navigation already installed but i had been shipped a bad gps antenna so it will be another week or so and as far as heat and crammed space it not a problem , have already tested with 110 degree interior temps and there are plenty of cooling fans in that "crammed space"

 

dunno but there is alot of work involved in it , even if you do it every day, i would say 200 bucks to do that (without paint) would be a gift... i have alot of time into mine

 

Yes it is true you can do it with just amps and no head unit, and some guys do it that way. here is my problem with that type of setup... a computers line out is about 1.5 volts, a good head unit will give you about 5-8 volts rca line outs (higher voltage better sound) so if you don’t want to add a head unit you would have to get a line driver to achieve the sound quality(unless you want sub-stadard sound) , and I felt by the time you do that you might as well just use a head unit with an aux in , it also provides a good backup if you have issues with your pc. Also ...my car still has a spare tire and storage to the right of it as it will after the amp and sub are installed, a good install keeps the cars functional an storage and safety futures stock as possible... but it is also more challenging to do it like that .


HEY i do this for a living ,i am not really as smart as you think ...

 

Thats a very clean install of the screen, one of the best sanding and molding jobs I ahve seen using the original housing. Nice job.

 

good job i may do this for my tc later instead of buying those after market dvd navi units.. you could probably did it for less but i have to see for my self the actual cost.

 

I never thought of the voltage issue. Your set up is sweet in that you shoved the whole install into the DDIN space on the factory rails. I thought about doing it that way when I did my gauges and had to pull the dash apart to do wiring and saw that my entire arm could get into that space! The reason Im going with the set-up in back is that I will be running a TV tuner/radio card, along with a PCI wireless card and a dual monitor card so I can run DVD movies off of the second screen output and have it in the headrest LCDs while the main screen in the console remains clean. I have to have a regular ATX board to support all those PCI cards. Also I fabricated a way to hang my spare underneath the car like most SUVs and pick-ups. I've been stuck on the side of the road a few times too and dont fancy being in Timbuktu with no spare! But thats the beauty of CarPCs; they can be made to be anything you want them to be!

 

The other problem with just running amps is the control of the sound, like treble and bass. The XM, FM, MP3's, and movies might have a different sound, and if its not impossible to change the sound quality, its a pain. Plus the control and quality of FM is never as good as a head unit. I have a TV/FM card, but I also have a head unit. I like being able to control the treble and bass, and also like to have the volume real quick. They make USB volume controls but they are pretty big.

Hey starrwulfe, you might try a shuttle PC. They make DC-DC power supplies for them, and they have the room for a video card and another card. You could run anything off of USB, and some of them shuttles have 6 or 8. Ive used a USB wireless adapter, and had really good connectivity driving around the neighborhood. I like the shuttle and got the startup down to 13 seconds from hibernation to start, and 4 seconds to shut down. Thats also another good reason for a headunit, if you have a slow computer startup. The slowest Ive seen is 35 seconds, but thats awhile to wait when you expect to hear something when you get in the car.

 

Would this Alpine HU have the right connection for a CarPC?

http://cgi.ebay.com/Alpine-CDA-9851-...QQcmdZViewItem

Like, how do i go from the Mobo's onboard sound 1/8" jack t o the HU? thanks.

Also, where can i get a good long IDE 40pin cable if i mounted a dvd-rom in the dash?

 

Well winamp has a built-in EQ that is pretty good. Also there are RF remotes like the firefly remote that runs off of an RF USB adapter that will let you manually control volume. Im also a certified tech-- I can just make a potentiometer with a **** to control volume if that doesn't work. Im still trying to see if I can get the XM PCI card-- this would solve all my problems with the radio setup. Im not too happy about local music stations here, and all my favorite talk programs are podcasted anyway. I also built my own PVR in Linux (MythTV) and have been "PDA-casting" my TV shows on my PDA for a year now. I'd just do the same with my carPC set up. I'd need more than one PCI slot because USB wi-fi dongles don't let you add external antennas. I want to be able to do some wardriving. I just like expandablity I guess, thats why my home computer has a full terabyte of space. Im only using about 200GB of that now, most of it video from MythTV and work-related stuff (Im an online content video editor) but I also have about 50GB of music too...
@Rebelman: Try doing a IDE to USB connector. USB will have similar throughput with less loss, and the longer cables are easier to find.
Pricewatch.com, PriceGrabber.com, and ebay.com are great places to start looking...

 

awesome! sounds like a plan. didn't know that existed hehe

 

IDE to USB connector
If its made, its found on ebay it seems!!!

 

i think i'll just buy an external USB combo drive. CD/DvDRom good nuff for me....

 

I wish I would have know about these before I bought my N1. THese are so much nicer and have way more features

 

I see what you mean by needing more cards. Wardriving with a USB adapter doesn't do the job, I tried it in Houston in the middle of dozens of connections and still couldn't get a good connection. I like the firefly remote because its RF and doesn't have to be up front, I just hated the huge remote, but you can control anything with it, even with Girder.
Ive heard people make an IDE cable 15 feet without problems, but I wouldn't recommend it. I keep the DVD/CD on the PC because I have so much to listen to and watch in the car anyway. If I rent a DVD when I am traveling, I just drop it in the trunk. The XMPCR works really well, and works with carPC software. They stopped making them awhile back, but I found one on ebay. I haven't looked for awhile to see if anyone picked up the PC XM market. The good thing is the antennas for the car will fit on the antenna jack of the XMPCR. I listen to that more then anything else. Having almost 300 stations is nice.

 

^^ I've researched my set up for a long time. I wish i could do the set up that is the topic of this post-- stack it in neatly where the headunit used to be. That's what I wanted to do before I got the box anyway! But it kinda snowballed on me, and became an all-in-one type thing. Im a victim of over-modding and bad traffic-- When Im stuck in traffic now, I look over and see some soccer mom in her minivan or SUV entertaining the passengers with a DVD. I think to myself "if I had that, I wouldnt be mad right now." Then I get to a buddys house and he's tuning his honda with a laptop. "gee, Id like to just see what my car is seeing without paying the dealer stupid amounts of bread!! Just the power to log performance and maintanence info thru OBDII would make me want to do this project! Then I see my car club buddy with his carpc and think--- I can do that too! That'll solve everything!

 

The OBDII for CarPC's are sweet. The interface is nice and its USB, and cheap too. Ive never used it, but I have seen it and have ever since been jealous.