# ramblings of a newbie CarPC install



## ashman5 (Aug 30, 2009)

I ask forgiveness up front as this will probably be a disjointed effort at best :laugh:

I will try to document some of my efforts, ideas and finding as I go along.

The CarPC idea stemed from being unable to find a Double-Din/Nav unit with good processing abilities.

There are several thread to glean info from and but most of what I'm doing is just mimicing wungun's efforts that he did so well at documenting 

I'll will say that I'm very comfortable building computers, so that was never an issue. AND, even I was very suprised at how well everything went together. Very few software issues.

There are a few of you that have went this route or who have put a lot more research into than I have and I ask for any insight that you may have or If you see something that doesn't sound right...it's probably not.

Any, here's the initial purchase:
*Monitor*
MCS-LIL-669-HB-RCI- Lilliput 669GL-70NP/C/T
*Double-Din Frame*
MCS-BYB-669- Bybyte Double DIN Frame for Lilliput 669GL
*Power Supply*
MCS-ATX-M2M2-ATX- 160 Watt Intelligent Power Supply
*AM/FM/HD Tuner*
Mp3Car BoomzBox HD Radio USB Controlled AM/FM Tuner
*Memory*
G.SKILL 1GB 200-Pin DDR2 SO-DIMM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) F2-6400CL5S-1GBSA
*Motherboard*
JetWay JNC84E-LF AM3/AM2+/AM2 AMD 785G HDMI Mini ITX
*CPU*
AMD Athlon II X2 210e Regor 2.6GHz 45W AD210EHDK22GI
*Hard Drive (SSD)*
Corsair Nova CSSD-V32GB2-BRKT 2.5" 32GB (SSD)
*Sound Card*
ASUS Xonar D2/PM
*WiFi*
Rosewill RNX-G1 IEEE 802.11b/g USB 2.0


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## ErinH (Feb 14, 2007)

Sub'd. I may just follow you down this road. 
Will you have a cd drive at all?
Any plans for a larger HDD?


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## ashman5 (Aug 30, 2009)

no optical. i even installed win7 from a flash drive.

I plan to buy a large 2.5" hard drive and case for music/video storage.


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## ashman5 (Aug 30, 2009)

I was really expecting to hear buzz, static, distortion or engine whine of some sort after it was up and running, but there was none.

The only thing other than music is the whiring of the cpu fan. I should be able to fix that noise with a speed control and monitor heat.


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## nevrdun (Nov 7, 2010)

*subscribed*

Started my own research on the topic after following a few links of yours.....god help me. Talk about total integration. Run my bit one and feed it with the same device. Oh dear I see an empty wallet in my near future.


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## crease-guard (Mar 15, 2008)

Empty wallet is the truth. I went through two versions of PCs because I bought one too early in the process. Don't buy until you are absolutely ready to integrate.

I have mine up and going and it's working really well. Integrated sound, integrated into the car, I can change tunes on the car at will, run diagnostics, nav, blue tooth, stream my iphone over the bluetooth into the sound system and all kinds of other cool stuff. I can even tether my iPhone and use it as a wireless modem and the passenger can surf then net while driving down the road. Can even watch movies.

I have a build thread going on in the other section that will document the install. Look for the C6 Z06 install thread.

Jay


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## ashman5 (Aug 30, 2009)

First MAJOR snag. WuNgUn confirmed this many times.

The M2/M4 style power supplies will not correctly power a ASUS Xonar PCI card. All kinds of weird things happen, but mostly very low output. Works perfectly with standard ATX PS.

EDIT*** The only reason I could find regarding this issue is that the ASUS PCI cards run slightly outside of the standard PCI specifications. 

He recommends an Opus PS. Anyone have any other (cheaper) recommendations?


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## crease-guard (Mar 15, 2008)

No, I use the Opus 360. These may be small ITX boards and mobile type processors but when you start adding on all the peripherials, you need juice and the more the better.

Under powering a PC will give you more ghosts to chase down in the end and will make you want to shoot the PC.

Buy a good PS.

Jay


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## ashman5 (Aug 30, 2009)

More stuff on the way

*Power Supply*
Opus 360W DC-DC ATX/BTX 

*USB Hub*
Rosewill RHB-320 7 Ports USB 2.0/1.1

*Media Hard Drive (Secondary)*
Western Digital Scorpio Blue WD5000BPVT 500GB Internal Notebook Drive


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## ashman5 (Aug 30, 2009)

This is a pic of the ASUS Xonar D2's output panel. Those are 3.5mm jacks, not optical connections. The LEDs help with identification of outputs in the dark and also sooths the electrons to make the soundz gooder, cause distressed electrons make soundz harsh.


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## ErinH (Feb 14, 2007)

priiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiitty

if you have some time in the coming weeks, I'd like to stop by or have you stop by to let me see the finished product.


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## ashman5 (Aug 30, 2009)

bikinpunk said:


> priiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiitty
> 
> if you have some time in the coming weeks, I'd like to stop by or have you stop by to let me see the finished product.


sounds good.
hopefully, the Opus PSU will be here by wednesday. i'll throw it and the sound card in and hopefully get a base 3-way software crossover setup and make it listenable.


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## supersuk (Apr 17, 2010)

I see that you have a Tacoma! Were did you install the motherboard and PS? I've always wanted a carputer, but i'm a retard when it comes to this stuff...


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## ashman5 (Aug 30, 2009)

supersuk said:


> I see that you have a Tacoma! Were did you install the motherboard and PS? I've always wanted a carputer, but i'm a retard when it comes to this stuff...


seems to fit well in the glovebox. plus there's an excellent access area from the glove box to the display area for running wires.


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## ashman5 (Aug 30, 2009)

Install 500GB media drive today. Works great for now, but time will tell with heat/cold and vibration.

I loaded 75GB of audio (everything I have) and I can tell right away that it pays to have you files tagged well. I haven't looked into playlist just yet, but I believe they will almost be a necessity.


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## ashman5 (Aug 30, 2009)

Another issue I've run into is giving the PSU a good switched (IGN/ACC) +12vdc source. My truck cuts power to the ACC when cranking, so if you're listening to music with the ignition in ACC and start the truck, the PC will shutdown.

The other option is to use the IGN position, but in that position, all of the accesories are on, so you wouldn't really want to sit and listen in that mode.

Shutdown, acts weird also. When you turn the ignition off, the PSU should sense a change on the switched lead and send a simulated power button press to the motherboard.

When I turn the ignition off, I imediatley loose signal to the display (and the display automatically shuts off (for lack of signal) a few seconds later, then about 45-60 seconds later, the pc "hard" shuts down.

If I remove the switched lead from the PSU, the shutdown sequence is correct. So, I'm thinking that the ACC lead is giving false info to the PSU. I've watched it with a voltmeter and see nothing abnormal. Got me stumped. I've seen reports of installing diode/caps with varying results, but haven't troubleshot it that far.

I'm hoping that the replacement of the PSU with the Opus 360 will correct this, but it probably won't.


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## crease-guard (Mar 15, 2008)

The ACC lead does that in my truck as well to my AVIC, it's really annoying because the AVIC will got through it's boot cycle again.

Now in my Corvette with the PC and OPUS it does not do this. The computer will not reboot or shutdown when you go from ACC to Start. Not sure if it's the difference between an 01 and 06 (both are GM models) or the Opus doesn't shut right away.

What I did for mine is when I replaced the HU, I wanted the chimes still in the car so I bought one of those aftermarket units that retains the chimes and makes the car think the HU is still there. This may be why I don't have that issue is this unit may not cut that power. The GMs have an RAP, or Retained Accessory Power mode that keeps the radio running after you turn the car off but before you open the door. This RAP line from the chime unit can only supply 2 amps so I used that to power a 30 amp relay and that relay powers a bus bar in the back. I use that bus bar to make any connection to an ACC line I need. This way I can draw plenty of current and have many items on the ACC line and not have to worry about overloading the thing.

That sound card is bad ass with those LEDs. I can't tell you how many times I've cursed because I couldn't see the damn port in the dark.

Jay


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## bkjay (Jul 7, 2009)

Good job man, hope you get all the bugs out so I can copy you lol!


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## ashman5 (Aug 30, 2009)

Over the weekend, I put in the Opus 360. That immediately fixed my shutdown issues, so the CarPC starts up a few seconds after key is turned to ACC and shuts downs/hibernates a few seconds after the key is turned to the OFF position.

I'm running into driver issues with the Xonar. And, If I had spent a few seconds on the Xonar forum I would have seen that I'm not the only one. Their support is HORRENDUS!

My issue is that when I control the volume with the Windows mixer or Xonar driver app, only the left channel changes volume. The right channel stays at max volume. In Centrafuse I can adjust volume using the "Pre" control, but not the volume buttons. Haven't spent any time troubleshooting at this point.


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## will_6o4 (Dec 29, 2009)

Another Car PC owner here. My specs are in my build thread (check sig)

What are you using as your front end?


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## ashman5 (Aug 30, 2009)

Still using the trial of Centrafuse


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## RMAT (Feb 13, 2007)

I may have missed it but what case are you using?


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## ashman5 (Aug 30, 2009)

RMAT said:


> I may have missed it but what case are you using?


I had picked up a Black Box PCI Mini ITX Case for Carputer Car PC with PCI Slot from mo-co-so.com, but it wouldn't fit under my seat.

So, for now, I've got the setup in the glove box.


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## ashman5 (Aug 30, 2009)

I spent yesterday getting things going on the audio side. Removed/reinstalled the Xonar driver and that worked out my issues with the volume I was having.

I spent the rest of the day trying to get a reliable audio output. Maybe someone with better understanding will chime in here.

I've currently got ASIO working via Centrafuse>Virtual Audio Cable (VAC)>Audiomulch>Xonar D2. I loose volume control like this, but if I enable volume control in VAC, then I regain volume control but read that this will degrade audio.

I can't find much information regarding how VAC does volume control. Does it use the Windows mixer volume or does it do something internal? My understanding is that if it uses the windows mixer of Win7, that audio degredation will be minimal.

I was looking for something simple and free for initial playing around/testing for xovers and eqs. Found this site with a simple eq and xover but haven't had time to try them.
www.rs-met.com


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## ashman5 (Aug 30, 2009)

VAC volume control information from the VAC creator...

"All digital volume control functions are based on multiplication. For
example, to reduce signal volume by 20%, each sample is multiplied to
0.8. VAC uses fixed-point calculations that are less precise than
floating-point ones."

"VAC is a kernel-mode driver and cannot use high-level features.
But Windows volume control feature can be used for any audio device, including
VAC."


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## ashman5 (Aug 30, 2009)

I've had a few days during Christmas to play with CarPC and VSTs to successfully get back to a 3-way setup.

I'm simply amazed at the array of VST plugins available.

My previous post talks about the volume control issues with trying to incorporate Centrafuse/ASIO/VAC/Audiomulch. With this setup, I can't find an easier way of controlling volume than using VAC's volume control.

I've also setup foobar2000/ASIO/VAC/Audiomulch and with this setup foobar's volume control is used, allowing me to eliminate the possiblity of VAC messing with the signal.

Really, with all the signal manipulation going on within the VSTs, volume degredation is probably the least of my worries 

I've also added a backup camera and it works great. It plugs into Video2 of the display and when the truck is put in "Reverse", it triggers the display to swap from HDMI to Video2, showing the camera. When you remove the shifter from "Reverse" the display automatically returns to the HDMI input.


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## ashman5 (Aug 30, 2009)

Installed a Joycon EX Steering Wheel Interface last night. Works great. Allows you to use you existing steering wheel controls (or any other resistive type wired controller) to control the CarPC. Very customizable.

Have been using a combination of Voxengo Sound Delay (time alignment and levels) and EasyQ (EQ) with great success.

Tried my hand at convolving using Voxengo Deconvolver, but I still don't have the handle on creating impulse response files.


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## ashman5 (Aug 30, 2009)

For those that are looking for a good free delay vst, the one that is included with Audiomulch (sdelay) looks very promising. It allows for numerical entering (milliseconds) of exact timing per channel. 

Audiomulch also has bulit in gain controls (mgain) with numerical entering (db from minus infinity to +12.0412 db) of exact levels per channel.


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## tibug (Jan 22, 2011)

So cool! Thanks for the pictures and build and stuff...giving me ideas lol. I built my computer a few years back, and it's one of the few things I've built that hasn't failed or fallen apart.


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## eviling (Apr 14, 2010)

where are the pictures? some build log  nice gear though!


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## ashman5 (Aug 30, 2009)

Sorry, I've got a toddler and I get very little time to even work on the install, much less document it.

My physical install is pretty crappy and definitely not worthy of pictures. Actually, it's just an uncased motherboard sitting inside the glove box.


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## ashman5 (Aug 30, 2009)

Centrafuse 3.5 was released this week, so I decided to do a complete OS reinstall, because I have had issues with the system not properly shutting down properly, plus I've learned a lot messing the with the software and figured it would be much cleaner starting from scratch.

Beforehand, I saved my Audiomulch configuration, which is were all of my audio settings (EQ, TA, Levels, Xover) are stored.

Performed the reinstall and restored the Audiomulch settings and amazingly, everything worked and audio settings were restored properly.

Centrafuse 3.5 works great (although I prefer the look of 3.1) and seems to be a little quicker (not that 3.1 was in anyway slow).

The reinstall also fixed my shutdown issues.

Next up...getting the voice control working.


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## ashman5 (Aug 30, 2009)

Just another note on the Audiomulch settings...

In my case, I have all of the Windows and Sound Card driver volume/level controls set to 0db or 100%. I use Virtual Audio Cable (VAC) to control volume.

My individual channel levels are set within Audiomulch.

With this arrangement, I'm able to have multiple Audiomulch configuration files and can easily swap between them.

For example, If you want to spend time getting everything dialed in for a flat response with perfect timing and levels for the passenger seat, after you're finished you can save and backup that Audiomulch configuration for safe keeping. This file contains information of the vsts used and their individual settings.

Then you can build off of that file to configure settings to personal taste. When you're finished, save that configuration as another name.

Now, when you're at a contest, just bring up the original file for judging and when you're finished reload your personal file.

If the computer crashes, you've got backups.


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## ErinH (Feb 14, 2007)

Sweet, man! Think it'll be done by the gtg? Looking forward to seeing it!


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## ashman5 (Aug 30, 2009)

That's my goal. It's FAR from being tuned, but sounds ok for DEMO purposes.


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## ErinH (Feb 14, 2007)

well, I tell you what... come over and help me clean my dang garage and I'll help you tune it. lol.


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## t3sn4f2 (Jan 3, 2007)

New Centrafuse....cool, time to go play a little with it.


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## req (Aug 4, 2007)

so why not just get a netbook or some such device instead of building a custom pc for this purpose? 

you could just get a netbook, a usb slot load cd rom to flush in the dash, an external touchscreen monitor, usb hard driver, usb sound card, ect?

i mean building a form factor would be kind of dificult?

i dunno. that would be the way i would try to roll if i were to do a car PC...


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