I'm thinking about developing a custom car stereo, and it surprised me that there's no DIY enclosures for this purpose. I've just found plastic boxes in the 1 DIN size which can be installed into an empty radio apartment of the car to hold stuff, but they are not an option for electronic development. I'm looking for something which is made of metal and allows me to mount a PCB inside and to fix the connectors on the back of the box. (optionally with ready installed ISO connectors, antenna socket and a front plastic panel to cut out mount holes for control/display would be nice aswell).
Is there really nothing for this, or I'm just searching with the wrong keywords?
(Maybe it's not the best place to ask. If it's so then please redirect me to the correct Stackexchange subsite and will move this question there.)
Best Answer
If you want one that is ready made and bare (not populated) I think what you want is a car stereo housing. They don't make them just for DIY that I know of, but they do make them as replacement parts. Here's an Ebay listing for one, just for example. Here's one in the UK. Try searching for terms like "car stereo housing" possibly with "replacement" or "repair". If you want a faceplate a similar method should work. "Mounting frame" or "cage" are also used in some instances. I think Kenwood sells several types.
They also sell trim kits, which are intended for framing a unit installed in a new hole cut in the dash, and under dash mounts, which are basically a tub to hang it in a new location. These probably aren't what you're looking for.
But, if I were doing this I'd look for a cheap, used, or broken car stereo that fits my car as a starting point. Then you get the housing, connectors, and faceplate, and probably some other stuff you can reuse as well, like maybe filters, regulators and an LCD.