How do you access your hundreds of tunes from you Ipod to your Mazda sound system? Using an Ipod adapter. There are apparently many of these to choose from if you know where to search around the internet. I got mine from Axxess and that’s the one that we will be showing you today on how to install it on a Mazda 3.

Having tested it for a couple of days now, I can attest to you that it is working good, not perfect, but nice. Unlike the FM transmitter or tape adapter where the sound that comes out of the stereo system is not, well, stereo. Using this Ipond adapter for Mazda is like playing (hundreds) of CDs in one.

The Ipod Adapter for Mazda even charges your ipod when the ignition is on. Plus it fits discrete ly in your Mazda clove for clean, uncluttered look.

The track number will display on the audio system screen

Here’s how you install the Axxess Ipod Adapter for Mazda.

First thing to be aware of is that, the stereo system/head unix (HU) must be pulled out since the adapter will be insered in the bottom of the unit.

Let’s do that first….

Photo above shows how to gently and properly remove the razor type thing. It’s behind that thing where you can see all the screws. Open the glove box and using a flat screw driver (or something thinner), ply some space in it big enough so that your fingers can manage to pull (gently) the razor-thing off.

After you removed the cover, you’ll see screws for the glove box, the dash (where you can see my monitor/keyboard) and the screws of the stereo audio. You can now freely removed the screws both on the glove box and stereo.. you can leave the ones in the one near the aircon/hazard light switch.

Grab the stereo by two hands on the top corners of the unit and forcibly but gently pull the stereo towards you. Before pulling the unit all the way through, remove the cables from the back of it. There are two cables, one for the antenna and the other for the power and other stuff I guess.

This photo shows the bottom part of the unit.. see the black part there? That’s the slot where we put it the ipod Adapter.

Mazda Ipod adapter is an amazing way to enjoy your music on the move!

Car is a necessity. Buying a car is no longer considered as a luxury and there will be a time that every household will have at least one (1) car. That is the American dream is it not?

However, not everyone is capable of buying shiny new cars. Not everyone is blessed with a perfect job that pays so much that one can pick whatever car he want to buy.

Alternative? Buy second hand cars.

Here are Top 5 reasons why one should buy second hand cars… This is not, in any way, the only reasons to consider in buying cars.. Let’s just say that these are some stuff that gives you more hints.

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2009 BMW X6 | BMW SUV – The first of probably many luxury car posts on Car PC 101 blog site!.

While I was driving to the office early in the morning, a big car suddenly appear from a street corner near GMA7, right after the Shell gas station in EDSA. From my distance to the car, I thought that it is an old  Honda civic sedan, but I was wrong.

I said to myself, “That’s a pretty big car.”… I accelerated so that I can see what kind of vehicle that is. At that time I was super curious.  I was somewhere in Nepo Qmart I was right behind this huge sedan… only its not a sedan, it was an SUV!

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Here’s a very informative video.. and the first one if Googel SERP.. here’ sthe Car PC for the Newbie howto guide…

Night shift at work started last Tuesday, November 2, 2009.

On our first night, I commuted to work.. with a little rain shower and all. On the second day, I brought along my mazda3 just to get a feel of the place and to estimate the time it will take to travel from home to office and to find out if traffic is bearable at those times.

On the third night, tonight, i am here at home, working from home.. I like driving, love it.. but I also love working from home, .. saves time travelling/driving/commuting.

Bummer! I just got my car scratched again! This is like the third time it happened and it’s caused by my negligence! Darn it!

Yesterday while I was driving around town, looking for an electronic shop, I accidentally scratched the right passenger door of my Mazda 3! Darn! Im so down right now.. I’m so sad.

It’s been a while since I last updated this blog… Why ? Because it’s been a while since I tinker around the car and the car pc.

So why update now? Well, I just want to announce that the CPU from the car / car-pc will be turn into a completely working desktop computers.

Couple of days ago, I bought a 17″ Asus LCD (not wide) monitor… I have put back the stand of the Asus EE pC and plug in the VGA cable to the LCD monitor, put in a mouse and keyboard and all boom…

Pictures speaks louder that words in any language. So, here are some pictures with a bit of explanations on how to strip a 2005 Mazda 3. The parts that we are going to take off are the ones in hand break/ashtray/cigarette section (which also may include the stereo, but I didn’t go there)

The Car PC project has been stalled for a while because of number of reasons. One of which is the lack of device driver for the TFT touch screen LCD color display, the output device of our Car PC on Mazda 3… Of course the main reason why this project was delayed is because of me, too lazy… That’s me, lazy me.

Anyway, this post is about the TFT LCD monitor driver. The touchscreen monitor is apparently known in the internet as VM80B TFT LCD XGA/VGA touch screen color monitor.

The VM80B 8″ TFT LCD touchscreen color monitor is the perfect vehicle monitor for your CarPC. Featuring a sharp 800×600 VGA color screen (supports up to 1024×768), you can run regular PC programs as well as specialized car PC software.

With the built-in touchscreen monitor, you can use your fingers instead of a mouse. Not only does the VM80B display computer video, but with the A/V RCA inputs, you can also display video from DVD players, VCRs and other devices.

The VM80B includes several accessories: remote control, dashboard mount, VGA cable, AV cables, as well as an AC adapter. Also includes a CD with touchscreen drivers for Windows, MacOS, DOS and Linux. Vista Compatible.

First thing, here are the features of the VM80B TFT LCD VGA Monitor:

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Now that you know the basic components of a Car PC, or the basic parts of a computer PC, let’s dive deeper and look at each particular part in details.

In this post, we will take a look at the output device that I will be using for my own car PC project.

Output Device: TFT LCD Monitor

Basically, the output device is a TFT LCD Monitor device which I bought online in E-bay. The seller from Taiwan shipped it here in the Philippines. The total cost, if I remember right (will check my Ebay account later), is $250 US including shipping.

The TFT LCD monitor is an 8-inch, touch screen monitor. It comes with a stand that the height can be adjusted. It has a power cable and a USB cable for the touch screen funtionality, I guess

Which reminds me, I’m actually having problem with it right know. The device driver CD that comes with the monitor doesn’t contain the driver for the monitor. Instead, it has a sound/mp3 file… what’s the deal?

Any tips?