[Isaiah5411]

My daughter asked if I liked my iPad 2 and if I wanted to keep it. She was going to get a tablet for my 2 year-old grandson but was balking at the prices of the new iPads. I thought for a second and, suddenly, a new mod project ran through my head. I had just read the DIY on the AirEnabler that provides AirPlay in the car and that sounded great. So, I got excited...it's been a while. I told her "Merry Christmas" and handed her my old iPad.

Fortunately, she asked me two days before Black Friday. I ran to Best Buy and picked up an iPad mini 3 (64G) that was on sale. Hey...gotta have the memory if it's gonna be command central, right?

But...how was it going to be installed?? I spent a few days looking at all of the DIYs and contraptions that people had used, none of which really turned me on. I considered the new MagBak set up but that was gonna take some tweaking, including something to secure the lower part of the iPad and angle it some for better viewing.

So, I ran back to Best Buy and found what I thought might be a decent solution....which ended up being THE solution.

I'll write up the whole thing this weekend. In the meantime, here is what it looked like last night after installing the mounts, the Spigen case for the iPad, and the AirEnabler for AirPlay. (I spent the next 30 minutes watching Skyfall...great sound effects!)

Love it when a plan comes together.

[Isaiah5411]

Ok...here's the parts list:

1) Scosche Dash Mount for Most GPS Devices
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/scosche-...&skuId=6643252
2) Spigen iPad mini 3 / mini 2 / mini Case Tough Armor
http://www.spigen.com/brands/apple/i...ugh-armor.html
3) AirEnabler Adapter Kit (for Apple AirPlay)
http://www.amazon.com/AirEnabler-Ada...rds=airenabler
4) Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Go!
http://www.amazon.com/Creative-Sound...aster+creative


My iPhone case of choice (attaches nicely to road bike)
5) Rokform iPhone 5/5s Mountable Case
http://www.rokform.com/iphone-5-5s-p...ve-case-mount/
6) Rokform Magnetic Car Mounting Kit
http://www.rokform.com/magnetic-car-mounting-kit/

Here are the DIY article and AirEnabler installations links:

1) DIY: Add Apple AirPlay to Your Car
http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=971083
2) AirEnabler Quick Setup
http://airenabler.qnology.com/quicksetup
3) Compatible USB Sound Cards / Audio Adapters / DAC
http://airenabler.qnology.com/compat...o-adapters-dac


Step One: Mount Scosche Dash Mounts. They use 3M mounting adhesive. Note: Of course, these two magnetic mounts can also be used for mounting phones when the iPad is not in use. Kinda nice to offer a place for your passenger to put their phone, aye? The Scosche kit comes with two different metal plates...one large (as used on iPad mini) and one small, for smaller devices like a phone.




Step Two: Install iPad mini into Spigen case and apply metal plates that came with Scosche mounts. This took a few moments to figure out the best placement for the plates but was pretty obvious.



Step Three: Install AirEnabler in center console These pieces can be further hidden in the way that the OP of the DIY did, but for now, I'm leaving them in the center console as is.



Step Four: Mount iPad Of course, this step-by-step thing is kinda ridiculous, but...I did it this way so that the mounting adhesives had a chance to cure. The first pic is to show how there is plenty of clearance for the cup holder and ashtray lid to move normally.





The iPad is incredibly secure with this mounting system. I thought I might need something on the top to help secure it (e.g. the MagBak system) but...I don't. The thing does NOT move.

And for those who are worried about magnets and iPads...
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/3856541?tstart=0

Here are a few more pics showing the mount, including from the side, showing the clearance from the radio and shifter:





And here is where I relocated my iPhone using the magnetic care mount for my Rokform case. Didn't want things to get cluttered.






Hope this helps you guys when the mod bug bites.

[J-Spec Dan]

you're a pretty cool G-rent. very awesome mod!

[mkPOTO]

subscribed

[e90Cam]

looks really cool, is it stable when you drive?

[Cloud9blue]

just dont leave the car unattended with that ipad just laying there...

[Eat.Sleep.Race]

Nice!!!

[Isaiah5411]

Originally Posted by J-Spec Dan

you're a pretty cool G-rent. very awesome mod!

Thanks! Daughter is happy, grandson is happy, grandad is happy. Wife is still trying to figure out how all of this happened. "But dear...she started it by saying that she wanted my iPad. And Best Buy had the mini on sale and offered 18 months no interest..." You guys know the drill.

Originally Posted by e90Cam

looks really cool, is it stable when you drive?

Thanks! It is very stable. My commute has a fair number of heavy bumps and it did very well...a little jiggling but no significant movement. The magnets are very strong against those mounting plates...takes a pretty heavy tug to get it off.

Originally Posted by Cloud9blue

just dont leave the car unattended with that ipad just laying there...

Good advice! That's what I love about this mount: The iPad can be taken off in a flash and put in its sleeve and slipped under the seat or into my backpack or workout bag.

The new mini has improved Bluetooth, which I just proved at the gym yesterday...better coverage. And that's one reason why I got the Spigen case (and screen protector)...to watch movies while on the ellipticals and treadmill. Another is because the iPad can be taken out of this case in a flash and used with a keyboard case for doing a lot of typing.

Originally Posted by Eat.Sleep.Race

Nice!!!

Thanks!!!

[NightStalker]

Love AirPlay! Upgrade your DAC and you'll love it even more

[KN| BMW]

Nice mod! Will the Sound Blaster improve the sound quality?

[Isaiah5411]

Originally Posted by RVS 8

Love AirPlay! Upgrade your DAC and you'll love it even more

The Soundblaster is basically a mini DAC that got good reviews and was cheap so I gave it a try. And it does sound much better than the stock stereo. I almost ordered one of the others recommended DACs in the DIY article but decided to wait.

Which one do you have?

Originally Posted by KN| BMW

Nice mod! Will the Sound Blaster improve the sound quality?

Yes, it does!

I used to have a major system in my old E46 (Phoenix Gold amps, Diamond Audio components and subs, AudioControl Equilizers, etc). It was almost competition quality. Of course, it was a real let down to jump into this car. But...between my hearing loss and driving a convertible, I never bothered to upgrade the stereo in the E93.

Last nite, I was listening critically to some music for the first time (well-recorded jazz) and I got excited about music for the first time in a while. Uh oh...you know what that means: May have to put that sub in the ski pass-thru and start working on those components.

[Digitalinkartist]

Looking good.

[cuiter23]

Wow, this is a great idea. Do you know if this will work if my car does not have a USB port? Thanks for your DIY!

EDIT: I just found out that it will work! However, I don't really use my iDevice for that much audio streaming. I know bluetooth streamers will compress the files like crazy. Can you recommend me a good quality WiFi streamer?

Will this work?

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MBPOHYW?psc=1

Thanks!

[asus389]

This is a cool solution and no doubt the audio quality will be higher than with bluetooth streaming. But doesn't it prevent you from using the internet access on your iPhone? If it is connected via wifi iOS (for better or for worse) assumes that is the default route/stronger connection and routes internet traffic over it. In this case, since it is a local network in your car, the traffic wouldn't go anywhere, correct? Or is it smart enough to allow use of your cellular data connection also?

[VMRWheels]

Awesome, great mod. Thanks for sharing

[Isaiah5411]

Originally Posted by cuiter23

Wow, this is a great idea. Do you know if this will work if my car does not have a USB port? Thanks for your DIY!

EDIT: I just found out that it will work! However, I don't really use my iDevice for that much audio streaming. I know bluetooth streamers will compress the files like crazy. Can you recommend me a good quality WiFi streamer?

Will this work?

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MBPOHYW?psc=1

Thanks!

I guess I'm not quite sure what you are trying to do? You are looking for something that streams what...other than music over...WiFi??

[Isaiah5411]

Originally Posted by VMRWheels

Awesome, great mod. Thanks for sharing

You're very welcome! It IS a great mod, especially the Soundblaster Xi-Go! portable DAC that plugs into the AirEnabler (requires a USB connection). This thing has revolutionized the sound of the Logic 7 System in the car! Again, I can't imagine what better one would do (e.g. the Fiio E17).

It is VERY clear that Airplay is FAR superior to Bluetooth in audio transmission/reporduction. I had a couple of Bluetooth adapters (my car did not come with Bluetooth from the factory) and neither sounded nearly as good as the direct connection . So, I chucked 'em.

The Airplay with a DAC is truly mind-blowing. I spent the better part of this evening listening to music that I used to tune my old system. The sound stage made me smile for the first time in over three years.

So...this afternoon, I dug out my old Phoenix Gold amps, Audiocontrol EQs and line drivers, and Diamond subs and am in the process of laying out a plan for a major install. It really doesn't NEED it now, but..if you want to get better than this, it takes some major work. The subs are first... and may be all that's needed.

Stay tuned!

[Isaiah5411]

Originally Posted by asus389

This is a cool solution and no doubt the audio quality will be higher than with bluetooth streaming. But doesn't it prevent you from using the internet access on your iPhone? If it is connected via wifi iOS (for better or for worse) assumes that is the default route/stronger connection and routes internet traffic over it. In this case, since it is a local network in your car, the traffic wouldn't go anywhere, correct? Or is it smart enough to allow use of your cellular data connection also?

What I do is connect to the Airplay via WiFi on the iPad mini, create a Personal Hotspot on my iPhone 5S and connect to that via Bluetooth on the iPad. This allows me to listen to music from the iPad through the iPad while surfing the Internet on the iPad.

To do this, you set up the Personal Hotspot on the iPhone but turn OFF the WiFi on the iPhone. A message will then appear on the iPhone saying that the WiFi is OFF and ask whether you want to connect your Personal Hotspot via Bluetooth or USB. You tap on that (Bluetooth and USB connection) and you are then connected to the car's Wifi (AirPlay) on the iPad while connected to the iPhone's HotSpot via Bluteooth.

And....the Internet speed is very decent, maybe a little slower than LTE or WiFi but quite decent.

(Does this make sense?)

[cuiter23]

Originally Posted by Isaiah5411

I guess I'm not quite sure what you are trying to do? You are looking for something that streams what...other than music over...WiFi??

Basically I'm looking for a solution that is not restricted to iOS operating systems. Therefore, I am looking for a WiFi streamer. Do you have any suggestions?

[Isaiah5411]

Wish could help. I just learned about AirPlay/the AirEnabler myself recently. I don't know about the unit in your link. Would partly depend on the power source, which could be worked around with a power converter, I guess??

[Isaiah5411]

Curiosity got the best of me and I ordered the Fiio E-17 Alpen portable DAC/head phone amplifier that was listed as an upgraded DAC by Qui on his site. It DID sound better than the Creative Labs Sound Blaster X-Fi Go!, but...it crapped out on me in less than a week (which a reviewer said was known to happen). It started distorting horribly. (I thought I had blown a speaker or something using the test tones on my Spectrum Analyzer app but when I hooked up the Sound Blaster, the distortion was gone. )

So...I am in the process of returning the Fiio unit. Meanwhile, because the sound was considerably better with the Fiio (more open, accurate), I ordered a Dragonfly v1.2 USB DAC, which is "self-contained" (like the Sound Blaster...no need for separate power) and got phenomenal reviews on audio sites. Will be here today. Will update later.

http://www.amazon.com/AUDIOQUEST-DRA...DMXWHQWBT0TE0J

Upgrading the DAC does help dramatically as another forum member suggested!

[mikey G]

Looks good man. Nice little mod