PT Cruiser 7 touchscreen monitors, high end CarPC

**Vinister** · 10-06-2005, 05:03 PM

from my distributor. It's an Audiovox, and works amazingly well. It has a built-in mic, you can hear people talking outside through the headphones that came with the 700TR.

**turbocad6** · 10-06-2005, 05:07 PM

Originally Posted by Vinister

The 4 screens (visors and headrests) were added near the end just to 'top it all off'. My customer uses the hatch screen to show interactive presentations for his work. His wife uses the visor screen with a small usb IR webcam (cheap), as a vanity mirror replacement.

Yes this is a show vehicle, but first and foremost a daily driver. The boxes were designed so that they don't get in the way of the rear seat operation, they still flip down out of the way. The glovebox still fits the car's manual and insurance papers.

The beauty of it is the multiple activities you can do at once. the rear passengers can watch the image from the clarion DVD, or play PS2, or use the computer. All the touch screens work, even the 1200ts in the hatch, but there is only one vga image so the same image will show on every screen. No more asking 'are we there yet?" The kids can just fire up map monkey and see for themselves.

Everything is digital 5.1, and when you open the hatch, you get 3.1 as there's no surrounds out there (couldnt figure that one out).

I also hated PT's, until this one came along. Another shop is building the motor for this little grocery-getter. It's getting a gigantic turbo and absolutely massive intercooler, tons of other goodies. It's plumbed for 2 shots of NOS, a small shot to help turbo spool-up a big shot for up top. A rack will be fabbed to suspend the 2 bottles above the amplifiers. It is expected to produce almost 500hp. If you find that hard to believe, just look at SRT-4 turbos with the same motor.

You can't see the audison amp since it's mounted under the drivers seat, actually it's so long I had to make a false floor in the rear footwell to cover it up. this is singlehandedly the nicest amplifier I have ever had the pleasure of dealing with. If you've got a lot of $$$, Audison is the way to go.

audison is awsome stuff..... I like mcintosh personally though..... I'd like to put my mcintosh mc4000m up agianst your audison to see which is bigger

this thing is a monster

**pimpmode** · 10-08-2005, 01:36 AM

that is a really sweet install...I have one question...I have the same headunit and also have the digital processor...I have an external creative 24 bit soundcard with digital optical outputs...What cables or kits do I need to connect them together...I already have the headunit hooked up through optical but I think there is room for one more but I suspect it is for an CD changer, can I hook the PC into that plug...any advice is much appreciated...been waiting a while for someone to have the same headunit...could you PM me with any info...thanks

**xdjxklusivex** · 10-08-2005, 03:16 AM

nice!!!

**Rafster** · 10-08-2005, 03:20 AM

Originally Posted by xdjxklusivex

nice!!!

It's funny, when they 1st came out, I thought the PT Cruiser was the ugliest thing around (Except for the Gangter Ed., I don't know, there's something cool about fake bullet holes on a car that I like)

But after seeing this, I might get myself a '03 GT.

Nice install!

Peace,

Rafster

**HHdesign** · 10-08-2005, 10:34 AM

sweet install. I like all the screens, they are really showy but not like 19" In screen guady. well done!

**Vinister** · 10-08-2005, 09:22 PM

Originally Posted by pimpmode

I have an external creative 24 bit soundcard with digital optical outputs...What cables or kits do I need to connect them together...I already have the headunit hooked up through optical but I think there is room for one more but I suspect it is for an CD changer, can I hook the PC into that plug...any advice is much appreciated...been waiting a while for someone to have the same headunit...could you PM me with any info...thanks

Hehe, I knew this would come up. This was actually the most challenging part of the whole project!

It was imperative to my customer that the computer's sound output was digital 5.1 - I promised him I could do it, without completely thinking it through in advance. The clarion processor's optical input uses a proprietory sending and receiving chip at either end of the cable. It's actually just a coaxial digital to optical converter at the changer/head unit end and a optical to coaxial converter at the processor end. There are 2 challenges.

1) the deck doesn't turn on the 2nd digital input unless there is a DVD changer plugged into the C-net port. Plugging in a DVD changer makes 'dvd changer' show up in the source list, and basically turns on the input.

2) the little sending chip at the end of the digital cable sends a proprietory 'bit' of info along with the digital signal. Without it, the processor seems to ignore the signal.

Inside the DVD changer, the signal that gets sent to the optical output is actually SPDIF, same as our motherboards. The chip in the cable turns the digital signal into optical and shoots it down the cable.

Once the dvd changer is plugged into the c-net port, and the dvd changer is selected as the source, you can feed the SPDIF signal from your motherboard directly into the sending chip, and voila, your signal will be decoded inside the clarion processor into 5.1.

I was lucky enough to get my hands on a damaged dvd changer for pretty cheap from my local clarion rep, otherwise, you'll have to buy a new dvd changer, as far as I know theres no other way around it.

I also used a digital source selector which allows me to select between the PC and the playstation2 as my digital source. Nothing analog!

Now if I could just know enough to make a C-net to USB or serial adapter, and learn the C-net protocol, we could make this alot easier. Not only that, we could also control the PC from the clarion touch-screen, and view track and song name information on-screen. I just dont think there would be enough people that could take advantage of it for it to be worth it.

In this vehicle, there's already 6 screens you can control the pc from, I really didn't need any more than that.

Have fun, if you try it, shoot me your questions.

**pimpmode** · 10-08-2005, 10:15 PM

thanks man for the great response because i didnt know that the changer source screen would not come up unless the CeNet cable was attached...I really dont want to add the changer because i have so much crap already in the car and mine is not a show car...if you have any other ideas please feel free to pm me because i really want the cpu to have digital output...

**Vinister** · 10-08-2005, 10:55 PM

I hear ya. Your best bet is to look into someone who can decode the C-net protocol for you. I think it's been done with other brands, but I've never seen any information on clarion's cnet. I dont even know if its possible. Then you'd just plug the Cnet right into your pc, and connect your spdif to the end of a clarion optical cable. All we need to do is send the "I AM A DVD CHANGER AND I AM HERE" command. Find a pinout for the cnet cable, figure out which is the communication pin(s), figure out a way to hook them into your serial port, and listen in on what they say when you plug in a dvd changer. haha, so simple. you're still going to need a DVD changer for testing, though.

Otherwise, call your local clarion dealer, explain your situation, and that you'd like to talk to the local clarion sales rep. If you're really nice to everybody, you might just be able to track down a damaged dvd changer. Although it's against their policy to sell them, so... good luck!

If you want it bad enough, I can sell you a new one at dealer cost.