BUILT: Digital Factory Infotainment Integration for ELS Studio

[ashmostro]

Good news for those who have been asking for a lower-cost post-amplifier T harness option.

I figured out a way to make a T harness despite the funky factory connector availability. It will be a bit different from the typical T harness as it will be an enclosure that you plug into. It will be a tiny footprint, about 3" square with a height of about 1.75". It should be very easy to bundle in the kickpanel next to the factory amplifier, and then you'll run the provided long harness back to your DSP. It will carry the input and return wires for all the main speakers so all you need to do is correctly wire up your AMP using the provided color-coded wiring diagram. This harness will also carry the car's remote turn on lead, so you'll have everything you need to drop in your DSP/amp other than power and ground of course.

I anticipate the development for this part to be about half as long as the more advanced digital integrator, and will obviously cost less. How much less I don't know yet until I finish the design and get supplier quotes. I'm estimating it'll be about half as much as whatever the Integrator comes out to be.

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[ashmostro]

Busy working on the analog T-harness option.

 

[ashmostro]

This weekend I designed the prototype T-harness cable and passthrough device and sent the specs to the manufacturer for quoting.

I have also finally named the two products, so it will be easier to discuss them moving forward:

• S2i Trū - this is the digital integration device that allows you to run digital SPDIF to your DSP for the cleanest, purest possible sound
• S2i Tea - this is the analog integration device that allows you to more easily "splice" into your factory wiring without actually cutting anything, so you can use your DSP to reconstruct the source signal using the analog outputs of the factory amplifier. This is lower fidelity vs the Trū, but less expensive, and more familiar to most installers and DIYers

These devices target different audiences with different needs. I should be able to estimate pricing on both within the month.

Hope everyone weekend was great!
-Ash

 

[ashmostro]

The Tru prototype is coming together!

 

[ashmostro]

All, I am nearing the time when I will need a few testers to send Tru (digital integrator) units to, probably in a couple weeks. I would like to start identifying folks who are seriously interested, and are technically savvy enough to provide meaningful feedback (or if you plan to use an installer who can do the same).

I will be recruiting two testers with Civic FLx (Bose + hatchback models only for now) and two Integra owners (ELS system only for now).

The test units will be pre-production prototypes and the only cost I will ask you to incur is shipping. If the device works flawlessly, you can keep it for your continued use. On the other hand, if the device needs reprogramming (only) then I'll ask you to ship it back to me so I can make those software changes and then I'll send it back to you for revalidation. If there are hardware issues that render the devices unusable or ineffective in your systems, I'll give you a significant discount on the final production version as thanks for your help.

If you are interested in being a tester and you own one of the two vehicle models listed, please DM me with details about:

1. your car model and year and which factory sound system it has
2. your aftermarket hardware (DSP in particular, but it would be great to know things like intended number of powered channels, power levels, etc.)
3. whether it is installed already, or if not, when will it be
4. whether you're using an installer

This will help with initial screening. I am getting a head start on this data gathering for both our sakes, as I imagine anyone who has not yet scheduled their installation might want to do so now.

Thanks for everyone's continued support! We're almost there!
-Ash

 

[ashmostro]

Final enclosure design for the Tru integrator:

I managed to shrink the package down into a 113mm x 40mm x 90mm (4.4" x 1.6" x 3.5") footprint.

 

[ashmostro]

Hey folks. I'm looking for anyone with a current gen Honda (any model) with bose that is local to me (northern virginia) for testing. It would only take a couple hours max and I'll provide a deep discount on the Tru when it's ready, to thank you for your time.

Please reach out if you can help!
Thanks,
Ash

 

[ashmostro]

First prototype ready for testing in my car!



This is already defunct design but functionally fine for testing. The final product has been shrunk down to about 1/2 this size and will look much more like an off the shelf consumer product.

Still looking for testers!

 

[ashmostro]

Update for everyone as I near having the first run of production models ready.
I reviewed the wiring diagrams for all Honda and Acura models with 2021 model years and up. I now know which models, years and trims can use the "PURE" digital source integrator device.

These models are compatible with the PURE:

I will be creating pinout diagrams for all these models and providing them with the units, so the installation process will be as easy as possible. Furthermore, I'm going to be designing DSP compatibility harnesses that you would buy separately as a bundle with the PURE according to which brand of compatible DSP you have.

Currently I have pinouts for Arc Audio and Helix DSPs. I plan to add Audison next, and then other brands as will follow according to owner demand.

If you have any questions about any of the above, please don't hesitate to DM me or ask me here!
-Ash

 

[ashmostro]

Hey folks! I've been quietly working on getting ready for production and I'm only a few weeks out from going live! There have been a ton of enhancements made to the device as a result of the intensive testing I've been doing, both on the hardware and software side of things.

I intend to provide a detailed update on these enhancements, the delivery timeline, and more soon. For today, I would like some feedback as I start writing the user and installer documentation that will be provided with each unit.

The first thing I'm working on is a wire number table for the single DSP harness that comes with the unit. This harness is what allows the car and DSP to integrate input and output signals to/from the DSP. Each wire will have a wire number label on it, just like this picture:

I'd really like your feedback on the level of clarity of this table - is it intuitive? Would something else work better? Note that this is not the extent of the user manual - it's just one of the pieces that will be part of the larger document. But I'd love to get early feedback as I start working on this. Thank you all!

 

[goobax]

Tag for a full read later this weekend. I would be interested for sure in testing. My truck had a full focal flex build pushed by JL vxi-800 with a channel for each speaker (3ways front and coax in rear) and JL audio RD1000.1 pushing two 10W3s. The subs will way over power this vehicle but that comes secondary to getting my Focals back and in was looking for options to help facilitate that, which this aligns perfectly with.
My car is a 2026 TypeS for what it’s worth

 

[ashmostro]

Good news is your model year and trim are compatible.

I'll be here for any questions when you have them.

 

[goobax]

So I read through it all. Feel free to correct me here as I have a pretty rudimentary understand of car audio/electronics.

If I understand correctly, you created a loop back/T harness for factory integration of aftermarket audio and you your module would essentially negate the need for something like an LCx-I converter and send digital signal to the amps/DSP, correct?

sign me up if so.

 

[ashmostro]

Exactly. The one piece to emphasize is that the factory volume control will continue to work as normal by directly controlling the compatible DSP (I have provided a list of them but happy to discuss if needed).

 

[goobax]

Exactly. The one piece to emphasize is that the factory volume control will continue to work as normal by directly controlling the compatible DSP (I have provided a list of them but happy to discuss if needed).

perfect, let me know if the JL audio Vxi800 will be on that compatibility list as I would like to not have to start over, but can if worst case scenario

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