Not sure if this would be a lounge question, but I figured I would get a more knowledgeable response in here. I want to build a computer in my glove box with a flip down LCD screen for datalogging and tuning purposes. I have all the components and know how to put it together, but I need to know if this would be feasible as far as reliability and durability and also if the power source could be run off the car battery or even a separate battery. Also, would I need a case or could the glove box serve as a pseudo-case of sorts?

 

Your going to have to make vent holes in the glove box or else that PC will suffocate. Your also going to need a converter to make a standard plug in your car. I think Radio shack sells them, you could put it beneath the passanger seat and run the power cable underneath the carpet.

However it would be a pain in the *** since your going to need to shut the computer down before you turn the car off.

- Z28WAnnaB

 

Nice idea! If you can modify a laptop it might work better because it uses DC power and has a rechargeable battery.

 

Maybe you could make some rails and an aluminum shelf so a slim laptop could slide out from under the glove box.
You could pull it out when you're using it and slide it in out of the way when you don't need it.

 

I actually modified my idea a little. I have a friend who suggested an idea to me. i am going to build brackets and mount the laptop in a dock(so its removable) on the shelf in the back behind where the seat used to be. I am getting a fold down touch screen LCD monitor for the dash, so it is flush when not in use and folds up when needed. An external CD-ROM and flash drive will be in the cd-holder cubby thing. All of this will be wired to the sound system so it will double as an MP3 player.

 

thats an awsome idea... when you get it done could you post up a guide or something on how to do it...

you could probobly get the different parts of the laptop and build it in, like get a motherboard with a built in graphics/sound and everything in the glovebox with watercooling system or some major fans, put the dvdrw in where you described, have a coordless mouse that you could use on your leg or the console and a keyboard that hides under the drivers side dash... Powersupply behind the glovebox to keep a little heat away from mobo.

the only tricky part would then be how to wire up the monitor, especially trying to find a way to hide it...???

and then you have a dvd player also...


but regardless thats a great idea i think

if you used a regular pc with a batery backup would that work???

 

The only way to do it is to mold the LCD into the front bezel, and place the computer behind that, or in the glovebox area as you originally wanted.

www.mp3car.com

Do a search for "camaro"

 

yea, i think if you just mounted the mother board to the chassi for ground you could just wire it up and have fun with where you put everything