devitocoke

ArtJ, what's the distance between the screw holes on the housing, on the sides and across the top and bottom, see my pic for P81 side.

BlackNsexy2010

Thanks for the answers.. Okay.. I read what you wrote a few times.. And looked at the pics...but I'm not sure I follow.. And I might be missing something .. It's been a long day lol.. But why did u have to Dremel?

I wish I could do this now.. But my car is already in pieces because I'm doing my speakers ... And it's been too cold to get back to it

ArtJ

Hey Devitocoke....I think you're asking for the screw hole dimensions on the OEM frame? I'll get those for you sometime Sunday when I get back to the shop.
Justin......here's the problem with the P81 in its "natural state."
On the oem frame there's a plastic border that rings the recessed area where the oem nav screen sits. This same recessed area also fits the P81 screen perfectly but the P81 bezel and the electronics box is too large to fit inside the frame. So I removed the P81 bezel and placed the screen into the recess but since the electronics box can't slide into the recess it sits too far away from the screen which stretches the flexible cables going from the screen to the circuit board. To remedy this I cut the height of the electronics box in half so the screen now sits naturally next to the circuit board without a gap...hope that clears it up a bit....maybe I can take some other photos tomorrow evening to help visualization.....what I did isn't obvious and only became clear to me when I took the unit apart to get at the screen.

devitocoke

Thanks ArtJ, no need to measure the distance between the screw holes. I just need to find a Navi housing for cheaper than $350, you got a good deal on your housing.

ArtJ

Yes for some reason I got a good deal but I still have my eye out for other units and I'll definitely let you know if I see any bargains....they're out there it's just a matter of patience

ArtJ

This has become an obsession....got back to the shop quicker than I thought
Figured out the last part of the puzzle which is how to keep everything together on the oem frame.....the answer is picture hanging hardware! I opened my junk box and there they were...pre-drilled and ready to be bent into service....notice I put a strip of black tape around the edge of the P81 box (what's left of it that is) to provide traction for the clamps and to seal up the gap.....this thing's not going anywhere! When the temps get back into the 30's I'll take the unit out to the car for a final fit-up but I think everything's about done.

BlackNsexy2010

Looking good man.. Yeah I just didn't get where u made the cut .. And pics always help..nice to see the progress.. Glad u got no skulls

ArtJ

No worries.....I'll try to draw up a couple of diagrams for you but they may be crude

ArtJ

Justin....here's a diagram of what I encountered with the project. In the top case you see the P81 box in green which houses the display (blue), circuit board (dark gray) and flex cable (red) going from the circuit board to the display. The diagram shows the P81 box as a bit larger than the frame (black) so it can't fit as-is. So we go to the middle situation....I removed the P81 screen bezel (not shown) and took the P81 display out of the box slipping it into the frame where it sits perfectly....problem is the P81 box still can't fit into the frame and the flex cable is pulled too far from the circuit board....so, we go to the bottom situation where I've cut the P81 box in half (more really) so the circuit board once again rests right behind the display without stretching the flex cable too far.....the box still can't rest inside the frame but that's ok....I've clamped it all from the back with the picture hanger hardware......that's it!

BlackNsexy2010

Okay I get it... I. Looked over your pics again and decided to read the titles this time lol..pic 6 post 40 shows the piece after it's been cut..the was pretty straight so I didn't realise at first it had been cut.. Good stuff man.. Can't wait to see it installed

ArtJ

I think installation will have to wait until it warms up quite a bit....I need to pull out some panels to run the backup camera line as well...I'd rather do that on a warm, dry day....for the time being I'll do a test fit again in the dash to make sure there's connector clearance and test the gps antenna / nav system.....I'll grap some screen shots when I get to that probably next weekend....got a hullva work week coming up

ArtJ

Quick update....I did a fast fit-up in the dash after work and my suspicions were confirmed...the connector in the back of the P81 box is keeping the assembly from properly seating so that's the next problem to figure out....I think it'll be a matter of unwrapping some cables back there and moving them around along with mods to the connector box itself.....I also tried out the navigation screen and it's absolutely awesome! It finds satellites instantly and has no discernible delay in operation.....two times better than my TomTom.....I'm getting more motivated by the day to get this done.

BlackNsexy2010

How long does it take to take the oem screen out?

iCrap

Also wondering how to get the oem screen out. I haven't tried yet as i don't want to break anything.

ArtJ

The OEM screen comes out in 10 seconds....if u have a dash trim removal tool you can use that otherwise get your fingernails between the shroud and the dash board...it's very flexible...then grab it and pull down.

iCrap

No screws or anything? just pulls right out?

ArtJ

Yep....just give it a tug....if you look at one of my earlier photos of the modified Nav unit you'll see 2 red and 2 yellow plastic clips.....you'll see the same ones on the unit you remove.

devitocoke

ArtJ, we appreciate all your work.

ArtJ

My pleasure devitocoke.....you'll be sharing in the fun soon enough

bagwell

iTrader: (1)

Artj, wondering where you are located.....!?!?!? if you had the whole thing to do again I bet you could probably do it super quick.....hint hint......

bagwell

iTrader: (1)

Artj -- is this the correct part for the required bezel?
http://acurapartsworld.com/parts/201...component=Case

#6

ArtJ

I'm in frozen NJ....yeah...I was thinking that my 5 hours into this thing could probably repeated in a 90 minute session next time....lots of R & D on this one It looks like you have the correct piece ****EDIT***** That's not the correct piece...you need to look at the Tech-Package parts list not the base model list....you need the Nav shroud....I'm using a shroud from a 2009 TSX...I have a 2011 wagon but it has the same fit.....only thing is the nav shrouds have a clear plastic lens across the front so you'll need to figure out how to remove the lens so you can access the touch screen of the P81....on the 2009 unit there's a large curved lens which I'll need to dremel out with a sanding drum or a grinding wheel....leaving that for last because it will be easy but unpleasant at the same time. If you get the 2012 piece please post some photos...it may be easier to deal with the 2012 shroud because the lens is flat not curved like the 2009.

BlackNsexy2010

wait..so you didn't remove all the other dash panels? you just pulled the screen right out?.. in the write ups i saw in other posts you have to like pull out the radio and what not also..

and the dirty jerz.. if its north nj def gonna need your help lol.. i figured by the way you described your weather you were near me.. hopefully get in the low 30s this weekend

ArtJ

Yeah....Just one more reason to leave this kingdom.
I just removed the screen...that's it...but.....I haven't tried to run any wires yet like to the camera, gps antenna or the little navigation speaker...my hope is that when the day comes (55 degrees + sun) I can do all that with a snake and not have to pull any other stuff off....it shouldn't be too difficult to do but it involves time I don't really have.

BlackNsexy2010

Did u get the camera from them or a different one? For the camera you can probably run it right behind the glovebox..I'm pretty sure I had my old power wire coming through behind there.. The antenna I know ppl put right by the a/c vent .. Idk seems a bit uncomfortable to me.. Worried what kind of effect that could have on it.. Are u going to leave the power box next to it...u can probably wire that into the glove box or even under ur radio.. And are u sure u need the speaker? I think I read it comes through our Bluetooth so we don't need it.. This is why I asked about tpms.. I believe after sometime tpms gets effected ...it's sounds strange lol

ArtJ

I was thinking of getting one of these direct from China....looks pretty cool:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/130922490980?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT
I didn't even consider the bluetooth option for the Nav so that's a great point....maybe that's a better way to go...i may mount the antenna on the dash kind of right behind the NJ inspection sticker so it stays fairly invisible....i was also thinking of routing the power box to the glove box but the cable is pretty short so it may not make it that far. Right now I'm still thinking about how I'm going to remove all that clear plastic from the oem Nav screen....been trying several Dremel grinding/sanding attachments with good success but that's going to be an arduous task man....I wish I had a better solution....keep plug'n!

BlackNsexy2010

From what I've read.. You can mount it even in ur dash....like the front behind where you are installing the headunit somewhere and get decent signal..if u just don't hook up the speaker then the nav should come right through your Bluetooth..there's probably a longer wire u can get somewhere to get the powerbox into the glovebox.. But I'm sure that's the least of your worries.. And that camera looks pretty cool..I haven't read too much on cameras so I can't add anything.. But I see it's got night vision so that's a plus..

Idk if u saw this.. But the power acoustic site says ..or used to say you can add RCA outs.. Did you see anything about this?

I'm sure you'll figure it out.. And then like others have said your round two will take you like an hour for the whole install.. I'll bring the beer haha

ArtJ

There's tons of rca jacks supplied with this thing...audio in, audio out, audio sideways you name it...there are so many cables I actually removed most of them from the big connector because I don't think it'll all fit back behind the dash....I'm just gonna start with connections for nav antenna, speaker audio and backup camera. I still think there's going to be a fit problem with the tsx male connector and the P81 female on what power acoustiks calls the "trip" box on the back of the P81...worst case I'll need to remove the female from the "trip box and bring it out on a short cable so it can mate with the tsx male without being 90 degrees to the back of the dash...one hour soldering job...ughhh

ArtJ

I have a couple more observations to post....not much time to spend on the project this week but this is where I stand at the moment:
I was able to confirm that the gray connector is not allowing the entire unit to sit all the way back into the dash....when you plug the tsx harness in there's just no wiggle room left and I could see the scuff marks inside where contact was being made. The good news is that a little more towards the center, the area inside the dash opens up a little so there may be enough room back there for the connector/harness to live...I moved the "trip box" on the back of the P81 to align the connector a bit better with that target area.....haven't had a chance to test it out but perhaps I can do that tomorrow evening and post the results......baby steps

firebrand13

oh my gawd, dude, you rock. I haven't been back on the forum in forever and I come back to find that you are working miracles. My unit is the old unit, so the trip box or whatever isn't in the way at all, but I have the skull (and probably older software/navigation etc).


When I had mine hooked up, navigation didn't talk through my speakers but my Bluetooth did. perhaps this is an option I need to choose or something, but I wanted to put that out there. the TPMS error comes on for me after about 20 minutes of freeway driving. It always came on in the same spot on the freeway on my way to work.


You found an awesome deal on that shroud, man. I was deciding I would fabricate something myself because I didn't want to spend an additional 300+ on a shroud that I wasn't sure would work. Now knowing it will work, it is tempting... I have already spent over a thousand on this damn project because I tried out two of those Chinese units first. This is the only unit with temperature controls... and yes, you will always reset to 72 degrees.


I am impressed and even more hopeful now than I was when I discovered the plug was the same as the accord (makes me wonder how many Honda's/acura's have the same plug and thus how many more units might be an option - with fabrication work, of course).


If you were close by, I would totally buy drinks, man!!! (I'm chillin' in Cali though)

BlackNsexy2010

Firebrand..the original p81installer..nice to see you back.. I wish I was out in Cali lol...

So firebrand are you saying we do need the speaker for navi?

Art.. U think it'll be an issue that you are covering some of the vents for the circuit board?

Good to see your still moving forward man

ArtJ

Firebrand.....the reason why I'm in this up to my neck
Actually, big thanks to Firebrand for starting this whole thing....so far it's been an interesting project.....just wish I had some California weather to be able to do more testing...today it's a bamly 9F in NJ....we'll do drinks one day in CA...I get out there couple times per year.
I was doing some indoor thinking yesterday and I believe it's best to keep the P81 bluetooth functionality shut off...we already have handsfreelink in our cars so its a redundant function that, as Firebrand points out , may lead to interference issues. I'm going to see if the Nav voice can be pumped through the Aux audio channel instead. The separate speaker is enticing though because I would think you could run the Nav and radio at the same time...we'll see...I have a bunch of tests lined up for the next break in weather.
Justin....that's a good observation about the cooling vents being covered up....what I can do is remove some black tape covering the gap to get some additional air moving in there.
I'm really glad to see a lot of interest on this thread....it's a non-trivial modification and we need a lotta brains on the job.
One question I have is about that 72 degree default setting....I don't personally care that it's set to 72 when I first get in the car but is that what the hvac system is really set to?? Is it just a display thing without affecting the actual setting? It just seems kind of odd to me that the system could really be set to 72 degrees if the temp adjust controls haven't been moved to effect that change.

firebrand13

to think how quickly we could get this accomplished in a weekend if we were all nearby. Damn!

nav audio: it has been a while since I had it hooked up, but as I recall the unit's speaker was used for both Bt and nav audio. When hooked up, it allowed the unit to turn down the radio in order for bt or nav audio to play. Now that I don't have it hooked up, there is no nav audio. I would think you could pair your phone with stock bt and use the unit speaker for nav audio. I don't use nav enough to do that, plus it isn't difficult to look over every once in a while to see where you are in relation to your destination. I really didn't try hard to see if I could get it all to work though, honestly.

the 72 temp is confirmed. Oddly enough, even when the last temp used was 68, the next start showed the temp at 72 again. Stock display leaves it at whatever was last used.

ArtJ

Ok....so sounds like the 72 setting is really just for display but I'd like to confirm one day if it really is re-setting the hvac system. One way you can tell is to set the AC for a really warm temp then shut the car off....restart the car and see if it really starts blowing at 72 degrees.
You mentioned you purchased a couple of Chinese units for the Euro-Accord....can you cannibalize the shroud on one of those units for this project?

firebrand13

oh and I put my antenna in the speaker area that is empty in our cars: directly behind the unit, center of your dash.

ArtJ

Yeah....I saw that last night.....it's got a nice little pocket for the antenna.

ArtJ

No updates tonight guys.....had to work late and I'm about ready to fall down...tomorrow's gonna be the same.....hopefully positive news on Saturday when things warm up and I can get in there with daylight and do a fit-up....happy Friday everyone!

BlackNsexy2010

Yeah if it wasn't for firebrand I would never have discovered this either..and yeah this topic def has a lot of interest..it's good to see it

I'm hoping for good weather this weekend too man.. I need to put my car back together lol.. If I finish up my speakers then this is next..hopefully by then yours will be up and running with no issues.. I wish power acoustics could just build it for us

ArtJ

I'll bet they come out with a TSX product right after we're all done with our installs
I've attached a pin-out for the P81 output connector in case anyone needs to modify the cable like I did and then wants to put it back to it's original condition.

firebrand13

just saw this post tonight... sorry for the delay. I do believe it comes on at 72, but I haven't had time to put the unit back in. I spent from 10am until 3PM detailing my car and didn't even get to the interior. It has been far too long since I did that. This weekend is full and I am starting my new job on Monday, so I am not sure how much time I will have before next weekend... I am working from home, so I might be able to fit it in to a lunch hour (to test the 72 thing).

As for the other shrouds, the one from smart auto has too much attached to it to be able to use it. It has wires coming from the bottom of the shroud - can't remember why at this point, but I think it was wiring to the DVD player. the Chinese unit from Australia has the shroud I tried to use, but it didn't work either. The plastic on that shroud is almost opposite of the p81 unit plastic, i.e. one is thick on the bottom and this on the top and the other is opposite, with the unit sitting comfortably. that is why I put the project on hold for a bit.

I decided at that point that even if I got one of those to work, no one else would buy two units to get one installed. I thought if I could talk an audio shop in to using my car as a guinea and doing mass production, we would be able to do a group buy at some point. I never got to have that discussion though, since I don't know any audio places in Ventura county (where I live).

I did already tell Power Acoustik (last summer, I think) that the unit works in the TSX, but they never responded to my email :-/

You guys have re-invigorated the project and my nav shroud will arrive on Tuesday. Since my unit is the older unit, my plug is pointing sideways like stock as opposed to straight out, like yours. Of course, I also have the skulls, but I kind of like it. Admittedly, it did cross my mind that I could purchase a new unit and sell this one, but instead I bought the external DVD player (to go in the glovebox) and the iPod cord.

Ok, I rambled long enough.