BUILT: Digital Factory Infotainment Integration Honda Civic Bose / Acura Integra ELS

[coolnick]

So what features should one look for in a DSP in order to utilize your device? Can it be done with the plethora of $100 DSP devices on Amazon, or does it need certain features only found on X, Y, Z brands? I can appreciate a good rabbit hole, and this is about as rabbit hole as it gets.

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[ashmostro]

So what features should one look for in a DSP in order to utilize your device? Can it be done with the plethora of $100 DSP devices on Amazon, or does it need certain features only found on X, Y, Z brands? I can appreciate a good rabbit hole, and this is about as rabbit hole as it gets.

Appreciate the important question! It reminded me I should have addressed that in my prior post.

So, the short version is, any DSP/amp that offers or includes an accessory remote control knob is likely to be compatible, with one caveat. Most DSP volume controls on the market are actually relatively simple circuits: a three-wire potentiometer, supplied by 3.3V or 5V from the amp. Any amp that uses this topology is highly likely to be compatible. The only risk (and it's very very minor) is if the amp has sophisticated sensing technology built into that circuit that would disable external volume control ability unless the expected values are sensed. I say this risk is very minor as I have yet to see an amp that does this - most just do what you tell them in the software (ie you tell it "volume controller is present" through a checkbox in the software).

The one caveat which is a higher risk is if the DSP only uses a digital controller with no analog volume control circuitry at all. My device is not able to transcode such a communication strategy. That said, so far I have not found an amp that does not have an analog control option, if it has external volume control ability. But the possibility is always there.


Now, for the hopefully more satisfying answer: I fully intend to test amplifiers via volunteer, to "certify" which brands and models are compatible, and will publish that information with the device. So far, it looks like Helix is going to be the second brand that is certified to work (Arc Audio is proven to be compatible already as that's what I have).

When the product is shippable I'll poll the enthusiast community to find out which brands are the most popular within the interested pool of users. That will inform what I work to certify next.

 

[ashmostro]

Exciting Update 3/31/26:

PCB orders have been placed for the motherboard and both vehicle model daughterboards (Honda Civic XI with Bose, and Acura Integra DE4/DE5 with ELS)!

There was a lot of fiddly stuff to address in the design in order to get a clean and reasonably-priced build. All SMD devices will be placed by the PCB manufacturer and I'll be soldering the through-hole components because that's pretty easy, so no need to pay for that. I'll be looking for two beta testers per model, but I won't be doing that until I've tested this in my own car first so I don't waste anyone's time if there's a surprise bug in the design. It also gives me time to measure the specs for the end cap cutouts (for the connectors), and I'll probably be fabricating an adapter mount that allows you to bolt this device to the factory mount that hold the OE amplifier (which you'd be removing from the car).

Including some glamour renders for giggles. On the daughterboards, there's one connector missing from the render because there's still no 3D model from the manufacturer, so you'll just have to imagine it's the factory 26-pin connector from the OE amplifier :ROFLMAO:


Logic Board (likely will be a standard part for all late model Honda/Acura cars):

Integra-specific daughterboard. Notice it only has connectors and no solid-state devices. This keeps the cost of adding new models down, and even allows the end user to side-grade to a different model if they change cars (to another supported vehicle). You'd just need a new daughterboard and a new harness if the pinouts differ.

And the Honda Civic model. Note how the traces are markedly different. This is because of the different pinouts on the OE 26 pin connector at the upper left (the missing one, lol)

Note "CON_B1" and "CON_B2" in the two boards - that is where there will be a bridge connector between the two boards. All connectors and devices are automotive grade for longevity and reliability.

Thanks to all those who have continued to show interest in this project. It's been a lot of work (and cost) but you've really helped keep up my motivation to get this done quickly. And yes, you will notice that there is now a "Patent Pending" on the device. This started out as a need I was trying to fill for myself alone, then I realized I had something other enthusiasts might be able to reproduce, and then it evolved into a full-fledge drop-in part that almost anyone (and definitely any competent installer) can implement in their system. I now plan on selling this product at whatever scale the interest level ends up being, and if it's really popular I'll invest more R&D into support more models of cars and doing testing on DSPs to "certify" which ones will work the best with the Integrator.

I'll let y'all know when I'm ready for those Beta Testers! Will want to know your system configurations first, and I'll select the ones most appropriate for the test. It will be two Honda Civics and two Acura Integras initially.

Thanks all,
-Ash

 

[ashmostro]

Unexpected but positive followup update:

The PCB manufacturer rejected my design for a minor issue last night, and thankfully I had to wait until morning for them to set up a way to update the file, because overnight I had an aha moment that changes the design and would have rendered the PCB order a waste of money!

The aha moment:
The current design up until now has been to include firmware to change the DSP compatibility setting between 5V and 3.3V which are the two common architectures used by DSPs for volume control circuits. That was fine, but it meant that A) I would have to set the device per the user's initial request to the correct setting(s) for their amplifiers(s), and B) to change the setting in the future (ie new amp with different protocol) the user would have to be comfortable opening up the device to expose the USB port, which I purpose don't want to keep exposed so no one inadvertently destroys the device trying to connect to it that way.

But that is all too complicated for a great user experience, so I decided to build an auto sensing circuit that will switch to the correct voltage protocol based on what the amp sends out one of its volume control terminals. This means the device is not only plug and play, but interoperable between DSP designs (so long as they are using a simple potentiometer for volume control, as was true before).

I've been working on this since last night and should have the design ready by late tonight, for resubmission to the PCB manufacturer.

 

[ashmostro]

I ended up withdrawing my PCB order last night as I realized I wanted to make additional changes. I'm happy to report the redesign is done!

Change Log:

• Upgraded from one to two DACs as I found a way to do it without going to a 6 layer PCB, so the added cost is incremental. This means that all models will likely come with the optional subwoofer level control as well as the main system volume control integration. If you missed it earlier, the subwoofer level control, if used, would take commands from the head unit's bass EQ setting.
• The auto-sense circuit is done too! This allowed me to remove the USB port as users won't need to fiddle with settings if they change to different amps, or have two amps that use two different voltage protocols (3.3V vs 5V). Now, the Integrator will auto sense and apply the correct voltage scale automatically, on both channels.

Will likely send the order in tomorrow. I want to sleep on it tonight in case I think of anything else, or have missed an error anywhere. I'm tired, lol.

 

[AspecR]

The more you update this thread more excited I get. I really hope the community rallies behind this because this is pretty much what the audiophiles amongst us that want a clean solution have been hoping for.

 

[Websitesdown]

The more you update this thread more excited I get. I really hope the community rallies behind this because this is pretty much what the audiophiles amongst us that want a clean solution have been hoping for.

I'll have look to see what dsp I went with at the time, but I tapped into the sub speaker in the back of my fl5.


AudioControl LC2i 2

 

[ashmostro]

The more you update this thread more excited I get. I really hope the community rallies behind this because this is pretty much what the audiophiles amongst us that want a clean solution have been hoping for.

Thank you for the supportive words! It actually helps a lot to stay motivated on a project this intense and time consuming. I hope to have some beta test units in about a month!

 

[ashmostro]

Pre-production PCBs have been finalized and ordered just now! Woohoo!

 

[ashmostro]

I just did some research on the 10th gen civic and it looks like it uses the same strategy for digital source and volume control! I'll be working on that platform next, after I can claim success on DE5/FL5.

 

[AspecR]

I just did some research on the 10th gen civic and it looks like it uses the same strategy for digital source and volume control! I'll be working on that platform next, after I can claim success on DE5/FL5.

Yea forgot to mention it, the systems are all very similar, the FK8/FK7(Sport Touring only)/FC1/FC3 all use the same stereo as well so any system designed for one pretty much automatically translates to then others.

 

[ashmostro]

The great thing is, due to the daughterboard strategy I switched to, adding a car is pretty fast. I'm already looking into the different connectors and once I know what those are, will design the PCB for the FK hatch. Need to find the sedan diagram still - given the different rear speaker layout it's a different pinout.

 

[ashmostro]

I just posted up on CivicX forum! Hope to see some of you there!

 

[ashmostro]

I've got a question for you guys and gals.

If you were to buy this product, would you want to use the option to utilize the factory speaker wiring, or run your own? The factory wiring is pretty thin, so it's not great for high powered systems, but would be fine for modest power (say 50-75 wpc). I'm considering offering two options of wiring harnesses - one with speaker wires integrated, and one that skips the speaker wires for those who want to run thicker wire themselves (that option would be considerably less expensive as wire ain't cheap).

Where would you land?

 

[ashmostro]

Question for the group: if you had a choice between an RCA digital output and Toslink optical output, which would you select?

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