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iPod Mini Custom Installation In A Ford Explorer
Johnny Mozzarella writes "MacWorld has a nice write-up on Jesse Melchior, an amateur special effects artist and filmmaker, who used his skills to create a custom installation that is worthy of an iPod mini. The article outlines the materials he used such as latex, plaster and dental acrylic to create an integrated dock complete with blue LEDs and Apple logo in his Ford Explorer."
Once this is done, the Explorer becomes like the iPod. When the car's battery runs down, you replace the whole car.
If you're going to do something this fancy, why hamstring yourself with the 4GB mini?
What next - an iPod Mini?
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"I did nothing. I did absolutely nothing and it was everything that I thought it could be."
It has been expressed here previously that the iPod mini has much less bang-for-buck than the regular iPod, which is only a few bucks more but comes with an extra 16GB.
However, if you simply want to buy a Hitachi 4GB mini hard drive, you'll save as much as $150 if you buy the mini and take the drive out over buying the boxed hard drive product.
Life is the leading cause of death in America.
with a shitty tin spoiler bondo'ed onto the body?
latex, plaster and dental acrylic
This guy uses all that stuff intimately with his car and gets on the front page of slashdot.
I mention using the same stuff intimately with my girlfriend and she runs away.
pfft.
Might as well just get a the full sized iPod or another MP3 player unless you don't mind waiting till July.
Slashdot Moderation: From positive to terrible in 2 "insightful" posts.
You should see my custom cupholder/cellphone mount.
Really, guys, is it THAT slow of a news day?
Cool. Now you can grove to some cool tunes while you're waiting for the tow truck.
Between the faulty mini ipod's (as /.'ed a few days ago) and the ford's faulty fuel system and steering column, I think I have been odds with a two bullet russian roulette.
Maybe they should've coupled the mini ipod with the OTHER mini; the mini cooper.
All that work and he still has cables to connect (he doesn't seem to think they're photogenic). I use this FM transmitter called the iTrip that snaps to the top of the iPod 10 gigger and I can hide the whole thing, zero wires. Amazingly (to me), the iTrip uses less battery power than the backlight on the iPod. Appetite For Destruction all night on repeat!
Not all that impressive. I mean, its obtrusive while not being terribly convenient to use while driving. If you want to see some truly ingenious fabrication though, a truly topline car show is the place to see it. And you can usually find a regional one closer to you than SEMA, which is where the best toys are. Adding the mini to a car? Neat idea. But just like the recent running gadget thread, this just proves that the average /. geek isn't that up to date on what's available, and gets impressed easily - kind of like the way that non-geeks get impressed by what /. considers "trivial" product modifications or improvements.
Don't get me wrong, its not bad - just not all that newsworthy. Now, if it included things like tying the existing steering wheel radio controls into the iPod when it was plugged in, and rerouting them back to the radio when it wasn't, then I'd start getting interested. Systems integration can be a lot of work, and a lot of fun - and when you do it right, nobody even thinks about it. That's cool.
You're special forces then? That's great! I just love your olympics!
(joke)Just what we need, another jackass in an SUV with a blinky detachable electronic gadget to operate while driving and try to get everyone else killed.(/joke)
Seriously though... that seems like a lot of wasted space. It also looks like it would be too easy to accidentally bump it out of the little holder while driving.
My Webcomic: Asylum on 5th Street
I Can't See half of the full sized pics in Mozilla due to wrong MIME types. When will these web developers ever learn?
he's a mac user. shouldn't he use BBEdit?
sulli
RTFJ.
Could this guy have bought a smaller MP3 player to put into a bigger vehicle?
Let's put an MP3 player the size of a chicklet in an army tank! That way I hav to take my eyes of the road for 10 mintues (potentially destroying several small villages) just to figure out it's doing!
Seriously, am I they only one who find the whole "tricked out SUV" fad retarded?
What's the next fad going to be? Big rigs?
Are we going to se idiots driving around 1000hp diesel trucks with 15 speed gearboxes and no trailer? Of course it will have 36" chrome rims too....
Life is too short to proofread.
The term 'ground effects' typically refers to the fiberglass spoilers and skirting that (if done properly) induce downforce under the car to hold it down to the road at high speeds, similar in design and function to that found on Formula 1 racers.
The correct term for neon lights under your car is 'a waste of fucking money.'
Quantum materiae materietur marmota monax si marmota monax materiam possit materiari?
but when i saw it was a .mac homepage i expexted it to be slashdotted, luckily only 20000 of us hit that site. Kudos to the owner for doing it, it looks nice and nobody should really knock the effort he has gone through.
Jonathanjk.com
It's hosted on mac.com, so I'd bet it'll last quite a while. :P
All of that just to listen to Bone Thugs? What a waste.
The Tools Of Ignorance wanna be a tool?
Ever since I got my iPod, I've dreamt and drooled over the possibility of using it in my car. But I just have never thought up a good way to really integrate it, and I mean fully, like having an easy way to choose songs to play, hit play/pause, change the volume, etc, that is just as easy to use an in dash player that supports mp3's.
:)
Having it sit somewhere mounted is a good start, but you still would have to reach down there and twiddle the buttons. And in an big vehicle like an Explorer? That would get old, quick.
By the looks of the pictures, he is using the line out connector on the bottom. You can't change the volume that's coming out of that right? I mean not from the iPod, therefore you'd have to use the main stereo for that. So you would have two places to reach now, for different activities. You would have reach down to the iPod to change songs and pause, and reach to the stereo to change the volume. That little extra step of deciding where need to reach would be a huge burden when you're going down the interstate at 70mph.
If anybody has thought of a good way to integrate the iPod into a car, I want to know. Right now my setup is using the headphone jack to connect to the aux input of my stereo, and using the inline remote that came with it. I can at least do all functions from one place (the headphone jack can have it's volume adjusted), but I can't really charge it well, because then I'd have a connector sticking out of the bottom *and* top. What I would like is for the iPod to have a docking place like in the article, but still be able to do everything easily, from one place, without needing to look too much. Maybe I need a wireless remote? Maybe I'm asking too much.
That iPod mini will sound great while he's flipping over in the inherently unsafe vehicle that is the Ford Explorer.
Not really impressive in my point of view. Specifically, there is too much wasted space around the docking point.
... your Quadruple Venti Mocha Turtle Cappachino... one big bump and BAM--unhappy iPod mini coated in sugary goodness... ;-)
Sorry to be a pedant, but what skirting ("ground effects") does is induce a partial vacuum, or at least a lower pressure area, within the enclosed underside. The rest of the bodywork produces high pressure over the top of the vehicle, skirting produces low pressure beneath, and Bernoulli does the rest.
The result of all this is increased downforce. FYI, skirting is now prohibited in F1 racing.
I think he'll regret this whole project when his iPod stops working, his Firestone tires fail and his Explorer rolls.
Who am I to blow against the wind? -- Paul Simon
The point isn't how much you listen to, but giving you how choice as to how much to listen to. I have 3000 songs in my library. I listen to several repeatedly over the course of the day. I skip over many of them too. Some people don't listen this way, but i'd rather have my whole library at my fingertips. I never know which song i'll want to listen to next.
Photos.
This is not a troll. This whole install looks grafted and cheap.
The _real_ solution is to have a widget that treats the iPod as a CD changer, ala Phatnoise.
That would probably run at least $100 tho, as it'd need to be basically an iPod without the screen, drive and controls...
I'd buy one in a second tho if it were compatible with any firewire ipod and the becker/HK trafficpro.
OK, this guy does some plastic fabrication that anybody with some time can do, and he gets on the main page.
So, if I submit my photos of my '04 Grand Marquis, wherein I have not ONLY added a 30G Neo35 MP3 player, but a Kenwood dual-band transciever plus two extra speakers for it, the antenna for the Kenwood, a second battery, extra power points, a battery isolator to charge the secondary battery, a second power distribution panel, would that make the front page?
www.eFax.com are spammers
There's obviously lots of room for Automobile-Area Networks, but few folks are doing anything about it.
Design for Use, not Construction!
The iPod lounge forums has a shitload of these. Some ranging from hacks to good, professional jobs like this story. Of course you could just get a Smart car, since it has an iPod option. Of course it is only for Europe, which is crap since I really want one, and it is kinda an antithesis to the Explorer.
Is there anything better than clicking through Microsoft ads on Slashdot?
I'd love to see someone make a small box that sits in my trunk or under my seat that acts like a CD Changer. Yeah, I know about the PhatBox, but I don't see the need for the removability at such a high cost. Something more like the YAMPP-3, but with WI-FI.
Heck, I'd even be willing to drag an ethernet cable out to the car (hey, a drop in the Garage isn't out of the question) to load up new MP3s over paying ~$800 for the 20GB Phatbox.
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I've got the Belkin charger/line out in my car. It works well and plugs right into the stereo... but it's not that slick. I have to control the ipod to change songs, etc. and then use my cd deck to change volume. I want a deck that I can buy that acts as an ipod dock. You just slide that ipod in like an 8 track and then the deck has normal controls for volume, track selection, etc. and a display that shows song titles, etc. If it had a radio too I could care less about not having a CD player in the car. So you get to listen to the ipod, control it easily.. it gets charged... When you leave the car just eject the ipod, grab it and go! Something like this would be popular, wouldn't you think?
sig
This is a really sweet car mod, but what I really want is to be able to buy an in-dash car stereo into which I can dock the iPod and use the stereo's controls.
Alpine has announced one that's close, but it has the iPod on an external cable. I'd rather not deal with the iPod and cable floating around inside the car.
Enable 3D printed prosthetics!
Seriously though, how about watching the road instead of how many RPMs your Z28 is whining along at?
Linux: The world's best text-adventure game.
Visit Here for a press release. The unit will be available later this year. It integrates all control through the head unit, via the dock connector. You can tuck the iPod away inside the glove box. Still requires you to take your eyes off the road and look at the display of the receiver, however. Until Alpine comes out with an easy-to-install aftermarket heads-up-display...
You're absolutely right. I had to stop driving manual transmission cars because I couldn't deal with the complexity...having to press a pedal AND move a lever? All while braking or tapping the gas?
But then, I didn't find automatics much better. One pedal for stopping, one for going? Aaaaa! What insane trickery!
Please help metamoderate.
To really impress me, take the whole iPod apart, mount the internals in the dash and the controls in the steering wheel. Now, that is functional integration. In it's current state, it's an over-glorified coffee cup holder.
Of course, you'd need a heck of a long USB cable to upload.
Whenever you read this sig someone's refrigerator light turns on.
So what he said was 'skirting induces a downforce' and what you're saying is 'skirting creates a low pressure area under the car and a higher pressure area over the car and that induces a downforce'.
That's like saying, "No, actually, when you push that button it doesn't turn on the computer. When you push that button it connects two contacts inside the computer, which allows an electrical current to flow through the various circuits inside, thus turning on the computer.'
Yes, you are a pedant, but no, you're not in the least bit sorry to be one. If you were, you wouldn't have 'corrected' him, you would just have posted a quick followup explaining the science.
-fred
Sign #11 of Slashdot overdose: You see the phrase 'moderate Republican' and you wonder if that would be a +1 or a -1.
Just saw this on TLC last night.
:)
Apparantly 310 customs/west side customs (or whatever) basically did something almost exactly like this (but for a regular iPod) on a H2 (hummer) brought in by some NBA star. Slide the iPod into the dock and it played on the stereo. Needless to say thats not all they did to the H2 but I thought I should mention that.
One thing is it probably cost a LOT more than he spent on his Ford Explorer doing it himself
suddenly I feel very tired
Not only has he invalidated his car's warranty (for unauthorized modifications), and he's gonna get sued by Apple for unauthorized use of their logo, but now he's getting slashdotted.
this was recently the subject of a funny april fool's joke.
No, it's
b igrunonwordandwhatonearthareyoureadingthisfordonty ouhaveanythingbettertodoforcryingoutloud.
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Adding a long line here so the @(#&$!!! error message "Your comment has too few characters per line (currently 3.4)" will go away, preferably to taunt whoever the goof is that thought annoying us with that message was a good idea andnowwerejustdegradingintoacompletelymeaningless
Alpine is coming out with a HU this summer that will allow you to plug your iPod in, and store it in any location (glove box, center console, trunk, etc..) and the HU will display the song info and allow you to control the iPod. Google for more information, here is a quick link to their press release.
-There are no wires to attach or add because the Belkin car charger I integrated into the design has an audio line-out built into it, which I used to run directly into my car stereo via an adapter. The music plays through the car speakers at perfect quality. Yeah, I still control the volume throught the car stereo but HOW HARD IS THAT? Come on people.
-The blue LED lights were added ONLY for one reason: TO BE ABLE TO SEE THE DAMN THING IN THE DARK AT NIGHT WHILE PLUGGING IT IN OR CHANGING SONGS.
-It can not "fly" out of the console because if you had actually read what I wrote you would see that I made it so the iPod fits very snugly into it, making it able to lock it in place and push on the buttons or scroll through songs very easily without it so much as moving. There is no way it would ever wobble around, or even fly out.
-It is not difficult to use, or awkward in any way...the thing sits right where my hand rests over the console and it takes no effort to press any of the buttons.
-I am NOT the kind of guy who "tricks out" his car just to look cool, especially not with an explorer. While I do like the car, I only made it because I wanted to use MY iPod in MY car while I was driving, and that was it. It's a hell of a lot better than carrying around 400 cd's. For those of you who remarked about it being unsafe...How safe is it to look through all your cd's trying to find the one that has the one song you want to hear while trying to watch the road at the same time? With the iPod, I can make up song lists I want to hear before I even leave, or while I'm just sitting in the car at a red light or in traffic, or even just let all 1000 songs play in random order. Anyone who actually OWNS an iPod knows how easy it is to use one.
I personally don't care what any of you negative people think because I didn't make it to please you, I made it for myself. I enjoy using it and that's all that matters. Until I see pictures of your installs that are any better or more practical than mine, maybe you should think twice about bashing it.
Could this have been done better? Of course! I'm the first to admit that. I started rethinking and redesigning it after I installed it. I made the thing on a whim and didn't take the time to completely think out EVERY practical application, I just wanted to make something to play the thing in my car til I came up with something better.
I'm glad there are some people out there who did enjoy it and maybe got some ideas of their own. Thanks everybody!