In-Car VGA touch Screen

let me know when you find one :)
I have a search running since ages and only found motorised etc .. and no swivel
have fun
gmd

I also have the HP e-vectra. They are an ideal size for under the passengers seat. I was wondering if you have heard of anyone replacing the CD drive with a DVD drive. It would be handy for software etc that comes on DVDs such as Natmap.

The DVD drive would have to be a laptop drive, but I dont want to buy one and find it is not compatible with the HP. I upgraded the CPU to the 1 GHz, and it is OK for running GPS programs. Like you, I got the HP for a very good price (mine was being dumped).
Col

John,

fair points when you have only one screen .. for Ozi Explorer the screen is a little small .. agree .. but I am not using it for that primarily ..

Ozi Explorer will eventually adjust to widescreen because it's just the new standard.
I do not buy 4:3 screens anymore and did not for the last 4 years or so for my business Pc's ..

I will use a nano ITX board with only a few peripherals for the indash solution, which primarily will do the MP3 and the video surveillance/recording .. for serious work they are too slow and don't have enough ram ..

I have a second 7" screen (an old analog one which I have since ages) with a quad video processor (select the most recent camera input for output) to display the reversing cameras(2), side view cameras(2) and roof camera. This screen sits on the dash for easy viewing from driver and nothing else is connected. Sideview cameras switch on with turn light, tow bar camera with reverse, default is rearview
from up high and on demand the roof camera. Just bought a bunch of cameras on ebay to test them for different purposes..

Ozi explorer runs on another PC (I have various Shuttles (pc) for that purpose, which I currently use as portable network when required for my work. As a display in the car I will use a Viewsonic Airpanel which is wireless and sits on your lap or in a holder. Can be used also outside the truck easy .. so I can take it to the roadside table when we stop .. thats where ozi explorer will run and a view other things .. both system are connected by Ethernet which also links to the laptop which I use mainly to collect photos and for tethered shooting. In the camper we have two desktops .. one for my wife with a large screen also for movies and my own system for my photo system and programming. I still look for a decent Internet solution outside metro areas, but I guess thats some time in the future.

At the moment I am still contemplating wether or not I leave my existing sound system in the truck or replace it. By February I plan to have all decisions made and the components together. I plan to put it all together starting March/April..

Have fun
gmd

Col,

I decided against fitting a DVD to the e-pc. Like you, I couldn't predict the level of difficulty! I have acquired (ebay) a big (250G) external HDD which connects through a USB port to provide better input and output capability, portability between machines, and serious storage for images. This works well and was not very expensive. I considered getting a USB external DVD too, but don't think it's necessary now that I've got the big drive to transfer stuff between machines. We carry a laptop as well, which has a DVD, but most setting up, file transfer etc takes place at home where the desktop can do the work.

I'd be interested to hear how you get on if you elect to fit a DVD into the e-pc.

John

gmd - I've got only one thing to say to you - WOW!!! That's a serious system!!!

John

Fitting a DVD to an e-pc is not straightforward as the number of pins in the cd to motherboard adapter is an unusual number. Can't quite remember details but it is by no means a straight swap. If you are planning to run movies via an external USB drive (DVD or external hard drive) there may be difficulties here to if your e-pc only has a USB1 slot. Data transfer rate will probably be insufficient. Someone more expert may be able to confirm, or otherwise, this.

Thanks for your comments MichaelR, much as I suspected. Getting it connected would not be the end of it either. Not interested in movies, and I quite agree, USB1 would be seriously challenged if asked to carry a movie.

A downside of the e-pc in a standalone system is it's limited i/o capability - a read-only CD, and not even a floppy drive. Might be ok on a network, but on it's own it needs some way of writing to removable media. Also, in a GPS application, it needs to be able to input big map files, bigger than a CD. This points to a DVD read/writer (or HDD in my case) hanging off a USB port.

I'd be interested to hear from anyone who has gone up this path.

John

John
I have used the e-pc in the car with oziexplorer and it works well. I like it as the hard drive cradle is easily removable and the HD easily upgradable. I have stuck an 80GB one in and carry the old 20GB one round as a spare. The cradle is pretty well protected from shocks being cushioned on rubber mounted screws. Mine survived a trip to Cape York quite happily and I reckon there were a few corrugations to pass over on the way up there. I also mounted mine vertically on the cargo barrier as I felt this might reduce loading effects on the hard drive (not sure on this one).
I also like it as it runs off 19volts (12V-19V adapters available for $45) and I intend to set it up so it wll automatically start when the central (un)locking is activated and closes down on WINXP hibernation.
It is easy to load files via a network or you could use CD or a direct cable connection from the master computer at home. Alternative buy a cheap router and a couple of cables (about $50). I used an external HD. Another cheap way is to remove the e-pc HD and temporarily stick it in you main computer (as a slave), copy your files, and stick it back in the E-PC.
But the best thing about the e-pc is they are cheap!!
Good Luck

Looks like the trusty e-pc is used by quite a few. Its not the fastest, not the most convenient, but it works and is cheap. Thanks for the info about loading large files. Lots of choices. I have been using a wireless connection (netgear usb) to keep it updated and transfer files.

I like the idea of having it strapped to the cargo barrier. Ive installed a barrier recently, so I will put it there. Under the seat, the e-pc keeps cool while driving with the air conditioning on, but gets a bit warm otherwise.

The idea of having it start up with unlocking is great. Would you have to bypass the (touch) on-switch ?

After reading about your setup gmd, I'm in the little league!

AND sorry for the highjacking!
Col

Michael,
Sounds like our setups are very similar. Mine's mounted vertically inside a small pc case with sponge all round (apart from over the vents), with the outer case attached to cargo barrier and side wall. So far has survived 20000k of corrugations, dust and desert sand.

gmd,
I'll join with Col and apologise for highjacking your thread!

John

Michael, Col,

I do not mind at all when people post other things within threads, wether the ones I started or others as long as they have something to contribute ..

mindless, senseless remarks which only show the stupidity of the poster is another thing .. we have quite of few of such morons here ..

you are welcome ..
have fun
gmd