Car PC in X20!

In THM forums, we have our in-house DIY car PC, but installed in a Proton Waja.



However, this guy (freehand) from http://mp3car.com has got a :


Screen: CarTFT CTF700-SH - VGA 7" TFT
CPU: Dual-core 1.6Ghz Intel Atom
Motherboard: Intel D945GCLF2 Mini-ITX MB
PSU: Mini Box M4-ATX 250W 6Vto30V Power Supply
GPS: Globalsat BU-353 SiRF star III USB Mouse GPS Receiver
Memory: 1GB OCZ
Hard Drive: 3.5" 80GB SATA Western Digital
Other: Griffin Powermate

More pics, HERE!

* actually, the google website is powered from his laptop. The in-car PC was still being assembled, and proof whether it worked or not.

Coerced to post...

Due to an anonymous comment in the last post, I've decided to blog again.

This time, a view of a nice Pioneer player in an Avante with matching colours. Looks very nice!


Photo 'stolen' from Club Hyundai yktan9 signature.

EDIT: Btw, I blogged about this head unit before HERE!

ICE and Sightings

1. Finally a free Saturday to do car related stuff. Dropped by at 3 accessories shops today to look for a player for a friend. She finally settle on this one:


Its actually more of a Ipod controller than a CD/Radio player. From my initial observation:
- It looks good. Simple and elegant. Adds a taste of luxury to the otherwise conservative-boring interior. The blue lights would so look good in the X20.
- The sound quality is more balanced than the original built-in player. Btw, the original is manufactured by Alpine Electronics, China. I dunno if its the same "Alpine" that we know.
- The big volume dial is quite useful
- There are quite a bit of audio functions, including Low-pass, high-pass filters, 7-band EQ (2 customize), Sub phase, Built-in EQ settings, Bass related settings, etc.

However:
* Its not user-friendly. Takes a while to get the hang of the thing. The up down left right and press can get quite confusing.
* Although there is a "Mute" button, the "Pause" button is hidden deep in the "Function" menu somewhere. Why?!
* Its more an Ipod controller than a CD/Radio player. There are no buttons to preset the radio channels. For me, this is a MUST HAVE.
* Although there are A FEW Bass controls, theres no Subwoofer level output.

Installation done at Autogadget. These guys are well versed with the Honda City. I wish there are accessories shops out there very familiar with the X20. However, I think Amoi Siam may qualify! :D

2. While my friend was installing this, I spotted Steven driving pass. Thats all...

17 May 2008 - ICE Shopping (2)

The brands that I looked at were:

i. Sony XAV-W1
- 7" screen with 5.1 channel output
- 4v preouts
- wired remote

ii. Kenwood DDX 5032, DDX 7039, DDX 7032 (more info below)

iii. Panasonic CQ-VD6505W
- 6.5" screen with 5.1 channel Dolby Digital/DTS decoders with Dolby Pro Logic
- Nice EQ setup
- 5v preouts
- DivX NOT supported
- NOT nice design (looks OLD)

iv. JVC (can't recall the model)
- But the picture quality (resolution) sucks... so, didn't consider

v. Alpine
- too expensive... forget it.

---------------------------------------

Summary:

1. For video display, it looks like the Sony wins (sharpest), followed by Kenwood and then Panasonic. JVC is horrible.

2. For audio, alpine takes the first place, but the rest are not much of a difference.

3. For pricing, Kenwood and JVC. But Kenwood has more value for money.

4. For usability and features, I only went through the Kenwood and Panasonic extensively, and the panasonic seems to have more features. However the Kenwood seems "smarter". But the kenwood has an irritating 'target' on the screen, everytime you touch on the screen. Yucks.

5. Design (looks) wise, the Sony is most simple & sleek. Panasonic too old school. Kenwood and JVC are OK.

By the looks of it, I should go for the sony, but I hate sony (due to past bad experiences with the brand). My conclusion is that I'll probably get a Kenwood player, one of the following models:-

(a) DDX 5032



- 6.1" screen :( with volume dial :)
- Wired remote :(
- 2 preouts only :(
- Cheapest of the lot (sub RM 2k)

(b) DDX 7039



- If I'm not wrong, this is a 2007 model, where the buttons are straightforward.
- 7" (or is it 6.95") display with 3 preouts (2v)

(c) DDX 7032



- This 2008 model replaces the above 7039.
- Didn't get to try it out, but it looks the best designed player so far.
- Too bad its almost RM 3k.

The Kenwood website (M'sia) has a smart feature called 'Compare'. You can click on the models that interest you, and click 'Compare', and they list it out systematically. So clever:

http://my.kenwood.com/Compare/?Models=DDX7032,DDX7039,DDX5032




Anyway after an adventurous and eventful weekend, it doesn't matter. I'm not going to buy any, due to:

- M'sia crime rate. You'll never know when it will go missing, and you need to get a new window (not to mention 'v-kool elite' tinting again). Maybe this is a sign to move to the states... read on...

- its so much cheaper on US ebay. I feel ripped off. Just compare the Kenwood prices, and u'll see. Somemore Kenwood HUs are MADE-IN-MALAYSIA~!

- wiring and warranty issues with the new car. Its always a risk to mess around with a new car's wiring. Wise words I've heard recently, from someones dad... "if u wanna do/play, make sure you do properly... go all the way and get the BEST!... and bufferize your boot!" (hahaha... off topic...) What i'm trying to say is,

- ICE is a never ending journey. I don't want to regret spending thousands on my car ICE... AGAIN. I've spent a total of more than 8k in my last ride (ofcoz I sold off some stuff and got back about 3k+)

- the wife will fry my beans for breakfast, if I spend another (unnecessary) cent on my car. But i will debate the meaning of 'necessary'...

:-)

17 May 2008 - ICE Shopping (1)

I love Saturdays. This Saturday was spent visiting car accessories/ICE shops in PJ. The shops I visited:
- Brothers Kelana Jaya (huge selection, able to test equipment, benchmark prices)
- Elegance Auto KJ (good workmanship & customer service, high confidence)
- HT Auto (Kg. Tunku primary school)
- Some accessories shop in Jalan 222 (opposite Kah Bintang 223)
- Brother Peter, DU
- CV Auto/Audio, DU
- KKLau, DU

Objective: Look for ICE upgrades. I was drooling for a double-din DVD touch-screen player and Mae was considering tinting and single-din CD/MP3 (with USB?) and Honda City console box.

...to be continued (product review).

Sound Proofing 2

Did sound proofing at Elegance Auto (Kelana Jaya) this afternoon. A friend and I bought 8 large sheets of Accumat.

We paid the retail price (RM850) for the sheets, 4 for her City (front doors, dual layers) and 4 for me. I did front doors (single layer) and under the rear seats.

The sound proofing took about 3 hours, and Elegance Auto (Kelana Jaya), did a very good and responsible job. However, their staff keeps asking me to buy this, buy that.

Pics:

1. The driver door with panel removed. Its quite solid by itself, with no gaping "holes". I decided not to sound proof this area, as it has 2 rubber lids which can be sealed / opened (holes). Look at pic 2 and 3 for the close ups of the rubber lids.




2. The original speaker and 1st rubber lid (closed)




3. The 2nd Rubber lid (opened)




4. Rubber lids opened




5. Original speaker. It felt quite solid / heavy, compared to the original City speakers, which are terrible. Wifey didn't allow upgrade... so will have to stick to this one, for now.




6. The (solid) inner panel removed, revealing the outer panel, which has got a safety bar going across the door:




7. The accumat sheet:




8. The sheet was cut in two. Putting up the first piece:




9. After the doors were done, then the back seat.




10. Originally, there was some sound proofing done, but only a portion on the back seat.

Subbie Pics & Review (2)

My previous car had an Alpine HU and front components, with a Blaupunkt 2x8" all-in-one sub (Class D amp with crossover built-in). Also had a Tru Technology 4x65W amp to drive the components for a while, but sold it due to $$$ constraints. For 4 years, I had a pretty decent sound system in the car, so with the X20, it was just a matter of time...

The X20 comes with component set in the front, and some mid speakers on the rear door panels. I don't have the specs for the speakers, but the original setup sounded quite decent. For the components, the high frequencies are a little harsh, with a weak mid-range. The rear speakers provide the lower end sounds. I've always wondered how a "real" sub will improve the sound stage.

I've sat (auditioned) quite a few good sounding subs in the market. A few notable ones are:
- 2 x JL audio W7, dual voice coil with 2 monoblock class-D amps driving it in a wira (andrew)
- 1 x 12 Peerless sub, in a city (simple and effective)
- 1 x 12 RS sub in a jazz, very nice and tight
- 1 x 10" Seas Lotus in Uncle's camry with Tru Tech amps driving them... omg, pure joy

...and many others, some i cannot remember with details.

So... I thought with my experience in ICE, getting that nice, tight, sub sound should be quite simple. Wrong.

I ended up buying a Kenwood Amp and Kenwood Sub from Brothers (*sigh*) due to their wide range of selection, audition available, and promotions that they were running. Also the sales guy sounded "quite" knowledgeable about what he was talking about. The specs are already linked up, a few postings below, so go to their website for more info.

This is what happened:
- Scratches on my car dash (WTH!)
- No rubber insulation was installed for +ve and -ve terminals on the amp. The rubber insulator was tucked in a plastic bag and given to me with the warranty card. Another accessory shop offer to fixed it in for me FOC.
- The power and grounding cables were not clipped and terminated professionally. I feel it will shortcircuit any moment and fry the wiring in the car.
- The box they gave me was too small, and had to remove the "free" fancy cover. I asked for a custom made enclosure, but after the sales guy consulted the installation guys, they said,"this one can already..."
- After installation, the whole boot was rattling really badly. I asked if they did sound proofing and they said:

• No we don't do sound proofing

• Even if you did did the sound proofing, it won't help. The boot will still rattle, due to the metal there. (WTH?!!!!!)

This is my last installation with Brothers. I left feeling terrible, and drove around looking to do sound proofing and ended at Brother Peter at DU. After sound proofing, the sound improved tremendously. However, I still had to put in a damper to prevent the 3rd brake light from hitting the rear glass. :)

Subbie Pics & Review

Subbie!

It happened all so fast. Here's whats new:

- Kenwood Class-D 1800W Monoblock amp



- Kenwood 12" Double voicecoil, double magnet subwoofer (the website shows the 10" version)



Installed in a small but solid, ported box. The box had a fancy cover, but it didn't fit the huge sub. After installation, I auditioned the sub, and I was quite disappointed with the sound.

It was boomy. The boot and 3rd brake light was rattling continuously. The sound just didn't blend. I asked the technician to reduce the bass and drove off, looking for boot sound proofing.

Migration and Transformation

Moved my alpine HU, components and sub into the Kancil before I traded in my Kenari. That took the whole morning. The afternoon was signing documents and more inspections. The evening was spent at Sunway; wanted to change rims & tires and get PPS done. But only managed to change the rims:





There was some air leaking from the rear right tire, and I couldn't pump air into the tire. Visited the tire shop in Sunway first thing the next morning to get that fixed. Pin in valve problem.