pp000830

I ran across this:
https://smile.amazon.com/Compatible-...8VK/ref=sr_1_4

os993

Wow, everything plus the kitchen sink! I wonder how it would look inside our cars? Pretty cheap as well.

CosmosMoon

Heh, too cheap I fear!

I recently replaced my (original) CD head-unit. I was going to go Classic PCCM, but it rubbed me the wrong for a few reasons:
1. No BlueTooth CarPlay - we have two other cars one has Bluetooth carplay, the other does not. The joy of getting in the car and having CarPlay instantly be on as soon as the engine comes on with no need to take my phone out of my pocket is huge.
2. Why would I ever want a radio with it's own nav system (and need for GPS antenna) when Google and Waze are so much better?
3. No back-up camera input - call me a pansy if you like... I do a lot of parallel parking and I love a backup camera
4. The screen is too small, that + 1 and 2 make me think I'd end up using my phone on a mount anyway

I did a lot of research and discovered the Pioneer DMH-WC5700NEX.
It's not clear from their pictures, and Pioneer's marketing videos don't even mention this fact - but the screen is completely separate from the head-unit (!) and attaches by way of a short HDMI-like cable. The key thing is that they sell, as an option, a long extension for this cable! I was able to mount the head-unit in place of the old Nokia amplifier under the passenger seat, with just this cable (and a couple of things like the ACC power, antenna wire, etc) going up to the dash area under the carpets - and then I could mount the screen anywhere! As a first-round prototype, I fabricated some 16ga sheet metal (fairly stiff stuff) into a simple right-angle bracket that fits the back of the screen on one leg, while the other leg of the angle is cut down to fit into the ash-tray opening, and it's screwed into the sheet metal in the top of the ashtray space. This first prototype has been so good, and so clean that I haven't bothered to move forward with my "version 2" (see below). I have bluetooth CarPlay, back up camera, and connecting to the wiring harness for the speakers was super easy as the head unit is right where the wire-harness is for a hifi car, under the seat. The screen is also not too in-your-face, only 6.8" with a fairly small bezel. And I was able to just block off the old DIN hole ... or use it for other things in the future. (You'll see in the pictures I did a cheesy thing and stuck the mic in the block-off panel - I hate the way it looks, but the panel was like $25, so I don't mind, I'll just do something different at some point).

The screen is right there in reach of my fingers when my hand is on the shift lever.
So what are the downsides?
1. No volume ****. This sucks. I'm going to try one or two of the bluetooth-based volumes ***** that are available and see if I can overcome this. I'm a volume-**** junky, for others it might not be a big deal. Honestly, I'd take no **** over no bluetooth carplay any day.
2. Screen gets a bit grey off-angle. Viewing angle will be fixed with my V2 mount... It's not terrible though.
3. For some a screen simply does not belong in an air-cooled car
4. I wished the screen were not so thick, when I was installing it, but you never it see it from the side when you are driving or riding as a passenger, so no big deal

My planned version 2.0 - once I develop my 3d printing abilities - is to make some 3D-printed parts and will screw into the ashtray with the ash-tray in place using 2 the ashtray hold-down screws, and it will have a push-tab so the screen can be pulled out and stored and the ashtray will close and look totally stock. I plan to make 3 pieces - one for screwing into the ashtray, one to screw onto the back of the screen, and an interface piece that I can keep refining to get the position of the screen and the viewing angle tipped to the drivers seat and tipped up just right.

Here's some pics for you of the unit and the install...

CosmosMoon

...also check out what this guy did - totally DIY self-made head-unit! He found a DIN-sized touch-screen, and from the sound of it, hooked it up to an Arduino board, and did his own programming to make it a Car-Play only DIN-sized flat screen. Pretty cool, and according to him, not terribly expensive (though surely time-consuming), but he installed it in a 993.

https://www.reddit.com/r/Porsche/com...creen_carplay/

jfischet

i'm still holding out for something like this:
https://rennlist.com/forums/993-foru...dashboard.html

my problem with all of these solutions for replacing the stock radio is the screen is too far away from where your eyes should be pointing on the road.

so until someone makes my clock thingy, this is an inexpensive alternative i've been considering:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/155141651675

pp000830

And how about this:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/155141651675

CosmosMoon

Having tried the $200 Boss touch-screen head unit (that sticks the screen out enough to use in a 993, but it looks awful, IMO), I've become very skeptical of the resolution and lag/responsiveness of cheaper car touch-screens.

I hear you, on the line-of-sight thing, though I find I rarely need to look at focus my attention on the screen (except as mentioned to adjust the volume! - ha ha!) ... I use voice-control for a lot - texting, calls, searching for addresses. I always pooh-poohed voice-control but with CarPlay I find it works rather well the more you use it, and learn it's tricks the better it is. If I need to look at for something like changing apps or whatever, I find it can almost always wait until I'm in a place where I can be less "engaged" with the driving experience. Being able to touch it w/o really moving my right-hand from the usual driving position is very helpful, It's no fun needing to lean-over to use the radio. Even using the nav, in the place where I put the screen, I find it very easy and quick to glance at it w/o taking my eye's off the road. When I come up with a new mount system I expect to dial this location in even more. It might not come across from the angle of the pictures, but when sitting in the seat looking at the road, the screen is always in my periphery - and visa-versa. Try looking at the ash-tray while driving and you'll see what I mean, that's where the screen is - and it's tipped up a bit to face me.

serval

for me this made the most sense



Pioneer DEX P99 RS

Looks perfect and one of the best decks you can get

Turbodan

I thought this was a discussion about a music band that sounded like the band "Radiohead" ...gonna put on radiohead now!

Watson

I love this idea! Very similar to the MFD in the 991.

I think that the stock clock location is too far on the right (not easy to look through the steering wheel) and probably too small for a screen.
IMHO, a better location would be the oil temp/oil pressure gauge or the speedometer gauge (but requires more work to display the original pieces of info).

I also agree having a bigger screen where the stereo is normally located won't change the problem because it is still too far down below.

Who knows some good EE and SW engineers?

1997hmc993

There is the Continental Radio with BT, no GPS, No Touch Screen, but has the "right" look for 993 with amber backlight.

95_993

This is still my favorite solution. Seamless streaming BT, use my phone screen for NAV.

Without all the other integrated command interface options like phone buttons on the wheel, larger more well placed screen, etc I don't see the real benefi of some of the other options. Fully integrated CarPlay is nice and I have it on our new Cayenne but prefer not to use touchscreen as primary interface to many of the command features.

barracuda68

I agree. I have the retro Blaupunkt Bremen which is their retro radio in my 993 and the Continental in my 85. I personally like the Continental better and its 1/2 the price or less. BUT IT DOES NOT HAVE LINE OUT (AMP) OUTPUTS. Which is depressing for sure. I know I can run a converter but I'd gladly pay up for a unit with that option.

akrca4

+1


Andy

jwong1977

Just wanted to throw this in here. The S2000 community seems to really like it, I cannot personally vouch for the quality or lack thereof either. But it looks aesthetically slightly better to my eyes than the first unit. I still prefer the look of the PCCM better for our cars, but I cannot stomach the 10x price difference. Either way, I'm not jumping on this myself, but wanted to share with the group.




https://www.walmart.com/ip/Power-Aco...SignIn&rm=true