I want to mount a computer in my Crown Vic. Im just throwing this out here to see if anybody has any ideas to offer.

It's primary functions will be music and navigation.

It needs to be able to boot up and shut down quickly(Damn Small Linux?), and hold 200+ gigs of data(thinking of using a USB hdd).

It also needs a good quality soundcard, and it needs a GPS card.

I want to mount a touchscreen monitor on the dash, or maybe put it in the stereo cavity. Maybe between the visors, up on the ceiling, since there are already a bunch of holes cut in it. Instead of a touchscreen, a laptop style touchpad by the steering wheel might be better.

It also needs to be rugged and discreet. I might fabricate a badass shockproof bracket, and stick it under the passenger seat, or just fit it in the back seat(ex-cop car, has plastic back seats). Regardless of where I put it, it needs to be dumbass-proof.

In addition to all that shit, it needs to be shielded from my CB radio(5 watts). A solar trickle charger would be cool too.

I might start out with an old laptop, and go from there.

Any suggestions?

Dunno if that will provide enough power. You will have to run it in series with the car power.

Damn Small Linux sounds like a good choice for this, though I did have an issue with it and a hard drive install (says something about problems when you go to do it).
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†Jesus†

It will if he uses the solar power to charge a battery, then uses the battery to power the PC.

Why not just go for a UMPC?

Why not use an inverter?

Because the laptop converts it back down, so it would be useless. A cigarette lighter (don't know what you yanks call them) adaptor would be best.
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†Jesus†

Personally, Mac Mini.

There's an amazing Mac Mini carputer installed in a DeLorean if you want to look it up...



Edit: Now you don't have to look it up: http://www.deloreanmacmini.com/

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evil, corruption and bad taste!

Put a gameboy in your centre console.

Or better yet an atari or something.

Thanks

Lifejunkie did this about fifteen years ago, but he does alot of experimental drugs while reading about discrete mathematics, so dont feel bad.
He has a website.

The best I can come up with using today's technology is this:

Mini ITX mainboard with a DC-DC converter running off the main battery. Startup and shutdown implemented with a PIC microcontroller. Turn the ignition on and PC starts up. Turn off the ignition and it tells the linux box to shutdown.

Use a compact flash IDE drive for the operating system and an external IDE drive in a usb enclosure for data.

Connect the composite video out to a cheap 7" LCD panel in the dash and make nice UI using svgalib for a command line mp3 player.

Here is my old work, well outdated now: http://justinbox.aresgate.net/html/mp3.html