I want to have a computer on my car...
so i can play DVDs and MP3s MAINLY....

is there anyway to put a computer on my car that will run 24/7 with out killing my car battery!?? (also i will need some kind of lcd, ethernet, and wireless to connect) and i would like to be running SLACKWARE 10.1 with a fast WM...

any ideas!??




Thank You!

Why would you need it to be 24/7 if you going to play mp3 and DVD's "mainly". Is it going to be playing mp3's and movies all the time in you garage?. If so, why would you do it?. And how long do you think it would take for somebody break into your car and steal your stuff? And it will kill your battery. Unless you are willing to let the engine also on all the time so it will reload the battery eventually. But then, you will need to fill it with gas, or else the engine will stop working and later, the battery...

I hope you realize, in time, that this is not a smart idea. Get a simple mp3 player and put on your car.

actually the main idea is to control the computer with my Palm... so thats why i want it to be 24h... so i can access the box wirelessly... and use it to start my engine and lock doors... you know features like that... and also play dvds and mp3s....

getting an mp3 player w/out linux... too boring ...

[...EDIT 5MINS LATER...]
... WAY BORING ...


c'mon where is the linux spirit!??

hmmm sounds interesting... but i'm not sure how easy or possible that would be trying to interface with proprietary microcontrolers (microprocessors) in the car which are primarily used for diagnostics... another possibility is to get the paralell port to control model airplane type servos to operate the locks... close a switch for the ignition, etc...

as for the battery issue... perhaps you could wire it so you could plug it into your garage outlet at night.
here would be a good place to start
www.mini-itx.com
www.mini-itx.com/projects

That's when you'll need to create an extension cord to plug into an outlet.. unless you want to go out and restart your car every couple of hours, and even then, a computer would draw too much power.. better get a truck or van and install 100 or more pounds of batteries in the back..

http://www.apple.com/macmini/

hard to beat both the price and size as well as the power of the Mac Mini. starting at roughly $500 for the lower end modle and roughly $600 for the G5. keep in mind that if you do not want to run OSX you can always run linux on that system. it already has built in wifi, MACs > all when it comes to Audio and Video so just get a smaller LCD or lower end DVD player with LCD screen and set that up and wire it either with firewire or what ever connection you can convert to.

IMHO this is one of the best things to hit the market in many years. 6.5x6.5x2 is very small and would be easy to conceal from wanabee theifs under the back seat or in the trunk or what ever. you would just need an AC/DC converter (inverter), then you can go wireless with the keyboard and mouse (must be USB type connection) and you are set. you should be able to wire directly into the car stereo system even for great surround sound.

for that kind of cash you will not find a comperable laptop in the PC world, but do keep in mind you will have to spend an extra $150-300 on the LCD/DVDplayer screen.

in fact with the size of the Mac Mini you could even mount it in your dashboard so you have access to the DVD/CD drive.

[edit to add]

yes with running off the car battery it will die in less then 45min even on a more robust battery you will not get but 1hr out of it. wiring the car to have an external plug so you can plug it in while at home in the garage is more then doable and in fact many desiel(sp?) cars/trucks/vans, etc... have them as a standard feature if you live up north.

so if you are out of the car and going to be gone more then 10min, i would turn the comptuer OFF, or at least look into some kind of standby type setting that basically turns everything off but the clock for faster boots, but then linux boots rather fast as it is.