I'm getting a VR Commodore in about a week and I'm planning on putting in an Alpine Head Unit, two 6" for the front and two 6x9's for the back. The Head Unit according to the salesman allows you to plug in your ipod and navigate it through the actual head deck (meaning that you dont have to fiddle with the ipod while you're driving). It also charges the ipod while its playing. My question is; will this alter the installation process? My Dad is doing the installation and he has done many before, but never with this type of head unit; so is there anything he will have to do differently?
Replies (13)
Ender2 on 07/4/2007 04:16:47
No, this HU will be identical to all other Head Units in the fact that you'll need a wiring harness that suits your car and to splice all the wires (12+, Ground, Power Antenna, and so fourth, also for all the speaker channels you have running in your car.
The part about the Ipod:
This head unit will either have a front facing 3.5mm jack (looks like a headphone jack) or a 16 pin jack (which looks like an ipod jack. Either way it will not affect your installation at all and should merely be viewed as an extra feature for the Head Unit.
PS. Be careful when purchasing merchandise advertised to "allow Ipod playback" because more often then not, head units have an "Auxiliary input" (one white, one red cable input) which you can purchase an adapter to transform into a 3.5mm jack which plugs directly into your Ipod or any other device that uses the jack, i.e. laptop; this is how my system is set up, granted this will NOT allow you to change songs on your ipod THROUGH the Head Unit, nor will it charge the Ipod, but is FAR better than an FM transmitter. :)
Hope I helped...
Ender
Apprentice to Swez
Zak on 07/4/2007 04:41:34
Ahh, excellent. Thank you very much your help with that! I appreciate it!
Also, just wondering how much I should budget for all the little extra's like wires, cables, plugs etc...? If you could give me a rough estimate that'd be great! (hehe, you can tell this is my first sound system)
Another thing that may sound stupid, but I'll ask anyway... does it matter that the car only has a cassette player at the moment? Will the new HU fit right in where the cassette player comes out?
Ender2 on 07/4/2007 04:46:00
Wiring harness = $15
OEM Aftermarket Head Unit Adapter (what will make your Headunite work in the slot you have) = $30
Knowledge of what wire connects to what and how to do the install correctly? = Priceless.
Zak on 07/4/2007 05:21:16
hehehe.... Cheerz.....
thankfully my Dad knows which wires connect to which....
i'll just fund it all and hopefully learn a thing or two by watching him do it....
thanks again for all your help!
swez on 07/4/2007 08:46:45
Very good Ender! CLAP
Zak, try to be as much hands on in this one as your Dad will permit. He has the know how and you'll want his close supervision along the way. This allows you to get your hands well into the project, learn how things work and Dad can guided you through the project and snags that may arise.
One thing about being a Dad, we sometimes forget that our sons need to gain new skills, competencies and "learn by doing". It's the doing that builds self-competency and a good sense of... "I can do this with some timely guidance". Dad reads the manual, gives you the low-down and your hands do most of the work = "Hey Dad, we learned something together"!!!
Now that I am older and so is my Pops, our roles are often reversed. Now, I "supervise" his hands and do the physical parts he cannot do anymore. But it's all good in the end as he gets a sense of accomplishment and a sense of... "Gee, I have not lost my touch completely... I can do this afterall." (With some timely tips from a patient son) It just works that way and over the years, you may fill the same role for your Dad when the time comes.
If we are trying to learn something new and get nudged aside, it's a missed opportunity to think things through and come up with effective results. That is not helpful to our learning process or self-esteem. Dad's have to teach their sons to become competent men. Ask him to guide you and only help when ya get stuck. He may really appreciate your sense of ownership in the project and try to remain a good coach too. That's a win-win scenario everytime! SMILE
Swez
PS When doing this level of electricals in a car, always disconnect the Neg battery terminal to prevent accidential shorts and blown fuses.
Ender2 on 07/4/2007 21:53:00
Going for the gold, Swez, goin for the gold. ;)
swez on 07/4/2007 23:00:55
Why not... we have not added a fresh Gold in sometime. Give it time as we review Golds as a group and if others see that you are ready, they will give the nod. ;-)
Swez
Zak on 07/5/2007 11:08:48
Thanks Swez..... that seems like some sound advice...
I showed it to my Dad as well and he is keen for me to be a part of it! I should be able to get the equipment next week and we've set aside a whole sunday to do it... we're both really looking forward to it!
I'll post another reply after its all complete and let u know how it all went!
Thanks again,
Zak
swez on 07/5/2007 11:29:55
Great! That is the best way to learn a new skill.... "Do it with a partner who has knowledge and willing to pass it on as needed".
Just take your time, follow the instructions in the manuals and use good crimping tools, connectors and other hardware along the way.
Tech Tip: When installing an aftermarket HU, make sure it has its own dedicated ground to the floor pan, firewall or metal inside the dash pocket. If we try to use the factory harness ground w/ aftermarket HU's, engine noise in the audio chain is often the end result.
It's easier to avoid that problem during the initial install, then to fix it later.
Good luck and enjoy the process, SMILE
Swez
PS Be thankful you have a wise Dad. Let him guide your hands and this will turn out very well.
Zak on 07/5/2007 20:09:21
Sweet, my Dad has all the necessary tools so that shouldn't be a problem and I've written down that tech tip word for word, so I'll show it to him later and hopefully avoid any engine noise in the audio chain.
All these tips are great and i'm really impressed with this website... keep it up! Great quality help that I'm greatly appreciating!
When I'm old enough to get a credit card I'll make a donation.
Thanks again!
swez on 07/5/2007 20:22:19
The site owner, (Water Hargrave) accepts cash, checks and money orders too. If you wish to donate to a worthy site, look at the bottom of the page and click on the "Privacy Policy" link. That gives the webmaster's address and contact info. You can donate this way by snail mail w/o a credit card. Am sure he'd appreciate a timely donation.
Good luck on your install and enjoy the process. If you get stuck, we're here to help out. You are most welcome!
Swez
PS Zak... you're a good student and I would like to thank your parents for doing such a fine job of raising a good son. I wish more of our younger readers were as mature as you. CLAP
Tell your Dad.... "From one Dad to another, you have a fine son and this is oh so rare today. Keep up the good work" !!! SMILE
Zak on 07/5/2007 20:48:07
I showed my Dad and he said, "thanks very much, Swez! Im sure i'll learn something from it and its nice to hear from somebody else a compliment about my son! I must've done something half right! talk again perhaps, thanks for the tech tips!"
Sweet- an internet site that u dont need a credit card for! thats a first... after I've bought all the gear at the end of next week i'll post off a donation!
Thanks...
Im off for now...
Zak
P.S. Its good to hear those sorts of compliments, make it all that more worthwhile!
swez on 07/5/2007 20:57:02
Zak,
With all the negativity in the news and such, it's good to acknowledge when one sees something good in the world. We all need a few words of encouragement and affirmation once in a while. It's good for the soul! HAPPY
Have a good weekend and we'll be here if you need more coaching,
Swez
Replies (13)
Ender2 on 07/4/2007 04:16:47
No, this HU will be identical to all other Head Units in the fact that you'll need a wiring harness that suits your car and to splice all the wires (12+, Ground, Power Antenna, and so fourth, also for all the speaker channels you have running in your car.
The part about the Ipod:
This head unit will either have a front facing 3.5mm jack (looks like a headphone jack) or a 16 pin jack (which looks like an ipod jack. Either way it will not affect your installation at all and should merely be viewed as an extra feature for the Head Unit.
PS. Be careful when purchasing merchandise advertised to "allow Ipod playback" because more often then not, head units have an "Auxiliary input" (one white, one red cable input) which you can purchase an adapter to transform into a 3.5mm jack which plugs directly into your Ipod or any other device that uses the jack, i.e. laptop; this is how my system is set up, granted this will NOT allow you to change songs on your ipod THROUGH the Head Unit, nor will it charge the Ipod, but is FAR better than an FM transmitter. :)
Hope I helped...
Ender
Apprentice to Swez
Zak on 07/4/2007 04:41:34
Ahh, excellent. Thank you very much your help with that! I appreciate it!
Also, just wondering how much I should budget for all the little extra's like wires, cables, plugs etc...? If you could give me a rough estimate that'd be great! (hehe, you can tell this is my first sound system)
Another thing that may sound stupid, but I'll ask anyway... does it matter that the car only has a cassette player at the moment? Will the new HU fit right in where the cassette player comes out?
Ender2 on 07/4/2007 04:46:00
Wiring harness = $15
OEM Aftermarket Head Unit Adapter (what will make your Headunite work in the slot you have) = $30
Knowledge of what wire connects to what and how to do the install correctly? = Priceless.
Zak on 07/4/2007 05:21:16
hehehe.... Cheerz.....
thankfully my Dad knows which wires connect to which....
i'll just fund it all and hopefully learn a thing or two by watching him do it....
thanks again for all your help!
swez on 07/4/2007 08:46:45
Very good Ender! CLAP
Zak, try to be as much hands on in this one as your Dad will permit. He has the know how and you'll want his close supervision along the way. This allows you to get your hands well into the project, learn how things work and Dad can guided you through the project and snags that may arise.
One thing about being a Dad, we sometimes forget that our sons need to gain new skills, competencies and "learn by doing". It's the doing that builds self-competency and a good sense of... "I can do this with some timely guidance". Dad reads the manual, gives you the low-down and your hands do most of the work = "Hey Dad, we learned something together"!!!
Now that I am older and so is my Pops, our roles are often reversed. Now, I "supervise" his hands and do the physical parts he cannot do anymore. But it's all good in the end as he gets a sense of accomplishment and a sense of... "Gee, I have not lost my touch completely... I can do this afterall." (With some timely tips from a patient son) It just works that way and over the years, you may fill the same role for your Dad when the time comes.
If we are trying to learn something new and get nudged aside, it's a missed opportunity to think things through and come up with effective results. That is not helpful to our learning process or self-esteem. Dad's have to teach their sons to become competent men. Ask him to guide you and only help when ya get stuck. He may really appreciate your sense of ownership in the project and try to remain a good coach too. That's a win-win scenario everytime! SMILE
Swez
PS When doing this level of electricals in a car, always disconnect the Neg battery terminal to prevent accidential shorts and blown fuses.
Ender2 on 07/4/2007 21:53:00
Going for the gold, Swez, goin for the gold. ;)
swez on 07/4/2007 23:00:55
Why not... we have not added a fresh Gold in sometime. Give it time as we review Golds as a group and if others see that you are ready, they will give the nod. ;-)
Swez
Zak on 07/5/2007 11:08:48
Thanks Swez..... that seems like some sound advice...
I showed it to my Dad as well and he is keen for me to be a part of it! I should be able to get the equipment next week and we've set aside a whole sunday to do it... we're both really looking forward to it!
I'll post another reply after its all complete and let u know how it all went!
Thanks again,
Zak
swez on 07/5/2007 11:29:55
Great! That is the best way to learn a new skill.... "Do it with a partner who has knowledge and willing to pass it on as needed".
Just take your time, follow the instructions in the manuals and use good crimping tools, connectors and other hardware along the way.
Tech Tip: When installing an aftermarket HU, make sure it has its own dedicated ground to the floor pan, firewall or metal inside the dash pocket. If we try to use the factory harness ground w/ aftermarket HU's, engine noise in the audio chain is often the end result.
It's easier to avoid that problem during the initial install, then to fix it later.
Good luck and enjoy the process, SMILE
Swez
PS Be thankful you have a wise Dad. Let him guide your hands and this will turn out very well.
Zak on 07/5/2007 20:09:21
Sweet, my Dad has all the necessary tools so that shouldn't be a problem and I've written down that tech tip word for word, so I'll show it to him later and hopefully avoid any engine noise in the audio chain.
All these tips are great and i'm really impressed with this website... keep it up! Great quality help that I'm greatly appreciating!
When I'm old enough to get a credit card I'll make a donation.
Thanks again!
swez on 07/5/2007 20:22:19
The site owner, (Water Hargrave) accepts cash, checks and money orders too. If you wish to donate to a worthy site, look at the bottom of the page and click on the "Privacy Policy" link. That gives the webmaster's address and contact info. You can donate this way by snail mail w/o a credit card. Am sure he'd appreciate a timely donation.
Good luck on your install and enjoy the process. If you get stuck, we're here to help out. You are most welcome!
Swez
PS Zak... you're a good student and I would like to thank your parents for doing such a fine job of raising a good son. I wish more of our younger readers were as mature as you. CLAP
Tell your Dad.... "From one Dad to another, you have a fine son and this is oh so rare today. Keep up the good work" !!! SMILE
Zak on 07/5/2007 20:48:07
I showed my Dad and he said, "thanks very much, Swez! Im sure i'll learn something from it and its nice to hear from somebody else a compliment about my son! I must've done something half right! talk again perhaps, thanks for the tech tips!"
Sweet- an internet site that u dont need a credit card for! thats a first... after I've bought all the gear at the end of next week i'll post off a donation!
Thanks...
Im off for now...
Zak
P.S. Its good to hear those sorts of compliments, make it all that more worthwhile!
swez on 07/5/2007 20:57:02
Zak,
With all the negativity in the news and such, it's good to acknowledge when one sees something good in the world. We all need a few words of encouragement and affirmation once in a while. It's good for the soul! HAPPY
Have a good weekend and we'll be here if you need more coaching,
Swez
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