Thread: 'Burb-puter

I'm no wizz at this, but IMHO placing the amp on top of the case, might not be a good idea... My amps draw an enormous amount of power, and I'm not sure if that will coinside well with harddrive, and other components on your mobo... also there is heat to think about.. pls tell me if I'm wrong! :-)

We wil see about this! I dont think the heat is really going to be an issue for me.... As I am not looking to get alot of power out of the amp. I am just trying to replicate the stock radio output as far as that goes.

More progress today... (no pics yet though)

got 3 out of 4 speakers wired. Ran out of speaker wire....

got the amp fired up

screen is now powered behind the scenes instead of from the lighter plug



Looks like I have a USB puck style gps on the way as a loaner (hoping to go OEM with antenna later)

I hope to get the last speaker wired up this week, and get the trim work all back together. Also need to figure out power for the USB. It seems that 10' is too far to stack on a hub, without adding power. I can plug any one item into the end of the EXT cable, but if I add a hub on the end.... all bets are off.

Getting closer... Hopefully by the end of next week I will be pretty much done.... oh wait, it will never be 'done' will it?

Sounds good but like most people I like pictures ... and I'm not around much I'm ether working or not around a computer plus I don't like talking online much but I subscribe to every thread I post in so sure enough Ill see it if its there.

Well, I have it pretty finished up now. I need to snap some more pics to share.... But today I got a USB hub in the dash, the Silabs radio going, a Delorme GPS, and all the wiring tidy'd up. I am out of town for the weekend, I will try to get some pics when I get home (tried before I left, but the camera batteries were TOAST)

Originally Posted by mangus580

So... now I am down to finishing my 'remote power on' setup, and installing/wiring. I also need to decide what to do with my 4x4 buttons yet. One thing I have decided I like about my box, is it has room for a Fusion Brain or 2... and my remote power on board.

Great idea with the old school desktop cases.

This project reminds me of my mom's old fully loaded '99 suburban 1/4 ton. She traded it in in '04 for a fully loaded new model on her birthday. 4 kids to haul on family trips to Maine. Before the 'burban? An '89 Volvo 740 GL station wagon with a trunk jump seat and an obscenely large, leaky roof box.
The '04 is nice, comfy, but the Z71 package with gas shocks makes for a rougher ride. There was just something classic about the '99 model that evokes fond memories. That and the jerry-rigged 13" portable DVD player (which overheated if it actually played DVD's itself) with the left 60 bench folded, the player tied to the grab handles, and the driver side headrest stems, hooked up to a Gamecube for four-player games and a PS2 (for DVD's). The '04 has a built-in DVD player. Take good care of that Burbie, they don't make 'em like they used to.

Sorry for the delay in pics.... our digi cam died. Here is one I took with a crappy camera..



Unfortunatly, my Ground wire was too short, so it isnt in the conduit yet. Also, I have a 'noise' problem with my 12v power supply, so its not in use right now, and I am using an inverter. Otherwise it would look even cleaner yet. You can see next to the amp on the right, the relay that provides switched power to the laptop. This is allowing me to supply the laptop with power from the same source as the amp, in hopes to prevent any 'ground loop' problems. Also, coming off the relay to the right, you can just see a red wire. That is the power for the cooling fan. It goes through a hole in the lid of the case. The way this is set up, I can slide the case lid off, and swing it out of the way, without disconnecting any wires. I have yet to bolt any of the case down either.

Tossed in my little rats nest right now too, is the power on module made by w3bma5t3r... THANKS! Now if only my BT would stop haunting my standby... and my 12v cord worked. I am real close to adding a switched lighter plug for my inverter, and going that route for now.....

Also... I have since added a Holux GPSlim 236 to the aresenal. I also have a DWL-650 wifi card hacked and ready for an external antenna...

Its coming together... Slowly!

Some minor updates....

Added the Laptop Startup Module from W3bmast3r (did I get that right), so now it turns on like it should. Also in the mix now is a Ground Loop Isolator... needed it to get rid of some noise when using the 12v power supply.

I also had to spend the better part of a day, rebuilding the OS and Streetdeck... as SD got corrupted somehow.... (imagine that).

We have a new camera... so I should be able to round up some pics soon.