Newbie Installing in a '97 Celica GT-Four

**demonspeeding** · 06-26-2009, 06:47 PM

Hi guys,

I've been trawling these forums for the last few years. I finally have a car I think it's worth spending some money on so I have an ICE guy fitting the Mac Mini on Monday. I know very little about electronics and I don't want to do anything stupid to the car as I only bought it a week ago so I figured I'd leave it to the professionals.

Hardware:
Intel Mac Mini
Lilliput 629GL-70NP/C/T (2008) 7” Touchscreen
Carnetix CNX-P1900 V2.2 PSU
Carnetix MacPac Power Cable Kit
4-Port Belkin Powered USB Hub
Griffin Powermate in Silver (although I will bite your hand off for a black one)
GlobalSat BU353 USB GPS Receiver SIRF III Waterproof
Roll-Up Keyboard (in case it's needed)
3.5mm to L&R Phono Adapter
2x Phono to 2 Phono Adapters
2 Channel Amp (for Fronts)
3 Channel Amp (for Rears and Sub)
10" Sub

Software:
Mac OS X 10.5.7
DisplayConfigX
Hear
ICE3
VMWare Fusion / Windows 7 / PC Navigator 9 UK

The guy who's fitting it usually installs standard stereos and media units, he's never fitted a Mac Mini before. He was a little confused when I said I was going to be running the audio out of the Mac's headphone jack. I've read through the forums and it seems like it should be fine to go:

Mac Headphone Jack > 3.5mm to L&R Phono > 2x Phono Splitters > 4x Phono Leads

Have I misunderstood what you guys have said or should I be okay with that setup?

**Machinehead** · 06-29-2009, 02:27 PM

Originally Posted by demonspeeding

Mac Headphone Jack > 3.5mm to L&R Phono > 2x Phono Splitters > 4x Phono Leads

Have I misunderstood what you guys have said or should I be okay with that setup?

Sounds quality is only thing I'll caution you about. What you're proposing will work, if it sounds good or not is the question. You can always try it and if you aren't happy with the results find a better solution.

Edit: You're going direct from the Mac to your amps right?

**demonspeeding** · 06-29-2009, 07:21 PM

Thanks Machinehead. I am indeed going directly to the Amps.

Phase one went in today, as I'm waiting for the three channel amp and my new 12" shallow sub to arrive.

I also neglected to order the 5v add on for the P1900 as I thought it was part of it. So I haven't got the hub in yet and I have to manually disconnect the USB devices before switching off the ignition. It's been ordered though and should arrive fairly shortly.

I'm impressed with the sound so far. The previous owner fitted nice aftermarket speakers so even with only the fronts connected the output is pretty good. I'll post up some pics once it's all in.

**Relientone** · 06-30-2009, 10:43 PM

this should work as long as the speakers are wired to the right amps, right? I have a 4 channel amp for my speakers and a mono amp for 2 10" JL w3's it works like a charm.

On a side note, is the 97 a 5th gen? a 5th gen celica is the only one I have liked, maybe a 6th gen but my friend has a 6th gen convertible and I don't like the soft top...Especially in Washington state where it rains some 200+ days a year I think.

**natedawgg** · 07-01-2009, 01:03 AM

IMHO the sound output straight from the mini is fine. the sound quality can be hurt or helped anywhere down the line. for instance in my car i am running straight from the mini into a secondary amp that jumps the signal high enough to be pushed into my factory amp, everything sounds great unless i get a low bitrate mp3. Of course you can always get a usb sound card that can make that output much better. from what i hear maudio makes a good one. good luck with the install. post some pics once you get it together.

**demonspeeding** · 07-01-2009, 03:30 AM

Thanks for all your help guys!

Originally Posted by Relientone

...On a side note, is the 97 a 5th gen?

One of the last of the 6th Gen ones. In terms of looks the GT-Four has a more aggressive front end and generally a big spoiler at the back (mine doesn't but it's on the shopping list).

Install looks like this so far:

Mac Mini is squirreled away here:

**Machinehead** · 07-01-2009, 11:13 AM

Originally Posted by natedawgg

from what i hear maudio makes a good one. good luck with the install.

Or firewire...

Originally Posted by demonspeeding

pics

That's a nice screen install. Very Clean.

**colin** · 07-01-2009, 11:36 AM

Looks good, nicely installed.

However, it seems your car is backwards?? Steering wheels are supposed to be on the left side! When will you guys get it right?

**demonspeeding** · 07-06-2009, 02:21 PM

I shot a quick video of the interface today although I'm sure you guys all know what ICE3 looks like: Link to video.

What settings should I be putting into DisplayConfigX for my screen? I'm using the ones from this thread but it still seems a bit off, as though the image is slightly wider than the screen. Any ideas?