With the new Pi just coming out and all the Pi spin offs or competitors, more powerful core hardware is more and more available.
So has anyone thought about building there own head unit?
Or even heavily modifying one of the cheaper chinese ones so you have the facades on the front?
I could see building a simple touch screen system would be fairly easy. But I must admit I want the knobs and buttons... Not to mention a CD drive for audio cds.
So how easy is it?
You can make a pretty decent "knobs and buttons" face plate from... well knobs and buttons and some 3D-printed or custom-made frame, or just recycle from a defective unit.
To start, draw a block scheme with the individual systems you need.
You could start from something like this:
Raspberry
Power level
Audio Amp level
Touchscreen + buttons
Peripherals (Bluetooth dongle, WiFi dongle, etc)
Steering wheel controls decoder
Cameras
OBD2 interface and decoder
Add or remove whatever your needs are.
Then check what components will be needed and what skills are required for said system (programming, soldering, etc).
You'll now have a price and you'll be able to see if you can actually do it with your current skills and resources.
If you want just an entertainment system, I suggest buying a product that does exactly that, because it will be way easier to setup and under some conditions, even cheaper.
If I took the time to build something like this, surely it won't be just for entertainment. I would do my best to connect most of my car to it, say climate control, seat and mirror positions, driver profiles, remote control, etc.
Over time, yes ill be adding more and more controls that interface with the car... Also i dont just want an entertainment system. i want to build and learn at the same time . but its also about customising the whole thing.
As for the face plate. I dont have a 3D printer.... yet, its on my list. (as a 3dartist its kind of a given really) But even if I could print my own stuff off it just wont be the same as a decent plastic moulded part. Thats why i was wondering if its possible to hack/destroy/remake from an existing cheaper model unit. like the very old wince units that use the same face plate as the more modern android units....
NutsyUK said:
Thats why i was wondering if its possible to hack/destroy/remake from an existing cheaper model unit. like the very old wince units that use the same face plate as the more modern android units....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Why not, they all have mechanical switches that you can connect to whatever you want
what i meant was... The switches... in what way are they sending a signal are all the face plates the same in sending that signal?
That's different between manufacturers, but if it has electronics between the buttons and the actual player you can strip that part and add wires straight from the mechanical switches to your Raspberry or whatever you wish to use
So, this is one part commentary/review(ish), one part questions. Let's talk about this dude. So, I had a Pioneer DVD unit in my 2003 F-150 that I was really unhappy with (for several reasons I won't bother explaining). Being a bit of a tech geek, I really wanted something better, that wouldn't require an extra add on unit for navigation, and would give me a little flexibility wherever I wanted it. I was really surprised that there wasn't a better selection of head units that run Android on the market, but being such, I found Joying pretty fast. I read a bunch on here, and decided it was worth throwing the dice and a few hours at. FWIW, I ordered off Amazon, and got the JY-UL135 unit (Android 5.1.1, 7" screen, 1024x600, 16GB, 1.6GHz quad core). It seems Joying has a couple slightly different units with basically the same specs for sale. I have no idea what distinguishes them besides a slightly different bezel setup. I *think* this is the newer one. Maybe. Who knows.
Thoughts and Comments
Trust the reviews. This unit is a tiny bit bigger than it should be. I don't know why. So be it. So was my Pioneer though, but this is about another 1/8" wider, so I'll need to barely widen my already modified mounting hole.
Soldering up the wiring harness was no trouble. Uncommonly used wires were neatly capped too.
The instructions, labels, and some of the in-system notifications are in pretty rough translated English. Not a big deal, but just be aware.
If you want to do a custom boot logo, for some reason it's hidden behind the Factory Settings, with the code 126 to access it.
Unit feels plenty fast and responsive, and the build quality is acceptable at the price.
Wifi connected right up.
I did have trouble connecting to my Bluetooth OBD2 reader, which seems to be a common complaint. I'm ordering a $10 one that matches the Elm327 unit Joying offers for $20. We'll see if it works.
I prefer OBD Fusion over Torque, personally. Once the above is resolved, I'm interested to see how it compares on the unit.
Included GPS antenna has plenty of length, and seems to get a signal without issue.
I grounded the brake sensor wire right to the chassis ground line to bypass it, need to confirm that works.
Was able to pretty closely match the backlight color to the rest of my dash.
Going to use an old Micro SD card to try storing offline Google Maps data for those cellular black hole areas I travel to.
Also planning to get a dashcam to try out the DVR functionality. You never know when that could be $35 well spent.
Audio seems okay. Not great, but acceptable for my use. I do have one speaker not working that I need to diagnose. And I don't currently have an amp/sub, but do think I'll add a small one down the road.
Overall, I'm not in love with the launcher installed on it.
I still need to test phone mirroring, connecting via tethering to my phone's hotspot for nav data, install my backup camera, modify my external mic connector to be compatible with the input,
Questions for the Hive Mind
Does anyone know if these newer units benefit from the audio hack/mod discussed elsewhere?
Rooting. Do it, or no? If so, what's your preferred process?
What's your opinion on different launchers?
The Factory Settings menu appears to have quite a bit of stuff in it. Anything besides the boot logo really worth paying attention to?
i recently got the Jeep specific one from Amazon, Joying 5.1, should be the same stuff.
Pretty happy so far, I downloaded my city in Google Maps, but I didn't see an option to save it to a micro sd card. I didn't have to solder anything since I got vehicle specific, all plug and play. Also I used an adapter to use the Jeeps existing GPS. Fit and finish seems pretty top notch on mine, at least for the physical buttons.
I was considering rooting to try to do Apps2SD or something, I just want my Google Play Music playlists downloaded. I can do it, but it fills up the memory, and I dont have the option to put it on the micro sd card.
I was also confused by the Factory Settings options. There was an IPOD part listed as No. I changed it to YES and it gave me an ipod app, but it just immediately crashed, so I turned it back off.
CadillacMike said:
i recently got the Jeep specific one from Amazon, Joying 5.1, should be the same stuff.
Pretty happy so far, I downloaded my city in Google Maps, but I didn't see an option to save it to a micro sd card. I didn't have to solder anything since I got vehicle specific, all plug and play. Also I used an adapter to use the Jeeps existing GPS. Fit and finish seems pretty top notch on mine, at least for the physical buttons.
I was considering rooting to try to do Apps2SD or something, I just want my Google Play Music playlists downloaded. I can do it, but it fills up the memory, and I dont have the option to put it on the micro sd card.
I was also confused by the Factory Settings options. There was an IPOD part listed as No. I changed it to YES and it gave me an ipod app, but it just immediately crashed, so I turned it back off.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I didn't even actually realize they made brand specific models when I ordered mine, though I think outside of the wiring harness, that maybe doesn't matter. My truck is a 2003 too, so there really isn't anything in the way of fancy electronics in it to deal with, which probably helps.
I just got my backup cam mounted on my license plate, going out after work to wire it up hopefully. It's hot as hell here right now though, so we'll see how much I want to stay out there and do it with the sun still shining though.
CadillacMike said:
i recently got the Jeep specific one from Amazon, Joying 5.1, should be the same stuff.
Pretty happy so far, I downloaded my city in Google Maps, but I didn't see an option to save it to a micro sd card. I didn't have to solder anything since I got vehicle specific, all plug and play. Also I used an adapter to use the Jeeps existing GPS. Fit and finish seems pretty top notch on mine, at least for the physical buttons.
I was considering rooting to try to do Apps2SD or something, I just want my Google Play Music playlists downloaded. I can do it, but it fills up the memory, and I dont have the option to put it on the micro sd card.
I was also confused by the Factory Settings options. There was an IPOD part listed as No. I changed it to YES and it gave me an ipod app, but it just immediately crashed, so I turned it back off.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
IPOD I believe is quoted to not be working with that model.. How is the audio with the Jeep specific one? It looks just like the current 4.4 version and I was not sure if any hardware has changed. I was also looking at the 7in universal one that is mentioned by OP but wanted to know if it is better than the jeep specific one as far as audio hardware and sound. I know the screen size is smaller but was not sure if there is anything else. Any complaints so far on the 5.5 version of the Jeep one??
Airborne29th said:
IPOD I believe is quoted to not be working with that model.. How is the audio with the Jeep specific one? It looks just like the current 4.4 version and I was not sure if any hardware has changed. I was also looking at the 7in universal one that is mentioned by OP but wanted to know if it is better than the jeep specific one as far as audio hardware and sound. I know the screen size is smaller but was not sure if there is anything else. Any complaints so far on the 5.5 version of the Jeep one??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I dont know anything about the 4.4 version. All i have is the 5.1 version, but i find that many complaints I read about these things are not evident in my version, so maybe stuff did change. For example people say you have to buy some antenna adapter, which I did not need, it had one in the box. FM radio sounds fine, although I dont listen to it. I just tried it so see what's up.
I have a 2016 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited, I had the 430N with the base audio. I had replaced the factory speakers with the Mopar Kicker upgrades. Sound is 100% better with the Joying.
I have a lot of details and pics here:
http://www.wranglerforum.com/f202/j...d-head-unit-joying-jeep-specific-1800113.html
I'm thinking about buying this head unit for my car, and I was wondering if anyone can give an input after a few months of usage.
What I'm worried about is the 1gb RAM , when there are new versions with 2GB of RAM
Do you think the 1GB is a deal breaker?
Thanks!
KamaL said:
I'm thinking about buying this head unit for my car, and I was wondering if anyone can give an input after a few months of usage.
What I'm worried about is the 1gb RAM , when there are new versions with 2GB of RAM
Do you think the 1GB is a deal breaker?
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you dont mind things going slow, otherwise get the 2gb. Also, if you plan to use a dashcam and rexord, then def get a 2gb. I just ordered the UL135N2 this morning. Should get to my place in Wisconsin just after new years.
KamaL said:
I'm thinking about buying this head unit for my car, and I was wondering if anyone can give an input after a few months of usage.
What I'm worried about is the 1gb RAM , when there are new versions with 2GB of RAM
Do you think the 1GB is a deal breaker?
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I upgraded the 1GB RAM unit I posted about earlier in this thread with a 2GB unit, it is night and day, no comparison, 2GB all the way
CadillacMike said:
I upgraded the 1GB RAM unit I posted about earlier in this thread with a 2GB unit, it is night and day, no comparison, 2GB all the way
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So, did you buy one 2gb ram model?
or replace with 1gb ram model??
I'm using 1gb ram model and I want to upgrade to 2gb ram.
Your F150 is a non-standard DIN fitting. It is about 2 mm too short (vertical face) for a standard 2-DIN head unit. No matter what unit you bought it will "appear" incorrect but it's really just Ford brilliantly coming up with their own size to be special.
David Choi said:
So, did you buy one 2gb ram model?
or replace with 1gb ram model??
I'm using 1gb ram model and I want to upgrade to 2gb ram.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had a Jeep specific unit from Joying that was a MTCD, Android 5.1, and only 1GB of RAM. I loved it at the time.
I got a new unit. 8inch double din, Intel, and 2GB of RAM
I love the bigger screen, and the performance is no comparison
dunksalot said:
Your F150 is a non-standard DIN fitting. It is about 2 mm too short (vertical face) for a standard 2-DIN head unit. No matter what unit you bought it will "appear" incorrect but it's really just Ford brilliantly coming up with their own size to be special.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The Chinese units are not quite Double Din either. I know on the Jeep forums, every time someone puts in an American double din, people have to file things down to fit.
But when I put the Joying Double Din, it fit just fine, no filing required
CadillacMike said:
The Chinese units are not quite Double Din either. I know on the Jeep forums, every time someone puts in an American double din, people have to file things down to fit.
But when I put the Joying Double Din, it fit just fine, no filing required
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is what you're looking for;
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISO_7736
To summarize, USA double DIN = 7" x 4" (177.8mm x 101.6mm)
Metric double DIN = 180mm x 100mm (7.09" x 3.93").
In other words, the Metric double DIN is nearly 1/10th of an inch wider than a USA double DIN.
The Chinese head units are made to 178mm x 100mm for the UL135[N[2]] or 178mm x 102mm for the UL128[N[2]]. Don't ask me why they went for 102mm on the 128's. But essentially, the USA DDIN is just a little bit TOO NARROW for these head units, which seem to be targeting METRIC dimensions. Well, except for the 128's height, which is a bit closer to USA spec, but still marginally over.
Hello the team XDA,
I have mounted a joying UL-135 in a my car with a special harness.
I have a problem with the sleep mode. Head unit never shut down completely.
When a turn off the keycar, head unit shut down...then after few minutes, touch lights are shuting down too.
Then it's impossible to turn on the head unit.
After a night of parking, when i turn on the car, head unit start quickly to the previous postition without booting from Logo.
Do you have a solution ? i have tried to enter in the developer menu but it needs a password and i dont have it ?
waloof said:
Hello the team XDA,
I have mounted a joying UL-135 in a my car with a special harness.
I have a problem with the sleep mode. Head unit never shut down completely.
When a turn off the keycar, head unit shut down...then after few minutes, touch lights are shuting down too.
Then it's impossible to turn on the head unit.
After a night of parking, when i turn on the car, head unit start quickly to the previous postition without booting from Logo.
Do you have a solution ? i have tried to enter in the developer menu but it needs a password and i dont have it ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is it a UL135? Or is it a UL135N or UL135N2? The latter two will deep sleep when the ignition is turned off, allowing them to start up *instantly* when the power is resumed. Your description of device behavior is consistent with N[2] units. In fact, I'm not even sure it is possible for a UL135 to do what you describe, since if it wasn't shutting down, the screen would remain on.
sorry it's the JY-UL135N
Anyone been able to root the UL135? I don't have the factory settings menu.. So I have no idea what to do..
I installed a Chinese car stereo/DVD/GPS in my Honda Civic in 2012, and was satisfied with the purchase. It was powered by WinCE, which is an operating system I do NOT recommend. The Android OS is supported by Android, and there is a huge amount of 3rd party software. By comparison, Microsoft has largely terminated support for WinCE, they've abandoned further development in that arena, and there are no 3rd party applications available.
My advice would be to purchase the latest version of Android available, and the most capable processor; that would be the largest number of cores, and the highest clock speed. Also get the largest available RAM and ROM configurations. The reason for getting the best hardware configuration available is to minimize start up lag, and improve responsiveness with the latest OS. With the best hardware, the Chinese units are very responsive. Even less capable hardware platforms respond well, but take longer to start up. There are a number of YouTube videos regarding various peoples' experience with Chinese Head Units, and in general most people are very satisfied.
Be aware that many units have identical front panels, but are very different inside. One way of determining whether you're getting the same hardware is to look at the rear of the unit (if they show a photo). Different hardware will almost always have a different plug layout on the back. If the rear of the deck is identical, there's a good chance that the decks you're comparing have identical hardware. When searching for your unit on a website like AliExpress, include your automobile name (Focus, Alantra, Civic) in the search term. This will bring up units that will fit your vehicle. Because dash layouts change over time, search results will include terms like 'Focus 2012 2017' which tells you that the particular unit will fit all Ford Focus vehicles between the years specified. Don't put the specific year of your vehicle in as a search term; it will just muddle the results.
Chinese head units often offer features that are not available on locally sold units. For example, my unit allowed me to stick any audio CD into the reader, and it would copy it at high speed into memory, where it would reside forever. This kind of feature is not built in on most North American head units, due to copyright infringement laws.
I purchased a USB modem for my head unit that would allow me to surf the web over a 3G phone network. It worked well, but I would not - in most circumstances - recommend it, simply because entering search terms on a vertical screen is physically cumbersome. I found it much simpler to use my handheld phone ( a Note 4 ). However, if you want to stream YouTube videos, streaming them on a larger screen - or to the back seat, by means of a video out terminal on virtually all Chinese head units - might prove superior to watching them on a small phone screen.
One very good reason for having a USB modem is if you wish to go on a lengthy road trip using google maps. While it is technically possible to download static map coverage and store it in the unit, in my experience Google limits the number of map sections you can download to a strip about 200 miles long. Also, those strips cease to work within 2 weeks, and must be refreshed. While I like Google navigation, the constant connection required can be problematic, particularly if you're visiting a foreign country (Canadian in the US, US citizen in Canada, either nationality in Mexico) where your regular data plan is not supported. Under those circumstances, Google maps can get real pricey. A better solution would be to purchase GPS software, and update the maps regularly. I have used Igo 8, and I found it to be excellent mapping software, with a number of extra features (speed camera locations, exceeding the local speed limit warnings, local speed limit display) that I found very useful. There are other good software choices as well.
Most units support many dozens of languages; my unit was supplied with English, but I could have changed it to any language I wanted. I also was able to specify that when my unit turned on, it displayed the Honda logo, which added to the 'factory install' appearance. Again, you can choose from dozens of company logos.
Most installs are very straightforward, and can be completed by an amateur in an afternoon. I'd recommend watching some YouTube videos first, in order to determine if this is a task you wish to take on. In my current install, I have to run an antenna line from the trunk to the head unit in the dash, as the trunk is where Mercedes put their amplifier/receiver. That's unusual, but watching a few videos first will help you determine the difficulty level. In most cases, it's very simple. Custom wiring harnesses are usually supplied with the unit, as are plastic shells and trim pieces that allow it to merge seamlessly into the dash and look like a factory install. My Civic was supplied with a huge plastic dash panel, several times the size of the unit. But it clipped seamlessly into place, and made the unit look like it came from the factory that way.
In general, Chinese auto head units offer excellent value; they perform as well or better than locally available units. My sister spent $1,500 for a top of the line Clarion, and was so disgusted with it she gave it away, after several angry verbal exchanges with the shop that sold it to her. I tried working with it as well, and found it to be so buggy as to be impossible to use. By comparison, the $300 I spent bought me an excellent, well performing unit. I'm currently purchasing another one for my Mercedes, which I guess speaks to my confidence regarding their quality and value.
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.