I created a website dedicated to the project, dubbed “The DashPC” where you can find more detailed information. DashPC is an amalgam for Dashboard Personal Computer.

Here are some pictures:

You can read the current issue here. You can purchase this issue of the magazine for $129.00, or get a 6 month subscription for $495.00.

Release 2.0 Magazine - December 2007

I drive my VW Jetta exactly 50 miles a day to and from work. When gas prices started going up in the Summer of 2006, I decided to figure out exactly how much fuel was costing me each workday. So, one morning on the way to work, I stopped at the gas station nearest my home. I filled my tank and reset my trip counter to zero. I recorded the price per gallon ($3 something a gallon!). Then, I drove directly to work, worked, and drove back to the same gas station. I pulled up to the same pump I filled up at that morning. I took note of how many miles I had driven, and sure enough it read almost exactly 50 miles. Next, I refilled my gas tank. It cost me $7. I had burned $7 dollars worth of fuel just going to work and back! That came as quite a shock. I knew gas prices were high, but I never thought that I was spending that much each day. $3 a Gallon?!? Somethings gotta give! After doing some homework on the web (fueleconomy.gov), et al., I decided to buy a much more fuel efficient car (and a soon to be FREE CAR).

Enter the $1,000 commuter car: The 1995 Ford Aspire

But how did you get it for free?

After much calculation, I bought the Aspire and decided to see how much money it was costing me to drive to work each day. I performed the same routine as with my Volkswagen. I even used the same pump at the same station.
I drove the 50 miles as normal and stopped back at the gas station on my way home. I took a deep breath and topped off the gas tank.
It cost me two dollars. Yes, only $2 to go to work and back!?!

I was paying $7 A DAY the week before. I was stunned!
That’s a savings of $5 each day that I work. I work 20 days a month, so that’s $100/month I saved on gas! And all I have to do is get used to driving this little car. Wait a second, considering that this car was only $1,000 dollars, if I save $100 per month, it will pay for itself in 10 months.
Oh, it paid for itself alright – with dividends!

#1: It uses the cheapest gas and less of it.

It’s a great feeling getting 300+ miles for about $20 dollars (in 2006)!

#2: Patriotism!

It’s a great feeling pulling into a gas station and driving right past the Hummers that are stopped at the pump. I love it when I catch them glancing over at my little microcar and then see them looking back the $$$$$$$ on their pump.

#3: My other cars maintain their value.

My Volkswagen Jetta has about 60,000 miles on it. Putting a few hundred miles a week on it was certainly going to affect it’s value drastically in a short amount of time. Now, she just sits in the garage looking pretty. I also don’t need to pay for the car wash each month (there’s another $20 I save). Since I drive it much less, I put less wear-and-tear on the car. Less maintenance = less money out of my pocket = more money in the bank. Probably a few hundred dollars a year.

#4: Easy to maintain.

Parts for this car are cheap. New tires on our BMW cost over $1,000. New tires on my Jetta cost around $500. New tires for the Aspire cost about $20 each.

#5: Cheaper car insurance.

I now get a multi-car discount. My car insurance actually came DOWN when I added this car to my policy. I didn’t expect that at all. Nice!

#6: The benefit of having multiple cars.

I remember when I only had one car and it needed repair. I was stuck. I couldn’t go anywhere – it was my only car and it was in the shop. That sucked. Owning more than 1 car is a great stress reliever. Got a nail in the tire of the Jetta? Throw the tire into the trunk of the Aspire, drop it off and pick it up later after it’s been fixed. No more sitting in tire shop lobby hell watching Martha Stewart and having to choose between Southern Living or Fishing Today magazines.

#7: It’s a Micro Utility Vehicle.

After ripping out the rear seats and passenger seat, I was left with quite a bit of room in the car. So much in fact, that it’s like having a Micro SUV. I can load up lumber from Home Depot (remember theres no passenger seat so I can just push 2×4′s in all the way to the engine firewall. I don’t have to worry about cutting/scratching leather seats, scuffing the dashbaord, etc.

#8: It’s retro, tiny and fun to drive!

It’s incredibly fun to drive a small car and it’s retro old. I get funny looks from some people as if it’s a concept car.

#9: It makes me appreciate my other cars.

On the weekends when I take out my other cars, I can really appreciate the creature comforts: Leather seats, woodgrain dashes, sunroofs, horsepower etc. I used to take them for granted, but now I really appreciate just how nice my other cars are (relatively).

#10: Goodbye Speeding Tickets.

Okay, so this one’s a bit of a stretch. Last year, I got a $300 speeding ticket in my Jetta. I’ve never had a speeding ticket in my Aspire, nor do I think I ever will. I know when I’m doing 55 in my Aspire. My foot is to the floor and I’m getting passed by UHaul trucks. In my Jetta I’ll get up to 70 without even knowing it. Since I’m in my Aspire 90% of the time, that’s only 10% of the time that I have consciously avoid speeding.

It paid for itself in less than a year by:

• Using less fuel – a LOT LESS.
  $100/month less.
• Preserves my other cars’ values and saves them on maintenance. At least a few $100/year.
• Lowers my car insurance premiums (multi-car discount): $80/year
• Is much more affordable to fix, repair, maintain – No expensive dealership repairs here baby! I can replace parts on this car using cheap junkyard parts. $15 for an alternator!?? I’ll take two!

Summary:

$1,400 total investment in the car
$100/month gas savings for 36 months = $3,600

Net gain: $2,200 versus driving my Jetta to work for the same time period.

Efficiency is the new cool. Feel free to contact me with questions.

About the book

The best selling book about hacking cars and computers is perfect for both computer hackers and car hackers alike.

Description

A car PC or carputer is a car tricked-out with electronics for playing radio, music and DVD movies, connecting to the Internet, navigating and tracking with satellite, taking photos, and any electronic gadget a person wants in a car. All these devices are managed and controlled through a single screen or interface. The only place car PC enthusiasts can go for advice, tips and tools is a handful of hard-to-find Web sites–until now. Car PC Hacks is your guide into the car PC revolution. Packing MP3 players, handheld devices, computers and video-on-demand systems gives you a pile too heavy to carry. But add a car and put them together, you’ve got a powerful and mobile multimedia center requiring no lifting. The next time you give kids a lift, you won’t hear, “Are we there yet?” Instead, expect “We’re there already?” as they won’t want to leave the car while playing video games from multiple consoles. Car PC Hacks is the first book available to introduce and entrench you into this hot new market. You can count on the book because it hails from O’Reilly, a trusted resource for technical books. Expect innovation, useful tools, and fun experiments that you’ve come to expect from O’Reilly’s Hacks Series. Maybe you’ve hacked computers and gadgets, and now you’re ready to take it to your car. If hacking is new and you would like to mix cars and computers, this book gets you started with its introduction to the basics of car electrical systems. Even when you’re unclear on the difference between amps and watts, expect a clear explanation along with real-life examples to get on track. Whether you’re venturing into car PC for the first time or an experienced hobbyist, hop in the book for a joy ride.

About O’Reilly

O’Reilly Media spreads the knowledge of innovators through its books, online services, magazine, and conferences. Since 1978, O’Reilly has been a chronicler and catalyst of leading-edge development, homing in on the technology trends that really matter and spurring their adoption by amplifying “faint signals” from the alpha geeks who are creating the future. An active participant in the technology community, the company has a long history of advocacy, meme-making, and evangelism.

Publisher of the iconic “animal books” for software developers, creator of the first commercial website (GNN), organizer of the summit meeting that gave the open source software movement its name, and prime instigator of the DIY revolution through its Make magazine, O’Reilly continues to concoct new ways to connect people with the information they need. O’Reilly conferences and summits bring alpha geeks and forward-thinking business leaders together to shape the revolutionary ideas that spark new industries. Long the information source of choice for technologists, the company now also delivers the knowledge of expert early adopters to everyday computer users. Whether it’s delivered in print, online, or in person, everything O’Reilly produces reflects the company’s unshakeable belief in the power of information to spur innovation.

For ways to contact O’Reilly and more information about the services we provide, see our Contacts page.

Detailed information and history about O’Reilly can be found by visiting the website at: http://www.oreilly.com

The Dashwerks Demo Vehicle (the DashPC LinuxCar) appears in a great new carputer book by Wiley Publishers: “Geek My Ride: Build the Ultimate Tech Rod” by Auri Rahimzadeh; (paperback – 500 pages; ISBN: 0-7645-7876-6) in April 2005.

About the Book

The first book of its kind, Extreme Tech’s Geek My Ride is perfect for hardware hackers and fans of shows like “Monster Garage” who are ready to take the plunge and build their own techno-mobile!

Description

* Car hacker Auri Rahimzadeh revs up readers while guiding them through 21 cool projects complete with step-by-step instructions for adding electrical outlets, installing satellite radio and mobile Wi-Fi, and building in-car DVD systems.
* Takes the automotive geek far beyond the factory options. Readers will learn the “fine art” of fearlessly pulling out a dashboard, ripping up some carpet, and creating a crazy ride!
* Foreword by Apple Co-Founder Steve “Woz” Wozniak, who shares tips from his own hacked Hummer.

About Wiley & Sons, Inc.

The company was founded in 1807, during the Jefferson presidency. In the early years, Wiley was best known for the works of Washington Irving, Edgar Allan Poe, Herman Melville, and other 19th century American literary giants. By the turn of the century, Wiley was established as a leading publisher of scientific and technical information. Wiley currently trades on the New York Stock Exchange as ticker symbol “JWa” and “JWb”.

Detailed history about John Wiley & Sons, Inc – (Wiley Publishing) can be found by visiting the website at: http://www.wiley.com

Carputer shutdown controller

The Dashwerks Startup and Shutdown Controller (DSSC™) helps you coordinate the startup and shutdown of your Carputer with your vehicle’s normal start and stop activity. A long asked question in the hobbyist carputer/telematics industry has been one of how to control startup and shutdown of the PC. Fortunately, the DSSC™ is now available to make car computer integration much easier.

Features

• 5 user adjustable timing controls – designed for vehicle controlled activation of computers, LCD display(s), peripherals, and amplifiers.
• A “master power” relay (included) – using a powerful external 40A relay provides power to your carputer board, and all of the underlying peripherals (assuming their respective power requirements are met). This primary relay prevents dead car batteries by helping you intelligently manage your power distribution and device initialisation.


• ACPI switch header – The ACPI header is a 2 pin connector that is designed to connect to the power connector on a computer [motherboard]. We designed this device to be flexible, and as such this header can easily be connected to other motherboard connectors – such as Wake-On-Lan (WOL) and Ring Indicator (RI). The vast majority of motherboards manufactured after 2001 support ACPI. As your vehicle is started this connector will toggle startup and shutdown on your car computer / DashPC™.


• 5 Indicator LEDs – Designed for status and power indication (and timing adjustment), these leds help you tune the activation and de-activation of on-board devices. In addition, each of the 5 leds features a remote location header. These headers allow you to place the LED’s in locations that are suitable for your installation. Simply install (or have your installer) place a few led’s in your Dash, and connect them to the DSSC™ controller. From your dashboard you’ll instantly know what state your computer / amps / peripherals / etc. are in.
• “Shutdown” Function – The shutdown function provides 2 methods of properly halting a car computer: the text “SHUTDOWN” will be sent to a serial port when the key is removed from the vehicle (ACCessory line goes low). In addition, an ACPI 1.0 and up compliant signal can be used to power down a computer. Virtually all computers manufactured in the past 5 years are compatible with ACPI. If your computer can “hibernate” or “suspend”, the DSSC™ can be used to safely shutdown your Car PC.


• Serial port connector – this serial port connector provides an alternate method of shutting down a car computer / DashPC™ unit. By connecting this port of the DSSC™ to an industry standard computer serial port your computer can be halted safely (driver software may be required). Halting your carputer / DashPC™ properly prevents data loss, drive corruption and hardware failure.
• Reverse Polarity Protection – The DSSC has reverse polarity protection built-in. If someone accidentally reverses the wiring of the DSSC, it won’t destroy the board.


• Tuning mode – By enabling a jumper on the board, you can put the board into a ‘tuning’ mode. Using the tuning mode you can adjust the timing of the devices without actually toggling them on and off. The tuning mode is a great way to make sure that your devices are turning on in the fastest possible time without actually toggling them on and off.

Compatibility

The DSSC™ is compatible with Windows XP, 2000, ME, 98 and Linux and MacOS X. Any operating system that supports hibernate, suspend and/or sleep can be used with the DSSC. Software drivers for the Serial Port shutdown function are provided for Linux, Windows XP, and Windows 2000. A computer does not need to be ACPI compliant to work with the DSSC. If the computer can be configured to boot on powerup (typically this is set in the BIOS), it will work with the DSSC.

Product Comparison

The DSSC is the only Startup/Shutdown Controller that was developed by Carputer enthusiasts for Carputer enthusiasts. Over 2,400 users helped us design the DSSC with the features that are most important to them. How does the DSSC™ compare to other Startup/Shutdown Controllers? Click here to see how suitable the DSSC is in our product comparison chart.

Installation Diagrams

Application Note #1: Installation with Inverter and ACPI Compatible computer (ATX, ITX, Via Epia, etc)
Application Note #2: Installation with Inverter and computer using Serial Port for shutdown (notebooks, etc)
Application Note #3: Installation with DC/DC Power Supply and ACPI Compatible computer (Carnetix, Opus, etc)
Application Note #4: Installation with DC/DC Power Supply, recent motherboard and Multiple Car Batteries (ATX Motherboard, Via Epias, etc)

Purchasing Information

$49 USD 

Customer Support

To view the online user’s manual (156k PDF) – ( Click Here ).

Software Drivers

Click here to download the DSSC Service for Windows 98, 2000, XP (Thanks to Kevin Lincecum (aka Frodo) for this).
Click here to download the DSSC daemon for Linux (written in Perl by Chris Bergeron).

Shipping

Shipping to the continental United States is $5.95. We also ship internationally! ( additional shipping fees apply ).

Sales / Customer Support

For questions or customer support, please call 404-647-4966. We can also be reached via
e-mail.