Long time no posts. I simply didn’t find something highly exciting, unique or nice to write about. Plus I was away, holidays, time with family so I’ve neglected my own blog. I even started to get errors from WordPress at the bottom of my pages that I have no idea how to fix. (contact me if you can help me fix this error please)

However these days I just found a new exciting project to keep me busy in my non-existent free time: Build a CarPC or a Carputer.

Why a CarPC?

Simply because the old car suffered a “small dent” being hit on the side @ 60Km/h by a girl running the red light and it’s a complete write-off. Luckily we all got out of the car safely with no injuries.

So we need a new car and we’ve decided to go for the new Mazda 6 Wagon (2008 model).

[Will update the post with a photo once I get the car]

The car has a nice dashboard with pretty standard audio functionality: CD player with MP3 support, radio and few other audio controls but nothing fancy. The Luxury edition has an option for BOSE speakers and/or integrated SatNav. It’s nice to have an integrated SatNav but when you think there nothing else you can do with it it feels a bit restrictive.

The device is non-upgrade-able, costs around $3000AUD and I’m quite sure the maps will cost a fortune if you want to install an update.

So my new quest is: Can I build a a better in-dash CarPC, cheaper and with more functionality?

I know there are several sites out there that are dedicated to building CarPC but I could not find any complete step-by-step guide or even some hints that someone did this on a Mazda 6 2008 model.

My Wish List:

1. Run .Net
2. Play music (MP3s)
3. SatNav with 3D view
4. Hands-free Bluetooth
5. Reverse Parking Camera
6. OBD 2 with CAN (On Board Diagnostics) to monitor the running parameters of the car
• I’d like the car to keep its own fuel usage, km and other statistics all the time
7. WiFi
• Sync my car’s music library with the Media Center
• So I can write an tool to wake up the car (or just the CarPC) at 7AM and download from the RTA the Live Traffic Report and maybe several images from the intersections I normally go through to help me decide on the best route to work
8. 3G + Web Browser
• For Google Map/Business Search that kicks in nicely when you do a search for a business from Google Maps on your mobile
9. Skype
10. Mail/RSS reader
11. Voice Control (nice to have)
12. Be able to control the CarPC from the steering wheel
13. Make it look as it was a stock item, nicely integrated and part of the car