so i have this brand new mini PC tower with windows 7 on it. Its small enough to mount in the rear where one of the cargo totes are.. i also have a USB GPS reciever.. I was thinking maybe permanently mounting the PC back there and running a cable to a 9 inch monitor on the dash.. i need to make a few decisions, like do i use a touchscreen monitor (i hear the resolution sux and they are expensive) or an LCD monitor and then run an extended mini mouse and mini keyboard up as well? maybe just a headset and use speech recognition software? how futurisitc would that be.. me and my headset talking to the damn GPS software on my PC... I have a mini laptop that is not really fast enough to keep up with the GPS software so the poor girl stutters thru the street names.

In addition, since I am a DJ I was thinking of loading the PC up with 50 gigs of music turning the monitor into a multimedia device to play audio thru... then again connecting it to the stereo.. maybe using a standard 3.5mm audio cable to an AUX in on the stereo... best option would probably be to use the 3.5mm out on the PC to the RCA ins on the back of the stereo... anyway this is all nit picky...

the main question. do i do it? is it cool? is it ridiculous?

 

It is a cool idea, there are actually car PC's out there that have all the interface stuff you need to be able to run the system from the back. You are right, it is expensive but very cool.

 

thanks Rob, i know there is someone on here that installed a MAC in their Disco i remember seeing pics. and there were monitors on every seat with a Land Rover logo wallpaper... i don't know what type of software he used...

i just figured i have nearly all the parts so i should try it if its worth getting a monitor... I think i might... decisions decisions...

 

Depending on what you are looking at for mouse/keyboard, I would look at wireless. I use Logitech mouse/keyboard at work and home and they seem to have pretty good range. You actually get small transmitter box about the size of a mouse with cables that go to the mouse/keyboard plugs on the PC, so you could locate that up in the back somewhere and get a pretty good transmit/receive setup to get you to the front seat area. Not having wires on the mouse/keyboard may be very nice as you could move may be able to swivel the screen and actually use it for either front seat. You may be able to lose them eaiser as well.

I think they have bluetooth mouse/keyboard setups now too, but I have not experiece with them.

 

I say do it. For me I need to use my work laptop all the time so I just use a mount and that. That way I can get on live meetings and so forth while I am driving as long as I still have internet access. I also just use a power converter to keep it all running.

I would work on a place to put your DVD drive so you can access it from the driver seat.

 

oh yeah good thinking.. wireless is a good idea.

 

well the main thing i want to use it for is GPS, and off road GPS mapping,. second would be for audio selection.

 

My opinion is that screwing with a mouse and looking at a monitor while driving is just like or worse that people texting while driving.

When I see people more involved with their cell than their driving, I sat put them in a real cell, not behind a steering wheel.

Whatever you do needs to be as little interference as possible with safe driving.

Thats the only way to stay cool.

 

hahah i didnt plan on using the PC while i was driving that would be moronic.

like i said most of all it would be for GPS, off road terrain mapping and road trips.