Hello folks well as you might know many new cars already of onboard systems Like Onstar and a Cars own OBD2 computer and other have some form of computer assist system However I been thinking about Installing my own ideas of what you would like to see in your car Like Voice control of your car systems and internet. Example : You get in your truck and the Computer tells you Good morning Time is 8:42am Temp outside is 21* today's forecast is rain with high winds. You have a doctors appointment at 9:15am would you like a map?
Your low on gas in a town you don't really know you need to find a gas bar quick With my computer it reads your Low fuel light your computer turns on and tells you : John you need fuel The nearest fuel bar is 1.1kms / miles away @ 211 Church st. @98.2 a liter. The cheapest fuel bar is 2.6kms/miles @ 4801 Main st @ 94.8 a liter Do you need directions? ( Yes ) it gives you a map

You can also run a OBD2 sensor giving you real time stats on your truck Run codes and tell you what is wrong with your truck : Tells you your code then the part not working IE > O2 sensor and a list of mechanic shops close by and or Auto parts stores with a list of prices in the area
Audio : with voice control you can ask for a music file "rock" it finds all of your "rock" marked music as 82 files then name the group or song and it plays it otherwise it will play the 82 files one another the other or you can say "next" or go into "Dance" "Jazz" or Play movies on your main centre Touchscreen in HD with stored movies "Play movie" "Star wars" There are 3 listings for "Star wars" (#1) Empire strikes back, (#2) Return of the jedi etc...Phone calls would work pretty much the same way or link into your facebook account
Your computer will have it's own 3 hour or 6 hour battery when your truck is not running which does not effect your truck battery
The name of the computer is Banana Pi and Raspberry Pi I been looking into some of the new items they are coming out with i think the newest is a Quad core CPU which runs less votts then the older models and your able to run normal size Hard drives on it 1Tb or SSD work All this and the computer it's self fits in the palm of your hand AND is only in the $40-$50 range + the add-ons So with the items metioned above they are all avaliable I just need to work on each item into a whole which takes time I will update here and maybe have more goodies in store

 

Kudos to you. I have been working on a full fledged car pc myself. I have all the hardware, just writing up software to use it all. The software is becoming time consuming, but then again, I write it in my spare time, which with a 3 and 1 yr old, is not much!

 

I figured the Pi's would become great for this kinda stuff eventually. Personally my mind goes to DSP software and controls for the stereo system, but a functional voice command/information system wouldn't be bad either. Gotta love modern technology.

 

Tell you the truth a friend of mine awhile back was a Flight sim Nut to the point he had a homemade cockpit with all the toys But also has his own gadets built in where he would say : set flaps and they would lower add flap and the would rise in all i think he had 10 commands and a head tracker that would move the picture in the screen when he moved his own head slightly to the left or right and up and down. So to me the idea was why not everyday use

 

I've wanted to do a CarPC since my last truck, just never got around to it... I've sort of shifted my intentions to an Android based multimedia center now. There's some pretty decent units on eBay and Amazon running KitKat OS, just sized as your average double din unit and in the same form factor so installation is a breeze, and it integrates everything seamlessly such as GPS, Bluetooth, wifi, USB and AUX inputs, RCA outputs, and has the amplified door speaker outputs already there, so no need to go from a CarPC's pre-amp output to a separate amplifier

 

blazen_red_4x4, I just did that to my Jimmy, added an Android unit and couldn't be happier! I'm still working on the finish and the personalization, but that is an ongoing process. Great thing about the unit I have is that when I kick it into reverse it also kicks on a reverse camera and the whole 9 yards.

The only draw back to any of these onboard computers is they tend to take longer to boot up than just a standard radio (as expected with an OS and all the other supporting programs)

Anywho, if you're interested in seeing it I posted a thread about it here, and I'd be happy to offer any tips or pointers.
https://blazerforum.com/forum/builds...version-88445/

 

Sweet! Yeah I was kind of expecting to find an longer boot up, but the sorry Pioneer double din I have in my Blazer right now takes almost a full minute to boot every time I hop in the truck, so I would bet that the Android OS boots up faster than that lol

 

I would estimate mine takes 30sec? I don't know I've never really timed it but by the time I've backed up (the backup camera overrides the screen so the unit continues to boot in the background) and gotten set to move forward, it is usually either ready or just finishing it's boot. So I have no complaints for my personal use.