My current CarPC installment (pics inside)

[ronjon228 10+ year member]

Well since I don't see many users here with a PC as a source unit, I thought I would share my current install. It's 100% done by myself and my friend and is about 3 years of research, development, and trial/error. It's been great and I don't see myself going back to a head unit at any time in the near future. Too much customization available with this setup.

I'm using a Pentium 4 1.8GHz computer as my control unit. The Sound Blaster Live card coupled with Kx drivers gives me full processing control over the music and output signals. Right now I'm running my setup all active, with the exception of the passive crossovers for the front component set. I've also ordered some PG RSD's to take the place of the 5.25" set I have in now. We spent 3 hours modifying my doors last night to make the extra size speakers fit. I'll take pics of that once the RSD's are in.

Powering the comps and the subs right now is the Visonik V500HC. The Lightning Audio you see in the picture isn't being used anymore as I've bypassed rear fill. The amp rack, and the custom computer case were made with MDF and plexiglass. This was done to give me some usable trunk space. I'll most likely go to 1 sub in the near future and put it in a custom enclosure that goes behind the wheel well. This will give me much more usable space and be more practical as I'm more into SQ now than SPL.

For the touchscreen, I semi-molded it into the dash. I made the mistake of buying an 8" screen 3 years ago before I knew about 7" widescreens. They are basically double din in size and we just installed one in my friends WRX with very little mods, and completely flush with the stock bezel. Oh well, once my screen dies, I'll grab a 7", but for now, it works. The switch panel you see controls the entire system. The green switch is the "main". It turns everything on and off. The red switch controls my amplifiers. Then the grey button is the PC power, and the 2 LED's are the power LED and HD LED for the PC.

All the wires are hidden for this and once the back seat is folded up, everything is hidden away nicely. I even installed a 4-port USB hub into the center console. When you open the center console, it's facing up, secured in, allowing connections from flash drives, or any other USB interface. I also ran a data cable for my cell phone that allows me to connect to the internet with my CarPC. Lastly, since I missed FM radio I purchased a USB FM radio and modded it to accept a regular car antenna and installed that.

For my DSP I'm using a 10-band EQ, crossover control (4th order set at 110Hz), time alignment, and sub volume control.

And... after the book I've written, here are the pics.

It's hard to see in the pics, but the computer case actually goes through the amp rack wall. This allows me to hide all the plugs and cords in that dead space behind the amp wall (along with all my amp wires, power wires, etc.). The back of the wall is shown, along with the PC interface in the first attached pic.

Click to read more...

 

[ronjon228 10+ year member]

Moar pics.

 

[edzy 10+ year member]

Very technocool.

 

[canadapettit 10+ year member]

Cool, what front end are you using?

 

[UberAudio 10+ year member]

How does this output to the amp?

 

[audioarsonal 10+ year member]

Do you have internet and nav?

 

[Scoobydoo 5,000+ posts]

might want to look into getting one of these

http://store.mp3car.com/M2_ATX_160W_Intelligent_DC_DC_PSU_p/pwr-015.htm

 

[ronjon228 10+ year member]

Front end I'm currently using is FreeICE. The one in the picture is actually Mauri skin (night version).

I have internet, but no Nav. I only drive to work and back, so no need for directions. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

Output from sound card is done by mini-jack (3.5mm) to RCA plugs.

Also, I am an active member on Mp3car.com and have seen the M2-ATX discussed every which way. While it does sound nice, my inverter hasn't failed me for a better part of 2 years. Once it does, then I'll buy a DC-DC PSU. For now, the inverter works great.

Some better wide view shots of the amp rack, and the back seat with the access panel folded up (effectively hiding that wire mess).

 

[bigbangtheory 5,000+ posts]

Looks nice. Not to many people go that route.

 

[bikinpunk 10+ year member]

I was about 2 minutes away from going this route, but I backed out.

I simply don't have the time to put one together. I got my hands on Electri-Q; a VERY nice, feature packed, processing program I was going to use.

Maybe later when I have the time to actually build one up I'll go this route, but for now I just didn't feel like getting involved with it.

So, cheers to you for pulling the trigger. Enjoy it.

 

[ronjon228 10+ year member]

Yea, processing power is exactly why I went, and will now be staying, with a PC as the source unit. At first, I just used the AUX in on my JVC Digifine HU (rest in peace). But after realizing what a sound card could do with good drivers, I soon changed to a dedicated PC setup.

I've got a full DSP control now with nearly 150 different plug-ins. Right now I'm using roughly 4-5 of them and still can get the sound exactly the way I want it. And I still haven't even changed my EQ from flat.

All in all, I don't regret anything. True, it takes a lot of time, but in the end it's all worth it. Not to mention, once you do it once, the next time is a breeze. Me and my buddy who helped me with most of this stuff just did some work on his WRX. We molded a 7" LCD into the dash which looks bone stock. We also did a double stack amp rack with an integrated sub (single 12). With the knowledge I've gained from my setup, we ordered all the stuff needed and had everything installed in a few hours. For his PC we used a CarPC specifically designed for mobile use. Heres a link to something similar: http://cgi.ebay.com/Car-PC-System-Intel-D201GLY2A-80GB-1GB-VoomPC-M2-ATX_W0QQitemZ130204501937QQihZ003QQcategoryZ1244QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

I'm actually jealous because his CarPC case and LCD setup looks much more OEM than mine. However, I don't want to put any more money into this old car. 170K miles and it's ready to retire soon. Once I get a new ride I'll mold the screen in the dash and carptet and/or paint the amp rack. I'll also be adding a DC-DC power supply and making the MDF case MUCH smaller.

 

[bikinpunk 10+ year member]

If I could've found a pre-made setup like you posted above that has digital out the decision would've probably been a bit easier. That's the trouble I found with premade units.

 

[ronjon228 10+ year member]

Tis true. However, most motherboard either have a digital output now, or include a header on the motherboard for SPDIF output. That's something you could always look into.

 

[JonMR2turbo 10+ year member]

Can you post more detail about how you are sending the source signal to your amps? Do you just run RCAs straight from the soundcard to the amps? Is the output voltage of the soundcard similar to that of regular headunits?

 

[Immacomputer 10+ year member]

Can you post more detail about how you are sending the source signal to your amps? Do you just run RCAs straight from the soundcard to the amps? Is the output voltage of the soundcard similar to that of regular headunits?

I use 1/8" jack to RCAs and RCAs to the amps. The output voltage is usually a little lower when compared to car audio products but that spec is highly over rated anyways. Most decent sound cards will do something like 1-2v, which is really all you need. All these 8v head units (and the like) are just marketing devices to trick people into thinking that they have a superior product. The output impedance is what you should be the most concerned about but that spec is difficult to find.