Best Sound

Initially a tie between Peter Rheingans and Edwin de Vaan
(18 votes each), the prize finally went to Peter Rheingans after a tie breaker.

Best Professional Install

Winner: Erlend van Kelf 42 votes
Runner-up: Melkon Torosyan 20 votes


Best Amateur Install

Winner: Michael Tempsch 26 votes
Runner-up: Edwin de Vaan 20 votes


Worst Install

Winner: Rolf Winterscheidt 21 votes (apparently due to creative use of Sellotape in the install!!)


Distance Award

Winner: Tony "FAQMaster" Fabris 3298 miles (corrected)


Empeg Quiz

Winner: Mark Lord


Feely Bag Game

Winner: Svem Mueller with 41 points out of a possible 53

can we get some pics of the best and worst installs?

I'm sure someone will come up with pics - I need to take some new pics now everything is completed; what I currently have on my web page shows it with wires in disarray.
I've also added a bunch of LEDs since then... Blue ones at the door handles, door pockets and interior light; red ones at the door woofers, pocket under the empeg and in the rear speakers.

Blue LEDs and Tux + "empeg inside" stickers seems to have been crowd pleasers...

/Michael

Blue LEDs are always crowd pleasers

Mo and I will be working on the meet website sometime soon, and I hope to be able to put up connecting detail when we do the site.

awesome. i eagerly await. Man 'o man. i wish the West Coast meet had such fine organization.

I plan on uploading some pictures of my car too now that I finally got myself a digital camera. (I won best professional install). No promises on when exactly though, but I hope I can do it in the forthcoming week.

Nice 'Dub...

For reference, modern VW dimmer wires are pulse width modulated 12V, not analog. According to my yummy new oscilloscope, the frequency is 83Hz, and the positive pulse varies between 15% (min brightness) and 95% (max brightness). The frequency doesn't seem that stable though - I saw values +/- 1Hz. I guess it's not crystal generated.

On a side note, RadioShack over here now sell 5mm LEDs that match VW blue perfectly. The wavelength is 430nm. Shame they don't sell any 3mm version.

very nice... I'm jelous of the polo.. we only get golfs here in the US... I was thinking about how much it would cost to import a polo.. that'd be neat..

I might have to do that when my '00 jetta is ready for retirement.

Yeah, the Polo is pretty nice - pity they destroyed the look in the later ones (02/03- IIRC) with the round tilted headlights instead of the rectangular clear glass...
I'm sort of looking at the Peugot 206 GTI at the moment, about the same size (ie parkeable in any medium US SUV ) and a fair bit more power than my Polo.

/Michael

modern VW dimmer wires are pulse width modulated 12V, not analog. According to my yummy new oscilloscope, the frequency is 83Hz, and the positive pulse varies between 15% (min brightness) and 95% (max brightness)

Yeah, had figured about that, considering the way the dimmer on the empeg was behaving (rather erratically)... Still have to get around to get a proper signal (if possible, considering the DRLs) from the light switch assembly to use as the dimmer signal instead of the interior light one.


RadioShack over here now sell 5mm LEDs that match VW blue perfectly. The wavelength is 430nm

These?
430nm sounds about right, the ones I have currently are 470nm, and they're clearer blue than "VW blue", so a bit more violet seems correct... Pity they're only 300mCd - the ones I use now are about 3500mCd (5mm). Hmmm, looks like a local company, ELFA, has both 3 and 5 mm versions - 3 mm is 350mCd at 10° angle and the 5 mm is 1000 mCd at 20°. Looks like I've got no excuse to not take a look, they're even somewhat cheaper than RS... Thanks for the tip!

/Michael
PS Let me know if you're interested in some 3mm ones.

These?

Yep, those.

I thought that the PWM issue was fixed a LOOOONNG time ago? How come it's playing up, then?

I thought that the PWM issue was fixed a LOOOONNG time ago?

Frankly, it might well work fine now - problem is that the wire in the harness is connected to the dash lighting - and I rarely adjust the dash lighting just because I flip on the "real" lights compared to the (reduced power) DRLs. I'd rather have a signal that goes 0/12V when I flip the switch to the "on" position (switch has "off" which actually means automatic on/off DRLs and high beam "honk" on the high/low beam switch, "park" which gives parking lights only, and "on" which gives full intensity headlights and on/off for the high beams on the high/low beam switch)

/Michael

more power than the polo?

get a G40!!!

more power than the polo?

The Polo GTI is IIRC 1.6 litre 125 bhp (and mine isn't a GTI, merely the 75 bhp 1.4 litre)
I think the 206 GTI is 137 bhp and 2.0 litre.
I do believe someone has managed to stuff a Golf 2.0 litre engine in a Polo...

Another couple of fun little cars are the VW Lupo GTI (same 125bhp engine, but even smaller and lighter car) and the Cooper S...

/Michael

I was in holiday just after the Amersfoort event. Give me a free minute and I will show you how to get the worst install :-) on my website...

Rolf

*** Proud owner of the European Worst Install Trophy 2003 ! ***

No, no, Rolf! 2002, don't forget!

For those of you puzzled about what I mean - when Rob V was getting the trophy made, he had real trouble getting them to do it properly. They screwed up a few times, and eventually he decided that the final attempt would just have to be good enough: the trophy is dated 2002, not 2003

Truly an appropriate reward.

Yes, it couldn't be made better. Even the year is incorrect. What a price :-). But I would like to know more about this MK1 I got. What happened with this, is there a good story? Don't mind, I won't ask if the story is true ;-).

Rolf

That Mk.1 player has quite an interesting history. It was originally purchased by a gentleman as a gift for his charming french wife, however upon discovering that she was engaged in an affair with another empeg fan he took back the player and sold it.

The new owner was an American fellow who picked up the player in Italy for an extended road trip with his young lady friend. I'm not sure if the Mk.1 has aphrodisiac properties however it is said that the young lady decided to share an intimate empeg experience with a local photographer and once again the player was put on the market by its cheated owner.

Subsequently the player, already not in the best condition, was purchased by a couragous American woman who took it into a Balkan combat zone. It's contribution to humanitarian action was substantial, but the episode was pretty much fatal to the player, hence the condition in which you see it today.

Rob

Rob, you didn't need to tell us all those embarassing details about your relationships.

It's contribution to humanitarian action was substantial

Don't tell me it was used to play "Enter Sandman", or "Tiny Little Bubbles" on repeat play...

Oh my god!

I want to marry at July 29th. What shall I do now with this empeg? I love this woman and now I can assure you that she will never touch this MK1. Pooh, hard news here...

:-)

Rolf

Wow, what a story!

...charming french wife...

Would asking whether this was Aouali, a most charming French lady who suddenly disappeared from the board two years ago be too inquisitive?

...a couragous American woman who took it into a Balkan combat zone

Ah, after a Canadian soldier another brave Empegger in my restless neighborhood! Pray tell more (if you are at liberty to do so)!

Cheers!

Errr.... Bonzi, either you are about the most perceptive bloke I've ever met (or not actually met), or you have *far too much bloody time on your hands*.

OK so that was totally lost on everyone. Maybe I've seen more dodgy old Ingrid Bergman films than you guys.

Rob

Hope this thread will last forever. In-te-resting!!

8-)

Rolf

Obviously, I missed that one....

Congrats to all winners!

mtempsch: The Lupo GTI is indeed a beast compared to the Polo GTI, but it costs way too much more, at least in luxembourg. My dealer has a demonstrator, has 1 year and 7000kms, but still it costs 16000€... not serious in my opinion.

Sigh, it's not the case of too much time. Actually, I alow myself a quick browse through the board only when I am realy fed up with day's work.

I somehow remembered Auoali as 'cute French gal with girlish web site and unpronouncable name consisting of vowels and starting with A', so it wasn't hard to find her in user list.

However, I still don't know what's the Ingrid Bergman reference Rob hinted at...

Cheers!