The Vauxhall Vectra CarPC Overview - A Presentation CSCBy Terran Brown

Presenter: Terran Brown – Letscommunicate.co.uk

This document/presentation has been prepared by Terran Brown for the sole use of himself. The contents are confidential and must not be communicated in whole or in part to any other party without the prior written approval of Terran Brown.

The following notice applies to this document and shall be reproduced on any permitted copies:

© 2006 Terran Brown

Any request for further information concerning this document should be addressed to: Terran Brown

Terran Brown - Who Is He ?

• I have worked in the IT industry for ‘Blue Chip’ companies since the early 90’s on various technical roles from wide area networking, to PC build and server support.

• Currently working as Project Manager for a leading international outsourcing company still working with large ‘Blue Chip’ customers.

• It was a result of my technical background that the interest in the CarPC technology grew to the point where I am now one of the more recognised enthusiasts from the UK.

• The Vectra CarPC has been featured both in printed press such as Fast N’ Modified & on line such as CNET & Autohacks

• I have written a number of articles for PC Extreme, CarPC Hacks ( Book ) and have a regular column at Cartft.com

• Currently I moderate and contribute to managing digital-car.co.uk

• The project home site can be found at http://www.letscommunicate.co.uk/carpc/

An Overview Of CarPC’s

• CarPCs about creating custom Audio Equipment for a car designed and based around a standard PC

• CarPCs can either integrate with or replace an ‘In car Audio System and their price point is much lower too

• The provide, MP3, DVD, GPS, DTT, Internet functions and much more

• They require specialised power supplies but can use almost any PC or even MAC

• Custom Front End Software providing an easy access interface is also needed along with the base OS

• Most front ends are sinkable and therefore can be tailored for individual needs

• Most front ends are touch screen capable however can use a normal remote control if needed

The Car• Vectra GSI B Face Lift• One of the final Production Cars• Originally an SRI – Converted By MSD• 2.6ltr V6 24V• 0 to 60 in 8.4 Seconds• Top speed of 145 MPH• Featured in both on and off line publications

The Interface & Screen• In Dash ( Single DIN Size )• Colour coded with the car• 800x600 screen size• Full VGA & 2 times composite• Touch screen overlay acts as the mouse• USB compatible

The Hardware• VIA EPIA 12000 MII• 512MB Memory• 40GB 2.5 Hard drive for reliability• Mini-box M2 ATX PSU• TDK ‘Go Blue’ PCMCIA card for Phone control & Internet connectivity• Navilock SiRF II / RDS TMC GPS• Creative MP3+ external sound card• A number of custom leads inc AWG cable for power

The Front End Aspect• Designed to match the car• Large animated buttons• Clear display of major functions• Displays current track information• New version Flash based• Uses Winamp in the background• The Operating System & changing data are kept separate to minimise

fragmentation

The GPS & Other Software• Freedrive is the main GPS app• Freedrive is freeware• It is Destinator based & uses Tele-atlas maps• Phonecontrol.net is used to interact with the mobile phone providing full

control• Mobileweb allows access to Internet traffic pages

Advantage Of This System

• Smaller and more reliable compared to v1 though to v3

• Cheaper than an off the shelf system

• More customised for the user than an off the shelf system

• Easier to use than an a off the shelf system

• Has a better ‘smile factor’ than an off the shelf system

Outlook For The Future

• Current improvements are evolutionary and not revolutionary

• Implementation of two way dynamic location based data

• Hardware upgrade of the screen

• Tighter integration of other devices with the system such as PDAs, home automation & other CarPCs.

More Information / Sites / Publications Showing This Project

• Project Web Site http://www.letscommunicate.co.uk/carpc or on Sky Digital @ wtv.letscommunicate.co.uk

• UK CarPC Forum – http://www.digital-car.co.uk/

• Cartft.com is an EU based CarPC Hardware and Software Specialist

• CNET have a dedicated CarPC section

• There is also a number of books available such as CarPC hacks

All information copyrightLetscommunicate.co.uk