DVD install attempt
 

Okay, guys. I have a long vacation drive coming up in the first week of June, so I decided to undertake the task of getting my navi unit to play DVD's for the trip. Normally, I would have had someone do the install for me but after spending money on all the parts, I don't want to spend any more on labor. I had already ordered a USA-Spec Hon3 a few weeks ago for my iPhone and ended up installing it myself (I couldn't be patient and wait for help). It went well and has given me the courage to try to do the DVD install myself as well. I hope it goes well- I'm a little anxious that I'm going to get in over my head and will get frustrated. :run::hide: But I got the USA-Spec installed and it's working great, looks great, and I've decided to give it a shot! I have a friend from work that has a little bit of car audio experience and he's going to give me a hand.

I'm here for a little guidance, but also to ask if anyone out there would be interested in me putting together a DIY? I've been looking around on the site and most of the ones I've seen are outdated/lacking good pictures or cover a multitude of tasks (cameras, etc..) making it slightly confusing. I would do a DIY from start to finish of the install (except for the USA-Spec because it's already done- I could cover it a little bit though) for JUST the DVD player. I'm not doing a backup camera at this point. Would anyone be interested in another DIY?

I also wanted to check with everyone out there and make sure I had everything I needed. Here's a list of my parts:

1. USA-Spec PA15 Hon3 audio interface (already installed and purchased on amazon)
2. Myron and Davis AD212 dvd player with cords and remote (purchased used on ebay)
3. Navtool video interface (purchased on ebay)
4. Niles MF1VF IR Remote Extender (link) (purchased on crutchfield dot com)
5. SPST Rocker Switch (link) (purchased on radioshack dot com)

Is that everything I will need for the install???

My plan is to install the DVD player in the trunk. I considered putting it in the dash or the rear armrest, but I don't want to hack up my car. I want to keep my glovebox as is and to be honest I haven't heavily considered putting it under the seat. For this reason, I bought the IR remote extender which I plan to run through the car to the center console cubby hole. This will allow me to control the DVD functions with the remote while the player itself is in the trunk. The only time I will have to get out of the car is to switch DVD's, but I'm willing to deal with that so keep my car whole. Ideally I would like to have the DVD player in a reachable spot but I'm willing to deal with just having to switch DVD's. It will also keep everything looking factory. :thumbsup: I MAY mount the DVD player on the trunk floor right being the rear seat passthrough so that it will be accessible by a passenger if I want to change DVD's on the fly. They can simply reach through the passthrough and switch DVD's.

Thoughts/questions/comments? Let me know if I'm missing anything, what you think about my plan, and if anyone is interested in a DIY. I'm a pretty thorough and detail oriented person (in case you couldn't tell by my super long post about absolutely nothing :tomato:), so it would be a pretty solid DIY and it won't be a half-assed job.

Let me know!

Thanks,
Jayson

Jayson, everything looks great.
:thumbsup:

I'm assuming the navtool came with the necessary wires and hook ups to attach to the nav unit in the trunk?
having the dvd player in the trunk will make the install a breeze as you dont have to fish the wire throughout the car

There is one guy on the forum, can't recall his name but he put in the console underneath his navi system. So you know we have 2 slots, one is the cigarette and then top is by itself, one by put the dvd in there.

Okay, good. Thanks for the confirmation. Haha, that's what I'm assuming too! :tomato: It's supposedly 100% "plug n' play" so I'm pretty sure that it will come with everything that I need. The only thing I'm remotely anxious about is tapping my power source. The USASpec was plug and play, so I didn't have to tap any electrical power, and I'm assuming the Navtool will be the same way. So I will just have to tap a power source for the dvd player itself. Thoughts on where to do it? I'm thinking the accessory outlet in my center console. I put my USASpec hub in the empty space beneath from center console cup holders, so I have to get under there anyway to run my audio. Can you tap a power source in the back where the nav brain is?

Yeah, I think it was rockefeller. I've seen his post and it looks great, but he hacked the crap out of his car and I'm just not willing to do that. It would be awesome, but I need to keep my car as is. I debated about hacking up the armrest but decided not to do that either. So it's gonna go in the trunk unless someone can convince me that under the front seat is a good place for it.

Under your seat has the motor and heating units for the car, its a tight squeeze. Also when your going to clean your car you would have to be careful not to damage it

NavTool needs power.
You can tap it at the drivers side fusebox and run a line back or you could tap a power source already in the trunk. I ran a line from the fusebox. Get an Add-A-Fuse unit and tap #32 ACC.
NavTool also lets you install a backup cam, although you may have to make modifications to make the camera fit, depending on what unit you buy.
Search for "Dom's Nav" for more info.

You can hook up the navtool in the trunk fairly easily. Did you get the plug and play version? In either case, you will have to run a power wire, ground wire and extend the switch it comes with. You can run a power wire from the center console to the rear of the car under the carpet and under the rear seat to the trunk. You can use this wire for your DVD player and as well the Nav-Tool. Furthermore you can ground the nav-tool and the dvd player to the factory ground point in the trunk. As far as the switch, it's very easy to extend and all you have to do is put your switch in place of the included one.

As far as DVD player placement. you can screw it into the rear deck so its up a bit higher so it's easier to put DVD's in. I had mine there for quite a while and secured it with some brackets from home depot that were plasti-dipped.

For an AUX input I used a Y cable on the main input for the dvd player and plugged in Y connectors into the USASPEC and ran one set to the dvd player and the other goes to an AUX plate.

FYI NEVER tap any power that goes to the navi drive as a simple short can ruin a 2K navi drive!

I can understand your want to not hack up anything and that's perfectly fine. Just be sure to "measure twice" and cut once!

here is my dvd setup
https://acurazine.com/forums/picture...ictureid=18505
i used the navtool along with the peripheral pxamg for dvd sound and ipod integration. i tapped into the nav unit power source for the navtool using t-taps (in the navtool install instructions it states what color wire to tap into), and yes you will need to extend the wires for the switch. the hardest part for me was taking apart the glove box to modify it for the mounting brackets and so it can allow the glove box to close without any obstruction.

I may tap a power source from the trunk to limit the amount of wire I need to run. It seems more straight forward to me. Hopefully I'll be able to figure it out. Sounds like I need to get some wire and wire tapping supplies.

*EDIT - I may not run the trunk power source now that I reread the posts by you and csmeance. It sounds like it may be easier and safer to run power from the fusebox. Even if I have to run extra wire.

I would like to add a backup camera eventually but I think I may hold off a bit longer. I need to install this quickly and didn't want to hassle with the camera at this point.

Okay, great. I did buy the 100% plug and play version, so it sounds like I just need to run the power source. It sounds like I can run the Navtool and the DVD player from the same power source? I just hook up a power wire for them both and run the same ground? Where is the best power source? Should I do it from the fuse box like DWB suggested or is there a power source in the trunk itself? Extending the switch seems straightforward enough. Just splice the wires to extend them and then run it through to the front? (I’m putting it by the VSA and mirror controls by the steering wheel).

I’m pretty set on my DVD placement I think. I’m just going to mount it to the floor of the trunk right being the center seat passthrough. That way all I have to do is have someone open the pass through and they can load the DVD’s from there. I know it’s not the cleanest or fancy way to do it but I feel like it’s my best option for ease of use and concealment.

Regarding the audio input: can you explain that to me again? I understand what a Y connector is. So you plugged the single end of the Y connector into the USASPEC(?) and with the Y end you plugged one into the DVD player and the other into an AUX plate? What’s an AUX plate?

Thanks for the tip on tapping power from the navi drive. That is honestly what I had in mind and you probably just saved my skin. THANK YOU!!! So with that information, would you suggest the fuse box like DWB suggested?

Thanks for all the help! Especially csmeance and DWB! These few posts have helped a lot already!

EDIT* Any suggestions about what additional supplies I should buy? Splicers, wire, connectors, ect?? I know a middle-of-the-project wallyworld run is inevitable, but I'd like to try to avoid it if possible.

That looks really good and very clean! However, I'd like to keep the storage of my glovebox. Thanks for the ideas though!

Good tip. Thanks! I didn't think about cleaning. :thumbsup: I think I'm going to do it in the trunk.

Holy shit, json! I just saw you are in B'more.
SharksBreath will be riding up to Shrewsbury on Sunday and we will installing his HID reverse lights. You can tag along and we can put it in together, if you'd like some assistance. PM me if interested.

no problem :thumbsup:

You have PM!

Is this what I want????

http://www.amazon.com/Bussmann-BP-HH.../dp/B000GKEXK2

How many?

Help!!
 

Okay, guys. Need a little help here. I was able to get everything up and running, and it works like a charm! BIG THANKS TO DAVE (dwb933). THIS MAN IS FREAKING AWESOME AND I COULDN'T HAVE DONE IT WITHOUT HIM. HE REPRESENTS WHAT ACURAZINE IS ABOUT!!! The only thing I wasn't able to get working was my remote eye extender (it just won't pick up a signal... I don't know why :whyme: :annoyed:). I guess I can live without it. Whatever. I don't want to hassle with waiting for a new one and then running more wires. Maybe when I add my sound deadening in the future. But I digress.

My question is: When I run the DVD's off of just the battery (acc mode) it looks GREAT. Much better than I expected it to. I was extremely pleased with the picture. Until I started the car. For some reason, when the car is running my picture quality suffers. A lot of horizontal line dancing... if that makes sense (?) It's got to be some sort of interference with the engine running. I hope I explained it well enough but something tells me is a common problem and you guys will know what the problem is. IS THERE ANYTHING I CAN DO TO FIX THIS?!?! Thanks for the help, guys!

Where do you have the power wire connected? Also, double check your ground to make sure you're getting good metal-to-metal contact.

Well, my power is running from the fuse box (#32 ACC), but it's connected to the wire in the trunk. I ran a wire from the fuse box to the trunk to power my NAVTOOL, so I just used that same wire and connected both my dvd player and NAVTOOL. So they're running off the same power source.

I think my ground is okay? Maybe... I used a ring style wire connector and attached it in the trunk to the factory ground location. I had one small problem though - my ring connector wasn't large enough for the factory ground bolt to go through it, so I had to attach it to the metal piece that prevents the factory ground bolt from rotating once it's tightened. Does that make sense? On the factory ground bolt there is a washer with a "hook" that sticks in a hole in the metal of the trunk. Basically it just keeps anything from rotating. Well I just put that "hook" through my ground and tightened it down. I definitely have metal to metal contact, but it's just not quite as good as it would be if I could have gotten that bolt through my ring connector. EDIT*** Maybe the paint of the metal is preventing my ground from being as good as it could be?? I didn't think about that at the time. Today I will probably go buy a larger ring connector and try to attach my ground on the factory bolt.

Hope that made sense! Thanks for the help!

I use to have lines when my bass would hit but I had to separate my power wire from my video cable. Also I would recommend a quality RCA video cable for less interference. Hope this helps!

Sorry I can't help with your picture issue, but I'm thinking of doing the same install...

Could you give us a breakdown of what each item cost you?


Thanks and GL with the fix!

^google all the the items.
you can get a feel for the pricing....each item will be different as people can score used items for really really really cheap.

you'll need:
- some sort of dvd player, myron & davis seems to be the popular choice
- doms nav2go or something similar.
-isimple, or P.I.E x3
-wires, and whatever else you need to complete the install.

Looking like sex, DM.

and I didnt know your ride is 6MT, its much moar cooler now!

Hmm... my lines are pretty constant. They're not awful and I could live with it but it's definitely not as clean as it is when running off just the battery. I'm not sure what you mean exactly by running your power and video cable separate, but I'm pretty sure I'm doing that. My video cable is a used JLaudio video cable, so that could have something to do with it... I may try to pick up a new one... but the cable works great when the engines not running. Could it be more susceptible to interference because it's old?

I can't see the picture. :whyme: Stupid work firewall. What is it? :tomato:

what he means is to maybe run one cable down one side and run the other down another side. you're picking up interference from the engine, due to bad ground, or unshielded wire. running them separately on opposite sides might fix the problem.


a pic of his dvd player in the cubby hole, showing off his nice install. it doesnt look hacked up at all.

Ah, okay, I understand. Well, the problem I see with that is that I obviously have to run the power cord and video cord both to the dvd player. So they're going to have to be together at some point. I will try to redo my ground, buy a better video cable, and keep the wires as far apart as possible and see where that gets me.

Ah, thanks for the explaination, Justin. :thumbsup: I wish I could have done something like this but I didn't want to do any more cutting than necessary. The only cutting I did was for my switch and to run wires through my trunk floor cover.


Any more tips about what my video quality problem could be, guys?! Thanks!

Thanks for the kind words, Jayson! It was a fun day.
Sounds like a bad ground. Check it again---maybe try pulling the entire OEM ground "star" out, put your ring terminal in, then put the star over top and tighten down.
Also, you might try another video cable.
Finally, Google for "Big 3 Ground Car Stereo". It basically explains how to upgrade the factory grounding straps (Battery, transmission and chassis) to troubleshoot problems like you are having.
My screen displays some lines, too. It seems to happen more when I have the music turned up, so I know its a ground issue. The Big 3 is on my ToDo list!

Dave, yet again you are the freaking man. I enjoyed it as well. I'm going to keep you in mind for any future installs I do and if you ever need a set of hands let me know!

Okay, I'll give my ground a cable a shot for sure. The Big 3 sounds interesting, but involved. I'll give it a read. Thanks again!

its not that involved......
its probably the same skill set as your dvd install.

Your ground cable should be fastened to the frame, independently, using a self-tapper on a spot in which the paint has been ground down to the steel and cleaned with a solvent. Don't bother with a ring tong, generously wrap the conductor strands about the threading and crank dat shit.

It's the only way to fly (in a car :D )

The factory ground is no good? Efff.

I can't imagine that just running the Navtool and DVD player is that exhaustive. I think how I did my ground might need to be redone. Thinking back, I'm pretty sure I attached it to a place with too much paint. The metal to metal contact is probably lacking. We'll see!

No, but reducing any source of variability / failure mode is always a good practice.

Touche. Thanks for the tip!

This will solve your problem as i also encountered the same thing with my install. The picture is clean with acc power only but once i start the car lines would appear. I stripped my wire about an inch and wrapped it a little bit on the bolt and tigthened it down.

Excellent! Thanks!

Happy to report that I changed my ground wire and RCA video cord and everything is working perfectly. I put all the trim and covers back on tonight and was extremely pleased with how everything went. I'm not sure if it was my ground wire or RCA video cord that was the problem, but I was able to fix both and didn't have to spend any more money. :thumbsup: Thanks for the help, guys.

Well done, buddy.

happy thread is happy thread.