Great Call! The positive lead on the FM Modulator? How do I get something like this?

 

Yes. the lap tops svideo out is really imo the best use for the Svideo in. The 8 lcd is 16*9 so even the non svideo input looks awsome. The best way to get good 800*600 res from the Lap top is the Svideo path. My carputer box will be a combo av and pc box. It will use the av svideo line into the Nav system . Then all the PC's fuctuons like dvd, and such will be in svideo. Then you will still have 3 more input options with the 3 other rca inputs as well as an svideo input in the pc for an extra svideo input.

 

Look in my vendor forum or log onto my web site

as for the Filter i sell some nice Pie filters it goes on the Pos lead of your AV equipment . it needs to fliter all you av equipments Pos 12 volt power. So i should go infront of all your gear after a fuse. then power all the grear off the filter.

 

Matt, you just made my day - now where did I put that money...

 

Well, any photos? How did the PC to S-Video look?

 

to busy, sorry I'll try to fit it in this week...before the car goes in for winter tires and tsbs

 

truemagellan, is there any way to remove the dvd unit without removing the entire rear center console pieces? From the other threads it sounded like all I had to do was lift the cover of the compartment and pull the dvd unit, without unscrewing anything... but there werent step by step directions.

 

unfortunately no...or let me put it this way 'yes but you will damage something and have one heck of a time removing the unit'

The center console accents are hooked to the center console pieces for the back...in the front center console piece this is not a problem because you can just lift the piece out

For the back the accents are attatched and kind of a pain to remove without damaging something so your better off pulling off the entire back piece which includes the cup holders back to the trunk

also one thing I want to stress is removing ATLEAST one of the rear back seats, the seat and back cushion....the console pieces are rather sharp and it could easily snag the cloth and even the leather interior

Really removing the pieces are easy...I would say the only hard part is safely popping up the front center console piece...but once you get it down it is easy...a tip stated many times before is key...use electrical tape, I reccomend two layers, on a small flathead (standard) screwdriver

I'll take more detailed pics when I install a modded xbox in a few weeks

-J

 

Ditto! I want my MTV! The nav wasn't worth it for me, but this would have been... Oh well.

 

Ninja, you can still add a spearate LCD screen to the car, and make use of these ideas. You don't need the NAV screen to make this a cool addon.

 

That's true. I think the beauty of this is the integration where the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. I didn't get the nav and I have never considered front/rear cams, and I don't think I should be trying to play with my lap top when I'm driving... But with everything all integrated, I can see LOTS more added value.

I know... I'll follow you on the next "ride" and let my wife be my extra set of eyes when parking and let our conversation be my entertainment while we drive... Oh yeah, that's what I did the last time! :D

 

Well everyone...an idea of mine I thought of while I made the DIY I never tried, well today it popped into my head. The avelectronic box I bought at www.rx8garage.net , the one in this DIY comes with a remote you can see from the pictures...it is Radio Frequency (RF) based not like the other avelectronic unit's remote...this means two things...one you can operate the remote outside of the car
and
in theory since it is RF the Homelink mirror buttons should work with it...

Well tonight I tried and after holding both the button on the remote and the button on the homelink for approximately 45 seconds until the light starts flashing fast (wait after it flashed slow for a few seconds) IT WORKED!

This is good news...it means you don't have to have an extra remote to tool around with (assuming you have a dvd remote and others), just put it in the back compartment so the rear passengers can control it when they want

Just as a reminder, the remote allows you to change between the 4 inputs available, for instance a DVD player, a video game system, an mp3 player, etc.

 

Unbelievable! Man, I cannot wait to get this project started. Nice update.

 

and.. i just got the Nav remote from OZ today.. it is so sweet !!!

but very expensive.. I hope to insert the code in a cheaper remote..
but i can get them for those that have to have it

 

can someone explain in lame mans term what this does? i understand it allows you to be ably to play dvds on your nav screen now (correct?) you can change from say and ps2 to a dvd then mp3? i dont get how this helps the mp3 i though its just to allow video on your nav....

 

I use the PIE box for the audio input into the Head unit, bought at www.rx8garage.net it is crystal clear audio and it is plug and play, this DIY is just for an audio and video switcher that converts video into the RGBs of the Nav screen as well

 

DateAn8 were did you put the DVD player? Did you replace the stock head unit, or did you put it somewhere else? Also could you post a pic of were it’s at. Thanks

I'm defiantly going to do this with my 8. I just want to see if I should get the DVD player or just play DVDs though a PS2.

 

I put my DVD player in the rear seat middle pulldown console. When you pull that part down it will fit perfectly into that little cubby. I am using the stock head unit. I'm using wireless to connect the DVD sound to the head unit. I connected the power into the accessory power so that the DVD player will remember when it starts back up. For the way that I hooked everything up, it is essential to have a remote control to turn the power on, and use the menu options.

 

hey DateAn8...you should look into getting the PIE adapter to put crystal clear sound into the head unit instead of through an RF FM transmitter where the sound suffers severly

 

@truemagellen

Sooo... how did it work out? Did you try to connect your laptop? Did you manage to connect a xbox?

Tell us! =D

 

:D well I've been pretty busy lately and have not added the DIY for the camera or the Xbox which are almost 100% installed

the camera DIY I'll add in the next few weeks...I chose to do a very simple install so that others could emulate...it required no drilling or damage to any part of the car (unlike other installs I've done :p) and is completely removable if needed (very difficult for someone to steal too).

the rear view camera comes on when I put the car in reverse even when the nav is running then switches back to whatever was on before when it is put into forward gears or neutral...the picture looks great

The XBOX...
well this has been a saga...the xbox has been complete and hooked up since december but the picture was not great...using an inverter puts noise on the entire electrical system that messes with everything, the camera, sometimes the nav, aftermarket subs, dvd players, etc. unfortunately this sound cannot be filtered out unless a second battery is added and more...really expensive and a pain.

the picture resolution is excellent...the modded xbox interface has custom fonts and a menu system that works great for the rx-8's screen size (thanks to Flyboyindy for that) games look great and movies too

unfortunately the Inverter kept putting noise and scrolling lines on the screen that was annoying and provided serious feedback on the auxilary audio input (I use the PIE after my HU was upgraded). So months went on as I tried about 9 inverters (I am serious 9) and Flyboyindy a friend of mine on the forum tried about 5 or 6...seriously nothing was working. The electrical system of the RX-8 is rather touchy probably because there is not much of a chassis ground due to the many alloys and other lightweight materials used.

But everything worked out this week as I had a local Xbox repair company custom make a DC to DC powersupply setup for the xbox which eliminates the need for an inverter! almost all the noise was gone and I hadn't even made a proper ground :D! so I will be finalizing some of the wiring and cosmetics over the next few weeks...the xbox is currently mounted where the black tire repair kit is...the strap fits perfectly to hold the xbox on the side which is the best for prevention of hard drive damage.

the final step will be integrating xbox controls into the steering wheel for changing tracks while playing music...right now the wireless controllers do the job fine but cant be saftely used while driving unless a passenger helps

I'll be updating with pics and a diy of both...thanks for asking :D

 

I was wondering what you were doing about that, I ended up just making my own inverter

 

any noise/feedback? if you accomplished it without any that is great...I am not that skilled though

With the new power supply I used a shitty ground in the trunk and it looks great but with the poor ground return I'm going to set up a 4 gauge run and return to the battery...this way if I want to add a sub I'll be all set and the video quality should go from great to superb.

One major change was I swapped the stock battery for a Yellow-Topped Optima...now that that is in I have much more leaway to start upgrading (FYI to everyone...the stock battery is a joke).

I'll upload some pics next week but the DIYs for the backup cam and maybe for the XBOX install will take a few weeks (i'm going to South Africa at the end of May so I'm running out of time).

 

Does this void the warranty at all? In addition, if I were to use one of the inputs for an Ipod or any other external audio input, would I still be able to view the navigation screen? Because if it does not do this, it would be somewhat useless to me...

 

this may void a part of the cable harnesses's warranty but if you are even somewhat carefull you can cover your tracks easily!

as for ipod while nav is running...no problem whatsover...this is a video/audio input with switcher so....when nav is on the audio is seperate...still willl give you directions if you wish and/or play your ipod :D