Cliffnotes, I mounted a tablet without modifying the stock dash ...

Longer version...

I love my 996TT but have grown accustom to the creature comforts I have integrated into my other cars.... Mainly the use of a tablet for navigation, music, etc...

When I purchased my car I was some what pleased it had the factory nav system and bose stereo.... Come to find out that is not all it is cracked up to be, changing the stereo is a costly endeavor and finding the navigation CD for your area I believe is similar to trying to find a rainbow colored unicorn...impossible...

Not being that much of an audiophile, i like my music but not enough to spend big $$$ to change it... never mind i am spoiled by the flexibility the tablet offers me... So the next thought was to see about integrating a tablet into this car, but keeping with my desire to make changes reversible without big spend for an interior piece... Nothing really came to mind as I held the tablet up around the radio and bezel... Decided to just use my phone...

Then the other day it came to me as I was looking into addressing a reverse light issue in the car... I could mount the tablet to that useless cup holder above the radio!

So that is what I did...

Basically I mocked up the mount in cardboard and cut it out of thin gauge aluminum sheet. I affixed magnets to the back of the mount and some washers to the back of the tablet. Sprayed it up with plasti-dip and 3m taped it onto the cup holder...

In hindsight I could have done a half decent write up with pics for it so this quick blurb will have to do.

Thin gauge aluminum sheet
3 qtr sized magnets
3 qtr sized washer
thin double sided tape
3m foam double sided tape
Plasti-dip
Cardboard
Sheet metal sheers
marker

I used a Samsung 7" Tab 4 for this project. I have good luck with the Sammy Tab2 I use in my other cars... Picked up one of those, a 2.1 AMP 12volt source ( I have had good luck with the PNY versions) and a 90deg mini B to 90 A USB cable...

For getting the sound into the factory radio... Quite a chore to find for a PCM1 radio! It works but you really have to read the instructions to make that happen...
http://www.discountcarstereo.com/iP-BKRCD.html

Mated that with a BT adaptor from dockAirboss...

Install wise... I mocked up the mount with card board (roughly 5.5" x 6" flat) and got the tablet where I wanted... Transferred to the aluminum plate and bent that up to match, verifying tablet is still where I want it...




Once I was pleased I affixed the 3 magnets to the back of the bracket using the double sided tape. I then affixed the washers to the back of the tablet using 3m double stick tape due to the texture on the back of the tablet. Quick test to make sure the magnets are strong enough, removed the tablet and applied several coats of plasti-dip to the bracket.



Took the radio out and installed the iPod adapter harness and ran the wire out just between the radio and trim bezel to allow access to the BT adapter (they sometimes need to have power cycled to them which you cant do without disconnecting it from the cable). I ran the power cable for the tablet the same way, but ran it up through the center vent by creating a little notch for the cable to pass through. Slid it all back in and ensured everything works before installing the bezel and the mount.

The mount took some finagling. The cup holder actually sits a bit lower then the outer door, and also slide as it opens. After a bit of measuring I was able to get determine where to attach the mount to have it some what centered when the cup holder is closed. Cleaned up the cup holder and affixed 3m body tape and mounted the mount! Shut the holder and tada you have a tablet mount...



Now I set-up the tablet...
Automatelt Pro to run scrips for power on and power off to conserve battery
Nova Prime launcher - Just like this launcher, skinable, and uses gestures
Pandora - Because I can't stand radio these days
Amazon Music - Access to my library and free streaming with Prime membership
WAZE - Nice community navigation software, saved me more than a few times
Audiable - Sometime I like books
N7 Player - Decent MP3 player
Torque - Good app but likely not used a lot in this car....
Nice wallpaper...

All set? Mount on the bracket!




(leveled it better after the pictures were taken)

Morning Tests...
Bumps - Pass
BIGGER bumps - Pass
Swerving - Pass
Heavy cornering - Pass
Boosssttt - Pass
BOOOSSSTTTT... BOOOOSSSSTTTT - PASS!

Quite pleased with the results, clean looking, stable, and 100% reversible... Down the road I am considering adding a 2nd 12v switched source so i can hide all the wires behind the dash...

Thanks for viewing.

 

pretty neat.

 

I use this thing to hold my phone. Clips to the A/C vent and seems very solid.




I also tried one of the magnetized phone holders that clips into the CD tray, but I kept knocking the phone off the stand when I would reach for gear changes.