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