M2RTY
Member
Registered: 25th May 01
User status: Offline
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hi all in here
ive got my touchscreen TV with VGA/XGA inputs comming (hopefully) tomorrow
for now im using my normal PC just to get it all working ok, im hopeing this will run as normal off my 12v invertor?
now, i was transporting a pc in my car last week and it shakes that much that the soundcard and chip fell out  i dont want this happening all the time
any ideas?
also im going for either a laptop or mini-itx machine for in car
any1 got any more hint/ideas etc
cheers all
marv
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Melville
Member
Registered: 4th Jun 03
Location: Newcastle upon Tyne
User status: Offline
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you will have to be careful with the HDD as they can be very tempramental when they are connected and with the power on. There fine when the power is turned.
Dunno about the pci cards and that tho, could possibly try and wedge them in place. Try hooking an elastic band over the top and attaching to the case somewhere, cant see it doing any harm
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Richie
Member
Registered: 3rd Dec 02
Location: Newport, Wales
User status: Offline
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Most hard drives these days have got a tolerance of a few G's, should be ok.
Mav, just use some locktight threadlock on the screws 
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M2RTY
Member
Registered: 25th May 01
User status: Offline
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aye some have screws, this 1 didnt, just slotted in
is this normal?
also on shooping list is a 4 way vga splitter and gps mouse, trackerball and bluetooth keyboard but these will have 2 wait untill pc is done
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Jill
Premium Member
Registered: 8th Jun 01
Location: Aylesbury, BUCKS
User status: Offline
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quote:
Originally posted by M2RV H
im going for either a laptop or mini-itx machine for in car
Didn't "KIT" (Knightrider's car) have one of these?! 
JILL 
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Richie
Member
Registered: 3rd Dec 02
Location: Newport, Wales
User status: Offline
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quote:
Originally posted by M2RV H
aye some have screws, this 1 didnt, just slotted in
is this normal?
also on shooping list is a 4 way vga splitter and gps mouse, trackerball and bluetooth keyboard but these will have 2 wait untill pc is done
nah each item should be fixed in with screws.
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Rob Withey
Member
Registered: 21st Sep 03
User status: Offline
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quote:
Originally posted by M2RV H
now, i was transporting a pc in my car last week and it shakes that much that the soundcard and chip fell out i dont want this happening all the time
any ideas?
Hot melt glue on each end of the card (between the card and the socket) is a common technique. Just make sure you stay away from the sides/contacts.
I assume you know about www.mp3car.com. Lots of people all chucking PCs in there cars (me too - see my site below).
Rob
http://www.nav.to/robwithey
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M2RTY
Member
Registered: 25th May 01
User status: Offline
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impressive site!!
ill b ok running my pc off a 12v invert?
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drunkenfool
Member
Registered: 7th Feb 03
Location: Hereford Drives: Audi R8 V8
User status: Offline
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if it is powerful enough. PC will be using around 300w at a guess.
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Rob Withey
Member
Registered: 21st Sep 03
User status: Offline
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quote:
Originally posted by M2RV H
impressive site!!
ill b ok running my pc off a 12v invert?
Yeah, you'll be fine. It's clunky, but it'll work ok.
As an alternative, http://www.opussolutions.com do a 150W power supply that can replace your PC power supply and run straight off your battery. A lot of people use those. I believe it also includes a shut down controller that presses the power button on your PC to shut down when you turn off your ignition.
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M2RTY
Member
Registered: 25th May 01
User status: Offline
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u got a price mate? im getting a full pc built so id like to know whats the best way about it
my invertor is 300 watts at the mo, dont mind using it as it works fine for me and i can still use pc in house 
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Rob Withey
Member
Registered: 21st Sep 03
User status: Offline
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Approx opus prices : http://www.mp3car.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=19840
You're looking at about $190 + shipping + tax for a 150W enclosed unit with cable kit. You'll need to make sure that it can power all your kit. I'd say stick with your inverter for now.
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Dom
Member
Registered: 13th Sep 03
User status: Offline
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like rob said, this has all been done before, so there are lots of bits out
you can get 12v PSU's or make one, which run straight off your battery, obviously, and you cant get 'PIC' controllers to switch the pc off after a set length off time when you turn the ignition off - it saves havingthe pc reboot up every time you get out the car for a few minutes
Also, you want the pc as small as possible, to be honest, so alot of people have gone for mini-itx systems mainly using the ones that VIA produce, think there called Epos(?), something like that. Also, hardrive wise, i would recommend that you get a laptop HD. I know its gonna be abit more pricey than a normal HD, but there are made to take a few shocks and knocks whereas a normal HD isnt .
Also, for the sound card, get a cheapy one with phono outputs (can get them off ebay for about 10 quid), saves having to use a small jack jobbies etc.
And finally, make sure you ground you case and every thing else is ground, otherwise you gonna get audiable buzzing etc
dom
p.s - dont bother using a lappy, it will be a pain in the arse to upgrade anything in the future, so get a mini-itx system for the finished install
edit: one last thing, if your planning to run winBlows  then google for cut down versions of it. Ive seen windows 98 running using 19mb of the disk space and there are a few other versions like 2000 using about 90mb of disk space. Plus they start up alot quicker than a minimal installation of winblows However, look into Linux, since you can get some that will fit on a floppy or can be put into a compact flash card, thus leaving your HD for storage etc. Although if you planning to run GPS etc then i dont know what GPS/Map software there is floating about 
[Edited on 23-01-2004 by VisibleMan]
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MikeLamb
Member
Registered: 23rd Sep 03
Location: Crowthorne Drives: Veccy SRI
User status: Offline
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http://www.letscommunicate.co.uk/carpc/
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M2RTY
Member
Registered: 25th May 01
User status: Offline
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cheers lads 
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