Hi all,
I’m not 100% sure that I’m going with a PC-only solution for my car, but here is what I am thinking right now:
Main Computer Components:
> CarCPU DIY kit (MicroATX case, with Opus 150W PSU) – vlad, will you ship to Canada?
> Athlon Mobile 2500+ CPU
> Biostar M7NCG Motherboard
> 256 MB PC2700 DDR SDRAM
> Seagate 80 GB 3.5” HDD
Monitor:
> Xenarc 700TSV 7” Touchscreen LCD
And now for the USB devices:
> M-Audio Transit (powered via USB)
> DVD drive (not sure of specific drive, will need external power)
> Linksys WUSB54g (powered via USB)
> Laptop/keyboard (Wireless – probably Gyration – powered by USB)
> GlobalSat BU-303 USB GPS receiver (powered via USB)
> Griffin RadioShark (powered via USB)
Here’s the plan, in terms of component locations:
Front of the car:
> Xenarc touchscreen located in JDM dash kit
Mounted underneath rear deck:
> WiFi card, GPS receiver, keyboard/mouse RF transmitter, FM receiver (connected to car antenna if possible)
Inside trunk:
> Computer, DVD drive (don’t really need to put it up front, won’t be using it much), amp for sound system, sound card, USB hubs
I don’t think I forgot anything too major…
My motherboard has two USB ports (there are headers for four more, but they won’t fit with the CarCPU case, will they?). Should I go with one powered hub, and an unpowered hub?
It would be nice to run everything off of the Opus, but I’m not sure that it will work.
Any recommendations on what I should do? Ideally, it would be nice to power the computer itself, the monitor, the USB hub, and the DVD player from the Opus, but 150W seems like it is pushing it, even with the CPU underclocked. I would like this because everything is on the Opus shutdown controller.
Looks like I’m going to need another DC-DC PSU. What should I power with it? The touchscreen is an obvious choice, as well as the DVD player… what about the USB hub? If I were to power the USB hub via a separate PSU, would any of the connected devices still use anything more than a miniscule amount of power from the PSU powering the computer? If this worked, it would be nice because the soundcard, WiFi card, etc. would no longer be putting a load on the main PSU. But… the PSU would have to keep providing power at least as long as the main Opus PSU keeps the computer on, because I will set it to keep running for a short amount of time, after the car is completely off. Should I just get a smaller Opus and set it with the same shutdown settings? Is there any way to use something like a relay with a smaller DC-DC PSU, so that it stays on as long as the Opus is on?
All in all, this shouldn’t be too impossible of a job. I need to get it done before school starts (yeah, I need to go to school in the summer ), and I’m getting very busy now, so this may not get done. I’m trying hard though…I’ll be installing this along with an audio system, something I’ve never done before, so I’ll be learning a lot. I have some other power questions, but they can wait until later. Right now I just want to focus on the lower level power issues.
Thanks very much!
I’m not 100% sure that I’m going with a PC-only solution for my car, but here is what I am thinking right now:
Main Computer Components:
> CarCPU DIY kit (MicroATX case, with Opus 150W PSU) – vlad, will you ship to Canada?
> Athlon Mobile 2500+ CPU
> Biostar M7NCG Motherboard
> 256 MB PC2700 DDR SDRAM
> Seagate 80 GB 3.5” HDD
Monitor:
> Xenarc 700TSV 7” Touchscreen LCD
And now for the USB devices:
> M-Audio Transit (powered via USB)
> DVD drive (not sure of specific drive, will need external power)
> Linksys WUSB54g (powered via USB)
> Laptop/keyboard (Wireless – probably Gyration – powered by USB)
> GlobalSat BU-303 USB GPS receiver (powered via USB)
> Griffin RadioShark (powered via USB)
Here’s the plan, in terms of component locations:
Front of the car:
> Xenarc touchscreen located in JDM dash kit
Mounted underneath rear deck:
> WiFi card, GPS receiver, keyboard/mouse RF transmitter, FM receiver (connected to car antenna if possible)
Inside trunk:
> Computer, DVD drive (don’t really need to put it up front, won’t be using it much), amp for sound system, sound card, USB hubs
I don’t think I forgot anything too major…
My motherboard has two USB ports (there are headers for four more, but they won’t fit with the CarCPU case, will they?). Should I go with one powered hub, and an unpowered hub?
It would be nice to run everything off of the Opus, but I’m not sure that it will work.
Any recommendations on what I should do? Ideally, it would be nice to power the computer itself, the monitor, the USB hub, and the DVD player from the Opus, but 150W seems like it is pushing it, even with the CPU underclocked. I would like this because everything is on the Opus shutdown controller.
Looks like I’m going to need another DC-DC PSU. What should I power with it? The touchscreen is an obvious choice, as well as the DVD player… what about the USB hub? If I were to power the USB hub via a separate PSU, would any of the connected devices still use anything more than a miniscule amount of power from the PSU powering the computer? If this worked, it would be nice because the soundcard, WiFi card, etc. would no longer be putting a load on the main PSU. But… the PSU would have to keep providing power at least as long as the main Opus PSU keeps the computer on, because I will set it to keep running for a short amount of time, after the car is completely off. Should I just get a smaller Opus and set it with the same shutdown settings? Is there any way to use something like a relay with a smaller DC-DC PSU, so that it stays on as long as the Opus is on?
All in all, this shouldn’t be too impossible of a job. I need to get it done before school starts (yeah, I need to go to school in the summer ), and I’m getting very busy now, so this may not get done. I’m trying hard though…I’ll be installing this along with an audio system, something I’ve never done before, so I’ll be learning a lot. I have some other power questions, but they can wait until later. Right now I just want to focus on the lower level power issues.
Thanks very much!