CarPC

LRADC Keyboard Part 1 - Hardware

One of the key features for this generation of the CarPC is the integration with the stock steering wheel controls on my 2008 Honda. This should make using the CarPC while driving much safer, since I'll be able to perform basic control functions without taking my eyes off the road or hands off the steering wheel.

Prototyping with the Cubieboard

So one downside to the Cubieboard is that the pin spacing on the U14/U15 headers is 2mm, rather than the more common 2.54mm (0.1") headers that you find on protoboards and breadboards. After searching a bit for an easy prototyping solution, I finally settled on a pair of 50 pin IDC cables off of ebay. They're not too expensive, and you have all the wires you need in a single connector.

Car PC Introduction

This is a project that has been evolving over the last several years, almost since I bought my first car. Standard car head units are usually quirky or difficult to use; constantly plugging in a phone can be annoying every time you want to take a 5 minute drive (not to mention the dangers and possibility of getting a ticket), and keeping a permanent mp3 player in the car will quickly get out of sync with your music library when it isn't taken out to be updated. A Car PC should solve all of these issues, by combining the strengths of each.

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