Consolle, Head Unit and Control Panel

Every element in the consolle but the Climatronic, was removed and many plastic supports were cutted off to make room to the custom Control Panel in the original HU and free DIN position...

Even the air tubing was modified to allow the Head Unit to be fixed in the upper position...

New fixing points were drilled, where I screwed some aluminium plates to become solid fixing points for the new elements

This are the aluminium plates, cutted and tightly screwed to the consolle chassis

And finally some trials with everything on their new sokets...

and how everything is gonna be solidly screwed to the consolle, even the HU's frame...

-Pioneer DEX-P9 Source has 3 pairs of RCAs that I will not use, because we will feed the system through Processor's RCAs. That is the reason why I took off the Head Unit's ones in order to avoid any interference. I had to open the box, remove some screws and unplug them from under the CD.

-It is important to obtain a perfect integration of the Head Unit into the central consolle, so I cutted out the edge of the frame to introduce it deeply into its position.

-The original frame for the P9 HU was also eliminated. My first idea it was to modify an original VW Climatronic Frame to match the Head Unit and general consolle aesthetics, but the frame for the HU was finally cutted out from a 10mm MDF Board...

A computer control panel will also be installed in the consolle, to give control of four different temperature areas and to four different fans, one for each amplifier.
In addition under it, some switches and control leds will be installed for neons in the trunk and to switch on and off the Control Panel itself, finally I will integrate also a voltimeter in the middle of the control panel.
The control panel is one Din high but 3/4 of a Din wide. It is going to be installed in a special MDF support, with another original VW Climatronic frame, modified to match the Control Panel dimensions.

First of all I draw the Control Panel silouhette on the MDF board. and started cutting and drillin it...

I also cutted a frame that will be sticked to the back of the MDF support to keep the control panel in its position

Then tried if it fitted on, cutted out and assembled

Notice in the back side, the frame which supports the control panel, and the holes to allow the switches, voltmeter and led mounting

After some primer, and testing all together in the consolle I went to to paint everything...

When it was painted I started working on the electronics of the panel, switches and control leds were protected, welded and connected.

Then it was important to feed correcly the fan and temperature control, wich needs both 5volt and 12volt feeds, that must be regulated at no more than 5% more or less power... so I created a couple of regulators with some transistors...

This is the final aspect just before installing it in the consolle...

And after a while of wiring, connecting, welding, trying... it works!!