I started out taking my laptop with me on my drives (hoping it would make a good mp3 player) i soon broke the headphone jack and the sound card in it sucked. The gps worked well on it but overall it was clunky. There was no way i could take a passenger and the laptop at the same time. This started my search for a carpc.

After looking for an alternative I saw Clarions Autopc. Windows CE? What can you do with that? I've never been a big fan of small pc operating systems for the same reason i'm not a big mac fan. Software and hardware is sooo much cheaper and easier to find for mainstream big boxes. OOO six disk usb changer? Woah now you're talkin I always wished i could use my 10-disc changer for data cd's... oh it doesn't do data cd's. Ok i think i need a real carpc.

I wanted an lcd screen(mostly cuz it's neato) but actually quite useful for navigation. I'm not exactly an electrical engineer but am capable of small wiring jobs. I didn't feel comfortable with going with a raw lcd screen. My search for boxed lcd screens led me to an Alpine CVA-1005 indash "Multimedia Station". This is a standard din sized radio but the lcd screen slides out and folds up. I was most impresed. Ok if i'm gonna do it i should do it right. Right?

I was hoping for a left over 486 or p1 but again i couldn't wait. I went out and bought a used p133($325), nice solid gateway, standard pc parts (no compaq proprietary junk). I had a power inverter i used for the laptop, so all i needed now was tv-out card. Next store, tv-card($75), backpack cd-rom($169 this'll be nice), ooo wireless network cards, that'd be useful($149, great deal pcmcia w/two pcmcia cards, two isa-pcmcia adapter cards), ooo neato mp3live soundcard ($99). Ok now i've spent more money then i wanted, but if i'm gonna do it i might as well do it right. Right?

I had previously purchased a mini cordless keyboard (w/rollerball mouse) for home use. I also had bought a X-10 Mouse Remote (programmable pc-homeaudio remote), this is probably the key to my whole scheme. With the GPS and now 3-different navigation software in hand i was ready to build.

I spent a weekend, and what's left of the week after work, inside setting up the carpc. I removed the power, reset switches, hdd ativity led and power led. I then spliced in about 7' of wire so i could run these up front. The next weekend i installed the system. My hands were raw when i counted 30 more crimps to make with my piece-of-junk crimpers. Thanks to good Subaru information i had the alpine head unit installed(day 1), and the pc running(day 2). Showing my weariness i was unable to figure out how to activate the aux1 video to the head unit. After much noggin scratchin and talking to the car stereo dealer, i got it to work showing a friend how it was supposed to work. (don't know why it didn't before.:)

Cool! It works, never skips but boots a lil slow and is a lil sluggish overall. So now i have a couple of bare switches and leds hanging out of my ashtray, a computer on 1.5" of foam packing, strapped in with a pair of bungy cords in my car. It held tight on dirt roads and flailing around some turns. Short trips kinda stink(not wanting to wait for computer to boot up and shutdown) and limited tuner ability (roof rack in the way of antennae. I need a CD-Player, and all along was planning on upgrading the car stereo. My last car i thought was pretty well built, but wanted a little more(you know where this is going). I then found a Nakamichi 6-disc in dash changer (my last head unit was Nakamichi which was outstanding) because if i'm gonna do it, i might as well do it right.

I know i can connect wires no problem, but my installs aren't the cleanest. I need a place to build me a sub box and install speakers. I'm always overanxious and want to play with things once the work, and plan on cleaning up later(which i never get around to). I went to several corporate stores thinking somehow they would be able to do it. I went to cartoys and the manager said they could do a computer, upon returning the person i talked to didn't seem to want to do it(I need to show him this). The place that sold me the Nakamichi was the first place i'd been that i felt knew what they were doing(SBS Electronics). Upon talking to them and looking closer to what needed to fit, it was apparent the cpu box i had was way to big and i needed to find a smaller one. I thought about mounting the motherboard, etc. in the car without a case, but wanted to be able to bring it inside for maintenance. Next couple weeks i hunted around, and found neat little sony and compaq desktops, but they don't come w/out the lcd monitor. Hmmmmm. If i'm gonna do it, i oughta do it right. But is there such a thing as too right?

Still pokin around checking clearence bins, i found one of the compaq's marked down $400 (almost 25%). I wouldn't step away thinkin somebody would snag it. Ok this is too much i have an extra lcd fancy speakers that i don't really need but the perfect car pc.

I started rough modeling where things would fit in the trunk and talkin to the guys at SBS. One of the many ideas i got for the computer from friends was to use network cables to extend the power switch etc. up front. Cool guy at work built sweet cables w/connectors for me. If i'm gonna do it right i might as well do it really right. Right?

And so it was done. SBS spent three days on the car(and then some) and did a superb job (Thanks guys). I've got the most incredible stereo i've ever owned (that i can't even drive into distortion without concern for ear damage) and an mp3 player/navigation system with plenty of expansion.