I’ve been spending this week tweaking the bus to make it my own. I’ve
trashed the old VCR and CD changer and replaced it with a dual-core Mac
Mini with 2TB of external storage plus a dual tuner DirecTV TiVo (even
though I don’t have the satilite dish setup yet). I’ll control the Mac Mini via remote control and Apple’s Front Row on the TV and do fine-adjustments (like creating playlists in iTunes) via my laptop and VNC (which allows me to see the Mac Mini’s screen in a window on my PowerBook and control it via the PowerBook’s keyboard and trackpad).
The dealer I bought the motorcoach from replaced one of the air conditioning condensing units because I complained that it was making too much noise (see photo below, which shows the unit right above the drivers seat with the TV removed to its right). When they were swapping it out for a new one, I talked Scott at Liberty Coach into modifying the setup so that it would also cool the overhead area where the TV usually sits. That way I can replace the TV with a flat screen and place six hard drives in the empty area behind the screen, which should stay nice and cool due to the air conditioning modification.
I’m now shopping for the right sub woofer and LCD screen to fit to make the setup complete.
Ben,
You might want to think twice about putting your hard drives up in that super cool area. As you travel around the humidity inside your coach will change which will lead to condensation, which will lead to corrosion and reek havoc with your sensitive electrical goodies. The cool air from you AC will just compound the problem. The data on 2TB is a terrible thing to lose.
Gary
Hi Ben, I attended one of your Seminars in Australia at least 6 years ago. My husband and I recently moved to the US and bought an RV that will be our home/office. I remembered reading about how you were setting things up and was very happy to find this post. I’m looking forward to having time to read some more of your blog and see how this set up has worked for you.