DIY hidden audio

I have been relentlessly bugging RossD, and I got some great ideas, but I wanted to see if anyone else had any experience with something like this. For the truck, I want the stereo to look like it originally did (and I have one to gut) but I want FM/AM/Aux and modern sound quality and I would love bluetooth hands free, just to be snazzy. I was even toying with the idea of a small tubular subwoofer to go behind the seat. I would use the left knob for volume and the right for tuning, and the buttons for changing between inputs. Or something like that.

I know that this stuff is available aftermarket stand alone as well as folks that will rebuild and retrofit, but I am trying to avoid the $300+ pricetag.

Ross sent me some links to amplifiers which can seemingly do most of this, but the actual operation of some of these units is a bit cloudy.

So this

http://www.parts-express.com/lepai-4x45w-mini-amplifier-with-remote-usb-mp3-media-card-fm--310-304

With this

http://www.parts-express.com/bt-1a-bluetooth-receiver-module-for-wireless-reception-of-bluetooth-audio-signals--320-353

Or something like that?

Has anyone done this and had it work well? I can skip on anything (notably bluetooth and AM) but it needs to be hidden, have no remote, and be something I can tear into to operate from my existing stereo.

and...

GO!

My current setup in the falcon is an amp under the seat that uses the factory AM radio power switch to turn on. I hid some 6" 3 way speakers in the kick panels. Right now I use a cable to my phone but I have 3 or 4 different cheap bluetooth receivers on their way from china to try out. These should power on with the amp and connect to my phone automatically. Then I can run winamp or pandora or whatever radio station app I want.

I am currently in it for about $40. It sounds decent but not particularly good. The speakers are crap I am afraid. It is better than nothing though.

The next step will be some sort of cheap low profile powered sub under the passenger side of the bench.

Oh, I forgot, no smartphone, so while I desire bluetooth hands free calling, I am in no way designing this thing to be controlled with a phone. All of these options seem to be geared towards playing music from the phone and having the car recieve it. I suppose that could work if I bought a MP3 bluetooth box, but I was thinking more like "USB stick under the seat".

well there goes my apple airport express and roku suggestion

I am also coming to the realization that it may be cheaper to buy a bluetooth receiver and then a bluetooth transmitting mp3 player; which is very weird.

Call Crutchfield and ask. Although you don't need a smartphone for Bluetooth.

Keith Tanner wrote: Call Crutchfield and ask. Although you don't need a smartphone for Bluetooth.

Other than an MP3 player or a Smartphone, what would play via bluetooth? I am hoping to have the music on a SD card or USB stick or such. If possible.

How about something like this guy?

http://www.mikroe.com/click/fm/

I'll bet my old phone would do it, and it wasn't smart. I never tried, streaming music over bluetooth isn't something I usually do.

My solution, which is almost 100% futureproof? I wired in a hidden amp and put a subtle 1/8" jack in the dash. I just plug my music source of choice into the jack and hit play. It's not as crazy sexy as trying to come up with a new application using technologies in ways that they aren't usually used, but it works with anything. Well, almost anything. A phonograph would likely need an in-line amp.

"USB stick under the seat" could work. Many new decks have a USB port where you can plug in a stick to play MP3s from. All you'd need is a USB extension cord.

A Bluetooth connection to a phone also doesn't mean it has to be controlled by the phone. It would work a lot like the USB stick, but without wires. Track control is part of the Bluetooth audio spec so controls would still be on the deck.

Would hiding a modern-looking deck in the glove box and having retro controls in the normal location be acceptable?

How old is the truck? Is the current radio shaft mount or DIN? You mentioned left and right knobs, which sort of implies shaft mount, but didn't specify.

Assuming you do have a shaft mount, do you listen to the radio more or stored music more. If you are a radio guy the cleanest easy way is to get a Volvo or Nissan OEM shaft mount stereo from the 80's with the separate tape deck. Convert the tape deck input on the stereo to an aux in and add music player of choice.

Less clean looking is one of these http://m.ebay.com/itm/111251104292?nav=SEARCH&sbk=1 I have one in my wife's Nova and while it could use more volume it doesn't completely suck, particularly for the price.

If you can get past your issue with no remote, or modify the remote to be controlled by the switches in your gutted stereo, my current favorite option is a DVD player and rear view mirror or visor with a screen in it. They all play mp3s, and a single DVD will hold a huge library of them, and most have aux inputs for games. Buy a cheap back seat one if you don't need radio, buy a dash one if you do. Mount it under the seat or whatever and the screen in the mirror will be your display.

tuna55 wrote: How about something like this guy? http://www.mikroe.com/click/fm/

How is that thing supposed to work? It seems to be some sort of daughter-board meant to be plugged into a motherboard of some type (and described as such in the PDF), but what type?

Right now, I'm leaning towards the "amp with a 1/8" aux port" option for the Mini since the current set-up works like crap. Then plug in my smarty phone.

Keith Tanner wrote: My solution, which is almost 100% futureproof? I wired in a hidden amp and put a subtle 1/8" jack in the dash. I just plug my music source of choice into the jack and hit play.

This sounds like it might be the most painless, but I would really like the knobs to control the volume and such.

oldopelguy wrote: How old is the truck? Is the current radio shaft mount or DIN? You mentioned left and right knobs, which sort of implies shaft mount, but didn't specify. Assuming you do have a shaft mount, do you listen to the radio more or stored music more. If you are a radio guy the cleanest easy way is to get a Volvo or Nissan OEM shaft mount stereo from the 80's with the separate tape deck. Convert the tape deck input on the stereo to an aux in and add music player of choice.

This is the radio, and I want it to look exactly like this when it's done.

GameboyRMH wrote: "USB stick under the seat" could work. Many new decks have a USB port where you can plug in a stick to play MP3s from. All you'd need is a USB extension cord. A Bluetooth connection to a phone also doesn't mean it has to be controlled by the phone. It would work a lot like the USB stick, but without wires. Track control is part of the Bluetooth audio spec so controls would still be on the deck. Would hiding a modern-looking deck in the glove box and having retro controls in the normal location be acceptable?

The Glovebox is tiny and made of cardboard, so it's not likely. Under the seat, sure, but I don't know how you're going to control it down there.

Ian F wrote:

tuna55 wrote: How about something like this guy? http://www.mikroe.com/click/fm/

How is that thing supposed to work? It seems to be some sort of daughter-board meant to be plugged into a motherboard of some type (and described as such in the PDF), but what type? Right now, I'm leaning towards the "amp with a 1/8" aux port" option for the Mini since the current set-up works like crap. Then plug in my smarty phone.

I don't know how it's supposed to work, that's what I need to know. I can solder, so if I got boards like that I could solder them together with my pots in the existing radio and make something happen.

But, sadly, it seems the 'amp with fm/am' is the hot ticket. I still have to figure out how to control it.

tuna55 wrote:

GameboyRMH wrote: "USB stick under the seat" could work. Many new decks have a USB port where you can plug in a stick to play MP3s from. All you'd need is a USB extension cord. A Bluetooth connection to a phone also doesn't mean it has to be controlled by the phone. It would work a lot like the USB stick, but without wires. Track control is part of the Bluetooth audio spec so controls would still be on the deck. Would hiding a modern-looking deck in the glove box and having retro controls in the normal location be acceptable?

The Glovebox is tiny and made of cardboard, so it's not likely. Under the seat, sure, but I don't know how you're going to control it down there.

I was thinking you could make a retro-looking remote control panel in the original location. Some soldering would probably be involved.

oldopelguy wrote: my current favorite option is a DVD player and rear view mirror or visor with a screen in it. They all play mp3s, and a single DVD will hold a huge library of them, and most have aux inputs for games. Buy a cheap back seat one if you don't need radio, buy a dash one if you do. Mount it under the seat or whatever and the screen in the mirror will be your display.

Explain.

GameboyRMH wrote:

tuna55 wrote:

GameboyRMH wrote: "USB stick under the seat" could work. Many new decks have a USB port where you can plug in a stick to play MP3s from. All you'd need is a USB extension cord. A Bluetooth connection to a phone also doesn't mean it has to be controlled by the phone. It would work a lot like the USB stick, but without wires. Track control is part of the Bluetooth audio spec so controls would still be on the deck. Would hiding a modern-looking deck in the glove box and having retro controls in the normal location be acceptable?

The Glovebox is tiny and made of cardboard, so it's not likely. Under the seat, sure, but I don't know how you're going to control it down there.

I was thinking you could make a retro-looking remote control panel in the original location. Some soldering would probably be involved.

What I want to find is someone who has open-source-hardware'ed the control. I can't see myself breaking open any of the tiny remotes that I have seen and doing anything useful with them. What I want is a board I can grab pins from, one for volume, one for on/off, one for radio presets, one for tuning, whatever. I can definitely make something happen from there.

Would be cool to turn one of those preset buttons on the original radio into a USB port, and make the thumb drive look like one of the preset buttons. Not helpful for the actual issue at hand, just a thought.

• Lee

The remote is one option but I was thinking some kind of hardwired control, having to replace batteries in a non-mobile device is silly..many modern decks have a wired remote control port meant to hook up to a steering wheel control adapter...see where I'm going with this?

Each button on the remote is just a switch of some sort making electrical contact. Take the remote apart and for each button you want to use you solder on a couple of wires to a different switch and it'll work the same. You could do it with the head unit itself but mess up a remote and you still have a stereo, mess up the stereo and you have nothing.

As to the DVD player, add one of these http://m.ebay.com/itm/261365592313?nav=SEARCH&sbk=1 http://m.ebay.com/itm/271368665082?nav=SEARCH&sbk=1

to one of these http://m.ebay.com/itm/331102698672?nav=SEARCH&sbk=1 http://m.ebay.com/itm/390657312777?nav=SEARCH&sbk=1

The head until can do everything you want and can be mounted anywhere since you will be using the mirror for the display screen. Turned off there's nothing to see, turned on you can listen to almost anything or watch a movie and control it all with the remote.

One more option is a regular head unit with a marine wired remote. The marine remotes come in all sorts of shapes and sizes, from turn signal stalks to 2" gauge pods and all sorts of squares and rectangles in between. Even if the configuration isn't right often the screen is smaller and there are fewer buttons if you want to adapt the parts into your head unit.

Going in a completely different direction, Dayton Audio sells a kit with a mini amp and 2 "exciters". Basically turn any surface into a speaker. Easy to hide. http://rcm-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=alesoddotcom-20&o=1&p=8&l=as4&m=amazon&f=ifr&ref=ss_til&asins=B002N6QRVU