Alpine with touchscreen help

**disker** · 06-08-2006, 12:17 AM

Greetings!

I have one of the new Alpine DVA 9861s and I was wanting to add a monitor for the display output. The unit has additional wires to connect a touch screen monitor.

While I could go with one of the Alpine monitors and be assured that it would work, I"m also wanting to add a CarPC in as well - so, I need a monitor that also has VGA capability.

I found a couple of in-dash monitors that fit the bill, but I am not sure how to get them to control the Alpine HU through it's touchscreen controls as the monitors only have USB output for connecting them to a computer.

Does anyone have any experience with this situation? If so, I would *GREATLY* appriciate any help!

Also - a side note to JBORS - I'm still awaiting the AI-Net version of your car-pc cable...

Good luck with it!

**Jahntassa** · 06-08-2006, 12:27 AM

From looking at the manuals it looks like the only monitors that will work with it are something like the TME-M770S http://www.alpine-usa.com/en/product...&lang=en&tab=F

According to the manuals, the 'touch control' is a single wire hookup. Or at least it looks like that. In any case, it would seem it's exceedingly proprietary, and anything non-Alpine won't work with it.

Just first opinion, but I don't think there's a simple solution, especially when the DVA-9861 was released back in April

**DarquePervert** · 06-08-2006, 07:45 AM

To get the Alpine's touchscreen to work with a computer, you need to reverse-engineer a connection to the computer and probably write drivers for it for the PC.
Someone has done this with a Kenwood unit. It is possible to pull off, but not worth it IMHO, esdpecially considering you have to crack open a very expensive piece of car audio hardware with no guarantee that you can achieve the desired results and the possibility the unit won't work when you're done.

Conversely, a USB touchscreen is designed to control a PC, not your ALpine headunit, or any other headunit.

**disker** · 06-08-2006, 02:35 PM

The responses, while not what I was WANTING to hear, are about what I expected! You know, it is too bad that Alpine doesn't make a way to integrate their touch-screen monitors to a PC as well as their HUs - I would think that there would be a good market for this with Carputers getting more and more popular!!!

I guess that my best bet then would be to go with one of the touchscreens that I have been looking at and just use it for output from the HUs video out and not worry about the monitor controlling the HU, but instead have it control the Carputer.

Many thanks!

PS: If anyone else has any more suggestions, I am very open to whatever information that you can provide! I always love to learn more!!!!

**RedGTiVR6** · 06-08-2006, 02:49 PM

why?

if they did that they would be shooting themselves in the foot...it's their propritary hardware, why would they make it cross compatable with products that aren't even theirs? Thus running the risk of their name being associated with the nonamed piece of crap monitor joe schmoe bought at the local fleamarket and ****ed up and now tells all of his buddies that the alpine is a piece of **** because he had no clue what he was doing?

doesn't make very much business sense to me...

I noticed you are relatively new to the boards as well, welcome, and thanks for putting forth the effort to search and learn before posting up! It's nice to have ya around!

**disker** · 06-08-2006, 03:14 PM

If they made their HUs to integrate with anyone's monitor then I would agree with that statement, however, adding the ability to connect their touchscreen monitors to a PC to use not only for their HUs but also to use as a monitor for a carputer to me sounds like a good business move. But then again, that's why I repair computers for a living and dont design products, eh?

**RedGTiVR6** · 06-08-2006, 03:20 PM

again, the same argument applies to the CarPC market.

Spend a bit of time looking around here and check out the install section, you would be absolutely terrified of doing something like what you mention if you were in alpines shoes.

It all goes back to your name, if alpine allows their product to be used in an uncontrolled environment (IE: carPC, different units, etc) they can't controll their name any more.

it's all part of protecting your name, and when you have a name like Alpine, you have a HELL of a lot to protect.

**turbocad6** · 06-08-2006, 03:33 PM

I don't know if that's completely true, I mean they do have a standard composite input that can be connected to anything..... I'm sure it's only a matter of time before the mm units out there accept a high resolution input with a high resolution display, just don't expect alpine to be the first to market... alpine is the oposite really, & is usually last to market... but fully developed & usually the best

alpine was the last to use touchscreens, but did it with a revolutionary force feedback screen... alpine was the last to market with a touchscreen interface to navi also, but again, there release is unarguably the best in the industry....

what you want will be here in a few years I think.... but just not yet...

**Jahntassa** · 06-08-2006, 04:03 PM

Also recall that PCs aren't exactly a 'market' in cars yet. If they are, they're an extreme niche market. Alpine has always been a bit of a 'higher end' company and typically just do their own thing. I dont' think they've been very swayed by market demand in the past. It just isn't that economic for them to try to support anything by anyone else if they don't want to.

Even PC hardware.

Plus, Alpine wants you to buy Alpine stuff. If Alpine doesn't make it, why bother supporting it? With the exception of composite input, of course.

**turbocad6** · 06-08-2006, 04:18 PM

I think alpine will support what the market demands... if they feel they are loosing sales to the competition they'll step up, but as you say, this really isn't even a market yet... or just barely so even at this point....

I expect to see mm heads that take a high res input within a year or so....
i'm a little surprised there not here already....alpine will follow eventually.... the only way alpine won't do it is if it's not in high demand, which it won't be for a while yet.... but eventually I think it will

5 years ago to see a screen in a car was wow... now adays everyone & there mother has an lcd in there car.... computers will follow.... eventually.... it's inevitable....