Plz help mousepotato with Car PC

Auburn9698

Champion
Mousepotato posted this in another section, but seemed disappointed that I ruined it by discussing the pros and cons of it with him, so I'm trying to help the fella out and get more honest opinions. (I'm done now, mp)

Original Post:

I have been toying with the idea of putting a PC in my car.

The hardest part is probably going to be the monitor. I would prefer it to be permanently mounted in the dash. The car, a Ford Taurus, has a nice big area for it to sit. Unfortunately, it is being used (extremely inefficiently) by the radio and climate controls. I am going to have to redesign that, to make room for the monitor.

My question is what monitor do I want, and where do I get it? Which type of connection (DVI or VGA)?

Maximum size is ~8" wide by 7" tall. Depth is not an issue, there is lots of room behind it. What is the max resolution for an LCD of that size?

Cable length might be as much as 4 meters, but I might be able to keep it to <3 meters, if I have to.

It will see a wide range of temps. Will this be a problem?

Monitor needs to have a large horizontal view angle.

Any thoughts on the monitor, or project in general?


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Teq

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Feb 16, 2003
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I wouldn't give a regular PC much chance in a situation like that. Too much bumping and jarring that it's not designed for.

A smallish laptop rigged so that the display is fixed to the dashboard area and the keyboard folds down might have a better chance.

And there are PC compatible systems designed specifically for automotive use.

Here's a couple of links that might be helpful:
<A HREF="http://www.dashpc.com/" target="_new">http://www.dashpc.com/</A>
<A HREF="http://www.gnetcanada.com/index2.htm" target="_new">http://www.gnetcanada.com/index2.htm</A>
<A HREF="http://www.data911.com/dnmds.htm" target="_new">http://www.data911.com/dnmds.htm</A>


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