In Vehicle 12v PC's

[flyingwil]

I am toying with the idea of a CarPC. They way I see it it can have some great advantages on an expedition.

Navigation
communication- Web blogs, e-mail, ect
Digital photo Storage
Entertaiment - MP3's, XM radio, DVD's, ect
Documentation- real time documentation with pics from that day


But the problems to overcome are a few, dusty conditions, vibrations and extreme temps to name a few must all be adressed in the build.

I have toyed with the idea of a CarMac, too, the only problem is that the PC platform is about 3 years ahead of the CarMac. There are a few CarMac's out there using the Mac Mini. The biggest is the lack of basic car related software for OS X. The PC platform has a several year head start on the Mac and its larger market share will always mean that it has a more complete software suite than the Macintosh. This is particularly evident in the GPS arena with Route 66 as the only current Mac friendly navigation software.

Other software that is lacking is an integrated front end, a program the pulls control of the various functions together into a touch-screen friendly format that makes control easy and safe while on the go.

With the PC platform, one can skin many features and have them be a simple touch using the touch screen display.

So, With that said, I think it is wise to stick to the PC platform. I am leaning towards a Mini ITX motherboard, with Wireless B, Bluetooth, DVDR and about 60 gig HD, and 512 RAM.

What are your thoughts and oppinions?

[kd_walmsley]

Flyingwil,

There are numerous front ends that intergrate A/V storage, GPS, DVD, MP3, XM FM, Bluetooth, IR, RF, LAN, WAN, and VPN using Windows XP OS. A few using various builds of Linux. Windows Embedded and various builds of Windows CE are also being used.

Will you be using a head unit? Does it have AUX in? Using an amp?

OPUS power supplies are the standard for DC-DC. Guards againts transients and load dumps. Very bling bling in a geek way :)

If you are set on M-ITX form factor, consider VIA EPIA boards. Some run fanless just fine which will help with the dust issue. N-ITX is even smaller and commonly available soon. PC104 is smaller yet and extremely well proven in mission critical enviornments.

Thoughts to ponder:

1. HD temp/shock ratings. Bearings being obviously better than fluid. Travelstars last longer than most. Compare shock tolerance ratings in Gs at 2ms half-sine pulse for both operating and non-operating states. Also compare vibration tolerance ratings in Gs @ RMS in random operating and random non-operating states.

2. Ditch the HD all together and pare down the OS to fit on removable media, CF, SD, MS, etc.... Solves the temp/shock issue. Don't forget removable media has a limitted amount of times it can be written to. IDE to CF adapters are very cheap.

3. Monitors also have temp issues. Usually only problems in low temps, 5C and below.

4. Boot times can be a drag unless you go Windows CE or always on/hibernate state (a battery drain).

5. Don't forget the operator interface issues. Touch screens are a bummer to use on the trail becuase there is no tactile feedback or indexing and you must look away from the road. Dirty fingers will also scratch up the surface very quickly. Consider a hack if you have pre-existing steering wheel buttons or adding your own RF/Girder based buttons. Don't even think about a HUD.

6. Pay attention to the monitor's LCD Brightness w/o a touchscreen and display brightness with a touchscreen. 300 cd/m² being common. An actual, true, fully daylight viewable monitor is around 800 cd/m². Viewing angle is important, too.

7. You did not mention you choice of CPU. Don't forget speed=heat and some processors are commonly believed to not work well with some boards and hardware combinations.

Or...... Just go out and buy a Fujitsu ST 5000 or 4000 series Tablet PC and an Otterbox 4600 and be done with it :)

Your Mileage May Very,

Kevin

P.S. Cool idea.

[+ d]

wil,

the panasonic tough books (http://www.panasonic.com/business/toughbook/products.asp) might offer a more plug and play option. i don't know how much you love building computers (for me a necessity thing)...
i think this PDRC (http://panasonic.portablecomputersystems.com/products/laptops/Panasonic-PDRC.html) (permanent display removable computer) is kind of promising...back lit keyboard, programmable function keys on the monitor...
http://panasonic.portablecomputersystems.com/images/products/PDRC__HEAD_ON_SM.jpg

[Scott Brady]

Check out

http://www.maxan.com/eng/main_eng.html

http://www.xenarc.com/

Over though, my opinion would be to source a ruggedized laptop and use a drop-down screen. It gives you the benefit of the portable laptop as well.

That is my plan, used in conjunction with my LCD: http://www.xenarc.com/product/700tr.html

http://www.xenarc.com/product/images/700TR%20-%20web%20-%20medium.jpg

[flyingwil]

Scott-
How are you planning on integrating the laptop with you current set up. I was thinking that by replacing my factory CD/Radio option I would be swapping in another unit with about as much weight and about 1000 times more funtionality for about the same weight.

I have looked at Xanarc.. But this is still the figure out what to do stage.

kd_walmsley (Kevin) has soome good points, and all of which I have pondered.



Thanks for your input!

Wil

[GeoRoss]

Hi Wil,

My advice is to go cheap, cheap, cheap. A fully 'field' compatible computer is beyond what most of us can or are willing to pay for.

1. Dust. Dust will reduce the life of the computer. Think static charge build up and fried mother boards.

2. Hard drive disc failures. Most HD's use air pressure to keep the reader off of the disc. Most HD's are not sealed either. This makes them suseptable to dust. In addition, if the disc is spinning while going over rugged roads, washboard, you increase the risk disk crashes with the reader, which will lead to HD failure.

These are the big ones for me. I killed one HD in one field season last year due to head crashes. When I replaced the HD, I was amazed at how much dust had accumulated. I now used canned air every so often to clear it up a bit.

This all said, I can't imagine going out on and 'expedition' w/out a computer anymore. The real-time navigation on a screen you can see cannot be discounted. I'll keep replacing the HD on my '99 G3 laptop, but I'll draw the line at a new motherboard, which will die sooner or later.

Not considering platform (mac/pc) here are some things to consider.
1. touch-lcd screen. This is probably the most useful thing to have. In sunlight, color lcd screens are hard to see and it is often difficult to find the cursor making the mouse difficult to use. Touch screen makes daytime navigation much, much easier.

2. Forget using a mouse. Find some sort of track pad or ball. Much easier to use in a car w/out the desk top. Along the same lines, find the smallest keyboard that you can. With the touch screen you will rarely need them, but they are useful.

3. Access. You need to be able to access the computer. Make sure you have a hub reachable ie USB/Firewire. Even if the computer is wireless enabled, easy access to the CD drive makes upgrades and what not palatable.

I really wouldn't get to hung up on computer speed, memory, etc. If you go with a laptop and an external LCD screen, be sure that the laptop supports operation in 'clam shell' mode. You want a computer fast enough to run your mapping programs w/ ease. You will want a sizable HD in order to hold maps. You want the computer to be serviceable. That is my problem with the Mac Mini. If you use the computer on rough roads as much as I do, I can guarantee you will need to replace an HD as some point. This reminds me, make sure you back things up at home. I back up field notes on a 1Gb thumb drive also. Keep in mind you want the cheapest computer you can find because in my mind they are disposable and it is a waste to buy new for something that will likely be trashed.

Cheers,
Ross

[pskhaat]

There are a few Linux distributions that run entirely off a CD, no HD. Aren't there also few Linux distributions that can bootstrap from a memroy stick. Something to consider?

[GeoRoss]

There are a few Linux distributions that run entirely off a CD, no HD. Aren't there also few Linux distributions that can bootstrap from a memroy stick. Something to consider?

The only problem with this is you need somewhere to store the maps and programs. If you are careful with the number of maps you carry, you could use a large flash drive for map storage. Unfortunately I have found it easier to carry all my topo maps and geo maps, one less thing for me to plan.

Ross

[Colorado Ron]

Theres a couple options listed here: http://coloradoron.com/applets/viewforum.php?f=7&sid=ec399fb167d60b3355e042d60aa03b22

I personally like this concept:http://www.motioncomputing.com/

[kd_walmsley]

Pskhaat (Scott),

Yes, there are few Linux builds that will fit on a CD (compact disk). DSL (damn small linux), a Debian based build, comes to mind and you can even fit it on any number of removable media types. Relative easy to set up. Windows Embedded will also fit on a removable media card, but can be much more work.

A possible draw back to Linux based PC's is the lack of GPS solutions that include routing. The datasets required are very expensive for opens source programmers.

Ditch the HD (hard drive) completely by using a IDE to CF adapter. This will let you plug in a compact flash card where the hard drive was. No more thrashed hard drives.

[gcec]

Finally found this for you flyingwil... It's from an old e-mail, so most likely a bit out of date, but I checked their site and it's up and current.

" Dear Steven,

thanks a lot for your interest in our onboard-pc NavComp II.

Our NavComp II is a cost-optimized downgrade of a special pc, made for
automobile-industry and military. In this application the system has
proofed itself a lot of times. We have dropped all the special functions
for to get a pc-platform which is very similiar to an usual desktop-pc
or a notebook. Of course the extreme specifications have remained the
same. In a vehicle there are several options beneath the actual
navigation like mp3-audio, DVD-movies, satelite-communication, email,
internet etc..
Alternatively we also can offer the wellknown outdoornotebooks of the
Toughbook-family made by Panasonic.
But even the CF-29 does not reach the ruggedness of our NavComp II (at
nearly same price). In case of interest in these products please ask for
a special offer.

We ship the NavCompII as a basic system without operating-system (like
usual with industrial pc's).
But normally the customer purchases a operating system (at our own cost)
and gets the system completely preconfigured and installed. The
mechanical installation of the system into the vehicle has to be
performed by the customer himself. Every vehicle is different from the
other and every customer wants to have a different way of installation.

The navigationssoftware TTQV has to be treated separately from the
NavCompII because it may be run also on every home-pc for preparation of
the trips. Also on the way the GPS may be programmed by means of a
notebook-pc. TTQV is able to autoroute trips on the streets too but it's
power lies in navigation beneath the mainroads where common
carnavigationsystems cannot be used anymore. In case you purchase a
license of TTQV together with the NavCompII, it will also be installed
as a service. The NavComp is a real pc and therefore it can additionally
be equiped with every other pc-software like Map-and-Guide or other. In
this case the accoustic guiding will be performed by means of the
radiosystem of the car - like MP3.

You will find the latest datasheet of the NavCompII and a actual
pricelist in the attachment. We also recommend to download the commented
screenshots with the mainfeatures of TTQV from our website.

http://www.offroadnavigation.de/Downloads/TTQV_Overview_1-6.PDF
http://www.offroadnavigation.de/Downloads/TTQV_Overview_7-12.PDF

A fully working demo of TTQV is available at a fee of 15¬. This price
will be set off from your invoice when you are ordering the full-license
later on - in case you will order at Trophy-Tec.
The demo is fully working for 25 days and all generated data can be used
later on. I urgently recommend to purchase the CD as there are also
demo-maps, the unique worldwide locations-database and the manuals as .pdf.

The Roadbookmanager still is a future product. Due to the change of TTQV
to version 3 it has been postponed until TTQV really is in a stable
state. This is fact since some months now and we are working on several
professional fleet-management projects as well as on specialized
functions for tracking of rallye-drivers. Our TTQV is used by nearly all
proffessional rallye-organisators like the Dakar, Egypts, Breslau,
Touareg, El-Chott and so on. Specially the option of generating
roadbooks is interesting for these people but also for organisators of
expeditions for tourists. Another application is the management of
emergency-forces during activities outside the populated regions. By the
received GPS-coordinates of the accident, the system shows the place in
any map exactly and leads the assistance to the location. In addition we
provide alerting of airtransport or similar by email or fax per Iridium
from anywhere in the world. Some of our projects can be found on our
website - unfortunately only in german language until now. But we are
working on it ;-) Please follow the links "Deutsch" and "Projekte".
There are lots of photos too.

Attached you find the actual pricelist (sorry, only in german) and
additional information.
For your convenience the prices of the NavCompII are:

CPU with display and keyboard 4.612,07 ¬
Option waterproof keyboard 112,07 ¬
Software TTQV3.0 128,45 ¬
The prices are without german VAT

These are only the main-items. There might be some extra for GPS,
cabling, maps etc. . We would have to check your special requirements
for an exact offer.
I also cannot name the costs of shipment to Canada.
Of course you can use our TTQV with every PC for programming your GPS
only. Only a minority of our customers really uses it while driving -
demanding a highly rugged hardware.

I hope to hear from you soon.

Best regards

Trophy-Tec
Wolfgang Marxer, Dipl.-Ing.(FH)
Egerlandring 26
87600 Kaufbeuren
Germany

phone: +49-8341-9610943
fax: +49-8341-9610967
email: marxer@trophy-tec.de
web: http://www.trophy-tec.de"

[Scott Brady]

good stuff.... I am going to be venturing down this path VERY soon.

[DesertRose]

There are a few CarMac's out there using the Mac Mini. The biggest is the lack of basic car related software for OS X. The PC platform has a several year head start on the Mac and its larger market share will always mean that it has a more complete software suite than the Macintosh.

Apple is now shipping the Mini with the PowerPC chip and so you can actually load Windows on it (ick!) but it's true the nav software is still somewhat lacking for Mac. We don't find it to be as much bother (dealing with lack of software, though we've found very little that we need that is not available in Mac) as dealing with Windows crashes and virus software bogging everything down all the time. A plus with Mac, too, is that you get more available memory for your apps because the screen uses partitioned/dedicated memory and it's not sharing.

I would pair a Mini (they will slot pretty easily into radio holes in the dash) with that dropdown Xenarc monitor and a ruggedized bluetooth keyboard and a sat phone link for internet.

[DrBeau]

PowerPC chip
Actually, that's what Mac used to use. Now they use the Intel chips that are x86 based (meaing Windows can run).

[DesertRose]

Actually, that's what Mac used to use. Now they use the Intel chips that are x86 based (meaing Windows can run).

Oh, duh - sorry! Mistype. They offer several models (I think only the Powerbook 15 and/or 17, the iMac and the Mini) with the Intel chip OR the PowerPC - they're not dropping the pure Mac version, yet, thank god. You can still order the original (but I wonder for how long).

[BKCowGod]

Just looking at the Apple Store and you can get a refurb Mac MinIntel for about $500... Imagine dropping that into the DIN radio slot on a truck, hiding it behind a radio faceplate, and getting a bluetooth keyboard/trackpad and touch screen LCD. Just plug it into a small amplifier and you have GPS navigation, DVD, wireless internet, MP3s, and even a radio tuner. And you could do it for under $1k if you did it right.

Not that I've put a lot of thought into it or anything :D

[DrBeau]

Just looking at the Apple Store and you can get a refurb Mac MinIntel for about $500... Imagine dropping that into the DIN radio slot on a truck, hiding it behind a radio faceplate, and getting a bluetooth keyboard/trackpad and touch screen LCD. Just plug it into a small amplifier and you have GPS navigation, DVD, wireless internet, MP3s, and even a radio tuner. And you could do it for under $1k if you did it right.

Not that I've put a lot of thought into it or anything :D
While that's an awesome idea and all...those Mac Minis are small, but not that small. You'd need a large area behind the dash to run something like that. I know my 4Runner couldn't take that.

[BKCowGod]

I guess I shoulda specified - the Isuzu radio was an option, hung beneath the HVAC and above an open space - so there is actually space for a Mac Mini. Even a bit of space to let it get some cooling, though I would probably add a 12v aux fan.

[DesertRose]

Just looking at the Apple Store and you can get a refurb Mac MinIntel for about $500... Imagine dropping that into the DIN radio slot on a truck, hiding it behind a radio faceplate, and getting a bluetooth keyboard/trackpad and touch screen LCD. Just plug it into a small amplifier and you have GPS navigation, DVD, wireless internet, MP3s, and even a radio tuner. And you could do it for under $1k if you did it right.

Not that I've put a lot of thought into it or anything :D


Exactly what I was thinking! Now, if we can just get sat phone hookup for the wireless . . . hmmmm. Call up Google Earth to see the layout of the next day's trail?

[flyingwil]

My official plan is to have a hiding unit... The size of the stock Double DIN radio will fit a nice touch screen and fit the CPU behind it. I also plan on integrating air ports to "dust off" electronics after dusty trails. The airbag blank in my DC will also house a small 3" screen for under body cameras, and also a drop down screen similar to Scott's would be ideal for a dual monitor set up.

So the main unit would look similar to this with the CPU and all goodies tucked behind the screen:
http://www.mp3car.com/store/images/wrx.main.jpg


If the CPU does not fit behind, my back up plan is to use the glove box (which currently holds... nothing), or the "hidden storage" area in the center console.

My second issue exploring MAC's is the 12V conversion as there is not too much out there in means of conversions, but some.

A small amplifier will have to be installed under the pass. seat to replace the OEM head unit. I also plan to install an external DVD drive to allow easy access to the drive for music, and installing/burning Cd's.

[flyingwil]

I found the below post over on MP3CAR.COM:


The arrival of the Macintosh Mini made in car computing with the OS X operating system a reality. This guide will show you how simple it is to install a Mini in your car and guide you through the process of doing so.
http://www.diekrahe.com/wp-content/thumb-macmini.jpg
Pros

OS X's stability makes the Mini a no muss, no fuss machine with few, if any, issues reported with USB recognition on wake -an area of difficulty for some machines. Small in form and factor, even the low end Mini provides plenty of power and punch for car applications. In addition, the price is competitive with PC based systems of similar size and the Mini compares favorably in terms of price/performance.

Cons

There are several cons, however, to putting a Mac Mini in your ride. The biggest is the lack of basic car related software for OS X. The PC platform has a several year head start on the Mac and its larger market share will always mean that it has a more complete software suite than the Macintosh. This is particularly evident in the GPS arena with Route 66 as the only current Mac friendly navigation software.

Other software that is lacking is an integrated front end, a program the pulls control of the various functions together into a touch-screen friendly format that makes control easy and safe while on the go.

What you need - Hardware

The actual hardware required to install the Mini is trivial. You need only 3 things:
http://www.carnetix.com/p1900/Applications/mac_app.gif
(Image courtesy of Carnetix (http://www.carnetix.com))

1. A Mini. Pick your favorite model. Mine is equipped with bluetooth to allow wireless mouse and keyboard, and a built in Airport card to permit connecting to hotspots for internet access while on the go.

http://www.avdeals.com/xenarc/largeimages/700TS.jpg
2. A screen. The Mini is capable of driving many different screens and resolutions, including the most popular choices by in car PC enthusiasts - the Lilliput and Xenarc 7" and 8" touch-screens. Touch-screen drivers exist for the Mini and work relatively reliably. Drivers are usually shipped with the screens but can also be found [here].

http://www.carnetix.com/images/P1900_1.jpg
3. A power supply. Powering a computer of any type in the car environment is the trickiest part. Fortunately, you have two choices here: Inverter or DC-DC power supply. Inverters convert DC power into AC power so that you can plug the Mini's white power brick into it just as you do in your house. The power brick then converts the AC power back into DC power. While this is inefficient and generates unnecessary heat, sometimes introducing noise into the audio system, several installations using inverters have been successful and it is a legitimate way to go as inverters can be found inexpensively.

DC-DC power supplies take the native DC power from your car and step it up or down to the voltages that the Mini requires. In the case of the Mini, it requires 18 volts and 13 volts to operate. Since your car voltages range from around 11 to about 15 volts, the DC-DC power supply has to both regulate the voltage coming in from your car to ensure a smooth and stable input to the power supply, which then outputs 18 and 13 volts of smooth and conditioned power to the Mini. Currently, there is only one supplier of DC-DC power supplies for the Mini - Carnetix, which manufactures the P1900 DC-DC power supply.


Pros of using an Inverter
1. Cheap
2. Easy to connect

Cons
1. No automatic startup and shutdown of the Mini. You will have to remember to select shutdown each time you get ready to turn the ignition off. You will also have to boot your Mini from scratch each time you start the car - a process which takes approximately 90 seconds before you can use the system

2. Most computers running on an inverters will not survive cranking the car engine ("survive crank"). That is, if you have the Mini operating and pull up to the gas pump, stop the engine but keep the power in the car on, the computer will not continue to operate when you restart the car. It will reboot. (SOME inverters will survive crank. Many people like the Coleman inverter and report that is survives crank but your mileage will vary).

3. Your Mini will not be able to sleep when the car is off. This is important if you want near instantaneous start up of the system (approximately 5 seconds)

The Carnetix P1900 DC-DC power supply eliminates the cons listed above.

Making a Car PC out of a Mac Mini

It's just this easy: 1) Install screen 2) Install Mini 3) Connect power. It's a Mac, so there's nothing to build. Of course, steps 1 and 2 are more complicated than that, but they aren't any different than accomplishing these tasks for a PC based car computer so you'll need to do some searching on how people have done this:
The FAQ Emporium (http://www.mp3car.com/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?f=106)
FAQ to the FAQs (http://www.mp3car.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=51489)

Step One: Hook up the Power

This is the trickiest part of the installation. The simple route is to use an inverter. The more complex but better solution is to use the Carnetix P1900 DC-DC power supply.


Inverter

If you are using an inverter, hook the inverter up to your car and plug the white 110 volt AC cord into the inverter, connecting the other end to the Mini and you're set. If you're using the Carnetix, you'll have to do a little bit of wiring, but it's well worth it. You'll get automatic start up and shut down of your Mini, PLUS the ability to sleep the Mini, which will bring it online about 5 seconds after starting your car.

Carnetix P1900

If you are using the Carnetix P1900, it takes a little more work but it in my opinion, it is worth it.

The Carnetix site has full instructions on how to connect the P1900 . The main disadvantage to using the P1900 is that it requires you to cut the output cord in order to patch it into the P1900. It's not that scary. Here's how. (http://www.carnetix.com/p1900/P1900PowerConectionforMacmini/index.html) This leaves you with a cut cord leading out of your power brick. I'm sure Steve Jobs would disapprove. However, all is not lost. Simply put a 4 pin male molex connector http://www.cyberresearch.com/images/products/1073348177.300.jpg on the power brick end and the Carnetix output and a 4 pin female connector on the end that goes into your Mini and you can still use the Mini in both the house and the car.


Make sure you install the power supply in an area you can access and that it is properly fused and in an area that allows it fresh air for cooling.

Step Two: Find a spot to place the Mini

The Mini is extremely small, about the size of a single DIN car stereo head unit.

http://images.apple.com/macmini/images/designhands20050111.gif

Many members have installed the Mini in the glovebox of their car, the armrest, in place of the head unit, and in the trunk. Under the seat of the car is another option.

Just remember that when the Mini fan switches on, it intakes air from the BOTTOM of the unit and exhausts it out the back. However you choose to install the Mini, make sure the vents on the bottom are not blocked and that the rear exhaust grill is open to a reasonably well ventilated area.

You should probably monitor the temperature of your Mini during the initial operation of the unit. Unfortunately, the Mini does not have built in temperature sensor on the CPU. However, it does have a temperature sensor built in to the 2.5" laptop hard drive inside the unit. A shareware app such as Temperature monitor lite is a shareware application that monitors the temperature of S.M.A,R,T, devices is useful for checking the temperatures of the hard drive. While that doesn't translate directly to your CPU temps, it will at least give you an idea of the changes and trends inside the hard drive.

Keep in mind, too, that the Mini has the CD/DVD drive built into the front of the unit, so you'll need access to the front of the box if you want to play CD's and DVD's on it. Of course, you can always hook up a USB or firewire CD-ROM/DVD drive to the Mini's ports and remotely locate them but since the drive is already in the box, it duplicates the existing functionality.

(Continued in next post)

[flyingwil]

(continued from above)

Step Three: Hook up the Screen

The Mini's video output is DVI, designed for a high quality digital output to LCD panels. This doesn't mean that the Mini cannot connect to VGA monitors. In fact, it comes with a DVI-VGA adaptor that allows the user to plug a standard VGA cable into the Mini. This works quite well although it does tend to stick out the back a good 6 inches or more, so you should allow for that when you pick an installation location. With the requirement that the fan exhaust exits the back of the Mini, this is probably not a factor for most people. However, if space it tight behind the unit, aftermarket DVI-VGA cables that turn a right angle can be found.
http://www.dellabarba.com/ibug/images/macmini/MacMiniInstallTwo13.jpg
Powering the screen from the P1900 is recommended as it will provide clean, regulated 12 volt output for your screen, protecting it from nasty voltage spikes and dirty power that can potentially damage the second most expensive component of your system.

As stated, the Mini works fine with the most popular brands of screens from Xenarc and Lilliput, both 7" and 8" sizes. In addition, the touchscreen works identical to the PC. Simply load the drivers for OS X [insert link here], reboot, and plug the touch-screen into the Mini. You can touch an icon to open/launch it and click and drag an item around the screen.

You cannot, however, control-click an item (equivalent to clicking the right button of a two button mouse) without having a keyboard handy. In that case, you probably ought to have a mouse out and simply do it with the mouse anyhow. Also, the OS X interface is made for a computer and clicking exactly on the close, expand, shrink buttons on a window can be pretty challenging on a 7" screen.

The dock is the logical solution to this problem, although my favorite feature, auto-hide, can't be accessed with the touch-screen. Auto-hide requires you to drag your mouse down to the bottom to trigger the showing of the dock. This is all but impossible using your finger. Leaving the dock visible is, of course, an option but it takes up precious vertical screen real estate.

Okay, It Works. Now What?

The Mini already comes with all of the software you need to have an impressive in car computing experience. iTunes works well at managing your music and providing you with controls that keep your eyes on the road. With keyboard equivalents and Applescriptability, iTunes can be controlled in a number of ways that keeps you from having to use its interface.

One of the best is the Griffin Powermate. Using the Powermate, you get 6 different inputs to control your Mac (the Powermate also works on PC's). Click, long click, left/right and click rotate left/right can be mapped to different keyboard equivalents through the Griffin preferences software. Best of all, the Powermate can be set to change it's behavior depending on which application is at the forefront.

For iTunes, I set mine up as follows:

Click - change song
Long click - Pause/Unpause
Left/right - Increase/decrease volume of iTunes
Click rotate left/right - (i.e. hold down and turn left or right) Increase/decrease Mac Mini global volume

You can also map your own pushbuttons to keyboard shortcuts using products like the iPac-ve (http://www.ultimarc.com/ipacve.html) http://www.ultimarc.com/images/ipacve_top.jpg The iPac is a keyboard emulator that plugs into your Mini and appears to the machine as a keyboard. It has connections on it's PC board to allow you to interface your own custom switches to the iPac, allowing you to control your apps via those switches.

If you have bluetooth, try Salling Clicker software to allow you to control your Mac using your cellphone as a remote control. Also check into the Bluephone elite software to see about allowing your Mac to use your phone as a data modem on the go.

Software

I'll start by saying that you can get more software on the PC than the Mac. More variety, more functionality, more options, and more support from mp3car.com members. The Mac as an automotive platform is so new that nobody has written any software for it. The size of the Apple market for car PC applications is probably so small that even if every Mini user bought a copy of a GPS program written for the Mac, the numbers would be only triple digits.

That means that the Mini is an experimental platform. If you want a turnkey solution, you'll have much more success putting a PC in your car. If you want to be on the leading edge of a new and promising platform for the car, then the Mac is for you.

First, there are a nice set of links to software and resources stickied in the Mac Car forum. (http://www.mp3car.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=40211)



GPS - Route 66 is the only viable option for the Mac and it is dreadful in comparison with the many PC solutions. On the other hand, it does work and provides the only native Mac solution. Other options are to use Virtual PC to emulate the PC on your Mac, and run a PC GPS program on your Mini until a decent solution comes along. You'll need a gigabyte or so of RAM to do this effectively.

MP3 - iTunes seems to be the choice of most folks. Of course, iTunes cannot be skinned for a customized look and feel. It does work pretty reasonably as a player and song organizer and includes a visualizer and album artwork, tagging, etc. In addition, iTunes is highly Applescriptable, allowing you to use Automator or to write your own scripts to interact with the program.

A bonus is that iTunes will also catalog your video files and play them back in the GUI.

DVD - The Apple DVD player does a great job of

Front Row the new media center application for the Mac has been hacked to run on the Mini and provides a serviceable front end, especially when combined with the Airclick remote.



Price

"Aren't Apples expensive?" your PC friends will usually ask? For in car computing, the Mini is very competitive with similar form factor options. My former car PC was an Epia M10000, one of the most popular motherboards for car PC'ers. By the time I outfitted it with 512mb of memory, a 2.5" laptop hard drive, a CD-ROM/DVD drive, and a wireless card, the price was identical. If I had purchased a case for the Epia, it would have been more than the Mini and the Mini has bluetooth as well.

Let's face it, though. Most folks loyal to the PC market won't be swayed by the Mini for a variety of reasons including lack of software, limited expandability and a non-existent aftermarket segment for hardware. Mac users just don't have the ability to pick a motherboard and build a Mac from scratch. So the PC route is more flexible and can be done more cheaply than the Apple solution.

Performance

The M10000 plays mp3's and DVD's reasonably well but can stutter under some circumstances and the onboard sound isn't known to be very good. While I'm not audiophile, I could tell that the sound from the Mini was fuller and clearer, while the whole system lacks that sluggish feel I would sometimes get with the Epia.

Which is not a knock on the M10000. It's probably unfair to compare a board that has been out for a few years with a contemporary and probably an even grosser distortion to compare one operating system against another.

Let's suffice it to say that the Mini has plenty of horsepower to easily handle multimedia from video to mp3 whether straight from the hard disk or on a CD/DVD disc.

Summary

The Mini is as easy to install as they come. It's an all in one package with everything you need in the box. Just add a screen and a power supply and you can be crunchin' bytes while on the move. But it's not for those who want a status quo machine. It definitely falls in the experimental category and is for those who don't mind the fact that the software on the PC platform is more full featured with greater variety.



All above from: http://www.mp3car.com/vbulletin/newreply.php?do=newreply&p=707694

[BKCowGod]

apparently I didn't invent the idea :D

thanks for that!

[flyingwil]

yeah I have a good article from MacFormat in PDF form I wanted to post, but it exceeds the file size for this forum.. :( If you are interested in it shoot me a pm and I'll e-mail it to you.

[DesertRose]

Thanks, Wil - I will print and save this. Keep us posted if you do it!

[BKCowGod]

Will - if you wanna email it to me, I can host it on my server. I only have 39gigs of space left :D

bkaupp-at-kuhgott-dot-com

[flyingwil]

Will - if you wanna email it to me, I can host it on my server. I only have 39gigs of space left :D

Thanks... I don't know why I didn't think to just post the link... I am still at work and this day is pushing 19 hours now... and only 5 more to go in this shift! (I had a 5 sick calls).

Well back to the topic here is the link... (http://www.carnetix.com/p1900/mac-format-mag/mac-mini-motors-article.pdf) it is an article by Paul Douglas of MacFormat magazine, from the October 2005 issue.

[Desertdude]

Nice find Wil - thanks!