Assembling the Car PC

Before assembly, and before making final decisions on parts, make sure you have a solid plan and a proper place to work. Finding the right place to work on your car PC will make for a cleaner installation and speed your project along. Look for a protected location with good lighting. You'll also want to use a droplight to help you with interior fitting and for working under the hood. Don't forget Internet access for downloading applications, updates, etc. While garages with a high-speed hook-up might be hard to come by, you'll only need network access for a short period. So be prepared to string a long cable, or use a USB wireless-network adaptor.

No special tools are needed to build and install a Car PC. You can go with the favorite tools of professional installers, such as good wire strippers with spring action and wire-gauge sensing; a heavy-duty crimping tool; a thread-locker compound such as LocTite, which can prevent screws from coming loose from repeated vibration; and a collection of faston and other wire-splicing parts. Wire connectors are available in various assortments or in bubble packs from auto-supply stores, and they are highly recommended for a safe and professional-looking installation.

Here are the 14 steps for the Car PC assembly:

Here's a photograph showing how the components are placed for assembly onto the bottom plate of a VoomPC case. Note the overlapping strata of parts to retain our small footprint:

A Word about Car PC and Safety

Using a PC on the road requires a tremendous amount of responsibility. The purpose of having a car PC—in addition to being really cool, of course—is to add to the enjoyment and safety of the driving experience. Unfortunately, having something as wonderful and complex as a computer within sight and reach of a driver can present a serious distraction.

In other words, don't make your in-car PC a driving hazard for yourself or your clients. Instead, follow these important steps as part of your installation:

Once the Car PC is built and installed, you'll be ready to load the applications your client desires. But be prepared for questions, lots of them. Car PCs get loads of attention from both potential clients and passers-by. Don't forget to mention to your potential clients that having a Car PC consolidates all their miscellaneous hardware and wires into one box with a large, easy-to-use touch screen. It also lets them run their favorite PC applications in their car. PC gamers will love it for the novelty. Salespeople will love the GPS and the integrated phone and PC applications. And all your on-the-road clients will enjoy the superior media ability of motoring in style with their car PC.

SIDEBAR: Additional Resources for Building Car PCs

Online Vendors: You'll want to source your parts from people who are familiar with the mini-ITX and know the car PC business. I found these three online vendors to be among the best:

Discussion Forums: Check out the many car-PC sites forums for tips and tricks. Here are three I like:

Books: I recommend two helpful books devoted to car PCs. These two books can be especially helpful if you don't have a lot of experience with 12-volt DC systems, are unfamiliar with "faston" connectors for splicing wire quickly, or are uncomfortable cutting into ignition wiring:

Additional ideas: Have a look at some pre-built car PCs. Streetdeck is one that has attracted a lot of attention.

General information on mini-ITX systems: Check out the EPIACenter.

ANDY MCDONOUGH is a professional musician, composer, voice actor, engineer, and educator happily freelancing in New Jersey.