Following up on iPod car installs
The amount of traffic and comments I’ve gotten on my article on installing an iPod in my 2001 Honda Civic has been really good, so I figured I’d recap some of the good ideas and comments for everyone’s benefit.
1) Since I wrote that article, SIK has come out with a product called the IMP, which, like the Belkin charger provides a line-out and a port for charging through the cigarette lighter. (click here for manufacturer’s site) I like the idea of this as it means you’re going through one less amplifier (the Belkin has an amp in it). I haven’t cracked one open to see what type of amplifier chip they’re using, but I imagine a $40 unit isn’t going to have a high-end one. This device would also be handy for iPod users who want to run through a headphone amplifier to drive audiophile-type headphones (ie, Sennheiser HD-600, etc.). I’ll probably be buying one for that purpose…
2) A few people have written in to indicate that they can reach up and make the connection into the back of their head unit without removing the stereo from the dashboard. I guess I have big hands or something, but if you can do it this way, more power to you.
3) Ground loops – a few weeks after I wrote the original article, Logjam indicated that for some applications, one of the wires on their adaptor needed to be grounded. If you’re running from battery power, you should do this. If you’re running from the SiK or the Belkin, you shouldn’t need to. Some folks reported that they could hear some buzzing noises with the stereo turned up real high. If I go to 8 dots on the volume, sure, I’ll have it…but normal listening volume for me is around 3….maybe 4.
4) Newer model Civics have a different lower center console, which I’m not sure how to go about removing. The best advice I can give is to tug at various parts a little to see if they’re held with friction clips, or look for screwhole covers. Also, Google is your friend. The radio/climate control panel is the same, so presumably the mounting bolts are in the same location below, if you’re looking to pop that part out like I did.
9 Responses to “Following up on iPod car installs”
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Andy Crowe
Said this at 2:47pm:I too was able to install without removing the stereo. Also, I don’t see any reason to disconnect the battery, or the power socket for this job. Nothing that you touch is live and you can just let the console panel hang to the right on that wire. So, without disconnecting anything and not removing the stereo, it took me five minutes to install this adapter.
Disconnecting the power source is a smart idea regardless – there’s plenty of amperage in your car’s wiring, and you’re better safe than getting an electrically induced Afro. Don’t believe me? Short out your battery with a crescent wrench.
Gav
Said this at 9:10am:I shorted a battery with a spanner (wrench ) once. It exploded. My ears rang for two days but because of the location in this particular car none of it hit me. I have since heard of people being killed in this way.
And that’s exactly why you always disconnect power at the source, even if you don’t think you could fry yourself working on the car. Would you rewire a light in your house without cutting the power at the circuit breaker?
Jeff
Said this at 12:40am:Howdy Ben, I’m glad someone else did the hard work on this iPod to car stereo thing. I’m a little confused about this ground-loop stuff. So, I can buy either the aux to RCA or iPod to aux connectors. The latter is a charger which provides line-level output. How does this all play out with grounding?
Lincoln
Said this at 8:09pm:Hey yo! Just wanted to thank you for the inspiration. I read your original post first several months ago when I was looking for instructions on how to remove my factory CD player. I’m a computer tech and wanted to troubleshoot as it had stopped working. Of course, it’s beyond my ability, and I was forced to put it all back together with no progress made. I got an FM transmitter, but it sucked. I returned it within a week and swore off the things – not for audiophiles, I say!
… Then I came back here, read up on this, went shopping around for websites that sold the converters (Logjam doesn’t ship to Canada, apparently), ordered one, and it came in a week. I just installed it and it sounds amazing from a discman – far better than the factory player ever was. When I finally get an Ipod, it will be even more handy. In case nobody has yet mentioned this, the manufacturer has started including the ground wire along with instructions on when and when not to use it, so I had no troubles – just affixed to a small screw behind the unit and there have been no signs of trouble.
All in all, it’s been one of the most trouble-free, successful exploits I’ve had in ages, and the results are more than worth the time and money. Thanks again, dude.
Mark
Said this at 3:29am:I just found your site, and your comments were helpful. I really like your car mount, and I would like to put mine in the tray also. I tried to find it at Radio Shack but they do not have it anymore. I tried to find it by doing a google search, but nothing I found can be put in the tray like yours. Can you give me a little more info on the product, like the company, name or model, etc. Thanks for your help, and the info.
Christine
Said this at 4:59am:I just installed the USA-SPEC iPod to car stereo interface for my 2003 honda civic hybrid (PA11-HON) and I happy to report it works very well and was really easy to install. It plugs into the CD-C changer port on the back of the stereo and allow you to play and control the iPod via the stereo (including 4 seperate playlists) while it charges the iPod. It also has a seperate AUX port so you can plug in a non-iPod mp3 player via the headphones, but you can only control the volume from the stereo. I drilled a hole in the tray below the radio for the cable for the iPod and the headphone. To remove the stereo, you need to pop off the section around the lighter and undo two screws, then pop out the entire console surrounding the radio.. much simplier than it sounds.. just a little prying and force, no special tools needed.. and it’s definetly worth it! Just take time to read the instructions for the box since there are some tiny switches that you can set depending on how you want to use it.
They make adapter for other types of cars and it is so worth it if your radio has a CD changer port.. it’s so much better than going through the FM radio (and it charges the iPod too!)
Gerard
Said this at 12:27am:Thanks for the great instructions. I just installed a HON M-LINK DMX V.1 from Blitzsafe (via Ebay) on my ’01 Civic. I did manage to install by just removing the lower panel: when you do that, there are several wire harnesses, which need to be dislodged a little, then feel upwards and towards the passenger side until you feel a two-finger-sized indentation with pins at the bottom – that’s the socket to plug into.
For fitting the cable through the panel, the easiest was to unscrew the inside part of the little cupboard, cut a small wedge out of the join part, and then reattach it after putting the wire through. Since both ends of this wire are pretty fat, this avoids having to make a large hole to pass the end of the wire through.
Liz
Said this at 8:26pm:Hey Gerald, I’m getting ready to do the exact same installation. How did you unscrew the cupboard below the stereo? For the life of me I can’t find any screws. Thanks