DIY double DIN ipad mount

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mjohnson0130

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I know a few ipad mounts have been done and some companies make nice trim and dash adapters...but not for my Nissan! My Frontier doesn't have the head unit with aux inputs either. The majority of the audio I listen to is on my phone, and after I upgraded to a bluetooth headset on my last rig, I never listened to the radio again. So with the loss of an FM tuner not being an issue, I opted for a Kenwood bluetooth 4 channel amp to replace the factory head unit and I'd use the ipad for audio. I also use an app that stores maps for offline use of the GPS. 10" ipad screen is a little easier on the eyes than a little GPS (and a lot less expensive that a big screen GPS) I used the Ram Mount ipad dock held to a piece of 1/2" MDF that covered the double DIN opening in the new dash adapter. Added some aluminum angle to the factory head unit brackets to mount the amp. Only part I forgot to snap pictures of is the charger. The amp has a USB port for charging, so I got a magnetic lightning charger so it's easy to snap the charger on while its in the dock. Here's some pics of my progress!

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davis31052

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Awesome!! I have been looking for his type info to do a build for my Land Rover. Can you provided more info on the interface between the ipad and the amplifier, please. How does the I pad charge? Is the system auto start when you turn the ignition on? Getting the music to the amp, do you have to have an app to run the music thru.
 

mjohnson0130

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The iPad connects to the amp via Bluetooth-it basically treats the amp like a sound bar or wireless headphones. The amp has a small wired remote to adjust volume, pause/play, and next/previous track. The amp also has a USB port for charging only. You just run a standard USB-Apple lightning charger cord from the amp to the iPad for charging. You could also use a standard car charger, but I didn’t want to tie up a power port on the truck when the amp had one available.
The unit does auto play when the ignition is turned on. It usually defaults to the music app. When using Pandora, I’ve had a couple times when it didn’t restart when I got back in the truck and had to close the app and reopen. Not sure if it’s a pandora thing or if it’s because I’m driving off at the same time the tablet switches from my home network to cellular. It just takes a couple seconds to resolve. The default Apple Music app has played every time without issue.
 
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Road

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This is pretty cool.

I've been toying with a range of ideas on how to incorporate an iPad Mini 4 into my dash with a more permanent look, though removable if need be.
 

davis31052

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Have you any plans to hook up steering wheel controls for this set up?
 

Derek50

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This is exactly what I'm looking to do! The Soundman kits look really nice but are pretty spendy for what they are too in my opinion.

Has your audio ever cut in and out? That is my only worry about using a Bluetooth amp instead of something that could be connected directly to the iPad.
 

mjohnson0130

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Have you any plans to hook up steering wheel controls for this set up?
My truck didn’t have steering controls, and it would take someone way smarter than me to incorporate them into this system.

Very nice, looks like a professional install......
Thanks!

This is exactly what I'm looking to do! The Soundman kits look really nice but are pretty spendy for what they are too in my opinion.

Has your audio ever cut in and out? That is my only worry about using a Bluetooth amp instead of something that could be connected directly to the iPad.
I haven’t had any issues yet! I think with the tablet being 4 inches from the amp there isn’t an opportunity to be overpowered by other Bluetooth devices.
 

Petroloco

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Nice clean setup. Did your Nissan have any vehicle functions which were controlled by the radio? If yes, how did you address those?