# Helix Director & Fiio M9 - building a center console housing



## DavidRam (Nov 2, 2014)

I have had a MiniDSP remote and a Fiio x3 in a tablet shaped housing mounted in a cup holder for a while now, and it's time for change... 

This thing:


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## DavidRam (Nov 2, 2014)

So far I'm thinking a housing that holds the director and has a ipod-dock type mount for the dap. 

It would sit on/in that fuzzy change holder thing:


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## Chris12 (Sep 20, 2018)

Subbed.

David, do you personally fab this stuff up? Your “old” DSP remote housing and the amp rack from your other thread are just awesome.


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## DavidRam (Nov 2, 2014)

Chris12 said:


> Subbed.
> 
> David, do you personally fab this stuff up? Your “old” DSP remote housing and the amp rack from your other thread are just awesome.


Thanks man! Yes, hand made with crude tools in my little one car garage... :blush:


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## DavidRam (Nov 2, 2014)

Here is a crude drawing of what I am thinking... 


The director is flush mounted into the housing. On the top right it's a dock style plug in, that would hold the M9. It would be angled back and angled in to face the driver...


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## DavidRam (Nov 2, 2014)

By dock I mean something like this, that I would build into the director's housing... The dap would slide onto the coax and usb cable and it would also have support behind it to stabilize it.












The Fiio M9 is my first Android and touchscreen player!


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## DavidRam (Nov 2, 2014)

Here are the pieces:












*Big thanks to John @ JTAudio & Accessories for always being great to do business with!!!*




...


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## nadams5755 (Jun 8, 2012)

note - you can flip the display of the director 180* but not 90*


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## Redliner99 (Mar 26, 2018)

In for this. 


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## DavidRam (Nov 2, 2014)

nadams5755 said:


> note - you can flip the display of the director 180* but not 90*


Yes, I read that... I am thinking of flipping the volume to the right side of the screen.


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## K-pop sucks (May 28, 2018)

Very nice! I to use my dap in a similar fashion in the cup holder.


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## DavidRam (Nov 2, 2014)

I decided to use 1/8" plywood for this project, because I don't do fiberglass... I think the plywood will be easy to cut and piece together, and overall be easy to work with. 

So I ordered this: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B078JZG5J2/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00__o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

AND
- felt liner liner for the electronics to rest on
- plexiglass for the trim and lighting
- vinyl upholstery to wrap it
- glue, lots of glue

The base of the dock that holds the dap will be plexiglass with blue LEDs and there will be plexiglass trim between the directors flush mount kit and the housing to glow with more blue LEDs. 

I'm going to use the director flush mount kit, but I am not going to flush mount it into the Jeep. The housing while sit on the that coin area, not in it... At least that's where I am at so far in my mind.


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## DavidRam (Nov 2, 2014)

Humble beginnings...


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## dgage (Oct 1, 2013)

Why did you start with that and why did you think that was a good idea? J/K. Looks good and I’ll be interested in seeing how the final product turns out but looks great so far.


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## cycleguy (Feb 10, 2018)

DavidRam said:


> Humble beginnings...


Lookig good so far David may I ask what is the seal for that is around the director housing ? I would not use that myself as it makes the unit sit to high for my taste. Also how do you like the m9 and how are you planning on hooking it up to your audio equipment ?


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## DavidRam (Nov 2, 2014)

cycleguy said:


> Lookig good so far David may I ask what is the seal for that is around the director housing ? I would not use that myself as it makes the unit sit to high for my taste. Also how do you like the m9 and how are you planning on hooking it up to your audio equipment ?


Thanks. That is an acrylic trim piece that will allow the LED lights to illuminate from inside the housing...

I haven't played with the M9 much yet, but it seems promising. Definitely happy about Android and touch screen! It will be connected via coax directly to the Helix dsp.


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## DavidRam (Nov 2, 2014)

dgage said:


> Why did you start with that and why did you think that was a good idea? J/K.


I often ask myself that same question! Lol

The last housing I made, I hollowed out a 3/4" thick piece of plywood with a router... That was WAY to hard! This time I'm piecing it together with 1/4" pieces of birch plywood and super glue!


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## DavidRam (Nov 2, 2014)

A little more progress...


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## cmusic (Nov 16, 2006)

Looking good!


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## DavidRam (Nov 2, 2014)

I'm trying to figure out what to finish it with... Flat black paint, vinyl wrap in flat black, Alcantara, felt/velvet or subwoofer type carpet?

I have some vinyl upholstery, but it doesn't look good next to the console lid's vinyl or the textured plastic.


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## Chris12 (Sep 20, 2018)

DavidRam said:


> I'm trying to figure out what to finish it with... Flat black paint, vinyl wrap in flat black, Alcantara, felt/velvet or subwoofer type carpet?
> 
> I have some vinyl upholstery, but it doesn't look good next to the console lid's vinyl or the textured plastic.



I think black SEM texture coat would look good, but I’m not sure how it’d work out on the plywood vs. the plastic that I’ve seen it on in the past.

I’m interested to see how the led shining though the clear acrylic works out, as well as what type of led strip you use and how the LED’s are affixed.

I’ve been brainstorming on the subwoofer baffle for my AE 15” and I’m debating on adding clear acrylic somewhere for an led strip to glow through, but I’m still undecided.


This style LED strip caught my eye. It has 3014 style SMD’s, which I like - and with 240 of them per meter, I’m sure it’d be bright:
https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https://www.ebay.com/ulk/itm/221672350095

Nice work!


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## DavidRam (Nov 2, 2014)

Chris12 said:


> I think black SEM texture coat would look good, but I’m not sure how it’d work out on the plywood vs. the plastic that I’ve seen it on in the past.
> 
> I’m interested to see how the led shining though the clear acrylic works out, as well as what type of led strip you use and how the LED’s are affixed.
> 
> ...


Thanks!

I thought about the SEM texture... The dash has so many finishes and textures, I'm trying to keep it subtle and/or match one of the finishes. The head unit bezel is a flat black with a little tiny bit of a sandy texture to it, which is what I matched on my first housing. 
I sprayed it with flat black paint, and at the end I let a little paint fall on it as a mist to give it that slight sandy texture. It worked surprisingly good for a guy who sucks at painting! 

Not sure if you can see that detail in the picture...


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## DavidRam (Nov 2, 2014)

Body worked and primed it, it's now ready for paint. Still working on the dap mount part...


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## toneloc2 (Nov 29, 2015)

man that's looken good bud.. just a thought on finishing texture.... try primer then use a wide very soft paint brush with soft stokes, then try your flat black paint and see what that looks like.... keep the pics coming..


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## DavidRam (Nov 2, 2014)

Not pictured above, I sanded the plexiglass trim down to almost half of it's thickness so I wouldn't stick out as much...


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## DavidRam (Nov 2, 2014)

Painted flat black with a little texture... Matches the oem bezel.


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## DavidRam (Nov 2, 2014)

I am going to do a thin felt strip around the bottom so the painted wood doesn't sit directly on the console...


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## DavidRam (Nov 2, 2014)

I was trying to figure out how to attach the directors housing to the center console without any noticeable holes or damage... 

Made a little wood saddle with a threaded insert nut to bolt into to...










Carpeted it in an exact match to the factory










Here you can see where it will go 










Test fit










In!












Starting to get this thing wrapped up... Test fit




























I painted the director's flush mount to match the housing, but the one in the picture is not it. Actually, that is an extra one I have been using to fit everything together. I broke that one so I had to order another one, but I super glued it and now it's my decoy.


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## toneloc2 (Nov 29, 2015)

man thats nice.


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## bbfoto (Aug 28, 2005)

David, that looks super clean and professional! Nice work hombre! ?


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## DavidRam (Nov 2, 2014)

toneloc2 said:


> man thats nice.





bbfoto said:


> David, that looks super clean and professional! Nice work hombre! ?


Thanks a lot, guys!!


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## txsound (Jan 22, 2014)

Looks fantastic!


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## Chris12 (Sep 20, 2018)

F-ing excellent man. Seriously that looks factory, I’m very impressed and actually jealous.

I’m curious what type of paint and primer you used? Did you use any sort of clear? Also, what grit did you sand down to before primer, and did you sand between coats?

Just wondering as I have a project of my own in the works, and it may involve painting.

Great work and thanks for sharing!


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## DavidRam (Nov 2, 2014)

txsound said:


> Looks fantastic!


Thank you!



Chris12 said:


> F-ing excellent man. Seriously that looks factory, I’m very impressed and actually jealous.
> 
> I’m curious what type of paint and primer you used? Did you use any sort of clear? Also, what grit did you sand down to before primer, and did you sand between coats?
> 
> ...


Thanks, man!

I used a filer/sand-able primer (I think it was Duplicolor) and Krylon flat black paint. It was actually a lot of work and trial and error, because I wanted it to match the oem head unit bezel in both color and texture... 

I even painted it to perfection with a different brand flat black, but once it dried it had a little sheen that I wasn't happy with, so I re-sanded it and started over. Anyways, lot's of filling, sanding, priming, sanding, filling, sanding, painting, sanding, painting.

I did not give it a clear coat, as it would have definitely changed the sheen and texture... Plus, it won't be getting an wear and tear, so the paint should hold up pretty good by itself. 

I'm not going to try to be cool :laugh: and say it was easy, it took a lot to get it from this:









to this:


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## DavidRam (Nov 2, 2014)

I'm working on a mount for the dap... I really like Ram Mount's aluminum line, they are really well made and hold things really steady. 

Here is the old housing (by old I mean the one I finished a couple months ago :blush:


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## zamboy1 (Nov 8, 2017)

is there pictures to view? i can not see a picture if there are some to view


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## DavidRam (Nov 2, 2014)

zamboy1 said:


> is there pictures to view? i can not see a picture if there are some to view


Yes, there are pics... That's weird. There was a little hesitation while they were loading, but I can see them on my end.


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## zamboy1 (Nov 8, 2017)

DavidRam said:


> Yes, there are pics... That's weird. There was a little hesitation while they were loading, but I can see them on my end.


yeah no pictures on my end but thanks for verifying that there are pictures to view


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## DavidRam (Nov 2, 2014)

Here is the little holder for the DAP:


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## Redliner99 (Mar 26, 2018)

DavidRam said:


> Here is the little holder for the DAP:




Where will that be mounted?


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## DavidRam (Nov 2, 2014)

Redliner99 said:


> Where will that be mounted?
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


In the cup holder right in front of the Director's housing... 

They kinda match


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## Redliner99 (Mar 26, 2018)

DavidRam said:


> In the cup holder right in front of the Director's housing...
> 
> 
> 
> They kinda match




Looks damn good. Where did the mount for your dap come from?


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## DavidRam (Nov 2, 2014)

Redliner99 said:


> Looks damn good. Where did the mount for your dap come from?
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Oh, I made it with plywood and plexiglass... There are blue LEDs behind the plexiglass along the right side, and magnets hold the DAP in place.


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## Redliner99 (Mar 26, 2018)

DavidRam said:


> Oh, I made it with plywood and plexiglass... There are blue LEDs behind the plexiglass along the right side, and magnets hold the DAP in place.




Ooo ok well it looks damn good!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Chris12 (Sep 20, 2018)

I’d love to see some pictures of it with the LEDs on, illuminating the plexi.

When I do my sub I really want to integrate some sort of led strips, kinda like simplicity in sound does with their false floor boxes. I just not sure that my skills are there yet..


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## DavidRam (Nov 2, 2014)

Chris12 said:


> I’d love to see some pictures of it with the LEDs on, illuminating the plexi.
> 
> When I do my sub I really want to integrate some sort of led strips, kinda like simplicity in sound does with their false floor boxes. I just not sure that my skills are there yet..


Will do... I'm working on it. It will look kinda like this:



















I'm not sure if I'm happy with how you can see the outline of each individual led light in the strip... I might ditch the LEDs and make the plexi trim chrome!  It would definitely blend in really well the chrome trim that's all over the Jeep.


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## Stycker (Jan 31, 2018)

Your work is beautiful. What if you kept the lights away from the plexi edge. More bunched up and centered below the director. You might not see the individual lights that way and it might not be so bright. You could use less lights that way too.


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## flgfish (Jan 17, 2019)

Truly excellent work. Outstanding.


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## DavidRam (Nov 2, 2014)

Stycker said:


> Your work is beautiful. What if you kept the lights away from the plexi edge. More bunched up and centered below the director. You might not see the individual lights that way and it might not be so bright. You could use less lights that way too.


Thank you!

I tried to move the lights away from the plexi, but there's just no room in the housing... I guess it's my mistake for planning on putting them there from the beginning without testing them first.

Both the director housing and DAP holder have the same look to the lights.


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## Chris12 (Sep 20, 2018)

DavidRam said:


> Will do... I'm working on it. It will look kinda like this:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Looks great.

Not having a consistent glow would bother me too. I wonder if directing the LEDs either toward the roof or the floor (of the car) would still allow a glow, but not enough to make out each diode. I guess a project always evolves.

Either way, LED’s or chrome trim, will both look great. Nice work!


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## DavidRam (Nov 2, 2014)

Chris12 said:


> Looks great.
> 
> Not having a consistent glow would bother me too. I wonder if directing the LEDs either toward the roof or the floor (of the car) would still allow a glow, but not enough to make out each diode..
> 
> Either way, LED’s or chrome trim, will both look great. Nice work!


Thanks!

The good thing is, I never planned to have the LEDs on constantly... Just now and then for "show-off" mode. Lol 

I have astigmatism, so the less bright lights in my life, the happier I am.  

I am going to experiment a little and see if I can do something to make them spread better...


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## flgfish (Jan 17, 2019)

Chris12 said:


> Looks great.
> 
> Not having a consistent glow would bother me too. I wonder if directing the LEDs either toward the roof or the floor (of the car) would still allow a glow, but not enough to make out each diode. I guess a project always evolves.
> 
> Either way, LED’s or chrome trim, will both look great. Nice work!


A translucent acrylic may act as a lens & diffuse the light.


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## DavidRam (Nov 2, 2014)

flgfish said:


> A translucent acrylic may act as a lens & diffuse the light.


Yes. I thought of getting a thin sheet of blue acrylic to put behind the clear/frosted...


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## flgfish (Jan 17, 2019)

DavidRam said:


> Yes. I thought of getting a thin sheet of blue acrylic to put behind the clear/frosted...


If it's not prohibitively expensive, it'd be interesting to play with shapes and finishes... faceting on the bottom maybe to diffract the light, or swirls from sandpaper to do something similar... just a thought.


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## Redliner99 (Mar 26, 2018)

DavidRam said:


> Yes. I thought of getting a thin sheet of blue acrylic to put behind the clear/frosted...




How's this coming?


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## DavidRam (Nov 2, 2014)

Redliner99 said:


> How's this coming?
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


I got side tracked with building a sub box and installing rear fill... It should be going in the Jeep in the next few weeks.


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## DavidRam (Nov 2, 2014)

The director and housing are in... FINALLY!!! 



















These pics kinda suck, I'll post better ones later...


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## bbfoto (Aug 28, 2005)

DavidRam said:


> The director and housing are in... FINALLY!!!
> 
> These pics kinda suck, I'll post better ones later...


Looks beautiful to me, man! Very nice work. :thumbsup:


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## chesapeakesoja (Apr 9, 2009)

That looks outstanding! You're kind of making me miss my WK2.


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## Lou Frasier2 (Jul 17, 2012)

very nice, so are you running without an am/fm completely or are you still using it occasionally?im asking because I think im going to buy the new zapco 8 channel and go deckless


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## DavidRam (Nov 2, 2014)

bbfoto said:


> Looks beautiful to me, man! Very nice work. :thumbsup:


Thank you!!



chesapeakesoja said:


> That looks outstanding! You're kind of making me miss my WK2.


Thank you!! I have had lots of different vehicles, but I often come back to Grand Cherokees, this is #4... I just love something about them.



Lou Frasier2 said:


> very nice, so are you running without an am/fm completely or are you still using it occasionally?im asking because I think im going to buy the new zapco 8 channel and go deckless


Thank you!!

No head unit. I have two signals going to the Helix - digital for the DAP and BT for my phone...

The head unit remains functional through the rear door speakers for back up and parking sounds, BT calls and the unlikely event that I want to listen to XM radio.


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## DavidRam (Nov 2, 2014)

I got all OCD and polished the heads of the allen bolts to a mirror shine to match the chrome trim in the Jeep.


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## seafish (Aug 1, 2012)

Congrats... that is MIGHTY fine work!!!


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## DavidRam (Nov 2, 2014)

seafish said:


> Congrats... that is MIGHTY fine work!!!


Thank you, C.!!!


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## DavidRam (Nov 2, 2014)

I am very grateful that the Director's screen flips 180... With the knob on the left you can't see the screen when your hand is on the volume.










With it on the right you can! 











DAP holder is in... I epoxied a Ram mount to the cup holder so I could adjust the screen to face me perfectly (or rotate to face a passenger). 












It works!


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## Omicron (Jul 15, 2018)

That came out nice! Very well done


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## DavidRam (Nov 2, 2014)

Omicron said:


> That came out nice! Very well done


Thank you!!


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## DavidRam (Nov 2, 2014)

Well, I am sure glad I changed my plans about having the dap's dock built into the director's housing, because this thing has some serious issues. 

Just a little warning - the Fiio M9 has lots of bugs: it freezes and shuts down A LOT. Sometimes it will start playing a song (you can see it on the screen), but the sound doesn't start until 5 seconds into the song. I have an email in to Fiio to see if there's a fix for this and we'lll see what they say. 

Fortunately, I have my old Fiio x3 2nd gen form my home audio to swap in if this thing becomes unbearable. The ****ty part of that is that the plugs stick out of the top and that won't look very clean.


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