I'll probably end up cutting out part of this tray, after finding the right spots for the M2-ATX power supply and the two 2.5" HDDs. I'll probably also end up modifying the 2U chassis that this motherboard tray came from, to form the overall enclosure.
I dropped the idea of using that motherboard plate that I had initially chosen (need more PCI slots), grabbed a Coolermaster Elite 360 case (which is very compact and yet holds a full ATX motherboard with all 7 slots), and threw the basic hardware in there.
Started testing with Windows 7, powerstrip and and the magical 800x480 resolution. Here it is.
Test setup:
Using my handy dandy EBY701 touchscreen for testing. This is a native 800x480 LCD panel (though not RGsB, but that's a different set of tests).
Works great! (excuse the flash. My photography skills suck).
PERFECT pixel mapping...pixel to pixel, edge to edge
And powerstrip works just great with the ATI x300 card (and so does Windows 7..with a minor hiccup, ATI drivers...had to use one version older than the current). If you see in the (blurry, fuzzy...because I suck at photography) picture below, the "interlaced" box is NOT greyed out This means that the x300 is capable of interlaced resolution. So, 800x480 interlaced should hopefully match the stock LCD, combined with my sync on green adapter (which basically does a VGA to RGB conversion with SOG).
Next step. Make the harness to connect this to the stock LCD screen, and do more testing...
nice work on the audio stuff!... hope you don't get any noise issues with the 360.
I have no idea about car pc's hence no comment, other than it looks like you know your stuff.
I must say, awesome work so far. This has also always been my favorite Bimmer. I hope to find a 2001 Silver 740i in the near future and this thread will be a huge help.. Thanks so much.
Amazing stuff. I only wish I had the nauticals to try and tackle a major upgrade with my 750IL sport. I am going to see how I do with my M3 vert first and then maybe will venture over to the 7. I love the way everything stays OEM apperance although with a huge boost in sound. I saw the TV module, are you still able to receive analog, or is it a digital? Congrats on the work and cant wait to see the finished product. Also would love to know how the PPI components sound in there as they are for sure ones I would look at for mine if I do it fit wise.
Not a whole lot of progress...been sidetracked with writing the software for this. Having reviewed the popular "frontends" that can be run for a carpc, none of them feel right and don't fit my needs. So, gonna have to write my own.
The RF 360.2 is gone as well. I didn't like the approach, and didn't wanna be limited to 6 channels only. Got two M-Audio Delta 1010lt cards instead and will do the audio processing in software itself. 16 active channels...
I had to put the AV install on hold, due to work reasons, but I'm hoping to finish this in the next 2 weeks. A couple of minor changes to the configuration.
I (finally) decided on the sound card for the CarPC
And it's not a sound "card" at all.... I'll be using an external DAC. The E-MU 0404 USB. That thing is highly regarded and has some amazing numbers behind it.
I played with so many different audio interfaces, including, M-Audio Delta 1010/LT, RME, Lynx, Edirol and what not, but couldn't make up my mind. In the end I decided to keep it simple and just push out stereo high quality analog outs from the PC. But finding a GOOD analog sound card is not that easy. The search ended with the EMU.
Quote:
General
Sample Rates: 44.1, 48, 88.2, 96, 176.4, 192kHz from internal crystal (no sample rate conversion)*
Bit Depth: 24-bit I/O, 32-bit processing
USB 2.0 Hi-Speed
- Full 24-bit resolution at all sample rates
- 4in/4 out channels from 44.1-96kHz
- 2 in/2 out channels from 176.4-192kHz
Zero-latency direct [COLOR=blue !important][COLOR=blue !important]hardware[/color][/color] monitoring (disabled at 176.4-192kHz)
Windows: ASIO2, WDM, MME - AC3 and DTS Passthru supported
Macintosh: Apple CoreAudio and CoreMIDI - AC3 and DTS Passthru supported
Anti-Pop speaker protection minimizes noise during power on/off
Ultra-low jitter clock subsystem: < 500ps RMS in PLL mode (48kHz, Coaxial S/PDIF Sync)
Type: E-MU XTC™ combo mic preamplifier and Hi-Z/line input w/ Soft Limiter
A/D converter: AK5385A
Gain Range: +60dB
Frequency Response (min gain, 20Hz-20kHz): +0.0/-0.16dB
Stereo Crosstalk (1kHz min gain, -1dBFS): < -110dB
Hi-Z Line Input:
- Input Impedance: 1Mohm
- Max Level: +12dBV (14.2dBu)
- Dynamic Range (A-weighted, 1kHz, min gain): 113dB
- Signal-to-Noise Ratio (A-weighted, min gain): 113dB
- THD+N (1kHz at -1dBFS, min gain): -101dB (.0009%)
Microphone Preamplifier:
- Input Impedance: 1.5Kohms
- Max Level: +6dBV (+8.2dBu)
- EIN (20Hz-20kHz, 150ohm, unweighted): -127dBu
- Signal-to-Noise Ratio (A-weighted, min gain): 112.5dB
- THD+N (1kHz at -1dBFS, min gain): -101dB (.0009%)
- Phantom Power: 48V
- Soft Limiter: 5dB max compression (software selectable)
Intel® or AMD® processor - 1.2 GHz or faster
Intel, AMD or 100% compatible motherboard & chipset
Microsoft® Windows® XP (SP 2 or greater) or Windows XP x64
1 available (Hi-speed) USB 2.0 port**
256MB System RAM
950MB of free hard disk space for full [COLOR=blue !important][COLOR=blue !important]installation[/color][/color]
CD-ROM/CD-RW or DVD-ROM drive required for software installation
XVGA Video (1024 X 768)
Macintosh:
Apple® Macintosh® 800 MHz G4-compatible or Intel-based processor
Apple Macintosh OS X (10.4.3 or greater)
1 available (Hi-speed) USB 2.0 port**
512MB System RAM
500MB of free hard disk space for full installation
CD-ROM/CD-RW or DVD-ROM drive required for software installation
XVGA Video (1024 X 768)
** When connecting the 0404 USB to a USB 1.1 port on a Windows PC, performance will be limited to 16-bit and 44.1/48kHz recording and playback. Macintosh support limited to USB 2.0 ports only.
And instead of the RF 3Sixty.2, I'm (99.99% sure) gonna go with a JBL MS-8 (now, that it's out and about)
I love that the sticker right above the USB port says "Warranty Void."
Not "Void if removed or broken." So, the warranty is just void right out of the box?
I came across this thread on your e38. I was wondering two things about it:
1) What did you use for enclosures in the doors? Stock?
2) What happened to the build? It seemed like you were close to finishing, but I didn't see anything posted (that I could find.)
I've had an e38 for years, and I've done minor upgrades to the stereo...and I've had enough! I'm just about ready to gut the whole thing, but my biggest concern is the speaker options for the doors. I build home-audio/"hi-fi" speakers and haven't worked with car audio in awhile. As far as stock enclosures go, I'm mortified of the speaker options that work in the doors or the e38!
If you haven't finished your build, I hope you do and wish you the best of luck. If you're having trouble deciding what to do, throw together what you have. You can always upgrade later! Impressive work and hope to hear back from you.
I haven't abandoned the build guys... I just got completely overwhelmed with work after launching a new company.....and then it just became too cold to work on stuff. I WILL complete this.....
Hey Kapone
PM with your aproximate location in MD. i would love to check out your build come spring. I am in the Columbia area.
Please don't listen to anything I just wrote, I am probably lying. If I am not lying then I am probably just plain wrong. Current Build Log and My New Rear End
Well....kinda. I did make some MDF baffles as well and played with them, but I'm still undecided whether it's better to vent the speaker through the vapor barrier or not. I also took the stock enclosures (believe it or not, I bought 4 extra sets to play.... ), and tried mass loading with modeling clay/FG/another MDF baffle on the front, and while I can "feel" the sound change, I'm still undecided.
I think I'll probably do as was suggested... Just throw it all together for now, and maybe play with fina tuning it later.
Re: BMW 740i starting to get some audio love...:)
Linear Mode
