# NSX iPad mini build



## bengl3rt (Jun 6, 2012)

Background: I have a 1996 Acura NSX with totally OEM sound. 

My first ever car was 1993 Toyota Corolla DX and by the time I was done with it it had a PSOne LCD (remember those?) in the dash, running off a Powerbook G3 under the passenger seat. So I'm no stranger to carputing. 

In recent years I've been saying "all I want is a head unit that runs iOS", and earlier this month with the appearance of the iPad mini - just barely bigger than a double DIN head unit - my prayers had been answered.

So, time to lose the tape deck, the CD changer, the crappy Bose speakers with tiny amps in each door (true story), the 4" OEM sub. Time to bring this car into the 21st century....

Subject to change, of course, but here is the ultimate plan:

iPad mini w/ Verizon LTE
Lightning to 30pin adapter
Pure i20 for optical out
Rockford Fosgate 3sixty.3 for optical in
JL XD600/6
Drivers tbd - a fellow NSX owner is working on some heavily custom stuff.

The plan is to mount the device removably, securing it with strong magnets.

There's not a hell of a lot of space in the NSX cabin so even though the iPad mini is very small, fitting it is going to be a challenge.

Portrait mount sure won't work, unless I want to accidentally tap something on the screen every time I change gear...









Landscape mount will be a squeeze but I can make it work.









Next challenge is getting a Lightning connection to the device for power and to hook up the Pure i20 to extract digital audio.

Obviously an ordinary lightning connector adds way too much extra width to the device:









I needed a very low-profile right-angle lightning connector, and since the Pure i20 is a 30pin device anyway, I decided to make it out of Apple's own Lightning to 30 pin adapter.

The rubber cement is currently setting...


























Stay tuned...


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## nathan08 (Feb 7, 2011)

Can't wait to see this build. I did mine few year back with just a deck. One thing drive me crazy was the car don't have a good earth wire. Also I left up the whole car to run all the wires. 

Hope to see more pic. Might just redo to pop in a iPad mini.


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## WannaBBurly (Dec 20, 2009)

Sub'd. Doing the iPad mini in my car sooner than later.

Got any more details about that lightning connector you made?


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## bengl3rt (Jun 6, 2012)

WannaBBurly said:


> Got any more details about that lightning connector you made?


I just bought the Apple 30 pin to lightning connector. Roughly followed this guide:

First Look at What's Inside Apple's New Dock Adapter: It's Impossible to Tinker With

Cut off the plastic housing...










Tested it...










Cut away metal and shielding until the lightning connector on the ribbon cable dangled free, then cut away the plastic casing around the base of the lightning connector.

It's ugly, but it works, and it's going to get encased in fiberglass and painted anyway.


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## SkizeR (Apr 19, 2011)

subbbbbbdddd.. really looking forward to this. one of my favorite cars.


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## lashlee (Aug 16, 2007)

Sweet work so far! I'm interested in how it turns out.


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## 94VG30DE (Nov 28, 2007)

I am in on this thread just on the title alone. Super looking forward to everything you got planned. Super sweet ride.


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## bengl3rt (Jun 6, 2012)

Thanks for subbing everyone!

I've hit a slight snag - I didn't think the Lightning adapter I made was structurally rigid enough to handle years of comments/disconnects. After all, to make it, I cut away much of the plastic exoskeleton that made it robust. So I tried to reinforce it a bit with some metal filler putty. Silly me - I didn't think it would short out and kill the circuits inside. 

Chalk this one up to the cost of prototyping. I need to go brave Black Friday crowds at the apple store today to get another adapter and try again. Not before I talk to my fiberglass guy and see how much reinforcement this thing really needs vs. how much it can rely on the structure of the center console once it's been molded in there. 










Looks like the iPad will be offset slightly to the right, its left edge lining up with the left edge of the climate controls, to accommodate the length of the lightning connector.


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## Dimitris (Jan 5, 2012)

You can solder extension cable from the 30pin connector to the Ipad mini connector in order to avoid thickness.This will give you the ability to hide it wherever you want


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## t3sn4f2 (Jan 3, 2007)

Dimitris said:


> You can solder extension cable from the 30pin connector to the Ipad mini connector in order to avoid thickness.This will give you the ability to hide it wherever you want


Have you tested to see that the Pure i-20's pin-ins are compatible with the available lightning connector's pin-outs? You idea would work with a device that interface's via straight standard USB, but since the i-20 uses a dock interface, there could be more to it.


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## Dimitris (Jan 5, 2012)

Ι ve done that with Ipad 3 and worked flawlessly.Since there is an adaptor from 30pin connectors to the new ones it sould work as long as you solder it correctly.I haven't tried it though to Ipad mini


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## henrymo2 (Feb 19, 2011)

> Have you tested to see that the Pure i-20's pin-ins are compatible with the available lightning connector's pin-outs? You idea would work with a device that interface's via straight standard USB, but since the i-20 uses a dock interface, there could be more to it.


Yeah I have tested the new lightning with my pure i-20...works flawlessly!


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## henrymo2 (Feb 19, 2011)

> Have you tested to see that the Pure i-20's pin-ins are compatible with the available lightning connector's pin-outs? You idea would work with a device that interface's via straight standard USB, but since the i-20 uses a dock interface, there could be more to it.


Yeah I have tested the new lightning with my pure i-20...works flawlessly!


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## n_olympios (Oct 23, 2008)

Subscribed. We need external pics of the car as well.


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## bengl3rt (Jun 6, 2012)

Hit another snag in that I haven't been able to find any magnets capable of holding the iPad mini securely. I may end up just making a fiberglass frame for it to slide into.



n_olympios said:


> Subscribed. We need external pics of the car as well.


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## Dimitris (Jan 5, 2012)

Buy strong magnets (industrial, school, home) - supermagnete how about there?you may find something interesting


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## WannaBBurly (Dec 20, 2009)

Rare earth magnets didn't work?

You can get them on amazon for cheap. That's what the Soundman guys use.


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## charliekwin (Apr 22, 2012)

Looks interesting. Can't wait to see how this comes together.

As an Android guy myself, I'd just put a Nexus 7 in there since it looks like it'd fit without nearly as many modifications. Good on you if you can make the iPad work!


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## bengl3rt (Jun 6, 2012)

Dimitris said:


> Buy strong magnets (industrial, school, home) - supermagnete how about there?you may find something interesting


Interesting, I'll take a look.



WannaBBurly said:


> Rare earth magnets didn't work?
> 
> You can get them on amazon for cheap. That's what the Soundman guys use.


Let me clarify... nothing I found at Harbor Freight did the trick. Do you have a link to the Amazon product page for the rare earth magnets?


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## WannaBBurly (Dec 20, 2009)

Amazon.com: neodymium magnets: Industrial & Scientific

Try that...


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## Dimitris (Jan 5, 2012)

Q-05-04-1.5-N: Block magnet 5 x 4 x 1,5 mm (Neodymium magnets) - supermagnete Τhis is something which might do the job


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## Whiskeyface (May 27, 2012)

would nasty magnets that close to an Ipad mini hammer its hard drive? or are the SS drives?


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## lovedoc1 (Dec 12, 2009)

Whiskeyface said:


> would nasty magnets that close to an Ipad mini hammer its hard drive? or are the SS drives?


No moving parts in any of the iPads


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## TRD07 (Oct 13, 2009)

INTERESTED,


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## s4k4zulu (Mar 2, 2010)

sub'd


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## henrymo2 (Feb 19, 2011)

Looking forward to seeing the end result!


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## Whiskeyface (May 27, 2012)

lovedoc1 said:


> No moving parts in any of the iPads


:daisy: interesting. . . .


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## scdean (Mar 1, 2008)

Buy the magnets from Lee Valley Tools. They sell all different sizes, matching mounting cups, etc. Lee Valley Tools


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## scdean (Mar 1, 2008)

Sorry, here's a more accurate link: Rare-Earth Magnets - Lee Valley Tools - Woodworking Tools, Gardening Tools, Hardware Supplies


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## veleno (Sep 16, 2006)

Are you on prime?

Did you see if the mini will fit/work in the navpod? The navpod can hold 7" monitors if not a little bigger ones, and it's easier to mod that piece I would think.


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## bengl3rt (Jun 6, 2012)

General update: I found magnets that work, but unfortunately the actual back of the device isn't magnetic - the tapered edges are. So, the idea of having the iPad sit flush on a flat surface held only by magnets isn't going to work and I will need to make some sort of "tub" to hold the magnets up to the edges. 



veleno said:


> Are you on prime?
> 
> Did you see if the mini will fit/work in the navpod? The navpod can hold 7" monitors if not a little bigger ones, and it's easier to mod that piece I would think.


I am on prime as *bngl3rt*. OEM navpod will not fit the iPad mini by a few fractions of an inch on either side. It would be possible to make a custom navpod that does, but I love the low dash and "widescreen" visibility of the car and generally don't like the navpod interrupting that. Plus it's a bit far away for a touch screen.


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## itsj4y (Dec 26, 2012)

saw where you put the 90` lightning mod on the soundman forums great find on that. how about some eye candy of the car itself


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## WannaBBurly (Dec 20, 2009)

any update on the build?


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## bigaudiofanatic (Mar 1, 2009)

Sad when a build thread just dies with no updates.


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## DAT (Oct 8, 2006)

Sub'd for more PICS


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