This is the update archive. Most of this information is obsolete.

Update #22 (o7-19-oo):
I bought a 4" LCD for the rear driver headrest. It's sweet. The installation is a nightmare but it's almost finished. This brings the LCD screen count up to 2 (3 if you count the HUD). I'll probably put the CrystalFontz LCD behind the passenger headrest and put a CPU graph on it or something.
Power problems: The car has to be on in order for me to have the computer on now. I may have to upgrade my alternator and/or battery. Possibly add another battery in parallel. I'm not sure what the solution to this is just yet.
The overheating problem as been solved with the new case.

Update #21 (o6-30-oo):
I put the computer in the new case. I need to carpet the case and I'll put pictures up after that. I need to track down a digital camera before I'll be able to put any more pictures on the page. The setup has been mostly redone so the pictures on here are waaay out of date. Expect some new pictures soon.

Update #20a (o6-19-oo):
I changed some of the backend of the webserver / database today. Not really related to the car, but I felt like I needed to update the page with something.

Update #20b (o6-19-oo):
I ordered a new case for the computer a few days ago. I've been having some overheating problems, so I'm hoping the new case pushes enough cool air to keep things running. If I still have problems, I'm going to have to add a large CPU cooler. Few things suck more than watching Scarface only half way through.

Update #19 (o6-o6-oo): (long overdue)
Well, I got out of my first speeding ticket because of the computer last night. The cop pulled me for doing 92 in a 70 and got to looking at the computer and asking about it (cops have computers in their cars too, albeit not as sweet). We chatted about it for a little bit then he cut me loose. Sweet sweet. I don't even want to calculate what that one would've cost me. The Florida Highway Patrol rock!

Update #18 (o5-o4-2ooo):
Today the CPU overheated for the first time. I'm going to dial the clock down from 450 MHz to 300MHz or something to keep it a little cooler. I'll probably add some better fans to the CPU to keep it cool. The car was sitting out in the sun all day today (which is rare) so I'm not going to sweat it just yet.

Update #17 (o5-o1-2ooo):
Today, the President of the United States lifted the Selected Availability (SA) that degrades GPS signals. This means that my car GPS is now accurate to within a few feet of it's actual position. Thanks, Bill- you done something right (besides just Monica).

Update #16 (04-2o-2ooo):
I think I'm going to put a UPS in the car to provide an extra layer of power. More pictures are due soon, so I'll put some up when I get some time.

Update #15 (04-13-2ooo):
Since I now have an extra serial port, I'm putting the Palm Pilot Cradle on it. This way I can "sync" names and addresses with my car / home / work / pilot. Does this make me wierd? Jeez.

I can't find a wireless joystick anywhere!!! ACK!

If you know where I might find one please let me know. I found one called the dForce but it got a bad review and it's not right for my car. Someone help!

Update #14 (04-13-2ooo):
I removed the X10 Mouse Remote from the car. The remote wasn't working as well as I wanted it to (specifically when there are many people in the car the radio signals get blocked. Very strange). The keyboard has an intellipoint that works great and it's on the keyboard so I don't have to worry about a separate mouse. While driving, at least 1 hand must always be on the wheel (obviously). So the steps required were:
a) put keyboard down
b) pick up mouseremote
c) click
d) put down mouseremote
e) pick up keyboard
Kind of a pain in the ass eh? So, 86'd the mouseremote.

Update #13 (04-12-2ooo):
I remastered my web server last night. Thats why the page was offline. Unfortunately, I can't display both NTSC and VGA together on the HUD. I don't think the video would look very good anyay, so I'm going to stick to just the speedometer right now. It's going to take quite a bit of work anyway so it will probably be a while before I get that functioning 1oo% (if ever).

Update #12 (04-03-2ooo):
I received the HUD display today. It's pretty cool.

Update #11 (April 1st, 2ooo [Fool's day]):
I trashed the entire system. I removed everything from my car. Project abandoned.

Update #10 (03-3o-2ooo):
Okay, so I'm getting extreme here, but I just bought an M1 Wearable Heads Up Display. I found a sample unit for a decent price and decided ahh what the hell. I'm just a car accident waiting to happen. Anyway, the HUD projects a display in front of me in one eye. The actual resolution is 240x320 but the interpolated resolution is 640x480 in 256 shades of grey. The new display means that I'm going to migrate the OS to Linux completely. I'm going to write my own software that will use 2 video cards. The center console video is going to be regular X - Windows running x11amp, nudie pictures, etc. I'll have to write custom software that will display a separate video on the HUD. I'm thinking about displaying speed (MPH) and whatever else I can gather from the car. This part of the project is going to be very involved and will take a while. I've already developed a plan about gathering the speed of the car from the driveshaft and a magnetic reed switch. The switch is going to go on the parallel port of the PC and I'll read in the # of switch closures and translate that into MPH. I did a writeup about how it's done for my old Camaro here. I have many ideas about fun things I can do with this. As usual, expect updates as they become available. I'll be getting the display in a few days.

Since the HUD takes both NTSC and ANALOG VGA signals, I'm thinking about adding a small CCD camera to the back of the car. I think I can superimpose the VGA signal on top of the CCD signal. Then I would have a rearview mirror projected in front of me at all times. I'm not sure what it's going to be like driving like this, but I'll know soon I guess.

Update #9 (03-22-2ooo):
I just bought some black automotive fabric that matches the interior trunk of my car. I'm going to cover the computer case with it so it matches the trunk. I'll add pictures when I get them.

Update #8 (03-13-2ooo):
I'm finished with the wiring and the mount for the LCD. I'll have pictures of it up in a few days. I was going to get pictures developed today but they weren't ready at lunchtime, so I'll get them tomorrow and put them on the page then. So far everything is working perfectly and I haven't had any problems with anything. I've bumped into some minor issues but nothing worth noting. Here in Florida it's illegal to have a television display within the drivers immediate view. Luckily, the keyboard has a "close" button that closes the current application. I'm going to program one of the mouseremote buttons to minimize the DVD movie should I ever get pulled over. I certainly can't watch movies while I drive, but my passengers enjoy it.

Since the system now has a display, I can run both Windows and Linux on it. I can choose at startup which I prefer (Linux) but for now I'll use Windows until I actually get everything up and running while I get all the right toys for Linux.

Update #7 (03-03-2ooo):
I've been working on the mount for the LCD. I'm going to dedicate this weekend to finishing it. So far everything is coming together nicely. I installed PcAnywhere on both computers so I can see my Jetta's computer in a window on my home machine (when they're networked). I found a sweet RF wireless keyboard / mouse that I'm going to put in the car too. This way I'll have a fully functioning workstation in the car. Obviously I won't be able to use it while I'm driving, but my passengers can play Quake, watch DVD's, etc. I found some 5" NTSC LCDs real cheap, so I may put 2 of them behind the driver and passenger headrests. This way the people in the backseat will have video too. Since the video in the backseat is going to be NTSC, the graphics aren't going to be clear enough for GPS. They'll pretty much just have DVD, Quake, and WinAMP.

Update #6 (02-29-2ooo):
I received the LCD display this morning. I've been playing with it all day at work. It's a bit big because they sent me the 9.4" display (which I think is actually 10" diagonal). I'm going to build a wooden housing for it and mount it in my center dash console. I'm going to have to live with the fact that it's going to cover up the radio and vent controls. I'll still have access to them but I'll have to reach behind the display. I'll put pictures up in the next few days.

Update #5 (02-26-2ooo):
I still haven't received the LCD display. I did receive the Delorme GPS and software. I'm using some simple address book software in the car that's linked to my home phone database. I'm sure it will come in handy for cellphone use.

Update #4 (02-23-2ooo):
It turns out that since they were out of stock on the 8.4" LCD they're going to give me a 9.4" LCD for the same price. Should be a few more days until I get it though. I received the X10 Mouse remote yesterday. It's works well.

Update #3 (02-18-2ooo):
I figured that since I'm going to have a real display in the car I might as well put something fun on it like GPS. I just bought StreetAtlas 7.o and the EarthMate GPS receiver. The GPS is going on the serial port that the serial LCD is currently using. I haven't received the GPS yet, but when it arrives the fun will begin. The CrystalFontz LCD display is going to get moved into my home so I'll probably put together an indoor MP3 player. It'll be complete with the IRman and the LCD display.

Update #2 (02-17-2ooo):
I bought an X10-Mouse Remote for the car. The IRman isn't going to suffice for my application (so I'm going to move it inside my home). The X10 Mouse Remote has a cursor plate that lets you position the mouse cursor via RF (radio) signals. It's programmable so I've set up buttons for Winamp, GPS, and Quake. I finally found the keyboard that I want, I just have to wait for it to arrive in stock. It's a medium RF keyboard (look Ma, no wires!). It has an intellipoint type mouse built in. The X10 Mouse remote receiver has a standard connector on it for connecting a regular mouse. So I'll have mouse control of Linux/Windows using the keyboard mouse or the remote mouse. It's too bad I can't find a decent wireless joystick. I'm going to take my DVD drive and decoder and put them into the car too. I'll buy another DVD drive for my home machine later, for now I like the novelty of having DVD/Video Game/MP3 console in my car. I'm doing the installation as transparent as possible so my Jetta remains intact. I had a hacked Camaro a while back, but now I'm going for a more professional look. My Jetta has blue dashboard lighting with red indicators. So I set the default color scheme to be red and blue in Windows. It looks tacky on the desktop but it'll look sweet in the car. The lame Windows startup screen has been replaced with a nice VW logo screen. Things are looking sweet.

Update #1 (02-16-2ooo):
I just bought an 8.4" TFT LCD for the car. It hasn't gotten here yet, but when it does it's going to rock! I'm going to build a wooden case for it and paint it to match my cars interior. As usual, expect more details and pictures when I get the unit. Geiss is going to look great running in the center console of my car. I've gotten Geiss to work with the infrared so this is going to be fun. In case you don't know, Geiss is a cool visualization plugin for Winamp.