I appreciate all the comments I have been receiving from this install, positive and negative. It's funny how the direction of the conversation changes from one post to the next...
I have a Ford Explorer for two reasons...one, I have done a lot of short films and video work. Try carrying all that equiptment(camera rigs, lighting, dollies, sound equiptment, special effects materials, ets.) in a small environmentally-friendly car, it just isn't possible. And two, I travel to work to an area that is somewhat prone to heavy snow, mud, and rocks.
I'm sorry if my vehicle of choice isn't the most environmentally-minded design, but you forget how many other vehicles that are equally as bad for the environment are often left out of these arguments-ANY MUSCLE CARS, Mustang, Camaro, Corvette...All of these cars guzzle gas just as much as any SUV, and some are worse, in fact. PLUS, how many guys do you know that remove the catalytic converter from these cars to make them louder and faster? I know plenty, my brother did this to his mustang. How many people remove catalytic converters from SUV's? Not many, no one that I know has. Another case-in-point is that SUV's also have the HIGHEST EMISSION STANDARDS of any other car, which make them safer for the environment by default.
Sorry to go off on that tangent, but I felt it had to be said. Anyway, I appreciate all the comments...keep them coming!
It's nice to read all the positive, and not so positive comments people have said about what I did. I want to clear a few things up for all the negative people out there...
-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!
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I have a Ford Explorer for two reasons...one, I have done a lot of short films and video work. Try carrying all that equiptment(camera rigs, lighting, dollies, sound equiptment, special effects materials, ets.) in a small environmentally-friendly car, it just isn't possible. And two, I travel to work to an area that is somewhat prone to heavy snow, mud, and rocks.
I'm sorry if my vehicle of choice isn't the most environmentally-minded design, but you forget how many other vehicles that are equally as bad for the environment are often left out of these arguments-ANY MUSCLE CARS, Mustang, Camaro, Corvette...All of these cars guzzle gas just as much as any SUV, and some are worse, in fact. PLUS, how many guys do you know that remove the catalytic converter from these cars to make them louder and faster? I know plenty, my brother did this to his mustang. How many people remove catalytic converters from SUV's? Not many, no one that I know has. Another case-in-point is that SUV's also have the HIGHEST EMISSION STANDARDS of any other car, which make them safer for the environment by default.
Sorry to go off on that tangent, but I felt it had to be said. Anyway, I appreciate all the comments...keep them coming!
Jesse
-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!