G'day guys,
I've done a heap of google searching in an attempt to find out whether anyone has attempted what I'm trying to achieve. Ofcourse there appears to be zero information so I'm turning to XDA in hope of being pointed in the right direction. I drive a Ford Falcon so wanting to put a double din android head unit in is essentially out of the question without irreversibly modifying anything. Which I'm not going to do.
I've installed a Parrot Asteroid Tablet into my car. The whole system works quite well, it does exactly what the box describes. I have done the obligatory root and install the Playstore to get some real usability out of it. My problem is the tablet is woefully outdated in terms of internal storage, processing power and its running Android 2.3 (it's severely limited on available apps these days). Basically once i rooted and installed the Playstore plus a couple of other small apps, it has run out of internal storage and I've discovered its quite difficult to move any apps over to the SD card.
Now to my crazy and I think difficult plan.
Basically i would like to upgrade the tablet to something far more modern, either a small tablet or phablet. Why I think this plan may work, not that i think i will be easy. The Parrot tablet communicates with a box that sits under the dashboard in my car which contains all the bits that are plugged in to get all the functionality (bluetooth mic, usb hub, aux in etc.) The tablet communicates with the box via mini USB (this is where i think my plan may have some merit).
The first thing I have tried is getting a micro USB OTG cable and a mini USB cable and plugged my Galaxy Note Edge straight in to see if i could get any communication or atleast sound output from my phone. Of course that didn't work. The only thing that happened was the screen illuminated, no sound output, no charging, no recognition of the usb stick which was plugged into the box full of music.
I'm not really sure what the next step would be making this plan work, that's where I'm hopeful you guys can help.
Any help or guidance to point me in the right direction would be greatly appreciated.
Best regards,
Stefan
Install a Nexus 7 2013 and go from there.
mikereidis said:
Install a Nexus 7 2013 and go from there.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I did think about doing that, if i could get it to work with Parrots Ebox that sits under the dash. Unfortunately in Ford Australia's infinite wisdom, they thought it would be a great idea to design a car where it is extremely difficult and time consuming to do anything to the stereo (it was an absolute nightmare just to install an amplifier). Being a car that was sold only in Australia and New Zealand means there is also next to no aftermarket support for doing things like this.
Basically my one and only real option was to install the Parrot Asteroid Tablet because there is a plug and play loom for it which makes it communicate with the factory stereo. In reality I'm not really sure its feasible to install a Nexus 7 in the same way.
Related
Hi Everybody!
I've been looking on forum for a thread similar but i couln't find one, so i'll try to explain what i'm trying to do with my phone and let's see if someone already got it.
Well, since i got the SGS3 on my hands for the fist time, i could feel how much hardware it does have and thinking about how much it's portable and easy to take, so i start to thinking if is posible to make some kind of "DeskDock" with some accesories.
I have a Logitech Unifying keyboard and a mouse wich means that with only one dongle i can connect both devices to it. Last week i brought a OTG cable and i tryed to connect it on my phone and it worked almost perfectly (some issues with keyboard layout, but nothing else), i got impressed that all functions keys from my keyboard was working.
Ok, got this point i was thinking how could i connect my OTG cable and also a MHL cable, so i can have HDMI-OUT and my keyboard and mouse working.
If this work i can have a totally functional desktop with 24 inches screen. I know that maybe people wont see any sense making it, but in my case i don't have a Netbook (i don't even like) and if i could get this working, i was thinking about run linux on my phone and get a full desktop experience.
Is anybody there who tried it?
I was thinking about some kind of USB HUB, but i have no idea if my phone would support it...
topfreitas said:
Hi Everybody!
I've been looking on forum for a thread similar but i couln't find one, so i'll try to explain what i'm trying to do with my phone and let's see if someone already got it.
Well, since i got the SGS3 on my hands for the fist time, i could feel how much hardware it does have and thinking about how much it's portable and easy to take, so i start to thinking if is posible to make some kind of "DeskDock" with some accesories.
I have a Logitech Unifying keyboard and a mouse wich means that with only one dongle i can connect both devices to it. Last week i brought a OTG cable and i tryed to connect it on my phone and it worked almost perfectly (some issues with keyboard layout, but nothing else), i got impressed that all functions keys from my keyboard was working.
Ok, got this point i was thinking how could i connect my OTG cable and also a MHL cable, so i can have HDMI-OUT and my keyboard and mouse working.
If this work i can have a totally functional desktop with 24 inches screen. I know that maybe people wont see any sense making it, but in my case i don't have a Netbook (i don't even like) and if i could get this working, i was thinking about run linux on my phone and get a full desktop experience.
Is anybody there who tried it?
I was thinking about some kind of USB HUB, but i have no idea if my phone would support it...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
there are many OTHER threads already with people working on this
:
ATM not possible.. yet.
scarrmrcc said:
there are many OTHER threads already with people working on this
:
ATM not possible.. yet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok thanks (Y) BTW i didn't find any other thread related with accessories. I only saw a couple of people talking about run linux without using VNC :cyclops:
I'll keeping looking on internet to see if i can get something new :victory:
topfreitas said:
Ok thanks (Y) BTW i didn't find any other thread related with accessories. I only saw a couple of people talking about run linux without using VNC :cyclops:
I'll keeping looking on internet to see if i can get something new :victory:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
just look on this subforum for MHL and OTG.
Why not just by an "android PC" or the android TV box. It is basically a powerful tablet computer in a 3 inch square box with HDMI, two or three usb ports, wireless wifi and and SD card port. Cost less than $75 or you can spend more and even get a dual core . I have one on both of my big screen tv's with a wireless mouse (but for pc application you just use a combo keyboard mouse. Much easier and much more simple.
insight3fl said:
Why not just by an "android PC" or the android TV box. It is basically a powerful tablet computer in a 3 inch square box with HDMI, two or three usb ports, wireless wifi and and SD card port. Cost less than $75 or you can spend more and even get a dual core . I have one on both of my big screen tv's with a wireless mouse (but for pc application you just use a combo keyboard mouse. Much easier and much more simple.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For most of us, it is the ability to take our "PC" with us, as a working tablet. For others, it is that when we get home, we want to just plug in our phone, and have larger everything.. but still use all the apps, and bookmarks etc that are the on the phone. For the rest.. it is about the cool factor.
Hi everyone. This will partly be a documentation of what I'm doing but also a development thread. I'm sure that this won't be as straightforward as I expect it to be, that's for sure.
So anyway, the basic install will be a custom-modified dash in our 2001 PT Cruiser and the install based around a Tab S2 8.0....so far. The problem I'm likely facing is OTG whilst charging. I've not looked into this specifically for a few weeks so I'm unsure as to how problematic it will or won't be. Anyway.
The Tab will be semi-permanently installed behind the fascia (requiring it to be removed to access the device) and locked into landscape mode. A 12VDC to 5V 3A regulator with an OTG Y-cable (again, up for discussion) wakes the tablet up (an AutoMate feature to "open when charging") whilst providing simultaneous connection to a small USB hub. The hub will be connected to SD/uSD card reader slots fitted to the console, plus an auxiliary USB port or two for charging, Flash drives, etc. A USB audio DAC directs audio from the tablet via the hub to an external amplifier out to the car speakers. Simple.
I'm waiting for components to come in first of all, however I'll do my best to document the work done to the centre console including plastics welding/forming, paint and prep. The electronics side of things should be great as long as we've no big OTG/charging conflict. The other potential issue is....can the tablet run using less power than it is being charged by? It'd be a bummer if the battery slowly drained during use instead of replenishing....
I look forward to your comments, experience and input guys. This should be fun times.
Did you have any luck with this? I'm wanting to do similar with my Galaxy Tab S2 9.7.
I am running something similar but simpler.
A Lenovo Yoga Tab3 tablet running Headunit Reloaded. This turns the tablet into an Android Auto headend.
Connection between phone and tablet via WiFi.
Kept the car's BT and radio.
I use tablet audio only for GPS voice directions. Calls and music go through BT to car's amp.
A quick bit of background, I have recently sold my car that had a factory fit wince media centre fitted, and although locked down I miss the navigation and ease of use in my new car. The new car is actually a 10 year old Mazda MX5 NC (MK3) and currently has the stock radio which I'm thinking of upgrading.
I have figured I had 2 choices, either an all singing android unit, or a regular manufactures unit which supports Apple AirPlay. I figured that would still give me the basics of what I need, and probably with no potential for things to go wrong Anyway I like a challenge and the though of having more possible functionality I think is winning the argument for getting an android unit, but I have a few final questions from people in the know!
I have bene looking at a couple of units that look pretty similar spec wise (cornet me if I'm wrong) :-
Pumpkin AE0273B, XTRONS TE706PL. I was posting links to them but I'm not allowed yet So you will have to google for the exact details if needed.
So onto the questions :
1. I see a lot of the connectivity is via USB, and If I were to add several of the extras (E.g DAB+, 3/4G, DashCam, Phone) I would ned more USB ports than supplied (The XTRONS has 3, but the Pumpkin only 2). Can I just use a USB hub to get more ports like on a computer? If yes I'm assuming a powered one would be better as those accessories all need power.
2. I currently have a simple dash cam that just records video and audio in a loop onto an SD card all the time the ignition is on. Each file is about 2 mins long and I get about 4 hours recording before it starts to overwrite older files. This works great as I can forget about it and in 3 years, have never had to even look at the footage, and hopefully never will. But it gives peace of mind. I see you can get a USB one that I'm sure will have much better user interface if I want to play back footage. My existing camera has a phono out which I could connect to an AUX input to use the screen, but would still have the fiddly buttons to press on the camera behind my mirror.
Does the DVR app on the unit with the USB camera just crack on and record stuff in a similar I can forget about it way, and its just all there if I need it in the future. Or do I need to do something every time I turn the ignition on? Where does it record the footage, do I need to provide an additional SD card?
3. I see there are often 2 SD card slots, one marked for maps, the other presumably for music. Is there actually any difference, or are these just 2 mount points in the system that get used for anything? This question just came to me when thinking about the camera above. It wasn't actually on my list!
4. I'm worried that with a convertible car I'm not going to be able to see the screen due to the huge amount of ambient or even direct sun light. I have heard that there are anti-glare filters which could help a bit, but is this going to be a problem for me when it comes to navigating etc? Are the screens on the standard manufacture units (e.g. Pioneer etc) any better. In other words would I be better off sacrificing the cool stuff and getting a straight CarPlay unit that would be bright enough to see?
5. Lots os talk about rooting the device. What are the actual advantages of doing this? Are there some killer apps that make this a worth while exercise?
I appreciate its a long post and there are lots of questions, so a big thank you in advance for any of the questions you might be able to answer.
Regards
Ben
EDIT: forgot to mention — almost all units are identical to one another. They all have almost identical MTCD/MTCE MCU boards with the same audio/radio/wifi/Bluetooth chips (there are exceptions). And the main SoC is gonna be a PX5 with 4 GB of ram. So outside of that you want build quality (buttons, screen, plastic) and if it’s made to fit your car already.
First off, check out Joying units which have Carplay built in as well (and they have Octa core 4gb android 8.0 double din universal ones).
Next, yes you’d be able to use a USB hub and yes a powered one is best. Get one that works off of 12v and wire it in for a clean solution (so you always have a powered hub in your glove box for instance)
There are dash cams that the head unit manufacturers will sell you that you can leave plugged into your unit and they will auto record as you say. You basically don’t have to touch them, and just open the necessary app if you wanna change settings, or lock/save a file.
The 2 SD card slots are identical but one of them is meant to be always-in for GPS maps (for the Navi that the seller pre-loads sometimes). Also for firmware updates the GPS slot is the only one it boots from.
Glare depends heavily on the angle that your dash positions the screen at, so it’s hard to say. But yeah sometimes the sun hits it just right and there’s pretty much nothing you can do. Happens on oem units too.
Rooting isn’t super necessary but depending on how much you want to tinker it adds nice features like apps staying open after sleep, and the ability to customize the way everything looks. That said, there’s a lot in the way of customization that’s already available. Check malaysk’s custom ROM though. It’s pretty stable and the inclusion of viper4android alone is worth the hassle (in my opinion)
Hope this helps!
So it looks to me like there are 3 generic systems that have been badged up, one with a knob at the top, one with a knob at the bottom, and one without a knob.
The ones with the knobs seem to have the slightly newer TDA7851 amp chip, and the one with out uses the older TDA7850, which is a shame as I prefer the look of just buttons.
The Xtrons unit has a 3rd USB, which saves having to get a USB hub.
The Joying has the benefit of the built in ZLink, but as its software it does mean you loose that benefit if you use a different rom.
And there are various options on the back of the units, some have small wifi antenna built in, some have connectors for an external one.
It all make for lots of extra decisions!!
After getting Whitehouse support from Pumpkin, I would only buy Dasaita now. I just ordered a Dasaita PX5 4GB Oreo to replace my Pumpkin PX3 2GB.
Hi,
I'd like to introduce my project...
I'm building a vintage kit car using the BMW Z3 (2000 model year) as the base car. I want the car to have access to tech but for the tech to be hidden in the centre console, actually on the underside of the top of the console. The concept is that when no tech is needed (for example at shows) the car will retain its vintage looks but when tech is required (i.e. when being driven) the tech becomes available. I'm imagining a top section of the console which will hinge up and reveal the tablet. There isn't going to be much space on the underside of the console which is why I'm going for a tablet rather than one of the many Chinese android units.
As an aside, I've just ordered an Icebox Octa core 64G Rom / 4G Ram unit (TTF1983 ) for my facelift (2015) Vauxhall Insignia which I expect to arrive in the next week or so.
I've already researched other people's projects which has helped me to get to where I currently am. Where I currently am is ordering many of the bits and pieces which I expect to need.
My tablet project is intended to be a much simpler affair than the Icebox unit:
DAB and FM radio
Rear and, hopefully, front camera
Sat nav
OBD II
Mirror my phone if needs be
What I won't need includes:
Steering wheel controls
Air con management
Electric roof control
Pretty much everything else that an android head unit offers
What I might need is:
BT Phone but in a convertible that's going to be a bit of an issue any way
Because the car will only be used sporadically I need an effective power management system, one which will kick in after perhaps a month's lack of use.
My tablet of choice is a Galaxy Tab S 10.5 (SM-T800) which I happen to have lying around, it's currently running stock Android 6.01 . The tablet is a wifi model so the plan is to hotspot it to my Galaxy S8 when I'm on the road
I've already ordered
a 12V to 5V 3A dc-dc converter
a 4 port USB2 hub
an OTG Y cable to take power from the dc-dc converter to feed the tablet and to move data between the devices
an easycap UTV007 video capture device (for the parking camera units)
a USB to USB relay to allow the easycap to feed the video through to the USB when reverse is connected
an 'intelligent' video selector which has two video inputs (front and rear cameras) and one video output (to the head unit via the USB relay). The unit keeps the relevant camera connected to the output. I need to take delivery of this and play with it to see what it can really do.
an ELM327 bluetooth OBD II device
a NooElec Smart DVB+ device
a Creative Soundblaster DAC
I know that I'm going to need a decent amplifier between the DAC and the speakers (suggestions and recommendations welcome). I might also want a manual volume control, possibly with a push button mute facility. I've probably missed a bunch of stuff...
I've rooted the tablet and tweaked it (overwritten lpm) so that when the ignition is switched on then the tablet will boot. I've used MacroDroid to tell the device to switch off 10 seconds after the ignition is switched off (unless the ignition gets switched on again within those 10 seconds)
I'm looking very closely at the Agama Car Launcher to pull much of it together. There are some aspects of this launcher that I'd like to see improved. For example I'd like to be able to get back to the home screen from the maps screen (or other screens) CarWebGuru places a button on the screen to allow this. It would be nice also to have a split screen so that I can have maps on one side and Audio / OBD / any other app on the other side. I'm aware that I might not get all that I wish for
One thing I'd REALLY like to see improved is the cold boot time which is currently 50 seconds. I might consider a custom ROM if anyone knows of a ROM that will fire up quickly, or any other tweak which will significantly shorten the cold boot time. 10 seconds or less would be nice. I've looked at Cyanogenmod 12.1 or 13 with the quick boot utility but I understand that the quick boot is basically hibernate and may not survive a month without the ignition being switched on.
Hopefully I've given a reasonable overview of what I'm looking to achieve and hopefully there will be people out there that can help tie everything together and troubleshoot when the time comes.
Russell
nice project, good luck with it..
Keep us posted on your project progress...
Wondering how this is coming along?
My question for you is, will the tablet charge and use data via the OTG cable simultaneously? Did you need to run a custom kernel to enable that?
thanks.
Quite in consonance with what I've been wanting to achieve. Nevertheless, the plan was frustrated by other priorities. Would love to see how this emerges. Meanwhile here's a basic experiment I've tried.
Hi all, Im looking for a modern alternative to the classic Nexus 7 withs Timur's for a new car install. For last couple of years Iv had this. Its been great for it primary use (Spotify) but am just finding it old and tired now, never got round to getting GPS, DAB or all the other things I planned on, mainly its just a bit slow and buggy but I learnt alot about USB connectivity, noise control, power etc.
Being an audio quality freak Iv always used USB audio into a miniDSP. Just wondered if anyone knows what would make a good tablet for a modern replacement? A list of requirement are:-
1) Size . maximum width for my Audi is 211mm, other dimesions are fine. As long as same or bigger than the Nexus.
2) OTG power and data at same time (does this always require rooting?)
3) My first Huwaii experience put me off all other makes of touch screen other than galaxy or iphone. Are other makes just as good?
4) Automatic deep sleep mode when power to the tablet is off. (maybe tasker app?)
5) Operating speed
6) bells and wistles. The nexus has a suprising amount of tech inside for an old device
I was thinking of a pre owned S series galaxy. Just wondered if anyone has has success with a modern in-car tab install??
thanks
mamba76 said:
Hi all, Im looking for a modern alternative to the classic Nexus 7 withs Timur's for a new car install. For last couple of years Iv had this. Its been great for it primary use (Spotify) but am just finding it old and tired now, never got round to getting GPS, DAB or all the other things I planned on, mainly its just a bit slow and buggy but I learnt alot about USB connectivity, noise control, power etc.
Being an audio quality freak Iv always used USB audio into a miniDSP. Just wondered if anyone knows what would make a good tablet for a modern replacement? A list of requirement are:-
1) Size . maximum width for my Audi is 211mm, other dimesions are fine. As long as same or bigger than the Nexus.
2) OTG power and data at same time (does this always require rooting?)
3) My first Huwaii experience put me off all other makes of touch screen other than galaxy or iphone. Are other makes just as good?
4) Automatic deep sleep mode when power to the tablet is off. (maybe tasker app?)
5) Operating speed
6) bells and wistles. The nexus has a suprising amount of tech inside for an old device
I was thinking of a pre owned S series galaxy. Just wondered if anyone has has success with a modern in-car tab install??
thanks
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Click to collapse
Hey @mamba76 wondering if you ever decided on a device? I'm in the same situation, can't seem to find anything that fulfills all the requirements. I have the same idea as you, using USB audio vs BT or analog. I'm thinking USB C is the way to go, newer tech, and hopefully can do data and charging simultaneously? Let us know what you decided on!
jivenene said:
Hey @mamba76 wondering if you ever decided on a device? I'm in the same situation, can't seem to find anything that fulfills all the requirements. I have the same idea as you, using USB audio vs BT or analog. I'm thinking USB C is the way to go, newer tech, and hopefully can do data and charging simultaneously? Let us know what you decided on!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi, I forgot I started this thread recently. Although the 2013 Nexus 7 with Timur's kernel has served me well over the last 3 or so years Iv been using it, its now just too buggy, slow and hardware is failing. I could have bought a new tab for the money I spent on spares, 2x USB PCBs, just ordered a battery as its given up. Iv been looking for a replacement, probably a Galaxy Tab A, I started researching but got bogged down with unknowns and Im hoping someone on here who's used the Timur's kernel and knows about custom car tablet installs can jump in here and help the car audio customization world move with the times.
For me I suppose Im stuck on- , do I still need to modify a devices kernel to comply with the deep sleep functioning that the Timur's kernel provided? Im pretty sure the audio to USB is not a problem but the audio to USB AND having the device charge at the same time IS. ie. data AND charge. Can anyone confirm that its possible to allow simultaneous data and charge on the Galaxy Tab A??
ps. in my opinion USB audio is the only way to go..
mamba76 said:
Hi, I forgot I started this thread recently. Although the 2013 Nexus 7 with Timur's kernel has served me well over the last 3 or so years Iv been using it, its now just too buggy, slow and hardware is failing. I could have bought a new tab for the money I spent on spares, 2x USB PCBs, just ordered a battery as its given up. Iv been looking for a replacement, probably a Galaxy Tab A, I started researching but got bogged down with unknowns and Im hoping someone on here who's used the Timur's kernel and knows about custom car tablet installs can jump in here and help the car audio customization world move with the times.
For me I suppose Im stuck on- , do I still need to modify a devices kernel to comply with the deep sleep functioning that the Timur's kernel provided? Im pretty sure the audio to USB is not a problem but the audio to USB AND having the device charge at the same time IS. ie. data AND charge. Can anyone confirm that its possible to allow simultaneous data and charge on the Galaxy Tab A??
ps. in my opinion USB audio is the only way to go..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
*update
jivenene
Hi, yes I bought a Lenovo M8 FHD tab (about £150) same width as the nexus so will fit in my car ash without too much hassle. Better spec than the Galaxy, very happy!
ps. see my other threads / posts about the OTG )