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Book Review: How To Install Automotive Mobile Electronic Systems
Reviewed by Larry Carley December 2009
Reviewed by Larry Carley December 2009
How-To books have come a long ways since I wrote how-to books years ago. In those days, the books were small, the photos were mostly gray scale, and the paper was cheap. Fortunately, those days are gone for good.
Motorbooks recently sent me a copy of "How To Install Automotive Mobile Electronic Systems" by Jason Snyder (ISBN-13: 978-0-7603-3177-4) to review. It sounded like an interesting topic because I've installed some aftermarket sound systems in a number of vehicle's I've owned over the years. I must say I wish this book had been available when I was doing those jobs!
How To Install Automotive Mobile Electronic Systems does an excellent job of covering all the basic things a do-it-yourselfer should know about installing audio systems, amplifiers, speakers, auxiliary batteries, GPS units, BlueTooth connections for Ipods and cell phones. The book does a good job explaining what to do (and not do) when it comes to basic 12-volt wiring. The book is richly illustrated with high quality color photos, and each one of these photos is certainly worth a thousand words. You can easily see how the installation is done and how the components go together. There are helpful schematics showing how to wire speakers and amplifiers (including how to get the polarity correct), and step-by-step photo sequences showing various kinds of custom installation work.
One of the more interesting chapters is on acoustics, and how to dampen what's called the "noise floor." This is the background noise level that enters the car via the suspension, engine and drivetrain, as well as ambient noise from outside the vehicle. To hear your audio system clearly, the speaker volume must be cranked up above this base noise level (which can be as high as 90 decibels in many cars!). The author explains that adding various types of acoustic insulation and dampening metal vibrations can greatly improve the sound quality of any audio system. He explains in great detail how to do this, including using unconventional materials such as concrete if you are really serious about sound quality. Yes, I said concrete! You have to read the book to see how he uses it.
Installing aftermarket audio systems and other electronic gadgets is not the simple job it once was, so I would highly recommend reading this book to find out how a real professional does it.
For further details, please visit www.motorbooks.com.
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