The front panel
2013-09-14 16:40 by Ian
The front panel is the replacement face-plate for the radio box. It is the base of the user interface for the car computer.
The top plate
2013-08-23 09:50 by Ian
The top plate in the radio box holds the bulk of the custom circuitry for the car computer. Mounted to it, we have the public address (PA) amplifier, the DC/DC for the amplifier, my hand-built filter and audio-level shifter, the main CPU board, the audio board, and a handful of regulators and MOSFETs.
Automotive Isolation Box
2012-09-03 01:47 by Ian
This is a brief construction log of the barrier that sits between the computer and the hostile electrical environment found in a car.
Car PC: Linux distibution and customizations
2011-05-11 23:08 by Ian
The distro is Arch. It was chosen for its light-weight, customizability, and its fantastic documentation. Here, modifications to the basic repository-sourced installation are discussed.
2011.03.24: Controlling VLC from PHP via DBus
2011-03-24 01:42 by Ian
I was looking for a way to replace JVLC in the car computer. Mostly, this was motivated by a desire to eliminate the Java component of the software chain.
Mounting a MySQL database from a ram drive in slackware
2008-12-27 21:49 by Ian
My little 1GHz VIA EPIA board now runs a DB that will saturate the NIC. By running the database from files located in a RAM drive, hard drive speed is no longer a limiting factor in database performance.
Compiling JVLC for a 32-bit linux environment
2008-03-16 22:50 by Ian
When it doesn’t exist, you must build it yourself.
This is the outline of my tortuous experience building the java bindings for VLC on linux. I am happy to report that it does in fact work.
Comment [2]
The Car PC: Server-side software
2007-11-10 00:02 by Ian
The server at home that handles much of the remote work.
Comment [1]
Cloning CompactFlash Cards using WinHex
2005-02-05 12:16 by Ian
A procedure for making byte-for-byte copies of CF cards. Written while working at a camera repair shop that needed this capability, but it’s also useful for lifting partitions from a development system using a conventional hard drive and dropping them onto a CF card for operation in a finished condition (after appropriate edits).