car speakers to laptop?

**ReddyFire** · 10-21-2008, 03:47 PM

i looked all over these forums but i cant seem to find the answer to this...

i have a t41 ibm thinkpad that i want to put in my s10...how would i go about hooking up the car speakers to it (2 in dash 2 in door). would i need an external sound card or something of that sort or what ? also how can i make the laptop turn on/off on ignition (the power button is integrated into my keyboard )...heres a couple of pics of my laptop

thanks

**DarquePervert** · 10-21-2008, 04:32 PM

Audio: Simple answer is 3.5mm jack to RCA cable running to Aux input of a headunit.
There are other solutions, but this is by far the simplest.

For the auto on/off, you have several options:
You can have the laptop turn on when it senses power.
You can have a unit like a Carnetix power supply or a dedicated startup/shutdown controller mimic a press of the power button.
There is a laptop auto-turn-on module made by a forum member.
You can be creative and use Wake on Ring or Wake on LAN if your laptop supports either.

**sargeants** · 10-21-2008, 04:50 PM

before you go tapping into what you have listed as the 'lid switch' - STOP
it's not the lid switch, but the multibay switch.
the lid switch is actually built into the LCD cable (not shown)

I haven't looked into the keyboard too deeply to find which wires are the power switch
... if you're feeling lucky and adventurous you could test the pins on the systemboard keyboard connector and see which ones turn your laptop on when shorting - be very careful here though, no guarantees of anything

the 3.5mm to RCA is probably your easiest way, or an external sound card - but that's extra money and power

**ReddyFire** · 10-21-2008, 06:26 PM

ok as far as that thing i labeled as a lid switch i do belive that thats what itis cuz it would put my laptop into standy by (current option in control panel>power)
now 3.5 jack into aux...i dont plan on having a headunit and a car pc...to me that sounds like extra **** not to mention the s10 or my other car 2000 jetta dont come with a deck that has aux input...so if the headunit is out of the question for me would and external soundcard provide am/fm and the means to connecting my 4 car speakers?(the am/fm tuner was going to be my next question).
basicly at the end of my project i want the carpc to do the following
play mp3/avi/dvds/am-fm radio
wi-fi thru laptop wireless card
gps thru garmin+usb gps reciever
bluetooth connectivity/control between phone(lg voyager/vx10000) and laptop
power on ignition for the laptop and any peripherals
use rr as frontend
backup camera thru usb
possibly add a mic for speech emails/typing
----------------
so with the above said let me know if i am correct....
i need an external sound card with fm tuner capabilities a carnetix 1900power supply
a usb hub... gps,bluetooth recievers
a weather proof camera and a mic

**sargeants** · 10-21-2008, 08:14 PM

seems odd to have that switch act as a power control... but what do I know, I've just been repairing laptops for 5 years... could be as I never really dealt with that cable, other than to remove it while replacing other parts in the laptops - meh. Just keep that systemboard solid, don't want you breaking the contacts with the video chip - seen it happen far too many times. Also, tip - remove the modem/wire and maybe move the memory up to the top, slot 1.

if you're not going to use a headunit you'll have to have the audio split and run it into an (4-ch) amp to then power your speakers. The amp will take the RCA input.
For radio without a HU, you'd have to get a USB AM/FM receiver; possibly built into an external sound card(don't know if they have them) - but you don't really need that...
the carnetix is a nice add-on

sounds like you've got things lined up. just don't forget your touch screen

I'm about the same stage as you.

**ReddyFire** · 10-21-2008, 08:26 PM

first off id like to apologize to sergeants im not doubting you im just saying when i took the thing apart that switch came out the keyboard part of the laptop and would get pushed in when i closed the lid. therefore i thought it is the lid switch or wtvr the thing is called. also i may have found my solution to the fm radio thing... check this out... i liek the amp idea...so if i get this straight...it will go speakers > amp > external soundcard > laptop .. right ?

also whats a good 5.1 external sound card ?

**sargeants** · 10-21-2008, 08:41 PM

no need to apologize... I just repair them, don't know how all the functions work - kinda silly I know. Wasn't sure what you were planning on doing to with switch, didn't want you to waste time soldering something up to not have it work they way you're wanting (not even sure you're going that deep into things, just my thinking).

You could skip the external sound card if you're wanting, you'd just have to split the laptop audio twice to get left/right & front/rear; and again if you're wanting to put a sub in there. Pretty sweet little receiver, though TV in the car is a bit much IMO.

**ReddyFire** · 10-22-2008, 12:27 AM

if i split the wires wouldnt i ave to draw all the power thru the laptop for the car speakers ? isnt that a bit much for a 3.5mm jack ? also i was gonna use the tuner for FM capabilities more than its TV tuner side although its an added bonus in case it will come out carpc status... heh...

**sargeants** · 10-22-2008, 09:48 AM

The way I picture it is:
laptop > splitter1(L/R) |--> splitter2 (front) > 4ch amp > car speakers
..............................|--> splitter3 (rear)--^
..............................................(opt ional rear splitter4) |--> 1ch amp > subwoofer

At least that's the way I see it, and will be hooking mine up when I get to that stage; there may be a different/better way, and I guess it depends on if there's a good external sound card that you're wanting to use and how it would hook up - you might save 1 splitter depending on their outputs. I know Creative makes USB external 'cards'; and US prices are about $20 less through Tigerdirect - yay Canada!

**Thefdog** · 11-17-2008, 02:40 AM

I want to weigh in on the radio issue. I tried several USB solutions and none of them are satisfactory for automobile use. You will not get a good signal, even when connected properly to the car's antenna. Let me repeat, you will not get a good signal.

The HD Radio solution is the way to go. With a Visteon automobile radio kit (or similar), Mitch's software driver, and the proper frontend (Road Runner) and supporting skin (Digital FX 4.0), you will have an excellent solution. Everything else is BS, do not waste your time or money, unless you do not want to listen to someone you do not even know

Do some more searching on these subjects, as most have been answered elsewhere in the forum.

Cheers