Nano-baker or Stude-iPod
The new iPod Nano is pretty amazing. A complete multi-touch sound system (yes just about big enough for two fingers, barely) that is about the size of a book of matches.
In fact the real challenge is figuring out a way not to lose the new iPod, and in that challenge there is an opportunity for a new kind of accessory. How do you make an accessory for the new Nano that compliments its capabilities? How do you create something that isn’t trendy but is effortlessly cool and timeless?
We decided this was a perfect challenge for an evening of MAYAmaking!
Scroll down for more details…
Tools and Materials required for this project:
- 1950 Studebaker Champion
NOTE: Commander or Landcruiser will work as well, though the Champion with the 6 cylinder engine gets the best gas mileage according to this Time magazine article’s fine print… scroll to the end of the article for those of you who are eco-conscious… 26MPG! - iPod Nano
- Pair of Apple headphones
- Nano to USB charging cable
- Female USB connector
- 5VDC 1 Amp low cutout voltage regulator
- Set of speakers and an amplifier installed in the car (bonus if you can wire the Nano directly into the vacuum tube radio that came standard with the car)
- Hot glue stick
- Roll of electrical tape
- Soldering iron and solder
- Bandages
- Bottle of Superglue (for when you cut yourself very badly on some old part)
First you’ll want to get one of these…
Then pull out the clock module…
Remove the clock from the housing…
Notch the chrome facia and body to fit the charging and audio cables…
Now take some measurements and make a new faceplate.
We used a 1/4” thick piece of smoked polycarbonate. We cut it to about 2 1/8” diameter, and cut a smaller hole out of the middle to frame the Nano’s screen. We then put a black backing on it to bring out the contrast. Finally we cut off a 1/8” slice of a clear plexiglas tube and sanded it to make it look frosted. We backed the tube section with a white backing so the glow of the screen would come through.
Ok, time to get that new Nano into the picture.
Hot glue it to the back of the new faceplate (you’ll want to make sure it is electrically isolated, since 1950 Studebaker Champions were 6 volt positive ground which would play havoc with the iPod’s charging system)…
Fit the Nanoplate into the chrome ring…
Screw the unit back together again (be sure not to pinch the cables)…
Route the audio and charging cables…
Use hotglue to combine them into one bundle…
Clip off the earbuds (the type that have the inline control buttons)…
Solder on a standard mini-stereo headphone socket…
Hmm, I didn’t know Apple made things back in the 50s!
This is what your assembly should like like at this point…
Now route the cables into the dashboard…
Insert the clock housing and lock it in…
Build a charging circuit…
We made our charging circuit using a low-drop out 5VDC, 1 amp regulator and wired it to the ignition switch so the Nano charges when the car is turned on…
The LDO regulator is:
LD29150 — it will work from 30V to well below 6V…
You need a LDO (Low Dropout) regulator because most regulators need a 2V drop between source and sink voltage (and the Studebaker runs on 6V.)
Then you need a 50Kohm capacitor on the output 100uF in this case (doesn’t really matter exactly how much). The resistors are to fool the iPod into believing the USB bus has been signaled to provide high power
Connect the speakers and charging circuit…
Use the fuzzy side of adhesive Velcro to mount the buttons under the dash…
Check the action of the volume and next track buttons…
Oh, that looks nice.
The clock fits perfectly…
Let’s listen to some music!
Maybe Annie Lennox?
Or tune in a favorite radio station…
Now that’s a nice Nano accessory, let’s see Griffin top that!
