Seat Leon FR 150 Carputer ITX Project

[TheMikeh]

Hey,

As some of you may well know I have a Leon FR 150 (05) and my first major modification to the car is a complete ICE setup inside including its most important feature, the carputer, an ITX computer system. Im going to use this thread for my project listing all my plans, ideas, choices, pictures and guides as I go along so check back often for updates and information

My initial ideas for what the carputer will be able to handle is as follows.

Initial Plan
> MP3/WMA/OGG Playback
> WMV/AVI/MPG/DVD Playback
> Radio Playback (AM, FM, FM2, DAB)
> TV Playback (BBC1, BBC2, ITV, Channel 4)
> Satellite Navigation Inc Live Traffic Data
> Internet Connectivity (GPRS, 3G, WiFi)
> Bluetooth (Data Transfer, Handsfree)

Possible Extras (time/money/technology permitting)
> Integration into Car ECU, Car Tripcomputer & Climate Control
> Voice Recognition
> Camera Based Alarm (Uses MMS)
> Camera Based Parking System
> Satellite Tracking

I will update this a bit more soon as Im planning on looking into various screens, computer components and fitting locations. Sorry there isnt much here in terms of content but it gives you a good idea of what Im aiming for.

Cheers
Mike

 

[lard44]

Coooool - I'll be very interested to keep track of this, as it could potentially be a series of mods I would consider.

Looking forward to finding out where you put the thing!

 

[TheMikeh]

Hi,

Ok well Ive been doing some research into the types of ITX boards available for the install and to be honest there isnt that much choice out there, although I can happily say that none of the boards have any major issues so I believe it may end up as a budget or personal preference item. My main board choices are as follows.


Fanless
These boards are nearly always below 1ghz and come with a fanless design so silent in operation, however the CPU's are 95% of the time fixed so not upgradable and memory is typically PC2100. I believe these boards may be prone to heat when enclosed inside a car ...

Fan Based & Fixed CPU
These boards rely on fans but still have a fixed CPU inside them thus reducing the upgradability of the device, however they are considerably cheaper than a fan based device that has a seperate CPU attached.

Fan Based & Mobile CPU
These boards are standard ITX boards with the ability to put in most mobile CPU platforms (laptop processors), however these can be more prone to heat than other setups and is often the most expensive setup.


Now personally due to the tasks being carried out by the carputer I am really looking towards 1.5ghz OR entry level dual core, possibly one of the core2duo offshoots, around 512mb to 1gb of memory depending on how much power it draws

Taking this into consideration ive got my eye on the following board as my backbone to the system ...

Via EX15000G 1.5ghz ~ £130-£150
http://www.icp-epia.co.uk/index.php?act=viewProd&productId=185

So really now the hunt is on to find an ITX board to base my system on, from here I can then begin working out where to fit this into the car, I believe the boards are 17cm x 17cm, need to get measuring I think!

Cheers
Mike

 

[TheMikeh]

UPDATE
======
I have just ordered my components for the ITX build, specifically chosen for their tiny size and low power consumption, perfect to fit anywhere inside the car! I have chosen the following.


Motherboard -> VIA Epia PX10000G
http://linitx.com/viewproduct.php?prodid=11693
An incredibly small motherboard measuring just 10cm x 7.2cm! Will easily fit within the confined spaces of a car yet produces a quite admirable 1ghz of CPU power combined with the 512mb memory im putting in.

Power Supply - 6-26V 60W picoPSU-60-WI
http://linitx.com/viewproduct.php?prodid=11142
Incredibly small 60w PSU device designed for variable voltage use, will fit into the car quite nicely.

I will let you know when I recieve the items and I will get some pictures of it all working how it should

Mike

 

[Keir]

Did you ever finish this?

 

[MarkWales]

my this is an old thread but also interested in the result

 

[TheMikeh]

Forgot about this thread, it went down the pan when the car was petrol bombed ... replaced it with an LCR 225 and never had the heart to bring the project too life as all my last efforts went up in flames.

RIP FR 150 ...

 

[White Cupra PT]

Woooww...
Poor Leon...

Well better luck with the new LCR

 

[FenlandPosh]

Why the $%^& would someone petrol bomb your car?!? I hope the police caught the 'person' and subjected them to a serious amount of torture!