Hey everyone. I am in the process of getting everything I want togther to do my car pc system. I know how to install the touch screen, I know how to hook the screen up to the PC and I know how to get power to the pc through a dc adaptor but I just do not know how I am going to hook the pc up up my headunit to play the music through my car speakers. Do I have to get a certain sound card or what. I am pretty knowledgable when it come to computers in general but when putting them in a car. BUMP THAT!!!!!!! Please help me out. Do i have to get a headunit with a specific input or what??? If anyone has a drawing or anything of how they have theres wired and what not that would help a great deal. If I choose not to do this, I might just get the screen and a indash dvd/cd/mp3/wma player and say forget it..... I really want to do the pc though.
Car PC - Really confused
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thats easy..
If you have a headunit with an input you can use that.. It will either be 2 RCA connectors, or 1 stereo/headphon type jack.
If you do not have any inputs, then you can use an FM modulator, which basically runs the sound through an FM frequency.
you will needs some type of sound card, but onboard audio will work as well. To get the RCA inputs, you need a stereo plug-to-RCA plug adaptor (y-shaped wire)
If you have a headunit with an input you can use that.. It will either be 2 RCA connectors, or 1 stereo/headphon type jack.
If you do not have any inputs, then you can use an FM modulator, which basically runs the sound through an FM frequency.
you will needs some type of sound card, but onboard audio will work as well. To get the RCA inputs, you need a stereo plug-to-RCA plug adaptor (y-shaped wire)
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So my headunit will just need to have an aux input unit and I would just go sound out from the pc sound card into that???? this would utilize the aux funtion on the headunit then right... After eading what you said I was like :banghead: I should have know this. LOL. :yourock:
So my headunit will just need to have an aux input unit and I would just go sound out from the pc sound card into that???? this would utilize the aux funtion on the headunit then right... After eading what you said I was like :banghead: I should have know this. LOL. :yourock:
We should be able to do better that that. Maybe a HU with A IPOD interface use the digital in so that way you can use a high end preamp (Alpine) to process the sound. That is the direction I will be looking it will be a little while before i get started on mine. Not sure what the quality PC sound cards have. I may be looking to a laptop with a docking station in the glove box USB sound card if it does not come with a good one. These are just ideas I have had and have not dug to deep in to them yet. Any one have any ideas to what I have posted please feel free I am all ears.
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615 Posts
I tried the laptop idea, it seemed good in theory but in practice it was just not all that great.
I ended up building a system specifically for the Z, you can find the details here http://www.hypersprite.com/auto/tech-z-007/default.asp
Right now I am using the aux in on my Clarion HU and it works pretty well. If I did not care about the radio at all, I could ditch the head unit all together. I am using a Mobo that has built in sound using the Nvidia chipset so it really works pretty well.
If you really go all out, you can set up the PC with 6.1 sound (I think 5.1 is more realistic for a Z). The Creative Soundblaster cards can output to digital so if your HU likes that, you can go that route too.
The biggest issue with PCs is getting clean power. It really requires a DC to DC power supply. There are a few available, they actually make it work a lot better too because they can do things like power down the PC correctly, run though car starts etc.
Now that I have had a PC for a while it kills me to drive my other cars without it.
Chris
I ended up building a system specifically for the Z, you can find the details here http://www.hypersprite.com/auto/tech-z-007/default.asp
Right now I am using the aux in on my Clarion HU and it works pretty well. If I did not care about the radio at all, I could ditch the head unit all together. I am using a Mobo that has built in sound using the Nvidia chipset so it really works pretty well.
If you really go all out, you can set up the PC with 6.1 sound (I think 5.1 is more realistic for a Z). The Creative Soundblaster cards can output to digital so if your HU likes that, you can go that route too.
The biggest issue with PCs is getting clean power. It really requires a DC to DC power supply. There are a few available, they actually make it work a lot better too because they can do things like power down the PC correctly, run though car starts etc.
Now that I have had a PC for a while it kills me to drive my other cars without it.
Chris
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