Wired Up

10 Nov Wired Up

Today, we rotate back to the ADV.1-wheeled PNW stormer, Eric’s Z4M.

Last time we checked out the electronics install, there were a lot of “things WILL go here” or “this SHOULD fit here perfectly.” Well, all the button placement is finished, the radar CPUs are tucked in a good spot on the dashboard so Eric can still hear the speakers, and we’re just waiting on the post-tune corner balance to properly align the radar detector and, um, parking sensors. For now, let’s move to the rest of the electronics that Eric has in store for his roadster. Namely, a healthy amount of Alpine and Sirius hardware:

As always, we’ll be wire tucking as we install, so there isn’t too much to show in the way of wiring right now, but what you saw above were the majority of the parts of the audio hardware being mounted to one of the brackets from the trunk. Placing these units behind the trunk liner, in-between the front seats and the trunk, will keep it moisture-free and allow all the wiring to be contained to a single area, making the install as clean as possible, should he ever choose to remove some or all of the parts. Here’s a quick in-trunk shot of the parts as they’re mounted currently:

Now that we’ve updated you on the radio end, let’s head back to the, um, parking sensor related machinery. As we mentioned last time, the radar detector’s faceplate is fitting perfectly above the seat heater controls:

And his iPod dock is nestled perfectly where the ashtray used to be. And the 12V outlet still retains all its functionality, just in case there’s something else that warrants plugging-in during a road trip.

The mode selector switch (to go between the parking sensors and the, um, parking sensors) has found its home right where we mentioned prior, on the small trim piece at the front of the power seat controls.

Since we talked last time, we imagined putting the power switch for the, um, parking sensors on the same panel as the seat heater buttons. Sadly, there’s too much in the way of intricate circuitry behind that panel, and we didn’t want to risk mucking up the seat heater controls, so we left well enough alone and headed north, to the panel overlooking the same area. It faces downwards, so the switch can be mounted stealthily without a risk of anybody ever seeing it, plus it shares a panel with another OEM BMW piece (the AUX IN port), so it looks just like a place where a switch would normally go. Win-win, if you ask us.

And did we mention that the screen output for this whole setup has been incorporated into the rearview mirror? A big thumbs-up to Scott and the rest of radar-mirror.com for making one excellent addition to this stealthy setup. Enjoy the abstract artsiness of Tom’s face in the mirror, too.

TGI(almost)F