ShMcK

So was just looking around and saw this site and ended up finding this..

http://store.mp3car.com/Direct_Fit_D..._p/dsh-163.htm

It says it's specific to the car so I imagine it will fit without modification. Only thing is you need the computer as well. Does anyone have this that can talk about it a bit?

Lem-06

It's basically what it says. All it includes is a touch screen monitor that you hookup to a pc.
It just drops into the slot where current headunit is and bolts down.

On the same subject I have a dash piece with monitor built in. Was planning on building a car pc but backed out and have it sitting around.
Will post in FS soon and hopefully find a buyer

wayne613

Whatcha need to know? The choices are all lilliput 7' models. Pretty much about as large as will fit in a standard double-din opening. For the price though, you won't likely beat it for the base EBY701. Just have to weight out the pros and cons of each for the price-tag. Of the choices I'd probably spend the extra $100 myself for the 669GL, but you loose a chunk of brightness for the contrast bump, and the reverse camera switching is lost.

Xenarc monitors I like a bit more, but they are more expensive, and of course there are no other prefabbed drop-in solutions for them that I know of. You could likely pull a comparable one apart to retrofit, but the circuit-board controllers tend to be larger than the monitor, which is the likely reason mp3car doesn't offer them as an option. That and the actual HDMI/VGA/DVI connections are to a separately connected box that runs back to the screen.


Old setup with that lilliput monitor (629GL) in a double-din aluminium frame(bought the 3 button controller normally used for mycolor off ebay for $20, and re-wired it for the carPC, reset=reset, power button=setup, and monitor power=info):


Current setup with a 10.2' Xenarc monitor($100 cheaper now):



I actually still have the old one, should someone wish to visit the nightmare of building a setup into their center dash, as I have, I will sell it. Likely just put it up on mp3car's FS section sometime, or ebay..

RCD721

Wayne...that is friggin awesome. You answered a question I posted yesterday asking about a new head unit for my 2008 CS, but I dont know now. I never heard of car pcs until today, and I gotta say im thinking about this ! Just wondering about the possibilities....what about hands free phone action? Is there a way that it can be incorporated? Sat radio, Navigation, dvd, etc. Im assuming that you can load windows on the system and have internet?

wayne613

Hands-free phone, yes, but it is awkward in comparison to dedicated head-units.
Requires:
1. Good array microphone to noise cancel (hopefully getting the echo from speakers with the blue-tooth stack).
2. Front-end to be running (Centrafuse/RideRunner) with a plug-in to interface
3. Software blue-tooth stack driver capable of being this intermediary (bluesoleil is the popular one).

Sat radio, again, clunky in comparison, but anything any head-unit can do can be set up to be done from this. Interface units are sold (usb) for this, and can then be integrated into the front-end used, using plug-ins. Same for HD radio.

Navigation, requires much the same;
1. GPS usb interface and antenna. Usual is the BU-353 (now the BU-353S4 for the upgraded model). It's cheap, reliable, and bulletproof.
2. Software maps/interface such as iGuidance 2011. Which is what I currently use.

video, etc are more tightly able to be integrated right off the bat since nothing further peripheral hardware or software wise is needed(aside from codecs in some video cases). The more detailed info is available in the various sub-sections of the mp3car forum.

ttocs

it would be much much easier to mount a tablet-sized pc there and now with all the aps you can get it to do some cool stuff.

wayne613

Not really. You seem to be gauging this on my fruit-cake install.

Nearly no-one tries to mount the PC where the monitor is(dash). Normally the only thing that has to go in the dash is the screen and pre-fab mounting kit, rest goes under a seat, or in the trunk and you just run 2 extensions. Any tablet requires custom fabrication work still. And still not many centric apps for/about/useful-for car use.

It makes life much easier for what it does of course, bit of fab work, amplifier, some adapters, and your done.