Mike Jett's Mazda3 Blog

New plans for the future ...

2006-01-25T11:14:00.000-06:00

Well, I'm still very happy with my mac set up, but there are still a few things that I want to add in the near future and it seems that it's going to be getting easier in the future as well. Here's the list of what I want to get done in 2006:

1. Cell phone integration

this is a very big issue at the moment because I think it would be damn cool to use Blue Phone Elite and whenever I get a call it'll pause my music. I plan on using the Nokia N80

2. GPS

This is one of the main reasons why I installed the system. I get lost. a lot. so the sooner Garmin goes Mac Friendly the better. The link is to the press release about Garmin's new plans to have mac compatibility for all of their products by the end of the year.

3. Re-Wireing / better screen integration

Well, my wiring job wasn't the best and I'm getting some ground noise so I want to rewire everything this summer. It'll probably be around the time when I replace my speakers as well if I have to. I made the mistake of not putting shields over my speakers so I'm just waiting for them to crap out from water damage, but no problems so far. /knock on wood.

as for my screen, it was a thrown together mount anyway so I want to figure out a really clean and secure way to remount it. Maybe even get a bigger screen, who knows.

4. Voice Recognition

How cool would it be to just say "pause" and the music pauses. enough said.

5. A good front end!

The one I'm using now, iKarr, is okay, not amazing though. There's a new one being worked on as I type this which shows promise. Dash Run

6. Steering wheel controls

I haven't even attempted anykind of fix for this yet but I have some ideas (mostly busting apart a wireless remote and retrofitting it behind the current controls.)

Extra:

So the last thing I really want to get done on my car is some form of automation. I have no idea how it would work yet but idealy I would press one button and my windows would go down to a set point and my sunroof would slide into the "vent" position. It would be my "smoking mode" button and when I pressed it again to disengage it some kind of airfreshener would be released into the air as well and all the windows would close. I'm still thinking about the posibilities of this, if anyone has any ideas feel free to email me.

so that's that. I'll have more updates as I make more progress.
best of luck to anyone undertaking similar projects.

Things are still going well

2005-10-12T11:57:00.000-05:00

Well, I haven't posted since I came to college but I should say everything is running swimingly. Well, there are a few gripes that I need to fix. One, I need to find a way for the computer to start by it self when I turn the car on and go to sleep when I turn the car off. This can be done with the P1900, but I just haven't looked into it much. Also, my sound is a little funky still so sometime in the future I'll have to rerun my power and signal wires so they don't cross and give each other interference. Also, I need a new battery because right now whenever I turn the wheel of my car my sound drops or scratches. I think it's because there is so many things trying to pull power at once and there's just not enough to go around. So if the battery doesn't work then I'll get a cap for my amp. I'm also wanting to install some subs in a hidden sub box of some kind in the back of my hatch. All comes in time when the money is there I guess.

First road trip

2005-08-21T19:10:00.000-05:00

Well, I drove back to school a week ago and my Mac Mini was amazing, the sounds was great all the way down from arkansas and never had a single problem. I can't wait to get a new phone to work with my set up, now if only gas prices would go down so i could afford to drive more than once a week. also, here are a few things that I think a good frontend for the mac needs:

1. itunes integration
2. bluephoneelite integration
3. sleep/shutdown button (instead of having to go through the finder menu
4. gps integration
5. iPhoto itegration
6. LAN scanner integration (Kissmac/netstumbler)
7. DVD integration
8. Ability to skin the app

If I knew anything about programming and if I had a Mac in my room I would try and write something. Maybe in the near future....

FINISHED! for now....

2005-08-09T23:06:00.000-05:00

So as I promised here are some pics. The first one is my screen, in the dash with my Metra Dashkit which I got off ebay. I just cut out the pocket and some of the frame so that the screen would sit in there and then built a metal cage around the screen it self. I had originally planned to have two doors that slid out and closed in front of the screen but there wasn't enough space in the final build to put them in. Instead I'm just going to cut a piece of plastic and paint it that I'll be able to pop in that hole to cover it when I park my car downtown or in the parking garage at school. The second picture is my Valet switch. I can flip it off and my amp and screen won't turn on when I start the car. The third picture is the USB extension cable that I have running from my glove box through a hole cut in the bottom of the storage compartment. I have my Griffin Powermate pluged into that which I use as my volume knob. You can see it in the first picture under the emergency break. The next picture is my mini which I have installed in my glove box. All the wires run up through the back of the glove box as well as my P1900 which is between the firewall and the back of the glovebox.
The last two pictures are of my screen again. You can see how I keep it attached to the metal frame by use of electrical tape. This is just a temporary thing, I plan on fabricating a better frame some time down the line. The last picture was taken at night and shows off the iKarr interface that I'm using. It works great for changing songs while driving. The rest isn't fully functional yet but it's making good progress.

so that's that, I still have some work to do but forn ow it's perfect for what I want to do with it. My next purchase will be a new cell phone with bluetooth. I'll keep posting as I continue to upgrade my car.

I'm almost finished!

2005-08-04T22:28:00.000-05:00

well, I tried again with the amp today and it worked out really really well. My mac, screen and amp are all getting power now. All I need to now is install my speakers and the initial install will be done. In the future I hope to have the following things added to this system:

GPS Navigation (Once the mac gets a better GPS software)
Cell Phone Integration with the Motorola V635 and Bluephone Elite
Bluetooth keyboard (need the money for that sweet looking logitec keyboard I saw)
Steering wheel controls. (still devising a plan for this one.)

Pictures will be posted once the initial install is finished.

Pictures as promised ... and a second wind

2005-07-31T22:05:00.000-05:00

Okay, so to start with here are some pictures.

So those are some pictures of what has been done so far ... not much as it can be seen, but there is something I should bring up, before when I threw my hands in the air and decided to go get a pro audio place install my amp, i've changed my mind again. After talking to the guys over at Mazda3forums.com I'm going to give it another try. I'll be trying on wednesday to install it and then slowly working more as time becomse available. I will be done before August 13th though when I go to school. So yes, it should also be noted that the paint looks darker in person than it does in those pix and I also painted the back accent pieces.

it should be said now that i have no clue what i'm doing ....

2005-07-29T22:26:00.000-05:00

so it should be said now that I have no clue what I'm doing- I tried to install everything today and didn't get past the amp ... so tomorrow I'm calling every audio place in town short of Best Buy to see if someone will wire the power for my amp ... that's all i need to have done .... everything else I think I can figure out .... i hope ... pictures to come ...

daily updates ... haha .. whoops ...

2005-07-28T14:49:00.000-05:00

okay ... so i promised daily updates the other day and well ... that didn't happen, but the project is moving along very well. I have today and tomorrow off from work and I've been working since 10:00 a.m. this morning on the project. More pictures later after I format them for the web.

Everything is here ... almost ....

2005-07-25T10:43:00.000-05:00

Well, I have recieved everything, almost. Just need my P1900 which was shipped today so it should be here by wednesday. So here are the pictures I promised.

More pictures are going to be posted soon as I continue the fabrication of my dash kit, install the carputer and paint the accent pieces in my car.

This is just begining to heat up.

As far as the screen goes I took it out to the car and plugged it in and the brightness in the sun seemed great. I didn't get a chance to plug it into a computer yet but the menues were crisp and clear. It's branded as Super but as I said before, according to the mp3car.com forums it's just a xenarc in desguise.

Scheduled Installation Day

2005-07-23T11:40:00.000-05:00

Next thursday and friday are being cleared so I can complete my install. Just have to get my pieces in that I ordered and I'll be ready. Working on fabrication everything else this week. Pix to come.

I Don't Have a Screen!!! (yet)

2005-07-23T11:27:00.000-05:00

well, my screen is still sitting in lewisville, ky. It was shipped wednesday from hong kong via 2-day express on UPS and it's still not here. I'm not too happy. but oh well, I'v ordered my powersupply, so as soon as it and the screen arrives I will have everything. I received all my stereo stuff over the past two days. And the screen I got was an "Avatar" off of ebay, word over at the Mp3Car Forums is that these screens are nothing more than a rebranded Xenarc screen at over half the price. Mine was under $200 shipped. Can't wait for it to get here so i can test it out.

I also found a website that shows how to use molex connectors insted of a straight wireing job from the P1900 to my mini. link

Also, here is the ebay guy where I bought my screen. link

I have a screen!

2005-07-20T01:43:00.000-05:00

I have just ordered my new screen and hopefully it will be here friday with everything else. Once I recieve it I will post pictures of all my new stuff. The only thing I need to get now is the power supply, some molex connectors and a soldering iron. I'm hoping to order my power supply next week and be able to start my installation the following weekend. Going to request off work for the weekend right now actually..... and there. Wish me luck! more pictures once I get my stuff.

Progress continues ....

2005-07-16T20:52:00.000-05:00

Progress is moving forward well. I've ordered all of my stereo stuff the only things left to get are a good front end, a Carnetix P1900 Powersupply and a Touchscreen. I'm trying to decide between which touchscreen to get, either a Lilliput or a Xenarc. It'll probably come down to the money I have on hand when it comes time because there's a $100 difference. So anyway, things are going well. I have a Profile 1040 4-Ch Amp, Infinity Reference Components and Infinity Reference Coaxils coming, they should be here by friday. Also, a new Betty Page sticker to replac the one I lost when I went through a carwash. So stay tuned freaks and geeks the fun is just begining.

M

Reply to comment posted ...

2005-07-12T18:38:00.000-05:00

Anonymous said...

Hi, I just found your site. Great idea's. But how do you want to use the I-PAC thing? The software is OS 9!!

12:47 AM

Re: I checked out the software on my mini, ran fine and managed to set up a few hot keys with it, haven't tested it since I don't have the actual i-pac yet ... but we'll see if it works out.

more pix coming soon.

New Discovery

2005-07-11T16:20:00.000-05:00

So when I got started with this project I knew I was going to lose my steering wheel controls. Well, as it turns out I may not. I found this today: link. It will allow me to wire the controls of my steering wheel controller to this usb connector and still control my itunes. It's an amazing find in my eyes. I'm going to order the part after I order my screen and my powersupply. It's getting closer and closer everyday. I broke the $200 mark on ebay and still have some more stuff to post. So if all goes as planed next week I'll order my screen and monitor and all my stereo stuff.

Before Pictures

2005-07-10T00:06:00.000-05:00

This is my Mazda 3 which will be getting the upgrades. Her name is Betty. As in Betty Page and Betty Boop. My mazda is the only girl I need to get by.

This is the stereo which will be replaced with my touch screen.

This is the drivers side door. The panel around the window controls will be painted a dark crimson red, as are the silver around the circular airvents, the speakers and the buttons on the steering wheel.

You can see some of the things I listed above in this picture.

And now .... It starts

2005-07-09T13:07:00.000-05:00

This is the web log of a novice teenager in the ways of car electronics. Over the next few weeks I will be installing a Computer into my car. More specifically a Mac Mini into a Mazda 3. There will be pictures, rants, raves, tears and screams. I hope this will be fun for anyone who stumbles apon my page.