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'05 Xterra OffRoad Install w PICS! (56k=computer fail)


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So I finally finished installing my F700BT with Artec T3AP Pro. I previously had a Pioneer single din cd player equipped with bluetooth audio streaming, a feature I DEARLY miss on my F700, but wanted a double din touchscreen for more media options. Comp-u-plus was selling brand-new F700bt's for $376 shipped so I jumped on it! I'll describe the install with the following pics...

 

 

Here's the dtv tuner. It was shipped free with the government coupon. Very small and has lots of functions. I wanted to make this a mostly-stealth install so hiding the unit in my Xterra's second glovebox meant moving the remote sensor.

 

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I used a 1/2" drill bit to make holes in the back of the glovebox, then finished off the openings with some sharp nippers.

 

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I used some very sharp fingernail clippers to gently remove the remote sensor while leaving the pins mounted to the circuit board.

 

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This was my first time using a soldering iron, so be nice if it doesn't look pretty :oops: A simple connection with small guage speaker wire only took a few minutes. You can see the blue LED to the right of the 3 pins.

 

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All wired up and ready for taping. I carefully used electrical tape to wrap around each of the 3 pin terminals, then taped around the entire thing and along 2 inches of the wire for support.

 

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The tuner put back together...here you can see the hole I drilled above the data port for the RS (remote sensor) wires to pass through. I attached a small zip tie around the wires just inside of the unit to keep them from being pulled off the soldered terminals.

 

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Attaching the RS to the back of the switch panel. A small drill bit was used to make the opening for the usb port, and make a small hole for the RS to see through. I stuffed some foam in behind it and secured with tape and zip ties.

 

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It has some scratches from the drilling, but I might use bondo spot filler to smooth it out and then paint to match the rest of the switches.

 

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On the left you see the usb cable and RS wires leaving the back of the switch panel. On the right I used wire taps to get power from one of the cigg lighter plugs for the Artec tuner. I simply cut off the cigg lighter plug from the Artec's power cable then made the connection. No need for a power converter since this unit is 12v.

 

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This is the Black and Decker 400watt power inverter I use for the the amplified antennas. After cutting off the cigg power plug from the supplied power cables I soldered on some smaller guage wire. Then used wire taps to get power from the cigg lighter that's inside my center console.

 

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Here it is installed with a common indoor extension cable ran under the carpet to the rear cargo area to power the antennas. There's still one more grounded plug available, along with a usb port, to use in my center console. I had to mount the power inverter here to be able to press the switch and turn it on. Ideally I would like to have mounted this under the rear cargo floor but the on/off switch couldn't be removed without damaging the circuit board.

 

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Here's the switch panel installed and looking pretty good! The usb port is very stable for inserting/removing flash drives.

 

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A quick test powering on the Artec tuner. It runs completely silent, all you see is the blue LED when the glovebox door is open.

 

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Not a bad picture of the local news :D The F700 only has one set of rca A/V inputs in the rear, so I had to use Radioshack rca Y-adapters to input this tv signal AND the video out signal from my HTC Fuze. Everything is working so time to move on to the antenna mounting...

 

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I used two of these amplified antennas. The coax cables leaving the antennas are joined with a 2-into-1 coax adapter.

 

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Closeup of it installed at the bottom of my rear windows. I removed the weights from the bottom of the mounting brackets and cut off a semi-circle section using a jig saw. This allows them to be mounted directly against the window.

 

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The big view. You can see these are mounted far enough up out of the way to protect them from cargo. The coax and power cables are run behind the plastic panels to where they meet with the white extension cable under the cargo floor.

 

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A shot from the outside. Even in direct sunlight my window tint does a decent job of hiding these.

 

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The Artec tuner installed in my upper glovebox. The remote sits on top of it when not in use, and almost half of the space is still available for other stuff.

 

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When mounted to the OEM bracket holes, my F700 was a bit too high and stuck out too much. I drilled new holes approx a 1/4" down and 1/4" back for a nice centered fitment. A guy a Bestbuy gave me the double din trim piece which I secured to the F700 with electrical tape.

 

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Here you can really see how far back it sits in the opening, I like it much better. In the future I might use some bondo and paint to join the trim with my Xterra's center stack panel.

 

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This small universal phone/mp3 player mount holds my HTC Fuze. The arms are adjustable and rubber-coated. I made the bracket to attach to the inside of the dash so no holes had to be made where they'd be visible if I removed it.

 

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Finally I used a 1/2" drill bit to make an opening in the top tray for the Fuze's video out cable to pass through. The cable can be hidden under the tray's small rubber liner when not in use.

 

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Shot of everything put back together. It was a lot of work, but the result of having a custom installation that fits and functions perfectly was worth it.

 

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I'm not sure why, but the right side of my pics are being cut off...sorry! In the next post I'll show some screenshots of my Fuze connected to the F700....

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Here's a few screen shots of the F700 in action...

 

 

Splash

 

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I have done some mods to my F700 so the screens are a bit different. This nav screen has a different icon layout and shows countours of the mountains around me.

 

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Main menu

 

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Connecting my Fuze via the video out cable

 

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Fuze connected and cradled...ready for action!

 

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The next few pics show off the HTC Touch Flo interface. I have a custom operating system on my phone that's been ripped from the soon-to-be-released TouchPro2, and tweaked for the Fuze. TouchFlo is displayed in landscape now. Email tab:

 

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Calendar tab:

 

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Music tab:

 

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Pictures/videos tab. You can start a slideshow or open the album from here:

 

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Internet tab. This version of WindowsMobile has "push internet" enabled. It automatically updates selected web pages at preset intervals to reduce loading times when you open them:

 

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Start menu:

 

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Here's some screen shots of the new Xmen Origins Wolverine movie playing from my Fuze(it's not even out in theaters yet):

 

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I'm searching for a good bluetooth mouse to use to control the Fuze while it's cradled so I don't have to tap a tiny button on the screen while moving. Thanks for looking! Comments welcome : )

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Wow nice setup. I have the same phone and headunit. Which mod did you use to change the mainmenu on the f700bt? Do you mind sharing it? How is the picture quality when the car is in motion? If you need apps or games for the phone, I'll hook you up. Thanks

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Quite nice, except for touching up the USB mount. Maybe some day in the future I can do something similar to this. I have a 2001 XTerra.

 

As for the mods on the AVIC, please lets us know what uses you implemented and possibly post links to your files.

 

Great job! Have fun.

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Thanks for the comments guys!

 

The tv reception varies as to how strong the signal is in my current area. For example sometimes it cuts out at 5mph and other times as fast as 30mph. I only get about 6 digital channels in my area until June...then there should be more options. Some people in major cities report 20 to 30 channels.

 

I used to have an analog tv tuner in a previous install (2004 Nissan SE-R Spec V) and it would get excellent reception while in motion and even SOME kind of reception on even the weakest signals. Now with the digital channels, if you are moving very much you don't get any kind of display. I've seen a tuner made for use while moving, but it's $150. For now what I have meets my needs. :D

 

The theme is by GUGA and can be found here:

 

viewtopic.php?f=34&t=21840&start=0

 

I'm using ill.die.trying's v2.7 data.zip file from here:

 

viewtopic.php?f=34&t=22695&start=330

 

He has a v2.9 out now which I'll try when my wife get's back with my X. I'm also keeping an eye on Leetlauncher's thread...that has TONS of potential for customizing the F series!

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  • 2 weeks later...

Thanks...

 

wow man awesome post, about how many channels do you receive with your hd tv >

 

Around 6 in my area, but there's lots of mountains here. We're going on a trip to FL this August so I'll be able to test it many different places. :D

 

hey bud do you know what din kit they gave you so that it looks so clean? also how did you measure to re-align the angle?

 

I went to Bestbuy and the guy in the install shop started diggin through a box of random trim. Most were single din, but he found 3 doubles. I just compared it to the F90 on the wall and took the one with best-lookin fit.

 

looks good... I just ordered my coupons so I may do this as well

 

kuhl, let me kno if u need any tips

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I have basicly the same phone.. nice job. Where'd you get that mp3 holder?

 

 

I'm guessing you are probably already aware that the fuze can be used as a USB flash drive as

well..

 

so theoreticaly you could run a PPC torrent program, download any movie (you already own ahem)

and plug it up to watch, letting the AVIC do the video processsing vs the fuze.

 

If I'm not mistaken, there's a website with links to ppc formated movies, which may

be pretty good to slap into a usb and play on the avic.

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Thanks:) The holder is just a generic one from BestBuy, cheap and effective. I like ppcwarez.org for my movies and software. They are usually in a single vga-formatted file, around 300mb. In the past I tried to use the Fuze as a usb flash, but there were some problems. I'm running a newer build of the Energy rom now, so I'll try it again.

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  • 4 weeks later...

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