ON-BOARD PC DVD/NAVIGATION/ more

[valenki]

HELLO TO ALL !

Since I dont get intertained by the idea of paying 2500 for a Navigation system w/ DVD I decided to embark on a project building a system of my own .

I got a used but in great condition BKi80 Board: look here

http://www.reality.net/BKi810/photos.html

it has a AV video out and works perfectly with all the monitors in my house so far. I also bought a Rand Mc'nally GPS antenna and software.

The computeralready has a DVD player and some additional soft will enable me to play my favorite MP3's. I will be using a mini keyboard w/ a touch mouse for this pc.

I have several delemas to find answers for in my project. I thought may-be the vehicross.info community will be willing to help ???

Here are the issues:

1. POWER. The board on the pc itself uses 12v DC transformed by a 110-230 AC w power supply . The battery on the car is 12v DC . I could buy one of those transformers 12 v to 110 and hook it up to a life wire on the car ??? ANy ideas ?

2. SOund. I will be using my Sony deck replacing the isuzu radio w/changer. The sony has only 1 sound in channel for the 10 cd changer. How can I get it to work w/my pc system if I will use a wire with 1 2-channel av out from the pc.

3. Now I need to decide what monitor I will use. I have found some good deals on e-bay. But because I am not sure where I will place the monitor. I am not sure what kind to get. I plan to place the pc itself in stead of the glove compartment.

4. Games ? //Navigation the motherboard has the ability to use a joystick. I was wondering may-be I should look for a jostick controll to play games and use with the nav system.

5. COMMUNIcATIONS. THe board has a modem and a nick card.. Any Ideas ???

6. MIcrophone >>> I can attach one but not sure for what, yet..... may be voice nav controll??

I woukd Appreciate everyones Ideas. BY the way April 4 is my B-day. Everyone is chipping in for my system ...

;Dp;

[Moncha]

Ooooo GEEk stuff!! I love it! I'll lokk at this more and see if I can have any suggestions. With all of the brain power that this family has, I'm sure that this could get figured out..

BTW HAPPY Birthday!!

[Navigator]

I carry a laptop. Jack power from my cigarette lighter, audio through my Sony head unit, and on ocassion update my Garmin on dash GPS on the fly thru serial interface. I store tons of mp3's on my HDD. Got big screen LCD for watching DVD (15" standard xga laptop display (LOL)). Total cost... not one thin dime, just using stuff I allready had :D, and it all fits in a brief case out of sight, literally and goes where I go :p

[coachreed]

OK, you have DEFINITELY hit on a subject that draws me in. I have had plenty of thought on this in the past as I planned on doing someting extreme like this in my next vehicle... which WAS gonna be another Typhoon... but ended up being an Ironman Edition 2000 VX! ;Db; I am now ready to start planning my Audio/Video/Multimedia system.

First off, I was planning to use a mini PC from Bold Data (http://www.bolddata.com) which is slightly larger than a portable CD player... we use lots of them at my work and I know they are very capable. They also now have new models that are EXTREMELY powerful. You can get up to a 2Gig, P4 Processor, DVD ROM drive and tons more. I would defintely opt for the DVD ROM drive.

When planning for my Typhoon, I was going to modify my dash to accept a 10.4" monitor in a vertical format. This would yield a width nearly the same as a standard stereo headunit. This of course was going to require extensive modifications to fit in the dash, but that was fine... looking at my VX dash (only had it for about 12 hours now), I think its gonna be REALLY tough. Also, the monitor I was going to use would have been a touchscreen so for normal usage, you wouldn't need ANY input device... just your finger. ;Db;

I planned on keeping my Eclipse 55090 Am/FM/CD/DVD player in the dash... somehwere... to be my MAIN video source. In addition to this, I plan to prewire for BOTH a Playstation2 AND XBOX... both of my sons console systems. With the above mentioned DVD ROM drive, DVD headunit, and the TWO game consoles, I would have a potential FOUR DVD sources.

I will have two 6.5" Alpine monitors for rear passengers as well as POSSIBLY a larger format (15"ish) monitor in the rear for show purposes. To make the BEST use of the many sources and the many displays, I plan to use a system from the place I work (http://www.winntech.com) ... the Media Manager. This system was designed as an switching system for video sources at sports bars and whatnot. We have done one such "Mobile" Media Manager for someone that was used at the CES. I have talked to one of the designers/engineers about building the custom system for my car and he seemed to be good with the idea. This switcher would allow for ANY source to be played on ANY display at ANY time TOTALLY independant of each other.

There is of course lots left to plan on this and since I JUST got my VX, it could take quite a bit of time before it gets done. I have plenty left to plan. I also have my work cut out for me to get even a 7" widescreen monitor flush mounted in the dash, let alone a 10.4" in a vertical format.

Now, the Navigation system was there at the back of my mind due to the fact that my Eclipse 55090 has a nav system that can be integrated with the ECom module... then again, having it based on the PC would free up that DVD source for use elsewhere... hmmmm... this is sucking me back in... time to go stare at my dash.

TTYL!

Coach... aka Randy!

[WyrreJ]

So far the dashpc yahoo-egroup seems to be the best place to talk about this kind of stuff:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/dashpc/

You can search the archives to find a high-quality 12-volt (non-switching?) PC power supply I think it is about the equivalent of regular 150 watts, or maybe the price was $150, not sure which...

Myself, I've been thinking of putting a 10.4" or larger 1024x768 tft touchscreen in the dash too, I think it is going to require some custom fibreglass work. I am thinking about removing the head unit, halving the height of the vents and then putting it in at an angle. I am still looking for the right display, I want one that has adjustable brightness up to at least 600-800 nits with at least 1024x768 resolution.

I think I will get one of Tone's rear lockers and use that to house the computer, running digital video (either DVI or LVDS) to the panel in the front. I also am seriously looking at distributing 6-8 miniature CCD cameras (http://www.spycameras.com/vc-400dn.htm) around the vehicle for surveilance, precision manuovering (aka 'parking in tight spaces') and anything else you might do with all those cameras. I've found a hardware mpeg4 encoder board (http://www.remote-security.com/gv800.htm) used for security cameras that can handle up to 16 video sources simultaneously and it claims the software can do motion detection so I'm thinking it can be set to record only when people actually come close to the vehicle.

I am also looking at using an m-audio sonica theater (http://m-audio.com/products/consumer/sonicaTheatre_page1.php) usb based 7.1 channel decoder to drive a bunch of Bohlender-Graebener (http://bgcorp.com/1Pages/OEMdrivers.html) ribbon speakers via blaupunkt digital amps (http://www.blaupunktusa.com/amps/amps_index.html) (almost 100% efficent so little to no heat and very small and light-weight). I have fullsize B-G speakers at home and love their sound quality. I'm still contemplating mounting the 8" ribbons (http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?Product_ID=120169&DID=7) in the A, C and D pillars, I think the A's will be the hardest due to the slope, and then what to do with the front center - in the dash I guess. I think I'm also going to need 700Hz x-overs to go with them for mid-bass re-inforcement and accompanying traditional drivers to go in the current speaker mounts - I think I will let the D-pillars just use the sub (in the rear-tire well) for bass reinforcement. The sonica has good, per speaker, bass management and should be trivial to upgrade to future generations. I wish it were 11.1 channels so I could do all my x-overs in the digital domain, but I doubt that even the next couple of generations will have that many channels.

Of course I plan on hooking up a GPS receiver and using some sort of mapping/directional software. Also I want to plug into the OBDM and at least track car status information. I'm planning on putting both firewire and usb2 hubs in the dash below the LCD for in car temporary hookups, will probably also stick a firewire DVD drive in the dash to play the odd music disc and maybe a movie (though I don't really buy into the in-car theater system, other than as a child pacifier and I have no kids to pacify) Wireless 802.11g 52mbps ethernet for in-garage connectivity and maybe war-driving. Some sort of cellular type system (gprs, aprs?) for on the road connectivity (my own lojack, car gets stolen, it takes a picture of whoever is in the driver's seat along with images of the surrounding area whenever it stops moving and then emails that along with gps coords to me).

I'm trying to make up my mind between going with a VIA EPIA-M1000 (http://www.viavpsd.com/product/epia_m_spec.jsp?motherboardId=81) system, it has everything, including LVDS video on the board, 1GB of ram, ethernet, IDE, USB2, FireWire, etc -- but only 1 PCI slot and the 1ghz Nemeiah cpu is slow, but ultra low power, so minimal cooling and smaller power supply and the board is tiny, only 6.5x6.5 inches. Or a larger, faster, hotter board, if someone would build a micro-atx board with all the features of the EPIA but 3-4 slots and using one of those new speedy but low-power Pentium-M chips that would be ideal, but I doubt anyone is building them, a least not for general purpose use.

Either way, I think I am looking at a second battery at least to power it when the car is off without killing the main battery plus the benefit of being able to survive one of those fuse blow-out attacks by car thieves that people have been talking about in another thread here. Maybe a roof-mounted solar panel to trickle-charge the system on sunny days too.

Some things I don't know if are possible but I think would be totally cool:
I'd really like to use a second LCD display to replace the gauges and go for the fully programmable digital dashboard, or even cooler, get one that is super bright and use it to reflect off the inside of the winshield as a HUD. If that could work it, I think it would need a replacement windshield with a special reflective coating else you get double-images (one reflection off the inside of the glass and one off the outside of the glass). I think all the information needed to do a digital dashboard is available via OBDM.

Anyways, that's what I'm thinking. So far it is only talk because I am a super procrastinator (and a leg injury that has kept me almost house-bound other than work for the last couple of months while I try to let it heal-up). But I certainly welcome any comments, suggestions or warnings. I can assemble a regular PC in my sleep, but my experience with 12-volt car systems is pretty limited, so I could easily be missing something major here.

[WyrreJ]

Here's some more useful info on do-it-yourself LCDs -

http://www.eio.com/ - this the place for bare and kit LCD panel discussion.

One of the posters there has put together a good-sized list of LCD display controllers, some with the required power circuitry for the backlighting also built in. He keeps it updated at:

http://www.geocities.com/p9019/lcd/lcd_controllers.html

and here are the contents as of today should the site ever fade away:

I am a regular reader of messages on the EIO LCD Hyper-email Discussion group (http://www.eio.com/public/lcd/) and I see the same types of questions posted all the time. I created this web page and a couple others to help answer these questions. I hope this helps.

Aurora IT Systems, Sweden (http://www.aurora.se/controllers.htm)
Most if not all of these controller are made by and distributed in the US by Digital View. See their listing a little further down. One nice thing about Aurora's site is that they list model numbers of panels each controller is compatible with.
AC-1024V3 - for color TFT up to 1024x768. Inputs: analog VGA, video (opt.)
AC-9511V3 - for color TFT up to 800x600. Input: analog VGA
AC-9511VGA - for color TFT up to 640x480. Input:analog VGA
AV-0800 - for color TFT up to 800x600. Input: analog VGA
AV-1280 - for color TFT up to 1280x1024. Inputs: composite video & S-video.
DC-P550 - PCI video card, supports panels up to 1024x768..
SV-1024 - for color TFT up to 1024x768, TTL intf or LVDS intf. Inputs - analog VGA, composite video and S-video.
SV-N705 - for color TFT up to 1280x1024. Inputs: analog VGA, video (opt.)
AC-0800 - for color TFT up to 1280x1024. Inputs: analog VGA, video (opt.)
ACM-1024 - for color TFT up to 1024x768. Input: analog VGA.
AV-1024 - for color TFT up to 1024x768. Inputs: composite video & S-video.
SVP-1280 - for color TFT up to 1280x1024. Inputs: Analog VGA, composite video and S-video
ST-0800 - for color TFT up to 800x600. Input: analog VGA.
SVP-1600 - for color TFT up to 1600x1200. Inputs: analog VGA, composite video and S-video.
PDP-1280 - for panels up to 1365x768. Inputs: Analog VGA, composite video and S-video.
MAV-1280 - for color TFT up to 1280x1024. Inputs: composite video & S-video.
ACL-1024 - for color TFT up to 1024x768. Input: analog VGA
ACL-1280 - for color TFT up to 1280x1024. Inputs: Analog VGA, video (opt.)
DVI-1024 - for color TFT up to 1024x768. Input: DVI.
AV-9512VGA - for color TFT up to 640x480. Input: analog VGA
SV-1600 - for color TFT up to 1024x768, TTL intf or LVDS intf. Inputs: analog VGA, composite video and S-video.
ACG-1024 - for color TFT up to 1024x768. Input: Analog VGA.
AVT-1024 - for color TFT up to 1024x768. Inputs: Antenna for TV tuner, composite video and S-video.

bbs bild- und lichtsysteme (http://www.bbs-bildsysteme.com/)
DVI receivers, LCD and plasma display controllers, LCD projector modules, LCD projection panels,
font size=+1]Data Display AG (http://62.245.135.196/)[/size]
Prisma10 - for color TFT up to 1024x768, TTL intf or LVDS intf., Inputs: DVI, analog RGB, composite video, S-video.
Prisma20 - for color TFT up to 1280x1024, TTL intf or LVDS intf., Inputs: DVI, analog RGB, composite video, S-video.
Prisma30 - for color TFT up to 1600x1280, TTL intf or LVDS intf., Inputs: DVI, analog VGA, composite video, S-video.

Data Modul Inc. (http://www.datamodul.com)
C111 - for color TFT up to 1280x1024, TTL intf or LVDS intf., Inputs: analog RGB, composite video, S-video.
C112 - for color TFT up to 1600x1280, TTL intf or LVDS intf., Inputs: analog RGB, composite video, S-video.
C114 - for color TFT up to 1280x1024, TTL intf or LVDS intf., Inputs: DVI, analog RGB, composite video, S-video.
DVI-02 - DVI receiver to TFT panel display. est. $185

DiCON Electronics (http://www.dicon.co.kr/korean/product/controller.asp)
LCD1024E - up to 1024x768, TTL or 6-bit LVDS. Input: analog RGB
LCD1024G - up to 1024x768, TTL, 8-bit LVDS, TMDS. Input: analog RGB
LCD1280E - up to 1280x1024, 2 ch LVDS, TMDS. Input: analog RGB
LCD1280G - up to 1280x1024, 2 ch LVDS, TMDS. Input: analog RGB
LCD1024F - up to 1024x768, TTL, 1/2 ch 6/8-bit LVDS, TMDS. Inputs: analog RBG, composite video, S-video
LCD1280EI - up to 1280x1024, 2 ch LVDS, TMDS. Inputs: analog RBG, composite video, S-video
LCD1280F - up to 1280x1024, 2 ch LVDS, TMDS. Inputs: analog RBG, composite video, S-video
LCD1280FI - up to 1280x1024, TTL, 1/2 ch 6/8-bit LVDS, TMDS. Inputs: analog RBG, composite video, S-video
LCD1600A - up to 1600x1200, 2 ch LVDS, TMDS. Inputs: analog RBG, composite video, S-video
LCD1600F - up to 1600x1200, 2 ch LVDS, TMDS. Inputs: analog RBG, composite video, S-video

DIGIT Touch Systems BV (http://www.digit.nl/)
Lily - TTL or LVDS up to 1280x768. Inputs - analog VGA, composite video.
Callar JR up to 1600x1024.
Lotus - up to 1920x1280.
FB300U
Eclipta - Inputs - analog VGA, DVI, composite video. On-board tuner.

Digital View (http://www.digitalview.com/)
ACG-1024 - for color TFT up to 1024x768, TTL intf. Inputs - analog VGA.
ACL-1024 - for color TFT up to 1024x768, TTL intf or LVDS intf. Inputs - analog VGA.
AVP-1280 - for color TFT up to 1280x1024, TTL intf or LVDS intf. Inputs: composite video and S-video. No VGA input.
MAV-1280 - for color TFT up to 1280x1024, TTL intf or LVDS intf. Inputs: composite video, S-video, component video. No VGA input.
SVP-1280 - for color TFT up to 1280x1024, TTL intf or LVDS intf. Inputs - analog VGA, composite video, S-video & component video.
SV-1600 (est $645) - for color TFT up to 1600x1024, TTL intf oor LVDS intf. Inputs - analog VGA, composite video, S-video & component video.
AV-0640 - for color TFT up to 640x480, 3.3V & 5V TTL intf. Inputs - composite video and S-video.
AV-0800 - for color TFT up to 800x600, 3.3V & 5V TTL intf. Inputs - composite video and S-video.

[WyrreJ]

(because of message length limitations, this post was split into two messages)


EarthLCD (http://www.earthlcd.com/)
EarthVision/PC104 - $199. PC/104 form factor, supports color & monochrome panels, including STN, DSTN and TFT up to 1024x768. C&T 65545 chip.
EarthVision/ADC - $199. for color TFT up to 640x480, TTL intf. Input - analog VGA.
EarthVision/AD2 - $249. for color TFT up to 1024x768, 3.3V TTL intf. Input - analog VGA.
NTSC (Video) - $399. for color TFT up to 800x600. Input - composite video.
EarthVision PCI - $199. PCI video card, supports color & monochrome panels, including STN, DSTN and TFT up to 1024x768. C&T 65550 chip.
LongVue Controller - LVDS intf. for long cables. greater than 10M.
EarthVision ISA - $199. 16-bit ISA video card, supports color & monochrome panels, including STN, DSTN and TFT up to 1024x768. C&T 65545 chip.
EarthLCD/M - $149. 8-bit ISA video card, supports monochrome panels up to 640x480.

EVDisplays (http://www.evdisplays.com/products.htm)
Talon Analog Controller - for color TFT up to 1024x768, 3.3V & 5V TTL intf. Inputs - analog VGA. Sage Cheetah4 chip.
Talon Digtal Controller - for color TFT up to 1024x768, 3.3V & 5V TTL intf. Inputs - DVI. Sage Cheetah4 chip.
Condor II - for color TFT up to 1024x768, 3.3V & 5V TTL intf. Inputs - composite video & S-video. Sage Cheetah4 chip
Flight - for color TFT up to 1600x1280, TTL intf & LVDS intf. Inputs - analog VGA, DVI, composite video & S-video. Sage Jaguar chip.

MicroPak Industries (http://www.angelfire.com/electronic/micropakindustries)
These guys don't really belong on this list by I thought their products were interesting and wanted to provide a link to them incase someone was interested.
MPI S133 - ($50-75) This board interfaces with LCD displays using the SED1330 or SED1350 controller and provides high level command support through a serial RS-232 link.
MPI S1335 - ($42-47) This is a board will control most monochrome LCD displays up to 640x256 with 4 bit column drive scheme.
Many of the Seiko G-series displays (without on-board controllers) are supported.

Microversal (http://www.microversal.co.uk/index.html)
UV880 - PCI card to LCD display controller for color & monochrome TFT & STN panels up to 1280x1024. Chips & Tech. 65555 chip.
UV870 - PCI card to LCD display controller for color & monochrome TFT & STN panels up to 1024x768. Chips & Tech. 65550 chip.
UV670 - 16 bit ISA video card to LCD display controller for color & monochrome TFT & STN panels up to 1024x768. Chips & Tech. 65545 chip.
UV765 - PC/104 bus video card to LCD display controller for color & monochrome TFT & STN panels up to 640x480. Epson SPC8106 chip.
UV665 - 16 bit ISA video card to LCD display controller for color & monochrome TFT & STN panels up to 640x480. Epson SPC8106 chip.
UV668 - same as UV665 with limited simulateous CRT & LCD support.
TFT Display Buffer - Multipanel display controller. To be used with UV870 or UV670.

NewCommWorld (http://newcommworld.co.kr/eng/e-index.html)
ASX-1 -
ASX-2 -
AXG5 -
AXG6-01A -
AXG6-02A -

Reach Technologies, Inc. (http://www.reachtech.com)
PLRC - DVI receiver to TTL or LVDS TFT panels, Resolution up to 1600x1200.
PLRT1 - Single Channel DVI receiver to TTL or LVDS TFT panels, Resolution up to 1280x1024.
PLR2 - Single Channel DVI receiver to TTL or LVDS TFT panels, Resolution up to 1280x1024.
DVO Direct - Connects to the DVO port found on some Intel 815E Chipset based motherboards. Supports TFT panels up to 800x600.
Analog LCD Controller - for color TFT up to 1024x768, 3.3V & 5V TTL intf. Input - analog VGA.
RTI-545 ISA Board - 16-bit ISA video card, supports color &ammp; monochrome panels, including STN, DSTN and TFT up to 800x600. C&T 65545 chip.
RTI-550 PCI Board - PCI video card, supports color & monoochrome panels, including STN, DSTN and TFT up to 800x600. C&T 65550 chip.

Spectrah Dynamics Inc. (http://www.spectrah.com/)
ARV-462 - for color TFT up to 1600x1280, 3.3V & 5V TTL intf. Inputs - analog VGA, DVI, composite video & S-video. Genesis GM5060 chip.
ARV-400 - for color TFT up to 1280x1024, 3.3V & 5V TTL intf. Inputs - analog VGA, DVI, composite video & S-video. Genesis GM5020 chip.
ARV-300 - for color TFT up to 1280x1024, 3.3V & 5V TTL intf. Inputs - analog VGA. Genesis GM2120 chip.
ARV-350 - for color TFT up to 1280x1024, 3.3V & 5V TTL intf. Inputs - analog VGA. Genesis GM5120 chip.
DRV-200 - DVI Receiverfor color TFT panels up to 1024x768. Inputs - DVI. SiI161 DVI receiver chip.
LD-S372 - AGP video card for color TFT panels up to 1280x1024. Outputs: Analog RGB, DVI, TTL panel and LVDS panel. S3 Savage MX chip.
LD-S370 - AGP video card for color TFT panels up to 1280x1024. Outputs: Analog RGB, TTL panel and LVDS panel. S3 Savage MX chip.
LD-S272 - PCI video card for color TFT panels up to 1280x1024. Outputs: Analog RGB, DVI, TTL panel and LVDS panel. S3 Savage MX chip.
LD-S270 - PCI video card for color TFT panels up to 1280x1024. Outputs: Analog RGB, DVI, TTL panel and LVDS panel. S3 Savage MX chip.

Trident Display (http://www.tridentdisplays.co.uk/split.shtml)
These guys seem to mainly deal with kits where they package their controller with a panel, inverter and cables.

United Services Applications (http://ns1.unitedserviceapps.net/adboard1.html)
($180) Inputs - Analog VGA, DVI, composite video (optional).

9X Media (http://www.9xmedia.com/Pages-products/7500-LCD-Controller.html)
X-Top Video receiver - up to 1600x1280, Inputs - DVI, analog VGAA, composite video & S-video.

Glyn LCD (http://www.glyn.de/New_home/Produkte/opto/optofr.htm)
products - Toshiba LCD controllers & Sony projection panels.

[Moncha]

Whoa! That's alot of info!! Just one question, which one do I want? (Kidding ;Do; )

Thanks for your troubles, this should help alot.

[Virus-VX]

Originally posted by valenki
.... 3. Now I need to decide what monitor I will use. I have found some good deals on e-bay. But because I am not sure where I will place the monitor. I am not sure what kind to get. I plan to place the pc itself in stead of the glove compartment. ...


If your project remains ongoing and you are not decided yet which monitor to get for your setup, I would recommend to check this web site www.xenarc.com This is the only one mobile VGA monitor available on market. I got one off eBay and pretty much satisfied.

[Virus-VX]

Ooops ... Sorry! I found topic where Whaleboy already mentioned this monitor ...
http://www.vehicross.info/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=16337#post16337

[valenki]

I did check out the xenarc but I think it's kinda expensive and too small. I recently bought a LMV 10.4 fromd datalux on e-bay, now trying to finds a way to mount it. It turned out to be alot bigger then the dashboard were I planned to place it earlier.



http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/data/500/359mvc-002f-med.jpg

I really like the monitor. My cpu will go in the glove compartment area. The monitor ??? Not sure, perhaps take out the stock head unit and uses some kind of brackets to suspend the monitor, what do you guys think?

[Virus-VX]

Originally posted by valenki
[B]I did check out the xenarc but I think it's kinda expensive and too small. I recently bought a LMV 10.4 fromd datalux on e-bay, now trying to finds a way to mount it. ....

Well ... My vision on this - I think 7" widescreen (16:9 aspect ratio) is more than enough for basic mobile multimedia needs such as GPS navigation and watching DVD movies. But If you need something bigger, I would simply go with laptop and RAM-MOUNT mounting system. All in one and no headache how to mount big screen in VX cockpit. Just a thought.

[Navigator]

Originally posted by valenki
I did check out the xenarc but I think it's kinda expensive and too small. I recently bought a LMV 10.4 fromd datalux on e-bay, now trying to finds a way to mount it. It turned out to be alot bigger then the dashboard were I planned to place it earlier.



http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/data/500/359mvc-002f-med.jpg

I really like the monitor. My cpu will go in the glove compartment area. The monitor ??? Not sure, perhaps take out the stock head unit and uses some kind of brackets to suspend the monitor, what do you guys think?


... kudos on your tireless efforts. Sure any modern laptop would be an easy alternative, but you built this from scratch to your specification, so I give you praise for sticking to your convictions and seeing your vision thru.

[Whaleboy]

Originally posted by Virus-VX
If your project remains ongoing and you are not decided yet which monitor to get for your setup, I would recommend to check this web site www.xenarc.com This is the only one mobile VGA monitor available on market. I got one off eBay and pretty much satisfied.

Well, there's actually many mobile VGA monitors out there, ranging from 6.4" to 7" widescreen, to 8.4", and 8" widescreen... the list goes on and on. Usually the ones you'd buy are just modules and require the cards to run'em. A good place to start, but most certainly not one of the more cheaper options is http://www.earthlcd.com/skhome.htm

Constantly scouring on EBAY is a good alternative and you usually can find some pretty good deals. Make sure whatever LCD module you get has a dimmable inverter, simply adjusting the brightness is still gonna give you a disco like interior at night. This is still the Xenarc's greatest weakness.

There's also one other mobile VGA monitor exactly like the Xenarc that just recentely came out, and this one is rated at 400 nits (very close to sunlight readable). This guy is about to start selling them soon, you can preorder. it uses a hitachi lcd module, unlike the xenarc which uses the panasonic.

http://digitalww.com/VGA_TM_710VG.htm

also being sold on ebay:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=38650&item=2433530968

here's a side by side of the two displays:
http://digitalww.com/lilliput_vs_xenarc.htm


I've had my pc/xenarc system installed in my VX since like july of 2002... and I'm probably gonna upgrade to an NEC lcd 7" 16:9 as it has a more complete viewing angle and better contrast ratio. I don't have the model number handy at the moment.

[Virus-VX]

Originally posted by Whaleboy

There's also one other mobile VGA monitor exactly like the Xenarc that just recentely came out, and this one is rated at 400 nits (very close to sunlight readable). ....

400 still not be enough. It should has at least 1200 - 1500 Nit.
Just an example of fully sunlight readable and nighttime dimmable monitors ->

http://www.vei-systems.com/cart/items/8sunlight.htm

http://www.vei-systems.com/cart/items/12sunlight.htm


PS: Look at their price! ;eekr; ;Db;



Originally posted by Whaleboy
.... Make sure whatever LCD module you get has a dimmable inverter....

Yes, and also make sure that LCD module is a real TFT Active Matrix but not an STN one like almost most of them on the eBay. :madr2:

[WyrreJ]

Those displays are for direct sunlight out on the deck of a boat without any shade whatsoever. The VX cockpit has got a lot of shade, especially if the windows are tinted. Without a sunroof, you probably won't have any direct sunlight on the display's screen. Although it would certainly be nice to be able to crank it up to blinding levels if needed.

There are companies out there that retrofit extra back-lighting to standard panels plus there are a ton of raw panels out there that only speak LVDS. There is also a relatively new reflective technology for TFT displays called "transflective" which appears to make use of reflected light so the brighter the environment the easier it is to see the display.

So, tons of options, but like most things in life it comes down: Good, Cheap, Easy -- pick any two.

[Whaleboy]

Originally posted by Virus-VX
400 still not be enough. It should has at least 1200 - 1500 Nit.
Just an example of fully sunlight readable and nighttime dimmable monitors ->

PS: Look at their price! ;eekr; ;Db;

Yes, and also make sure that LCD module is a real TFT Active Matrix but not an STN one like almost most of them on the eBay. :madr2:

I've seen the LCD industry make claims of the brightness of their displays two ways.. Sunlight (daylight) readable, and direct sunlight readable.

anyhoo, what i said was sunlight (daylight) readable, which starts at around 480-500 nits as i remember reading in a whitepaper somewhere. This would be a display recieving simply ambient light from being in around an outside type enviroment during normal daytime. Direct sunlight readable, as you said, is up there in the 1000cd/m2 range. This is when sunlight is spilling on to the module itself.

But like i said, 400 nits gets kinda close but isn't exact. But is sufficient enough for a car interior 85% of the time.

Having a direct sunlight readable display isn't only dependant on the luminosity of the backlight and films - it also requires extremely high contrast.

Their prices get insane - but there is a 3rd party backlight company that will install brighter backlights and films on your module (mainly they only do sharp modules) for considerably less money then those displays in that link are goin' for.

And Virus is right, better watch those STN's! :D

what color VX you drive Virus? do you have a system installed in your VX?

[valenki]

Wow. I should get that next as a second monitor!

[Virus-VX]

Originally posted by Whaleboy
.... And Virus is right, better watch those STN's! :D
what color VX you drive Virus? do you have a system installed in your VX?

Be honest with you I’m not VX owner. :mbrasd:
The best friend of mine drives VX and he is an active member of this respectful community. I drive 2002 Jeep Grand Cherokee.
Here are some pics of my setup (see 2d page for details). I still work on GPS navi project. It’s not done yet.

http://www.pbase.com/neuronull/jeep

[SpaceTruck'n]

I love the back up camera monitors!
I love the DVD/ MP3 players!
I love the Televisions!
I’m planning on one of my own.
BUT...

Dude, don’t you think GPS and a PC BUILT INTO in a car is overkill? portable units work fairly well and are very reasonably priced. Seriously now, just in case the ADD is kicking in and you missed it the first time.
Listen: They have portable GPS units and laptop computers. Where are you planning to drive?
Peru?

[WyrreJ]

A PC built into the car is great for all kinds of reasons:
More flexible GPS software than dedicated units
Wireless Web Access that's bigger than a deck of cards
Support for 7.1 surround sound processing
Multiple music formats better than MP3 like Ogg, FLAC, etc
Connect to your OBDII port and get all kinds of life and logged status info from your car and potentially tweak engine and other car parameters on the fly
Games
Video recording from multiple cameras simulatenously
The list goes on and on, only limited by your imagination unlike a dedicate system that only does one thing and often can't be upgraded.

[Virus-VX]

Guys, what navigation software and GPS receiver/antenna do you have and use in your VX?

BTW – Do you know any inexpensive and user friendly PC-based OBD-II software for Windows OS? Just recently came across AutoTap. Does anyone have an experience with this soft?

AutoTap
http://www.autotap.com

[SpaceTruck'n]

"Connect to your OBDII port and get all kinds of life and logged status info from your car and potentially tweak engine and other car parameters on the fly"

OOOOOooh! Now yer talkin! I’m not being sarcastic either, I mean it. That’s a excellent idea! You could recurve your ignition for variety of uses, set timing, trans shift points, fuel remap lock unlock torque converter...


But he rest is still crap though. None of that stuff isn’t anything you can't do with a laptop.
I remain unconvinced.
What’s next? A sonic fish finder?

PS. What does OBDII stand for? OnBoardDiagnostic???? Data, Doohicky? What? ;Db;
See:

http://www.autotap.com/images/EFILive_rawdata.jpg

[Whaleboy]

Originally posted by Virus-VX
Guys, what navigation software and GPS receiver/antenna do you have and use in your VX?

BTW – Do you know any inexpensive and user friendly PC-based OBD-II software for Windows OS? Just recently came across AutoTap. Does anyone have an experience with this soft?

AutoTap
http://www.autotap.com

I bought some ODBII diagnostic adapter/software from ebay a while back, but haven't had any luck with it. Appears not to be compatible with the VX. I can't remember the name offhand, it was something obscure i had never heard of before.

Autotap was what I was thinking of looking into next.

The GPS I've been using is Copilot 2003, and it uses their proprietary GPS unit that comes with it only. It kinda sucks and it's refresh is slow - it's always having trouble locking. I'm probably gonna switch GPS software so I can use a different GPS unit, this is what I'm probably gonna get as it uses WAAS (accurate up to 3 meters).

http://www.garmin.com/products/gps16a/

For those of you who are actually persuing this. I found a really cool mini-itx case which dimensions almost fit underneath the front seat of the VX (with removing the foam cushion underneath the carpet like I had to do for mine)

http://www.caseoutlet.com/NWPc/Mini-Checkercube/minicheck.html

I'd buy it, but I already fabricated my own out of an electronic enclosure - and also don't need a DVD underneath the seat. Eventually I'll flush mount a player into the side of the center console once I finally get around to getting a firewire player.

You can only extend IDE to like 12 feet i think without signal loss (like VGA).

[Whaleboy]

Originally posted by SpaceTruck'n
"But he rest is still crap though. None of that stuff isn’t anything you can't do with a laptop.
I remain unconvinced.
What’s next? A sonic fish finder?

Ya know, you don't need to drive a vehicross from point A to point B - you could just drive a hyundai, its cheaper and has better gas milage.

[WyrreJ]

Originally posted by SpaceTruck'n
But he rest is still crap though. None of that stuff isn’t anything you can't do with a laptop.
I remain unconvinced.
What’s next? A sonic fish finder?

Well, with a laptop you can't have someone sitting comfortably in the passenger seat. It looks like crap, is easily stolen, may kill you in an accident or even just during intense braking, doesn't have a touchscreen, they tend to be more difficult to get running anything other than winblows, aren't nearly as flexible in terms of configuration -- you sure can't put one of those 8-camera, mpeg4 realtime compressing, security monitoring PCI cards in a laptop.

Seems like your imagination is pretty limiting.

[Virus-VX]

Originally posted by Whaleboy
....The GPS I've been using is Copilot 2003, and it uses their proprietary GPS unit that comes with it only. It kinda sucks and it's refresh is slow - it's always having trouble locking. ....

Andrey showed me recently his Co-Pilot 2002 and I was very impressed by its intuitive voice navigation feature. The only things that I really dislike in Co-Pilot are its map interface and receiver. Receiver “NMEA-compliant” but does not want to work with other NMEA comparable software. We tried to use MS MapPoint 2002 and DeLorme Street Atlas USA 2003 and got no luck. TravRoute Co-Pilot’s map software looks very “insufficient” to me and lack of details. But in generally, if you need just voice navigation, it does its work very well.

[Whaleboy]

Originally posted by Virus-VX
Andrey showed me recently his Co-Pilot 2002 and I was very impressed by its intuitive voice navigation feature. The only things that I really dislike in Co-Pilot are its map interface and receiver. Receiver “NMEA-compliant” but does not want to work with other NMEA comparable software. We tried to use MS MapPoint 2002 and DeLorme Street Atlas USA 2003 and got no luck. TravRoute Co-Pilot’s map software looks very “insufficient” to me and lack of details. But in generally, if you need just voice navigation, it does its work very well.

I haven't tried using their unit with other GPS software, but i'm not the least suprised considering like i said you can't use any other GPS unit with Copilot. You could trick 2002 into using a Delorme (i think that was the brand), but 2003 apparently not.

I do like the software however, oh well... I think MapPoint is probably gonna end up being the next best thing?

[Virus-VX]

Originally posted by Whaleboy
.... I think MapPoint is probably gonna end up being the next best thing?

The best GPS navigation software I ever saw (especially for in-town street navigation) wrote by Japanese company Xanavi ( http://www.xanavi.co.jp/e/products/index.html ) for Nissan/Infinity native in-car navigation systems. The only one problem - it is not PC/Windows -based software of course. But if you really want it you can buy aftermarket in-car navi unit with already build-in Xanavi's software ( http://www.autonav2000.com/Products/Voyager/Default.htm ).

http://boston.kpoxa.org/forum/files/infinity_navi.jpg


I'm currently using RadioShock's DigiTraveler 16-channels GPS receiver and both MS MapPoint 2002 and DeLorme Street Atlas USA Plus 2003 ( http://www.delorme.com ). DeLorme much much better than MapPoint and even Rand McNally. But as every product it has advantages and disadvantages. The biggest disadvantage is that you cannot install map on your PC's HD. You need always keep map CD in the CD/DVD-ROM. But functionality, map visualization and general user interface are great. Also you can switch map to nighttime view if you driving during the late evening or night. It also has voice navigation feature with the ability to follow operator's verbal commands.

[SpaceTruck'n]

Originally posted by WyrreJ
Well, with a laptop you can't have someone sitting comfortably in the passenger seat. It looks like crap, is easily stolen, may kill you in an accident or even just during intense braking, doesn't have a touchscreen, they tend to be more difficult to get running anything other than winblows, aren't nearly as flexible in terms of configuration -- you sure can't put one of those 8-camera, mpeg4 realtime compressing, security monitoring PCI cards in a laptop.

Seems like your imagination is pretty limiting.




OK, Im sorry.
Your right, I’m wrong.
My imagination sucks.


PS. I love MY Sonic fish finder. I use it after I find my favorite fishing spot on Lake Tahoe via GPS. I just drive across the lake in my floating VX, just like “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang”. Then I Crank up the fish finder, and commence to reel em’ in. If I use my Sonic fish finder I don’t have to waste a lot of time sitting there for hours waiting for a bite. The Sonar capability also alerts me of water depth and rocks. I wouldn’t want to pop a hole in my dinghy! Of course sometimes I like to relax there. I just sit around floating, have a few ice cold sodas from my built in refrigerator and watch a DVD or a bit of satellite TV in THX surround sound. Perhaps even download a few MP3s and burn them to disc. The cellular coverage is excellent around Tahoe. I’ve also been thinking of upgrading my “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” floating car kit so I can drive to Hawaii. Its fine for lakes and around coastal waters, but its a bit inadequate for the high seas.

Dude, lighten up! OK? My fellow VX Brother?
Sheesh, I didn’t expect the Spanish Inquisition! I was just joking about driving to Peru and the fish sonar.

As far as laptops with Touchscreen:
http://msn.com.com/Fujitsu_LifeBook_T3000_Tablet_PC/4505-3126_16-30532380.html?part=msn

[WyrreJ]

Originally posted by SpaceTruck'n
OK, Im sorry.
Your right, I’m wrong.
My imagination sucks.

Dude, lighten up! OK? My fellow VX Brother?
Sheesh, I didn’t expect the Spanish Inquisition! I was just joking about driving to Peru and the fish sonar.
I realized the imagination bit would sound harsh when I wrote it, but since it was a reference to something I wrote earlier I figured you might get it. As for lightening up, why do you think I wasn't light to begin with? If you think that you were light to begin with, go read what you wrote from the start, your written tone (rather than your internal voice) wasn't much different from mine. And that's the way the net works when there are only words and no faces.

[valenki]

I spent the day in the garage. Made a bracket for the monitor. It looks cool. The wires are hanging down cause the job isnt finished


What I am really dissapointed about is that there is no space whatsoever behind the glove compartment. My CPU will have to be almost vertical or at 70 deg. angle.

Should I just forget about it and put the cpu under the seat? But then most of my wiring will be too short and cd's will be difficult to get out. http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=2631

http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=2632

Do you guys think I can fit a 6.5 speakers in the rear? Do I have to get the seat belts off to get the rear side panels to come off?

Also, what is the best place to get the power wire for the ams from the engine compartment inside the cabin? Any ideas for the best route to pull it back ??

I appreciate any imput. Thanks

[VehiX]

Valenki,

Just mount the CPU behind the center console on the floor in the back seat area OR get creative and build a small enclosure for it. Then just route the wires under the center console and carpet.

As for the AMP power wire. run the wire from the battery up along the passenger side quater panel. There is a lip inside the engine bay you can neatly tug the wire under. Take that all the way to the back of the bay and along the fire wall to the driver side. Right about in front of the stearing wheel, there is a small hole with a ribber gasket around the inside. There is PLENTY of room to tuck several wires through there (fog lights etc.) then route it to your components.

[VehiX]

Originally posted by VehiX

[Dallas4u]

You can fit a 6.5 in the rear... you may need to do a bit of cutting on the OE mount, but it will work. I had 6.5 in there, then got stupid and put a 6x9 back there, cutting them up to pieces. Now, I blew one of the 6x9's, and I want the 6.5's back.

[Whaleboy]

Originally posted by valenki
What I am really dissapointed about is that there is no space whatsoever behind the glove compartment. My CPU will have to be almost vertical or at 70 deg. angle.

Should I just forget about it and put the cpu under the seat? But then most of my wiring will be too short and cd's will be difficult to get out.

I'll describe to you my solution. Part of which I implemented, and the other part which I have yet still.

The case I'm using was a generic electronic enclosure I ordered from the UK (was too lazy to get it custom fabricated). I had to chop it down several inches to get it under the seat. This included having to remove the block of foam underneath the carpet directly behind the seat.

Now, because i'm running my pc's desktop at the lcd modules native resolution (840x480), I have the additional space in the enclosure taken up by a radeon using the only PCI slot on the board, and laid out flat alongside the motherboard with a PCI angled riser. A 2.5" HD is mounted directly underneath the radeon card.

After this, no space for the powersupply in the case. The powersupply sits secured underneath the passenger seat, and I made custom ATX extenders for all the cables. They run under the carpet and under the console to the enclosure.

I thought originally there would be enough space to mount a slimline cd drive at the top of the case and clear between just underneath the seat and the hump. But I had to tuck the case so far under the hump, and make it so thin height-wise to clear the brackets that control the seat sliding it quickly eliminated that idea.

So now currently the system has no cd drive. My plan is to upgrade the board to a Epia M1000 with USB 2.0, so I can use an external slotload slimline cd/dvd player and flush mount it into the side of the console using the space thats there now from where the cd changer once was. (currently I just use a 1gig microdrive to transfer data in and out of the car)

So if you mount it under the seat, and you're concerned about cd drive access, you can just go mounting the drive somewhere else in the car.

You can get away with about 5 meters on usb cable with full speed devices. 3 meters with low speed. Anything past this you risk interference, and in a car it's very likely.

For doing an external drive it's that or use Firewire. On Firewire, the distance between each node or hop should not exceed 4.5m and the maximum number of hops in a chain is 16, for a total maximumend-to-end distance of 72m. Cable distance between each node is limited primarily by signal attenuation.

As for the wiring being too short in general, they can all be extended... ATX power cables, keyboard/mouse (go wireless), VGA can do 15 ft and be ok, an NTSC signal won't be a problem either.

hopes this helps dude, good luck! :)

[Dallas4u]

Nice dude... nice!Oh yeah, any new news on Duke Nukem Forever?

[Virus-VX]

Whaleboy,
Back to our GPS software discussion. Just FYI if you still interested in MS MapPoint. I recently found AGPS (Advance GPS) add-in component for Microsoft MapPont 2001/2002 and this particular component makes MapPoint to be a real navigation software with all navi features and GPS capabilities as DeLorme and Co-Pilot has (I think so, but I cannot say that I'm 100% sure). I did not have a chance to test it, but based on features description and tech. documentation I can assume so. Will probably test it this weekend to see how it works.

You can download most recent version from TechGT dedicated web site. Only all further upgrades and tech. support will require official registration with a nominal fee ~ $10

http://www.techgt.com/agps/ (see software screenshots for details)

PS: I think that component is also comparable with Microsoft Streets and Trips.

[transVXmen]

Listen Y'all I think what you guys are doing is pretty cool!!!...but I think I can do one better!!!!....I'm currently putting together on a project that will make alot of this a bit simpler and alot more powerful!!!!.....I have XBOX gurus working on a modified XBOX that can work as a all around entertainment system (including GPS) to work with a in dash LCD monitor!!!...this system can store about a terabyte of information....yes I said a TERABYTE!!!
It will store and play all your MP3s, alot of movies, photos, all your XBOX games and other things right now we can't discuss as of yet....hopefully we will have a prototype by first week of November...If anyone is interested ..please look at xbox-scene.com for now and stay posted cus it's going to be BIG!!! ...and yes I will be putting together this in my VX hopefully pretty soon, as soon as we get the interface and hardware to work to it's maximum potential!!!

[Virus-VX]

Originally posted by valenki
.... I appreciate any imput. Thanks

valenki,
You are doing great job! :yes: Keep posting your project update!
I think you have to contact this guy (see links below). He is from my Jeep forum and I'm sure he would gladly answer on all of your questions. He implemented the same idea as yours in his Jeep Wrangler.


http://jeep.efreestylin.com/ComputerInfo.html

http://jeep.efreestylin.com/AudioMods.php


PS: Check that out ->
http://www.via.com.tw/en/VInternet/carpc.jsp
http://www.divx-car.com/galcyber.htm
http://www.mediaengine.org/index.php?screenshots&page=1&results=5&start=1
http://www.letscommunicate.co.uk/carpc/

[Whaleboy]

Virus, apparently Copilot 2004 will support the ability to use any GPS unit with their software - so I'm probably gonna wait for that. Thanks for all the info though. I should try Mappoint anyways.

valenki, also of note. If you're installing your system with the HD laying horizontal you may run a possible risk of ruining the drive. This depends on what your shock rating is on the drive you're using. If it's a 3.5", it's most likely pretty low (bad).

Thats why I went with a 2.5" laptop HD - I was really concerned the VX was just way to bumpy to handle a normal desktop HD. However I know plenty of people that have managed to run a 3.5" in their car for a year successfully. But our VX doesn't exactly have a smooth suspension.

If you ARE using a 3.5", your best bet is to mount the drive vertically as the heads sit directly above the platter. The majority of shock comes from vertical force. So keeping the heads horizontal from the platter is in your best interest.

I'm not sure if you're using an aftermarket radio? They do make a RCA adapter that plugs into the cd-changer plug for aux in. It was about $70's last time I checked though. It appears I have lost the link to this, if you need it I can dig it up.

Since you are using an inverter, you may possibly introduce whine into your audio system from the PC. You'll know it when the time comes. I ran into this problem a long time ago when I put a PC into my Rodeo a few years back, and I used an inverter on that install.

There's two ways to get rid of it, either may or may not work. You can try grounding the PC chassis to the car (this worked for me), or buy a ground loop isolater.

I noticed that jeep user is using an OPUS powersupply, what I originally recommended.

Any other questions you have, feel free to ask - as my install has run pretty well for quite sometime I've been thru just about all the troubles of gettin' it installed.

Dallas, thanks dude..! No news right now, we're cranking pretty hard over here... Though we just had Max Payne 2 go gold, so there's something new out the door... :D

You're gonna buy a copy right? ;)

[Virus-VX]

Originally posted by WyrreJ

.... Connect to your OBDII port and get all kinds of life and logged status info from your car and potentially tweak engine and other car parameters on the fly
..


http://www.scienceofspeed.com/products/interior_performance_products/NSX/HKS/default_sub.asp

It's not really an OBDII Dx. tool but will show you in real-time all data as you described.

[valenki]

can I get some directions on removing the rear panels to access the rear speakers. I will do it tommorow and I am trying not to break any clips or parts...any ideas? were the clips are located so I can heat them whould be helpfull as well. Do I have to remove the seatbelts? Rear seat?

[valenki]

But I have now another problem. I hooked up the the sound system. I have a mini stereo out of the pc going into rca wires. they are going into the equalizer/crossover then I have 2 pairs of rca wires going into amps and then speakers.

The problem is that the sound level coming from the pc and equalizer is very low. I tried playng with the switches on the amps and volume controlls in the computer, but that didnt help. I tried using extension from AC insted of the inverter for the computer and that didnt help. I tried running the wires straight from the the PC to the amps and that didnt help either ????

People please in you have any ideas give me some help, because this project will kill me if id doesnt work.......

[WyrreJ]

Sounds like your computer is outputing a lower voltage level than the rest of the equipment is looking for. I don't know what voltage levels are normal for car audio, but home audio tends to run with a peak output voltage in the 1.2V area, but sound cards often don't go that high, some go to 1.0V, some even less.

For home equipment the solution is to use a pre-amp that will let you boost the voltage. I'm sure something like that exists for car audio, but I don't know enough about it to name one.

[Whaleboy]

Originally posted by valenki
But I have now another problem. I hooked up the the sound system. I have a mini stereo out of the pc going into rca wires. they are going into the equalizer/crossover then I have 2 pairs of rca wires going into amps and then speakers.

The problem is that the sound level coming from the pc and equalizer is very low. I tried playng with the switches on the amps and volume controlls in the computer, but that didnt help. I tried using extension from AC insted of the inverter for the computer and that didnt help. I tried running the wires straight from the the PC to the amps and that didnt help either ????

People please in you have any ideas give me some help, because this project will kill me if id doesnt work.......

What type of sound card are you using? Or is it at built-in card? does it have a specific line out vs. speaker out?

[valenki]

The output of the sound car which is build in to the motherboard is 1 V which is standart. The signal that amplifier takes in is 5-8V . This seems to be the problem. There might be 2 solutions:

1. get a head unit with auxhilary inputs . I would get it but iut's pricy and there is no place to put it since the upper din is blocked by the monitor and the lower is taken up by the equalizer.

2. someonw from the mp3car.com forum had suggested that I use this to boost my signal::
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3051612947&category=14931&rd=1

luckaly it is for sale on ebay and the guy is in Boston! I am trying to arrange delivery. I willn try this it is promnising. I am all tired of this project for now. Frustrated at this point. Really wanna get it over with. No stereo or video or anything working in my truck right now. Got wires running everywhere. What a mess. Hope it will be worth it in the end.

I would appreciate any input.

[WyrreJ]

If your amps don't have a power-on delay, you might want to look for some sort of relay with a delayed turn-on, otherwise you will most likely get a speaker thump each time you turn the car on.