Starting dash mods... am I nuts?!

[Virus-VX]

Originally posted by valenki
.... Right now I am using Power DVD and winamp for media and Streetfinder Delux with GPS soft for Navigation.

I used to use Power DVD but switched to WinDWD 4.0
It seems to me that the Power DVD soft has too many glitches if installed on Win.XP platform (or maybe it was just my bad experience )

[WyrreJ]

You might want to look into TheaterTek's DVD player software. It is designed to be as close to a real DVD player as you can get on a PC - no windows, it plays fullscreen - settings are done as video overlay, it is very remote control friendly so no mousing required. Only major down sides are that it is relatively expensive, it is copy-prevented up the wazoo and activation can be a bitch, and it currently doesn't do the 5.1 decode, it relies on you having an outboard decoder. Rumor is that the next version (pending for many months now) will do 5.1/6.1/7.1 decode.

http://www.theatertek.com/

[MZ-N10]

Im not sure if you posted what touchscreen you have...Im really interested in the idea of adding a computer into the car.....anyways if you posted already what touchscreen it is can you repost because Ive been lookin at this post for atleast 15 mins trying to find the name.....thx
________
condos Pattaya

[Virus-VX]

Xenarc 700TSV

http://www.xenarc.com/product/700ts.html

[Daver]

So far, I still like the VX-4's dash. They did a great job.



That's an Alpine monitor in there. Dunno anything else about it though.

-Daver

[Francesco Rizzo]

ok, been thinking about doing this for like a year now and it's now nearly complete. I've always been building pc’s, fifth now, as well as throwing all kinds of speakers, amps, and media junk in my rides. After installing a soundstorm dvd250 with 5.1 dolby, I didn't understand why we couldn't just put a pc in the truck with a remotely mounted dvd drive/ monitor in the dash. I've been looking at the epia route but have too many left-over parts from other computers that would be at home in my VX, and are like twice as fast as the epia. I've spent some 500 bucks in the last few months on annoying e-bay bidding for collecting everything I need. I intend to use my deck, which has always been located where the stock 6 disk was located, with a monitor in the top din. Only thing is I now have a touch screen which will be installed there and the car pc will ride between the recaro's. Anyway, I used my 400 watt inverter to run a dreamCast beautifully, but I powered up the computer and I get voltage drop warnings from my inverter as well as a terrible ground loop type noise in the background. The sound is terrible, which defeats the purpose of the computer being in the car in the first place. I am going to try a bigger gauged wire with grounds in the computer, inverter, and anything else connecter, but if anyone has any suggestion, I'd be grateful
thanks
Frank

ps, 400 watt invert powers a AMD2100xp+ amd in a pcchips ez-watcher that only has a 250 watt powersupply.. the inverter is 400 with a 900 watt peak surge. It's booted up by the time put it into drive.

[Maugan_VX]

One of the advantages of the Epia and other miniITX systems is that they only need 75W PSU.

I'm definitely going to go the Epia route, especially since it contains everything you need already.

[Francesco Rizzo]

yeah, fixed the hissing and poor sound quality caused by ground.. or lack of a ground to the chasis of the computer. I will be attempting to construct a center console, HELL YEAH CUP HOLDER! ... actually.. stupid computer.. no cup hold but still.. I'll put up pics eventually, had to send my monitor in for rma replacement.


by the way, I know many people go with epia, but the processing power/price for those pc's are too much considering any intel or amd of the same speed will burn them. Look into the cost of those 75 watt power supplies, you'll find some as much as 200 watts for the just a bit more $$; check ebay but not sure if they're still listed.

[coachreed]

Dang... I completely forgot about this thread... and y'all seem to be moving right along with it. Of course, my motor swap had taken first priority but the carputer is partially assembled on the bench as we speak. I have compiled pretty much the whole system at this point...

• Via Epia M10000 Nehimiah mainboard
• Slimline slot load DVD ROM CD/RW drive
• 120 Gig HDD
• 3.5" FDD
• 10.4" Datalux LMV10R
• XMPCR satalite radio
• Cheese-box (to play my reverse camera to my VGA monitor)
• Parallel relay board to interface with windows and such
• Audigy 2SZ Platinum PCI sound card (6.1, THX certified, DVD Audio, and much much more)
• Alpine MRV-F540 (four channel amp... front and rear main)
• Alpine MRV-T320 (two channel amp... front and rear center channels)
• Two (2) Alpine MRD-M501 (sub amps)
• Two (2) pair Alpine SPR 174a (6.5" coax... front mains, front center and rear center)
• SPR-136a (5.25 coax rear main)
• Two (2) Alpine SWR1241D (Type R 12" subs)
• Two Alpine TME-760 (6.5" LCD monitors for rear passengers)

I'm probably forgetting something... but who knows... anyway, since I have pretty much gutted the interior of the VX during my motor swap... rewiring pretty much EVERYTHING onboard... and getting rid of airbags... I think its safe to say I am free to mod my dash as EXTENSIVELY as I wish... without any further regrets! LMAO!

If those of you who are interested in this type of project and you haven't already done so, go check out http://www.mp3car.com ... there is TONS of info there along with pictures of what people have alreedy done. There are some really kewl interfaces for the carputers as well... MediaEngine, frodoplayer, and MediaCar to name a few. These systems are really awsome! Check them out if you haven't already... TTYL!

Coach... I mean Randy (I often forget who I really am)

Undergoing LS1 Conversion as we speak!
Click Image to Visit My Website!

[Maugan_VX]

^ good info.

I'm going to be buying most of my components from mp3playerstore.com including the touch screen.

Although, I don't know why you'd need anymore than a 1ghz processor in a carputer... we're not playing doom 3 here people :P

My plans so far, fabbing up a small aluminum case to mount SOMEWHERE. Either under the seat, or under the dash somewhere. Small HD, 20gig at the most, I don't have more than 4 gigs of music anyways, and most of its burned on CD that my Premier 5500MP can read as it is. My carputer isn't meant for music really.

DVD for passenger
GPS->usb antenna
http://www.autotap.com
Backup Camera

[Francesco Rizzo]

just installed my 8500dv ati all in wonder card and will be connecting a 30 led nightvision cam for backup when it comes in. Has anyone played with these cam's yet? It claims auto-switch between color day and night ir. I got it off of ebay for like 30 bucks, which is much cheaper than what most other people offer for low lux cameras.. worried about quility now. I thought I'd get better quility with a capture card than a usb2 cam. So far I will be able to use my computer for everything I can think of: usb radio, mp3 playback, back up cam, tv if I put in an antenna, navigation when my gps comes in.

as for the gps, where should they be mounted.. I guess there wouldn't be a problem mounting it into the interrior although I have seen some applications for laptops that use suction cups for temp mounting outside the window.

las thing, direct link to the VX's computer through a usb to OBDII, please tell me someone has that.

[Maugan_VX]

Follow my link for the autotap if you want to plugin to the vx computer.



GPS antenna should be mounted outside the vehicle, or on the dash where it can "see" the sky. (thats where mine is going to go)