• 2001 chevy blazer - pimp my ride edition?
    24 replies, posted
So I've decided to combine my two likes, vehicles and computers. However, I'm not too familiar with vehicles and the electric part of them. As per the title, I'd like to put a desktop computer in my blazer.. the monitor would be in the middle of the center console area facing the driver side, but most likely on a swivel. My questions to anyone who might be able to help is should I rewire all the cords and tie them straight to the battery or get a switch for in between? Also, would the battery's current be OK or do I need some converter thing?
Why a desktop? How will you access the Internet? If you want something discreet-ish, you could use a Raspberry Pi or something. But still, what would you do with a computer in your car, that also couldn't be done with a laptop or tablet? For all intents and purposes, I've seen people install tablets into the center console. If you wanted, you could probably have it set up as a wifi hotspot and pay Internet, and call it a day. Then you could have LAN parties in your truck or some shit.
Search google for "Car PC" A few companies make kits to put small computers in your car Heres one website; [url]www.mini-box.com/s.nl/sc.8/category.101/it.C/.f[/url]
Well desktop because I would like a fairly powerful system. Now I don't mean I wanna shove it all in a tower and just sit the tower somewhere. I was thinking more of making a custom box to bolt onto the floor in the back trunk area to have it in then run all the wiring up. I prolly would get a touch screen for the front too. Honestly, I don't know what I'd use it for. Its more of a " sounds cool and I want it" type of thing. A tablet really wouldn't do because you need to put out a lot of money for something decent and it wouldn't be upgradable. A laptop could be somewhat used I guess.
Okay.. I can see why someone would want something like an entertainment system in their truck, but a full desktop PC? where the hell are you going to have the mouse, keyboard, and monitor? Because a touchscreen doesn't do an advanced system justice. As a fellow Blazer owner and likely a user of the same dash configuration as you, I gotta ask, where the fuck are you going to fit all of this? And what will be of your radio, climate control, and other shit? Because I've seen some bad and sloppy conversions for the dash and I doubt anything less than a full redesign of your dash is going to look anywhere near good. And no, the battery probably won't be sufficient without tweaking and/or amps. A powerful desktop PC needs more energy than a good custom sound system with subs, and if you try to run it off of the ACDelco unit you have in there you'll probably halve your battery power. That whole setup just sounds really impractical to me. A tablet is much more practical and cost-effective, and can be replaced much easier, and can be mounted and modified much more easily as well. Plus, you'd still have space in the back for other cool shit, like subwoofers (though I'm doing a custom job with mine so I still have a ton of space as possible in back while still having good subs). I'm not going to tell you how to spend your money, but I will tell you when an idea sounds dumb to me.
[QUOTE=Biaxailemperor;40902193]Okay.. I can see why someone would want something like an entertainment system in their truck, but a full desktop PC? where the hell are you going to have the mouse, keyboard, and monitor? Because a touchscreen doesn't do an advanced system justice. As a fellow Blazer owner and likely a user of the same dash configuration as you, I gotta ask, where the fuck are you going to fit all of this? And what will be of your radio, climate control, and other shit? Because I've seen some bad and sloppy conversions for the dash and I doubt anything less than a full redesign of your dash is going to look anywhere near good. And no, the battery probably won't be sufficient without tweaking and/or amps. A powerful desktop PC needs more energy than a good custom sound system with subs, and if you try to run it off of the ACDelco unit you have in there you'll probably halve your battery power. That whole setup just sounds really impractical to me. A tablet is much more practical and cost-effective, and can be replaced much easier, and can be mounted and modified much more easily as well. Plus, you'd still have space in the back for other cool shit, like subwoofers (though I'm doing a custom job with mine so I still have a ton of space as possible in back while still having good subs). I'm not going to tell you how to spend your money, but I will tell you when an idea sounds dumb to me.[/QUOTE] Ok, that's quite informal. I guess I won't go after this project.
[QUOTE=FrankPetrov;40903092]Ok, that's quite informal. I guess I won't go after this project.[/QUOTE] Like n0cturni and I have said though, it wouldn't be a bad idea to set up a tablet somewhere. Much less demanding, space-consuming, and costly. Plus a tablet is much lighter, so you could have a good and thin swivel arm that hides it under your dash, making it much harder to steal. I'm doing something similar to that by putting a GPS unit in the hatch where the cigarette lighter is, since it is big enough for both the lighter and the nav unit and helps prevent theft. While tablets aren't as upgradeable, they're much cheaper and more disposable than a large PC and you can keep up with the times much more easily. I'd suggest wiring in a USB female port in so you can just plug and play if you want your cigarette lighter open for other stuff, like heater seats and the like. Apologies if I sound like a jackass half of the time, it's just that I like to be very practical-minded when modifying vehicles. If you don't mind me asking, which version of the Blazer do you have? 2-Door or 4-Door? Mine's a 4-door model that's a year older than yours.
Miner's a 4 door as well. As for the female USB port, I have an aftermarket radio with a USB port I could plug into.
I personally have a similar interest, cars and computers. I just don't have the money to do anything real big to my truck right now, but I would have to say that knowing electricity is quite beneficial if you were thinking of installing a tablet into your center console. It sounds like a great idea, and it would be cool to have. [editline]5th June 2013[/editline] As for power circumstances, you would have to use a power inverter, or make something that will convert 12 volts DC into 120 volts AC. If you are talking about a desktop computer, you are going to be asking for a good load on that power supply. You need to have something that can supply the power to be able to handle a desktop computer. Most power inverters aren't designed to have things that draw a big load plugged into them, but I know that you can buy better ones that can handle it. Good luck with your project.
[QUOTE=FrankPetrov;40910155]Miner's a 4 door as well. As for the female USB port, I have an aftermarket radio with a USB port I could plug into.[/QUOTE] That's good to know. The reason I ask about the USB is if you're going to go the impermanent route with the tablet, a USB would be your best bet since many tablets use USB chargers and it'd be simple to swap them out when the tablet gets old. if you're planning to fabricate brand new parts for the console/dash and are going for something more permanent, listen to Squerl101. Also, does yours have a console shifter or a column shifter? because a console shifter does take up some valuable space and could limit your options there.
Its a column shifter. But I am thinking of rigging up a device of my own. It would plug into the cigarette lighter and have a clamp on the end somehow to hold onto the tablet. Then have a small cord running from inside to the side of the tablet to let it charge.
Here's a awesome video for you: [video=youtube;u-ALYArl5S4]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-ALYArl5S4[/video] Just do it with any tablet you want.
Putting a real computer in your car is much easier than you think, and aside from finding a small spot to mount the motherboard and finding the right software, there isn't much else to it than any other radio install. I know you're looking to just throw a computer in there but I think you'd be better off taking it a step further. Cleaner install, less distractions, less clunky too. No, you don't need a converter. Your computer runs on 12v DC and your car does too. What you need is a power supply that allows you to hook into that, and a few do exist. Next, you'll be looking for a display. The Lilyput displays are incredibly popular since they are the same displays found in some nav/touchscreen radios and are double din sized, meaning you can use any off the shelf dash kit for your brand/model. Or you can purchase any touchscreen on NewEgg and craft it into your dash, fiberglass is a popular choice. Don't forget a GPS receiver aswell. Lots of this is sold in packages on some websites, ranging from complete kits to carputer cases. Software is another thing entirely. Many paid and free open source applications are available that mimic the functions of those high end Kenwood radios, some even do it better. If you've ever used some of those high end radios, you'll find they're very slow because they're basically an as cheap as possible all in one package. By building the radio yourself, you can make it as powerful as your want, of course within the limits of what your car can handle. Obviously you won't be wanting to throw in a Core i7 and the best graphics card, you don't need that anyways. The best part of this custom setup is what you can do with it. You can install one of the best quality soundcards available for one hell of an audio setup, or hook up an Arduino and actuate a set of air lockers or whatever floats your boat. If you want mobile internet, and to create a hotspot for your friend, subscribe to a wireless card and hook it up. AM/FM radio tuners exist aswell, and if you get really lucky you'll find an HD Radio Tuner(I can never find one in stock). I really can't explain how much you CAN do if you're willing to shell out the money and time, I'd suggest researching the topic further in a search engine. MP3car has lots of valuable information, and even some products you might be interested in, but I think there's some bad ideas on there too. It's much more common than you think, and very popular in the business world, contractors enjoy being able to print work orders and receipts on the job. Just don't go the tablet route. It's clunky and wasteful, you might as well just buy a fancy double din and call it a day. Regarding the wiring, you should brush up on basic and automotive electronics. You want your setup to turn off at some point, never connect it directly to the battery. You'll either need to tap into your ignition wire, or since you're in a Chevy SUV, there's probably fused ignition spots to tap into. This way your setup will turn off when you turn off your key, and won't drain the battery.
[QUOTE=FrankPetrov;40911610]Its a column shifter. But I am thinking of rigging up a device of my own. It would plug into the cigarette lighter and have a clamp on the end somehow to hold onto the tablet. Then have a small cord running from inside to the side of the tablet to let it charge.[/QUOTE] A column shifter eh? That could open a couple possibilities up, as long as you're okay with making something new with the center console. You'd probably have issues getting to the hatch where your cigarette lighter is located, but you could make a new center console similar to those in police cars where they mount laptops and relocate the lighter to that console. You'd have enough room in there to store a few cards and a motherboard just from that and could do an integral keyboard, while having space in the back for other stuff. Plus, you could get a screen from some off of the work-oriented laptops that has a touchscreen and a swivel built-in. All of this is if you don't mind having the center console the size of a Hummer's, though that's a bit better than wasting space.
[QUOTE=Biaxailemperor;40913048]A column shifter eh? That could open a couple possibilities up, as long as you're okay with making something new with the center console. You'd probably have issues getting to the hatch where your cigarette lighter is located, but you could make a new center console similar to those in police cars where they mount laptops and relocate the lighter to that console. You'd have enough room in there to store a few cards and a motherboard just from that and could do an integral keyboard, while having space in the back for other stuff. Plus, you could get a screen from some off of the work-oriented laptops that has a touchscreen and a swivel built-in. All of this is if you don't mind having the center console the size of a Hummer's, though that's a bit better than wasting space.[/QUOTE] well actually, from factory, i have a driver's seat with the middle console attached to it. but, I had replaced that already so currently, i have an open space between driver and passenger seat (i broke the console and felt it was pointless having it there.). However, the next big issue with all of this, is resale value. If I ever want to sell this thing, I imagine doing all this will drastically reduce the value.
Or drastically increase it, depending on how well you do it.
[QUOTE=FrankPetrov;40915774]well actually, from factory, i have a driver's seat with the middle console attached to it. but, I had replaced that already so currently, i have an open space between driver and passenger seat (i broke the console and felt it was pointless having it there.). However, the next big issue with all of this, is resale value. If I ever want to sell this thing, I imagine doing all this will drastically reduce the value.[/QUOTE] Well that point is already kinda invalidated by the broken original console, so go make a kickass computer-console thing. You've got all of that space, and you've already removed your original center console, so there's not much point in fretting about resale value. Like Del91 said, it might increase it if you have it done particularly well.
[QUOTE=Biaxailemperor;40916948]Well that point is already kinda invalidated by the broken original console, so go make a kickass computer-console thing. You've got all of that space, and you've already removed your original center console, so there's not much point in fretting about resale value. Like Del91 said, it might increase it if you have it done particularly well.[/QUOTE] Yeah. Well I guess I'll start looking for different micro-pc parts to use. so far, i found the motherboard i'm going to use. it has a lot of options with it which i really like. [url]http://www.mini-box.com/Jetway-JNF83-AMD-HUDSON-D3[/url]
[QUOTE=FrankPetrov;40917359]Yeah. Well I guess I'll start looking for different micro-pc parts to use. so far, i found the motherboard i'm going to use. it has a lot of options with it which i really like. [url]http://www.mini-box.com/Jetway-JNF83-AMD-HUDSON-D3[/url][/QUOTE] Also, check out HTPC stuff [sp]Home Theater PC[/sp] [editline]6th June 2013[/editline] And even if you aren't playing graphically intensive video games, it is still important to have a OK graphics card. [editline]6th June 2013[/editline] I mean, I've used integrated graphics on many devices, including modern ones, but each time I always think that it's not enough.
[QUOTE=Koenigsegg;40917463]Also, check out HTPC stuff [sp]Home Theater PC[/sp] [editline]6th June 2013[/editline] And even if you aren't playing graphically intensive video games, it is still important to have a OK graphics card. [editline]6th June 2013[/editline] I mean, I've used integrated graphics on many devices, including modern ones, but each time I always think that it's not enough.[/QUOTE] won't be playing any games on it i don't think. Honestly, as I stated before, the whole purpose of all of this is because it can be done and i want it lol. But I do plan on actually using it as well, mostly for watching movies on long trips, better music management(compared to having a cord plugged from my ipod to the radio), and what ever else might come up. The fiance has a 4g mobile hotspot so i'll be able to use that if i ever want to.
One of these will probably last you for years, just don't plan on gaming with it. [url]http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127705[/url] [editline]5th June 2013[/editline] Also, something to think about... [url]http://software.intel.com/en-us/blogs/2013/01/27/go-wireless-hdmi-to-tv-with-intel-widi-on-windows-8-ultrabooks[/url]
i'm guessing I should probably go for a solid state drive as well to avoid anything bad happening if i hit some bumpy roads
[QUOTE=FrankPetrov;40919276]i'm guessing I should probably go for a solid state drive as well to avoid anything bad happening if i hit some bumpy roads[/QUOTE] Yeah, and you might want your suspension tuned to better absorb shock as well.
[QUOTE=Biaxailemperor;40919288]Yeah, and you might want your suspension tuned to better absorb shock as well.[/QUOTE] Well, it turns out that I have quite some horrible luck. A fucking deer decided to run into the side of my blazer on this fine morning and smashed the side in. Due to this, I'm most likely just getting it fixed as the insurance company is paying for it then going to try to sell it. I'll save this project for a new vehicle.
[QUOTE=FrankPetrov;40929538]Well, it turns out that I have quite some horrible luck. A fucking deer decided to run into the side of my blazer on this fine morning and smashed the side in. Due to this, I'm most likely just getting it fixed as the insurance company is paying for it then going to try to sell it. I'll save this project for a new vehicle.[/QUOTE] Aww, damn. That's horrible. I had that happen to my Saturn, which sucked, though not as much as this, because it was a shit car for twats anyway. Well, good luck with whatever vehicle you get next!
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