I've got a mini computer tower that I would love to use for MP3s but I don't want to have to deal with using a whole interface everytime I start my car. I want to just be able to press ON, then have a list of MP3s open once it boots up. Has anyone done this before? WHat are my options?

 

I don't know too much about it, but you may be able to rig Linux to boot straight to a list of MP3s? I know that some movie enthusiasts created a proggie called "MoviX" that is actually a mini-Linux which was strictly designed to play DVDs/video files. booted straight into playback GUI buttons.

sorry I couldn't tell you more, but I would look in the direction of Linux.

 

What you might want to think about, is I had a mp3 hard drive in one of my other cars. If all you are going to be using this is for mp3's, that is an option you might want to think about. I had the NEO car jukebox. it used to be at best buy, but i dont think you will find them there anymore, but their website is http://www.ssiamerica.com/

hope that helps..

 

check out www.mp3car.com its a site all about computers in cars.

 

try searching on ebay for car computer there smalla nd they fit in a dual din or single dinn space fully functional pc's

 

www.cartft.com sells din sized computers. and touch screens

 

Simple... but expensive...

I just did it....
I no longer have a HU in my Z...

I replaced it with a Xenarc 700TS (7in widescreen monitor w/ touchscreen),
The PC has GPS, Bluetooth, WiFi, 60Gb HD, and is backed by an Athlon 2200...

Putting a PC in a car isnt as simple as you would think... There are a lot of problems that can arise from doing such a thing.

For a PSU, you are not going to want to install an AC convertor as they tend to create a good amount of gound noise, and are very ineffecient.
For my setup, I bought a 150Watt DC-DC PSU from a company in CA called opus solutions. This PSU is perfect. It has an automatic shutdown controller that can be wired to your ignition so it will turn the PC on when you start the car, and shut it down when you kill it. I bypassed this function and installed a switch to control when the PC is turned on and off.

I also got some software called Media Engine. It is excellent software for playing MP3's, DVD's, as well as anything else you might need to play.

In any case, visit mp3car.com
It is an excellent site. Lots of very knowledgable people there.

 

you also might want to consider just using a portable media player like an ipod or the link and using it with a icelink to connect it to just about any head unit you can think of.

one other problem with computers is that they take time to boot (there are ways around this) and they are affected by heat (espeically AMD) and vibrations (lots in an f0body) aswell as power consumption over other solutions and COST!!

another downside is that you wont have fm/am radio with it (atleast without adding more periphereals)

if you just wanna focus on having alot of music and any headunit you want including the OEM one then i think the ipod would work out the best for you.

www.densionusa.com
www.apple.com/ipod

there are many advantages to either setup so you really have to weigh in what you really think youll use or what you will just show off and end up as a burden at the end

 

what he said!

 

you can pick up a VHF/UHF/FM tuner that runs off a USB port (TV tuner) easily. plug in, and you're good to go. not only do you have your radio, but you now have TV.

boot time is easily solved by having an XP/2000 system set up to bypass dual booting and login.

to actually answer your question (again) though, try plugging Winamp in your startup, and in 30 seconds you can play whatever you want.

 

there are also asus motherboards that have a mp3 player built into the bios with controls and everything so you could also use that with no wait at all, and just fully boot the computer when you needed more fucntions. there are actually many ways to do alot of things and it mainly just comes down to what you need and what you wanna spend.

 

Wow, sooo much to consider. Once I install my 6.5" speakers in my kick panels (alot of metal cutting), I'll be sure to find a solution for this as well.

Also, I've seen a cable for kenwood decks that adapt the 13 pin cable to RCA jacks. Does anyone know where I can find info on that? I have a spare cable that is missing one end and I can solder well, so I prefer to make my own than giving some company another $30.

 

<a href="http://www.mini-itx.com">This site</a> has a lot of useful information about doing this, as well as a ton of links to other useful sites.

For Linux, you could have it boot into XMMS. I have a copy of Maximum Linux where they use software called Route66 and MySQL, running a 2.0 kernel on 64MB RAM and a Pentium 133 (it's quite an old magazine!!). You could also use Windows and WinAmp as stated previously.

 

do you have pics of your setup im interested in what it looks like im thinking of doing this myself

 

Yep, although my system is still in "rough draft" status, it is fully functional (I just need to refabricate a couple of things)
And I do have pics.... As soon as I get a chance to upload them to my site, I'll post a link.



As to the concern about boot time, My PC is always up and playing music before I even move my car.... I like to let it warm up for a minute or so before moving... (My boot time is 20-30 secs)


By the way, If you are only wanting to play mp3s, then just use an Ipod... you should only put a pc in your car if you want to do a WHOLE lot more!! (Play video, play cd's, use GPS, wardrive, surf the web, play GTA3 on a lunch break.... lol)