F-Body Ideas - Camaro and Firebird - Page 18

JasonWW · 11-04-2006, 11:21 AM

I'm not sure what you mean by resonating, do you mean enclosure flex? These things are super stiff. The shape gives them extreme rigidity, you won't need any extra bracing inside. The one thing I don't know is how the sound wave will bounce around inside. Instead of a flat plug on the small end I would make it a 45* angle. That would prevent direct reflections off of the bottom to bounce straight back up. Is that what you mean? The angled bottom could also serve as a base for the amp rack to make it look suspended in mid air.

I also considered the conga sitting on a box maybe 4" tall on the gas tank shelf. The congas could be sealed to it and the box air space added to the overall sub airspace. The congas would of course still need to be notched on the bottom. You could simply cut some carpet to fit over the lower, box part and have the shiny wood exposed up top.

Don't even consider dropping a full sized conga in the back. It HAS to be notched out which is going to lose you some air space.

I have no idea about the finish as I probably won't use this idea. The cheapest I have seen finished tumbadora (super tumba) in 13" is for $247 each. This is with a nice red wine or natural finish with chrome hardware.

If I knew I could finish it locally or do it myself I could get them raw and undrilled for $113 each.

This idea would be perfect for a pair of 10's, but I'm not even sure a 12" sub would fit right in a 13" conga.

I really want some big output so I don't think a pair of 10's would do it for me. Maybe, I don't know for sure. You seemed to think 2 10's sealed could get pretty loud. What do you think? Pair of 10's, pair of 12's or a single 15". There are just a lot of options.

JasonWW · 11-04-2006, 11:37 AM

Here, check this pic out. If you remove the metal ring at the bottom you can get an idea about how think the wood pieces are. They are made just like wine barrels. Considering the ring fits into a notched out section, it looks about 5/8-3/4" wall thickness to me. It would make good sense to layer the inside with fiberglass just make sure there are no leaks, but it probably won't be neccesary.

turbocad6 · 11-04-2006, 12:01 PM

I know guys who make musical instraments... not congas, but I think there all pretty similar, weather a guitar, violin, bazoki, bass or whatever, in that the wood & the construction definatley influence the sound, the construction methods of many seperate pieces laminated togeather, & the density of the wood are not what I would consider to be good for a sub enclosure,..

best way to illustrate this to you, picture a conga made out of cement.... it would sound dead. That deadness is what you want a sub enclosure to be. a musical instrament hass to color the sound for it to be musical.... coloring of sound in a sub enclosure is not a good thing... it can work fine, but I really think it needs to be deadened, not necissrily reinforced, but deadened.

JasonWW · 11-04-2006, 02:05 PM

I think the sound comes from the skin vibrating and the body just takes that sound and focuses the right frequencies out the bottom. Once both ends are sealed that sucker should be dead. Compare this to the sonotubes. Are you familiar with them? They are just laminated cardboard tues for concrete columns. Now due to their construction and thin walls I would assume they might flex or resonate and might make good drums, but once you seal them up they make excellent sub enclosures. The shape gives them great strength from expanding and collapsing due to the air pressure. I think the conga would do the same thing. Once it's sealed it should be a good enclosure.
Who knows, I could be wrong, but I'm not letting possible resonance be any kind of factor in my decision.

turbocad6 · 11-04-2006, 09:59 PM

hmm, maybe your right & it won't be a big deal, I'd be concerned at least enough to think about it, guess theres only one way to really know

DrewSG · 11-05-2006, 09:50 AM

Question for all the guys here.

Do you guys think it's possible to rip out the entire stock head unit assembly and fit just a micro ATX mobo in there?

I think it'll be much easier than trying to run everything from the hatch to the front.

JasonWW · 11-05-2006, 10:01 AM

Quote: Originally Posted by DrewSG

Question for all the guys here.

Do you guys think it's possible to rip out the entire stock head unit assembly and fit just a micro ATX mobo in there?

I think it'll be much easier than trying to run everything from the hatch to the front.

I know of only one guy to do that. These are pretty large mobo's. It can be mounted standing up. You won't be able to use any PCI cards unless you get a flex adaptor to lay the card on it's side. You'll also have to make sure it runs very cool as there is little air circulation there plus it will be right up against the air duct body which gets really hot in the winter. Plus it is very difficult to get to. If you want I may be able to find a picture.

Try looking at page one or 2 to see if he is listed already.

OK, it was Camarossguy and he was able to fit one PCI card without the flex adaptor. See, it pays to check out the cars on the first page.

http://www.mp3car.com/vbulletin/show-off-your-project/34110-1997-camaro-totally-indash-lcd-pc.html

DrewSG · 11-05-2006, 10:14 AM

Damn, I didn't figure a mATX board would be too big, or it would be too hard to get into.

Maybe I could just cut out the damn hump on the passenger floor and put the carPC there..

Guess I have to look for another alternative. I really want to keep things as close to the front as possible to keep things, especially wiring, simple.

Thanks for the help.

JasonWW · 11-05-2006, 10:17 AM

Did you see the link? It may still be possible. The smaller micro ATX would definetely fit.

If you remove the cat converter on the passenger side, then that hump is not needed. It would work if you are proficient at welding.

JasonWW · 11-05-2006, 10:25 AM

Anyone know if two awesome 10's that can get really loud with 600w each? I know of some with an xmax of 30mm (one way linear travel) and 3.5" of peak to peak excursion.

Is a large excursion needed for 10's to get really loud? Eh, I'm on the look out. Maybe the eclipses, turbo mentioned would be good.

I need to hear how loud a pair of 10's can get in a SQ setup. Probably a lot louder than my current old school 12" with 300w. 2 10's may be enough, but I'm shooting for 12's if possible.

JasonWW · 11-05-2006, 11:28 PM

Here is a more refined version of the conga enclosure idea. I don't think it's so crazy anymore. I really like it.
I can make a floating amp rack by mounting the amps on the end of the enclosures. I still can't say what size sub I can fit as it depends on the size of conga I can find. 2 12's would be ideal, but it's very hard to find 2 large sized congas that are identical. I may have to buy raw ones and finish them myself. Now the smaller sizes are more likely to be found and I'm sure I can fit a 10" sub in one. If need be, it would be easy to add some reinforcement to the walls without loosing air space, so no big deal there. The entire inside can be coated with some material to strengthen it and seal it as well.

I can tuck the PC and misc stuff under them as the pics show. No big woop there, just simple covers with matching carpet with a simple fan to circulate air through it.

I think this install would turn a lot of heads as far as the beauty of it. I would certainly like seeing it everyday. I could go with a red or blue finish, but even a basic dark wood grain or cherry colored finish would look good and not be so bright. This, of course, could open the door for a few other matching wood accents here and there.

JasonWW · 11-06-2006, 12:35 AM

Here's an update on my Lilliput LCD.

The one I got doesn't work due to the viewing angles and the seller didn't have any other models that are any better. UPS and FedEx charges about $110 to ship it back to Hong Kong, so that's a wash. Sucks huh? I'll probably have it for sale on MP3car.com eventually to get some of my money back. I haven't found another one yet. The ebay store kind of fools you here and let this be a lesson. The Ebay page showed a price of $250 plus $40 for 2nd day air from Hong Kong. Sure enough it got here in 2 days. I looked at the reciept and it showed a LCD cost of $190. So I went, huh? and didn't worry about it. It turns out that the actual LCD WAS $190 and the other $100 was for the shipping. So it's better for me to sell it used here in the US than to ship it back.
I contacted MP3car about their 1024x768 10.4" screen, but they can't confirm the viewing angles. I may just buy it and see. At least with them the shipping is fairly cheap.

It's kind of discouraging. I'm half tempted to get an Alpine IVA-W200. It has the optical out that can go to my Alpine H700 processor as well as a 6.5" touch screen.. It's about $700 on ebay. http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-ALPINE-IVA-W...QQcmdZViewItem
I bet the Alpine IVA-W200 has a good viewing angle. Maybe even daylight readable.

It would be nice if it had a hard drive, it doesn't, but you CAN attach an Ipod. I don't have one but they aren't too expensive and the combo may be a better solution to a car PC. Get a 60-80G Ipod for my own music and add a XM tuner for new music. Then just sell all my carpc stuff.

I would only go with an Alpine source as the ones with optical SPDIF outputs can connect with a data cable to my Alpine H700 processor and I can control both. It's a badass setup really. If I got the big IVA-W200 I would probably have to relocate the A/C controls for it to fit as it's pretty big. It can hardwire it to my steering wheel radio controls so no more drop outs or uneven speed with the volume controls, plus it turns on real fast and won't run the battery down if left alone for too many days.

All the other things about the PC are good like GPS navigation, customized interface, internet access, wifi to home computer, etc... but I mainly want the music. I like the big screen so I can see the artist and song info, so the IVA-W200 is the one I will check out in person in whatever store I can find it in. If I like it I may go with it, if I don't, then I'll stick with the PC for a while longer.

I keep having little issues with my PC that bug me, like the mobo won't suspend or hibernate anymore. It used to, but suddenly stopped. I have a new mobo to replace it, but haven't gotten around to it yet. The steering wheel controls are IR and if something gets in the way it won't get the signal, plus it doesn't raise and lower the volume smoothly. I kind of have to tap it a bunch for big volume changes. If I crank up my car to move it the system may come on and not go off. So I have to watch it to make sure. Just little stuff that bugs me. Plus you have to reinstall everthing when you switch mobos for instance. It's a lot of drivers and programs and settings that need to be changed. It's a royal pain and that's why I put off swapping the mobo out.

meissenation · 11-06-2006, 06:47 AM

Haven't updated in a LONG time, but I have a Via Epia mini-ATX ( 6.5 inches square ) built into my headunit spot on my 94 Camaro dash. The motherboard is actually about the same size as my 7" Lilliput screen.

Mine has been up and running smooth for quite awhile. I got rid of the POS Opus power supply that couldn't handle 3 USB items at once

Now I'm using an M2 ATX power supply.. I think it's M1 or M2, whichever is like 180-200w. The 5v rail handles more power on the M2 than the Opus does, and hence can handle my USB items. My only issue that I've encountered is horizontal white lines on my display, I believe it's voltage related. It's kinda weird, if I tap the screen or hit the side of the bezel, it stops, but then a few seconds later the horizontal lines start going again. It doesn't seem to really be a pattern as if it were from the alternator whine or such, I think it's a bad ground or bad 12v spot, I'm planning on wiring it straight from the battery.

JasonWW · 11-11-2006, 02:19 PM

I think I've worked past the whole "screw this carpc stuff" and I am going to stick with it. I just need to stay positive and don't let these small setbacks bum me out.

To all the guys here with TA's. I know there is a variety of LCD brands in use with the 7" widescreen and 8.4" 4:3 screens and well all pretty much have the same "looking down at a 45* angle" setup. Has anyone else ran across a screen that doesn't look right when viewed from this angle? It seems wierd that I'm the first persom to have viewing angle problem.

Curious, Snootch, you guys have any problems with the image quality at that angle?

For clarification here is a picture:

turbocad6 · 11-11-2006, 02:37 PM

carpc is a pita, but definatley worth it in the end... at the mid point it's real easy to get discoraged by problems, some guys bail, but if your persistant you'll get past it & eventually, you'll be able to look back & say it was worth it...

if your a pefectionist, or someone who takes alot of pride in your work, it's much tougher even... some guys are happy enough it works, & don't even pay attention to stuff like viewing angles... I think alot of setups have issues there, but it's just accepted as that's how it is...., that & overall viewability in general...

tilting the screen back can help alot, both angles & sunlight shadowing.. but with a 10.4 you won't be able to tilt back much at all, you'll start to cut your view of the top left corner...

I think you may get better results with an 8", as you'll be able to tilt the top back, better angles & better daytime visability... a 10.4 is at a disadvantage there