For Sale (someday): Home docking stations designed to sit on a desktop or act as a "stereo component" box for the Rio/Empeg Car player.

Okay, these don't exist yet. But I'm making a prototype, and everything looks nicely "doable". Here's what it consists of:

-- the docking cabinet, rectangular in shape, measuring approximately 8"x8"x3" externally, made from MDF (medium density fibreboard), with laminate wear strips on which the Empeg slides in/out.

-- a standard (car) docking connector, mounted within the cabinet.

-- a 6' ethernet cable connected through the rear of the cabinet, with docking connection to the player. Yes, this is short, but can easily be extended to whatever length is needed by the owner, using an RJ-45 coupler.

-- RCA phono jacks for Left/Right output mounted on the rear of the cabinet, connected through the (car) docking connector.

-- a female inline power adaptor connector on a 12" cord from the rear of the cabinet, designed to connect externally to a standard Empeg 12V AC adaptor. Internally, this connects through the (car) docking connector. An unmodified unit will think it is "in the car". Hijack will be enhanced to allow auto-selection between car/home based on the external "mute" input at power-up (optional, can be disabled). Alternatively, a short AC adaptor style plug could be implanted within the cabinet to fool the firmware into believing it is running on AC power (doesn't actually need to be connected to anything).

-- four rubber feet on the bottom of the cabinet.

I plan to offer this fully assembled as follows:

--> US$125 sanded but unfinished MDF -- paint it your favorite colour(s).

--> US$50 extra for attractive wood veneer (a variety of choices available, including birds eye maple/birch, and others) applied to the four primary external surfaces (top, sides, bottom), with a shellac or varnish protective finish coat applied.

For now, I'm building a few for my own units to rest in when not in the cars. If enough genuine interest is seen, I'll run production batches of 5-10 at a time to fill orders.

For now, do NOT send me money, but rather just post here whether you would or would not buy one (or two or ..).

Cheers