Dock installed in Maxima

[dbett]

Here's my new installation using the iPod dock.



The dock is spray painted black to better match the interior.

It is powered by the Belkin car adapter which is plugged into an extra cigarette ligher jack that is mounted behind the dash. I was originally going to use the line out of the Belkin (to get a better volume match with the othe inputs on the stereo). But unfortunately, I realized that the dock doesn't provide the line out output on the "firewire" dock connection - I guess because it splits those lines off for the line out jack.

The factory Bose system in the Maxima doesn't have an aux. input. So I ran a mini-headphone to RCA plug adapter cable (I used the monster cable that came in the iPod stereo connection kit) from the dock's line out to a hardwired fm modulator. The fm modulator is installed behind the dash "in-line" between the car's antenna and the stereo's antenna input. The iPod is then "broadcast" on fm 89.1.

Luckily, I bought the fm modulator from the local Tweeter store and the salesman told me I'd need two antenna adapter cables because the Maxima doesn't use the standard bullet plug antenna connections. It uses a 2 prong plug. But the adapters were only a few bucks, and they had them in stock.

The sound is pretty good with no ground loop problems or hiss or crackling . And it is quick and easy to pop the iPod into the mount and take it out when I leave the car.

All in all, I'm pretty happy.

['_']

very nice:)

[dbett]

Originally posted by '_'
very nice:)

Thanks.

Here's a better picture showing the mount.

[lolo]

That is truly slick. I am very jealous!

[nihil8r]

awesome installation! but blues traveller in a stick maxima, where's the danzig? :)

i sent these pics to a guy who reviews new nissans, and instead of talking about your mod all he did was make fun of my pink ipod. anyway good work!

[definitive]

I would like to do something like this in my Infiniti FX, could you give more info about what you used!?!?!
thanks

[exdotcomer]

very kewl install

[dbett]

Originally posted by definitive
I would like to do something like this in my Infiniti FX, could you give more info about what you used!?!?!
thanks

This is the fm modulator I used:



In addition, I used two Nissan antenna adapters. One adapter changes the two prong plug from the antenna to a "bullet" plug that the fm modulator can accept. The second adapter changes the bullet plug output of the fm modulator to a two prong plug that the stereo will accept. I got those at the local Tweeter store, but I'm sure they are available online. But, I'm not sure if the Infiniti stereo you have will need something similar.

The fm modulator and a "hidden" cigarette lighter jack are both powered off of wires (hot and ground) I spliced into the lines running to the factory cigarette lighter. Those lines first run through a DC power filter I got at Radio Shack. This is a picture of the filter:



After the filter, the lines split - one to the cigarette lighter jack and the other to the fm modulator. That's all mounted behind the dash/in the passenger seat foot well.



You can see a red switch in that picture. That controls the power to the fm modulator. I originally thought that I could leave the modulator on and that it would only block the fm frequencies at or near where it broadcasts (89.1). But that wasn't the case. I lost reception on a bunch of other stations. So I moved the switch to a spot next to the steering wheel. It was simple to mount. Just drill a hole in the dash, pop it through from behind and tighten the nut.

Note: They do sell automatic fm modulators that will power on only when they detect a signal on the audio input.

As far as mounting the dock...That was the hardest part. I originally hoped I could mount it hidden in the ashtray/change pocket and have it accesible when the door was opened. But after a lot of dremel work, it wouldn't work. Mostly, the angle simply didn't work. :(

So I removed the guts of the ashtray (saving the door) and cut out the slot in the dash below the ashtray door. I also had to trim the ashtray door bottom a little. The dock is then secured behind the door by a metal bracket (actually the one that came with the Radio Shack DC power filter hammered flat) that I glued a piece of rubber to so it wouldn't scratch into the dock. The bracket holds the mount down from above and is bolted to the side of the plastic pocket piece that originally held the ashtray assembly. In addition, because the pocket piece is curved at the bottom, I used double stick tape to attach a rubber strip to the bottom rear part of the dock. That elevates the back of the dock so it sits level (and is held tight by the metal bracket).

Then I drilled four holes through the side of that plastic pocket piece and into the door. Small screws then hold the door in place (which is needed since the original ashtray piece that the door was originally snapped onto was removed to make room for the dock and wiring). Between the door, the metal bracket and the rubber elevator strip, the dock doesn't move at all.

The dock itself was sanded with 1000 grit sandpaper and spray painted several times with plastic safe spray paint (from Lowes). Unfortunately, the paint still didn't stick well to the edges in a few spots (that's the white lines that look like glare in the pictures). I may take some extra black car touch up paint and try to cover those spots up. But, for now, it's not too noticable (and I didn't feel like waiting another day to put a fourth coat of spray paint on ;) ).

Hope that all makes sense and wasn't too rambling. PM me or post if you have any other questions.

[slease]

I love this install and would like to do something similar in my mustang. Does the gear shift get in the way of the ipod at all? How well can you view it from the drivers seat?

[dbett]

Originally posted by slease
I love this install and would like to do something similar in my mustang. Does the gear shift get in the way of the ipod at all? How well can you view it from the drivers seat?

Thanks.

The gear shift doesn't really block the view of the iPod. Some gears make it harder to reach the iPod buttons, but I've found that I can keep my hand steady on the emergency brake and then reach the iPod buttons regardless of what gear it's in.

In terms of viewability, it's pretty good. I have the contrast turned up a bit and the backlight is set to stay on. As you can see in the picture, the screen is very viewable.

[dbett]

Originally posted by amkaos
HI:
i had to reply: I have seen many installations, this is the best i have ever seen... i appreciate the clean, elegant incorporation as if the car was made for the ipod..
thanx

Thanks a lot.

But, I need to give credit to davidliv's 330ci installation that he posted in this thread:

http://ipodlounge.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=22104

He gave me the idea for the dock sticking through the dash. And I must say, his job looks cleaner than mine. :(

:D

[HardSpike]

Since I've got a 1st gen iPod I'm not familiar with the dock. Did you use the standard dock that comes with the new iPods (or is available as an option)? Was there any tricks to painting it?

[dbett]

Originally posted by HardSpike
Since I've got a 1st gen iPod I'm not familiar with the dock. Did you use the standard dock that comes with the new iPods (or is available as an option)? Was there any tricks to painting it?

I used the standard dock that comes with the 3G iPods - allthough I bought an extra for this project.

To paint it I simply cleaned it with alcohol and sanded it with very fine grit sandpaper. First 600 grit and then 1000 grit. Then clean again with alcohol.

The purpose is just to rough up the surface and "break" the sharp edges. I probably should have spent more time on the sanding since the paint still didn't stick to a couple of areas on the edges.

I used special plastic safe spray paint that I bought at Lowes. I taped off the 2 jacks on the back and used the clear plastic cap (that comes with the dock) to cover the connector that plugs into the iPod.

The key thing to keep in mind is to use several light coats. Heavy coats will run and puddle in the indented part where the iPod sits.

[kloh]

Excellent install, dbett. Love the clean integrated look! I do like the 330 install as well, but I think the Maxima console looks a little better since it's got that door behind it. Great job.

[spiff]

Hi dbett, just want to thank you for posting your install as it inspired me to do the same (I used the same modulator as your install). I have a bit of noise in the line and do have a noise filter for it (I believe its the same as the one you have pictured).
I just want to confirm that you got a regular noise filter and not the "antenna" noise filter. I have noise in between songs or when I "pause' the iPod. It doesn't seem to make a difference if the engine is running or not. Its not too much noise but would be nice to get rid of it.


Thanks
Spiff

[dbett]

Originally posted by spiff
Hi dbett, just want to thank you for posting your install as it inspired me to do the same (I used the same modulator as your install). I have a bit of noise in the line and do have a noise filter for it (I believe its the same as the one you have pictured).
I just want to confirm that you got a regular noise filter and not the "antenna" noise filter. I have noise in between songs or when I "pause' the iPod. It doesn't seem to make a difference if the engine is running or not. Its not too much noise but would be nice to get rid of it.


Thanks
Spiff

Hey Spiff. Where are your pictures? We wanna see.

As for the line noise...

I think some small amount of line noise is almost inevitable using the apple dock. I find I get some even using my home stereo (the noise goes away when I run off the headphone jack).

But still, there are a few things I did that may help.

First I tried to keep the power and audio cables separate. I zip tied them to opposite sides of the dash compartment behind the dock. Otherwise, if they run together, the power lines may cause interference on the audio lines.

Also, I have both the fm modulator and the extra cigarette lighter jack wired after the noise filter.

Finally, I'm using the Monster audio miniplug to RCA plug adapter cable that comes with the Apple Stereo connection kit. That cable is pretty thick and (at least) looks like it's well made. So it may be a bit more resistance to power interference.

Good luck.

[spiff]

Hi dbett, my installation isn?t quite as clean as yours just quite yet. Unfortunately it is still cool up here (20-30F) and I don?t have a heated garage to work in. Once it warms up I will feed the cables under the carpet or pull the panel behind and under the ash tray and make room for the cables and the extra power socket. I also rent cars quite a few times during the month so I needed to be able to pull the car charger out for those times (I would use the iTrip when renting). I decided the easiest way to do this was to tuck the car charger and extra lighter socket under the cup & junk holder that I already had. Again it is not as cleans as your install but once it warms up I will work on it and maybe even paint the dock black :D

Spiff

[spiff]

The good part about it is that I can close the ash tray and hide the dock when it is not use. The on/off switch for the modulator is in the glove box. Here is the second pic

[dbett]

Originally posted by spiff
The good part about it is that I can close the ash tray and hide the dock when it is not use. The on/off switch for the modulator is in the glove box. Here is the second pic


Cool.

I wish I had been able to get mine fitted into the change pocket so that it would be hidden. Oh well, physics sucks sometimes. :D

[spiff]

Like I said once it warms up I should be able to clean up the install abit. Once again Dbett thanks for the idea.

Spiff

[Lynch]

dbett, did the switch come with the FM modulator? Also where did you buy this from? online or local?

[dbett]

Originally posted by Lynch
dbett, did the switch come with the FM modulator? Also where did you buy this from? online or local?

The switch did come with the modulator.

I bought mine locally because I was impatient - and have a pretty good local store (Tweeter).

But they are available online as well.

[springtide]

Looks very cool.

How does the iPod sound through the FM modulator? Close to the clearest FM radio stations, better or worse? And do you still get interference from other stations?

[dbett]

Originally posted by springtide
Looks very cool.

How does the iPod sound through the FM modulator? Close to the clearest FM radio stations, better or worse? And do you still get interference from other stations?

As good as or better than the clearest FM stations.

And there has been absolutely zero interference from other stations.

In summary, given the choice, I'd recommend using a true auxillary input (or getting an adapter/converter for a CD changer input). But, if your factory stereo doesn't have an auxillary or a CD Changer input, the hardwired FM modulator is a very good (and high quality) alternative.

[spiff]

The FM modulator is the best way to go if you don't have a line in on your deck. It is far superior to an iTrip. You wont have any regrets.

Spiff

[Mad_Gouki]

howd you make that pretty mount?

[dbett]

Originally posted by Mad_Gouki
howd you make that pretty mount?

It's the Apple Dock that is included with all of the 3G iPods. I just lightly sanded it and spray painted it black.

[Randyspawn]

dbett,

That is a BEAUTIFUL install. I think I'm going to blatantly rip it off in my 2000 Maxima, except that I'd like to try hacking some kind of direct input out of the tape deck. I've heard of it being done before in a BMW and should be very straight forward provided you can match the impedance of the iPod output to the factory tape deck's. What problem exactly did you encounter with

[bigsherv]

sorry to dig up an old thread, do you have any static issues since installing your ipod in you maxima with the factory bose system?

[Corbet]

I'd also like to know if it is possible to get an AUX port through the factory CD player? Can you just throw in a after market CD Head Unit pretty easily? How hard is it to take apart the dash board?

[dbett]

Originally posted by bigsherv
sorry to dig up an old thread, do you have any static issues since installing your ipod in you maxima with the factory bose system?

No static. The only sound issues I have are:

(1) On some songs, the bass gets "muddy." I generally choose the "bass reducer" setting on the iPod if it is too bad.

(2) There is occassional power line (I think) interference. This is kind of a warbling sound that appears most often when the hard drive is spinning up. It is rare, but if the iPod is not fully charged (and thus is charging while playing) it is more likely. Based on other people's experiences, I'm pretty sure this is an issue in the Apple Dock.

[[zerophase]]

dude that truely is awsome... i want one!

[dbett]

Thanks. I have really enjoyed it.

[Buffoonist]

wow...this truly looks amazing. im not too tech-incline so i was wondering if this also charges the ipod.

[Brandon05]

Wow very nice setup. :P