Right! So it seems that we’ll have to do without the CD changer since there’s no such thing as a suitable adapter to be found for the standard Panasonic cable that the VW-customised Panasonic changer/shuttle plugs into. At least I’ve got a rough idea of the pinouts and, if ever I feel compelled to go that way, I can build my own connectors and adapters. Or replace the changer… which is all the more upsetting because I bought that specific head unit so that I could keep the changer instead of buying a whole new package which might not have been such a bad idea — or better still, keep the old setup. Grrrhmm!!!
Something similar I’ve been forced to do with the door speakers and how to intercept their cabling… splitpins do make for good connectors!
Either way and despite the fact that it really is raining right now, there is some progress.
And strangely enough, if I ever get fed up with how the “new” setup will sound, it’s a cinch to restore everything to the factory-installed components (though I’m not going to pull out the cables in a hurry!)
So there I am, stripping the interior of the car to expose all the cabling (as well as somebody’s lunch), only to finally discover that the new Panasonic head unit’s CD changer cable does not quite attach to the existing CD changer, which of course also has Panasonic (VW) stamped all over it. Adding additional insult to injury (got the scratches and burn marks to prove it), replacing the door speakers would be a rather huge undertaking (drilling out pop rivets and running new cables and, oh… more connectors). I’ve decided to keep them. They can stay put, they’re not bad in any case. Obviously I’ll have to think of a way to intercept their cabling but I’ve already got an idea or two there… maybe the DSP should stay as well? If nothing else, the +12V power cable from the battery in the engine compartment is through to the boot. And the panels are off. The car looks a mess. Oh, of course it’s autumn, too. It gets darker sooner. Less light, can’t see shit and it’s cold.
’tis truly amazing that no matter how much one attempts to redesign one own’s initial creations and concepts, one tends to return to the original, primordial design. It is equally amazing that the very basic components and tools one has lying around in the workshop still function perfectly, as designed.
If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
As we stand, the subwoofer box, complete with mounted amps and power cap and crossovers and cabling is pretty much completed — and it weighs a fucking ton!
Being the type of person that procrastinates and takes a long time to think and consider and re-think all possible and practical options before starting a project, with serendipity playing a major role, devising some method and approach that lasts until the bitter end is of utmost importance. Hence, little was done in the practical department of the car sound department — other than think.
In fact, I’ve been playing with the idea of installing a wooden board behind the back seats whereon the subwoofers and amps would, in turn, be mounted for some time. This would utilise the full capabilities of the free-air subwoofers but leave their magnets exposed and all other cabling very visible. This concept has now been abandoned in favour of the tried-and-tested approach of re-using the old subwoofer box, with the amplifiers and all cabling mounted onto that — bar a few changes and at the loss of a little bit of boot space.
The lack of entries in the blog doesn’t mean that there’s a lack of activity.
In fact, the car’s exceeded the 150,000km landmark. Average fuel consumption has settled at a manageable figure, practically amounting to a real-world cost of 1€ per 10km.
It’s had its baptism of fire by way of transporting a load of assemble-it-yourself furniture after a visit to IKEA, and the scent of the previous driver has been replaced by the pungent odour of a passenger vomiting in the backseat.
Like I said, some work remains to be done, and it starts now.
So I ordered a couple of car audio related items from two different sources a while ago, and neither has arrived yet. Not that it matters… at this point I’m more concerned about figuring when the car is going to get its proper installation and initiation, which follows after all the “rough” work is done. I may actually have to take a few days off in order to just vacuum the damn thing! Not that it’s that filthy — but I can still smell the previous driver.
Of course, running cables and drilling a few holes also requires time… time when the car is effectively out of commission for a while, and first I need to check out and test the items I’ve ordered and figure out what goes where and what have you.
Decent sound in the car is important to me but one doesn’t need to overdo it either.
Observant fans and followers may have noticed that there has been little development on the Bora sound front, and they’d only be partially correct: nothing but cranial and background activity going on… we’ve just been commuting, guzzling petrol, and trying to get the best enjoyment out of the current (and factory-fitted) audio system configuration.
And it ain’t too bad, mind you… though the front door speakers (which pack the biggest punch) do show their limitation on some CDs – two Butthole Surfers and Therapy? tracks in particular.
That aside, we’re working on a combination of option 6 and option 7 at the moment, pending the arrival of a few components we’ve ordered.
On a more constructive note: we’ve had mud flaps fitted (maybe I might consider thinking about the possibility of perhaps lowering the suspension someday), plus we got a 50€ rebate on the navigation system bought recently.
It helps to express your anger when one discovers that the online version of the real-world store turns out to be cheaper than the one where you have to pay for parking.
Germany is a country where one can get very lost in.
In fact, I’ve already managed to get lost by missing a turn on the daily commute home from work! The same can be said for most of Europe, although I must admit that my internal compass hasn’t failed me yet in small towns like Berlin or London.
Paris, on the other hand… ah, Paris! Any visitor who’s ever had the misfortune of steering a car through that city will appreciate the need for some sort of assistance — and a detailed street map is not it.
Now that I’ve got some sort of idea of how to solve the “sound problem” (watch this space for details), I decided to take the next step and invest in a decent navigation system. The company honoured with receiving some of my hard-earned € is Harman/Becker, and the product is the Becker Traffic Assist Highspeed 7934 (“assembled in China” and “designed by Becker in Germany”), shown here.
The device is small and sleek, suitable for car, bicycle or pedestrian, and I’ve already allowed a nice, friendly lady with a prim British accent to guide me home — which she did without as much as batting an eyelid, missing a clock cycle or nagging from the back seat when I deviated off her suggested route.
It claims to feature material for some 37 European countries, knows the location of the nearest petrol station and MacDonald’s, and it complains when I exceed the posted speed limit. Map data is contained on a 1 Gigabyte SD card, of which it occupies around 850Mb of space. The rest could be filled with pictures and music since this thing can show and play JPG and MP3/WMA files, too (although that’s a feature I’m not likely to make use of myself). The SD card itself as well as its WinCE basis can be updated and accessed via a DVD-ROM and a USB port. The travel guide and map resolution is dynamic, depending on your driving speed, and can be indicated in 2D or 3D. Of course, your current and exact location (by way of longitude and latitude) are also available, meaning that the Degree Confluence Project is getting more and more interesting.
This magodie even has a “mood light” — which is really just two luminous bars on its sides, emanating the choice of a deep red or cool blue light. The fact that they happen to match the Bora’s instrument illumination scheme is a pleasant coincidence… and frankly, the amount of technology packed into such a small device is nothing short of amazing!
I still need to teach that friendly British lady how to do the dishes, though.
