iPad mini install/integration. In-dash, late model 996.

[pfbz]

iPad mini install/integration. In-dash, late model 996.

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I've documented some of the work I've done installing an iPad mini into my '04 996 in several threads on a few different forums... I'm putting the information here in its own thread as well. Sorry if it seems a bit discontiguous, much of this is cut and paste. ----------- Here's what I'm doing:   Relocate HVAC to lower slot in lower center console. Relocate head unit to upper slot in lower center console. Replace head unit with Pioneer single din with USB input and enough charging cur

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• Author
  pfbz
• Category
  Carrera (996) - Mods
• Submitted
  02/05/2013 10:40 AM

 

[le bouch]

Thanks for taking the time to post this - I've been waiting for someone to do it! I've got a '99 C2 with the single din cupholders in slot 1, single din usb Pioneer in 2, cubby hole in 3 and hvac in 4.Obviously I'd have to lose the cupholders and I need to check whether my Pioneer can power an iPad - it juices my iPhone no problem but I know you need a higher output for the iPad. Do you use your iPad to play back music stored on it? How easy is it to remove from the car and take indoors to sync, etc? Thanks - looking forward to any updates!

[le bouch]

I did actually paragraph that but posting from an iPad seems to remove the formatting. Grrr.

[Loren]

I did actually paragraph that but posting from an iPad seems to remove the formatting. Grrr.

Use the iPad browser here - no need for mobile mode.

[le bouch]

I did actually paragraph that but posting from an iPad seems to remove the formatting. Grrr.

Use the iPad browser here - no need for mobile mode.

Hmm. I'm using the stock Safari browser on an iPad 3 - I'm in 'full' mode, not 'mobile'.

[le bouch]

TestTestTest

[le bouch]

All three words were paragraphed then Lauren. Go ahead and delete by all means :-)

[pfbz]

Thanks for taking the time to post this - I've been waiting for someone to do it! I've got a '99 C2 with the single din cupholders in slot 1, single din usb Pioneer in 2, cubby hole in 3 and hvac in 4. Obviously I'd have to lose the cupholders and I need to check whether my Pioneer can power an iPad - it juices my iPhone no problem but I know you need a higher output for the iPad. Do you use your iPad to play back music stored on it? How easy is it to remove from the car and take indoors to sync, etc? Thanks - looking forward to any updates!

Sorry for the late reply...

While the ipad can be removed relatively easily (pop off the horseshoe trim), my installation is designed primarily to leave it in place...

Power: The iPad mini takes significantly less power to run and charge than the full size iPad. On par with the iPhone 5, and my pioneer puts out plenty power to the iPad mini to keep it charged while running as well as charge it. Slightly slower than a wall outlet, but no need to remove it for charging. The only time it is a problem is if you let it run 100% out of power (with the radio off). The mini will then will not power up until it recharges for 15 minutes or so from the Pioneer. My mini is 'jailbroken' and I use an application called activator to unsleep/unlock when it gets USB power (when the ignition/radio are turned on) and sleep/lock when it loses USB power, when the ignition turns off. I also have it set to never sleep, so the only way to really run it 100% out of power is to intentionally turn it on with the car off and forget to turn it back off.

As a side note, I tested quite a few different head units to verify how well they charged/worked with the iPad mini. All the new pioneers worked great. The new blaupunkt charged fine, but could not operate in data mode with the iPad. None of the Alpine's I tested had enough charge current for the iPad mini. Clarion's had enough charge current, but some had difficulty with music playback with the ipad. At ~$180 street price, the Pioneer DEH-X9500BHS seems hard to beat. I especially like that I can match the display and button colors to match the rest of the Porsche amber lighting making it look a bit more OEM.

Syncing: When I pull the car into the garage, it picks up my house wifi. The iPad can sync music, download updates, and back itself up all over wifi, so again, no need to ever really take it out of the car. But there is one little glitch in my plan.... Lets say I want to download a bunch of updates in the garage. I don't want to leave the ignition on, so I'll turn on the ipad manually with no usb power and tell it to download all the updates. If I forget to go turn it off after an hour or so, it will keep running till the battery is gone, then I won't have iPad access for 15 minutes or so when I next get in the car.

Extension USB cable: I just made a minor modification to my setup to help out.... On one side, the iPad cable plugs directly into the USB port on the back of the Pioneer, the other side is hidden behind the dash trim. What I just did was connect a USB extension cable to the back of the pioneer, and join the extension cable and iPad cable just behind the little carpet trim panels on either side of the lower front console, just tucked out of sight. Now if I want to plug the iPad into a cigarette adapter for continous charging when downloading, or even plug it into my computer, I can easily do it by untucking the wires, disconnecting the ipad, then using another USB extension cable to connect either to my mac, cigarette lighter, whatever.

Edited February 21, 2013 by pfbz

[gt3m]

Great diy. Looks like you put a lit of thought into this. Thanks.

[pfbz]

A few more pics from yesterday...

It is working superbly. Get in, turn the key, instant pandora streaming with no swipes, buttons, selections.

(click pictures for higher res)

OFF.

ON.

[RichTJ99]

I am having a hard time deciding on if i should go with a ipad or regular alpine unit with nav?

[thonglor]

Now what would be a cool addition is to combine this with a rear view camera. There is a model that transmits the signal per WiFi connection. It's powered-up (and down) via the reversing light.

Here's the link - sorry, only in German, but it's just about the principle:

<klick>

Fyi: I found your article so interesting that I have posted a link to the DIY article on the German Porsche Friends Forum ( <here> )

Edited May 9, 2013 by thonglor

[pfbz]

No problem posting the link... Happy to answer any questions the group might have, though I'll need to use google translate if they ask in german!

As for the back up camera, I love the idea but I believe that if you use wifi to connect to the camera, it will effectively turn off the 4G data connectivity... definitely a problem. Bluetooth would be a better solution, but Apple is very particular about its bluetooth connections and won't allow the iPad to connect to unsecure bluetooth data devices.

Happy to try and figure it out if anybody can loan the device! :D

[thonglor]

You are right, the camera needs an ad-hoc connection and for this it's neccessary to shutdown the 4g data connection. This switch takes time and adds inconvenience... So, this idea needs mor fine-tuning or other products, I couldn't find a Bluetooth (yet), I guess because of your mentioned particularity of Apple about their Bluetooth protocol.

However Apple mentined that they're going more into the car integration, see the link below. Maybe there will be new features to build a rear view camera or sth. similar...

http://9to5mac.com/2013/04/30/in-ios-7-apple-wants-to-own-your-cars-console-with-maps-and-siri-integration/

And thanks for your replies in the German forum :-) In Germany Apple stuff is almost 30% more expensive than in US, that's a pity...

[thonglor]

Hi pfbz,

another thought on the LTE vs. WiFi iPad is: if one has an iPhone anyway or any other device that can act as a hot spot then one could also use a WiFi, non-LTE iPad and connect via Personal Hotspot if Internet is required. Then again, maybe a power supply is needed for the iPhone, otherwise it will be drained quickly. Then again, in Germany one time filling up a 911 with gas costs as much as the delta between iPad WiFi and iPad LTE... ;-)

[pfbz]

Hi pfbz,another thought on the LTE vs. WiFi iPad is: if one has an iPhone anyway or any other device that can act as a hot spot then one could also use a WiFi, non-LTE iPad and connect via Personal Hotspot if Internet is required. Then again, maybe a power supply is needed for the iPhone, otherwise it will be drained quickly. Then again, in Germany one time filling up a 911 with gas costs as much as the delta between iPad WiFi and iPad LTE... ;-)

I do have an iPhone, and have also set that up (through jailbreak) to act as a hot spot... It works, but it seems a bit clumsy for what I want. Take the phone out of my pocket, turn the hot spot on, plug in the phone to a second power line to ensure I don't kill my batteries running it as a hotspot, and then undo it all when I get where I'm going. Far better than not having any wifi integration in the car, but not nearly as seemless as an iPad with built in LTE.

[dave_fs]

Hi pfbz,

Thanks very much for all the effort you put into this great DIY! I am planning to follow this on my '03 996 as it seems to provide the best of all worlds. But before I get started I do have one question. How is the satellite reception for nav. apps with the iPad embedded in the dash? Or did you somehow add a supplemental GPS antenna and if so, how?