Thread: Newbie w/h ?'s

1. your best bet is to buy a DC-DC converter (look for it under "MP3Car Hardware" on the main mp3car.com web page. it'll be slightly more expensive than a DC-AC inverter, but its worth it. a power inverter that plugs into your cig lighter will work, but if it's for show then thats not what you want to do

2. depends on the screen. If its an RCA/NTSC model then you are gonna need an RCA out card (they cost about $30). from there its real easy: go to radio shack and buy a sheilded RCA cord and fling that sucker to the front of the car. If you want to use a laptop screen then you have to buy a $200 controller card from www.flat-panel.com and a VGA exstension cord (im not sure where to get these or how much they are).

3. Depends on your head unit:
If you have an AUX or CD-IN jack, use that. you get the best sound quality with this method.

There is a way to hook into your amp, but i cant recall the wiring and you indicated that you did not want to do this (for technical reasons).

You can also get an FM modulator from www.partsexpress.com which loses some sound quality, but usually only the true audiophiles notice. it runs $50.

the least desirable way, but by far the cheapest and easiest, is to use a cassete tape adapter. you CAN do this, but I dont suggest it for aesthetic reasons as well as the degradation in sound quality.

A note on the Keyboard/mouse: you might want to reconsider placing them in the trunk. look into buying a Chicony IR wireless keyboard off of www.pricewatch.com because they only run $27. either that, or run the KB/M wires to your backseat. trust me--its gonna get REAL annoying if you have to stop the car to get to the computer.

Thanks for the help. Here are two new questions:

1. How would I hook it up to the audio system itself. What kind of wire? I have a Sony Head Unit, heres a picture of it:



2. Could I get another car battery and hook an power inverter up to it and have it in my trunk?

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-jamZ
Grand AM POWER @ GAPOWER.com

Just a note to you again, I really want to just have standard battery outlets so I can have options of hooking up other stuff. I saw this power inverter that hooks up to a car battery and I was wondering if I could hook it up to another battery sitting in my trunk? Also, I'm slightly confused on getting the audio over all my speakers. What can I look for on my head unit. I really appreciate your time and patience, I'm eager to set this up.

I really agree with Kevin... Not only it will answer all your questions but it also might give you some new ideas as well as any common problems that people had when building ans installing their Units. So I guess going over this BB will be very helpful for anyone who is just starting to build thier in-car computers and mp3 players

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Fosgate

I totally agree with Kevin. Before people post the same old question again, they should search the board. Everything jamzdaman has asked has been answered before.

I also have another little beef. Before anyone attempts a project like this, they should have at least an elementary knowledge of computer hardware and electronics. Judging by some of the questions asked (and answered), this is not true. There are many good books that will introduce you to both topics. Radio Shack sells a small book called "Getting Started In Electronics" for $5 that should take no more than an hour to read. Computer books are everywhere. Please, people, know what you are doing before you start a project like this. It will save you both money and frustration..

RANT MODE OFF


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Aaron Cake
London, Ontario, Canada

Player: Cyrix 200, 32MB RAM, 10.2Gig Quantum HD, Onboard EtherNet/Sound/Video, Custom Lexan Case, Arise DC-DC, Win95 Kernal w/Custom Player
Car: '86 Mazda RX-7 w/Basic Performance Upgrades

thanks for the help

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-jamZ
Grand AM POWER @ GAPOWER.com