I just put an iPad mini in the dash. I can see there are others that have done the same with nice results. Before this I had an android unit that worked well, but I missed the iOS and my apps so much I gave the iPad mini dash idea another try. For anyone interested the 2 din dash panel can be bought on ebay. A lot of small 12v, 4 channel amplifiers can also be found on ebay. The one I bought was pretty easy to connect as all the cables came labeled. I don't remember the name and I could run down and take a look, but we have just painted the stairs The iPad is powered by a 12v to 5v 2x usb adapter, connected internally to the 12v outlet. You can se the white cable (should have been black) coming out on the left side. The audio is received by a small 5v usb powered bluetooth receiver inside the dash. The receiver is connected to the 4 channel amplifier through a stereo spitter cable. The sound quality is good enough in my opinion, but I am sure there are others with higher standards. The audio is received by a 4G modem and Spotify at 320kps (less for radio) and passed on through bluetooth (A2DP). The A2DP transfer profile supports many manufacturer-defined codecs. Check your bluetooth audio receiver for best possible quality. The iPad mini is controlled by a bluetooth remote. I have not figured out where to attach this yet, but for the time being it has found a home at the end of the cup holder. Batteries are said to last 6 months. Behind the iPad is a piece of plexi glass. The idea is to spray paint it black. The iPad mini is secured by a small magnet in the upper right corner on the back side (will be). The white ring on the front camera is for a magnetic wide angle lense. Passenger face timing in the car (stupid I know). I wanted to go with a fixed (glued) charging cable (slide in), but thought a flexible one would be better. Reducing the risk of someone not familiar with the setup ruining it Draw back: The iPad mini is "upside down". The mute and volume buttons face down. This happened because I wanted the iPad mini to have the cover fold down instead of up. The cover can also be used as a sun shade if it is double folded. Here are some pictures (updated):
I think you would be better off with something with a wider form factor like a Nexus 7. That way nothing sticks out and you can follow the slope of the dash.
yes but I am an Apple user so the Nexus 7 would be jumping ship and I don't want to do that. The whole idea was to get a full fledge iOS unit in the car The iPad mini replaced an Android unit that replaced the original CD/Radio. The Android unit worked well and had lots of options, but I never got comfortable with it. I also don't think those after market nav units are open for an easy OS upgrade.
