I just got my Mark 2 (and my car's in the shop for other stuff for the next week or two, so I'm stuck with using it on my desk for now). I have a '99 WS6 Trans-Am, and I had several questions about getting empeg into this car... I'm hoping someone else here has a recent high-end f-body...

1. I'm going to build an interface for the stock steering wheel controls... has anybody already done this on a recent GM car like mine? Can you save me some trouble figuring out the wiring?

2. The empeg site says that the developer image has performance disadvantages... If I get some personal modifications finished up that I want to use permanently, is there any way for me to compile up a "production" image with my mods?

3. I know that the empeg people claim that the HDD's are very shock proof... but has anyone put them in a serious sportscar before? My car can hit over a full G of lateral acceleration when I drop the clutch in 1st. Cornering it can approach a full G as well. The suspension is also much stiffer than most cars, which makes even a supposedly "flat" road feel quite bumpy sometimes. Should I worry about this? Should I go to standby before driving the car full-out?

Any advice appreciated,

Brandon

I'm going to build an interface for the stock steering wheel controls... has anybody already done this on a recent GM car like mine? Can you save me some trouble figuring out the wiring?

Check the FAQ forum on this BBS under "Can I hook up a steering wheel remote to Empeg?" You won't find wiring diagrams for your GM car, but you will find links to some options that can help you with the other aspects.

The empeg site says that the developer image has performance disadvantages... If I get some personal modifications finished up that I want to use permanently, is there any way for me to compile up a "production" image with my mods?

Yes. But I think you're putting too much faith in what's modifiable. I think you're expecting that the player software is open-source when it's not. The KERNEL is open-source, and you can run a modified kernel for either the developer or the consumer image. You can also place your own applications on the hard disk and run those (I think you could probably write a modified kernel that would allow you to choose an alternate application at boot-up time). But the main player software is proprietary and doesn't support modifications at this time.

I know that the empeg people claim that the HDD's are very shock proof... but has anyone put them in a serious sportscar before? My car can hit over a full G of lateral acceleration when I drop the clutch in 1st. Cornering it can approach a full G as well.

The empeg will shrug this stuff off. You shouldn't be concerned unless you're off-roading or you're doing something else that's constantly and severely vibrating the unit. There was a thread recently where one empeg owner was upset that the Empeg skipped when it was in the cabin during an SPL competition (in such competitions, the head units are usually placed on a podium outside the cabin). But aside from that kind of stuff, you're fine.

Read the entry in the FAQ titled "Installation Mounting Angle?" for more info.

If you're worried, there is a feature in Emplode which lets you activate an on-screen disk activity icon. You could just not go around corners if that's lit up.

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Tony Fabris

Finally, I get to do this:

I have a '99 WS6 Trans-Am

Droooooool!

I wish I would have been in the financial position to get one of these over the Saturn I ended up buying. Always been a big fan of the Firebirds, and was sad to have had to sell my 85 TransAm due to lack of time to fix it up. Oh well, maybe a good paying job will come through where I could get one in the next few years.

As far as #2, you won't notice that much. Then again, I did play a Mechwarrior startup sound on mine while doing stuff in the background. This did add a noticible delay. But beyond boot-up time, theres nothing that will affect things you will see or hear.

I'd love to see some pics of your install once it's done, and also some details on the equipment used.

It manages fine in my turbo miata, which has lowered & stiffened suspension. I seriously doubt you'll be able to get it to skip (you might just die trying ;) ). I've had no problems over the bumpiest of roads at 100+ and round mallory park racetrack either ;)

Hugo

Never considered use of audio equipment when doing track days - maybe as previous in car audio was not up to the job. Yet another advantage of an empeg ?

- --
Rod, UK Mk2 Red S/No.341

Possibly, but for me I get my best times when listening to music - helps concentrate. I suspect the professionals don't do the same thing, though... ;)

Hugo

3. I know that the empeg people claim that the HDD's are very shock proof... but has anyone put them in a serious sportscar before? My car can hit over a full G of lateral acceleration when I drop the clutch in 1st. Cornering it can approach a full G as well. The suspension is also much stiffer than most cars, which makes even a supposedly "flat" road feel quite bumpy sometimes. Should I worry about this? Should I go to standby before driving the car full-out?


I'm just going to tease you here a little... you just said (above) that when you drop your clutch your car will move sideways at 1G. Sounds like you need to check the tread on your tires dude, get some new tires if you kick out sideways that quickly!!!!!!

Hahahah!!

Calvin

I thought the same thing, but then stopped myself from saying anything about it because I wasn't sure if the term "lateral acceleration" could also apply to forward/backward movement.

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Tony Fabris

See the SAE site for a full explanation:

http://www.mdii.com/mdi/product/modules/ainsight/sae_vda.htm#8.4.2


Another important one is skidpad acceleration -- that's the one where the car and driver folks run the car in a circle and measure the force to keep the car at a perfect equilibrium in the circumfirence.

BTW how big is your turbo ? Perhaps I ought to stop trying to pass MX5's if there are some turbo ones on the road. Oh and best lap times for Donnington and Goodwood - if you have ever been there ?

- --
Rod, UK Mk2 Red S/No.341

Another important one is skidpad acceleration -- that's the one where the car and driver folks run the car in a circle and measure the force to keep the car at a perfect equilibrium in the circumfirence.

Did you ever play the Atari arcade game "Hard Drivin"?

Did you know there was a skidpad on that course? Turn left just after the starting line.

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Tony Fabris

Hard Drivin .. yes I played it, and that was a long time ago! :)

I can't imagine where I can find that game now...

Calvin

It's only a small one (150bhp, 154lb/ft) - but there are plenty of supercharged (190bhp+) and a few stage II (up to about 240bhp *at the wheels*) ones.

There's also at least one in the UK with a 3.9 litre V8 in it...

Hugo

That was a great game - graphics weren't up to much, but the simulation was very convincing, especially the steering feedback. It's still easy to find Hard Drivin' coinops in crappy British seaside arcades, and last time I checked you could buy a sit-in for about 150 pounds.

Rob

Buy a sit in for £150? Where? If I can spend a grand and a half on two empegs (and saving for a Mk3) £150 is nothing for a Hard Drivin' sit-in... although I doubt it would fit in my dash!

Seriously... where would you get one for that price?

Geoff
---- -------
Got one of the first Mark 2 empegs...

Yeah, the steering feedback was beyond awesome. When it worked, that is. The machines had a tendency for that part of the simulation to break down.

Still, the feedback steering on that game was more convincing than the current PC steering controllers with feedback. My friend has an Act Labs wheel, supposedly the best one for feedback, and it still feels odd to me compared to Hard Drivin.

Don't go slagging off the graphics, though, that was among the earliest full-3d-polygon games (actually, "I, Robot" was the first).

All we need now is a MAME port with feedback support and we're all set, huh?

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Tony Fabris

Actually, the combination of Viper Racing and a Logitech Formula Force gives highly realistic force-feedback. Better than anything I've played, including Hard Drivin'.

-Z

-Zandr
Mk.I #150
Mk.II #39

I hadn't tried Viper. I tried NFS, Toca2, and Rally Championship 2000...

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Tony Fabris

>(up to about 240bhp *at the wheels*) ones

Will be just my luck to try and pass one of those. Great that there are loads of stuff you can get for the MX5. Took me ages to even find someone prepared to product a windstop thing for my Lotus.

- --
Rod, UK Mk2 Red S/No.341

You'd have to find a coin-op dealer with one in stock. When I worked on Quasar we had arcades as well and I used to check the pricelists from time to time.

I think Hugo tracked down some dealers recently when we were considering getting Sega Rally for the office. Maybe he has some URL's or phone numbers.

Rob

Well, whatever :) They actually have a very high tendency to kick out to the side from the factory. Hopefully some of the suspension mods going on right now will help that out :) But, yeah, I meant in the forward direction.

This discussion just made me think of something. I remember a while ago it was suggested that there could be video games written for the empeg.

Wouldn't it be funny if they made a driving game?

DiGNAN
13653

A freind of mine has a 300ZX with an LCD display (mainly for use with some engine management thingy), and somehow he has a playstation hooked up to it. He can play Gran Turismo in his car dash. I don't know the tech details, the only time I saw it I was really drunk, so I just said "cool" and didn't ask.

Haha, that's pretty sweet. But it doesn't let him do that while driving, does it? I'm sure it just goes to another mode when you go into drive. I wish it weren't illegal. Honda didn't even provide the ability to do that with my nav system's screen while in park. Kinda pissed me off.

DiGNAN
13653

Regarding the steering wheel controls. Good luck. I have a Monte Carlo 99 Z34. With those wonderful steering wheel controls. I went to the dealer and got the documents showing the electrical layout. I will comment, I am NOT an expert, so I could have read them completely backwards, but it looked as if all of those controls are run inline as resistors. Here is the part were I got concerned. It looks like the power lead that goes thru the wheel also takes a pit stop at the air bag. Then it connects back to the same circuit. It makes no sense to me. So I ordered the information from Delco on the radio. After much griping I got documentation. Not for my model... Grrr... I made a few phone calls and someone told me that it uses an encoding called M (something or another). so I couldn't just attempt to rig it up by the radio. Thus until I find further information. I'm giving up on hooking it to empeg or any other player.