Overhead DVD player
clicea
04-10-2006, 12:29 AM
I recently bought a dvd player with 2 monitors that strap onto the headrests of the driver and passenger seats. I wasn't too impressed with the system and want to return it tomorrow. My question, how difficult is it to install an overhead system for a do-it-yourselfer like myself? Is it pre-wired? Do I remove the existing console? I am interested in buying a Sony flip down dvd player. If anyone has any knowledge that may be helpful, please chime in. The serenity of having one of these systems with two young children is priceless.
balboasdelight
04-10-2006, 04:35 PM
how difficult is it to install an overhead system for a do-it-yourselfer like myself?
It's on par with installing any A/V equipment (head unit, speakers, power amplifier), with the addition of having to cut a hole in the headliner and fabricate a bracket. Here's a roughly similar TB project:
http://forums.trailvoy.com/articles.php?do=viewarticle&artid=45
Mark the outline of the unit (most come with a paper or light cardboard stencil the right size and shape). Start with a small hole, well in the center of where the unit will be. Then use a dental mirror and small flashlight (e.g., keychain LED) to scope out under the headliner, and gradually enlarge the hole. Work slowly -- you can always make a small hole bigger; it's hard to make a big hole smaller. :) On the EXT, as you work aft you will encounter AC ducts, so make sure you will clear them while the hole is small, and you can still move it around a bit.
Cut some particleboard (heavy) or short, wide planks (lighter) to make a bracket. You want to span part of the hole on each side -- IOW, each board should rest on the top of the headliner, but you can still see some of the board looking into the hole (like, where the screw holes are on the unit -- you probably don't need to use all of them). Don't completely cover the hole, so you have a channel between the side boards to run wires. When you've got the placement down, secure the two boards with a third across the top. Glue, screw, whatever. At this point, it's not coming back out the hole. After you run the wires, use wood or drywall screws to secure the unit to the boards. So, you wind up sandwiching the headboard at the edges of the hole between the unit on the bottom and the fabricated bracket on the top. The TB headliner is hefty enough to support all this; you don't need to install brackets to your metal roof brackets (which would require removing the headliner).
Run power and an audio line under the trim and up a door stanchion. Tap into a "key on" circuit at the fuse box or wherever. Or you can run it to "always on" power, but it'll kill the battery quickly if anybody watches a DVD without engine power.
Run the audio to a wired FM modulator and tap into the antenna input to your radio (on long trips the IR headphones hurt the kids' ears; or, if they're watching music videos, we can all listen without "missing" the visual). Some units come with a wireless FM modulator built in -- if the unit also has a wired audio out, you might as well run a line when you're snaking the power line. Most wireless FM modulators suck, and you can always install a wired one later if you have the signal handy. Cheap insurance.
If the unit has a dome light, chances are it won't work with the TB's (very cool, IMHO) fade-to-black feature for turning off the interior lights. They managed to hook mine up using some sort of relay arrangement, but it make an annoying buzzing sound during the dimming, so I had it disabled. The light switches between off and on manually, but not automatically in the "door" position.
Yes, "they." I bought the unit off eBay and had a local custom stereo shop install it. BIG mistake. They took forever, screwed it up, lied to me, and were difficult to deal with. I only got a satisfactory job when I told the sales guy and the manager I refused to talk to them anymore, and insisted on talking the tech actually doing the work. He was great, and after ~10 minutes of the two of us actually in the vehicle where I could point out my concerns, he fixed them.
The DVD player is hands-down the best mod I've done to the TB -- it's a lifesaver on trips.
Good luck.
.
It's on par with installing any A/V equipment (head unit, speakers, power amplifier), with the addition of having to cut a hole in the headliner and fabricate a bracket. Here's a roughly similar TB project:
http://forums.trailvoy.com/articles.php?do=viewarticle&artid=45
Mark the outline of the unit (most come with a paper or light cardboard stencil the right size and shape). Start with a small hole, well in the center of where the unit will be. Then use a dental mirror and small flashlight (e.g., keychain LED) to scope out under the headliner, and gradually enlarge the hole. Work slowly -- you can always make a small hole bigger; it's hard to make a big hole smaller. :) On the EXT, as you work aft you will encounter AC ducts, so make sure you will clear them while the hole is small, and you can still move it around a bit.
Cut some particleboard (heavy) or short, wide planks (lighter) to make a bracket. You want to span part of the hole on each side -- IOW, each board should rest on the top of the headliner, but you can still see some of the board looking into the hole (like, where the screw holes are on the unit -- you probably don't need to use all of them). Don't completely cover the hole, so you have a channel between the side boards to run wires. When you've got the placement down, secure the two boards with a third across the top. Glue, screw, whatever. At this point, it's not coming back out the hole. After you run the wires, use wood or drywall screws to secure the unit to the boards. So, you wind up sandwiching the headboard at the edges of the hole between the unit on the bottom and the fabricated bracket on the top. The TB headliner is hefty enough to support all this; you don't need to install brackets to your metal roof brackets (which would require removing the headliner).
Run power and an audio line under the trim and up a door stanchion. Tap into a "key on" circuit at the fuse box or wherever. Or you can run it to "always on" power, but it'll kill the battery quickly if anybody watches a DVD without engine power.
Run the audio to a wired FM modulator and tap into the antenna input to your radio (on long trips the IR headphones hurt the kids' ears; or, if they're watching music videos, we can all listen without "missing" the visual). Some units come with a wireless FM modulator built in -- if the unit also has a wired audio out, you might as well run a line when you're snaking the power line. Most wireless FM modulators suck, and you can always install a wired one later if you have the signal handy. Cheap insurance.
If the unit has a dome light, chances are it won't work with the TB's (very cool, IMHO) fade-to-black feature for turning off the interior lights. They managed to hook mine up using some sort of relay arrangement, but it make an annoying buzzing sound during the dimming, so I had it disabled. The light switches between off and on manually, but not automatically in the "door" position.
Yes, "they." I bought the unit off eBay and had a local custom stereo shop install it. BIG mistake. They took forever, screwed it up, lied to me, and were difficult to deal with. I only got a satisfactory job when I told the sales guy and the manager I refused to talk to them anymore, and insisted on talking the tech actually doing the work. He was great, and after ~10 minutes of the two of us actually in the vehicle where I could point out my concerns, he fixed them.
The DVD player is hands-down the best mod I've done to the TB -- it's a lifesaver on trips.
Good luck.
.
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