Thread: Newbie need a little advice

Originally posted by runawaytwin
-First thing is weither or not I want to build a dc-dc power supply. I already have a converter that I can use and would be perfect for what I need to do. So I dunno if it is worth going through the time and the money that I would need in order to make the ps. The thing I would need is to know how to conect to wire for the converter somewher other than the car lighter. I am trying to conceal most of thw wires. I heard that I can hook it straight to the battery but don't know if i need a fuse in the line or what.

If you already have a converter that will work, then it doesn't seem like it's worth the time to make another one. If you want to conceal the wires, then don't connect to the lighter. Either run a wire to an unused fuse slot in the fusebox, or directly to the battery. Then put a switch in series and mount the switch somewere nice. You ALWAYS need a fuse whenever you connect something to your electrical system.

-The next is weither or not i should build a new case. I want it to go in the trunnk of my car I know a lot of people are building them out of plexi glass and was wondering how cheap and how hard the process would be. I really want a smaller case but am not sure what i should do.

Depends on what you want to do. Plexi/Lexan is pretty cheap, but it is time consuming (>20 hours) to make the case. Your skill level and the time you take will be the factors that determine how well the case turns out.

-I also want to network through DOS if I can. www.wown.com has the info on a network client for windows workgroups from dos. http://www.wown.com/j_helmig/Dosclnt.htm . Is this what i should do or should I install windows and set the computer up to open in dos except when network support is needed.

Last time I checked, the DOS client does not allow you to share a drive on the DOS machine. It only allows you to attach to drives shared on Win9x,WFWG and NT machines.

-Know i need to know the proper way to run the wires to the dash. I am curiouse on if wiring a car is that easy or should i go to the pros for help. I plan on hooking the box up to the aux input in my head unit.

Normal place to run wire is through the door sills. Just remove the trim and carpet in the area, and pull wire. Make sure to protect from sharp edges with electrical tape or conduit. It's not that hard, assuming you have an elementary understanding of electronics.

Also would like to know about creating a custom dash for my lcd. I would also like to mount my irman in the same spot and was also curiouse if this is something I could do myself.

I don't know...Your skill level will determine if you can do this.