mac mini + sti = win!

Post by **complacent** » Sat Jun 17, 2006 6:57 pm

Okay,

So I finally got off my duff and installed my mini. I'll start out with a few pics and then later on I'll actually write down everything I did. Enjoy!

DVD starting

DVD again...

Front Row FTW!

Regular itunes playing display w/o album art

Current song with album artwork

Cereb Daithi · Post by **Cereb Daithi** » Sat Jun 17, 2006 7:08 pm

how funny that..... i just posted asking about doing that exact thing... where did the mini end up going? since i plan on doing this i'd love to hear everything you have to say about it.. haha im excited as hell.. i've been wanting do to this for almost a year now but never even bothered thinking seriously about it until today.. and now i see it in action... i'd love to know the price on that head unit right there too..

Cereb Daithi · Post by **Cereb Daithi** » Sat Jun 17, 2006 9:15 pm

scratch that... $1000...

ouch.. but with a GPS system and satelite raido.... you cant really argue..

Cereb Daithi · Post by **Cereb Daithi** » Mon Jun 19, 2006 2:28 am

*drool*

where'd ya stash the mini

Katya4me · Post by **Katya4me** » Mon Jun 19, 2006 6:14 am

Very nice.

I need to get off my duff and sell my old stuff and then find the time to successfully redo my system. What PSU are you using?

Cereb Daithi · Post by **Cereb Daithi** » Mon Jun 19, 2006 6:42 am

hmm... all that for roughly $2000...i like... and depending on where it is mounted i can rip it out and use it for live performance... i like even more... although it might be a pain to carry my cinema-display around in the back seat....

Post by **complacent** » Mon Jun 19, 2006 7:59 am

teh mini is under the drivers seat, along with the psu. i ended up using the carnetix p-1900 - fantastic unit. Highly recommended.

Post by **Sabre** » Mon Jun 19, 2006 9:28 am

That schitznitz looks awesome Colin! NICE job!!!!

gsx-lex · Post by **gsx-lex** » Mon Jun 19, 2006 9:31 am

Colin, very nice!

sirwilliam · Post by **sirwilliam** » Mon Jun 19, 2006 9:51 am

Lookin' good.

Post by **complacent** » Mon Jun 19, 2006 9:58 am

Thanks everyone

I'm still working on a few little irritations here and there but so far I think it is easier to use than the stock radio! Seriously. Having the huge front row display makes it really easy to scroll through a ton of artists/albums/songs/playlists.

Plus being able to choose from any of my digital collection at any time - priceless.

And the carnetix psu puts the mini to sleep when the ignition is turned off. So when I start the car, the mini just wakes from sleep (read: no waiting for booting). Very pleased so far.

As far as updating is concerned, I've been lazy and just set up VNC for now. Eventually I'll tunnel it through ssh, set up a cron job to update my library and grab the latest podcasts at night (via 802.11). I still am looking for a good small bluetooth keyboard that I could possibly store in the glovebox... not having too much luck yet

Can anyone recommend one?

Cereb Daithi · Post by **Cereb Daithi** » Mon Jun 19, 2006 10:10 am

usually mini and bluetooth dont go hand-in-hand unless you are talking about cell phone/PDA wireless keyboards

.. there are tons of excellent mini USB keyboards... however i cant seem to find any really good bluetooth ones... there are some IR and RF wireless minis in on here.

did the install go down without many problems? once i get the cash built up for this im gona try to get at least something similar to your setup

Mr Kleen · Post by **Mr Kleen** » Mon Jun 19, 2006 10:29 am

the install looks great in person. I call "shotgun" with Colin when we go to Cedar Point!

Post by **complacent** » Mon Jun 19, 2006 10:49 am

install was a breeze... but then again i did run an install bay for a few years

yea, i've noticed small and bluetooth don't seem to get along very well. in a mobile environment i have two issues with ir and rf.

ir is no good in a car because of the whole "line of sight" issue. plus you need to place the ir receiver somewhere... i don't want my car to look like a geek's wet dream... i want everything to be discreet. Most rf receivers require their own power source (separate from usb connection) which again adds more complication and gawdy dongle thingies... yuk!

i'll figure something out... soon.

Katya4me · Post by **Katya4me** » Mon Jun 19, 2006 11:03 am

Well, if you ever decide to go RF, I have a Gyration keyboard mouse combo sitting unused at my house. I have a full size Bluetooth keyboard mouse combo I'm using for my desktop.

gsx-lex · Post by **gsx-lex** » Mon Jun 19, 2006 12:40 pm

What about using the sailing Clicker on your bluetooth SE cell phone?

Post by **complacent** » Mon Jun 19, 2006 12:56 pm

I'm already using the keyspan front row remote to handle all of the a/v and front row functions - and it works very well. sailing clicker isn't really going to give me that much more ability.

What I'm looking for a a full on keyboard that I can use from time to time. I'll probably end up getting this just to have in the car. Couple it with a small bluetooth mouse like this and I think everything will be just fine.

Katya4me: Thanks for the offer!

Katya4me · Post by **Katya4me** » Mon Jun 19, 2006 1:10 pm

complacent wrote:I'm already using the keyspan front row remote to handle all of the a/v and front row functions - and it works very well. sailing clicker isn't really going to give me that much more ability.

What I'm looking for a a full on keyboard that I can use from time to time. I'll probably end up getting this just to have in the car. Couple it with a small bluetooth mouse like this and I think everything will be just fine.

Katya4me: Thanks for the offer!

I like that keyboard, I'll have to keep it in mind for Round 2. I'd only seen the Frogpad mini-keyboard before and they want way too much for that. I had a keyboard in mine, but found that I only really needed it when I was having issues. For normal music playing, navigation, etc., the touchscreen worked beautifully.

Post by **complacent** » Mon Jun 19, 2006 1:33 pm

Yea, I thought the frogger was a little too expensive as well as having to "learn" how to type on it. I figure with this little keyboard I can thumb type with a full qwerty whenever I might need to, then just toss it in the glove box when not needed.

chicken n waffles · Post by **chicken n waffles** » Mon Jun 19, 2006 7:19 pm

complacent wrote:install was a breeze... but then again i did run an install bay for a few years

just keep that in mind next time you take your car apart piece by piece and solder wires in the dark and act like it's easy, ok f***face?

j/k... but seriously, colin is a mad scientist. and the mini is dope. and now we can go wardriving with.... your car! LOL INTERNETS!!1

Libra Monkee · Post by **Libra Monkee** » Tue Feb 27, 2007 11:22 pm

Okay, after months of careful contemplation (and quiet envy

) I've decided, I WANT THIS IN MY CAR!!!!

Now, it's going to take a while to gather the necessary components (at the very least until I get motivated enough to do my taxes). Regardless, I'd like to do this by the summer. In the meantime, knowledge gathering. Me and the complacent one need to get together and discuss exactly how in the hell he got this to work.

Cereb Daithi · Post by **Cereb Daithi** » Wed Feb 28, 2007 3:06 am

maybe i should just buy a new computer and put the G5 in my car.... that oughta make the mac geeks jealous

Mr Kleen · Post by **Mr Kleen** » Wed Feb 28, 2007 8:39 am

Libra Monkee wrote:Okay, after months of careful contemplation (and quiet envy ) I've decided, I WANT THIS IN MY CAR!!!!

Check out the Pioneer AVIC-D3 that is coming out next month. most of the same features (and a few the D2 doesn't have) but a few hundred cheaper.

Post by **complacent** » Wed Feb 28, 2007 9:29 am

Jus' lemme know L. Monkee - It really isn't too tough to do. I can talk/walk ya through the whole thing pretty easily.

Libra Monkee · Post by **Libra Monkee** » Wed Feb 28, 2007 9:41 am

Nah, I don't think I'm going to go with the D3. After doing a side-by-side comparison with the D2 The only feature that really interested me was the Bluetooth. Everything was either identical, not there, or would be improved with the computer I want to add (i.e. MP3 and DVD [mpeg rather] playback). Plus, I was going to get the D2 refurbished off eBay for ~$600 + $30 shipping, unless of course I can find it cheaper.