WANTED: Pics of iPod placement/mounting

[uptick]

WANTED: Pics of iPod placement/mounting

I am currently searching for an ideal way to mount or locate the iPod somewhere, and would be interested in seeing some pics of those who have found a suitable solution.

I have the aux port installed in the glove compartment, with the wire passing through the seam between the glovebox and dash. My current placement is sitting the iPod in the passenger's cupholder (the rubber grips actually work well to keep it in place). However when the cupholder is in use, I end up placing the iPod in the carpeted area just underneath the handbrake. It's ok there, but still slides around.

It would be nice to have some sort of cradle into which the iPod sits, yet maintains the flexibility of taking the iPod out when spinning for songs. Fixed mounts or docks seem to restrict such flexibility during operation, and depending on where you mount it, make you reach for the iPod and squint to read the display.

Also, anyone found an integrated charger/audio out wiring solution?
How about a way to keep the iPod backlight ON when in use and charging? (The backlit buttons on the new iPods blend right in w/ the rest of the dash...)

Thanks in advance/please post pics here.

[stryder]

Do a search for iPod, I'm sure you'll find lots of pictures. In any event, here's my setup, or lack of it. Since I was going the blitzsafe route, the cable ran between the seats. I didn't use the space under the handbrake for anything, so the pod sat there. Can't see the songlist unless you pull it up, but hey, look at the road. And it doesn't move around in normal driving. (never tried it in an autocross though)

[Restyle]

Heres my Solution for mounting Removable objects.
More info HERE

[duncanbanana]

My Ipod fits nicely in the cup holder in front of the gearstick inbetween the pillars mot the rear one. It has an iskin on it to protect it and itdoesnt move about at all . Ive just fitted the Aux cable so i can plug it in there .
Im trying to figure out how to use the remote on the Ipod and try and mount it somewhere easy to use . I may have to buy another remote ans canablise it . I have an old 10 gig ipod by the way. ill see about taking some pics of it over weekend

[sjbartnik]

How prudent this thread exists, I was just about to start a new one

I mounted my iPod today with a Panavise mount made specifically for the MINI. I'm really really happy with it, though it is a bit of work to install.

I will be writing up pictorial instructions soon but I haven't gotten that done yet. In the meantime, here's a picture:



So to answer your other concerns, this mount puts the iPod at a great distance -- you can read the screen easily and the mount provides a firm stable base so you can scroll while it's in the mount. It's at a good height so that it's not really any different from reaching for the radio.

The iPod has a setting to enable the backlight to remain on at all times (at least mine does, one of the older models). On the main menu, scroll to Settings, then Backlight Timer and there is an option for Always On. Good for nighttime use

[Jimbo_Mini]

There's also the new Belkin unit too....

Although the Panavise thingy looks convenient.



-Jim

[beej]

Sean,

More details on the Panavise mounting bracket please! Found something on their website but it didn't look the same. Have you got a URL or a part number... or if I'm lucky some sort of online store!

[sjbartnik]

beej,
There are two parts to the Panavise setup. One is the INDASH mount, which is custom made for the MINI. This is their INDASH part number 75146-102. That provides the mounting point for the holder. The holder is a separate part, and the one I used is their PORTAGRIP 2000 model 702.

You can order from 1-800-759-7535

BUT, beej, I notice you are in the UK. You should be advised that they do not make an INDASH mount for RHD cars, so their MINI INDASH mount will not work for you. But maybe you could order one and have a local machinist copy it for RHD. If you flipped the LHD model for RHD it would leave the mount angled toward the driver but angled downward instead of upward.

[Rokaku]

Here's another one - I used a vaja "i-vod" case (matches the interior nicely), Belkin adapter and a BTFPTM (beat to fit, paint to match) bracket.

[uptick]

Great pics, and ideas - keep them coming.

stryder - that's where I currently have mine when not in the cupholder. However there's still enough leeway there for the iPod to slide around (esp. when doing twisties). Maybe velcro it to the carpet?


sjbartnik - hopefully we'll get a nice gallery on this thread - a pic is worth a thousand words. How long is that mounting arm - how far does it protrude from the dash? Do you use a charger (esp when setting the backlight on - yikes looks like you're low on juice there)?


Rokaku - the silver case matches nicely. How does your mounting arm look, and also how far does it protrude from the dash? Does the iPod sit entirely inside this case, and then the case mounted on some backplate?

[stryder]

Quote:

Originally posted by uptick
Great pics, and ideas - keep them coming.

stryder - that's where I currently have mine when not in the cupholder. However there's still enough leeway there for the iPod to slide around (esp. when doing twisties). Maybe velcro it to the carpet?

It never seemed to move much for me, but mine was held in by the plug from the back, which got wedged between the seats as it came from the boot.

Velcro could work, though somehow I think sticking something to the ipod seems sad. A magnet could work, but of course would probably screw up the harddrive. Maybe if you used one of the silicone sleeping bag things for it, it'd be less slick, and the higher coefficient of friction would catch on the carpet?

I dono, all the holder things just seem to end up look very aftermarket to me. Though with the new cupholders/cell holders (check out minifini.com) perhaps you can use them....

[Lucinda]

I used a simple brass hinge to create a surface to mount a holder on. Here's the link to the mini forum

http://www.mini2.com/forum/showthrea...=ipod+mounting

[sjbartnik]

Quote:

Originally posted by uptick
Great pics, and ideas - keep them coming.

sjbartnik - hopefully we'll get a nice gallery on this thread - a pic is worth a thousand words. How long is that mounting arm - how far does it protrude from the dash? Do you use a charger (esp when setting the backlight on - yikes looks like you're low on juice there)?

The mounting arm puts it out maybe an inch. See the pic below, it's a little better at showing how far it sticks out from the dash (and how I routed the cable).

I would connect a charger if I was going to leave the backlight on all the time, because the backlight will kill the battery a lot faster in constant use.

[jlm]

i tried the Belkin charger/audio jack gizmo with the single flat plug into the bottom of the I-pod (30gig) but got some funky audio quality compared to bringing the audio out of the mini phono jack (both were fed into the Aux input of my headunit)

[Technomage]

John,
Any update on the sound quality out of the belkin? Could you plug in the belkin charger and the top audio at the same time?