So I’m sitting here with a disassembled Honda Music Link interface box (P/N 08A28-1H1-1000-01) on the workbench. It appears that the PCB inside is double layer, so I don’t think I’ll have too much of a problem making a schematic from it.
Now I just need to find some good software for making schematics… I used to poke around with Eagle, but I haven’t used that in quite a while.
Well the white iPod stands out a bit in the all grey and black center console, that doesn’t stop it from working.
Yes, it’s done. Completely done.
That is, the iPod adapter I’ve been working on for a good part of the last week and a half or so has finally been completed. Designed as a replacement for the Honda Music Link which gave me so much trouble (photos here (photo gallery retired)) it does exactly what I want and works exactly as designed. It firmly holds the iPod in place, plays audio through the factory Aux In, is within arm’s reach of the driver, and keeps the display in sight at all times.
As was proven with the iPod setup in my previous vehicle, such a setup works very well. I had originally intended to make such an adapter right after I originally accepted delivery of my 2006 Honda Civic EX (photo gallery retired), I was convinced to wait for a factory adapter, the Honda Music Link, by the promises made in this press release. Most people who read this journal know how that ended up going, although I guess the events surrounding it made it much easier for me to make the adapter. With one person providing me some nice technical detail about the pinout in 2006 Civics, people to bounce ideas off, and just with it regularly being on my mind, things seemed to work out pretty good.
That all said, here’s a few notable photos from both last night and today’s work:
· The base of the iPod holder bolted into the trim piece from the center console.
· The underside of the PCB, just before I closed up the box.
· All the parts in the interface box, just before I screwed it closed.
· Goop applied to the interface box and padding foam.
· Clamping down the interface box to the workbench to help the adhesive on the foam set.
· The finished kit, ready to be fit into the console and dash of the vehicle.
· The interface box strapped to a pipe inside the console.
· The holder and stand match the vehicle’s interior quite nicely.
· Larger view of the photo above, showing how the iPod fits amongst other parts in the console.
Of course, all the photos from this project are available here: iPod in 2006 Honda Civic (EX w/Navigation) » Second Version (Built-In) (photo gallery retired)
The only thing left to do is get my current white 40GB iPod Photo replaced under AppleCare (it has the problem detailed in these two H.264 videos: 1 – 2) and purchase a 30GB 5th Generation iPod Color in black. Then everything will match nicely… Oh, I’ll be selling the iPod, so you’ll likely see an ad here for it, if someone doesn’t pick it up first.
Now, to clean up my workbench and the table near by. Well, maybe I’ll do that tomorrow… Instead I’ll write another LJ post. Or something.
Yay! The physical iPod mount fits with no issues thus far! Now I just need to finish up the wiring… Maybe tonight, maybe tomorrow. We’ll see… Regardless, I’m really happy thus far. Pictures coming soon.
Yes, I know I’m posting a lot, but I had to add this. This has to be what is simply one of the worst ideas for car-based appliances. I think this is even worse than USB-powered fans and coffee warmers.
As mentioned previously, on Wednesday
Not wanting to be carrying such a large camera around the show, I took along my older digital camera (Nikon Coolpix 5400) instead. Now I see why I replaced this camera… It’s a comfortable size, but it’s slow to focus, doesn’t focus that well in low light, and is just rather blah. The 20D (photo gallery retired) was definitely worth picking up.
So, yeah. Either click the photo up above or at the link below if you want to look through the photos:
2006 North American International Auto Show (photo gallery retired)
By the way, that vehicle pictured above? I really rather like how it looks… Also, I’m not a huge fan of sports cars, but I also think the Ford GT is rather nice. Oh, and Allstate‘s area where they had bumper cars was amusing.
And this may have been fairly wrong of me, but I also grabbed a picture of a rather powerful femullet.
Yes, I know that’s not the most impressive photo, but that’s the completion of my work tonight. I ended up making a new and much better PCB with which to tie everything together, mounted the filter and resistor, installed the second grommet in the case, soldered on the previously made Aux In cable, added the power cable, hacked in a fuse for the power cable, and called it a night.
So, yeah. Now the only things left to do are tear into the dash again, finally assemble and bolt in the iPod holder, run the iPod dock cable through the base of the stuff pocket in the console (whoops, need to purchase another 7/16OD x 1/4ID grommet), add the ends to the power cable, plug both the power and aux in cables in, strap the project box to a support in the console, and close it all up. Then, provided things go the way I want, it should just work.
After that I’ll start looking into changing the firmware on the head unit to read IPOD instead of AUX, and I’ll probably start seriously looking more into the Honda Music Link Device. I’ve got a growing desire to document as much about it as I can. Pinouts, high res board photos, and if the board doesn’t have too many layers, I may even try to work up a schematic. Or maybe even read out the ROM. We’ll see…
UPDATE: Oh, I forgot to add this photo of the bottle of acid, namely ferric cloride in water. I had it sitting in a pyrex measuring cup for two days because I wasn’t sure what to do with it. It can’t come in contact with metal at all, so I was having a hard time finding a container for it. While I was at GFS unsuccessfully looking through their cleaning products for such a contain, it came to me that I should just use a 1L wide-mouth Aquafina bottle to hold it. So I did. It’s working out nicely. Now I can save the solution to use a few months from now.
Well, tonight I went to the North American International Auto Show with
While the show was typically so-so, there are a few points to mention:
1) My Nikon Coolpix 5400 doesn’t compare to the Canon 20D. At all. I was becoming increasingly frustrated with it. I think the CP5400 will do nicely relegated to the status of pocket camera when I’m out and about in the woods or some place where I don’t want to be seen with expensive camera kit, but it won’t get much normal use.
2) When I was poking around the Honda exhibit just before we departed, the sales guy I purchased my vehicle from came over. It seems that the Honda booth is (generally?) staffed by local sales people, and tonight was one of his nights. He asked about the vehicle, so I explained that it was going well and that I like it quite a bit.
I also explained a bit about the Honda Music Link iPod Adapter to him and handed him a copy of my review. I stressed that I am happy with the vehicle and that I have no issue with him nor the dealership and I am taking it up with Honda corporate, but I wanted him to be aware of the issues experienced with it. He took the review and, I can only assume, will give it a read. We’ll see where that goes…
I am cleaning up the photos for upload now, but they aren’t that great. I’ll probably post one tomorrow, if I get around to it.
Now, I think I’m going to relax a bit before bed.
UPDATE: Oh, I forgot to mention that either I had made up the image I (still) swear I saw of a Honda Element with iPod logos all over it, or it wasn’t at the NAIAS. When visiting both Honda exhibits, I saw no mention of the Music Link iPod Adapter or anything about connecting a Honda vehicle to an iPod. Perhaps my suspicions about Honda’s just-wanting-it-ready-for-NAIAS were unfounded… Ah well, at least I was able to inform someone there of the issue. Hopefully he’ll actually read the review.
So, the PCB I made last night? I’m kinda worried about it… If you look at a full res image of it and look attention to the traces, they don’t look completely solid to me. I don’t know if that is from scrubbing it clean with a scotch-brite pad (per the directions) or because etchant got beneath the tape used for the long lines, but it worries me.
I think that I’ll actually redo the PCB today or Thursday. I’m… just not happy with it, and for something that I’m likely to rely on for the next three or four years in my car, I want to know that it is good.
Okay, I did decide to post a shot of the PCB tonight. That’s it, in the project box I chose for making this. It seems like it’ll work out pretty good, even though I likely could have gone with a smaller box. Ah well…
That there is the PCB I made, and this is the solder side of it right after I finished cleaning it up. The etching isn’t perfect, but it meters out solidly. So, hopefully it’ll work.
The components installed there are the 1MΩ resistor to make the iPod pause when the power stops and a salvaged choke (I hope I’m calling that the right thing) to hopefully eliminate any extra noise in the +12v coming from the car.
So, that’s about that… I’m likely going to the auto show tomorrow, so maybe I’ll get back to things on Thursday. We’ll see how that goes. :)
Oh, and all the photos from today can be found starting here and on in (photo gallery retired). Yes, there are lots of the PCB. It was the first I made, so I wanted to document it.
Well, I managed to etch my first PCB, and it seems to work. Scary chemicals are involved. As in, things which boil and get hot when they are added to water. I guess that’s what happens when you have weird iron compounds in such a situation.
I’m uploading the PCB photos now, and I’ll probably post more tomorrow. In short, I think this project is going to be a success.
