Thread: CarPC project, want to add multiple monitors, ok to use a VGA Y-Cable?

I won't suggest it. I've used such a cable in the past. It DID work, however I lost a bunch of brightness on both displays.

And if you're planning for further upgrades, I suggest a dedicated splitter. They can be found for like $35 or so, 1 port in, 4 port out. I use one @ work (computer shop) to display 1 pc on 4 screens.

Yep agree with Smiley, someone else the other day wanted to do the same. Look for the thread if you want. You will lose alot of brightness.

i have 2 vga screens in my system and yes you do loose brightness with a y cable . what i did was buy a vga splitter. it say 9 volts but i'm running it right off the battery and so far so good. i don't know the specs for the unit but the guy i got it from said it was good for 12v.

and you should get a bunch of tft lcd's for your headrests. use a tv out video card and you're all set. i have 4 screens and i also have a video distribution amp for these. each output is also adjustable for signal strenght too. cost about $25 on ebay

By car's power you mean ACC right? I'm no electronics guru, but anything hooked up to constant power will draw on your battery, even if a signal isnt going through your VGA splitter at the time.

yes i mean accessory. that kinda goes without saying. what i really meant was that its marked 9v. so i think by using 12v you may wear out the parts faster by using more voltage. someone help me here...

i do have quite a few hours on the unit so far and it works fine. i am using 2 monitors with it.

Originally Posted by mattress

that's some good info, I found some VGA splitter boxes on ebay. The ones I looked at also run off of a 9v 500mA AC adapter ... so I assume they would be able to run off of the car's 12v? would that cause any problems? Should I run it off of my opus 150W PSU or straight off the car's power?

Yes, that will cause a problem. Feeding to much voltage into a circuit is not a good idea. Like plugging a 110 appliance into a 210 European plug. Not good.

You can either build your own supply for it using something like an LM7809 voltage regulator, or purchasing an adjustable voltage regulator designed for a cigarette lighter, and hacking it for your purposes.

Michael

Originally Posted by albysure

yes i mean accessory. that kinda goes without saying. what i really meant was that its marked 9v. so i think by using 12v you may wear out the parts faster by using more voltage. someone help me here...

i do have quite a few hours on the unit so far and it works fine. i am using 2 monitors with it.

If it is not designed for 12 volts, or at least have tolerances for 12 volts, then you will fry the unit. While 3 volt isn't much, it will probably fry it. If yours is working, then it might still be in tolerance. If that is the case, then you shouldn't have a reduction in life.

Your experience makes me believe that it was designed for 12 volts, but they decided to run it on 9 volts for some reason, perhaps because the 9volt PS/power cube was cheaper or something like that.

Michael