Hey all, I'm on the tail end of a vacation, finally at home, and with weather warming up and nothing on TV the mod bug bit me again. Girlfriend is back at work so started getting bored of Sportscenter and PS3.

I installed my double din last year, and since then, the one thing I've hated is how I have to crane my neck down to see the rearview video feed. I have the non-nav version of the car, so my cubby is empty and useless most of the time. My solution was another video monitor. Got the following supplies:

-Monitor with a voltage sensing input ($20): http://www.ebay.com/itm/4-3-TFT-LCD-...item43b96a6b81
-6"x6" piece of Lexan from Lowes: $2
-black spray paint, epoxy - found in garage

Next used a dremel and epoxy to shape a piece of plastic that fit perfectly in the cubby. Measured and taped out a cutout the size of the monitor, and painted the back side of the lexan that was not exposed to the outside. Attached monitor to back side of lexan with epoxy, mounted in cubby, ran power from switched 12v so monitor would turn off when key is out of ignition. Nice thing is the monitor has 1 voltage sensing input, so backup camera turns on, triggers monitor to switch to that video input, and switches back to another video input when you shift in and out of reverse. Nice, no more craning my neck and no more pressing "rearview" camera on my headunit to bring the camera up. That's the productive part.

Now for the more useless part. With the extra video input on the monitor, I wanted the screen to show something besides just a black screen when I'm not in reverse. One thing I always though was really cool was the GTR's accessory dash display showing speed, gyro, etc. Had some change left on my itunes account, and when to find an app that kinda did that. To my surprise, I found the app "Zilla". It looked like the GTR screen; and was $3 buck so what the heck. I tried it out, and for another dollar it gives you different color schemes, including an orange one that matches the OEM interior lights. My iPhone is jailbroken, and I can output to an external display the devices' display. Got a composite video cable from Apple store that also charges my phone and the pictures below show the result.

Now, even though my Iphone's gyro is pretty sensitive, I don't believe this to be accurate enough to use on the track, etc. But, any app on the iPhone can be displayed, including the Google maps with navigation app that I love. My double din is nav "capable", but I'm not gonna spend more money adding different modules and what not. Overall I think the second screen is pretty useful; and hey, if my iphone is already gonna be hooked up charging when I'm in the car, this opens up alot of possiblities of other uses.

That looks pretty cool. Take some pics during the day. I would like to see it!

That's pretty cool.
I always thought it would cool to have a flip out style display come down when you open that cubby. Still trying to think what I can do with the useless ashtray

It would be possible for the flipout, you would need a spring loaded hinge. It would take a but longer to fit but very doable.

I've seen people fab the ashtray into a phone dock, although its pretty easy for it to fall off. I use it as a gum dispenser, get the Orbit gum packs, tear off the front flap at where it joins the top, it fits in there like it was made for it, lol.

That looks pretty cool. Can you please take better pictures? So is the original cover still there?
What HU are you running? I have a JVC and have my rear view camera connected to the rear view camera port on the HU. And I have the reverse signal from my HU connected to my reverse bulb. So now everytime I'm in reverse the camera turns on automatically & the HU changes to the rear view camera. The second I'm out of reverse it goes back to the screen I was previously on.

Better daytime pics included below.

Original cover is still there, the panel fits between the underside crease of the cover and the wedge of the cover recess. I am thinking about making a spring loaded hinge so I can close the cover, but that would mean going back and redesigning the sides of the panel to allow for the panel to collapse into the cubby. Also, I only made 1 tiny hole in the the nonvisible (rearfacing) side of the cubby to allow for power and video cables, and putting a spring loaded hinge would mean at least 2 bolts into the cubby cover (not really wanting to mess with the cover right not). At least for now I'm happy with it being up all the time.

I have one of the older Pioneer DVD units that doesn't switch automatically. Between pressing that button and having to look down, the backup cam was pretty much unused until I put the upper screen in.

Oh I see. Looks nice though. Sadly my iPhone5 is not jail broken so I dunno if I can have that display. I wanna do it just for the hell of it. But dunno what to display on it lol

Out of curiosity, why didn't you go for a bigger screen?

^def understand that. iPhone 5 can be JB'd, but even if you do, you need the lightning adapter; AFAIK, they only have HDMI with the lightning adapters. The screen however can be used with any idevice or anything with a composite video out though.

Screen size was basically an availablility issue. Looking at just screen with 12v power leads, you have the choices of 3.5, 4.3, 5, and 7 inchs. Problem is 7 is too big without cutting the cubby out, 5in screen have this huge bezel that would also require trimming/cutting the cubby. The 5 inch displays are also vertically taller, so you either have to take the cubby door off and fab your own cover or have a part of the viewable screen recessed into the cubby.

That makes the 4.3 inch my choice since I do not have to cut anything and can return to stock look in seconds. Also, for $20 bucks, it was a deal; they ship from Asia though, so a week shipping is expected. But that week gave me time to fully design and fab my panel so when it arrived it took 20mins to install.

So is that an app on the iphone?
This is pretty cool!

You should do one for me and I'll buy it off of you. I have too much work on the car I really dont need to add another one lol

I gotta remove my HU to install my XM module, that would be another nice piece to add. Maybe get a used ipod for it and jailbreak that just for the car. That could work

Same here, going back to work on Monday. I'll probably turn it into a weekend project for a hinged model that closes with the cubby, will post detailed pics and instructions if I do.

Keep me posted. Would love to do something similar.

what size is the new lcd?

Reading works.

Very cool.