Here is what dconner did. Real good job.

 

Bubba, are your drives linear actuators or motors w/ a rack & pinion? Either would work, the actuator might be the best (and expensive) choice.

You cound do this real easy by mounting the actuator on a piviting point attached to the dashboard and the business end of it fastened to the top of the lid. After a cool fiberglasss pod to cover everything it might actually work. huh. Wonder if there would be anyone intrested in supplying parts for me ot knock this one out? I am accecpting donations of: Edge, gauges, speakers ect... lol

 

LOL!

Predominantly rack/gear. I haven't finished exploring my stash, however - I think a couple of the really old battle-axe drives have linears.

Was also eyeing my pile of old VCR's ... too many choices

Sorry for complicating your life - was not my intent.

bubba

 

How do actuators work. If you supply 12v to the hot lead, will the actuator automatically cycle and push out, and then how does it retract when 12v is cut?

 

You might be able to set up just like a garage door is set up. Limit switches on the ends of the track to stop/start the operation on eash end. Now the ignition is wirerd to stay hot for 30 seconds after the key is shut off. Might be able to tap that source. Should be plenty of time to finish the movement. Only issue would be if the driver side door opens in mid operation. Not sure now the unit would respond and react to power inturuption. Of course this could all be done with a push button power switch. But you know Bubba, always wanting to complicate everything...

This is how they work. "D" is a screw that turns that makes the whole contraption move up or down depending on wich way the screw s turning. A limit switch would go on either end of the shaft to start/stop the motor. BUT somthing would need to turn the motor on to actually start the movement. Thoughts?

 

does anyone know what the dimensions are for the little area?

 

nice job.

 

I wouldn't do that. It's another excuse for someone to break into your truck

 

I ended up layin it down flat at the front half of the tray and it aims straight up to the window and reflects off of that. Looks a helluva lot better and still sounds good. I had to put a ground isolator loop filter on the RCA cables going out to my sub because apparently there is a lot of feedback from that going back into the radio and makes the center channel whine when I accelerate. It was driving me crazy today but that seems to have helped a lot.

 

Uh, thats the point of using an actuator man. Stealth applications...

 

I want to put a gun vault in there and make it angle up with an actuator

 

That would be nice.

 

This might be a stupid ? but anyway. Is there any special wiring or just splice into one of the other speaker wires?

 

A true center-channel speaker, to operate within the parameters it was intended for, needs an external mutli-channel processor.

Some center-channel speakers of current, I'm told, come with a built in amplifier and processor for a true center channel sound.

 

My head unit has a center channel output. It has built in 5.1 DD decoding so no external processor is necessary. All I had to do was run the center preout on the radio to the little amp for this center speaker.