Hi guys, great forum and LOADS of info! I have been reading for a while but haven't posted yet.
I currently have a double din spot in my dash with a head unit and and dvd player, with the screen mounted on the roof. The dvd player does not work properly anymore and the head unit is playing up so I am going to replace with a carputer. What I am planning to do..

Touch screen moulded in the dash. ( hole in dash is 4" x 7", is this a common screen size?)

Old p4 system that i have lying around will be used.(Need info on dc-dc power supply, what is reccomended? Will a cheap sound card be ok to run an amp off?) (what operating system?)

Will have sat nav. Oziexplorer for offroad.(Need suggestions on On road navigating. Suggestions for gps device?)

I would like to set up a reverse camera. (What does this connect to the pc with? usb? does it need additional software to run?

If possible i would like to keep atleast FM radio but i have read this is difficult. Any solutions yet?

Obviously I need to do some more research but this will help me on my way.
Thanks for reading!

ah the DC-DC power suply just type that into google, once you know what setup you'll be using (comp) go to new egg.. and under power suplys they have a section called wattage calculator dump what you have into that and you should get an idea of the power you'l need...
as for the OS you can use linux or win or what ever you want...

for the revers camera you could use a TV Card, that sould also solve the FM Radio...

and the sound car you shuld look as spending 50 - 100 on a sound card...

Blade are you a member on www.patrol4x4.com?

If not get on there and in the GU discussion do a search theres a few guys with carPCs in GUs one guy in WA has an extreemly good setup in a GU I/II/III series with a very large LCD.

Not meaning to take away from discussion here - but those guys have a lot of experiance with this exact issue - and as far as im concerned theres no point in re-inventing the wheel.

Do you just want "satnav" turn by turn navigation or are you after OziExplorer type navigation for 4x4 tracks?

This might be a long post, so here we go:

The opening is sounding like a double din. The opening is almost exactly the size of a 7" screen. But with the casing of the screen, it will be a tab larger. Top quality screens are Lilliput or Xenarc. Both are fairly hard to come across in Australia. But i did find a local dealer, and this is also where i got my screen from. Link Here

Old Pentium 4 system, is it a 20 or 24 pin atx plug that is needed? You may have to get a 20 pin to 24 pin connector for this to power it.

For dc-dc power supply I would recommend an M2-ATX. It can handle up to 160 watts. Link Here.

On-road navigation. Personally i use IGuidance. It seems alright to use. Got a copy of Australian maps (2005 maps ) But the program that you use is entirely up to you. Another one that you could check out is MapMonkey.

For an operating system, XP would obviously be the most avaliable, but to save space and boot up times, there are a few mods that you can do to it, called Xp 'nLite' or 'TinyXP'.

In conjuction with XP, the main software that you would use is called a Front End. It is a piece of software that intergrates all your fuctions into a easy to use system. I personally use 'Road Runner', with a modified skin. Here's some photos of it.
Menu Screen


Music Screen


It is is possible to have the reverse camera to go through the computer, but that takes up processing power, so it would just be recommended to have a camera with a TV output, so you can just plug it straight into the AV1 plug on the screen.

Personally i haven't bothered with FM radio, as i have read that the reception is craphouse to say the least. But if there were to be a device that i would get for it, it would be called 'XM Radio'. Haven't got a link for it at this stage.

Well there is my mini essay.

For alot more, and i mean like, everything you need. check out MP3Car

And for the record. I have just used the websites provided for illustration purposes.

see my post in Eee-pc. Always pick a pc that avoids invertors and/or additional power supplies and a pc that requires a dc input greater that 14.4v. In my case the HP-e-pc is 19vdc input so i use a laptop power lead from jaycar to go up to the 19vdc. I also use a 12vdc 7.2amp sealed battery ($39) as the "main" power source, therefore, it also acts as a filter. It charges of the car battery and maintains power to the pc (isolation circuit) when the engine is started. I havent found anything that won't run on my pentium 3 1g cpu. I use xppro and only have the windows icon i need on the screen ("vga" touch - multi input & TV tuner) and set to large icon (finger size). Menu systems are a nice to have but for the most part are a distraction and unreliable. there is also a little program called fast shutdown which i have as an icon and down she goes. the little red but on the dash and screen pick is the power switch for the pc in the boot "see photo at Eee-pc"
when you run the vga cable from the pc to the screen get a shielded cable from the computer markets, also same for usb to the hubs. mine are powered (5vdc) because i run bluetooth, wireless and other stuff. you will have to make a shielded audio cable to feed stereo output from pc to audio input on stereo.
a lot of blokes here seem to go nuts with the size and type of pc, example P4 with everything. I spotted my HP-e-pc and the computer markets for $150, the vga touch screen is old now (was $450) but now down to around the $250 mark without tv tuner. over again i would get an 8in screen and one better able to cope with reflected light. there is a term for it which escapes me. my little project took the discovery of the e-pc which solved the power issues, obtain the vga touch screen and it was together and installed in a day.
with ozi-explorer get the travelmate addon http://travelmate.valkron.com/index.htm .its also worth investing in the ubd city streets and regional dvd's as they are both gps referenced and load through ozi-explorer or stand alone. you really dont need turn by turn navigation if a gps and a map can show your current location. also track down the topo maps and hunt around for "other maps" like city centres, bus routes, ferries and trams - very useful
if a private pm is possible here i will give you my email address

good luck..cheers..fossil.