I just got back my IBM Thinkpad R32 and now I want to integrate that in my car somehow. I sit in my car a lot at work and so I would love to have a computer built in to use....especially since I work in IT. Here is some of the things I would like to have....

PCMCIA slot visible (since it doesnt have integrated wireless)
Power Coming from Vehicle
Not to break the bank!

If you have any ideas then I would be more than willing to make a write up for it, but first I need some ideas.

 

lots of write ups here and elsewhere for "Carputers"
best thing to do is get your self a 12v power supply, 7 inch touchscreen display , a mini motherboard and case, 3.5 inch laptop HD, DVD/cd RW drive, and a USB hub for connecting various devices - mouse, keyboard etc when you are not using the touch screen. you can add various other things like real time gps, in car diagnostic software, etc...
Lots of companies make carputer parts now, and the 7 inch screen can easily be molded into our dash with minimal work. as you are in IT, you can probobly build this system fairly cheap and easily. it's basically a 5 wire install once you have everything set up, 3 for the cpu power supply and 2 for the screen.
I sell these systems plug and play, but they would "break the bank" if price is a concearn.

 

If you're using the laptop AS the carputer, get a docking station and integrate all the car wiring through it, not the laptop directly if you plan on using it outside of the car as well. If it's staying in the car, put it under the passenger seat and mount all your interfaces in the middle console "oven". Just to let you know, the 7" touchscreens have a native resolution of only 800 x 480, so most office applications are very difficult to work on. There are some companies who make laptop stands for vehicles if you want to mount it on a swivel in the passenger seat.

I went with a mac mini and bluetooth keyboard mounted in-dash and fed into an aftermarket stereo for sound. It's nice having a remote for iTunes and a large text display format through Apple's Front Row software, now they just need to push the iPhone interface for regular Macs.

 

power inverter from harbor freight. atleast here there is one that's a 400watt / 800watt peak for about $40. it's pretty simple and works just fine. you'd need a wiring kit though, if you go to www.partsexpress.com there is a 8 gauge amplifier wiring kit that comes with all the materials *plus extras* for about $30 and it includes power, ground, 60amp fuse, fuse holder, wire ends and so on.

EDIT: this is my power option that is, running a Sony Vaio VGN-SZ340P 2.3ghz Core2 Duo, 2gb DDR2, 160gb SATA, full blueray combo drive and nVidia GeForce 7300-2gO. 13.3" 1280x800rez.

it's out of date now

 

Here's a pre fab, direct fit, (with multiple options).. it is the manufacturers site and they are charging full retail of course..

you want to find one of their dealers, and then I bet you find a better price..
http://www.ram-mount.com/laptop_moun...aptop_desk.htm

but a Diy would be cooler

 

I guess the best way to start this is to ask, "What are you wanting to do on this machine?"
Are you just wanting to have a place to integrate the laptop, or are you really wanting to have a full-blown carPC, full-time?
If you only want to integrate the ThinkPad, then the best way to go is a docking station. Otherwise, if you really want the full functionality of having a full-blown carPC, then you really want to build one yourself and keep the laptop separate.
There are several manufacturers of Mini-ITX boards, several DC-DC power supplies that offer startup/shutdown control, tons of options for USB devices, plenty of touchscreen choices, etc..
If you're looking for info, I've built several carPCs over the years and can help you avoid common problems and pitfalls that most builders encounter along the way.
Just shoot me a PM and I'll help any way I can.

 

There are laptop stands that attach to the seat rail mounting bolts. Some of them allow you to swing the stand out of the way for the passenger. Police and truckers use them:



Jotto Desk is one brand but I don't see one specifically for xB's or Echos, but it wouldn't be hard to fabricate a seat rail mount with some sheet metal.