Mini-ITX

Post by **Derek** » Sat Jun 02, 2007 3:20 pm

Has anyone played with VIA's EPIA brand of Mini-ITX mobos? I'm building a CarPuter and the EPIA board looks perfect for my application: Low heat, low power consumption, but all the functionality of a normal mobo.

I've ordered a few goodies already. I'll post some pics when they arrive

InactiveX · Post by **InactiveX** » Sun Jun 03, 2007 5:37 am

Hey Derek, how about a little write-up on building your CarPuter?

And please remember to keep your eyes on the road!

InactiveX · Post by **InactiveX** » Sun Jun 03, 2007 6:22 am

Post by **Derek** » Sun Jun 03, 2007 1:39 pm

InactiveX wrote:Hey Derek, how about a little write-up on building your CarPuter?

And please remember to keep your eyes on the road!

Absolutely!

I have a confession to makeâ€¦ As much as I am a computer geek, Iâ€™m a car nut too!

Iâ€™m installing a data-logging system in the car; it monitors many things including air/fuel ratios, RPM, EGT, boost pressure, etc. The beauty is you can hook it up to a laptop and read all the info in real-time or you can connect a little LCD panel that is purchased separately.

So that got me thinking.

I always wanted to install a carputer and what better reason is there than to monitor your engine! Iâ€™ll have all the readings displayed on an 8â€

Dave Rave · Post by **Dave Rave** » Mon Jun 04, 2007 2:31 am

I want to know about the power supply
I've seen a 12v input, to 20 pin connector, plus the hdd/fdd connectors, but not sure about reasonable pricing
and availabilty in oz.

check the smoothwall forums too.
some of them have built ITX systems for tiny computer firewalls.
some of those tiny ITX come with lay on top daughter boards for up to 4 LAN connections. freaky cool ...

KliK · Post by **KliK** » Mon Jun 04, 2007 6:09 am

the question is the PSU unit...where to find one that will do the 12V to all other V required?

and the cooler...it's big on the board...and it will rip of the board or the PGA from the board when going through the curves...so think about that!

Post by **Derek** » Wed Jun 06, 2007 2:01 pm

The PSUs are about 70-100 dollars. The neat thing is that they are intelligent PSUs in the way that they control the on/off switch.

Think about it, turning the car on and off constantly without properly shutting down the computer will kill it. The PSU can be set to send a signal to the mobo when accessory power has been turned off (ignition off) and properly shutdown the system.

The heatsink should be fine. Iâ€™m not the first one to build a carputer and I havenâ€™t seen any problematic reports.

Iâ€™ll keep you posted.