, have a quad screen interface, and be able to run a gps program and antenna, as well as a dvd and possibly an engine management system..all controlled via a 7" widescreen touchscreen mounted in the wire cover area. the laptop im considering also has a "tv out" which i could run to my mini in dash monitor via a switcher as well...which is in my normal driving view... ive been working on the wiring schematics , i only want to have to run wires one..well see though..

[Dallas4u]

Possibly something else to look at:

http://www.compgeeks.com/details.asp?invtid=U-BOX-SIL&cat=SYS