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Making, baking, and (un-)breaking things in Southeast Michigan.

Whee!

November 28, 2005


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Yes, this is a bit of bragging: I finally got the new car today. And, thus far, I rather like it. The in-dash navigation system / audio / whatever thing is quite nice to use. I don’t understand all the voice commands yet, but it seems good thus far. I just need to finish reading the manuals.

It is raining tonight so I was only able to grab a few photos in the garage (along with a few of the documentation for archival purposes). All of those are available here (photo gallery retired).

I think they are all decent to glance at, but some of the better ones are here:
· 2006 Civic EX Engine Compartment.
· 2006 Civic EX w/ Nav Dashboard as seen from the back seat.
· The wiper blades are really long and move in an interesting pattern.
· The speedometer sits a long ways back from the rest of the instrument cluster.
· 30 / 40 MPG!
· The Honda Navigation System comes with DVDs for both Canada and the US.
· My iPod is already kinda connected. (There is a stuff holder space in the front of the dash which almost perfectly holds the iPod adapter I made and is located directly below the power and aux in connectors.)

So, yeah. This seems pretty nifty thus far. :)

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Honda Music Link iPod Adapter

November 28, 2005

Well well… Looks like I may end up getting one of these instead of the adapter I was thinking of making. I wonder how well it’ll work. Hmm.

Honda and Apple Offer iPod Music Link Accessory
TORRANCE 09/07/2005 —

American Honda announced today its new Honda Music Link iPod(R) adaptor in conjunction with Apple. This Genuine Honda accessory was developed to enable Honda drivers to utilize their iPod directly through the audio system in the all-new, redesigned, 2006 Honda Civic.

Honda Music Link enables consumers with iPods to select their music by artist, album, genre and play list through the Honda Civic’s standard controls on the audio system head unit. In addition, this system is the first of its kind to offer synthesized audio voice feedback when searching through the iPod music library with the vehicle’s audio system controls.

“We are very excited to partner with Apple and offer the Music Link accessory to our Honda consumers,” said Stony Furutani, manager of Honda Accessory Marketing. “The new 2006 Civic features the newest in many technologies, which are further expanded through the addition of the Music Link iPod system.

The Honda Music Link adaptor provides outstanding sound quality while charging the iPod at the same time by a cable conveniently located in the glove compartment. The adapter will be available starting this December exclusively for purchase and installation at Honda dealers. Suggested retail pricing for the Honda Music Link will be approximately $250 plus dealer installation. Honda Music link is backed by a full Honda factory warranty. Consumers should check with Honda dealers for specific restrictions.

Apple’s iPod units are available in the U.S. through the Apple Store(R) at www.apple.com and at selected retailers.

# # #

For more information or downloadable high-resolution images of the Civic and other Honda vehicles, please visit www.hondanews.com. Consumer information is available at www.hondacars.com.

Wow, and this article at Ars Technicia says that it’ll offer voice recognition for browsing. Damn.

acquired thingsautomotivemoved from livejournal

Phase 1: Done

November 27, 2005


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Ahh, phase one of the project to ‘properly’ connect an iPod to a 2006 Honda Civic is done. In short, I built this box and the cable running to the iPod. The box contains a filter to (hopefully) cut down on car engine noise and the break-out to provide the audio signal as two RCA connectors.

Inside of the shell of the iPod connector itself is a 1MΩ resistor which signals to the iPod that it has a car adapter connected so it should pause the iPod when power is disconnected, as this would typically happen when the car is shut off.

For now I’ll use this bundle of hardware to connect the iPod to the new car. It’ll power/charge the iPod, pause it when things are disconnected, and provide audio into the ‘aux in’ connector.

The next phase of the project is to wire the box (or perhaps just the iPod cable) into the car itself, either via factory-compatible connectors or straight hard wiring. My goal is to have the iPod powered from a keyed, filtered accessory line and the line-out to run straight into wherever the aux in connects to. I also want the iPod nicely mounted in a good location, within arm’s reach, and easy to navigate while driving. That kind of fitting (along with the factory-type connectors) I can’t do until I have the vehicle.

But, yeah. At least this much is done.

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It Works

November 27, 2005


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Well, the damn thing works. I got the connector wired properly, closed it up, and tested it with a 12v supply from the car. The iPod charges, and if it is playing and the power is disconnected, the iPod pauses. Tomorrow I’ll go get the stuffs to enclose the power filter and end-of-iPod-cable junction in a box. I’ll also stick a pair of RCA jacks on the outside of the box so that I can get audio out of it all.

I should have left the DIN5 on the far end of the cable for the time being so that it could have simply been plugged into the project box, but that’s okay.

The end result of this should be a temporary single cable iPod hookup which I can use until I get the car’s wiring figured out, connectors ordered, etc.

Earlier while working on this I became pretty frustrated with myself because after screwing up the first connector I made a second. Everything was going absolutely great until I realized that I’d wired it backwards, mixing up pins 1 and 30. And it was going so well, too. Ah well, at least it’s set for the time being. I’ve already got the RCA panel connectors, so I just need a project box. That shouldn’t be too hard to come across, I hope.

Now, I just wish I was tired. I thought the coffee I grabbed on the way home from ‘s place was a bad idea. It was. I’m nicely awake.

UPDATE: I forgot to mention what a pain it is to solder inside of these connectors. They are 0.6mm pins spaced 0.6mm apart. To make it a bit easier I took to removing unneeded pins from the last connector used, the one that was properly done.

See? Top · Bottom

An easier way to think of it is in regards to mechanical pencil lead. Most mechanical pencils that people use are either 0.5mm or 0.7mm. Most rollerball pens that people use make a 0.7mm wide line. That should give you an idea of what I was working with. Soldering one (or sometimes two wires) to something that small is a bit interesting.

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Gur!

November 26, 2005

Guh! Two solder points away from being complete and I screwed this up. I guess I’ll be redoing it another day.

Do you have any idea how hard it is to solder .6mm connections? to wires, a resistor, and a few other components?

Uggh. I’m mad at myself for this.

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No More Music!

November 25, 2005

Well, I just finished removing the head unit and parts used to connect my iPod to it from my car, returning it to the factory stereo. I guess I’ll be listening to CDs for the next few days.

Then it’ll be time to figure out how to properly connect an iPod in the new car. It ought to be interesting, to say the least.

At least I’ve got the old Belkin dock connector / charger / line out thing which I can base the new cable off of. I just wish I had black dock connectors. Ah well.

automotiveelectronicsmoved from livejournal

Three Meals!

November 23, 2005


Baguette w/ Roasted Mushrooms and Cheddar

Except for a depth of field problem and an issue with wrapping the sandwiches, I think they came out pretty good.

For reference, I took a package of ‘baby bella’ mushrooms, tossed them with some olive oil, salt, pepper, and two thinly sliced cloves of garlic, then spread them in a single layer on a tray and roasted for 12 minutes at 450°F. Then the mushrooms were allowed to drain and cool.

Next I sliced a baguette part-way through, lined it with cheddar, filled with mushrooms, cut it into three pieces, and called it done.

I think I’ll be having one of these for dinner along with a light spring mix salad (w/ the dressing shown here (Brianna’s Home Style Real French Vinaigrette)) and a glass of Senorial Sangria-flavored soda.

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Mushrooms!

November 23, 2005

Well, I’ve got a tray of ‘baby bella’ mushrooms roasting now. They are sliced up and have been tossed with sliced garlic, olive oil, salt, and pepper. The intention is to stuff a baguette with them and sliced cheddar cheese. This will then be sliced and hopefully result in order to have three or four pre-made sandwiches in the fridge.

Yes, this is a food idea I got while in the UK.

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Sidral Mundet

November 6, 2005

Sidral Mundet is one of the best beverages I’ve ever had. It’s a Mexican apple soda made with sugar and apple juice and a few other things. It’s absolute wonderful fizzyness in a bottle. I was able to purchase it at Meijer, so I have to recommend that you look for it next time you are there.

I also bought another Mexican beverage called Senorial which is a sangria-flavored soda. I haven’t tried it yet, though, and I’m not sure I want to before leaving. It’ll go flat. :\

UPDATE: I’ve tried the Sangria soda. It too is good. Quite good.

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