# Sony Mobile ES CDX-C910 Titanium knob mod



## Dafabricata3 (Mar 13, 2018)

Happy to have finally joined this forum. Been lurking for years but, finally joined after getting the car audio bug again. Been into this enjoyable hobby for almost 25 years.

Anyway, just wanted to share this modification I made to my old Sony Mobile ES CDX-C910 head unit.
The rubber coating had deteriorated and became very sticky so I made a replacement knob from titanium bar stock. Took about 4 hours given that it was done on manual machines.
Just thought some here in the group may enjoy seeing it.


----------



## DavidRam (Nov 2, 2014)

Man, that turned out great, well done!


----------



## audionutz (Dec 22, 2005)

Awesome work man!


----------



## diy.phil (May 23, 2011)

Wow... sweeeeet!


----------



## Notdumasilook (Sep 25, 2017)

Beautiful work. That takes some real world skills.


----------



## Dafabricata3 (Mar 13, 2018)

Thanks for the nice words, guys!


----------



## Bushwacker (Dec 23, 2017)

Dang man that's sweet!! The knob & HU!!! Let's see pictures of your installs because if you have the skills to mill that knob I know you are creative and do some awesome stuff!!!

Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk


----------



## Dafabricata3 (Mar 13, 2018)

I'll post some install pics in the coming months as progress is made. 
Currently the install is very stealthy with signal processor, 5 channel amp, and passive crossovers all mounted in the dash, with the fiberglass kick panels and head unit being the only clue of there being a system. 
Being old school, I even made and use a false face to cover the double din.


----------



## jtaudioacc (Apr 6, 2010)

that's awesome.

my last favorite sony head unit. i was a sony nuthugger for a bit. double line dot matrix for the win! haha

i bet a buddy of mine has a sticky volume control on his 900 in his tahoe i did 20 years ago. dual cd changers, xdp-210 dsp.


----------



## bbfoto (Aug 28, 2005)

Dafabricata3 said:


> I'll post some install pics in the coming months as progress is made.
> Currently the install is very stealthy with signal processor, 5 channel amp, and passive crossovers all mounted in the dash, with the fiberglass kick panels and head unit being the only clue of there being a system.
> Being old school, I even made and use a false face to cover the double din.


Nice work! That machined knob looks great on that 900/910!

The CDX-C910 was my first real SQ head unit as well. I still love its simple and elegant design, layout, and minimalist controls, even more so than the newer C90, though the C90 is a SQ beast as well, and I'm still using it and the XDP-4000X DSP in one of my "old school" installs. After all these years and technological advances its still one of the best sounding source units & DSPs that I've heard. 

Ha, I did the same thing with the false faceplate mockup back in the day. I took a 1993 OEM Ford AM/FM/Cassette Stereo apart and epoxied the knobs and front face plate to a blank circuit board that I cut to fit inside the front faceplate opening of the C910's chassis. I epoxied a few tiny neodymium magnets to the back of my "dummy" faceplate, and Viola, it "snapped" right in to the front of the C910 and looked completely stock/Ford OEM...any passersby would never know there was a TOTL Sony HU in that vehicle.  I also made sure to keep all of my CDs out of sight and never once had a break in. The rest of the install was stealth as well and the rear/side windows were heavily OEM tinted which also helped.

Unfortunately, both the C910 and the C90 have that sticky/deteriorating volume knob issue.  I bought the last 3 replacement volume knobs and a few other parts for my C90's from PacParts years ago, and replacements haven't been available for many years now.

If the new Sony RSX-GS9 looked more like the C910, it might have a much better chance of being in my dash right now, haha.

Anyway, great work on that machined knob. Do you think you could create one for the C90 as well? It's quite a bit smaller overall and is more of a donut shape with a ~5/8" hole in the center.


----------



## Notdumasilook (Sep 25, 2017)

I have the an old c90 myself. Never noticed deteriorating knob. Gonna get it out of the car soon. If u want the knob u are welcome to it. Was curious if anyone scavenged parts off these older sq heads. I have the 4000 dsp too. Not sure if it even works any more. Something in either the hu or dip quit and to me about worthless unless both are working


----------



## jtaudioacc (Apr 6, 2010)

Notdumasilook said:


> I have the an old c90 myself. Never noticed deteriorating knob. Gonna get it out of the car soon. If u want the knob u are welcome to it. Was curious if anyone scavenged parts off these older sq heads. I have the 4000 dsp too. Not sure if it even works any more. Something in either the hu or dip quit and to me about worthless unless both are working


i'd put the 4000 on ebay. or post it here and on some facebook groups. you'll be surprised sometimes what people will pay for others junk. i want to say i sold a 210eq for like a couple hundred bucks. :laugh:


----------



## Notdumasilook (Sep 25, 2017)

No kiddin? I had no idea. Yeah I hate to toss it in the trash. It was an awesome piece for its day....and pricey.,, and I pulled a lot of hair out back then tuning wifeys car too hah. On top of the DSP I had to buy a spectrum analyzer...and back then they were $$. Now days I think u can get an app for your phone..


----------



## Monkey137 (Apr 20, 2018)

That looks fantastic! I loved that head unit back in the day. Wish I wouldn't have sold it now.


----------



## brit mk2t (Apr 10, 2014)

Are you planning on making some more and selling them, would love to do this to mine also..


----------



## veedubb8 (Nov 21, 2006)

brit mk2t said:


> Are you planning on making some more and selling them, would love to do this to mine also..


Very interested in two of these. I have a CDXC910 and an XRC900. Would you be willing to make two more? Aluminum, Titanium, or Copper would work for me...


----------



## soundboy (Jun 19, 2009)

Very nice, I love it!
Good work!


----------



## veedubb8 (Nov 21, 2006)

veedubb8 said:


> Very interested in two of these. I have a CDXC910 and an XRC900. Would you be willing to make two more? Aluminum, Titanium, or Copper would work for me...


Bump... still hopeful for answer. I now have two CDXC910's and an XRC900 and would love this for each. If you're not interested in doing the work, would you be willing to provide the CAD file?


----------



## Dafabricata3 (Mar 13, 2018)

Sorry for the late reply. 
For the time being, I wouldn't be able to make more of these, especially at a price people would be willing to pay.
All my eork is done manually (no CNC) so no CAD file and lots of time invested to make.


----------



## veedubb8 (Nov 21, 2006)

Dafabricata3 said:


> Sorry for the late reply.
> For the time being, I wouldn't be able to make more of these, especially at a price people would be willing to pay.
> All my eork is done manually (no CNC) so no CAD file and lots of time invested to make.


OK, well if you ever get bored and want to make a few more, i'm game. I'd be open to aluminum or copper if it's easier/cheaper.  Thanks for getting back to me!


----------



## Dafabricata3 (Mar 13, 2018)

veedubb8 said:


> OK, well if you ever get bored and want to make a few more, i'm game. I'd be open to aluminum or copper if it's easier/cheaper.  Thanks for getting back to me!



I'll keep it in mind. Material isn't really a high cost factor, its more the time it takes to set up each process and manually complete.


----------



## JuiceMan88 (Jun 13, 2012)

That looks very nice!


----------



## nittanylion64 (Oct 3, 2007)

The detail is amazing. Great job! Doing it all manually--wow, just wow.


----------



## Bushwacker (Dec 23, 2017)

I think he's using a old Bridgeport or something when he said manually, not with cad 

Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk


----------



## soundboy (Jun 19, 2009)

Next project, make the whole front in aluminum with glass front. 


Like the XES-Z50 unit


----------



## bbfoto (Aug 28, 2005)

soundboy said:


> Next project, make the whole front in aluminum with glass front.
> 
> Like the XES-Z50 unit


Haha. Actually, that might not be too difficult _IF_ he had a 3D Scanner and CNC.   I guess that the glass would have to be molded though with "Gorilla Glass" or something similar.

Ultimately, I'd like to see Sony create a new HU while keeping the sleek, clean, & minimalistic design of the CDX-C910's faceplate, but with modern, updated, high-quality parts and features in the chassis.

And the front volume dial would be a "rotary commander" type...i.e. rotate for simple volume control, but click (quick push & long-press) to switch to subwoofer volume mode + change some other often used menu settings, etc.

And Sony's front panel HU displays have always been really difficult to see in daylight, so it would be awesome to have a bright, colorful, & saturated Hi-Res SuperAMOLED display on the front of this unit. Now that's something I personally would buy.


----------

