truemagellen

Well thommino there are a few things going on...one the lighteness on the video is attributed to the video in card you used...the video on my avbox (avelectronic from rx8garage.net) has the colors and brightness almost perfect (perfect for an in car lcd monitor of course)

The clearness of text...that is also the card you are using but maybe the settings on the xbox...definitely you need to change the font color as it is red and the red bleeds with the red background, now I don't have bleeding either...so I'm still thinking you need to tune the videoin card

The dvd playing is in the wrong aspect ratio...you need to go into the xbox setup and change it to widescreen display (16x9) this will provide full screen viewing with 16x9 and only tiny bars with most movies (non comedies usually)...the nice thing about changing this aspect ratio is most games will format to widescreen and will make the game much easier to play especially in a screen of this size

as for the ground loop isolators, I just remembered you don't have the avelectronic box so how this will affect video quality I dont know but it cant hurt and they are only 4.50 anyway, the key for you would be to ground your video card, xbox, and nav unit at the same exact grounding point...and keep the units close to each other (which by the looks of your installation they are) good luck Thom

Thommino

I use a more cheap Switch, and also I use a Pal Switch. Avelectronict is an NTSC Video-IN. I need a Pal Video-in.

No it's the converter. If I connect the switch to another Monitor without Converter, the lightness is good.

there is no setting on Xbox. Into some games I can change the lightness but anso in this way the game is not playable.

I cannot change colour. I have not the possibility to modify colours. My converter put out RGB NTSC and I cannot change it.

I already set 16x9 aspect ratio. Maybe I don't resize the DVD Film.

Couldn't it work with my switch? How Can I connect this isolator?

Yes I have different ground place. But I could put the in the same place. Where can I gound:
(Video Card)=My switch: how can I ground it? It have not a ground wire. Only - of energy!
Xbox= It is connecter to inverter. It has not ground wire.
Nav Unit: It is directly connected to monitor. (I cut only 4 wires R+G+B+Sync) I didn't touch ground wire.
Inverter: I only connect + and - wire. How can I connect it to ground?

Where is the best place to connect all this ground?

Thanks for helps

Ps: attachment shows how all my component are connected each other.

aruffell

Guys - one thing to keep in mind is that in your systems you are not converting video standard, just the way it travels on wires. In other words the signal is NTSC all the way, while Thmmino has PAL sources and converts it to NTSC at the last step (the converter).

PAL is higher reolution than NTSC because it has more lines, PAL has a slower refresh rate (25Hz instead of 30Hz or 50 instead of 60... can't remember), and PAL uses a different way to convey colors. It would not be surprising that the converter, if uncalibrated, could mess it all up.

I just wonder if it has any trimmers and if they have been adjusted... but I guess he (Thommino) would have already tried that.

Thommino

My converter have no trimmer.
Look converter scheme: http://www.converters.tv/assets/manual_98.pdf

Thommino

I received today these components. Who can help me and tell me how and wgere can I install it?
Thanks

Thommino

I need find a good ground point, in this zone: ....see picture....
Where is a good point to connect Ground?
Thanks

aruffell

Any metal component of the main chassis should be good. Spots I would NOT use are those on other metal pieces somehow attached to the chassis because you never know how good the ground connection is. I guess a good spot would be the ground wire on the back of your DVD NAV unit.

Thommino

I connect the ground to this point: see picture (Left yellow circle)

Thommino

Today I installed the new Chip (www.converters.tv) on my converter and the Threw filter.
There are problems again. Look videos here:
http://www.thommino.com/Video/Rx-8/B...ox%20Start.MPG
http://www.thommino.com/Video/Rx-8/B...20Game%201.MPG
http://www.thommino.com/Video/Rx-8/B...ter%20Test.MPG

aruffell

Ground connections are always best if done from 1 point since the resistance to ground may be different in other points of the chassis. Anyhow I think the points you used should provide a good connection... one way of telling could be to measure resistance between the two screws... it should be as low as possible.

What are the problems with the video? Looks fine to me except the brightness on the game shot.

Thommino

1)The brightness isn't good also with new chip that sent converters.tv
2)And I have a bit of noise in the monitor
3) It's difficult to understand the text... look Menù...

truemagellen

you need to upgrade to S-Video probably for text...I can see txt pretty dang clearly on the screen

Thommino

My switch have not SVideo-in.
It has only composite RCA

aruffell

I wonder if it has to do with the wiring and probably the relays that were used. I would connect the XBOX directly to the converter and then that directly to the LCD without relays or anything else in between. Unshielded wiring may also introduce noise. I have no idea if the RGBS travels over wires that have a certain impedance but if they do, then something may have been screwed up there... i think the best way to troubleshoot it is to do many systematical tests. Eliminate anything in between, keep the motor off and anything unnecessary off too... plug the XBOX into the mains and do not use the DC-AC converter... anything that can cause interference. There are so many things that could cause it, you need to reduce the variables otherwise you will go nuts. Also, try to use other video sources with the same output the XBOX has... possibly a battery operated device... if problems go away then you know it has something to do with the XBOX or how it is powered... this is just an example.

Guys... there is also another difference between him and us... his XBOX is PAL and our RX8 systems are NTSC. Between the 2 standards there are differences in refresh rate, color encoding and number of lines... basically it is all different, so I am not surprised the converter reduces quality. I guess all he really needed to do was set his XBOX to output NTSC and not use a PAL-NTSC converter but rather a Composite-RGBS converter only.

Thommino

I cannot remove the converter because it transform the signal from PAL Composite to RGB NTSC.
I tried to remove relayes and connect my Xbox to 220V but the problems there are again:
http://www.thommino.com/Video/Rx-8/B...iretto%201.MPG
http://www.thommino.com/Video/Rx-8/B...iretto%202.MPG
http://www.thommino.com/Video/Rx-8/B...iretto%203.MPG
I think that is a problem of Converter (RCA PAL->RGB NTSC) and of Xbox that has not a good image quality with RCA composite Cable. (Better is SVhs cable or RGB Cable, but I cannot connect it)

truemagellen

you know you can make the Xbox do NTSC output even if the box is a PAL unit (modchip does all the work) so no additional external conversion is needed

ATL RX-8

This idea is really intriuging. I would love to do this but only for an MP3 server. Since I don't intend to play games on it, is it a total waste to go xbox instead of some other carputer?

I also had an idea about integrating the controls. A new ashtray lid with the controls mounted into it would be sweet.

truemagellen

I'm working on mine...I've got something special in mind for the controls

maybe use the tape blank for more complex navigation (ripped apart controller)

but mount buttons on the steering wheel...on the back side (like Chrysler/Dodge) vehicles

I'll get it done hopefully by new years but I think I'm being a little too optimistic

aruffell

Well if you removed the DC/AC converter, and the relays as well, then the components left are the converter and the cabling from the XBOX to the connection you made behing the DVD NAV unit - therefore you have narrowed the possibilities. I wonder if you can convert the RCA PAL->RGB NTSC unit to a RCA NTSC -> RGB NTSC unit by replacing the chip inside it (ask the vendor). As I mentioned before several times, you are bound to get a worse signal if converting from PAL to NTSC so it would be ideal to have your XBOX output an NTSC video signal and just convert from Composite (RCA) to RGB.

Thommino

I cannot change my Xbox from RCA Pal to RCA NTSC.
The problem of noise could be:
1) Converter: From Composite RCA PAL to RGB NTSC (http://www.converters.tv/products/co...rters/139.html)
2) My switch that add noise (http://www.cartft.com/carpc/catalog/il/400)
3) Xbox composite (RCA) output that have not a good quality
I have not an NTSC Xbox but a Pal Xbox, and I cannot (don't want) change it!