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I figured if I was going to put a backup cam on it I might as well put a full computer on it
After some looking around I decided that it would be a big hassle to use a laptop, I was really surprised that after many searches on the web I was unable to find anything at all about putting a computer on a powerchair, I guess most people think of old people as the ones that need a powerchair and not a 28 year old quadripligc.
I had almost given up on this idea when I found this computer on e-bay and just knew it would work for me, so I got it and started to pickup the other extras (gotta love USB) and have just been waiting for my handiman to put it all together.
So anyways the computer is a P4, 1 gig memory, 60 gig hard disk and is running vista surprising well.
The screen is a 7-inch xenarc touchscreen and I am happy to say is about the right size and doesn't standout to much.
I will be sharing the smartnav-4 between my laptop and the chair because it to spendy for another one.
The power is hooked up to the chairs battery's with DC-DC converters and I think they will last a long time because I use less than 10% in a nomal days use.
So what kinda things can I do with it? Well, to start out with I can play cd's and dvd's, games and the sound can come out the 4-inch speakers on the chair or thru my van's speakers with the fm transmitter,My voice is really soft so I also have a clip on mic that I can route my voice thru to the speakers if someone is having a hard time hearing me.
There is also webcam that is mounted on the chair back so hopefully it should take some of the frustration out of backing up.
The IR transmitter that is mounted under my left arm rest makes it so I can operate anything that uses a remote control, this means I can control my cd deck and changer in the van and the tv and a/c in the house.
I also have a gps receiver and tv card that came with the computer and should be useful in town.
That's about all I can think it will do so far but I still have some usb ports left
I'm sure that this could help many with the environmental controls alone, anything that I can do my self is one less thing that I have to ask another to do for me and that makes me happy.
Anyways I just wanted to show off my new toy, I was unable to do the physical stuff but I think my buddy did a great job on it and I think it would be even easyer if you where to use newer components.
The top pictures are the chair before, the little black screen is the display for the chair it show my my gear, battery level and tilt.
This is it after the computer was installed.
If anybody has any questions I would be glad to help,
I would say it's a fairly easy install, the hard part was size and straping it down We used lots of velcro and zip ties I think it only cost around $500 $600 Total with labor and theres lots of these small computers around cheep.
The best part is no more being bored waiting at the doctors!!
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