You are currently viewing our forum as a guest, which gives you limited access to view most discussions and access our other features. By joining our community, at no cost, you will have access to post topics, communicate privately with other members (PM), respond to polls, upload content and access many other special features. Registration is free, fast and simple, so please join our community today!
If you have any problems with the registration process or your account login, please contact contact us.
A while ago, people were asking about MP3 players in car, and it seems to me that the biggest stumbling block in building your own is the power supply...
Got some questions for you:[list]
<LI>would it not be easier to just use a laptop
<LI>what mother board would you use and where would you put it
<LI>do any car amps have a optical digital input or would you need RCA
<LI>if RCA would souncard not be more susceptable(sp) to noise from car as a home has less interference
<LI>would you use a cd or dvd rom drive or just connect for installing mp3's or software
<LI>what type of monitor would you use lcd, monitor with video in(obviously needing graphics card to output tv signal), or something alse i have'nt thought of
Latest MP3 magazine (presumably available from all good high street specialist magazine and dangerous toy shops) has a dedicated MP3 head unit on review for about 700 squid. Looks prety cool ! Saw it in a mates magazine (no, not Durex's publication) so haven't got the proper specs unfortunately.
Answers:
1. Yes, but where's the fun in that?
2. AT motherboard with P133+ on it.
3. All RCA, with the exception of some alpine kit and Pioneer ODR.
4. Ethernet...
5. Display connected to serial port.
Subverbal: see <a href=http://www.empeg.com>the Empeg website</A>. An EVO VI owning friend has one, and it's very neat, but too bloody expensive for my kidney!
The display will be a minimal kinda thing, just showing text output with very limited graphics capabilities. <A HREF=http://www.matrix-orbital.com>Maxtrix-orbital</A> make a likely candidate for me, as it is a display unit and keyboard input unit, all off one serial port. Serial signals will survive the 4-5 metres necessary to get the signal from the back to the front...
Well, I was going to use Win95, but then thought that I need something unlikely to complain if it gets shut down without being properly closed down. Trying to press a key on a machine without a keyboard to run scandisk may be fun :-)
So I'm going to try Linux with XAudio libraries. Dunno how far I'll get.
Could it not be built into glovebox (not sure on how small motherboards go) less distance to go from soundcard to aux input on a head unit then normal amp type affair from then on.
I can't find anywhere nice to fit a tft screen is the only problem. Also composite video is susceptable to noise, and I don't know how well the picture would carry from the back of the car to the front of the car.
A friend has the maplins monitor - it's down to 120 quid now.
I'm putting together a "dear diary" of the development of this. Watch this space.
Could be, but unfortunately my head unit doesn't have aux input.
You have to buy either a CD changer switch (99 quid! ha!) or a newer CD changer with aux input. If I didn't have a CD changer I could buy a cable for a few quid, but as I do it's going to be expensive.
Anyhow, I think I'm losing the plot here: what was the question
