2002.02.18

i recently broke down and bought one of these amazing machines from apple. i won't go into the details of how great it is to have MacOS + UNIX on a laptop, lots of other sites cover that. the purpose here is to describe how you too can have your very own underdash tiBook rack.

the book

i'm preparing for a trip across the country, and figured rather than burn a big stack of cds from my mp3 collection, why not just take the collection with me. now you might say "why not just use an iPod?", well besides not being able to afford one after laying out the cash for the tiBook, they also just don't store enough. that being said, if i had one i'd have used it, but since i don't...

here's the details of how i did it, let's start w/the shopping list:

• 1 tiBook, mine is a Powerbook G4 500 (any other laptop should work ok as well)
• 1 car, mine is a 2001 Subaru Forester (most should work)
• 1 auto-power adapter, mine is the Lind Auto/Air DC Power Adapter (purchased from the Apple Store)
• 1 cassette tape adapter with 1/8" stereo plug (from Fry's, Circuit City, etc.)
• 1 10"x14" baker's cooling rack (yes that's right, a cooling rack, you can get these ate most grocery stores)
• some heavy gauge wire (coat hanger will work if you don't have any)
• tools: wire cutters, pliers, etc.

the rack choice is very important. there are other things you could use, but this is cheap, easy to mount, and best of all gives plenty of ventilation to your precious book.

the first thing to do is to take the rack and figure out how it will fit under the dash and where you can connect it. i managed to find two places in the back that i could wrap wire around, and then made 2 hooks for the front to hang it off the glovebox. this has the added benefit of still having a usable glovebox (see below).

once you've figured out your mount points, place the powerbook on the rack and use it to gauge how low you need to hang the rack below the glovebox. don't forget to leave room for the lid to open a bit (see below).

the "rack"

now you're ready to wire that puppy up... i'd suggest doing a quick test before really wrapping the wire tight. try the book on your rack, make sure it's got enough clearance from the wires to slide in and out easily. now tighten your wires down so everything is secure. test opening and closing the glovebox to make sure your hooks don't interfere.

the "rack" - closeup

next up, wrap all the wire, especially the sharp ends (consider filing them down first) in some electrical tape. this will keep them from scratching your beautiful new tiBook. also, it's a good idea to wrap the edge of the rack where you'll be sliding the book in, as that edge is often a bit sharp as well.

tiBook hooked up

that's about it. now pass the powercord through the back and connect to the book. the audio cable should not be passed through, so you can insert and remove the book without it catching on the hook wire. although a 6' audio extension cable would solve that problem, i found that the cord slips down the side between the book and the hook wire quite easily.

underdash tiBook!

fire it up. turn on your car, insert tape adapter, plug in the power, start up iTunes w/a big playlist and you're good to go! note, you should turn the brightness all the way down so the display turns off to keep it cooler and put less drain on your car.

glovebox access

oh, one last thing, you'll need a wedge to keep the lid open so your powerbook won't sleep while it's in the rack. anything soft will work, folded napkin, foam, sponge, etc., as long as it won't scratch your screen. btw, if anyone knows how to change the options to keep it from sleeping on lid close, drop me some mail please (and yes i know you can do that on win2k laptops)

comments or questions are welcome, send me some mail: noise<at>hypefiend<dot>com