How do you control your new custom Linux powered car computer? With a touch screen monitor obviously. And maybe a bluetooth keyboard and mouse. I would like this to feel like I am using a Steampunk hacker version of a Tesla. Tesla Streamliner Concept Well maybe not all that. Maybe more like this: Race Truck Dash Touch Screens I started a similar project about 6 years ago on another vehicle.

Finding A Relay Controller One of my bigger worries is working with peripherals. I needed to find a camera and I felt like that was going to be easy enough. The relay controller will hit the actuators running the door locks. What Is A Relay Switch Most things inside a car take a decent amount of power to actuate or power them. The car is limited to 12V DC and your other measurements are amps and watts.

Camera Overview Finding a good camera shouldn’t be too difficult given how many cameras exist now. They are literally everywhere. Camera Criteria I learned right away that the cameras were pretty much all standardized. They came in a few flavors but overall they were either too small, too wide, or too expensive. That helped me limit stuff down a lot. small not much distortion (fish eye is bad) resolution > 720p color USB preferable Preferences Embeddable Flush mounted White 1080p hardened housing Hardware Choices First Find I found this one right off by searching for “USB Camera”.