Kitt out your car

Posted at: Wednesday 27th October 2004 by Alex Watson

From 'Knight Rider' to 'Back to the Future', our generation has often dreamed about talking cars packed with electronic gadgetry, which is why Alex Watson went for a drive with Steve Goodman, who has built an in-car-PC

With a worldwide community coding and adapting PC applications for in-car use, there are plenty of options regarding front-ends, media players and other utilities. If you're interested in having a look, then check out the Internet forums, such as Digital Car UK (www.digital-car.co.uk/forum) and MP3 Car (www.mp3car.com/vbulletin), both of which are excellent starting points for finding the right software and hardware.

MAX POWER
Although the current install is stable and has plenty of features, Steve still has a long list of future plans. As well as seeing the VOICES traffic add-in out of BETA, he also wants to add a video camera. 'I want to record while driving and USB is too slow for a camera, so I'm going to add a PCI card with a video-in connection. Fortunately, the Sereniti case is big enough, so it should be quite easy,' says Steve. The idea is that cameras at the front would be able to record journeys, while rear-facing ones could make parking easier. He also plans to move the main unit from the boot and hide it behind one of the rear internal panels. 'There's a lot of space around the rear speakers in the Focus. The main reason for the stealth install is that I want to build in GPRS, so that I can add satellite tracking. That way, if a security code isn't typed in - if the car is stolen, for example - I can see exactly where it is.'

The USB GPS unit provides basic speed data but it's far more precise to source it from the car's on-board computer, the Engine Control Unit (ECU). 'I have a little processor that hooks the ECU up to the PC's serial port, and hopefully I'll be able to write an application that works out fuel efficiency and estimates how far I can go on what's in the tank,' he says.

GO, GO, GO
Steve's in-car PC might be an ongoing project, but it's an impressive addition to his car. 'I work with computers during the day - I'm a systems administrator at Aston University - so I get bored with desktops. It's great to have something a little different to work with,' he explains. And while it's a challenge, it's also one that comes with significant rewards. Complex hybrid engines, such as that of the Toyota Prius, might be a technological revolution that's entirely in the hands of car companies, but in-car computing is the other area that, in the next five years, will do the most to shape the motoring world. As so often with cars, it's a race, and it's one in which the enthusiast community is fully competing.