Develop Bugs

Eonon or Pumpkin?

I'm trying to decide between two identical systems with minor differences;
Eonon will include a slim IR remote (which I would consider useless, except that the reason I need a new head unit is my old one has a bad screen and a remote would have made it usable)
Pumpkin does not have a remote (but still has the IR port) but has a 1024*600 screen as opposed to Eonon's 800*400.
Thoughts on which to choose?
Anyone have a remote they aren't using they want to sell to make the decision easier?

I recently bought an Eonon GA2114 to replace my old AN21U. First impressions:
-good mechanical build
-internal microphone is much better than AN 21U's
-SWC work way better
-very responsive customer support
-different build from what I have seen on this forum. Wanted to do the BT mic mod but gave up - too much disassembling involved
-slightly wider than standard 2DIN, needs fiddling with the dash frame
Had a weird issue with BT: with any KLD ROM (including Eonon official) I was unable to use BT for phone calls. It does work, however, with Joying ROMs
Hope this helps

m00n61 said:
I recently bought an Eonon GA2114 to replace my old AN21U. First impressions:s
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Click to collapse
That's the one I'm looking at. Have you used the remote that comes with the unit and, if so, is it even useful?
I'm a bit surprised that this hasn't turned into a thread of people arguing that 1024*600 is so much better and others saying that there's no practical difference between that and 800*400.

Would you like 6 donuts, or half a dozen?

NYCAR said:
That's the one I'm looking at. Have you used the remote that comes with the unit and, if so, is it even useful?
I'm a bit surprised that this hasn't turned into a thread of people arguing that 1024*600 is so much better and others saying that there's no practical difference between that and 800*400.
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Click to collapse
Haven't touched the remote, not a fan. Don't really see the utility of a remote for the driver, the screen is very responsive and so are the SWC buttons, finally. On my previous unit SWC controls were erratic ( I believe it happened because of the low priority of the control process). A remote would probably become useful if I had multiple displays in the car and the passengers in the back seat would want to change the movie or similar.
As for the screen, I am really happy with it. I actually ended up with this resolution by mistake, I was also looking for a 1024*600 but got attracted by the bigger screen of this unit and somehow missed the fact that it is 800*480. Don't regret that, 7 inch is really a significant improvement over 6.2.

I have a GA2114 too I'm pretty happy with mine, only issue I have with it is that the Bluetooth calling can sometimes be quite distorted and people can't hear me which I know is a problem with most units, I just havent got round to taking mine apart to modify. Mine seems to be fine sometimes though and people say they can hear me fine.
I had a WinCE Eonon unit before my GA2114 and the reason I went for another Eonon unit was because they were so reliable, had it for about 2 years and didn't have one issue with it.
EDIT: One small issue I forgot to mention was my microSD card slot in the front seems to be quite dodgy, the card doesn't click in properly. I can get it to sit in though by pushing it in then putting the cover back over it to hold it in place.

NYCAR said:
I'm trying to decide between two identical systems with minor differences;
Eonon will include a slim IR remote (which I would consider useless, except that the reason I need a new head unit is my old one has a bad screen and a remote would have made it usable)
Pumpkin does not have a remote (but still has the IR port) but has a 1024*600 screen as opposed to Eonon's 800*400.
Thoughts on which to choose?
Anyone have a remote they aren't using they want to sell to make the decision easier?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have bought Pumpkin head unit with ASIN B016I7C7TK on Amazon.co.uk , which includes an external wireless SWC control and it is very convenient.
It has 7-inch 1024*600 screen and Android 4.4 Quad Core 1.6GHz system.
Really impressed so far with this, for the price its definitely worth it! Had no issues so far and customer service has been very good.

m00n61 said:
I recently bought an Eonon GA2114 to replace my old AN21U. First impressions:
-good mechanical build
-internal microphone is much better than AN 21U's
-SWC work way better
-very responsive customer support
-different build from what I have seen on this forum. Wanted to do the BT mic mod but gave up - too much disassembling involved
-slightly wider than standard 2DIN, needs fiddling with the dash frame
Had a weird issue with BT: with any KLD ROM (including Eonon official) I was unable to use BT for phone calls. It does work, however, with Joying ROMs
Hope this helps
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just installed my ga2114 and love it but also do not have Bluetooth audio working for calls. It works great for regular audio. What rom should I be running to fix it?
Also I notice a slight audio hiss. Did you experience that on your unit? It's not enough to drive me crazy but it's definitely there once the radio boots up. Aside from that, I love it so far.

glad to see some praise for these units, I had my eye on one from eonon

Chinese Head Units: my experience, my thoughts

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.

Almost ready to buy, few final questions. Octocore PX5, 4GB, Oreo

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.

General questions for PX6 and other units

I purchased a Dasaita Max 6 10.2” unit, my first ever Android head unit. I’ve been reading the various posts and found answers to some of my questions but not all. Is there a good FAQ or a good resource for these units that someone can point me to? I also have a slew of questions I was wondering if anyone knew of the answers, or again knows of a good resource to find them. Here are some:
1. The Dasaita is installed in a 2013 Toyota Prius with a canbus adapter, I noticed that the radio displays some information about my AC settings when I change them. Is there a way to actually control the AC with the head unit too? If so that would be great, it opens the door to maybe getting as 12” unit instead and not have to worry that it will cover my physical buttons.
2. My OEM radio had the ability to display tire pressure in each tire, is there a way to get that data displayed on this unit? I’d love to know if there are ways to integrate this head unit into my car as much as possible. I do see I have regained the ability to adjust some of the car settings again that I lost when I removed my oem head unit.
3. I installed car launcher and set it to Always as my launcher, but the stock launcher always defaults when the unit is turned on. Is there a way around this?
4. If I install a Bluetooth ODBII module and pair it to the head unit, can it pair to the head unit at the same time my cell is paired to it? And does it not drain the battery leaving the ODBII module plugged in?
5. Are there firmware updates for this unit or custom ROMs?
6. When you rotate the screen, the display doesn’t rotate to match the physical orientation. Is it supposed to?
So far this unit is great, I’m curious what else I can get out of it.

What did the reseller advise for your questions?

marchnz said:
What did the reseller advise for your questions?
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Click to collapse
I’m getting the feeling you’re asking that question assuming I haven’t done that. But to answer your question I have asked quite a few of these questions but not all. Iris from Dasaita has been very helpful in answering some of my questions, but some of them she just skips and doesn’t answer, or answers a question I’m not exactly answering. I think there is a language barrier with her understanding some of what I’m asking, and my understanding some of her answers. Ultimately she pointed me to XDA which I’ve been a member of for quite a long time... which is why I finally asked
Here. I did read the links in your sig which has already been very helpful in understanding the nomenclature of these devices and firmware file names so that’s at least a start.
kelkin said:
I purchased a Dasaita Max 6 10.2” unit, my first ever Android head unit. I’ve been reading the various posts and found answers to some of my questions but not all. Is there a good FAQ or a good resource for these units that someone can point me to? I also have a slew of questions I was wondering if anyone knew of the answers, or again knows of a good resource to find them. Here are some:
1. The Dasaita is installed in a 2013 Toyota Prius with a canbus adapter, I noticed that the radio displays some information about my AC settings when I change them. Is there a way to actually control the AC with the head unit too? If so that would be great, it opens the door to maybe getting as 12” unit instead and not have to worry that it will cover my physical buttons.
2. My OEM radio had the ability to display tire pressure in each tire, is there a way to get that data displayed on this unit? I’d love to know if there are ways to integrate this head unit into my car as much as possible. I do see I have regained the ability to adjust some of the car settings again that I lost when I removed my oem head unit.
3. I installed car launcher and set it to Always as my launcher, but the stock launcher always defaults when the unit is turned on. Is there a way around this?
4. If I install a Bluetooth ODBII module and pair it to the head unit, can it pair to the head unit at the same time my cell is paired to it? And does it not drain the battery leaving the ODBII module plugged in?
5. Are there firmware updates for this unit or custom ROMs?
6. When you rotate the screen, the display doesn’t rotate to match the physical orientation. Is it supposed to?
So far this unit is great, I’m curious what else I can get out of it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

1 - The Tesla style units all have on screen climate controls unless the original controls had a built in display. You may be required to take apart the original controls and transfer a PCB to the HU. Some manufacturers only make vertical screens for cars that have climate controls with built in display but their screens is smaller than 12". No matter which of those Chinese Android HU you buy if you have any concerns you should contact the seller and confirm things before you buy.
2 - Not likely.
3 - Look around the factory menu there should be a setting that basically means to return to previous state after a reboot.
4 - Probably not that would depend on the ODBII adapter supporting simultaneous connections and I haven't seen one that does that yet and wouldn't be very useful anyways. No it wouldn't drain the battery if you left it plugged in the thing hardly draws any current, most adapters go to sleep and doesn't the Prius cut power to everything after a while.
5 - Dasaita is very good with support and updates usually contact your seller for them. You should know that you will find more info here if you search for CPU - MCU - Android rather than a specific model number. So look for PX6 - HA2 - Pie (I guess). Custom ROM.
6 - What the hay. Nobody has a screen that rotates! Who has time to rotate a screen while driving, let me know when you're out and about so I can hide safe in my basement. Kidding apart there's no need for an accelerometer in a car radio so unless they did install one or a switch to let the HU know the screen is rotated you will have to set that in display settings or download an app to switch orientation. Otherwise your unit is defective.

What headunit can I get!?

Hi everyone, I basically have an ongoing project at the moment where I'd like to have a headunit in the open top kit car me and a friend are building. Everything is full on stripped down back to basics, no ABS, no powersteering but we're keen to have a bit of fimiliarities with the headunit. I'm struggling a little bit on exactly what to get, I don't know if an off the shelf solution exists or if I'd have to go down something like the rasperry pi route but effectively here's what I'm after from the unit. Don't mind the idea of a tablet of sorts as well, but it would need multiple USB slots (see below).
Android OS is probably best for what we're after however open to suggestions/other ideas
Multiple USB slots 3 minimum - 1 for ODB/ Diagnostic connection, 1 for Apple CarPlay and the other for DAB radio if required
Resistive touch screen - there's no roof on the kit car we'll do our best to weatherproof it but we'd like for the screen to be not effected by droplets of water if it does start raining
Something that's not incredible slow
The monitor and the OS can be two separate devices if required e.g Resistive monitor and then trailing a HDMI/USB to the computer which would be in a dry wiring tray.
Has anyone done this? Seen anything that'd suit? We're really open to suggestions and looking to find a solution asap.

Perhaps post in the Android head units forum, this thread is for specific "MTCD" units.

Most units I have seen are Capacitive screens not resistive, but rain does not affect either really when you dry them off.
If you are looking for reliable Apple CarPlay then Android head units are not the best bet.
I know that the Dasaita PX6 head units have a HDMI out which you can connect another touch screen to for dual touchscreens.
I have the Dasiata in a topless jeep which has had some (light) rain on it in the past with no ill effects.

Sorry all, new to the forums I'll post in the correct place now