Yo Max Friends,

I have a unique situation and I need some help and feedback.

I am installing a Pentium II PC in my car. In it, it has an ATI All-In-Wonder 128 Pro. I am using the composite video OUT from the ATI and sending it to the composite video IN on an Alpine CVA-1005 head unit in the dash.

Problem: Flaky as hell. Sometimes I boot it and get my DOS boot screen on the Alpine, then my Windows desktop. Other times I get NO DOS boot screen, but then I see the windows desktop when it gets there. Other times, I get nothing but black (but you can see the video try to "sync" when the computer boots.) There is no logic, rhyme or reason that I've been able to discern. Sometimes I can get it to Windows, then if I re-start the machine, sometimes I get a normal boot process, other times just black. Totally unpredictable.

I've tried: Booting the computer first, then booting up the Alpine (crapshoot.) Booting Alpine first, then computer (crapshoot.) Tried running the video cable differently. Tried different video cables (top quality). Tried it with the car RUNNING. Tried it with the car OFF. Tried setting the PC's BIOS video ROM shadowing ENABLED, tried it DISABLED. Of course, the Windows resolution is set to 640x480.

As part of my troubleshooting, I connected the computer to my house television, and everything works consistently fine on the TV. Can see DOS boot screen, can see Windows screens, all fine.

All video drivers are up-to-date. The Alpine head unit plays DVD video from my in-dash DVD player just fine. Otherwise the Alpine is operating perfectly and normally. The PC is running a brand new Elite motherboard with an Award BIOS dated 6/26/2000.

The system is currently being powered on house current -- it's not yet hooked up to an inverter or anything, so clean power is not an issue.

My current theory is that the ATI video card is not detecting the proper load -- the 75 ohm impedance it is seeking to find on that video cable in order to send out the signal. I am going to contact Alpine and ask them what they think. Is there a device I can put on the cable to "trick" the ATI into seeing the video output? Just a thought.

I would really like to hear from all you pros out there ... what do you think?



/aac

 

What's the refresh rate set at? I know it's a crap shoot, but I've seen similar things at work when settings get set too high. Hope that helps...

 

You can't set a refresh rate on Tv-out, at least not on this card. I think composite video/ntsc has one refresh rate built-in, no other choices. Remember this is not outputting VGA. It's outputting composite video.

/aa