Well, what's new? A lot of things:

- new LCD 4:3 8";
- new DVD drive - Panasonic, slot load DVD/CD-RW;
- new DC-DC converter from iTuner;
- new layout inside the case;
- new case!

The layout and the new case are still in development, but are almost done. I'll post some new pictures as soon as I am ready to show something nice.

Oh yeah! The software has changed too. Removed some buttons, added 'today' info. I am working now on the DVD-player and fixing some bugs in the CD-player.

I need some Visual C++ developers to help me out! Please send me an e-mail, if you feel like you want to help me finish this applicaiton.

I wanted to try the new 8" LCD from Lilliput. The reason for this is that the 8" model is 4:3, not a widescreen. This makes the application look much better and I think the maps are looking better too. The touchscreen is better and more reliable than the 7" model.

The bigger LCD is of better quality, I think. There is only one problem - it is really big. The screen itself is higher (of course) and as much as twice ticker than the 7" widescreen LCD. I have to think of another way to attach this LCD to my dashboard, because it is too heavy for my current cell phone holder.

I thought my EPIA 5000 died, but it turned out the problem was in the power supply connector. One of the cables of the ATX connector was not soldered very well and this caused the board to work on and off. I guess there is a good power protection on the board, because it didn't burn, but works as new.

I ordered a new board before I found the real problem, but having one more EPIA around is not bad at all. I'd be able now to test my software before I download it on the car PC.

I want to thank all people that sent me emails asking to become beta testers of my software. I really appreciate your will to help me out with this task. I will make a link on my page, where you can download the latest release for beta-testing, as soon as I have something that I think is good to be called a release candidate. Thanks again guys.

My EPIA 5000 died. Or it looks like dead. It powers up and shuts down (I can see the fan of the PSU running and stopping), but the screen remains black. In a very scary way black.

Maybe it is time to re-design everything around a new mini-ITX motherboard.

There were no pictures of the front panel of the unit. Go to Pictures/Case to see more.

Metal angle brackets are glued to the plastic panel.

I had some trouble making the front panel of the car PC. That is why there was no picture of it fully assembled.

Now it is done and you can see how nice it looks. The front panel is a bit shiny though. In fact, you can see the reflection of the building across the street. I hope you will not use some forensic tools to track me down...

Today I decided that it is time to “go public”.

The page was ready for some time now, but I always waned to add something more to it, before I show the world my project. As you can see, the result is that the page is near perfect right now.

I still have some picture to take and to post, which I’ll probably do in the next couple of days.

Please send your comments and ideas, I’d be glad to know somebody else finds my car PC an interesting project.

Of course, I had to come up with some nice name for my car PC. Here it goes: