Thanks to everyone who suggested project car platforms for our next big build. I personally responded to all who emailed me, either directly or through this column. This issue of Car Audio and Electronics is probably reaching you in mid to late September, and I wrote it back in early June, so I don't know what we built yet. I can tell you this: Your comments and suggestions were the topic of much debate and brainstorming at Mobile Dynamics, and you inspired us to come up with a really cool, but totally original concept based on a retro idea. I am going to continue to consider your suggestions for next year's project, so keep me updated at dereklee@mobiledynamics.com. In the meantime, between June and October, we will have made our decision based on those who wrote in already, or we will go with our alternate idea. I can't let you in on the secret yet, because if I choose your suggestion, our inspired idea will be the next project and I don't want to be scooped on it...
Chris from Jonesboro, GA, writes:
I completely agree with Tyrell, who wrote suggesting that your next install be in a small car. The Miata or maybe a Honda S2000 would be nice. That thing is so small that two people can barely fit in it and the trunk gives you no room either. My buddy wanted me to drop a navigation unit in his. I wanted to go with Pioneer's AVIC-N3, but the radio in this car is mounted very low, behind the shifter. Also, the dash contours up right there and the screen would not be able to flip out because of the shifter. I'd love to see what solutions you could come up with in this car. If you don't create it, maybe you could suggest a solution in your column. Thanks in advance for any help that you may give me and good luck with the install.
Thanks, Chris. I will bring your ideas to the table. Small cars are a major challenge and we tend to default to platforms that will carry lots of gear. We did an S2000 a couple of years back, but it was for another magazine and wasn't a very big project. However, I hear you on the shifter issue. In the Civic SiR we built after the Panasonic Stealth, the gearshift was the first thing moved from its goofydash position to a normal console position (see http://www.mobiledynamics.ca/gallery/video Gallery.php and click on the Performance World video). If you don't want to go to those lengths, I would either modify the radio to make the screen a separate, permanent unit morphed into the dash. If not, I would go with a full-screen double-DIN like Alpine's IVA W200. Note that even a double-DIN unit needs to allow its face to move to accept a disc, unless it is a stationary screen. In the case of a low radio location, that just plain sucks, I start looking at swapping locations with higher objects like climate controls or whatever I can move down. Failing that, off comes the dash and I design a brand new one that does what I want - 'cause stock sucks!
Q: I have a small problem with my iPOD. My car is a 2002 VW New Beetle and in the middle of December I purchased an Alpine CDA-9835 and the KCA-420i. Everything works fine but sometimes the battery on the iPOD goes dead because the iPOD keeps playing after the car and head unit are shut off. I would like to know if there is something wrong with my iPOD or the KCA-420i. Any help is great.
Thank you
Chris Zacher
A: The iPod is a slick little device. I don't have one yet, only because I can't decide between the iPod Nano and the Video iPod. I have my music files in iTunes on my MacBook Pro, so I really should get on it. But there is one more thing...
iPods are highly interactive with the car audio industry, both at the OEM and the aftermarket level. There are countless adapters and docks that allow your iPod to function with home and car audio/video systems. We love the iPod, but it occasionally reveals a quirk that shows it is not always totally at home in the car.
According to my sources at Alpine, you don't have any kind of interconnection issues that would cause you to lose sleep. The problem is caused by the iPod's operating software, in that every time the unit is unplugged or plugged into the adapter, the iPod turns on or remains on. When the power is turned off in your car, the charging power to the iPod is also interrupted, yet it continues to play, waiting for you to disconnect the iPod, plug in your earbuds and continue to enjoy the beats away from the car. If I were you, I would not leave my iPod in the car at any time I was not around. The whole benefit of the iPod is that it is portable enough that there is no excuse to not have it sewn into your skin! If you really want to leave the iPod in your vehicle, just manually turn it off before you leave.
Since it is a software issue, make sure you have the latest iPod updates from Apple. The company constantly issues new patches with feature and performance improvements, and even though I have not gone to the lengths of sifting through Apple's version histories for the iPod, I would bet that an update will appear one day. Both Mac and Windows users can sign up for software updates at www.apple.com/itunes/download