My iPad Mini install

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Lentsnh2012

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A good friend of mine showed me this guy on the West Coast that does iPad installs and it gave me the idea to try it myself. So I did.

I wasn't going to buy a $200 piece of fancy foam iPad tray with an Apple smartcover magnet glued on it, so I made my tray out of fiberglass.

First, I wrapped the Mini in Blue Painters tape and then started to mold the Mini in fiberglass. (that was very scary). While the fiberglass was still wet, I put in some neodymium magnets so that the iPad could "click" into the tray and stay there. This was the outcome:

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Next, I started to trim the factory radio bezel to make the tray fit nicely in the bezel. This was easily done and everything was held together with super glue and Goop, its kind of like a really strong rubber cement. This was with a little Bondo in the seams and lips that had to be all smooth. ***This was also my first version and has since been completely changed!!!***

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You're probably wondering, "Well, how do you listen to your music?!?!" Ah, see I planned that WAYYY before I even did the iPad tray. The Alpine deck is located in the trunk in that little cubby next to the stock sub (for you Pre-2004 peps!). It is all Bluetooth connected so that I can still use Apple maps, Pandora, iTunes, iTunes Music, iTunes Video and Youtube!

So, after running almost 200' of wire to the Metra interface to the Alpine deck in the trunk, it has been done and performs perfect! I will eventually get the steering wheel controls as well as the antenna extension so that whoever is driving my Yukon can still control and listen to music as they drive.

Also, if someone wants to use their music and not want to hookup to my Bluetooth, they can still plug in the AUX cord coming out of the cupholder and listen that way.

Here is a video of it in action!

http://s762.photobucket.com/user/Le...7B-2615-000001BDCB156D1E_zps9ea3720b.mp4.html
 

yates ™

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Why wouldn't you just put the radio in one of the openings in the console? :shrug:
 
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Lentsnh2012

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So basically ya gotta have like a hotspot app from phone for continuous Wi-Fi to operate Im assuming?
Looks sicc tho

No, I have Verizon service on my iPad that is on its own plan. But you can do something like that if you're locked with a Wi-Fi only iPad.

Having a HotSpot coming from your phone uses up a TON of data from you data plan.

Why wouldn't you just put the radio in one of the openings in the console? :shrug:

I thought about that, but I wanted to to stay clean and out of the way. Being that I RARELY listen to the radio or CDs now, I decided to put it in the trunk, set the settings to the way I want them and then control everything from my iPad.

But like I said, I'll probably get the steering wheel controller interface so that I can fine tune the volume and other things a little better. It's all being improved as it needs to be.
 

Labman2012

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That's a sweet idea and turned out really good. You could have put the CD player in the center console. Anyways this is an idea for me to leave in the back of my head for my tahoe. Thumbs up!
 
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Lentsnh2012

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That's a sweet idea and turned out really good. You could have put the CD player in the center console. Anyways this is an idea for me to leave in the back of my head for my tahoe. Thumbs up!


Putting the headunit in my center console was the original plan, however, the NBS Tahoe,Yukon,Esky's center console is too shallow for it to fit properly. That is for my Alpine headunit anyway.

With the headunit being in the trunk, it can be set and then eventually controlled via the steering wheel controls. But for right now, everything that deals with the radio is controlled with the iPad.
 

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