Need Help With Special Project

[Wanderica]

Hi all,

This is my first post here, but I thought you all might be able to help me out with a special project my brother and me are working on for my dad's birthday.

First, a little background. He's 60 and has been a Nascar fan all of his life, and his favorite driver has, and always will be, Richard Petty, so we (my brother and I) thought that we would build him a shop stereo out of car stereo parts. Power-wise and component-wise it's nothing special, just your basic 4 speaker setup with no sub, a head unit, and a small 4-channel amp.

The trickiest part is almost complete. For the 2 satellite speakers, I picked up 2 cheap open faced motorcycle helmets from Wal-Mart. I removed the hard Styrofoam inserts and cut and shaved them, then cut holes for the 4 inch coaxial speakers and the speaker wire connectors. A body shop friend of ours has agreed to paint them petty blue. After I get the decals on them and bolt the speakers in with some nice grilles and reinsert the foam liner, I should have an open faced Richard Petty helmet that is a shelf speaker.

For the main box I have decided on a set of 5.25" components housed in a basic rectangular shaped MDF box covered with carpet. (note: We could go all out here, but it's important to us to maintain the look and feel of a car stereo, so we decided on carpet covered MDF.) For the power supply, I have decided on This Power Supply. Other suggestions here would be very welcome. This is one of our sticking points. I've been back and forth between this and using a PC power supply, and honestly I'm torn on what to use.

The other question I have is the head unit itself. I have some fairly specific criteria that it needs to meet, so I'll list them and hope you all have some great suggestions.

• My dad is 60 so big numbers or adjustable size is welcome
  
• Double DIN
  
• Old school volume knob. No + and - buttons.
  
• As simple as possible. Again, he's 60 and if he can't read all the buttons, it'll be too complicated.
  
• $250 or less
  

And finally, I need a way to store radio stations and not lose memory everytime he turns off the stereo. Is this as simple as just leaving the thing plugged up with proper wiring or will I need a head unit that actually stores stations to memory? If I need a head unit that stores stations and settings, then add that to the above list.

Thanks in advance everyone. We've been brainstorming and working on this project since December and May 12 is the deadline. Just a few more wrinkles to work out.

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[mylows10 5,000+ posts]

Ok. Where to start the power supply. Get one like this Power Supply Regulator 12V 15V 25AMP Output Model RPS 2512 | eBay

The deck a pioneer FH-X500UI - <b>NEW!</b> - 2-DIN CD Receiver with MIXTRAX, USB Control for iPod®/iPhone®, and Pandora® Ready | Pioneer Electronics USA

As far as the memory. You may need a small 12 volt battery that you can hide as far as speakers. Do you want new or used. Any idea on a budget ?

 

[Wanderica]

Thanks for the reply. Good call on the radio. That's the exact model I was looking at. Speakers I already have for both the helmets and the box. What makes that power supply better than others? I'm no carpenter, and I'm concerned that I won't be happy with the finished product if I try to get too fancy. That power supply, for example, would need to be outside of the box because I'm not sure I can incorporate it into the box design itself.

I definitely want to go new parts. As for budget, I'm looking at the $600 - $700 range all said and done, so still room to play and upgrade a few things if necessary.

 

[mylows10 5,000+ posts]

Thanks for the reply. Good call on the radio. That's the exact model I was looking at. Speakers I already have for both the helmets and the box. What makes that power supply better than others? I'm no carpenter, and I'm concerned that I won't be happy with the finished product if I try to get too fancy. That power supply, for example, would need to be outside of the box because I'm not sure I can incorporate it into the box design itself.
I definitely want to go new parts. As for budget, I'm looking at the $600 - $700 range all said and done, so still room to play and upgrade a few things if necessary.

You could actually build the box big enough to have the power supply inside so it won't be seen if you put a toggle switch on the red wire of the deck then you can leave the power supply in and turn the radio in and off by the switch. It will also eliminate the battery and still keep the memory I'd build the box round over all the corners and edges and glass the outside. Then paint it with countertop refinishing paint It will look sweet then and hold up better in a shop environment I would also do speaker box cups on thd back of the box for terminals for easy connect and disconnect of the speakers the antenna will take a little enginuity tho. Maybe one if those small coiled ones

 

[Wanderica]

Definitely doing speaker box cups. In fact I have them already. I insisted on them actually for a more professional look. I like the idea of doing the box in fiberglass and then painting it, but alas, it is a joint project and my brother really liked the carpeted "speakerbox" look for the centerpiece. I got my way on the helmets though

Toggle switch is a great solution too. That's what I would do if I had decided to use a PC power supply, so I see no reason it won't work for this too.

The antenna will be a little tricky, but any aftermarket antenna will work I think as long as it has a long enough stud to go through the box.