Car PC Hacks: Tips & Tools for Geeking Your Ride

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Car PC Hacks: Tips & Tools for Geeking Your Ride

Every so often a book comes along that captures enough ofyour curiosity that you pick it up. It is a special book that transforms thatcuriosity into rabid imagination. O Reilly s Car PC Hacks is a special book. Microsoft has been at itsWinCE-based Automotive Platform (http://www.microsoft.com/windows/embedded/windowsautomotive/default.mspx)for several years, but it has yet to blossom beyond the handful of premiumautomobiles it has been tuned for. Rather than wait for Microsoft and itsautomotive partners to offer an affordable AutoPC, consider building your ownCar PC using the encouraging 75 suggestions, or hacks, discussed in thisbook. Learn how to select the parts, assemble the pieces, install the device,configure the apps, and enable the system with Bluetooth, GPS, andWiFi-friendly applications for an exciting mobile PC experience.

After the obvious disclaimers indemnifying anyoneassociated with the book from any responsibility for damages to a hacked carand PC system, the hacks start off with the basics of an average car selectrical system and how to understand and harness the power it provides. Readersdon t require an electrical engineering degree to perform these hacks, butshould be prepared to go shopping for amp meters, special drills, various wirecutters/crimping tools, fuses, and perhaps even a new battery and alternator. Thebest advice for first time Car PC enthusiasts is a 12 volt power supply forprototyping the design and power requirements before cutting into a car sfirewall and irreparably committing to a design that might fry the car selectrical system ... or worse! After teaching readers about amplifiers,cabling, head units, adapters, and bus connectors, the fun finally begins withaudio system hacks, from cheap auxiliary input additions for amplification ofportable audio devices over an existing car stereo to the less daunting use ofFM modulators or cassette adapters to broadcast the signal without having tomake any car stereo equipment modifications.

Video is next; several VGA touchscreen models, along withthe challenges of mounting the screen on or even embedding it into thedashboard, are suggested. Personally, I wouldn t perform such an operationunless I had a clunker that wouldn t be worth any less if the installation wasbotched. Nevertheless, for those fearless enough and/or with access to theright molding equipment, several examples exist in the book and on the Web ofincredible custom in-dash installations that look as natural and seamless asthe car s original in-dash radio.

PC motherboards, Mac Minis, and embedded hardware providethe brains to drive the display, and the book examines each of these options. Inputin the form of infrared remotes, touchscreens, voice recognition usingMicrosoft s Speech API, and haptic (touch) interfaces are investigated. Datatransfer via USB flash drives, WiFi, or a mobile phone s painfully slow GPRSconnection are also explored. The book closes with freely available Windowssoftware that can be executed on the Car PC s hardware, already optimized forfont and menu sizes necessary to easily navigate small touchscreen selections.

Overall, Car PCHacks is an entertaining diversion from the usual selection ofcomputer-oriented books available today. And who knows, it just might providethe inspiration for a motivated programmer to develop the killer .NET-enabledmobile communication application that will transform a lengthy commute into ahighly productive, information-rich experience.

Mike Riley

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Title: Car PC Hacks: Tips & Tools for GeekingYour Ride

Authors: DamienStolarz

Publisher: O Reilly

ISBN:0-596-00871-6

Web Site: http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/carpchks/index.html

Price: US$24.95

Page Count: 382