Hack28.Install a Motorized Fold-out Screen


Hack 28. Install a Motorized Fold-out Screen

Motorized fold-out screens are relatively easy and noninvasive to install.

If you don't have room in your dashboard to mount a screen, already have a factory screen that only does navigation, or don't want your screen visible when you're not using it, a head unit with a motorized video screen (as shown in Figure 3-9) may be your solution. Due to the continual miniaturization of electronics, it's possible to fit a 7" touchscreen, a DVD player, and a standard radio receiver head unit into a single-DIN(the size of a normal car radio) enclosure.

Figure 3-9. A compact fold-out screen


Installing a head unit with a motorized video screen is as straightforward as installing a new head unit. The only difference is that there are a couple of extra wires you need to connect.

Some of these screens have a built-in DVD player; others are "DVD-ready" and connect to an external DVD component. In the U.S., however, none of these players are supposed to play DVDs when the car is in motion. In order to prevent this playback, all of the units have a wire that tells the DVD player when the car is in motion.

Professional installers are supposed to connect this wire to something that supplies 12V only when the car is safely stoppedi.e., when the transmission is in park or the emergency brake is on. The emergency brake is commonly used for this purpose, because it is easy to find and connect to.

If you are going to use your in-car computer to display track and title information, just like your existing head unit does, then you may not need to disable the video input when the car is moving to remain in compliance with traffic laws. However, even if I were a lawyer, I wouldn't give legal advice in a book on hacking your carit's up to you to stay legal and, more importantly, safe to yourself and others.


Other wires that need to be routed correctly are the audio and video inputs. Since you are probably installing the head unit as a display for an in-car computer, you need to run shielded video and stereo audio cables from the computer to the head unit.

Depending on the features of your fancy new head unit, it may have four audio outputs, or even six-channel surround sound with an optical digital audio output. When you upgrade to a DVD player head unit (or any higher-end head unit, for that matter), you often need to add an amplifier. This is because while most factory and less-expensive ($250300) aftermarket head units usually have an integrated amplifier that can connect directly to your car speakers, higher-end units expect to connect to an external two-, four-, or six-channel amplifier. For more on surround sound and upgrading your amplifier, read "Put Multi-Channel DVD Surround Sound in Your Car" [Hack #39].

While some of the high-end head units with fold-out screens have touchscreen features, don't expect to be able to use these to control your computer. The touchscreens in the head units from manufacturers such as Pioneer, Kenwood, and others work only with their own built-in user interface and other components by the same manufacturer.

Several manufacturers have been working on PC-compatible, VGA-resolution motorized fold-out touchscreen head units. However, these have been plagued by quality issuespressing against a screen gradually weakens the motorized parts and hingeand thus have not yet made it to market. Even the name-brand touchscreens are prone to weakening.

Make sure that your head unit screen has audio and video auxiliary inputs before you buy it. Some of the units "have" AUX-in but require another external component to bring it to the head unit, which costs extra. Look at your equipment, and make sure it isn't "AUX-ready" but actually has RCA or S-Video inputs for audio and video. If it doesn't, either choose a different screen or buy the correct adapters.



    Car PC Hacks
    Car PC Hacks
    ISBN: 0596008716
    EAN: 2147483647
    Year: 2005
    Pages: 131

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