my lastest and final ipod integration

[bina12834]

yea, i know....it hasnt even been a month since i did the whole LiquidAux install, but i was kind of unhappy with it. Besides being blind while skipping tracks in shuffle mode, i also noticed that i had to turn my volume up louder than normal to hear the music, resulting in a degredation in quality. so i set my sights out for something new and this is what i came to....

The Alpine EX-10

its a bit pricey at $100(on sale from Crutchfield, ~$150 normally), but it gives me exactly what ive been searching for. Ipod integration into my factory navigation system. The only problem ive ever had with the factory nav system, as most of you probably know, is the lack of an ipod integration. This solves it all. Now i can keep my factory navigation system, and have a great ipod integration!!

Installation seems simple (theres a hide-away module that gets plugged into a power outlet, the screen plugs into the module, the ipod cable plugs into the module, and theres an aux output on the module). What i plan on doing is keeping the hide-away module and ipod in the center arm rest storage box (where the power outlet is and the aux cable from when i ran it to there for the LiquidAux install). The only thing i need to do is find a mounting location for the screen where i can hide the cable and route it to the center arm rest storage box so it can plug into the module. I have some initial plans for where to mount the screen(i dont want it sitting on the dash), but i wont come to any conclusions until i have the thing in my hands and can see what my actual options are. I should be getting it early next week, so stay tuned to this thread to see my installation tutorial.

[srwong]

The Alpine EX-10

that's freakin awesome... too bad i don't believe in apple and own an ipod, i have a mp3 player instead... looks sweet tho...

[bina12834]

well i sent the unit back the next day after i got it....

to start with, the power button on the top of the screen is the only way to power on/off the unit, so it really limited my mounting choices(my original plan was to mount it to a hinge so it would be able to fold down from under the lip thats under the HVAC controls, but the power button being on top of the screen really prohibited this). secondly the remote needed to be pointed directly at the screen for it to work. overall a nice unit, but it needs some fixes to make it perfect.

[srwong]

that sucks

[bina12834]

i havent actually sent it back yet....its sitting in the box with the shipping label ready to go.....i have a few more ideas to try before i finally send it away

[superblackcoupe]

What was the sound quality like in comparison to using the AUX jack?

I don't see how this is any better than the ~$50 iPod/radio tuners that you can pick up at the Apple store in terms of sound quality (which are garbage).

[bina12834]

What was the sound quality like in comparison to using the AUX jack?

it plugs into the AUX jack.

I don't see how this is any better than the ~$50 iPod/radio tuners that you can pick up at the Apple store in terms of sound quality (which are garbage).

are you talking about FM transmitters? it has a built in FM transmitter that you can use if your car stereo doesnt have an AUX jack.

[bina12834]

i actually sent the unit back and am going to do something like this...

[superblackcoupe]

are you talking about FM transmitters? it has a built in FM transmitter that you can use if your car stereo doesnt have an AUX jack.

Ah, I see. I saw the 87.9MHz in the corner of the unit and automatically thought that it was one of those FM transmitter-only devices that they sell at the Apple store.

[maxentropy]

bina, what did you end up with? the picture you posted transmits the sound from the ipod via radio frequency or is it tapping into the aux in wires (behind the scenes)?

[bina12834]

bina, what did you end up with? the picture you posted transmits the sound from the ipod via radio frequency or is it tapping into the aux in wires (behind the scenes)?

bina, what did you end up with? the picture you posted transmits the sound from the ipod via radio frequency or is it tapping into the aux in wires (behind the scenes)?

well that pic isnt of my set-up, but in his install he did tap into the aux wires behind the scenes. what i did is used a L shaped aux wire like in this pic and than ran it behind the panel down to the ipod dock.

i bought an iphone dock to use like in the pic above since it fits perfectly into the ash tray, but it didnt fit my 5th gen ipod, so i took the dremel to it to cut it down so the ipod would fit. (dont make fun of my dremel job....it was my first time using a dremel).

so since im unhappy with how that looks im going to take my old 3rd gen ipod dock and cut the sides down to make it fit in the ash tray so it looks cleaner.

i took apart the 3rd gen ipod dock to find that the guts are pretty small and easy to work with. so if i dont like the way the 3rd gen dock looks in the ash tray, im going to take the dock guts and glue them to the ash tray and cover them up with some black felt (or something else to match the material that lines the inside of the ash tray) so that all you see sticking up is the dock connector. i think this would look the cleanest, and also wouldnt be too hard to do, so i might just scrap cutting up the 3rd gen dock and try this out first. here are a few pics of the 3rd gen ipod dock apart..

[LongBeachCoupe]

Good work Bina!Keep us posted on your project... and yes you should practice dremel skills on something useless before you try it on the real deal!

[maxentropy]

Bina - looks awesome!!! Nice work!

Have you used this setup so far? Does it feel natural and easy to change the track on the ipod in this position?

[bina12834]

Good work Bina!Keep us posted on your project... and yes you should practice dremel skills on something useless before you try it on the real deal!

eh...the iphone dock was under $20 on amazon....i was too worried about ruining it. my dremeling skills got a lot better when i was cutting out the back of the ash tray for the wires to feed through

[bina12834]

Bina - looks awesome!!! Nice work!

Have you used this setup so far? Does it feel natural and easy to change the track on the ipod in this position?

thanks!

so far i love the set-up. i love having full control over my ipod and being able to see what tracks are being played. and i love that i can just pop it off the dock, throw it in the arm rest or cup holder, close the ash tray and noone would be the wiser. its really stable when using the click wheel and it never moves or shifts when doing some hard cornering. i just want to make it "prettier" now. the ipod is really easy to use in that position....just a little further reach than the shifter. my right hand is usually resting on the shifter or my right knee anyways, so all i have to do is move my hand a little foward and its on my ipod.

ill keep you guys updated with what i end up doing. i think im going to try just using the ipod dock "guts" first to make the cleanest install possible.

[maxentropy]

Good to know--

So no problems with the shifter getting in the way?

You can see the screen just fine while driving?

thanks for the input!

[bina12834]

Good to know--

So no problems with the shifter getting in the way?

You can see the screen just fine while driving?

thanks for the input!

nope and yup

[maxentropy]

Ok so now my question is which ipod do I buy? I've decided the best for driving is a classic, but should I get the newest gen or an older one?

[bina12834]

Ok so now my question is which ipod do I buy? I've decided the best for driving is a classic, but should I get the newest gen or an older one?

im happy with my 5th gen ipod video. 30 gigs is enough for me.

you thinking about doing this same setup max?

[maxentropy]

yeah because im sick of burning cds.

never ever owned anything apple so this will be my first

thinking of gen 6 120gig unless anyone recommends waiting for a newer model or something.

[bina12834]

yeah because im sick of burning cds.

sweet...cant wait to see your pics. youll have to cut out some of the back of the ash tray and some other stuff....ill take some pics sometime soon to show you what i did.

never ever owned anything apple so this will be my first

ive had an ipod since the click wheel version came out(i think 3rd gen), I got an iphone back in October of last year, and just switched from a PC to a Mac a month ago and im never turning back. Apple products are far superior to any other products in their categories.

let the apple fanboi flames begin.....

thinking of gen 6 120gig unless anyone recommends waiting for a newer model or something.

the only thing theyll keep doing to the ipod classic is upgrading the capacity(the ipod touch is a different story). if you want capacity get the classic....plus its much easier to use in this application since you know where your finger is on the ipod without looking at it....cant say the same about the touch. i would recommend a refurb if you can find one on apples website. cheaper and just like new. i bought my 5th gen as a refurb and havent had 1 problem in the 2 years ive had it.

[maxentropy]

Bina-- How about this?

http://www.amazon.com/gp/produ...eader

[bina12834]

Bina-- How about this?

http://www.amazon.com/gp/produ...eader

from my first post in this thread:

yea, i know....it hasnt even been a month since i did the whole LiquidAux install, but i was kind of unhappy with it. Besides being blind while skipping tracks in shuffle mode, i also noticed that i had to turn my volume up louder than normal to hear the music, resulting in a degredation in quality. so i set my sights out for something new and this is what i came to....

heres my tutorial on the install of that product....http://forums.altimas.org/zerothread?id=413978