| Author |
Topic |
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Marchie
Chaplain
USA
911 Posts |
 Posted - 07 Apr 2002 : 12:20:26
Goal: Network my CAR, a 1991 Dodge ShadowRequirments:
- Provide power for Laptops (thus 4 AC outlets)
- 1 Ethernet port per passenger (includeing driver, for my Newton)
- Localtalk bridge and port(s)
[*] Additional alternator(???)
Anyone ever done anything like this? My thoughts were to add a second alternator to the car, and re-wire an old Uninterupted Power Supply to it in the trunk as a power inverter. If I used Cat5 for the cabling, and ran it as 10 base T, I could use one of the extra pairs of wires for LocalTalk. So.. any ideas? ~Marchie ~Chaplain Marchie Holder of the Compact Mac -
-Stick of Justice, with Explodeing CRT head
-Wand of Power with Shocking Flyback Transformer Tip
~~"We are all Mad here"~~ |
Trash80toG-4
NIGHT STALKER
USA
2899 Posts |
Posted - 07 Apr 2002 : 13:33:39
quote:
So.. any ideas?
i don't see why another alternator would be necessary, another battery or two in a parallel auto connect/disconnecting circuit maybe. check the tool and automotive sites for inverter capacities/wattage figures, i would think that any kind of continuous duty application would be out of spec. for the inverter in a UPS, i doubt they are rated to run for more than the amp/hour/time limits on the tag.why are you using an inverter to go from 12v to AC and then then back down to XXv DC again? i would think that the 12v cigarette lighter and adapters would be a MUCH more efficient and safer route to go than having AC circuits running thru your car. dunno, maybe one standardized automotive specific AC inverter power sourcewould be ok, but your plan doesn't sound right to me for some reason. but i'm not that much of an electronics/electrical systems type, i'd consult with one of each if i were in your shoes!
jt  ™
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~Coxy
Leader, Tactical Ops Unit
Australia
2822 Posts |
Posted - 07 Apr 2002 : 20:47:07
Mains wiring is probably easier, and cuts down on the number of extra adaptors needed.An idea: get a BaseStation connected to the hub, that way when the car is near the house it's all networked together! 
Pretty mad project, BTW. ~Coxy - Leader, Tactical Operations Unit
00014 Macs liberated |
thepickle
Starting Member
USA
3 Posts |
Posted - 21 Apr 2002 : 16:27:49
Get a 500W inverter from a decent auto supply store. Run extensions (make up custom ones from standard IEC cables if you need to) to the door sills of the car and mount the outlets in there.Get a 4- or 5-port Ethernet hub and do likewise with Cat5 and some RJ-45 jacks. Apart from some RFI issues (you probably want to use shielded Cat5 if you can find some), which will only mostly affect speed of the network, you should be OK with this setup. AirPort is a great idea, but make sure you mount the Base Station somewhere where the car's metal body won't shield it too much. Like the trunk with an auxiliary antenna, for example. Bonus points if you wire it to a GPS receiver so it only turns on the Base Station when it's within range of known AirPort networks :) p -----
the pickle
http://macfaq.org/index.shtml |
~Coxy
Leader, Tactical Ops Unit
Australia
2822 Posts |
Posted - 21 Apr 2002 : 23:16:19
With that setup you could go cruising for free internet points around town!~Coxy - Leader, Tactical Operations Unit
00014 Macs liberated |
candyPunk
Full Member
USA
856 Posts |
Posted - 23 Apr 2002 : 19:24:33
Wow, huge kudos you pull of that mobile airport concept. I think public 802.11b are probably too few and far between to make any useful listing of them, but if you somehow found out the location of every home or office in your city that had one, you might get service here and there, especially if you parked. Wouldn't you only need airport cards, not a mobile base station? Any network you're borrowing service from would already have their own base station, unless it was an especially useless/nonexistent network. Oh, well, I guess the airport could facilitate a wireless network within the car, but that seems a little excessive and pointless. An ethernet hub could do the job well. { candyPunk }
{ Captain of Observation, 68k MLA }
{ 68k Macs liberated: 3}
{ My baby: Q660av } Edited by - candyPunk on 23 Apr 2002 19:42:10 |
~Coxy
Leader, Tactical Ops Unit
Australia
2822 Posts |
Posted - 25 Apr 2002 : 19:05:13
Apparently there are selected spots where you can recieve internet for free from those wireless ISPs... I'm not sure about details, though.~Coxy - Leader, Tactical Operations Unit
00014 Macs liberated |
candyPunk
Full Member
USA
856 Posts |
Posted - 25 Apr 2002 : 20:14:16
Some coffee shops have it near me. Also, there have been some movements across the country and especially in my area to set up neighborhood networks with rooftop antennas, but it's nothing widespread{ candyPunk }
{ Captain of Observation, 68k MLA }
{ 68k Macs liberated: 3}
{ My baby: Q660av } |
Need Advice for Project Shadow Net
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