how are you hooking this up to your stereo system? Will you have GPS capabilities afterwards?

So as far as GPS capabilities, the mini with cellular data capability has a GPS antenna built in a can be used with GPS without a data plan. There are a number of free, and some quality, apps in the app store that I've used for GPS. Then of course, if you get a data plan, you can use a number of native apps that will run GPS.

As for hooking the system up to my head unit, I've been thinking of a couple options. First off, I will need to get a new head unit that has an aux in on the back. Then, my choice will be to either install the new head unit in the top din of the lower console, or mount the radio behind the iPad and do away with the separate head unit. Chances are I won't do that since I like to option of listening to the radio and being able to change the volume separate from the iPad slider.

Also, the iPad mini 2 was announced yesterday, finally, but of course Apple delays it until the end of November... With a price tag of $550 plus tax, I don't know if the Retina screen and A7 processor are worth it, especially since I can find plenty of first generation Minis with data capability for under $350. Plus, there's the benefit of being able to install it a month earlier and not have to wait in holiday shopping lines to get one.

Its a fantastic idea... good luck with the rest of the project... it would be cool if you could hook up a rear camera to it also...

This is a very cool idea. however, why not just get a regular alpine 2 din unit or something? It has all the inputs, and the new ones have the capabilities to install apps..

One dude here thrown in a 8" touchscreen in the console. Looks fab. He is running Windows 7 off a very-tiny ITX computer (Intel CPU) and hides it in the frunk. The whole thing powers itself by a DC PSU. Cost him about $300 for the whole set-up I believe. Has GPS antenna, few wi-fi webcams, and using his iPhone 3G data plan to video conference and all. He also has a 2 terabytes HDD to record his track days and other night-time escape in the city. Pretty slick set-up and very creative in all honesty!

The HD touchscreen & fit literally looks factory. Its actually stunning

See, I would love to throw in a full computer because the possibilities are endless and I have so many spare everything for computer anything. The problem with that setup is the ease of use for connection reasons and for the nature of a full computer in general without a battery powering it.

The data connection with a full computer would be messy and potentially cumbersome to get it to connect. With some kind of tablet, its got a dedicated 4g antenna that it knows to use to connect with. (A full OS may require from time to time physically fiddling with a 4g dongle that you get from verizon or ATT/network connection fiddling from within the OS)

The other problem that links to the connection issue is booting up/down. When you shut off the car you will kill the computer (unless you rig a battery and run a few scripts to shut down the computer softly when it loses main power, which will work just fine)...BUT

Then you have the problem of booting up each time you start the car. Even with a SSD it will take a good 7 seconds to get loaded and ready to do whatever.

Thats just my opinion on a full computer install. I would love to do it but an iPad seems like what would work best for me. With the bluetooth adapter to the CDR220, an iPad would slip right into the dashboard and integrate nicely.

END :barf:

I can't make a judgment on which one is better. I just love the thing when he drops by the circuit. I can slip in my go-pro's SD card in the little reader he has in his ashtray and review my practice sessions, between sessions. Of course while cooling down using his petrol and A/C ;)

Those services alone, meaningless to you maybe, made me wonder if he was the 986s Master of the Universe for a few minutes!

iPad will be equally a good set-up if not better in many other ways I'm sure. I was just sharing what others came up with.

Can't you link a touchscreen to an iPad?? That way you could take the (expansive) iPad in and out of the car while keeping the touchscreen in the dash permanently. Any soft/hardware to output the graphic of an iPad these days.... would be hard to believe this technology is not available at "Apple"

e.g. Microsoft's Remote Desktop? that was another one I was blasted by his ITX setup. The guy can remote access his office computer and files :/

I'm retired from Google today and don't want to search. You know if Apple offer the same? if so I may consider the same set-up as you are doing

Ipad mini in-dash installation
 

Thanks. There are a ton of units that I could get that will be more functional than the iPad, I admit it. But part of it is the challenge of adding an iPad into the car and having it look flush with the rest of the vehicle. The uniqueness of it is something else that I'm going for. Also, I can get a hold of an iPad mini for $350 now that the new one is being released and I think a comparable double din head unit that streams music, has GPS, makes calls (FaceTime audio), connects to the OBDII, has a bunch of sensors built in (accelerometer, gyro, compass, etc), and has a resolution of 1024 x 768 will run way over $300.

Certainly, an iPad has all internet functionalities as a real computer, much more so if its jailbroken.

I can connect to my personal home server form anywhere in the world and access any file I've ever stored form my phone, similarly form an in-dash iPad. The connection capabilities with a 4G connection in the dash will be monumental. We could all go driving and video chat with each other...like an interactive adrenaline porsche tea party..

Meant to say, remote connection, screen sharing, realtime streaming etc...all is possible with iPads, but a computer still would be above all.

No crap huh, I didn't know. seriously. Never had the chance to handle an Apple product... as weird as this may sound

Might the iPad mini be the first. I think you got me set for one. Always hated tablets.... looks and sounds silly. That mini might be just fine tho......

thx

To offload he iPad screen to a remote touchscreen wouldn't you have to do this through some wireless data network? I thought the only option was to use wifi to link the iPad to another screen. Using Remote Desktop or some other client would require something with an operatic system and so, I would imagine, what will be in the dash will start to approach the price of the iPad itself? Honestly, I haven't done any research on connecting up the iPad remotely and frankly, the lag that I get from doing so over wifi is bad enough; I can't imagine the reliability issues that might come up if the iPad were connected over a cellular network while moving. This might all be irrelevant though. I dunno.

One possibity I considered was hooking it up to a screen via an AV adapter that connects to the Lightning adapter. But I haven't found a touch monitor small enough that I can use and retains the same screen quality and touch precision that the iPad has....

I guess to add a little bit on the same note as what epapp mentioned, a main motivating factor for sticking with a native tablet rather than going more "indie" and self customizing a setup is that the iPad already comes with so many capabilities out of the box, and an endless amount more after being Jail broken. Of course, it will not match the processing power of running a desktop operating system, it's native wireless capabilities do let it offload data to remote servers for storage or number crunching. It really is a versatile piece of equipment. And being that I use a mac at work and an iPhone as my mobile, having the data seamlessly available in my car will be a nice addition for when I take the car on its 1+ hour commute to and from work twice a week, lol.

I meant RDC etc for connection from the iPad to a remote computer or server. Not a screen. Using a secondary screen for the iPad seems quite odd to me. The iPad could be hidden with a secondary screen, but at that point, just get a cheap MacBook Air and pull the internals out of the case and plug THAT into a screen. And you're right, a touchscreen rivaling the quality and touch performance of apples screen would be hard and dam expensive.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk - now Free

That's impressive. How does it look under sunlight with sunglasses on? Since these are convertibles you'll probably find yourself in that situation quite often.

I read through the thread of the 996 owner with the ipad mini dash and was surprised that it's not even his daily driver. Wow, can't imagine spending all that time hooking all that up for something I would only enjoy less than a hour a week :(

My opinion is simplicity is best. Apple products just work. I've built my own pc's for years, have a decent home network with HTPC's in several rooms. But keeping that system running is a pain. I now have 2 iPads and 2 iPhones in the house. Very simple. My iPhone is jail broken so yes, not all is well in the Apple world and the mini would be better jail broken, but I can live without because of the simplicity. When I get in my Boxster, I want to escape and have fun, a computer would ruin that experience but I don't think a mini would. Looking at double din units, you can't get the functionality of a mini and head unit can provide. Plus, for the cost of a good DD unit, you can get a single din and mini and have some change left over. The only thing missing for me is a back up camera, I need to figure out how to hook one up to the mini. I also need to decide if the new mini is worth the extra $$$ over an Apple refurb unit. Just my .02.

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads01...1382674818.jpg

... Well, just got a hold of the real thing, and yes it does fit perfectly. I mean, even if I wasn't going to mount the ipad in the car, this is just a perfect case for the ipad anyways... So snug and OEM.

But seriously though, it turned out great. The ipad doesn't even wiggle around, but I think I'll add a rubber grommet/ gasket just to be sure I don't hear any squeaking while enjoying my new set up. All that is left is to sand and spray the bezel. I think I'll just go with flat black like the car already has and consider a brushed metal vinyl wrap in the near future. As soon as everything fits well I'll be posting a more fluid how-to for this upgrade.

Thanks for all the support and I hope someone else does this too...

Looks great!

Ipad mini in-dash installation
 

If finally got to spraying the trim and preparing it for the iPad. I also decided to add the garage door switch to fill in the blank on the console. Unfortunately, suncoast only carries them in a matte finish, but with some clear coat enamel spray paint, it's not hard to get it to match the rest of the switches.

Next up is moving the radio to the lower console and adding a Bluetooth module to the radio to connect up the ipad mini.

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/10/27/nasupypy.jpg


Midway through spraying.
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/10/27/3u7eve8u.jpg

Ipad mini in-dash installation
 

Quick teaser until I have more time for a proper post.

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/10/31/u6e4urum.jpg

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/10/31/eze7uqe4.jpg

Way way way too cool man!!!!!

I absolutely love it

have you thought about deleting the radio altogether? you can send the L/R stereo out from the iPad, and switched power, to the amp in the frunk and control it all from the iPad - volume, phone, music, etc.

And please change that cliché Porsche cartoon looking emblem BG for something a bit more personalized and funky :/

How old are you, 50+?

Ipad mini in-dash installation
 

Haha. I kinda like that photo. But I suppose I can put together a nice wallpaper photo of my emblem... When I finally put on the rear PORSCHE logo I was thinking of using that. Especially since it'll work perfect in landscape mode

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/11/01/enapehut.jpg

For the radio delete. I considered it and wired it up to make it work, but I decided that I don't want to need to use my data plan to listen to music. Unfortunately, Apple has yet to add a radio receiver in their products so the only way to listen to radio is through the headunit. Also, it's nice to have quick access to the volume nob rather than having to do it through the mini. Just my preference though.

That looks great! I really need to do this. I see you are keeping the stock head unit which is what I have been leaning towards. I currently have my iPhone hooked up to my stock unit which is basically the same thing only much smaller of course. I am amazed at how functional the set up is. I can play music, have the GPS map running, and my Escort Live app running. The ipad install is just so much cleaner. Great job!

well well well. Excuse me but where on earth did you get that emblem??? I want/need the same. It's beautiful just like that.... without the gangsta-style fake gold color

The emblem was on the car when I bought it :) I think suncoast sells them for a pretty penny though.

So did you remove the polarizing film in the head unit yet becauseeeeeeeee I have a feeling you couldn't see the screen of the radio all the way to and from work today ;)

Wow, it's like someone told you :O
I,ll be doing that, among other things, when I get home from work today.... It's like you're waiting for me to work out all the kinks before you attempt it? Hmmmm, copyright/ trademarked/ registered. Sorry, can't do it anymore epapp

Soooo, I just came up with a crazy idea for the ipad. I'm not sure if this will work at all butttt... here it is.

While sitting in traffic on the way home from work yesterday, I though to myself, it sucks that the rear facing camera of the mini is useless now that it's in the dash. Then it hit me, the rear facing camera is a separate module that is clipped onto the motherboard of the mini. So if I unclip the camera and extend the wiring to sayyy.... the license plate, I can make myself a back up cam for the ipad mini.

Now, that being said, I know this will by no means be straight conversion. The impedance in a wire that will extend the length of the car is probably no longer negligible and a potential voltage sag or noise issue will develop. Also, depending on the data-rate of the camera communication, the length of the data wire, especially if a clock is included, will almost inevitably cause a transmission line scenario with the possibility of reflections on either end. I'm not sure if this will actually be an issue, just trying to make use of my college classes lol.

Two possible 'solutions' for these potential issues are: properly terminating and shielding the data and clock signals as to avoid reflections and using some sort of active circuit to counteract voltage sag. I'm sure this is more complicated that I think and that epapp will offer some 'real engineering' to help me out :)

In any case, I think it's worth trying out because, at the very least, it sound like it could be a challenging engineering problem that will be very satisfying if solved. Open to input or suggestions. BTW, copyright/ trademarked/ registered.. lol

relocate the onboard camera to face forward instead (shorter distance); put a wifi cam in the back. or, look at some of the aftermarket back-up camera kits available. hell, you can even get an aftermarket review mirror that has a built-in android.

I thought for a wifi camera, I need to connect to the wifi network that the camera broadcasts? If I understand it right, that means I have to go to my settings and connect to the wifi whenever I want to use the camera and disconnect whenever I'm done so that the ipad defaults to cellular data? I may just be lazy, but I prefer just pressing the camera button and having it come up over needing to go through a process every time I want to access it.

Thanks for tip on the emblem! Asked around today and I'm getting myself one done custom by those guys in the emblems/medallion manufacturing - I can see their manufacture on a sunny day from where I am based. They told me they have the mold already so we are good to go on that hehehe

RE backup cam; now why on earth would you need one of those exactly?

How old are you, 50+?

Less weight = more horses remember ;)

You have way to many connections lol.

I really want to do the backup camera just to make use of the wasted camera. I figure that a rear facing camera is just a natural choice... that way I can see epapp when we're racing ;)

A front facing cam would be kind of cool if positioned right on the grill, and I already have the front facing cam as an interior cam... Time for some TopGear inspired videos haha.

Having to launch the camera app and then tap the rear-camera prior to putting the car in reverse makes it a rather ackward feature to use for anything other than novelty, don't you think?

It does somewhat. For me, its use comes more during merging during traffic. My daily commute involves some time in bumper-to-bumper traffic with aggravated California drivers. With the soft-top up, I feel like I'm taking a risk every time I switch lanes. The rear facing camera, I think, will provide some reassurance before I merge. I'd probably keep the camera on while driving through the heavy traffic stretches and glance at it before switching lanes.

lolllllllllllll

Do you even play engineering bro? Transmission lines? High speed LVDS? Who knows.

Something tells me there is no clock to the camera...it's just a CMOS sensor. I'm sure all the real time magic is done on the board. You're probably fine extending the thin wires at least a few feet. I'll let you try that one first as well, BEFORE I make the same hillbilly mistakes ;)

You could just wire the rear cam to another angle of the interior and simplify your job. What would a cam in the front or back of the car really add anyways? You would probably just splice the wires with vampire taps and have it come loose mid flight when you really need it...like when the leaves are flying into your bumper.

Well us underprivileged graduate students got paid today so ipad in dash it is!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Ipad mini in-dash installation
 

Just did my first revision to the mini install. Just wanted to document it here for anyone who does the install and comes up with the same problem.

When cutting the console trim to initially get the iPad to fit, I had to trim into the heater/AC duct. Shown below:
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/11/03/u6eqabah.jpg

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/11/03/9e2asyhy.jpg

At first, I didn't think much of it, but yesterday I was driving with the heat on high heat and full blast and it caused the iPad to overheat. Turns out the air was leaking into the rear of the iPad. So today, I bought some insulating foam tape and sealed the cut into the air duct with the tape (I'll try to take a picture of it tomorrow). The foam tape was actually perfect for two reasons. It of course fixed the over heating problem (full blast AC or heater yields no leak) but it also snugged the iPad around the edges and made it much more solid of an install.

To test the quality of the install I had the front camera recording and went out for a drive over some bumpy roads. When I looked at the recording, the iPad was perfectly still and the camera didn't show any signs of movement in the car.
Summary: use some adhesive foam around the back edge of the install to eliminate any creaks or wiggling resulting from cutting or sanding a bit too much during the fitting process.

The second thing I fixed was alternator/ road noise coming from the iPad. When the mini is charging (whenever the car is on) and the audio source is set to aux, there is a nasty whine that comes through the speakers. I've tested all my grounds and I couldn't pinpoint the problem. The issue came up even when I charged the mini through the cigerette lighter and connected it to the aux. To solve the problem; or more accurately, to patch it, I bought a ground-noise filter on amazon.

PAC Ground Loop Isolator for 3.5 MM Applications
http://amzn.com/B001EAQTRI

I've always been so skeptical of these things, it just doesn't feel like a solution to the cause of the problem. But after installing it, ALL of the noise disappeared and I didn't notice any drop in audio quality or loss in low or high frequencies. It worked so well I think I'm just going to live with it.

Lastly, I installed a matte screen protector on the iPad in hopes of reducing glare in sunny weather. Here is a picture during the middle of the day with the top down. I'm satisfied.

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/11/03/hu9ydyqu.jpg

Picture with the sun shining right onto it
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/11/03/gesu2yty.jpg

Picture in the shade
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/11/03/5aryna3e.jpg

Quick side note, when making the charger for the iPad, make sure you buy at least a 10W 2.1A car charger or it will not have the juice to charge the mini.

I thought you ordered the bluetooth module? You won't need the ground loop filter with the bluetooth module, because theres no ground loop to introduce noise! But I suppose you will stick with your silly passive filters ripping miley cyrus' and katy perry's prime vocal range apart. In fact, Im pretty sure the song 'what does the fox say' will be lacking of all of its animal noises. how could you do such a thing!

I picked up a 64gb mini last night from CL and I also got a used horseshoe off of eBay. My plan is to use the stock CDR-220 for now since I already have a 30 pin adapter for my iPhone. The 30 pin to lightening adapter is on its way, another eBay purchase.

Shehadedh, My first question (I will probably have more) is, did you have to grind away on the side wings at all? Looking at the 996 install thread, the guy who had the 2001 996 ground quite a bit but it looks like you didn't.

Here are some of his pics:

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads01...1384027241.jpg
http://986forum.com/forums/uploads01...1384027257.jpg
http://986forum.com/forums/uploads01...1384027274.jpg