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#109660 - 07/08/2002 15:42 Upside Down Empeg (for US installs)
introvert
new poster

Registered: 19/07/2002
Posts: 12
Hi. The empeg is installed in my 3000GT and I really like it, but there are a couple of minor things that are a little annoying. I'll discuss one of them:

The riocar/empeg is eurocentric!

You know what I am talking about. All (or most) of the stereos here in the western hemisphere have volume on left and controls on right. It is counter-intuitive to have them swapped. I propose a solution, but since I am unfamilliar with the internals / API of the unit I am not sure how feasible it is.

Turn it upside down.

The only two things that would need to be changed are:

1) The up/down/left/right buttons. My guess is that this would be relatively easy to change in the drivers as there should be some level of abstraction in which the messages can be swapped on the fly.

2) The screen would need to be rotated 180. However if the API allows the programmer to write directly to the hardware buffer then there may be complications.

As I stated, I don't know if these are easily implementable on this unit. My guess would be that it can be done fairly easily in the OS. I have not really looked into it, so maybe it has already been proposed or implemented? Could someone point me to a related thread if it has? If not could someone make sure this gets to a developer?

Thanks!
_________________________
introvert Charlotte, NC 60GB Mk2a - Blue

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#109661 - 07/08/2002 16:06 Re: Upside Down Empeg (for US installs) [Re: introvert]
tman
carpal tunnel

Registered: 24/12/2001
Posts: 5528
There already is code in the kernel to display the image upside down. It's not compiled in by default though, but if you do want to try then turn on "display is upside-down" in the kernel config and recompile. I don't think there is existing code for the buttons but it shouldn't be too hard... (famous last words)

Mounting the empeg upside down been discussed before and I think the general result was that it is possible but the shock mounting for the harddisks was never designed to be mounted upside down so it's not advised. Can't quite find the thread at the moment but you can search for it.

- Trevor

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#109662 - 07/08/2002 18:05 Re: Upside Down Empeg (for US installs) [Re: introvert]
drakino
carpal tunnel

Registered: 08/06/1999
Posts: 7868
The riocar/empeg is eurocentric!

Actually, it's the other way around. The original player had just 4 buttons on the front, all in the left hand side just as it is now. Considering most of the time I am using the buttons and not the knob, I much prefer the existing layout.

And as tman stated, it's all easially feasable, but you have to deal with an upside down facia design, and the fact that the drives will be worse off then when mounted properly.

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#109663 - 08/08/2002 00:30 Re: Upside Down Empeg (for US installs) [Re: introvert]
David
addict

Registered: 05/05/2000
Posts: 623
Loc: Cambridge
Not only will the drives be worse off when mounted upside down, but the rubber mounts won't be able to take the weight and the tray will end up floating around inside the player.

Would be better to turn the display board 180, rotate the display image and build a custom facia.

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#109664 - 08/08/2002 03:40 Re: Upside Down Empeg (for US installs) [Re: introvert]
Roger
carpal tunnel

Registered: 18/01/2000
Posts: 5683
Loc: London, UK
All (or most) of the stereos here in the western hemisphere have volume on left and controls on right.

Since the prime meridian runs slightly to the west of Cambridge, it turns out that we're in the Eastern hemisphere. You'll have to talk to our western friends in Bedford about which way round their stereos go .
_________________________
-- roger

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#109665 - 08/08/2002 04:17 Re: Upside Down Empeg (for US installs) [Re: Roger]
boxer
pooh-bah

Registered: 16/04/2002
Posts: 2011
Loc: Yorkshire UK
The guy in off topics who is coming to London this week could add going to Greenwich and standing bestriding the meridian to his itinerary!
It's an interesting point, if water goes down the plughole anti-clockwise in the southern hemisphere, do hard disks spin up the other way round?
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Politics and Ideology: Not my bag

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#109666 - 08/08/2002 04:39 Re: Upside Down Empeg (for US installs) [Re: boxer]
Roger
carpal tunnel

Registered: 18/01/2000
Posts: 5683
Loc: London, UK
Plugholes: http://www.abc.net.au/science/louts/coriolis.htm

And if the Coriolis effect has little to do with plugholes, I suspect that it's got even less to do with harddisks .
_________________________
-- roger

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#109667 - 08/08/2002 04:57 Re: Upside Down Empeg (for US installs) [Re: Roger]
boxer
pooh-bah

Registered: 16/04/2002
Posts: 2011
Loc: Yorkshire UK
And I thought he was a bloke in a flowing robe in Shakespeare.
Thanks for that, I must have really believed it these last 50 years - now I'll have to check out the rest of my store of useless information: A can of Coke sinks, a can of Diet Coke floats.
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Politics and Ideology: Not my bag

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#109668 - 08/08/2002 06:15 Re: Upside Down Empeg (for US installs) [Re: Roger]
pdw
stranger

Registered: 11/02/2002
Posts: 36
In reply to:

Since the prime meridian runs slightly to the west of Cambridge, it turns out that we're in the Eastern hemisphere. You'll have to talk to our western friends in Bedford about which way round their stereos go .




Well, I'm in Oxford in the Western hemisphere, and it seems to work pretty well here. I have once ventured East since getting the Empeg and it seemed to work OK there too :-)

I wouldn't say that the Empeg is Eurocentric. I believe that it is only the UK that have this figured out - the rest of Europe all seem to drive on the wrong side of the road too...

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#109669 - 08/08/2002 06:19 Re: Upside Down Empeg (for US installs) [Re: pdw]
boxer
pooh-bah

Registered: 16/04/2002
Posts: 2011
Loc: Yorkshire UK
Is it not a useless bit of information that the US only started driving on the wrong side of the road in the 20's!
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Politics and Ideology: Not my bag

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#109670 - 08/08/2002 07:14 Re: Upside Down Empeg (for US installs) [Re: boxer]
Roger
carpal tunnel

Registered: 18/01/2000
Posts: 5683
Loc: London, UK
A can of Coke sinks, a can of Diet Coke floats.

This one appears to be true: http://whyfiles.org/071questions/5.html
_________________________
-- roger

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#109671 - 08/08/2002 07:18 Re: Upside Down Empeg (for US installs) [Re: Roger]
frog51
pooh-bah

Registered: 09/08/2000
Posts: 2091
Loc: Edinburgh, Scotland
You guys are having a busy day then.

I think I'm going to have to add a DNS entry for askjeeves.com to point here for all my trivia needs
_________________________
Rory
MkIIa, blue lit buttons, memory upgrade, 1Tb in Subaru Forester STi
MkII, 240Gb in Mark Lord dock
MkII, 80Gb SSD in dock

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#109672 - 08/08/2002 07:53 Re: Upside Down Empeg (for US installs) [Re: frog51]
boxer
pooh-bah

Registered: 16/04/2002
Posts: 2011
Loc: Yorkshire UK
I'm off in my Empeg equipped motorhome in about 40 minutes, the time is hanging heavy. You US guys can't imagine the thrill of getting out on the endless highway in a big country like the UK.
_________________________
Politics and Ideology: Not my bag

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#109673 - 08/08/2002 07:57 Re: Upside Down Empeg (for US installs) [Re: Roger]
blitz
addict

Registered: 20/11/2001
Posts: 455
Loc: Texas
Maybe they don't fill the cans as full. More airspace hence it floats.

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#109674 - 08/08/2002 08:21 Re: Upside Down Empeg (for US installs) [Re: blitz]
boxer
pooh-bah

Registered: 16/04/2002
Posts: 2011
Loc: Yorkshire UK
Careful, I didn't get this info. from any old website, it came from the CEO of Coca Cola Enterprises - person to person!
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Politics and Ideology: Not my bag

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#109675 - 08/08/2002 08:24 Re: Upside Down Empeg (for US installs) [Re: blitz]
tman
carpal tunnel

Registered: 24/12/2001
Posts: 5528
From what I remember, all of my cans have 330ml written on the side so they should have the same amount in each.

- Trevor

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#109676 - 08/08/2002 08:30 Re: Upside Down Empeg (for US installs) [Re: tman]
frog51
pooh-bah

Registered: 09/08/2000
Posts: 2091
Loc: Edinburgh, Scotland
It's like heavy coke - more cola particles in each atom, so the density goes up. We can probably build a cola-fusion reactor with them too.
_________________________
Rory
MkIIa, blue lit buttons, memory upgrade, 1Tb in Subaru Forester STi
MkII, 240Gb in Mark Lord dock
MkII, 80Gb SSD in dock

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#109677 - 08/08/2002 08:30 Re: Upside Down Empeg (for US installs) [Re: tman]
revlmwest
addict

Registered: 05/06/2002
Posts: 497
Loc: Hartsville, South Carolina for...
Roger's link explains it, with several other interesting issues as well.
_________________________
Michael West

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#109678 - 08/08/2002 08:44 Re: Upside Down Empeg (for US installs) [Re: frog51]
tman
carpal tunnel

Registered: 24/12/2001
Posts: 5528
How about we get somebody to weigh those big packs of coke concentrate that you get in soft drink fountains?

I know somebody who for a bet actually drank some of the concentrate. To say he had a bit of a sugar and caffeine high afterwards is an understatement...

- Trevor

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#109679 - 08/08/2002 09:00 Re: Upside Down Empeg (for US installs) [Re: tman]
revlmwest
addict

Registered: 05/06/2002
Posts: 497
Loc: Hartsville, South Carolina for...
In reply to:

How about we get somebody to weigh those big packs of coke concentrate that you get in soft drink fountains?




You all realize that posts concerning the weight of bags of coke is going to attract the authorities.
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Michael West

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#109680 - 08/08/2002 09:04 Re: Upside Down Empeg (for US installs) [Re: revlmwest]
tman
carpal tunnel

Registered: 24/12/2001
Posts: 5528
You'd have to be really desperate to snort a can of coca cola I see your point though

- Trevor

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#109681 - 08/08/2002 09:13 Re: Upside Down Empeg (for US installs) [Re: Roger]
wfaulk
carpal tunnel

Registered: 25/12/2000
Posts: 16706
Loc: Raleigh, NC US
Okay, so I tried the Coke experiment (because I'm bored), and confirmed this fact.

However, I dicovered on other interesting thing. I actually placed a can of Coke and a can of Diet Coke in the sink and filled it up. Initially, they both floated, but when I pushed them down into the water, the Coke sank and the Diet Coke came back up.

Upon further investigation, I found that the Coke would float until I filled up the area created by the upper lip of the can with water.

Now, I don't know if that's a weight issue or a surface tension issue, but it's interesting nonetheless. Well, at least as interesting as this topic is to begin with.
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Bitt Faulk

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#109682 - 08/08/2002 09:33 Re: Upside Down Empeg (for US installs) [Re: wfaulk]
revlmwest
addict

Registered: 05/06/2002
Posts: 497
Loc: Hartsville, South Carolina for...
If the density explanation is accurate, then your experiment should prove that the densities are very close.
_________________________
Michael West

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#109683 - 08/08/2002 09:41 Re: Upside Down Empeg (for US installs) [Re: revlmwest]
wfaulk
carpal tunnel

Registered: 25/12/2000
Posts: 16706
Loc: Raleigh, NC US
Not really. If I'd compared a can of non-diet Coke with a beach ball, I'd have gotten the same results. It would seem to indicate that the density of a can of Coke is very close to that of water, though.
_________________________
Bitt Faulk

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#109684 - 09/08/2002 03:05 Re: Upside Down Empeg (for US installs) [Re: Roger]
h_blake
stranger

Registered: 22/05/2001
Posts: 50
Loc: Bedford, UK
I find the empeg controls perfectly placed despite being in the Western Hemisphere . Besides, it would be a pain having to swap things over every time I go into our Cambridge office
_________________________
______ Henrick Bedford, UK Mk2a 10+30gig Mk2 18gig(RIP) backup

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#109685 - 09/08/2002 03:18 Re: Upside Down Empeg (for US installs) [Re: h_blake]
tms13
old hand

Registered: 30/07/2001
Posts: 1115
Loc: Lochcarron and Edinburgh
Likewise, I don't want to have to change my player controls twice every working day (I live in the East but work in the West).
_________________________
Toby Speight
030103016 (80GB Mk2a, blue)
030102806 (0GB Mk2a, blue)

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#109686 - 09/08/2002 07:53 Re: Upside Down Empeg (for US installs) [Re: tms13]
revlmwest
addict

Registered: 05/06/2002
Posts: 497
Loc: Hartsville, South Carolina for...
While the controls are different than most head units, I find the setup better not worse. The current config allows you to change playlists or other settings without leaning to reach the knob. Also, I didn't ever think of this since its just so much easier to use the remote. Instead of flipping the unit why not just purchase a steering wheel mounted remote? The only reason I can see for having the knob closer to you is to play Sokoban while your driving, which is unadvisable.
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Michael West

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#109687 - 09/08/2002 09:39 Re: Upside Down Empeg (for US installs) [Re: wfaulk]
blitz
addict

Registered: 20/11/2001
Posts: 455
Loc: Texas
Here's a link that has the numbers on relative densities of sugar sweetened drinks and diet drinks. Sweet

Aluminum has a specific gravity of 2.7 as compared to water of 1.0.

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#109688 - 12/08/2002 07:31 Re: Upside Down Empeg (for US installs) [Re: revlmwest]
frog51
pooh-bah

Registered: 09/08/2000
Posts: 2091
Loc: Edinburgh, Scotland
In reply to:

The only reason I can see for having the knob closer to you is to play Sokoban while your driving, which is unadvisable.




Or at traffic lights. You can get a fair bit done in 25-30 seconds and it stops you getting bored with that red light.

Of course turning the empeg off gives you that cool and sexy blue light. Mmmmm - hypnotism.
_________________________
Rory
MkIIa, blue lit buttons, memory upgrade, 1Tb in Subaru Forester STi
MkII, 240Gb in Mark Lord dock
MkII, 80Gb SSD in dock

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#109689 - 14/08/2002 02:21 Re: Upside Down Empeg (for US installs) [Re: blitz]
Cas_O
journeyman

Registered: 17/05/2000
Posts: 92
Loc: 's-Hertogenbosch; the Netherla...
Has anyone actually weighed the difference between the weight of regular vs diet? Take it one step further and check volume too.

Both easy to do with standard kitchen stuff. I'd do it, weren't it for the fact that I don't drink either coke or the diet variety so don't have any (nor does my fascination go as far as feeling compelled to buy the cans ).


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