zax123

Hi guys,

So I installed the Drive+Play this weekend (also did the Comptech short shifter at the same time). Anyway, the D+P is INCREDIBLE!! I have attached some nice fuzzy pics from my cell-phone.

The controller in the cup-holder (I couldn't find any other color, so I'll paint the Belkin iDock that I used):


The display from the front (can't see the stand at all, looks like it's floating):


The display from the side (only made a tiny notch in the HVAC display):


The iPod mini snug in the armrest:


It works so well. It's so nice!!!

If you guys have any questions about the install, let me know!!

Rob

gt1

It looks excellent, but how does it sound? Can you hear an engine whine if you are playing a low volume track?
Noticed any bugs in D&P impementation? I think earlier you metioned that it doesn't support Unicode.

zax123

It sounds incredible (for MP3...). There is no noise whatsoever, and I am going from the D+P brain to my 4-to-4 AV switcher in the trunk and then back to a Blitzsafe adapter near the head unit. In terms of bugs, I haven't seen a single one yet. I don't have any songs (that I know of) with Unicode characters, so that issue hasn't become apparent. It wasn't me who mentioned it earlier.

I'm VERY happy with the unit. It looks awesome and doesn't block my view at all. The back of the dash is still higher than the top of the display unit.

jmbnova

How do you like the Short Shifter?

zax123

The SS from Comptech is sooo awesome! Feels like an arcade game or something. At first I wasn't sure if I was in gear or not cuz the throws are so short, but now I've gotten more used to it. All in all, two GREAT mods this weekend.

WildBill448

Is the display unit to the D+P removable? The reason I came to owning a TL in the first place is that my after market nav unit was stolen out of my car...after tearing open the convertible top and bending the top's frame to all heck. So I was just curious in your setup can you remove the display unit from the cradle it is in, or is it permanent? When I leave my car at night I want to make sure it looks completely factory and give them no reason to break in. Thanks for the info

zax123

The wire coming out of the display unit goes all the way to the D+P brain which I put behind the glove compartment. If they rip the display unit off the dash, they will tear the wire and the connector at the end of the wire is not a common connector, so repairing it would be difficult. Furthermore, the display by itself is worth NOTHING without the controller and the brain. The controller once again having a wire all the way to the brain, and the brain being hidden behind the glove compartment. Stealing just PARTS of a D+P would be completely useless. I used the 3M adhesive that Harman Kardon bundles with the D+P to fix the display to the dash, and made that small notch to pass the wire through. I didn't want to do more damage to the dash than I had to. Having said that, yes the display is removable, but it would be removable no matter what, it just matters how badly someone wants to remove it.

gt1

This more and more looks like a tempting option. I saw D&P on a store display and it was a well built piece of equipment. What do you think, is there a place for the controller where it wouldn't take away the cupholder?

zax123

Honestly, I thought about it and tried it all over, and that's really the best place for it... it's concealed and it's easy to reach. Otherwise, it would be hard to reach (if it was on the dash for example). I agree that it sacrifices a cupholder but it's not a big deal...

gt1

It depends on how much junk you carry

Toronto-TL

Nice job zax123!!!!

yohan81718

i remember driving my friend's civic si with short shifter and felt the same too... i had no idea whether i was in gear or not.. is it a good investment in your opinion?

zax123

I think the short-shifter is a great investment. Honestly I had a huge smile when I first pulled away in my car. It's a very cheap mod and a very effective one. Install is "fun". I've taken apart my center console quite a few times no, so it wasn't so bad going to extra mile to remove the whole transmission shifter assembly.

NFLblitze1

whats it like when u have a cup in the other cupholder? how hard is it to reach? is the controller portable? or is there a wire running from the cupholder? can u move it to the other cupholder if needed? more info and pics pleeeease


also

once again...another incredible job from Zax123 keep up the good work man...you should start your own thread with a bunch of pics

zax123

Yeah, I didn't think about accessibility with another cup in there. I would say that it would definitely be a bit more difficult, but the controller is surprisingly easy to use, it would still be possible with a cup in the other cup holder. I rarely have a cup in there, so I didn't worry too much, but I think it would be possible. The controller DOES have a wire coming out the bottom of it and I drilled a small hole at the bottom of the forward cupholder... so it's not very portable. It could have been in the other cupholder but then accessibility would have been difficult because of the armrest which would be in the way.

Thanks for the compliment, it was a fun project! I will try to keep my website up to date with pics. I'm just so busy these days, and now I've started a project to build my own house, so it's going to get nuts.

bh1906

it'd be nice to get some credit for some of the ideas on this install? :wink:

https://acurazine.com/forums/showpos...4&postcount=33

great job on the install

Acura_Enthusiast

I've had the HK unit for a week now, and have been able to play with different placements. (I'm awaiting the X3 unit from Logjam. I haven't had a good experience with them. I have to call for a status update every day, once I figured out they didn't have them in stock when I placed the order.)

In short, the display can be placed in several locations. I have a 2006 TL without navigation. The locations most of those on the forum have used are preferred. I particularly liked zax123's placement, by lowering the mount to the center, to bring the display closer to the dash. I can't unscrew my mount, which is VERY tight. I'm having it installed at Circuit City, so I'll have them try to loosen it.

The hardest part is finding a place for the control. I seriously looked at the cup holder. But if you use the cup holder for placement, any drink spillage or condensation will drip from the top cup holder to the bottom cup holder, and seep through the hole drilled for the cord, unless you caulk the hole. Another option is to put it between the seat warmer switches and back some. This didn't seem a good place to install for me.
Another option is to have a custom mount made and have the mount protrude from the silver trim by the radio. I haven't found anyone who can make such a mount, so I don't think I'll go with this option.

Instead, I'm going to try mounting it to the right of the turn signal, on the very top of the bottom plastic dash piece, which runs from the left to the right side, under the steering wheel. I figured I'd cut a hole below the HK controller for the X3 controller. This keeps both controls within reach, especially if you're going to use iPod and XM extensively. I was worried about mounting it, so I called Acura parts. GET THIS: The plastic piece below the steering wheel is $28 to replace! I can't get a Belkin cup holder for this price. The location is out of the way for all controls. The only disadvantage is that it doesn't mount exactly flush all the way around. With some positioning, I managed to find a couple spots where it wouldn’t be noticeable.

I also found another place for the display for those who are averse to drilling their dash. If you have a non-nav system, you can mount the display on either side of the clock, without drilling--if you can feed the display cord through the center vent. At the very least, you can drill a hole on the center vent section. The cost to replace the vent assembly is $55.

If I can ever get this X3 unit to my house, I'll run over and have it installed. For now, I wanted to see if anyone else had ideas for controller placement.

zax123

bh1906,

Sorry dude, your setup was definitely very helpful in helping me decide where to put things!!! Thank you for the detailed pics.

Acura_E, I actually considered the alternate places you mention but found a reason not to put it in each place... I've got long legs so I couldn't put the controller anywhere on the dash because I'd have to reach to get to it. In the cupholder, there's no reaching. That was a big criteria for me.

I thought of even putting it on the door, but running the wire would have been an insane pain in the butt. So in the end, I settled for the ubiquitous cupholder placement.

acuratl05tx

this sounds very interesting! plz post some pics when you get it installed. i'm wanting to purchase the D+P, but have been struggling with where to install the pieces. (unwilling to use up a cupholder.)

ozone

Another nice install! Congrats.

I have yet to hear anyone discuss how well the HK controller mimicks the native iPod clickwheel control? Is it smooth, intuitive, flawless navigation - or does it have some drawbacks?

Next, does the display give you everything the iPod display does in terms of menus and text? (minus the artwork, video, etc).

Acura_Enthusiast

It mimics the iPod, but not completely. It's a little slower than the iPod. You can't use chapters in audio books, or jump scan as you would be able to with a click wheel. (Although you can scan through the music using the wheel on the HK, which mimics holding the forward or backward buttons on the iPodclick wheel.) It doesn't allow you to rate songs, or view artwork. It doesn't have a play progress bar at the bottom.

SOME of the menus are allowed. Artist, Genere, Playlists, etc. are all replicated. This is a huge advantage over other units that allow 6 or 10 playlists. You can also set skip to songs, albumns, or off. That's about it. You can't view contacts, calendar entries, games, or other iPod preferences. You cannot select "all" songs by albumn, genere, or artist. The HK does have it's own settings for FM modulation, contrast, text size, etc. The display is much easier to read than one on a full-size iPod.

Some have complained about finding songs, but I belive this can be overcome by setting the menu skip size to a number that fits your library, and moving one at a time backwards or forwards.

The primary benefits are I/O access beyond anything else that's available, except for the iPod itself.

gt1

Do you think that a generic mount, like Proclip will not not work?

Acura_Enthusiast

Yes, I understand the frustration. I'm 6' 6", so I struggled with various options myself. The cupholder is the best place for accessibility and looks, but I wanted that cupholder!

Circuit City ended up installing the controller on the bottom panel, in the top right corner, with adhesive. I told him to drill it, but they said they'd change it if I desired. My knee only slightly touches it when I push the seat forward, which is too uncomfortable for me anyway. My wife is 5'2", and she doesn't have a problem with it either. We can both reach it easily--more easily than an iPod mounted to the right of the radio. The controller isn't fully flush with the dash, but it doesn't bother me like I thought it might.

The display is mounted on the same shelf as the clock. I have a non-nav vehicle, so the placement works great. He put the cord between the vent console and the dash, which looks like it's pinching the cable. Again, I would have drilled it, but they warranty the installation.

The X3 unit is mounted just under the dash. It's easily accessed, but not quite as convenient as mounting it on the dash or in the center console as some have. It can't be seen, but the button is easily found.

The X3 was mounted above and behind the stereo, and the HK unit was mounted on the passenger's left kick plate. I had them run an aux cable under the glove compartment to plug in aux devices. Didn't seem like there was enough room between seams on the glove compartment or the center console.

My wife has been patient with me all day, so I'll take pictures and post them tomorrow.

NOTE: It sounds incredible. I used the HK's FM modulation. As you might imagine, you loose deep sound, highs, lows, and get more static in comparision with the X3 to XM connection.

I'm very happy with the open space to the left of the ignition. I'll upload pictures tomorrow.

This would have worked well, too, if the plate was smaller. But I didn't want the installation to look too much like an add-on. Great products, though, I'll keep these in mind! I appreciate the suggestion. I looked for a products like these but couldn't find any until your post.

acuratl05tx

Looking forward to them! sounds like a nice install...

Acura_Enthusiast

See my comments above about the installation. The install has worked well. I can easily reach the controller. To switch between XM and HK, it takes me a couple seconds to find the button, but it's much easier than opening the dash or center console. The HK controller is easy to use, and doesn't get in the way. I plugged the AUX cable in the HK controller because it has the auto-switching feature.

No issues with XM bleed-through at lower volumes, but I have not tested at higher volumes.

zax123

Acura_E,

Wow, I like the placement of the controller... If you can reach it, that's great. I'm not sure I could reach it without having to lean forward in my seat, and I kinda don't like that idea. But I'll definitely try it. Would be nice to get back my cupholder, but not a requirement.

So you like the HK D+P? It's pretty awesome eh? I love it. I have it going straight to my Blitzsafe adapter now, so as soon as I turn on the car, music starts playing right away.

Acura_Enthusiast

Thanks. I can reach it comfortably. I do like the cupholder option, but wanted to keep both.

I guess I didn't do enough research. I didn't know the Blitzsafe RCA adapter was compatible with the TL, but I guess if the Bitzsafe with iPod adapter is, then the RCA adapter would be, too. I don't need the extra inputs, especially given the HK has an AUX input.

Can you use XM if you wish? Do you have a current subscription?

My HK comes on and plays when the car starts as well. However, I wish I could have the option to turn it off, so it doesn't autostart.

gt1

Just looking around the cockpit, I liked a spot on the left side of the dash, under the went, above the mirror controls. Is D+P controller cable long enough to install in this location?

Acura_Enthusiast

The cable will easily reach, and it was my first choice for installation. If you are confident the sticky pad will stay adhered to the grainy plastic or rubbery dash surface on hot days, then it's an excellent place. It's not a preferred location for a short-term solution if you expect to hard mount the controller. The expense of the replacement parts is higher.

zax123

I put the brain behind the glove compartment. With it there, the cable on the controller would be long enough for sure.

HJIN25

hey guys, I just had my mechanic install the DP 1 today, and he said there is no direct aux. input in our head unit. Seeing how somepeople are going for blitzsafe adapter or PIE X3, what exactly do I need other than DP1, if I want direct input? Some say, I need a module, but wasn't sure exact name for it. Also how would additional equipment connect to the head unit precisely if I don't mind disabling XM???

Really appreciate any answers in advance.

HJIN25

Sorry, after two hrs of searching, i found the thread....

datmrman

Is this information covered in the 3G TL Audio & Electronics FAQ? I'm always looking for ways to improve it.