I've always known I wanted a carputer. I've been dreaming of it while stuck in traffic, like a fat kid dreams about ice-cream. So many buttons to push, so much fun eyes-off-the-road distraction...
Ok, so I'm kidding about the distraction part, but not about the carputer. In fact, thanks to eBay, I got a pretty good deal on the brainz of what will be my carputer.
I won this auction last week:
http://cgi.ebay.ca/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=220614957197&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:ITNot too bad for $76 bucks:
Jetway J7F2WE2G Motherboard with a VIA C7 2.0GHz CPU.
* 1GB DDR2 Memory (Single SIMM)
* 40GB 2.5" WD Hardrive
* 4 USB Ports (2 front, 2 Back)
* 1 Firewire Port (Back)
* 1 PCMCIA Slot on the Back
* 1 Compact Flash Slot on the Back
The motherboard alone is about $130 when new...
So it came in today and I promptly took it apart in the name of science.
It seems to run a little hot, around 50 deg celsisus. First I will install Win 7 on it, then get a better fan for the CPU heatsink (its really noisy and I should probably replace the heatsink with a bigger one)
On its way from eBay is a usb GPS.
Lots more to plan and read, but I shall make updates with photos here
I'm hoping to install it in my trunk, and run VGA over Cat6 cable for the monitor (the cable is slimmer and I could fit it under the carpet easier?