Using car equipment in other places

[stripedcat99]

You can always use car stereo equipment in other applications. Obviously, boats, RV's, etc., but also in the house, with a 12v power supply. There are numerous NOS car decks on the auction site (where they get them, I'm not sure), but I have picked up a couple for a fraction of the factory price. Using a stout 12v power supply, the things can go in old cabinets, or just use your imagination. I have a project underway to install one in a computer case using the computers sound output as the car deck's aux input (intended for a CD changer). I thus have AM/FM/Cassette "indash", and the aux button gives me streaming radio or other digital sources.

Maybe I've been standing in front of the microwave oven too much.....*hypnot*

[retrokeeper]

No...your not the only one,I have visions of car stereo's dancing thru my head...well,it doesn't help I was in the installation/sales business from 1986 to 1996,and appreciated/was amazed/scratched my head in disbelief for what autosound companies could do in such a small space as in a dashboard of a vehicle,a mere 7 1/4" x 2 1/4" x 7" deep or so.There are many cool looking cassette and CD decks out there,with some nice features,and if your talking DIN size,you can pack a lot sound into a small space,depending on the unit.And you could even get some speakers to sound pretty decent,allthough we're talking 4ohm output,not 8,but you can hook them in ways to sound quite nice.And some of the decks had pretty cool looking faceplates!! I have a couple of cassette decks,jiust got thru re-belting a common-featured Kenwood cassette deck,it sounds great now,but some of these decks take a PHD in micro-electronics just to figure out what the hell to do to fix it!! Rob

[braxus]

I've done exactly what you suggested by using a 12 volt DC power supply to power these old car decks. When I first went into college, I still had for a short while my Alpine tape deck and the CD player which I mounted into a wood front bezel. It worked well. Then sold the two decks for money later since I no longer was using the car I had back when. I still have that DC power supply from then, just have no use for it today.

[Scorpion8]

When I was Chief Engineer on a frigate in the US Navy (early 90's) the Captain had a plan to add sound to our wardoom area, which was really tiny. He didn't want a boom box, so we mounted a nice car stereo in an unused panel and ran four nice co-axial car speakers into the overhead. It did a really nice job and held up well.

[hakka26]

I went the other way*wink*. Couple months ago I got some free speakers from a yard sale. A set of Jensen Specials, a small EV and another set of cheap boxes. Opened them up and found a set of no name dual cones. Put them in my '86 CRX and happy as a pig in poop.