i installed a car computer to get itunes and gps etc... i have a regular speaker/headphone jack cable going from the computer to the aux port in my after market stereo. music sounds fine. but when there isnt any files playing from the computer i hear distortion or hissing or tiny pop/cracking noise. is there anything i can put in between the line to limit this distortion? not sure if this should be here or the electronics section. like i said if sound is playing its not an issue but its really anoyying in-between files and when the computer is just on. should i mess with the onboard volume control before i mess with the stereo volume? any ideas?

i installed a car computer to get sounds terrifically.
i have a regular speaker/headphone jack cable going from the computer to the aux port in my after market stereo.
music sounds fine.
but when there isnt any files playing from the computer i hear distortion or hissing or tiny pop/cracking noise.
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so anyone have any suggestions audio gurus, i dont have a amp or a bass i just want no distortion coming from the computer when there isnt anything playing

it could be the quality of your audio cable

how is the computer getting power? inverter or a car-specific power supply? You're probably running into a ground loop issue. If you're running from an inverter, I'd say that would be where to start. There are a few companies out there who make a automotive 12v to atx power supply that are definitely a preferred method of power with a lot less noise. You also get the benefit of having it shut down when it doesn't sense a switch (ign) source just like you regular radio or amps.

I'm wondering whether there is any problem with the computer, or the interface of the audio cable, moreover, maybe it suffered the disturbance of high frequency signal, you can have a checking.

its getting powered by an atx car computer power supply. it has an onboard sound card not a plug in sound card

hmm. so that kinda rules out the power supply being the culprit, but i still feel like you've got a ground loop causing the issue somewhere. what's the computer housed in? is the case/chassis grounded? Also, how do you have the volumes setup? is the pc's set very low/very high? can you adjust input sensitivity on the radio?

its in a computer case,and the mothboard is bolted to it.

i think the volume on the computer is all the way up.

but it could be the length of the audio cable its something like 10-13ft cant remember.

its because i couldnt get the computer closer cuz its too big. not huge but too big to hide somewhere.

so the computer is behind the rear seats and the cable has to travel along the passengerside and plug into the front of the stereo into the aux port.

is there any kind of audio phone jack signal booster i can get? maybe the length is the issue?

try testing out your theory; you may be right. find a way to temporarily mount the computer closer to the headunit and try a shorter cable. nothing fancy, just something that will get the job done without breaking the bank.

what's the computer's PCU rated at? how many components are running off of it? any links to the one you have?

Ill add in on this aswell since I have a carputer fully installed

Try the following and post your results back to us:

Make sure the atx power supply is getting its constant from the battery directly and main ground to frame or a bolt at a good frame point.dont mount the chassis of the carputer directly to metal.

Take a short piece of wire and strip both ends..touch one ened to the carputer chassir thats bare metal or a non-painted chassis screw...touch the other end the the chassis of your radio and start the engine.does this make it worse or better?

also do use good cables...that will help on its own having good shielding

I would try lowering the computer volume to see if this makes a difference as well. When the volume is at peak so is the distortion and possible background noise.

*-Remember to try each thing one at a time so you know which one makes a difference.