Thread: Basic Guide for Newbies

One of my really good buddies is an installer. I just wanted to know what needed to be done so that I could try it. If all else fails, he will be a last resort. I was just looking for a personal project to do for the summer. I have found some basic guides in the FAQ section. Thanks Quattro. Did not even realize that section was there in the forums.

I could probably ask him for help but it's something that I would like to learn how to do too. Reason being is because I want to eventually rebuild my first car ('78 Chevy Nova) to have a computer too. I think a good place for me to start would be to review all the information/knowledge I have obtained on electricity through my Physics and Electrical Engineering classes.

Originally Posted by glassman324

Hi all,
I stumbled across this website after getting my new car and wanted to put a computer in it (think I found the right place). I know anything and everything about computers, but I do not know anything about how a car's wiring work (or any electric for that matter) and know nothing on how to wire the computer to the speakers in the car. Is there a good 'newb' tutorial/guide that I can read to get me pointed in the right direction?
Thanks.

I came from the same perspective. If you don't know something, all you have to do is be smart enough and willing to learn. Your first post indicates that this may be the case for you. I understand your desire to learn about the process yourself - if you just wanted the finished product with no trouble you could pay to have that done, but sometimes that's not what it's all about. So I won't discourage your desire to learn as much as you can.

As usual, the learning curve is tedious at first. I started with the FAQ section. I read and reread everything that almost made sense to me, until it did make sense. To supplement that, I did searches to help fill in some of the gaps. Also helpful is the Show off your Project subforum, particularly the Worklog section, which lets you view the process from start to finish.

For general car electronics questions, http://www.bcae1.com has a lot of technical info. I also visited http://www.crutchfield.com from time to time, for their "What fits your car" tool, to give me an idea of the kind of devices available for my specific car.

Thanks for the advice. I have visited crutchfield many times in the past. I have the capacity to learn and want to fill it with everything I can (call me a nerd, its ok, really). I'll start in the FAQ section. Already read up on some of the basic laws of electricity to get me back in the swing of it. Thanks again.

edrex mentioned that I wire the carpc directly to the amp. Why would I not wire the audio through a head unit?