Thread: Bugbyte's 2001 New Beetle -Mac Mini Install

Thanks, Mike. I looked at them and they appear to be virtually the same size as the slimline connector. Perhaps a bit smaller. I'm also worried a little about stacking a connector on a connector to a cable to a... you get the picture.

I intend to cut the strain relief on the slimline connector and right angle the cable. That's what I had to do with the Xenarc connector on the screen install and if you're careful, it works.

I suppose the proper way would be to get a DVI-VGA cable and cut the strain relief that way. But they're $$$ and no matter what, the fact that the cables project even an inch out of the back of the mini means I have to cut into the heater box behind it. Once you do that, you get an extra couple of inches of space.

If it looks REALLY tight back there, I can always go to the right angle connector.

While I didn't get quite as much time to work on the dash dock for the mini this weekend as I'd have liked, I did get a basic dock partially constructed. By next weekend, I'll be ready to work on cutting out the heater box in the dash.

I started by scanning the back of the Mini as you saw in the post above. Then I printed out the scan and used an X-acto knife to cut out the ports. I then laid the paper template over top of the actual Mini and plugged the cables in.

paper template

You can see the paper printout above. I traced the hood of the connectors onto the paper, cut that out to match, and then transferred the result to a piece of 1/4" plexiglass.
plexiglass traced

Since there was VERY little room between connectors when you allow for the hoods, I was concerned that my Rotozip saw would just shred the plastic when I cut it. I tested it out on a scrap part of the plastic to see how closely you could cut.
test part

It worked pretty well and didn't melt the plastic, so I thought I'd try it out. Here's the initial cuts.
back plate cut

I then test fit the plastic directly on the back of the Mini. It needed a little adjusting, so I CAREFULLY went back with the Rotozip and managed not to wreck everything, although I did lose the pieces between the power cord and the ethernet cable and the two USB connectors. Fortunately, the curves between them helped keep the connectors in the right spots.
final cuts

I also checked to make sure the plastic was still aligned with the bottom of the Mini.
checking alignment

I then cut the oversize piece to the dimensions of the HU opening, including a notch so the vents aren't covered, and hot glued the connectors in place from the back. I'll epoxy them in place from the front when I remove it from the Mini. Hopefully, that will be strong enough to hold them for inserts/removals.

I then built two sides to form a "U" shape to the dock and tomorrow I'll put a top piece and bottom piece on to give strength to the dock. In the pic, I've covered the Mini with green Saran Wrap to keep from gluing the dock to the Mini.
dock drying

After the pieces dry, I'll remove the dock carefully, epoxy the connectors in from the front, and figure out how to secure the dock inside the HU opening. I think it's pretty straightforward. I'm going to use screws through the side of the HU "radio box" and through the side of the the dock. That will secure it quite well, I think.

Hey Bugbyte..... I have an extra DVI-VGA cable that I don't need lying around, if you are interested.....let me know!! It's looking good!!!

Aww, man! I just glued the DVI adaptor into the dock today! Thanks for the offer, I'll take you up on it if it looks like space is so tight that the current solution won't work.

Originally Posted by Bugbyte

Aww, man! I just glued the DVI adaptor into the dock today! Thanks for the offer, I'll take you up on it if it looks like space is so tight that the current solution won't work.

Dont you need another one for the house anyway?

Ha! Well, I guess I DO! I've got a 15" Apple LCD that uses DVI but it would be a real pain to unplug it and replug it to the Mini. It runs through the desk and around to the back and all.

On second thought Willy Mach-1, I'll take you up on the offer! I'll PM you to figure out how to pay for shipping it.

Looking great Bugbyte, I can't wait to see this project completed! =)

@tj!2004 - Thanks! Me neither!

I finally disconnected the dock from the Mini tonight. Here's what it looks like:


I need to pack some epoxy into the gaps, but the 1/8" audio out is where the biggest gap is, followed by the twin USB ports. Otherwise, there's not really very many gaps at all. That actually worries me because that means it's mostly hot glue holding everything in and on a hot summer day, it could get soft.

I'm thinking about using my drillpress to drill some holes vertically through the plexi down and VERY SLIGHTLY into each connector. They I can either put an R/C model servo screw (very small) or maybe a bit of epoxy into it. That would "lock" it into the connector.

Trouble is, the dock has come together without a problem so far. I'd had to crack the plastic drilling through it.

Also, do you think I need to double the plastic with another layer of 1/4"? That would make it stiffer when inserting and detaching the Mini from the dock. Any advice is appreciated.

Today I cut a hole in the heater duct to get the depth I need to put the Mini into the dash of my car. First, I fit everything back together and marked where the bottom cut should be. Using a Rotozip saw, I made the bottom and side cuts. By the way, the side cuts were too close to the openings on each side and so I switched to my Black & Decker imitation dremel tool. Using a Rotozip bit, it worked like a charm, so if you have a Dremel try one of these bits in it the next time you need to cut through ABS plastic or wood. It worked very well.

Here's the bottom and side cuts.
dash intial cuts

And here's the rectangular hole cut open.
dash final cuts
You're looking directly into the center plenum air duct for the heater/air conditioner. The air into this area is controlled by the heater controls. When you set them to the upper vents, a door opens inside and allows air to flow into this chamber and UP to the circular vents you see in the picture.

Naturally, in the summer this is a bonus but in the winter, hot air will flow over the cables and actually be able to enter the Mini, since the exhaust for the fan is to the back and into this chamber. I think I need to build a "box" around the back to protect everything but haven't decided how to do it yet.

Here, I'm test fitting a piece of cardboard cut to match the size of the sides of the dock I built for the Mini.
test fit

Here, I've tested the actual dock to see if it fits the opening. It does!
test fitting the dock

Below, I've fit the center console back on and am test fitting the dock for the first time. It fits both the din slot for the head unit and the hole I cut in the heater plenum.
test fit with console on

Of course, that was only a test fit. Now, I have to figure out how to attach the dock (most likely using screws through the sides and into the din sides) in such a way that it will allow the Mini to easily dock and detach at will.

So far, everything looks good. I may see about adding some plastic to the floor of the dock so the Mini gets guided in positively.

Next steps: figure out what to do about the dock hanging into the heater ductwork. Probably by building a box around the back end. But I still have to figure out what to do with the heat that come out of the Mini.

More homework to do.