# REALLY tiny pc / carputer.. fyi



## MaXius (Dec 18, 2009)

Just came across this little pc, and thought it'd be awesome for anyone considering integrating a carputer into their future build...

stealth computer - Ultra Small Mini PC, tiny powerful computers: Model LPC-100










Yes that's an iphone on top, not an ipad!


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## t3sn4f2 (Jan 3, 2007)

Nice find! The whole site is pretty bad ass.


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## chipss (Nov 13, 2009)

ran 2 of the stelths on a ship I was on a few years ago, held up well...and took a beating...


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## TestTones (Aug 29, 2011)

Awesome design but it's $1200! lol

I think it would be more affordable and with the proper effort, provide more services to just install a netbook and feed it to a touch screen head unit.


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## sebberry (May 1, 2008)

TestTones said:


> Awesome design but it's $1200! lol
> 
> I think it would be more affordable and with the proper effort, provide more services to just install a netbook and feed it to a touch screen head unit.


Or even better would be a Nettop. Only problem with them is the 19V input and rigging up a startup/shutdown system.


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## TestTones (Aug 29, 2011)

sebberry said:


> Or even better would be a Nettop. Only problem with them is the 19V input and rigging up a startup/shutdown system.


Very cool, I have never heard of nettop before. 
Looks like it might be a winner but can they be equipped with internet through cell phone service like a netbook?

I almost went with a netbook instead of a touch screen with my last install but didn't want to put in the custom work so it wouldn't look screwy and be cumbersome. The luxury of switching on something like Shoutcast flash based radio still has me trying to get it on my cell to patch into my head unit though. Sometimes it's nice to have a few thousand DJ's to choose from especially when most of the stations are commercial free or relatively so.
Until my phone cooperates, it's 8 gig SD cards


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## [email protected] (Jun 12, 2008)

The M model looks like it accepts 12 volts, still way to much money for those.


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## t3sn4f2 (Jan 3, 2007)

BeatsDownLow said:


> The M model looks like it accepts 12 volts, still way to much money for those.


Yup, definitely not a bargain setup, especially since all they brings is an inconsequential space saving.

I'd say if someone wants a CarPC, go for the more mass produced components and get that ~$700 display.


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## minbari (Mar 3, 2011)

you ever looked at epia's pico or mobile chassis computers? picos are about $400

pico
VIA Embedded

12V input
mobile
VIA Embedded


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## XtremeRevolution (Dec 3, 2010)

One way to find a really cheap computer is to find a laptop with a busted screen for sale. If the video output works (and you have a way to secure the cable so it doesn't fall out), you can have a very small and thin carputer for really cheap.


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## lurkist (Sep 9, 2011)

Really nice, not fussed on iPhones though...


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## TestTones (Aug 29, 2011)

I'm not an iphone or ipod guy either.
I guess if it's not a head unit that in itself is actually a carputer, most rigs will be a bit of a task to manipulate while you're driving. 

However, there are those USB wireless remotes so if you merely power up and use that to control your media, about the same as using a remote with a CD/DVD/SD player head unit.


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## TestTones (Aug 29, 2011)

Just beat the hell out of myself for about 7 hours by researching these Chinese tablets you can nab for about $200. You can tether it to your cell phone via bluetooth or USB cable and exploit it's modem for internet services.
Spend about $300 and you can get one with built in 3G and just drop in your cell phone sims card and connect to the internet. Spend $30-40 and you can get a USB modem that your cell sims pops into.

Grab a portable hard drive for about 50 bucks and you have a few hundred gigs of storage. Probably the best carputer option I've seen thus far. Toss out the ipod and if you're really ambitious, your entire head unit. There's a variety of mounting systems and 24 bit USB sound cards are incredibly cheap off ebay if the onboard is lacking. 16 gigs and you can add another 32 via SD cards. I would say pull your entire head unit and just stuff a hard drive and mounting bracket in the nice empty space but, laptops and netbooks are always noisy as hell because the power supplies feed them really dirty power and you pick up all your electrical noise so it means hard wiring in the power supply the same way you would your amp. Big fat wires and ground to body.

Amazon.com: New 10.2" Superpad3/Flytouch X220 16GB 1GHz Froyo Android 2.2 ePad Tablet PC with 512mb ram GPS with LEATHER CASE and CAR CHARGER: Electronics

$208 from the seller in Cali.
Order it from China on ebay, you get the same manufacturer and model for about $182 if you want to wait 20 days rather than 3-5.

I ordered mine off Amazon and will order a wireless remote with USB receiver for 5 bucks and see if they like each other.
Case with built in keyboard runs 15 bucks from asia, 16 state side.


Update...Read the following info!

Crap I forgot a follow up!
*So it turns out 90% of your Flytouch/Flyingtouch tablets are counterfeits!* I had this happen with an Iphone clone where they actually counterfeit the number 1 counterfeit so you get a copy of the copy and it's a hunka junka. 

Anyway, the Flytouch tablets on Amazon and Ebay are almost all fakes. The specific way to know is the battery size. An Ibex Flytouch will have a 7800/8000 maH battery. So to make a long story short, I canceled the order, spent an extra hundred bucks and am awaiting an Ibex Flyingtouch 4 with built in 3G and capacitive touch screen. 

Link to all Ibex tablets:
iBex Tablets and Accessories

Link to FlyingTouch 4 with 3G and capacitive touch screen:
Flytouch 4 Capacitive Multi-Touch Flytouch 3 - Built-in 3G GPS, Phone Calling

Admittedly, a puny drive size to start but the internal can be upgraded plus you can add two external SD cards totaling 48gb -2 for the droid shell and add a USB hard drive if you want excessive amounts of storage. Add a candybar keyboardm usb bluetooth and you probably won't use your head unit for much. I listen to a lot of shoutcast radio on their imbedded flashplayer so if I don't want to deal with file surfing, I can get DJ'd radio with no or very little commercial interruptions.
SHOUTCAST FREE INTERNET FLASH RADIO V5 | LISTEN ALL STREAMS FROM SHOUTcast Internet-Radio

This is why I wanted 3G. Internet anywhere and unlike all the other carputer systems I checked into, I can grab this unit, throw it in a keypad case and it doubles as a touch screen netbook.


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