Steve's Ford Focus Car PC / Carputer Project

Thanks for visiting my Car PC website. In here you'll find information about the Car PC / Carputer I've built and installed into my 2003 Ford Focus. Above you will see links to each distinct section, and to the right there are more links related to the page you are on.

My Car PC has been featured in Custom PC, Gigahz Magazine and Computer Shopper.

Although I'd have liked to continue development of the Car PC - and had good intentions in 2009, unfortunately it wasn't to be. After the birth of our first daughter, Isabelle, my priorities changed yet again and sadly that means I don't expect to have any time for the Car PC in the foreseeable future.

Car PC Blog - my development blog for the Car PC, updated

Car PC Install - my install

Car PC Downloads - Software I have written and links to other useful software. Source code now included

Components - I've attempted to list as many links to components I've used to build the Car PC, from multiple suppliers for your convenience.

About Me - If you want to find more about me.

or for an introduction, scroll down...

What does it do?

The Car PC is tightly integrated into the Car itself. It's able to play radio, music, DVD (or Divx) movies, connect to the internet, show traffic information, connect into the car's engine management system to show real-time data from the car's engine, warn me of speed cameras, be used as a hand-free kit for my phone and perform advanced routing and navigation. It's controlled by using a lilliput touchscreen that has been fabricated into the dashboard, and built using a VIA EPIA Mini-ITX motherboard, Opus auto PSU, with the primary software used being Windows XP and Centrafuse. Of course I don't want it to do just that and whenever I get a spare chance I'm thinking up new uses for it and working out the best way to implement them. As well as being a complete telematics solution, it also caters for all my ICE needs.

Here's a run down of what it does so far..

• Voice Control - Working
• Satellite Navigation / GPS - Working
• Satellite Tracking - Working
• Cameras - Working
• Internet Access - Working both Mobile GPRS/WLAN
• Live TPEG Traffic Data - Working
• Information from the Car's OBD II Engine Management Computer(Working)
• Videos and DVDs - Working (Only used when legal to do so!!!)
• Radio - Working
• MP3 - Working
• Mobile Phone hands free - Working

If you've been here before, you might remember this as the MR2 Car PC website - the MR2's met it's death sadly but the old pictures are still here inside the car pc install section.

Why have I installed it?

Why not? The CarPC does everything a bunch of expensive commercial systems will do, all through a single interface. It also feels a lot more rewarding to get it working just right yourself and know if you want it to do something more, you can usually find someone who's done in or someone who's willing to work with you to get it sorted. There's a whole community out there willing to work with you!

Hopefully, if you're thinking of upgrading your ICE system to something a bit different from the norm, you'll find that building your own is a rewarding and interesting experience. Even if you are thinking of pre-built systems from suppliers such as Drivesoft, you will find that building you own is a lot cheaper, not much harder and a lot more fun!

How can I get help building my own Car PC?

Hopefully my site can help you and provide some inspiration and you can contact me if you would like a guide for something in particular or can't find the answer to a question you have. The is also a community of Car PC installers & suppliers across the globe who are usually willing to help to!