PI 3b+ RetroPi and Kenwood DNX-996XR in car setup

[rseod]

Hello, Im a new RaspberryPi user and I have a question that I didn't find after a search... I have a Kenwood DNX-996Xr in-dash DVD/NAV 6.95" monitor. It can display 720x1280 native, however there is no digital iput, just an RCA component input. So I have my retropie setup hooked up via a 3.5" AV cable going from the PI to the Kenwood... Lot more static and interference than I was expecting. Id love to get a better picture and sound...

So here's my question, and it might be dumb... If I were to buy a powered HDMI to RCA Component converter, would that yield better results (hdmi output from Pi, converted to RCA, sent to Kenwood units AV input) than the Pi's 3.5 jack to the Kenwoods AV jack?

Also, if I cant get the picture quality better, is there a way to make the font larger for all the game lists? because I can barely read them the way they are now.

[mitu]

@rseod said in PI 3b+ RetroPi and Kenwood DNX-996XR in car setup:

So here's my question, and it might be dumb... If I were to buy a powered HDMI to RCA Component converter, would that yield better results (hdmi output from Pi, converted to RCA, sent to Kenwood units AV input) than the Pi's 3.5 jack to the Kenwoods AV jack?

Not sure about that, the PI outputs a clean composite signal, so it maybe the cable you're using is not that great.

Also, if I cant get the picture quality better, is there a way to make the font larger for all the game lists? because I can barely read them the way they are now.

You can choose a different theme that has larger fonts - you can download more themes from the Esthemes menu in the RetroPie folder and then you can apply the theme from the Emulationstation menu (invoked with the Start button), see https://retropie.org.uk/docs/Themes/ for details.

[rseod]

@mitu thanks! I’ll try a different menu for sure! I think I also have some ground loop interference causing sound and video issues. I’ll take care of that too, should probably fix my issues!

Thanks again for telling me about the menu fonts... saved me a lot of time trying to figure this all out!!!

[rseod]

@mitu it seems like I only have the carbon theme, there are no others to choose from. How do I download them? Can’t seem to find a theme pack?

[mitu]

@rseod said in PI 3b+ RetroPi and Kenwood DNX-996XR in car setup:

Can’t seem to find a theme pack?

Re-read my first reply.

[VictimRLSH]

You might also benefit from some RF shielding on both the Pi and the cable. The Pi throws off a huge amount of RFI , to the point where even a cable plugged right into it is going to catch some too. Use a grounded case on the Pi (or just put it in an Altoids tin with standoffs) and a grounded plug too. Don't forget to ground the Pi case to the car's ground too.