VoomPC puts a PC in your car for $300

If you've been looking to put a PC into your car but have balked at the costs or the amount of DIY work involved, you may want to take a look at the VoomPC M10000 from VIA and Mini-Box. The companies claim the VoomPC is the first car PC kit available for under $300, and, while we're sure you can do it yourself for less (you can get the VoomPC enclosure for just $80, and add parts a la carte if you think you can pull it off), it seems like a decent barebones package, combining the enclosure, power supply and motherboard with a 1GHz VIA C3 processor. Of course, as with any barebones package, you still have to do a little yourself; there's no hard drive or OS included, and you're on your own when it comes to installing it in your car and hooking up a display and input device. But this certainly doesn't seem like a bad way to start.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this one in]

[John @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM]

cool

[TZK @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM]

There is a company who makes a single DIN pc enclosure for the car. I forgot the company, but, I will try and get that info and anyone who is thinking about doing this. IF anyone else beats me to it, cool.. Im sure I will have problems locating the info. Awesome cool case though. AND. tada!!... DIN!

[Homer J @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM]

I have built ATX systems but dont have much knowledge on Mini-ITX and a car PC. Anyone have any idea where you can find a parts list or examples of what goes into one of these car PC's. Also any idea on what involed in a Linus install....

[Sasquatch @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM]

Isn't Voom the HD Network that failed? They going to screw this up too?

[Alcaron @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM]

Ok, listen, I've allready spent $800 on my 350Z in the last month....please, I....my WALLET....begs you, stop....for the love of god!

[Sasquatch @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM]

Wait till you start making the repairs on that American built Z...heh

[Cheeze @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM]

I wish someone would make a case that takes a mini-ITX motherboard, has a good power supply, and space for 6-10 hard drives.

I use a mini-itx as my file server, and it's hard to find a good small case that can mount 6-10 drives.

[onii @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM]

hi Alcaron! fellow z33 here. are u on my350z or tech?

anyway...considering there's no hd, wouldnt it be about the same to get a mac mini? that's what most people do if they dont want a DIY. fits nicely in the Z too.

[Lunar Dog @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM]

Cheeze,
for what friggin reason you are going to need 6 to 10 drives for a car, do u really need 1.5 TB of mp3 to take with you. Get Real....

[brian @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM]

so how difficult would it be to put an hd and gps into this then wire it to some cheapo screen?

[Rishard @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM]

Which is the plug for power on this thing? I can't make it out.

[Lenny Nuccio @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM]

The 350Z is made in Japan, not the U.S. The Altima, Maxima, Frontier, Xterra, Pathfinder, Titan, Armada and Quest are all made in the U.S. The Sentra is made in Mexico while the Murano and 350Z still continue to be made oversea's in Japan. Just for future reference.

[Lenny Nuccio @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM]

The 350Z is made in Japan, not the U.S. The Altima, Maxima, Frontier, Xterra, Pathfinder, Titan, Armada and Quest are all made in the U.S. The Sentra is made in Mexico while the Murano and 350Z still continue to be made oversea's in Japan. Just for future reference.

[yoda @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM]

Voom != VoomPC

I miss my Voom :/. Was the only place where I could get my HD fix for a good bargain.

[Ducasir @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM]

The machine gives power leads and you are required to run them to your power source. Just like hooking up a car radio. You have to run it to the ignition or wire in a switch to power on.

[Frank Palazzi @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM]

Now, if we can just hack the Developers version of Mac OS10.4 for Intel into this it would be great.

[Jon (another Jon) @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM]

www.mp3car.com (all you need to know)
www.car-tft.com (sweet dash-mountable touch screens)
www.mini-itx.com (plenty of mini-itx info)

Homer J, the Via processors/motherboards are i386 so you'd have no trouble installing Linux on it.

If the power supplies in these boxes don't support automatically booting up and shutting down the box when you turn the car on/off, you can get one here. www.opussolutions.com.

I have lots of parts (screen, power supply, USB GPS, more) left over from a second carputer install that I didn't finish (decided I was happy enough with my current one). If anybody is interested, I email me at [e-mail] and I'll cut you a deal.

[David @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM]

Oh great, now the idiot driving (slowly) ahead of me will not only be talking on his cell phone, but also reading his e-mail.

[Google Nazi @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM]

As cool as this device is i am sure it has already been invented. plus, what is wrong with carrying a mac mini in a car? a mac mini would be far more powerful and i'm sure winamp is also available for mac. But yet, 1ghz is too crappy for even a cell phone lol

(remembers the day when 1ghz was unheard of and 100mhz was the shiznits)

[Dave @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM]

What's the best solution to link this up with some type of communications solution to get it on the net? Cellular? Some type of always-on unlimited data service?

[TIMMAH! @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM]

Yeah the shutdown/boot-up time is an issue. The whole PC-in-a-car is a little overkill IMHO. I just wish the PPC manufacturers would recognize that there's a mobile market out there and come up with DIN-sized PPC (or have the hidden pull out screen like the recent Pioneer stuff.)

[Ian Jardine @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM]

VIA recently annouced a line of low power CPUs for mobile computers/laptops etc that use tiny power and cost much less than anything Intel/AMD offer. Wonder why one of these cpus insn't the base?

[spiralscratch @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM]

Seems like a decent deal for $300, given that it includes an auto-ready PSU.

The only problem I have with it is that due to using a generic mainboard, the ports are not appropriate for a car. Toss out the PS/2 ports, audio minijacks and (maybe) the serial port. Use a combo composite/s-video jack. Add proper RCA audio jacks and digital audio in/out.

The compact flash and PC card slots are nice additions.

[Mike @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM]

Match that PC Card slot with an EVDO card from Verizon and their service for $60/month and you have sweet broadband on the road. You could even take out the card and use it in an EVDO router at home.

[Travis @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM]

Shuttingdown/booting up wouldnt be such a problem if somehow somwone could develop a stripped down (even more) version of Linux or Mac. Right now i run my IBM Thinkpad R31 off a dock i installed in my Montero sport. I have a sing 100 gig HD with my AAC/Mp3's. All that leads into my Jensen indash. I'd like a fulltime instant on PC in there without movin my laptop all da time.

[PaulPv @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM]

I have had a [almost] 1DIN unit in my 350Z for nearly 2 years now. I have been looking at this VoomPC for awhile and am thinking of upgrading to it soon.
(I like the M12000 and its built in CF and PCMCIA slot).
I also have a few pointers to a true 1DIN ITX PC on my personal web site's Journal:
http://www.swooby.com/z/navpc/

[fusion75 @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM]

Travis what dock did you install. Do you have any pictures

[Dewey @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM]

How are people powering their lcd screens? cut the 12V power plug and wire it directly to the battery? or do you go thru the computer power supply?

[mofur @ Dec 19th 2005 1:37AM]

The voompc car pc kit is not quite new and as for me i expect the future design, more 'agresive' with more power.
http://www.mini-box.com/s.nl/category.87/it.A/id.373/.f