Ipad mini in-dash installation - Page 5 - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners

Shehadehd · 11-10-2013, 04:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BruceH

Having trouble with the radio wiring harness. I am just short on the yellow connector and the black connector. Was your harness long enough to relocate the radio to the lower console? I am going to have to find an extension for mine. My dremel work is complete though!

The wire extension is a *********. To make those plugs long enough I had to thread down down the same side they came from. Even then, they are only long enough to put the radio fully in the lower console and the plug them in. It's a hassle, but I didn't want to extend them.

You can see the wires here:

They went down here:

But watch out for this tab here

The tab is in between the upper and lower console and in the center. Make sure you are leading the wires to the right side so that you have enough left to plug in the connector

BruceH · 11-10-2013, 05:33 PM

Yes they are a ******! I routed them like you did but the yellow connector and the black connector were short by about an inch to fully pull the radio out. Soooooooo, I got the dremel back out and cut out the two squares on the side of the console of the drivers side.

With that hole, I can connect and un-connect with only minor bloodshed. I am very good at it now because I had to track down a high pitched noise in the radio. Turns out, at some point in this car's life, one of the wires in the yellow connector harness got cut and someone tried to reconnect it by twisting the ends and then wrapping in electrical tape. Well, that connection was loose. I added some wire and made a better connection and now, no more high pitch squeal!

Now for my bad news. I cracked the screen this afternoon

I thought I would score the plastic horseshoe with a utility knife so that I would have a clean edge when I Dremeled. Well, being the smart guy that I am

, I figured I would use the edge of the ipad as a guide for how far out the slot should be. DON'T DO THAT! It worked fine when I did it on the top slot, but when I was scoring the bottom lip, all of a sudden CRACK! Oh well, I have an appointment tomorrow at the apple store to get it swapped out. Live and learn. By the way, scoring does give a nice clean edge. I also put painter's tape along the score to help me see my line.

Thanks for your help Shehadehd for your help! Hopefully my adapter will show up tomorrow and I will have an ipad without a cracked screen and I can call this project done. I love the way it looks! I will post some pictures of the finished product when it is all put together.

BruceH · 11-10-2013, 05:35 PM

It's interesting that your harness looks like it is on the right side. Mine was on the left.

epapp · 11-11-2013, 11:17 AM

Hahaha..Im sorry to laugh but I have to admit, I chuckled when I read that you cracked your screen. This is why its a do it YOURSELF haha...

Well I got finished with my install this weekend. Wiring was a bit cumbersome but, if you take 5 minutes to work the slack out of the wires, you get enough to plug them into the back on the HU after you slide it into place.

On another note, I used an android tablet with the exact same dimensions as the iPad mini, and I did that so i can use my obd2 bluetooth to get realtime info on tons of stuff from the car. You can also set up very specific actions to happen at specific times with android. Like when power is applied to the tablet, turn the screen on and load the Torque app, start music and set brightness at 100%. When loss power, brightness to 0%, timeout to 20seconds and turn off bluetooth and wifi (to save power when not in car all day) and other cool things. Does my bluetooth music AND obd2 info at the same time! I tapped the optional phone power plug (which was unused) and do not have any alternator whine through the bluetooth music.

Shehadehd · 11-11-2013, 11:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by epapp

Hahaha..Im sorry to laugh but I have to admit, I chuckled when I read that you cracked your screen. This is why its a do it YOURSELF haha...

Well I got finished with my install this weekend. Wiring was a bit cumbersome but, if you take 5 minutes to work the slack out of the wires, you get enough to plug them into the back on the HU after you slide it into place.

On another note, I used an android tablet with the exact same dimensions as the iPad mini, and I did that so i can use my obd2 bluetooth to get realtime info on tons of stuff from the car. You can also set up very specific actions to happen at specific times with android. Like when power is applied to the tablet, turn the screen on and load the Torque app, start music and set brightness at 100%. When loss power, brightness to 0%, timeout to 20seconds and turn off bluetooth and wifi (to save power when not in car all day) and other cool things. Does my bluetooth music AND obd2 info at the same time! I tapped the optional phone power plug (which was unused) and do not have any alternator whine through the bluetooth music.

I see it gets cold in your car too :P

epapp · 11-11-2013, 08:13 PM

Yes here in this ocean city it is always cold. Esp. when you put the top down every time you drive...

...moment of silence for those of us with a hardtop...

BruceH · 11-12-2013, 02:51 PM

I finished my install yesterday and have been playing with the mini a little. So far, I am very happy with the end result! It can be a little difficult to see the screen with the top down, full sun light and sunglasses on, but I can't imagine a standard DD screen is going to be much better in full sun. With that said, having a connected iPad at your fingertips is pretty amazing. I am sure I will come up with even more uses besides what I have now. For those on the fence, I highly recommend this DIY project! I have mine connected to my CDR-220 via the iP-BKR2 adapter. This keeps the mini charged and of course feeds the audio. For now I am happy with the combination, but who knows whether or not I will upgrade the head unit. The only real pain is turning the ipad on and off manually, it would be nice to have it tied to the ignition but the CDR-220 output is always powered and for simplicities sake, I will leave it like that

Nine8Six · 11-12-2013, 04:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BruceH

Bloody hell, nice work to you guys!!!!!!!!!!!! Wife was asking me what I was missing (boy toy-wise) having xmas in mind. Mini iPad is coming soon I think

There you go Shehadehd, someone with good taste for wallpaper.

Shehadehd · 11-12-2013, 04:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nine8Six

Bloody hell, nice work to you guys!!!!!!!!!!!! Wife was asking me what I was missing (boy toy-wise) having xmas in mind. Mini iPad is coming soon I think

There you go Shehadehd, someone with good taste for wallpaper.

I'll have you know This is my new one :-)

I understand if you're jealous. Muahaha

Nine8Six · 11-12-2013, 04:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shehadehd

I'll have you know This is my new one :-)

I understand if you're jealous. Muahaha

Only jealous? nahhh

I am VERY jealous. This mod is in the pipeline for sure mate. Thanks to both of you for the details and DYI on that. Really looks good (less your original cliché 62 years old style wallpaper of course).

Very nice! All of it

Shehadehd · 11-12-2013, 03:08 PM

Nice! It looks great! I love the wallpaper btw.

When I finished the install, I noticed the same visibility problem with the top down, especially in direct sunlight. I ended p getting an iVisor matte screen protector and it REALLY helped. The screen protector is suppose to reduce the quality of the display, but from the distance we will use the iPad, it's virtually indistinguishable. The matte protector also comes with the perk of being smudge resistant and this also really helps in visibility. I think I posted a picture of the ipad in direct sunlight with the protector on it...

As for the turn off, I have my ipad set to 10 min lock delay and just live with the fact that it will take some time before the display shuts off after leaving the car. Epapp mentioned that with a jailbroken iPad, you could have much more control over the iPad. I believe you can repurpose certain parts of the screen to do certain actions that will make it much more user-friendly in a car (like turn off the display with a three finger tap).

Also, the nice thing is, apple products don't really depreciate to quickly so if you decide you don't like it, you won't take to big of a hit.

BruceH · 11-12-2013, 03:54 PM

Thanks, I will take a look at that screen protector. I have mine set at 15 minutes but I usually just turn it off. I agree on holding their value. I sold my original 3 year old 64gb iPad last year for $305 on eBay. Used it to upgrade to the then new one. My iPhone 4S is jail broken but I am now several IOS's behind. It will be awhile before 7 gets broken. Oh well, I like they way everything syncs seamlessly between my various devices. My wallpaper is a shot of my hood during a wash, it's one of my favorites. Thanks for your help

BruceH · 11-12-2013, 04:00 PM

Is this the screen protector you are talking about?

Amazon.com: Moshi iVisor Screen Protector AG (Anti-Glare) for iPad Mini - Black: Cell Phones & Accessories

Shehadehd · 11-12-2013, 04:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BruceH

Is this the screen protector you are talking about?

Amazon.com: Moshi iVisor Screen Protector AG (Anti-Glare) for iPad Mini - Black: Cell Phones & Accessories

That's exactly the one. It's absolutely effortless to put it on. Just make sure your screen is clean. The nice thing is that if you mess up you can just wash it, let it dry, and then put it on again.

By the way, what do you mean by you lock it manually? My lock button is behind the cloverleaf trim. How do you access yours?

BruceH · 11-12-2013, 04:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shehadehd

By the way, what do you mean by you lock it manually? My lock button is behind the cloverleaf trim. How do you access yours?

Go to settings > general > accessibility > AssistiveTouch and select on. This gives you a little round button in a square, you can see it on the bottom right corner of my screen. Touching it gives you several choices. To lock the screen, touch the button, select device and then lock screen, viola! You can also rotate the screen, adjust volume and other items. You can move it any where you want on the screen. Love the new wallpaper

Shehadehd · 11-13-2013, 09:20 AM

Bruce, thanks so much for that bit of info. Now I don't have to worry about my top getting ripped for the first 10 minutes I leave my car.

Nine8six... You definitely need to try this mod, at least for the sake of uniqueness. If you want the install for OBD purposes, epapps android might be better though. I don't know if China has 4g so you might not be able to get all the use out of an iPad.

Nine8Six · 11-13-2013, 04:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shehadehd

Bruce, thanks so much for that bit of info. Now I don't have to worry about my top getting ripped for the first 10 minutes I leave my car.

Nine8six... You definitely need to try this mod, at least for the sake of uniqueness. If you want the install for OBD purposes, epapps android might be better though. I don't know if China has 4g so you might not be able to get all the use out of an iPad.

Nah the iPad will be just fine. I just need it to look good there in all honesty (modernize the interior a bit). The only app I need is the GPS. Although I am a fluent Chinese/mandarin speaker, I am "Illiterate". Chinese street names aren't the easiest to read so I mostly find my way using these portable English (Tom Tom) GPS devices in all my 3 cars here :/

No 4G so planning to do like Bruce does and use the 3G off my HTC smartphone

Shehadehd · 11-13-2013, 04:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nine8Six

Nah the iPad will be just fine. I just need it to look good there in all honesty (modernize the interior a bit). The only app I need is the GPS. Although I am a fluent Chinese/mandarin speaker, I am "Illiterate". Chinese street names aren't the easiest to read so I mostly find my way using these portable English (Tom Tom) GPS devices in all my 3 cars here :/

No 4G so planning to do like Bruce does and use the 3G off my HTC smartphone

One thing to be mindful of is that the iPad mini wifi edition does not come with an integrated GPS chip. So If you want to use the iPad itself for gps you will need to get the 4g capable version.

I'm not sure if tethering to your htc will allow the iPad to get location and use navigation apps.... Something to look into

Nine8Six · 11-13-2013, 04:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shehadehd

One thing to be mindful of is that the iPad mini wifi edition does not come with an integrated GPS chip. So If you want to use the iPad itself for gps you will need to get the 4g capable version.

I'm not sure if tethering to your htc will allow the iPad to get location and use navigation apps.... Something to look into

hmmmm, okay thanks for the good info. Let's hope the little clerk at that official iStore here should be able to help out with that using is pirated and hacked this & that

BruceH · 11-13-2013, 06:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shehadehd

One thing to be mindful of is that the iPad mini wifi edition does not come with an integrated GPS chip. So If you want to use the iPad itself for gps you will need to get the 4g capable version.

I'm not sure if tethering to your htc will allow the iPad to get location and use navigation apps.... Something to look into

Yes, you definitely want the 4g version for the GPS chip. If you buy used, there isn't much difference in price on the used market. I actually was just going to get a 32gb version but the 64gb popped up for the same price that the 32's were going for.