Headrest Monitors

[Freddo]

Just got a pair of headrest monitors. happy with the build quality so i will be installing em soon.

now where do i wire the power to? centre cigarette lighter?

and how do i pull the cable down through the seat?

i have test fitted it and will post some pics up. the colour difference between the leather is minimal.

Edited January 14, 2010 by Freddo

[DJKOR]

Provided you don't really plug much into your cigarette lighter, tapping into that as your source of power is a simple an easy way to get the +12v that you need. This saves running extra power cables that aren't really necessary.

There is quite a bit of room in the seat to run the cable. You need to be a bit creative though to run the cable down in it. You can squeeze some cable through the sides of the headrest mounting holes and you can remove the rear seat pockets to give you some more access to the seat to allow you to snag the cable and work it down the seat. Then you pretty much bring the cable to the floor and then you can run it in the centre console area with the gap between the plastic and the carpet which from there you can run it to the power outlet etc.

[Armstrong]

just thought of a 1 second job without damaging the seat. lol

Just get a seat cover and hide it under that like one person i know did.

...u probably dont wanna listen to me on that advice..lol

[Freddo]

installed it in under 2 hours...

Photo 1

[prodigy]

installed it in under 2 hours...

Photo 1

Hi Freddo,

They look fantastic. A couple of questions,

1. As i see you are running two different movies in them, do you use two different IR headphones for the sound and also how do you divert the sound if you want it to come from the car's speakers?

2. if you don't mind can i know for how much did you get them?

Thanks,

[Freddo]

yes not only does it come with two headphones... it comes with two remote controls, two game pads and a 2gb memory stick.

eBay special. brand is xtrons. best $275 I have ever spent. I would look at the 9" for $100 more.

so happy

[1stKill]

Very well done,nice install ...that will help keep the little taka's quiet on road trips. :D

[freedy1001]

Very well done,nice install ...that will help keep the little taka's quiet on road trips. :D

Are you able to confirm the Aurion headrest post diameter?

I have measured mine but am unsure if this supplier is referring to inside or outside diameter.

This seller is offering 10, 12, or 14mm posts.

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/HD903-Headrest-2-X-9-LCD-Car-TV-Pillow-CD-DVD-Player-/170477834301?cmd=ViewItem&pt=AU_Car_Parts_Accessories&hash=item27b145503d#ht_9608wt_1167

These are the 9" units. One problem with this set appears to be the lack of a 3.5" headphone socket.

The headphones are IR TX/RX only. Once the kids destroy these IR headphones, they may be expensive to replace.

I would prefer to be able to use a cheap wired set as a replacement down the track.

[VF-X]

Tempting!

If the monitor is linked to the OEM Navigation, Im sure it can play the same screen the GPS displays. Can it be reversed? So the GPS plays what the monitor has?

Just a crazy and random question..

[RudeNeigh]

Great Work Freddo! I'm thinking of getting the 9" ones. XTRONS HD903. I hope the screen resolution is good. Its weird that their own official website is more expensive than their ebay store.

Got a few questions for you.

1. How did you get the wire through the seat? just shove it in? :)
   
2. Do you need to disconnect the seat because there are the side airbags on the seats that I'm afraid I might trigger off?
   
3. How did you connect to the 12V power socket? soldering?
   
4. Did you connect to the power socket in the middle console or the cigarette lighter?
   
5. Anything I should know before attempting to install?
   

Thank you.

[freedy1001]

Great Work Freddo! I'm thinking of getting the 9" ones. XTRONS HD903. I hope the screen resolution is good. Its weird that their own official website is more expensive than their ebay store.

Got a few questions for you.

1. How did you get the wire through the seat? just shove it in? :)
   
2. Do you need to disconnect the seat because there are the side airbags on the seats that I'm afraid I might trigger off?
   
3. How did you connect to the 12V power socket? soldering?
   
4. Did you connect to the power socket in the middle console or the cigarette lighter?
   
5. Anything I should know before attempting to install?
   

Thank you.

The screen resolution: 640x234, Brightness: 250cd/m2, Contrast: 500:1.

Very ordinary figures, but good enough for the kids, and for the price.

[*]How did you get the wire through the seat? just shove it in? :)

Yes, in a manner of speaking. I have not received my headrests yet, but I think it would be a simple matter of guiding the wires down inside the seat back.

Perhaps using a piece of dowel rod or similar to help get it down.

[*]Do you need to disconnect the seat because there are the side airbags on the seats that I'm afraid I might trigger off?

It is unlikely that you will accidently trigger the airbags, they have a failsafe system which requires a number of conditions to be met before they will deploy.

Having said that, take care to keep away from that area of the seat internals. You are going to go straight down the back, so should be ok.

[*]How did you connect to the 12V power socket? soldering?

I will be picking up 12V supply from under the centre console by soldering into the wire that goes to the console power socket.

I will then apply heatshrink tube over the soldered area for electrical protection.

[*]Did you connect to the power socket in the middle console or the cigarette lighter?

As above.

[*]Anything I should know before attempting to install?

Depends on what you don't already know?

Some people consider it good practice to remove the main battery connection before doing any electrical work on a vehicle.

Personaly I normally don't, but I would suggest it is a good idea to do this if you are not fully confident and experienced in this area.

When soldering apply solder to the iron first, then apply the iron to the join and add the solder until it runs into the join freely.

It should be a very liquid process.

A good solder joint will be shiny, and have an area of wire filled with solder of about 30mm long. The solder should not be caked on the outside of the wires.

I will take some pics when I do my instal and add them here. Will probably not happen for a few weeks yet.

[Freddo]

i used those crimp connector things to wire it up. as its only minor power and not a proper stereo.

yeh for the price its awesome. remember its a full headrest. not just the screens. and included dvd too and other things.

to hide the wires. u feed it thru the post hole. u can remove the back cover of the seat (in the presara anyways) by removing two screws from the bottom, and popping off the back panel.

then feed the wires down and under the seat and into the centre console. i wired mine to the accessory port.

[freedy1001]

i used those crimp connector things to wire it up. as its only minor power and not a proper stereo.

yeh for the price its awesome. remember its a full headrest. not just the screens. and included dvd too and other things.

to hide the wires. u feed it thru the post hole. u can remove the back cover of the seat (in the presara anyways) by removing two screws from the bottom, and popping off the back panel.

then feed the wires down and under the seat and into the centre console. i wired mine to the accessory port.

Freddo, does your headrest height adjustment still operate correctly?

[DKzr6]

Since the headrests are part of the safety system in the car, are the ones you have purchased on EBAY Australian ISO approved?

I was looking for a set for my car, and the only ISO safety approved ones in Australia were the Schneider ones that cost around $900

[bseven]

I installed two head rest screens (no DVD player) when I installed my new Head Unit (see the thread here).

Used a coat hanger and some good luck to thread the cables through the seat back, and then have run them up and in to the centre unit.

Soldered in to the bottom of the cigi lighter for power, and ran the video cables inside past the gears stick to the Head unit.

Only problem with that is that the sound can't be put just through the screens, the HU sends it through the car speakers. Does anyone know any way around this?

[Bruster]

i used those crimp connector things to wire it up. as its only minor power and not a proper stereo.

yeh for the price its awesome. remember its a full headrest. not just the screens. and included dvd too and other things.

to hide the wires. u feed it thru the post hole. u can remove the back cover of the seat (in the presara anyways) by removing two screws from the bottom, and popping off the back panel.

then feed the wires down and under the seat and into the centre console. i wired mine to the accessory port.

Hi Freddo,

just purchased a set of dvd headrest and one question, the red wire is attached to the cigar power and where does the black wire go? "Ground wire"

thanks

Bru

[RudeNeigh]

Ok. Thanks to some help from Fred and my friend who just help me with the soldering. :)

I made up this rough photo instructions on how to install the headrest monitors! I must say its awesome to have the 9" screens!

How to Install Headrest monitors

Bruster, the red wire goes with red. The black goes with black or white (with black strip) which is the ground wire.

[Freddo]

beautiful... jealous of your extra 2"s lol.

nice install guide! and that is how easy it is.