Infotainment: what's your modded setup? What are you planning?

[California98Civic]

Proposal for a sticky in this "Off Topic Tech" subforum.

What's your infotainment setup? What plans for modding or replacing your setup do you have?

Your setup/plans do not have to be "eco" for this thread. Maybe you added a huge subwoofer. Maybe you UPPED the electrical draw of your car stereo in general. Or maybe you deleted all or part of the OEM system to save weight or power. Got an arduino wired in somewhere? Or you might have added or deleted sound deadening. Maybe you decided to carefully design a modest but good-sounding system. Maybe you made an Android tablet into your car's headunit. Maybe you added an aux port or bluetooth by janky wiring or proper wiring.

Tell us about it. How did you do it? Share pictures.

An instructible on a tablet headunit:
https://www.instructables.com/Turn-Y...Car-Head-Unit/

[freebeard]

25-year-old Sony MFM-HT25 (no long available at: https://www.amazon.com/Sony-MFM-HT95.../dp/B0007SM8QE



Fed by a $70 Raspberry PI 4. https://www.canakit.com/raspberry-pi/pi-4-kits



Via a chain of cables and hard-won adaptors. Some random powered speaker pair but once I sort the wiring, a powered subwoofer.

Here are 50 3D printable Pi cases: https://all3dp.com/1/best-3d-printed...rint-3d-model/.

I've downed the low-profile Snap Fit Raspberry Pi 4 Case & Stands and Pi4 Case + FanCover with Camera Slot (wants high-temp filaments but I might try annealing PLA in boiling water). There're lots of miniaturized game consoles to run the Retro Pi, a Tardis, Han Solo in Carbonite, yadda, yadda. I like the printable version of the aluminum case on the first Raspberry Pi on the ISS.


Astro Pi Flight Case

The six push buttons and fiddly bits are available in a baggie.


Star Wars Death Star.

My son likes to paint miniatures. I think he could get that one just to paint, and put a Pi 4 in it just to control the lights.

edit: re-reading, maybe it's vehicular infotainment?


https://www.canakit.com/raspberry-pi...-case-pi4.html


https://www.canakit.com/raspberry-pi...uchscreen.html

This would fit the dashboard on my Metro, but it's an additional $170 (plus another Pi 4).

What about speakers?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CKIye4RZ-5k

This has me wondering if you could slump-mold acoustical ceiling tile material into the shape of a headliner. T'would be much lighter than a subwoofer in a MDF box.

[Piotrsko]

Get your tiles wet then put them into a mold. Haven't seen a set that are waterproof or don't sag afer a couple of years.

Extra fuzzy Velour with a foam backing does the same thing

[California98Civic]

Yes, vehicular infotainment! lol. But impressive planning and salvage. Others who have added tablets to cars, seem to use the car system for speakers.

[alexshock]

Originally Posted by California98Civic

Or maybe you deleted all or part of the OEM system to save weight or power.

I still use OEM headunit, but I have removed CD drive from it for weight reduction
Plans:
1. Remove rear speakers.
2. Remove rear speakers' wiring.

I'm also thinking about removing FM antenna (I use BT most of the time), but sometimes I still use it.

[California98Civic]

Originally Posted by alexshock

I still use OEM headunit, but I have removed CD drive from it for weight reduction
Plans:
1. Remove rear speakers.
2. Remove rear speakers' wiring.

I'm also thinking about removing FM antenna (I use BT most of the time), but sometimes I still use it.

This is basically what I have right now, once you complete removing the rear speakers and wiring. I have an old second-hand iPhone connected to the OEM head unit there's some pretty janky aftermarket connectors that I keep hidden under the dash. I do have an FM antenna, but it is the powered kind and it is installed between the windshield and the rearview mirror.

[Piotrsko]

There are JC WHITNEY window antennas, but a piece of insulated wire about 36" long on the dash works well enough also. Cut the cable near the retract system and solder the wire on instead. Could build a dipole if you wanted to go for efficiency, but they are directional.