My new CAR-Puter Project...

[sciroccorrado]

Okay folks, as the head unit in my Passat has now started to have no display whatsoever I have decided that now is the time to start putting together my in-car-pc multimedia, entertainment, sat-nav, music system...

I will use this thread as a "build diary" for it...

First up though, is there anybody on the forum actually built one of these yet? If so, what are you experiences? Have you any advise or anything?

Here's my list of priorities ... not necessarily in any particular order...

• Hard disk storage
  Able to utilise my 8-channel sound card (PCI - full height, 24/96 processing - cost a small fortune when it was new...)
  Windows XP (probably - due to driver issues with above)
  MP3, FLAC, iTunes decoding, and hopefully Monkey Audio too, just so I don't have to reconvert my 12" conversions
  Auto-turn on with ignition
  Sub 10 second startup time
  Sat nav, european maps
  Bluetooth phone capability, preferably with multiple phone support (I have a works phone and my personal phone too)

I'll possibly add to this list as things take my fancy.

My first task today is come up with the above list, and download a free demo of CentraFuse which looks quite a capable system, and isn't prohibitivly expensive.

I have an old Dell desktop system currently loaded with a vanilla copy of Windows XP which I'm gonna have a go installing it onto for testing purposes.