Extending reach of 700IDT (or how to make it flush)

Viscouse · 12-07-2005, 10:10 AM

Sweet. I got my 700IDT to fit in the DIN cage. That's 1 battle done. NOW, here's the next challenge.

By design, the front of the monitor needs to stick out about 15mm form the face of your dash, in order to open & tilt. That's not going to work for me since I want the monitor completely inside the dash, hidden from view.

So, the theory goes that it needs to be pushed back 15mm, and the extension mechanism & stop needs to be brought forward 15mm. This is a mini-worklog cause I don't think anyone's done this (that I could find). I'm interested in input as I go along.
Below is an overall pic of the inside from this thread.

There's a couple of things I'll have to do:
1. determine where the "extended" stop is & move it
2. determine where the "stowed" stop is & move it (I actually know where it is already & how to move it)
3. tighten some of the springs so it will extend more (I have to do this anyway since my DIN slot is at an angle)
4. probably move the power supply PCB since I don't want to stress the ribbon cable
5. possibly extend the slides? This seems like the hardest part to me.
6. don't screw things up so I can't put a DVD drive in the future.

The advantage to #4 is that if I internalize it, I can put the cable connectors inside as well, and then remove the U-shaped bars in the back (no vent holes, so it can be pushed all the way back). This will give me the room I need to push it back.

Wish me luck...

CT_Driver · 12-07-2005, 10:28 AM

That was the main reason I ultimately decided to not go for that screen, because of it sticking out. Part of me hopes that you fail miserably. Don't worry, that part does NOT wish you to break your screen, just that your attempts to make it work altered work and the rest of me is currently beating that part down and locking it away.

I ended up ordering (20 minutes ago - is it here YET???) the DWW-700H since it extends pretty far and sits relatively flush (looks like it sticks out as far as normal aftermarket radios).

Good luck w/ the alterations - if it works out for you, maybe you could suggest design improvements for future units/get a cut (?) or maybe just major props from all future orderers. Maybe 700IDT - Viscouse Edition?

Have fun!

Syndil · 12-07-2005, 03:30 PM

New to the forums myself, but I've been hunting carputer components for a while. I've considered the 700IDT mainly because you can integrate a drive, but the fact that it sticks out and that its not motorized have been concerns. If you can get it flush, I'll go ahead and buy one and throw in a few servos to make it motorized. Let me know how it goes!

Viscouse · 12-07-2005, 10:28 PM

Sorry CT, it looks like it's going to work.

1. The extended stop is the bent metal in the front on the bottom. It stops the trucks attached to the monitor from moving forward. You can see/feel the rubber bumpers on the inside there. I'm not changing this.
2. The "stowed" stop is not moving either. I just want it to extend farther, not retract farther.
3. Probably need to add more grease. What the heck are they using that's blue?
4. Moving the power supply is going to be hard since they're mounted in extruded bosses. I'll probably end up using washers/bosses & a tapped hole. But doable.
5. I'm not going to extend the slides. Instead, I'm going to move the trucks attached to the monitor back 25mm. This will allow me to use the tracks where they are. I have to use angle or something to attach them in the new location. I'll post pics once I start work.

My shopping list is simple so far: a tap, teeny tiny screws, angle aluminum/steel.

I have to say, I'm very impressed with the amount of detail that went into the construction. Chamfered screws in 1mm steel, anti-rotation pins instead of using 2 screws, tapped holes in 1mm steel, extruded holes. Wow. The only thing I'd change is having 2 "stowed stops" instead of 1. It makes the monitor tilt funny when stowed.
Stay tuned...