More Questions for the Gods of Empeg

You are all pretty tired of my endless questions by now but after doing
some research of mine own and getting a few links sent to me I have yet
one more set of questions.


I got this link from a poster in the Other Car Products area
(WWW.Kitstream.com <http://WWW.Kitstream.com>)

So I asked the tech support there if they had a Video out for that unit
(Yes I am still on the remote mounting an Empeg in my Tiny car kick)


Questions

Does this have a Video Output option? Can it be adapted to a video
output??

Answer from Lindsay Meek at Kitstream

You mean for driving a TV monitor via the composite video signal, so
the LCD display is not required? It doesn't come with such a thing, but
it could theoretically be added using the I2C expansion interface, using
a very fast RISC MCU or CPLD with about 512 bytes of RAM for the
display. That would be an interesting weekend(s) project :-) ...


So seeing there Do-dad could use the parts listed any of you Technology
Gods want to toss in a few cents about if the same thing could be used
for the Empeg and if so how much (Remember I couldn't hold a soldering
gun to save my life)


P.S. Yes I still want to remote mount a MP3 player and have it display on the Alpine Monitor I have in the dash, No I can't just get rid of the Alpine and put an Empeg in the hole, Heck I would even settle for any Mp3 Player with 20 gigs or more and a VIdeo out put I can hook to my head unit.

Patrick (pca) did it as an add on board inside the empeg for a private customer. It used the IDE bus as the interface to another ARM (something like that) chip on the daughterboard. This then generated the video output.

The problem with this was that it was privately funded by somebody and therefore the design can't be given away. You could employ Patrick to do it again but I believe it involved very large sums of money to initially create. The new board would probably also involve an equally large amount of money.

I don't think the I2C bus in the ARM does fast mode and is therefore limited to 100kbit/s. The serial port however can actually go up to 230k so that would be the simplest way of interfacing it. You'll have to do compression still as 230kbps is still not fast enough to send uncompressed full frame and full speed for the display. If you don't mind the visuals being slightly jerky then you don't need to mess around with compression.

One of the FPGA boards I've got could do it but they're not cheap and I personally don't have the time to do it unfortunately.

That would basically be the thing Tony linked to in the last thread...

My Issue is I can't lose my nav system and there is no room in my car for a second din.. looking for something to play Mp3's on that has a video out put Even if its only B&w or monochrome I can't afford to have one custom built (sorry My last name isn't gates) I can buy a touch screen adapter for my Alpine and a itx board computer and be under 1500 so I guess that is my price range... I keep hoping someone finds one ready made that I didn/'yt know about

Are you sure there is no room in your car a custom install can do some pretty impressive stuff



Not my car but a 3 series at amersfoort I would say get in your car and look where you would like your empeg and then go talk to a real good custom install place. Go to a sound off or some where else where people with stupidly expensive installs go to find some one good

The nature of an empeg is you don't need to look at it all the time hit shuffle and off it trots

I don't know what you drive but i bet there is somewhere either under dash or if it is a huge yank tank then maybe you have enough room in the console between seats

Or cheap and chearful solution velcro it to the top of the dash and run the cables out the glovebox

How about a Denison DMP3 hooked to the Alpine M-bus?

http://www.densionusa.com/products.htm

It will control the DMP3 "like a cd-changer". Not sure if that will give you much screen info though.

I drive a Uber small 1995 Chevy Blazer I poked all over and there is a ac vent wires or some steel beam anywhere I could think of to mount an empeg so I am back here again.

Seriously, with all the time and effort you are spending looking for an Empeg solution why don't you just TRADE IN YOUR FREAKING CAR and get a new one (preferably with two DIN's)? I'll sell you a '95 Nissan Pathfinder with double dins, cheap.

Because I drive 3 to 4 K miles each month and I am nearly 4000 dollars upside down in the damm thing

Hrm...

I know I'm fairly new to posting on the board, so maybe I should just keep my mouth shut, but I've been reading these posts for quite a while now, and I have to say something;

I definately feel for you on this. To not be able to have my empeg in my car would kill me. I don't know what I would do without it. So when you say there is no way to install it, I DO feel sorry for you.

HOWEVER, there are a couple of things to be taken into consideration:

- If there is no solution (ie. it's not possible or it will cost too much money), then there is no point in continuing to try to do it. It can either be done or not, but I think it's been hashed out.

- Human beings have been travelling around the earth for many thousands of years. GPS Nav units have been here for less than 20. It IS possible to get around without one. We've all done it before. It's a matter of choice.

My point is, if you can't live without the NAV, you may have to live without the Empeg. If you can't live without the Empeg, you may have to live without the NAV. There is no cheap way to add video out to the Empeg. I want it too. BAD. But it simply isn't there.

Best of luck with it. You may take the suggestion of looking into a full custom install. Just because there isn't a solution in place for it now doesn't mean that the deck-wizards won't figure something out.

Hugo did, after all....it's called the Empeg.

All opinions are welcome as for the Nav system let me explain I travel from job to job I am on the road 270 days of the year most of the mom and pop shops I go to need me maybe 4 times a year MAX this is how I work,, I sit in my hotel room and I get a call from god (General office dispatch) they give me an address in one of 4 states that make up my area N ca. Or, Wa UT and say be there at 8 and off I go.. alot of these places are not on maps heck I have been in towns that are not on map. so the GPS has to stay. once I have been to a place I mark it in my GPS and 2-6 mths later I can find it again.


As for all the other posts I have been to a few stereo dealers most want to mount it ON the top of the dash cause there isn't enough room with out "Major Mod" to place is anywhere else (can you say steal me)

Okay one last attempt at this

Get a empeg and a extra sledge. Then with the sledge weld two threaded bosses to the sides of the sledge similar to what you have on a CB radio so you can have a bolt going into either side of the sledge. Now get a CB mounting bracket (big wide U shaped things) and mount the sledge in this.

Now screw this to the top of your dash with some small short screws or glue it. Then you have a nice place for the empeg for sliding in and out. Run the cables for it up through the front of the dash through an AC vent for the screen maybe.

When you get out of car pull the empeg and you have an empty cage sat on the top of the dash. Crap for brains thieve looks in window and sees an empty sledge and things damn no CB in this car to steal.

When you sell car you will have some small holes in the top of the dash which is hardly going to have a major impact on the value of a 8 year old SUV with more miles on it than the space shuttle.

Or another way of tackiling it would be to pull out the glove box and stick it in the cupboard at home, pull out the AC vent in the way and place that in cupboard. get some duct tape and cover up the end of the duct ( and marvel at using duct tape on a duct for once). Get a piece of MDF and cut it so it fits into the hole left by glovebox then mount the empeg into this piece of wood and if you ain't got enough depth pack it out the way. When it comes to sell the thing remve piece of MDF and replce bits sitting in cupboard.

You are wanting a tool a way to make your life easier and more pleasant you aren't making a show and shine install so it doesn't have to be sexy.

Have you considered A karma and the sticking its dock to the top of the dash?