With my emphasis now on improving the quality of components used in the system, a high quality sound card seemed to be a good place to start. After several months of researching various makes and models I decided to purchase a SB Audigy sound card for the task. The claimed specifications are quite impressive, with a reported signal to noise ratio of 100dB. Installation was rather easy, except for some modifications to the custom case to accommodate the higher height of this PCI card.

Once up and running the improvement was amazing - mp3s have never sounded so good to date. Clarity seems better, output volume level is greater and background noise levels are virtually gone, meaning that amplifier gains have now been increased - giving much greater headroom - and alot more sound output. Overall a very impressive piece of hardware and something I wished I had invested in a long time ago.

A 3.5mm stereo plug connects to the line out socket of the Audigy, extended to a length of twin shielded audio cable and rear panel mounted RCA sockets.

Navigation and control of the system is achieved through the usage of a Pioneer CD-SR77 steering wheel remote control and custom built IRman unit. For the unaware, an IRman is designed to read IR signals from remote controls and converts them to six byte codes which are sent down to the connected serial port. Software can then be programmed to read these codes and perform system actions.

The IRman can be purchased pre-built or constructed from scratch with a little electronics knowledge and access to a PIC programmer. Using the later option for this system allowed for the IR sensor to be mounted near out of sight behind the steering wheel with wires running down to the boxed IRman circuit board placed under the centre console.

The CD-SR77 is mounted to the steering wheel with the supplied rubber strap, holding it in position very secure. The remote itself has a total of eleven buttons and features a large volume control on the rear face for quick access to a commonly used function.

The setup of the remote functions nicely with the mp3car application software - the ability to browse and play an entire hard disc of mp3's without your hands leaving the wheel is extremely handy, saves fumbling around for a remote control unit and complements the system and car interior very nicely.

With the VIA EPIA 800Mhz and DC-DC powersupply upgrade now complete and successfully running incar, thoughts turn to future updates and modifications. GPS is a possible improvement, assuming I can source good quality Melbourne/Australia mapping information and software - sadly CoPilot doesn't have Melbourne maps to the best of my knowledge.

Wireless is also another avenue I would like to expore in time, allowing for the uploading/modification of media from a desktop PC direct to the car. I would see data transfer speed as the major issue there so that would be the first challenge to overcome.

Any other suggestions? :)

• ATX Power Supply Modification
• IR control system - Pre Jan 2002
• LCD Display - Pre Jun 2002
• CPU/Motherboard/Storage - Pre Jun 2002
• Sound Card - Pre Nov 2002
• CPU/Motherboard/Storage/Power supply - Pre Jan 2003