Car PC Hacks by Stolarz, Damien -- Read -- Imperial Library of Trantor

Index

Car PC Hacks

SPECIAL OFFER: Upgrade this ebook with O’Reilly A Note Regarding Supplemental Files Credits

About the Author Contributors Acknowledgments

Preface

Why Car PC Hacks? How to Use This Book How This Book Is Organized Conventions Used in This Book Using Code Examples Safari Enabled How to Contact Us Got a Hack?

1. Car Power Basics

1.1. Hacks 1-11: Introduction Hack #1. Understand Car Electrical Systems

1.2.1. Computer Voltages 1.2.2. Car Voltages 1.2.3. The Key to Car Power: Off, Accessory, On/Ignition, and Crank 1.2.4. Discovering if Your Car Power Outlet Is Switched 1.2.5. The Hack: Making a 12V Power Supply for Indoors

Hack #2. Prevent Electrical Fires

1.3.1. Amps 1.3.2. Fuses 1.3.3. Protecting Your Devices with Fuses

Hack #3. Gauge Your Wires

1.4.1. Wire Sizes and Amp Ratings 1.4.2. The Hack: Powering Everything

Hack #4. Connect Your Wires

1.5.1. Connecting Wires

1.5.1.1. Twist and tape. 1.5.1.2. Solder and shrink. 1.5.1.3. Crimp and save.

Hack #5. Calculate Your Car's Battery Life

1.6.1. The Difference Between Amps and Watts 1.6.2. Battery Capacity 1.6.3. The Hack: Calculating Battery Drain

1.6.3.1. Method one: Power arithmetic. 1.6.3.2. Method two: Amp meter.

1.6.4. Testing Drain

Hack #6. Upgrade Your Car Battery

1.7.1. Convenient Power Connectors 1.7.2. The Hack: Installing a Deep-Cycle Battery

Hack #7. Add New Power Connectors Throughout Your Car

1.8.1. Planning Your Wiring 1.8.2. Drilling Holes 1.8.3. Switched or Unswitched Outlets? 1.8.4. Installing the Power Outlets

Hack #8. Use a Huge Capacitor to Sustain Power

1.9.1. Understanding Capacitors 1.9.2. Car PC Capacitor Use

Hack #9. Upgrade Your Car's Alternator Hack #10. Add a Second Car Battery

1.11.1. Battery Isolators 1.11.2. Dual-Output Alternators 1.11.3. Conventional Versus Deep-Cycle Batteries 1.11.4. Battery Fumes

Hack #11. Put Home Power Outlets in Your Car

1.12.1. What Inverters Do 1.12.2. Choosing an Inverter 1.12.3. Powering High-Amperage Inverters 1.12.4. The Hack: Wall Outlets in Your Car 1.12.5. Hacking High Voltages Safely

2. Automotive Audio Entertainment

2.1. Hacks 12–22: Introduction Hack #12. Get a Headful About Your Car Audio

2.2.1. Head Units 2.2.2. Amplifiers 2.2.3. Cabling 2.2.4. The Hack: Remove Your Head Unit

Hack #13. Install a New Head Unit

2.3.1. Standard Head Unit Wiring 2.3.2. Adapters for Mounting 2.3.3. Proprietary Bus Connectors 2.3.4. Caveats

Hack #14. Get Computer Audio into Your Head Unit

2.4.1. Tape Adapters 2.4.2. FM Modulators 2.4.3. Auxiliary-in Adapters 2.4.4. Aftermarket Head Units 2.4.5. Digital Inputs 2.4.6. Adjusting Input Volume 2.4.7. Choosing Your Adapter 2.4.8. Multiplexing Your Inputs

Hack #15. Amp Up Your Computer Audio

2.5.1. Amplifier Inputs 2.5.2. Bypassing Your Head Unit

2.5.2.1. RCA switch box. 2.5.2.2. PC pass-through. 2.5.2.3. Eliminating the head unit.

Hack #16. Make a Very Cheap AUX-in Hack #17. Reduce Your Audio System's Noise

2.7.1. Install Better Wires 2.7.2. Install Shorter Wires 2.7.3. Use a Better Power Supply 2.7.4. Upgrade the Sound Card 2.7.5. Eliminate Short Circuits 2.7.6. Use Electronic Noise Filters 2.7.7. Eliminate Ground Loops 2.7.8. Use an Audio Isolator/Decoupler 2.7.9. Use Better Connectors 2.7.10. Use Better Power Inverters 2.7.11. Segregate Cabling 2.7.12. Add Shielding

Hack #18. Control Your iPod with Your Car Stereo Knobs Hack #19. Tune Your PC for Radio Reception

2.9.1. PC Radios 2.9.2. Problems with PC Radios 2.9.3. The Hack: Getting Radio to Your Car PC 2.9.4. PC XM Radio

Hack #20. Record Radio Shows

2.10.1. TiVo-Like Functionality for Radio

Hack #21. Listen to Email, Weblogs, and RSS Feeds on the Road

2.11.1. Reading Email 2.11.2. Reading RSS Feeds and Weblogs

Hack #22. Find Out What Was Playing on the Radio

2.12.1. Hacking the Hack

3. Automotive Video Entertainment

3.1. Hacks 23–40: Introduction Hack #23. Understand Video Connectors

3.2.1. Choosing Your Connector 3.2.2. Powering and Feeding Your Screen

Hack #24. Choose Your Screens

3.3.1. Off-the-Shelf Screen Options 3.3.2. Factory Screens 3.3.3. Custom Screens 3.3.4. Mounting Your Screen on the Dashboard

Hack #25. Install a Headrest Screen

3.4.1. Replacing Your Headrests 3.4.2. Clamping onto Your Headrests 3.4.3. Digging into Your Headrests 3.4.4. Velcroing onto Your Headrests 3.4.5. Installing the Wiring

Hack #26. Install a VGA Touchscreen in Your Dashboard

3.5.1. Maximizing the Screen Size 3.5.2. Determining the Placement 3.5.3. Adjusting the Angle 3.5.4. Ensuring Brightness 3.5.5. Exposing Infrared Controls 3.5.6. Integrating Existing Navigation and Video Features 3.5.7. Finishing the Installation

Hack #27. Install a Sun Visor Screen Hack #28. Install a Motorized Fold-out Screen Hack #29. Install a Fold-Down Ceiling-Mounted Screen

3.8.1. Selecting Your Screen 3.8.2. Scouting for Locations 3.8.3. Building the Set 3.8.4. Costumes 3.8.5. Action!

Hack #30. Supersize Your Fold-Down LCD Screen Hack #31. Turn Your Laptop into a Fold-Down or Dashboard Screen

3.10.1. In-Dash or In-Seat Monitor 3.10.2. Fold-Down Laptop

Hack #32. Connect a Car PC to Your Factory Screen

3.11.1. European A/V Entertainment Systems 3.11.2. Rearview Mirror Systems 3.11.3. Installing an RGB Screen Adapter 3.11.4. Finding Your RGB, Sync, and Ground Wires 3.11.5. VGA to RGB Conversion 3.11.6. Composite Video Screens

Hack #33. Install a Rearview Mirror Screen and Camera

3.12.1. Installing the Screen 3.12.2. Installing the Camera 3.12.3. Hacking the Hack

Hack #34. Boost Your Video Signal for Multiple Screens Hack #35. Customize Each Passenger's Video

3.14.1. Built-in Switchers 3.14.2. Automatic Switchers 3.14.3. Matrix Switchers 3.14.4. Proprietary Switchers

Hack #37. Receive Satellite TV While Driving Hack #38. Play DVDs with Your in-Car Computer

3.17.1. Locating Your DVD Drive 3.17.2. Connecting Your DVD Drive 3.17.3. Running the Right Software 3.17.4. Putting It Together

Hack #39. Put Multi-Channel DVD Surround Sound in Your Car

3.18.1. DTS Versus Dolby 5.1 3.18.2. Audio Connectors

3.18.2.1. Analog approach. 3.18.2.2. Digital approach.

3.18.3. Auto Upgrades

Hack #40. Install a Video Game Console Computer in Your Car

3.19.1. Installing a Game Console 3.19.2. Hacking the Hack

4. In-Car Computers

4.1. Hacks 41–54: Introduction Hack #41. Choose an in-Car PC Hardware Platform

4.2.1. Fast Computers 4.2.2. Cheap Computers 4.2.3. Small, Power-Efficient Computers 4.2.4. Laptop Computers 4.2.5. Non-Obvious in-Car Computers 4.2.6. Cases and Enclosures 4.2.7. See Also

Hack #42. Power Your Car PC

4.3.1. Inverters 4.3.2. DC-to-DC Power Supplies

Hack #43. Start Up and Shut Down Your Car PC

4.4.1. Starting Up 4.4.2. Shutting Down 4.4.3. Startup/Shutdown Controllers 4.4.4. Alternative Solutions

4.4.4.1. Switches and long wires. 4.4.4.2. Relay circuits. 4.4.4.3. Capacitors. 4.4.4.4. Shutting down.

Hack #44. Reduce the Boot Time of Your in-Car Computer

4.5.1. Breaking It Down

4.5.1.1. Stabilizing power. 4.5.1.2. Optimizing the BIOS settings. 4.5.1.3. Optimizing boot loading. 4.5.1.4. Trimming the operating system. 4.5.1.5. Giving the user something to see and hear.

4.5.2. More Hardware Approaches

4.5.2.1. Using faster hard drives. 4.5.2.2. Starting the computer earlier.

Hack #45. Keep Your Computer on During Engine Cranking

4.6.1. Stabilizing the Voltage

4.6.1.1. Adding a second battery. 4.6.1.2. Adding a small 12V battery. 4.6.1.3. Using a crank-proof power supply. 4.6.1.4. Using a big capacitor.

Hack #46. Turn On Your Car Computer Before You Start Your Car

4.7.1. See Also

Hack #47. Boot Your Car Computer on a Schedule

4.8.1. Computer BIOS Wakeup

4.8.1.1. Problems with timed wakeup. 4.8.1.2. Using a second battery. 4.8.1.3. Using a startup controller.

Hack #48. Choose an in-Car PC Software Platform

4.9.1. Windows 4.9.2. Linux 4.9.3. Mac OS X 4.9.4. DOS and Other Operating Systems

Hack #49. Install Windows on a CompactFlash Card

4.10.1. Setting Up MinLogon 4.10.2. Setting Up Enhanced Write Filter (EWF) 4.10.3. Setting Up Your XP Installation

Hack #50. Power Your Portable Devices in the Car

4.11.1. Powering Hard Drives and Optical Drives 4.11.2. See Also

Hack #51. Install USB Ports in Your Car

4.12.1. See Also

Hack #52. Build an in-Car PC

4.13.1. Choosing a Computer and Screen 4.13.2. Installing and Mounting the PC and Screen 4.13.3. Powering the PC 4.13.4. Peripherals and Controls 4.13.5. Audio Connection 4.13.6. Networking 4.13.7. Frontend Software 4.13.8. GPS/Navigation 4.13.9. Movies and Music 4.13.10. Conclusion 4.13.11. See Also

Hack #53. Build an in-Car Macintosh

4.14.1. Choosing a Computer and Screen 4.14.2. Installing and Mounting the PC and Screen 4.14.3. Powering the PC 4.14.4. Peripherals and Controls 4.14.5. Audio Connection 4.14.6. Networking 4.14.7. Frontend Software 4.14.8. GPS/Navigation 4.14.9. Movies and Music 4.14.10. Conclusion 4.14.11. See Also

Hack #54. Install a Mac Mini in Your Car

4.15.1. Choosing a Computer and Screen 4.15.2. Installing and Mounting the PC and Screen 4.15.3. Peripherals and Controls 4.15.4. Audio Connection 4.15.5. Networking 4.15.6. Frontend Software 4.15.7. GPS/Navigation 4.15.8. Movies and Music 4.15.9. Future Plans 4.15.10. See Also

5. Car PC Interface Options

5.1. Hacks 55–61: Introduction Hack #55. Control Your Car PC with a Keyboard and Mouse

5.2.1. Wired Keyboards 5.2.2. Wireless Keyboards

Hack #56. Control Your Car PC with a Handheld Remote

5.3.1. Understanding Infrared 5.3.2. PC Infrared (IR) Receivers 5.3.3. PC Radio Frequency (RF) Remotes 5.3.4. Integration and Compatibility

Hack #57. Control Your Car PC with a Touchscreen

5.4.1. Solutions

Hack #58. Car-Enable Clunky Applications

5.5.1. Scripting a Solution 5.5.2. See Also

Hack #59. Listen to What Your Car Computer Is Saying

5.6.1. The CarBot Player Software 5.6.2. Can I Have a Screen with That? 5.6.3. Listening to Your Apps

Hack #60. Control Your Car PC with Voice Recognition

5.7.1. Controlling Routis and iGuidance 5.7.2. Text-to-Speech Output 5.7.3. SAPI Hints 5.7.4. Further Development 5.7.5. See Also

Hack #61. Find More Ways to Control Your in-Car Computer

5.8.1. Rotating Knobs 5.8.2. Car PC/Head Unit Integration 5.8.3. Future Controls

6. Wireless Connectivity and in-Car Internet

6.1. Hacks 62–68: Introduction Hack #62. Get Online in Your Car

6.2.1. Wireless Internet Options

6.2.1.1. GPRS (20–40 kbps). 6.2.1.2. EDGE (60–80 kbps). 6.2.1.3. CDMA2000/CDMA 1xRTT/W-CDMA/EVDO (40–60 kbps/80–144 kbps/300–500 kbps). 6.2.1.4. WiFi (802.11) (1500–50,000 kbps).

6.2.2. Getting Online with 3G 6.2.3. On-Road Experience 6.2.4. Making Your Car a Mobile WiFi Hotspot

Hack #63. Make Your Mobile Phone Hands-Free with Your Car PC

6.3.1. Installing Bluetooth on Windows 6.3.2. Searching for Your Mobile Phone 6.3.3. Pairing with Your Mobile Phone 6.3.4. Setting Up Your Phone 6.3.5. Initiating a Call 6.3.6. Choosing the Right Phone

Hack #64. Transfer Data to and from Your Car PC

6.4.1. Flash Drives 6.4.2. Portable Hard Drives 6.4.3. iPods and Other Portable Media Players 6.4.4. Portable Media Synchronization 6.4.5. WiFi/Lan Synchronization 6.4.6. See Also

Hack #65. View Real-Time Traffic Data on the Road

6.5.1. My Traffic Viewer Application 6.5.2. Using Seattle's Raw Data

Hack #66. Videoconference from Your Car

6.6.1. Choosing Your Conference Software 6.6.2. Going Wireless 6.6.3. Not Quite There Yet

Hack #67. Use GPS on Your Car PC

6.7.1. How GPS Works 6.7.2. Reading and Understanding GPS Sentences 6.7.3. Creating a Record of Your Travels 6.7.4. Displaying GPS Data on a Map 6.7.5. See Also

Hack #68. Find WiFi Hotspots on the Road

6.8.1. Staying Free and Connected on the Road 6.8.2. Finding WiFi 6.8.3. Improving Reception 6.8.4. Internet Telephone over WiFi 6.8.5. Conclusion

7. In-Car Applications

7.1. Hacks 69–75: Introduction Hack #69. Plug into Your Car's Built-in Computer

7.2.1. The Four Flavors of OBD-II 7.2.2. Access Your Car's OBD-II Data 7.2.3. Going Beyond OBD-II 7.2.4. See Also

Hack #70. Put a Video Jukebox in Your Car Theater

7.3.1. Hardware Requirements 7.3.2. Software Requirements 7.3.3. HTPC Comparisons

7.3.3.1. Windows Media Center Edition ($150 OEM). 7.3.3.2. Meedio ($59.99). 7.3.3.3. Media Engine (free). 7.3.3.4. Media Portal (free).

Hack #71. Choose Your in-Car Navigation Software Hack #72. Play Thousands of Games by Emulating Video Game Consoles

7.5.1. Emulators

7.5.1.1. Nintendo emulation. 7.5.1.2. Sega emulation. 7.5.1.3. PlayStation emulators. 7.5.1.4. Other game emulators.

7.5.2. Game Controllers

Hack #73. Use CENTRAFUSE as Your Car PC Frontend

7.6.1. Installing CENTRAFUSE 7.6.2. Integrating External Programs 7.6.3. Changing CENTRAFUSE's Appearance 7.6.4. Setting Up the Radio 7.6.5. Adding Support for New Audio and Video Formats 7.6.6. Adding Phone Support 7.6.7. Getting Online in Your Car 7.6.8. Changing the Voice Commands 7.6.9. Video Poster Images 7.6.10. Future Improvements

Hack #74. Use Neocar Media Center as Your Car PC Frontend

7.7.1. Neocar Media Center 7.7.2. NMC Features 7.7.3. Configuring NMC 7.7.4. Neocar Manager 7.7.5. Future Plans

Hack #75. Use FrodoPlayer as Your Car PC Frontend

7.8.1. Installing FrodoPlayer 7.8.2. FrodoPlayer Features 7.8.3. Third-Party Tools 7.8.4. Replace the Windows GUI with Frodo 7.8.5. Future Improvements

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