Database Develop

Insane Hardware GPS FIX {Do it at your Own Risk}

Hello XDA community, I've been feeling very frustrated because of the GPS performance, well so I decided to make my own hack... if you can call it like that it is not perfect but I can tell you guys it works!!!!!! I'm going to show you with proof of my screenshots and pictures, I just follow the instruction of the first hardware fix that appears before the last year, and it doesn't works for me so I decided to add a couple of cooper strings into the soldering and make my own antennae, and now I'm very happy now even indoors I can get signal from the GPS sensor and locks at least 7 birds if you are insane enough to try this here are some pictures of my work.
Press in the Screenshot to go and see more pictures on my album.
There is a little problem since i did this, people that calls me says that i sound like Darth Vader so do it at your Own Risk.

afxiso said:
Hello XDA community, I've been feeling very frustrated because of the GPS performance, well so I decided to make my own hack... if you can call it like that it is not perfect but I can tell you guys it works!!!!!! I'm going to show you with proof of my screenshots and pictures, I just follow the instruction of the first hardware fix that appears before the last year, and it doesn't works for me so I decided to add a couple of cooper strings into the soldering and make my own antennae, and now I'm very happy now even indoors I can get signal from the GPS sensor and locks at least 7 birds if you are insane enough to try this here are some pictures of my work.
Press in the Screenshot to go and see more pictures on my album.
There is a little problem since i did this, people that calls me says that i sound like Darth Vader so do it at your Own Risk.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow, nice input. I'll have to experiment. You basically just used an old copper wires from an old charger (looks like an old samsung charger) and just soldered it in? Hmm, interesting....
I'll have to try.

If you're that desperate for a strong GPS signal why not just buy a $30-40 Bluetooth GPS receiver?
Don't have to mangle your phone, you get accuracy to 1 foot, and it only takes three seconds to lock. Not to mention you save power on your phone by using a separate device.
I'm happy with mine and would never use an integrated receiver again.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using xda premium

cwoodworth said:
If you're that desperate for a strong GPS signal why not just buy a $30-40 Bluetooth GPS receiver?
Don't have to mangle your phone, you get accuracy to 1 foot, and it only takes three seconds to lock. Not to mention you save power on your phone by using a separate device.
I'm happy with mine and would never use an integrated receiver again.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well doesn't Bluetooth takes power? Please appreciate someone's finding.
Sent from my LG-P999 using XDA App

cwoodworth said:
If you're that desperate for a strong GPS signal why not just buy a $30-40 Bluetooth GPS receiver?
Don't have to mangle your phone, you get accuracy to 1 foot, and it only takes three seconds to lock. Not to mention you save power on your phone by using a separate device.
I'm happy with mine and would never use an integrated receiver again.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Which bluetooth gps device are you using? Can you give me a link to purchase?
Sent from my SGH-T959 using Tapatalk

wavestar92 said:
Which bluetooth gps device are you using? Can you give me a link to purchase?
Sent from my SGH-T959 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Search for "MKII Bluetooth" on eBay. $12-16 or more (depending on accessories that it comes with).
I have one that works great. It can take a minute to lock and can get to within 10 feet, but one it locks, it does not drift.

cwoodworth said:
If you're that desperate for a strong GPS signal why not just buy a $30-40 Bluetooth GPS receiver?
Don't have to mangle your phone, you get accuracy to 1 foot, and it only takes three seconds to lock. Not to mention you save power on your phone by using a separate device.
I'm happy with mine and would never use an integrated receiver again.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well I dont like to carry stuff on my pocket, anyways sooner or later I will change my phone, buy an extra GPS receiver that later will be unusable that means another gadget in the desk cabinet.

afxiso said:
Hello XDA community, I've been feeling very frustrated because of the GPS performance, well so I decided to make my own hack... if you can call it like that it is not perfect but I can tell you guys it works!!!!!! I'm going to show you with proof of my screenshots and pictures, I just follow the instruction of the first hardware fix that appears before the last year, and it doesn't works for me so I decided to add a couple of cooper strings into the soldering and make my own antennae, and now I'm very happy now even indoors I can get signal from the GPS sensor and locks at least 7 birds if you are insane enough to try this here are some pictures of my work.
Press in the Screenshot to go and see more pictures on my album.
There is a little problem since i did this, people that calls me says that i sound like Darth Vader so do it at your Own Risk.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thx for your work!! I'll try is as well!
Sent from my Vibrantmtd using xda premium

A few things...
Since you mentioned it in one of your pictures, if you were to accidentally connect the antenna to the ground contacts around the screw holes, it will kill the signal because the GPS radio references the antenna level to the ground. It wouldn't blow up your phone or anything.
You're making a monopole antenna, and the simplest and most effective way to do that is with a quarter wave "whip" style antenna. This is what is built in to the back casing of the Vibrant, where the GPS antenna contact pushes in to. GPS L1 signal is 1575MHz, so its wavelength is 19cm, which would make a quarter wave antenna 4.75cm long. All you need is a single, straight run of 4.75cm of wire (even insulated in PVC is OK) connected to the GPS contact. No need for this bunny-ear stuff - GPS signal is circularly polarized.
Also... goddamn, that is a huge glob of solder. Pick up some solder flux next time and thank me later. LOL

Nice work .. creates curiosity to try it out.. when we have stepped out why not use a proper gps antenna..
so are there any gps sticker antenna of other phones that can be connected. I tried searching and found out apple iphone 3g/3gs gps antenna stickers are widely available. can it be used here. because I am worried about contacts link
And also how about using enameled copper wire to reduce shorts and make it a dipole.

crush said:
Well doesn't Bluetooth takes power? Please appreciate someone's finding.
Sent from my LG-P999 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually the bluetooth radio on the Vibrant is very power efficient. With bluetooth enabled I see no difference than airplane mode. Bluetooth only eats battery when it's used with a wireless headset and actively being used for communication or listening to music. My GPS receiver gives me all day long battery and under 5 feet accuracy and I only paid $11 for mine at ebay. I'd rather pay a small $ and get better GPS accuracy, better battery and not sound like Darth Vader. Although sounding like Darth Vader would be cool lol...
P.S. I'm an Electronics tech so I like your findings and bravery with modifying your device, but the truth is buying a cheap GPS receiver is a much better alternative unless of course your supper poor. In which case you shouldn't have an expensive cell phone in the first place.
But awesome work none the less.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App

[Q] nook color has fm radio chipset

According to androidtablets.net not only does the the nook color have a bluetooth chip but also a fm radio chip but with stock os you cant use it of course. Does this mean that with cm7 you can also access the fm radio ability like it allows you with bluetooth? If anyone knows please post below.

No, the FM chipset is not connected to any sort of antenna therefore it does not work, regardless of if your running stock or CM.

Midnitte said:
No, the FM chipset is not connected to any sort of antenna therefore it does not work, regardless of if your running stock or CM.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok but could it be possible to add an wire antenna? Or could you add one like that of an android phone as someone did with an htcs speaker and added it to the nook or is it impossible?

Some phones use headphones as the antenna. I wondered this about the nook, but never cared to find out.

Good Question
colorfulnookie said:
Ok but could it be possible to add an wire antenna? Or could you add one like that of an android phone as someone did with an htcs speaker and added it to the nook or is it impossible?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have wondered about this myself. I bought and learned how to root my Droid 4 for the sole purpose of having the FM radio. I am working on getting my Nook Color to run CM7, and found your post when I searched. I know on my D4 I needed to have it rooted and installed Spirit FM, it works well with the headphones attached. I also found a way to make an antenna using a Radio Shack plug and the antenna off an old cordless phone handset, It works surprisingly well! I don't see why it wouldn't work for the NC, IF it has the fm chip, and IF we can access it. I don't know if Spirit FM has been tested with it or not, but it's worth looking into.

KrellaKrentoshi said:
I have wondered about this myself. I bought and learned how to root my Droid 4 for the sole purpose of having the FM radio. I am working on getting my Nook Color to run CM7, and found your post when I searched. I know on my D4 I needed to have it rooted and installed Spirit FM, it works well with the headphones attached. I also found a way to make an antenna using a Radio Shack plug and the antenna off an old cordless phone handset, It works surprisingly well! I don't see why it wouldn't work for the NC, IF it has the fm chip, and IF we can access it. I don't know if Spirit FM has been tested with it or not, but it's worth looking into.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This has been addressed many times, in this forum and others. To my knowledge no one has gotten anything other than static from any app (Spirit included) with any headphones at any time. I'd guess that there is no connection between the radio chip and the headphone socket, for antenna functionality.
I haven't pursued this in a while though, so there could be newer info out there.

Hmmm
tonestertm said:
This has been addressed many times, in this forum and others. To my knowledge no one has gotten anything other than static from any app (Spirit included) with any headphones at any time. I'd guess that there is no connection between the radio chip and the headphone socket, for antenna functionality.
I haven't pursued this in a while though, so there could be newer info out there.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good to know. I will do a little searching in the morning and post any info I may find. Do you know if any guts tinkering has occured to make that connection? I am hoping for a simple, easy solution, like modifying an atrix lapdock to work for a Droid phone

KrellaKrentoshi said:
Good to know. I will do a little searching in the morning and post any info I may find. Do you know if any guts tinkering has occured to make that connection? I am hoping for a simple, easy solution, like modifying an atrix lapdock to work for a Droid phone
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Been doing some digging since I last posted, and the news, I'm afraid, is not promising.
I learned that the FM receive and transmit (!) antenna functions of the WL1271 chip are on different pins than the WLAN/Bluetooth antenna pins.
In addition, there are dedicated FM Audio Out L/R pins which I would suspect are not provided for on the Nook board/module. It's not clear to me if these are the only outlet for any FM decoded by the chip, though.
These, along with the fact that TI pretty much abandoned the FM feature of this chip in the OMAP implementation, (by their own admission) make the FM radio function for us... challenging.

tonestertm said:
Been doing some digging since I last posted, and the news, I'm afraid, is not promising.
I learned that the FM receive and transmit (!) antenna functions of the WL1271 chip are on different pins than the WLAN/Bluetooth antenna pins.
In addition, there are dedicated FM Audio Out L/R pins which I would suspect are not provided for on the Nook board/module. It's not clear to me if these are the only outlet for any FM decoded by the chip, though.
These, along with the fact that TI pretty much abandoned the FM feature of this chip in the OMAP implementation, (by their own admission) make the FM radio function for us... challenging.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Challenging isn't the same as impossible, and it must surely be easier than trying to get CM7 installed to SD card for my NC. I'm beyond stuck on that one, been trying off an on for a year. It seems to me that if the problem lies in the hardware, we should be able to correct that. BTW, did I see correctly, there may be FM TRANSMIT capabilities?! That would rock!! I would be blissfully happy just getting FM recieve to work. If the pins aren't provided for on the NC board, what would be a possible way to correct that?

KrellaKrentoshi said:
Challenging isn't the same as impossible,
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
True.
and it must surely be easier than trying to get CM7 installed to SD card for my NC.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had difficulty with that the first time, too. I can probably help, but either in PM or another thread; been running SD cards for about as long as you've been trying.
It seems to me that if the problem lies in the hardware, we should be able to correct that. BTW, did I see correctly, there may be FM TRANSMIT capabilities?! ...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unfortunately, even though there are some great resources around (see the Novaports sticky above, for one) there's just not enough solid info yet to discover whether there's access to the necessary pin. The whole chip is about 1/4 inch square, containing about 115 contact sites in what's called a ball grid array, or BGA, all on the bottom surface of that tiny, "wahfer-thin" speck. This is married to a daughtercard which brings the necessary contacts out to the real world and has some more circuitry (most notably the chip which handles the wireless/bluetooth antenna switching). There's no way to tell from the pictures I've found whether they designed any access to the FM receive pin for the outside world. And I'd bet good solid money that there's no access to the FM transmit pins (separate Antenna and Audio L/R).
So, not impossible, but the real question is, how much would you be willing to spend to re-engineer a new daughtercard to gain access to these things (if, in fact, they're not accessible)? It would undoubtedly be more than the price of a brand new tablet which already contains all these things and more.
If they did bring the RX pin out on the daughtercard, then it should be possible to do some microsoldering and a lot of what I've just said is moot. But without disassembling one I have no way of knowing. If this were the case, then Spirit would likely be the way to go, as I ran across indications that Mike was doing some serious digging into this issue last year. There's also an infinitesimal ray of hope for drivers from a ROM that somebody put together for one of the Droids, which uses the same chip, that apparently has FM working.
I suppose one moderately simple test would be to load up Spirit, and bring a moderately powerful FM transmitter right up to the base end of the Nook, hoping for some leakage through all the shielding, and see if a signal can be picked up. Unfortunately, unless the result were positive, we'd be no further than we already are.

Oh. Ok
tonestertm said:
True.
I had difficulty with that the first time, too. I can probably help, but either in PM or another thread; been running SD cards for about as long as you've been trying.
Unfortunately, even though there are some great resources around (see the Novaports sticky above, for one) there's just not enough solid info yet to discover whether there's access to the necessary pin. The whole chip is about 1/4 inch square, containing about 115 contact sites in what's called a ball grid array, or BGA, all on the bottom surface of that tiny, "wahfer-thin" speck. This is married to a daughtercard which brings the necessary contacts out to the real world and has some more circuitry (most notably the chip which handles the wireless/bluetooth antenna switching). There's no way to tell from the pictures I've found whether they designed any access to the FM receive pin for the outside world. And I'd bet good solid money that there's no access to the FM transmit pins (separate Antenna and Audio L/R).
So, not impossible, but the real question is, how much would you be willing to spend to re-engineer a new daughtercard to gain access to these things (if, in fact, they're not accessible)? It would undoubtedly be more than the price of a brand new tablet which already contains all these things and more.
If they did bring the RX pin out on the daughtercard, then it should be possible to do some microsoldering and a lot of what I've just said is moot. But without disassembling one I have no way of knowing. If this were the case, then Spirit would likely be the way to go, as I ran across indications that Mike was doing some serious digging into this issue last year. There's also an infinitesimal ray of hope for drivers from a ROM that somebody put together for one of the Droids, which uses the same chip, that apparently has FM working.
I suppose one moderately simple test would be to load up Spirit, and bring a moderately powerful FM transmitter right up to the base end of the Nook, hoping for some leakage through all the shielding, and see if a signal can be picked up. Unfortunately, unless the result were positive, we'd be no further than we already are.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So I guess the best thing I can do for the moment is to get CM7 to boot and try Spirit on it. I can do that, and I have a transmitter that might work too. I will post the results.

KrellaKrentoshi said:
Challenging isn't the same as impossible, and it must surely be easier than trying to get CM7 installed to SD card for my NC. I'm beyond stuck on that one, been trying off an on for a year. It seems to me that if the problem lies in the hardware, we should be able to correct that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Really?
have you tried this post?
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1000957
because that's been around for quite some time...and it is rather easy...
and it's been around for well over a year....
just sayin...

yep
I have tried it, and 2 others, and im stuck.

KrellaKrentoshi said:
I have tried it, and 2 others, and im stuck.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
okay...it's pretty simple...but i'll bite....where are you stuck? what exactly about the process is messing you up...
you get the CM7 image, burn it to your SD card using the program provided...insert it into the nook and press the power button...

plasticarmyman said:
okay...it's pretty simple...but i'll bite....where are you stuck? what exactly about the process is messing you up...
you get the CM7 image, burn it to your SD card using the program provided...insert it into the nook and press the power button...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
..........and watch the little blue android on the skateboard for the next 20 mins until i shut it off. It wont get past the blue dude's splashscreen. I'm working on it on another thread and PM. In the meantime, do ya think you could run the little experiment mentioned a few posts back please?

I made some progress today!!
tonestertm said:
True.
I had difficulty with that the first time, too. I can probably help, but either in PM or another thread; been running SD cards for about as long as you've been trying.
Unfortunately, even though there are some great resources around (see the Novaports sticky above, for one) there's just not enough solid info yet to discover whether there's access to the necessary pin. The whole chip is about 1/4 inch square, containing about 115 contact sites in what's called a ball grid array, or BGA, all on the bottom surface of that tiny, "wahfer-thin" speck. This is married to a daughtercard which brings the necessary contacts out to the real world and has some more circuitry (most notably the chip which handles the wireless/bluetooth antenna switching). There's no way to tell from the pictures I've found whether they designed any access to the FM receive pin for the outside world. And I'd bet good solid money that there's no access to the FM transmit pins (separate Antenna and Audio L/R).
So, not impossible, but the real question is, how much would you be willing to spend to re-engineer a new daughtercard to gain access to these things (if, in fact, they're not accessible)? It would undoubtedly be more than the price of a brand new tablet which already contains all these things and more.
If they did bring the RX pin out on the daughtercard, then it should be possible to do some microsoldering and a lot of what I've just said is moot. But without disassembling one I have no way of knowing. If this were the case, then Spirit would likely be the way to go, as I ran across indications that Mike was doing some serious digging into this issue last year. There's also an infinitesimal ray of hope for drivers from a ROM that somebody put together for one of the Droids, which uses the same chip, that apparently has FM working.
I suppose one moderately simple test would be to load up Spirit, and bring a moderately powerful FM transmitter right up to the base end of the Nook, hoping for some leakage through all the shielding, and see if a signal can be picked up. Unfortunately, unless the result were positive, we'd be no further than we already are.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I got my NC running CM 7.2.0. Turns out I needed to rename the ROM and also something was bad on my SD card. I have been happily exploring CM7 and getting my google apps on my NC for 2 hours now. Among the apps I downloaded is Spirit FM, the free version for testing. It loads well, I plugged in headphones and an antenna and can't get a signal, not even static. I will look for my transmitter tonight/tomorow and see what happens then. Thanks for all the encouragement and support on the CM7 thing yall!

Yay!
KrellaKrentoshi said:
I got my NC running CM 7.2.0. Turns out I needed to rename the ROM and also something was bad on my SD card. I have been happily exploring CM7 and getting my google apps on my NC for 2 hours now. Among the apps I downloaded is Spirit FM, the free version for testing. It loads well, I plugged in headphones and an antenna and can't get a signal, not even static. I will look for my transmitter tonight/tomorow and see what happens then. Thanks for all the encouragement and support on the CM7 thing yall!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Looking forward to your results. And, Enjoy!

I did the test.....
tonestertm said:
True.
I had difficulty with that the first time, too. I can probably help, but either in PM or another thread; been running SD cards for about as long as you've been trying.
Unfortunately, even though there are some great resources around (see the Novaports sticky above, for one) there's just not enough solid info yet to discover whether there's access to the necessary pin. The whole chip is about 1/4 inch square, containing about 115 contact sites in what's called a ball grid array, or BGA, all on the bottom surface of that tiny, "wahfer-thin" speck. This is married to a daughtercard which brings the necessary contacts out to the real world and has some more circuitry (most notably the chip which handles the wireless/bluetooth antenna switching). There's no way to tell from the pictures I've found whether they designed any access to the FM receive pin for the outside world. And I'd bet good solid money that there's no access to the FM transmit pins (separate Antenna and Audio L/R).
So, not impossible, but the real question is, how much would you be willing to spend to re-engineer a new daughtercard to gain access to these things (if, in fact, they're not accessible)? It would undoubtedly be more than the price of a brand new tablet which already contains all these things and more.
If they did bring the RX pin out on the daughtercard, then it should be possible to do some microsoldering and a lot of what I've just said is moot. But without disassembling one I have no way of knowing. If this were the case, then Spirit would likely be the way to go, as I ran across indications that Mike was doing some serious digging into this issue last year. There's also an infinitesimal ray of hope for drivers from a ROM that somebody put together for one of the Droids, which uses the same chip, that apparently has FM working.
I suppose one moderately simple test would be to load up Spirit, and bring a moderately powerful FM transmitter right up to the base end of the Nook, hoping for some leakage through all the shielding, and see if a signal can be picked up. Unfortunately, unless the result were positive, we'd be no further than we already are.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Houston, we have a problem. I have a stock nook running cm7 on sd card. Spirit FM Free with superuser permissions granted couldn't pick up the transmitter. :crying: I even put the transmitter right up against the nook and didn't hear anything, so it's not looking very good. I know on my droid 4 I had to have it rooted in order for the FM to work, I wonder if that is the case here? Anyone got a rooted nook to try this experiment out on? Once my warrenty is up I will try "nooting" and see if FM works then. If it is the daughter card, I am at a loss. Anyone got an idea about what we can do next? tonestertm, I can't find your Novoports sticky. Can you repost the link please?:good:

KrellaKrentoshi said:
tonestertm, I can't find your Novoports sticky. Can you repost the link please?:good:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No need for a link, the Novaports thread is the third one down from the top of this forum.

Mounted my N7 in my car

So I was sitting at home thinking how cool it would be to use my Nexus 7 as a navigation unit / general multimedia device in my car. I already have a touch screen unit in my car from Pioneer, but it’s not that great. It’s very pixelated, it doesn’t have navigation and it’s a bit small. So I devised a plan on how to mount it in my car. But before building my final mounting bracket, I decided to give it a test run, to make sure that everything would work great. I have all the maps preloaded on the device, and I have it connected to my Galaxy S3 (rooted, custom ROM) for wifi tethering.
I just picked up some “Kwik Klips 3/8” 10mm” from my local hardware store, and cut them up and guess what – it mounted fantastic. Three clips hold it on the bottom, and at the top it is tucked under my stereo door cover to make it very sturdy. I went on a 30 mile trip today just to make sure everything is smooth – and it is. This weekend my parts are supposed to come in so I can have a concealed charging cable for it so it is not using battery.
My car is a 2010 Scion tC.
I’ve uploaded four pics here, but go to my dropbox to see the gallery.
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/qnzhlkzt0241dbj/-oRn12YgRC

Do you have the 3g version? How are you getting navigation to work?

bawlinmo said:
Do you have the 3g version? How are you getting navigation to work?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Mobile WIFI hotspot?

bawlinmo said:
Do you have the 3g version? How are you getting navigation to work?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I keep my N7 tethered to my EVO during the day. That's how I use mine for navigation. I use the satellite layer also as I can't stand the 'cartoon' look.
Posted via my Amiga 3000, EVO 3D , or Nexus 7

phillip1953 said:
I keep my N7 tethered to my EVO during the day. That's how I use mine for navigation. I use the satellite layer also as I can't stand the 'cartoon' look.
Posted via my Amiga 3000, EVO 3D , or Nexus 7
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Cool. That's what I figured. I tried to grab a N4 to do the same thing (in the process of rehabilitating from the apple cult), but couldn't get one, so I'm still using the iphone (no tether without paying extra).

Yes I am using my GS3 as a mobile WiFi hotspot for free (custom ROM).
I haven't tried the satellite view yet, I don't mind the cartoonish view too much. But overall using the N7 as a navi has been fantastic.
Sent from my SGH-I747 using xda app-developers app

Awesome man.
Looks like it was made for the car.
Good to see a standard driver as well... seem to be few and far between these days!

Nice. Please upgrade your shift knob now.

Copilot GPS works great without an internet connection.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda premium

Good show sir ! I also have a tc and will do this. What did you cut from the clips
Sent from my HTC One XL using xda premium

You might want to try Bluetooth internet sharing. Its honestly the most underrated feature of android >4.0. Sure, the range is 10-20ft, and the speed is limited to 2mbs, but in a car and for navigation apps neither of those matter. You save a lot of battery though and its easy to set up by just tapping a button on your tablet only.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2

fatttire said:
You might want to try Bluetooth internet sharing. Its honestly the most underrated feature of android >4.0. Sure, the range is 10-20ft, and the speed is limited to 2mbs, but in a car and for navigation apps neither of those matter. You save a lot of battery though and its easy to set up by just tapping a button on your tablet only.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Bluetooth internet sharing is definitely not the ultimate solution. Many apps won't work with it. Prime examples: Pandora and TuneIn Radio. Also, nothing will download from the Play Store (at least apps).
You'll save a lot of battery on the phone, sure. When I was trying out bluetooth tether my N7 got prettyy hot, and was fine with Wifi sharing. Perhaps it was simply an app causing that, but I don't think so.

I just removed the radio cover, and placed the N7 in the hole.
...and since I'm still a noob:
Code:
i46.tinypic.com/w6qxav.jpg
i49.tinypic.com/29du2cl.jpg

I'd do this, but I don't want to have my radio constantly in view at night. One of our cars was broken into and now I don't leave anything in view.
pistonrod said:
I just removed the radio cover, and placed the N7 in the hole.
...and since I'm still a noob:
Code:
i46.tinypic.com/w6qxav.jpg
i49.tinypic.com/29du2cl.jpg
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sent from my SGH-I747 using xda app-developers app

geoldr said:
I'd do this, but I don't want to have my radio constantly in view at night. One of our cars was broken into and now I don't leave anything in view.
Sent from my SGH-I747 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm still rocking the stock head unit; no one wants that.
I thought about trimming the extra plastic off the cover (just enough to fit) and set it back in place when I parked the car.

Depends on the Bluetooth setup. If you are not using Bluetooth to stream the sound, uncheck it in the Pandora settings and Pandora works great.
I download apps all day long using Bluetooth for my data. I find it easier then dealing with a hotspot. Battery life is significantly better for me to.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda premium

fatttire said:
You might want to try Bluetooth internet sharing. Its honestly the most underrated feature of android >4.0. Sure, the range is 10-20ft, and the speed is limited to 2mbs, but in a car and for navigation apps neither of those matter. You save a lot of battery though and its easy to set up by just tapping a button on your tablet only.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2
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Click to collapse
Does BT support multiple simultaneous pairings? I usually have my phone tied to the car via BT. If it can do that and data share, that'd be awesome. Well, maybe. Not sure if it'd help, but it'd be nice to know.

Charger
Have you gotten the charging cable installed?

Rough
Did you have to rough up the dash or anything for them to stick at all?

aneisch said:
Have you gotten the charging cable installed?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
aneisch said:
Did you have to rough up the dash or anything for them to stick at all?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you were talking to me, yeah I did get the charging cable installed, and no I didn't have to rough it up at all. The tape that was with those clips was sufficient.
But now I took that all off. I just bought this iBolt windshield mount for my GS3. It's easier for me this way, because I don't have to setup tethering and charge two devices.
It was fun though while it lasted.
And it blocked my radio, so that got really annoying after a few days of not being able to switch XM channels.

New Joying HU with surround digital amplifier

Does anyone have new Joying HU with surround digital amplifier? Has the sound quality improved?
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFr...zWiloVA/videos

They just came out. I posted in your other thread. I have one coming tomorrow. It may be some time before you get any real feedback since they are new. Looks promising, but we learn not to get our hopes up too much.

pounce said:
They just came out. I posted in your other thread. I have one coming tomorrow. It may be some time before you get any real feedback since they are new. Looks promising, but we learn not to get our hopes up too much.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
that's cool, I'm looking forward to hearing your thoughts on the new unit

For reference:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B073LF3GZP
Others should buy this so I have safety in numbers

I wouldn't expect greatness from an amp in units like this. Any good HUs that have optical out? That is probably the safest choice to get good sound out of these units.
Sent from my VS986 using Tapatalk

Ziggyrama said:
I wouldn't expect greatness from an amp in units like this. Any good HUs that have optical out? That is probably the safest choice to get good sound out of these units.
Sent from my VS986 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Anyone seen an android unit with toslink? For what its worth method of transport has no relation to sound quality. They solve different needs. Transport is like a road. It can be smooth or bumpy, but has nothing to do with the car you drive over it. You can send crap over a toslink and the head unit would have to convert lower grade data to PCM.

pounce said:
Anyone seen an android unit with toslink? For what its worth method of transport has no relation to sound quality. They solve different needs. Transport is like a road. It can be smooth or bumpy, but has nothing to do with the car you drive over it. You can send crap over a toslink and the head unit would have to convert lower grade data to PCM.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, you are correct but it is important to note how these units are built. Toslink removes the need for DAC which is the weak link. Basically, the unit reads digital media and sends digital signal to something else which has its own DAC. Decoding and sending digital signals in these HUs is done with off the shelf chipssets that either work or don't. It is binary. A cheap DAC adds a lot of artifacts and general noise to the signal. So, the reality is, a cheap HU that does toslink can yield good sound. A cheap HU with a DAC will not, because economics won't allow it. That is why I asked. To use your analogy, what is better, a smooth road paved with no seams and expansion joints or one that was paved piece meal with connectors and detours? Hope that makes sense.
Sent from my VS986 using Tapatalk

Ziggyrama said:
Yes, you are correct but it is important to note how these units are built. Toslink removes the need for DAC which is the weak link. Basically, the unit reads digital media and sends digital signal to something else which has its own DAC. Decoding and sending digital signals in these HUs is done with off the shelf chipssets that either work or don't. It is binary. A cheap DAC adds a lot of artifacts and general noise to the signal. So, the reality is, a cheap HU that does toslink can yield good sound. A cheap HU with a DAC will not, because economics won't allow it. That is why I asked. To use your analogy, what is better, a smooth road paved with no seams and expansion joints or one that was paved piece meal with connectors and detours? Hope that makes sense.
Sent from my VS986 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Many head units that have toslink really only had it for the CD or DVD and didn't convert radio or aux etc. A few units exist that do the conversion, but its pretty slim. I really don't think anyone has the expectation that for 300 bucks you are getting something amazing. You probably do get something incrementally better than the basic stuff we have been seeing.
Discussing toslink on these units is definitely an armchair topic and pretty far from realistic even if logically is makes sense.

i am really considering that 10.1 inch Joying, it would be my third Joying, so I have a good method of comparison

Well if its like the previous Joying units you can expect about one in 3 units to fully function out of the box and that one to fail within 90 days. Cheap chinese low quality junk with no warranty support.
Second, it does not belong in this forum. Has NOTHING to do with android auto. Off topic.

CadillacMike said:
i am really considering that 10.1 inch Joying, it would be my third Joying, so I have a good method of comparison
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do it! I need safety in numbers. I have a few others to compare that are still running.

I popped it open. I actually don't think the back is any sort of serious heatsink. The digital amp is screwed to it, but there is a gap. Video out is cables alongside the left rear usb. I'm not sure what the empty socket is between the mic and the video out. There is nothing identifying on the silver box.
I probably wont get to bench testing it until the weekend or next week.

pounce said:
I popped it open. I actually don't think the back is any sort of serious heatsink. The digital amp is screwed to it, but there is a gap. Video out is cables alongside the left rear usb. I'm not sure what the empty socket is between the mic and the video out. There is nothing identifying on the silver box.
I probably wont get to bench testing it until the weekend or next week.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for tearing into one of these... I've been really curious if that fancy looking back panel was actually a functional heatsink or not. Curious how you rank the sound quality and "no heat problem" this unit is supposed to be advertised for... Look forward to the rest of your review/testing!

I am very interested to see if there is a noticeable sound difference
My Joying died and I put in a Sony until I figure out my next move.
I was genuinely shocked at the sound improvement. And I always thought my Joying sounded great, but my speakers have come alive with the Sony

i got the 10 inch single din with an amp and DSP. I got it installed last night. only had a short drive to test it, but I think it sounds pretty great

CadillacMike said:
i got the 10 inch single din with an amp and DSP. I got it installed last night. only had a short drive to test it, but I think it sounds pretty great
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you get a model number on that? I had to have several emails with joying describing what I wanted with a single din and 10.1 screen. They told me to buy a certain one and then add 40 bucks and they would know what to send. Seemed weird. Just wonder if that's what you did also.

pounce said:
Did you get a model number on that? I had to have several emails with joying describing what I wanted with a single din and 10.1 screen. They told me to buy a certain one and then add 40 bucks and they would know what to send. Seemed weird. Just wonder if that's what you did also.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not yet, mine was a replacement for my 8 inch that quit working. I emailed them asking for a specific model number so I can post it in my review

Joying now makes it clear on their site:
Note: JOYING car stereo with internal digital amplifier only can fit the car which without internal amplifier and external amplifier.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I assume this is because there appears to be a lack of rear pre-outs, but I'm not totally clear. I did see that if you enable an external amp the controls are reverted to the old interface.

So I have had my new 10 inch unit for about 2 days, and it works great. *Bluetooth doesn't drop out, sounds awesome. *
today and only today, I was listening to music loudly, and I noticed it would drop out a bit. *I thought it was odd and looked at the screen, and I got this flash with yellow on top and some Chinese writing:
I did a reboot and it started working fine again

Right on, thanks for posting your experiences with this unit... I decided to buy an Xtrons 10.1 octacore unit because it was around $100 cheaper than the Joying with the digital amp... Heard a number of complaints about wireless sucking and stuff so I'm eyeing the Joying as a backup if the Xtrons unit goes bad or I discover some sort of weird issue. I gotta admit, I have not encountered any problems with it thus far so hopefully I won't be needing to swap it for the Joying, but its good to know it generally works pretty good (and sounds good) ... One note about the Xtrons unit, is yes the wireless does kinda suck if I'm trying to use my home wireless from the driveway, however its rock solid and fast when I'm using my phone as a hotspot, which is how it will be used 99% of the time, so I'm pretty stoked thats not an issue!
Anyways, thanks again for the info guys!

Hey, new person buying a chinese unit (help please)

I don't know where to post this so I'm posting here due to the amount of other Erisin posts.
I'm in the middle of looking for a double din head unit for my Rav4, this Erisin ES4763C head unit has come up on eBay / Erisin website when googled.
After reading a lot of reviews its putting me off spending around £250 on this head unit with camera, reverse camera, DAB+ etc.
I'm after a head unit that will do almost everything and it seems to fit the bill.
I'm wanting to know are they easily fixable, are they able to refund money if said item is broken? I'll be paying via PayPal to get some protection.
I like to research before I plunge in. Youtube videos seem to have helped a bit on what they do and they seem ok.
Would you recommend buying one or should I stay clear? - Just don't want to end up looking like Homer Simpson in my car with separate things like dash cam, satnav and bluetooth headset. (Season 14, episode 20.) (google "homer simpson car gadgets" since im not allowed to post links yet.)
After a bit more research, I've come across Xtrons PCD67HGT that does all the same stuff as Erisin but without the TV option. (But who drives with TV on?)
I honestly don't know which head unit to go for.
I'm after a head unit that can do these:
DAB+
Dash cam record + speed
Sat Nav
Reverse camera
Hands free phone
Steering wheel control
WiFi + 4G (or connect to phones 4G. Is this possible? So I don't have to buy another sim card?)
DVD + mirroring for back passengers.
What head units are there for me? Vehicle is a RAV4 2004 gen 2 D-4D.
I have around £260 to spend.
Thank you.

Zenlot said:
I don't know where to post this so I'm posting here due to the amount of other Erisin posts.
I'm in the middle of looking for a double din head unit for my Rav4, this Erisin ES4763C head unit has come up on eBay / Erisin website when googled.
After reading a lot of reviews its putting me off spending around £250 on this head unit with camera, reverse camera, DAB+ etc.
I'm after a head unit that will do almost everything and it seems to fit the bill.
I'm wanting to know are they easily fixable, are they able to refund money if said item is broken? I'll be paying via PayPal to get some protection.
I like to research before I plunge in. Youtube videos seem to have helped a bit on what they do and they seem ok.
Would you recommend buying one or should I stay clear? - Just don't want to end up looking like Homer Simpson in my car with separate things like dash cam, satnav and bluetooth headset. (Season 14, episode 20.) (google "homer simpson car gadgets" since im not allowed to post links yet.)
After a bit more research, I've come across Xtrons PCD67HGT that does all the same stuff as Erisin but without the TV option. (But who drives with TV on?)
I honestly don't know which head unit to go for.
I'm after a head unit that can do these:
DAB+
Dash cam record + speed
Sat Nav
Reverse camera
Hands free phone
Steering wheel control
WiFi + 4G (or connect to phones 4G. Is this possible? So I don't have to buy another sim card?)
DVD + mirroring for back passengers.
What head units are there for me? Vehicle is a RAV4 2004 gen 2 D-4D.
I have around £260 to spend.
Thank you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
honestly stay away from any HU from china... they are all headaches one way or another. Go with something expensive.. like alpines andriod unit.. your looking at 1200 CAN. but w9rth every dime i sure wish i did and i use to install them for a living.
I got a seicane s0480.. had a bad circuitboard they sent me a new one.. now i cant use my screen..
Eonon have issues they all do. Spend your money on something worth it with less hassle

Im using Xtrons TA701PL and it really runs like a charm.
Some of the most important setups are there, and its got expansion slots for everything and then some.
Sound is way better than i expected, perhaps some would argue that the amp is a little to the lower side, but its still able to blast out your speakers if you want to.
Ive tried a various amount of the unbranded CH HU´s from Ebay/Amazon, but nothing compares to Xtrons, i even had one of these unbranded ones having 20 mins to open spotify!, on my Xtrons, its there allmost instant.
Support wise, they do have a forum, but its one of those forums where you cant just post anyways, but they have to allow your post to be shown, so its 110% useless, BUT they do have a online chat, where you allso can leave an email, and they do respond pretty quickly.
I had 1 issue with mine, a faulty cable, and they sendt me a new one, at no charge.
Only real wierd issue software wise i have, is some apps seems to see BT as turned off, this seems to be a trend among Android HU´s, every single one ive tried has this, it can sometimes interferer with some apps that need BT to be activated.
I bought mine directly at Xtrons

Impetuz said:
Im using Xtrons TA701PL and it really runs like a charm.
Some of the most important setups are there, and its got expansion slots for everything and then some.
Sound is way better than i expected, perhaps some would argue that the amp is a little to the lower side, but its still able to blast out your speakers if you want to.
Ive tried a various amount of the unbranded CH HU´s from Ebay/Amazon, but nothing compares to Xtrons, i even had one of these unbranded ones having 20 mins to open spotify!, on my Xtrons, its there allmost instant.
Support wise, they do have a forum, but its one of those forums where you cant just post anyways, but they have to allow your post to be shown, so its 110% useless, BUT they do have a online chat, where you allso can leave an email, and they do respond pretty quickly.
I had 1 issue with mine, a faulty cable, and they sendt me a new one, at no charge.
Only real wierd issue software wise i have, is some apps seems to see BT as turned off, this seems to be a trend among Android HU´s, every single one ive tried has this, it can sometimes interferer with some apps that need BT to be activated.
I bought mine directly at Xtrons
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Im close to buying the PA77HGTP, reverse camera, DVR camera comes to around £251. I'm close to clicking the button but something's putting me off. They recently brought out 8.0 with 4gb ram. But doesn't fit my car
There's no videos etc for showing the newer Xtrons working that I can find.
Hmm just don't know what to do.

Zenlot said:
Im close to buying the PA77HGTP, reverse camera, DVR camera comes to around £251. I'm close to clicking the button but something's putting me off. They recently brought out 8.0 with 4gb ram. But doesn't fit my car
There's no videos etc for showing the newer Xtrons working that I can find.
Hmm just don't know what to do.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Im quite happy with using the 7.1 models, all i wanted was the dual app function on the screen, so i can have spotify and traffic on at the same time

Zenlot said:
I don't know where to post this so I'm posting here due to the amount of other Erisin posts.
I'm in the middle of looking for a double din head unit for my Rav4, this Erisin ES4763C head unit has come up on eBay / Erisin website when googled.
After reading a lot of reviews its putting me off spending around £250 on this head unit with camera, reverse camera, DAB+ etc.
I'm after a head unit that will do almost everything and it seems to fit the bill.
I'm wanting to know are they easily fixable, are they able to refund money if said item is broken? I'll be paying via PayPal to get some protection.
I like to research before I plunge in. Youtube videos seem to have helped a bit on what they do and they seem ok.
Would you recommend buying one or should I stay clear? - Just don't want to end up looking like Homer Simpson in my car with separate things like dash cam, satnav and bluetooth headset. (Season 14, episode 20.) (google "homer simpson car gadgets" since im not allowed to post links yet.)
After a bit more research, I've come across Xtrons PCD67HGT that does all the same stuff as Erisin but without the TV option. (But who drives with TV on?)
I honestly don't know which head unit to go for.
I'm after a head unit that can do these:
DAB+
Dash cam record + speed
Sat Nav
Reverse camera
Hands free phone
Steering wheel control
WiFi + 4G (or connect to phones 4G. Is this possible? So I don't have to buy another sim card?)
DVD + mirroring for back passengers.
What head units are there for me? Vehicle is a RAV4 2004 gen 2 D-4D.
I have around £260 to spend.
Thank you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Main question is: how good are you at DIY electronics? If not good at all you might want to consider buying a unit from a specialized company that will also set it up in your car.
After using several chinese HUs here are my findings:
All the units I have seen have low quality glossy LCD screens. If you live in a sunny area don't expect to see anything on the screen.
There is no QC at the end of the production cycle. That is why people receive units with non functioning screens or get weird errors from units with bad internal connections.
System architecture is unnecessarily complicated AND has serious limitations. For example you cannot: use a BT dongle or use a generic camera with the DVR app.
Bluetooth phone connections are generally of poor quality.
Some 4G modems work, others don't - no drivers.
Dual-zone (i.e having satnav on the HU screen and play a movie on the back screens) isn't generally available and you should specifically ask for that.
Steering wheel controls work as long as you have a resistive- type SWC. If not, additional modules are required.
Older units (with Android 4.4 or 5.1) have too little RAM and may become extremely slow.
With that said you can still find good value for money, just make sure you talk to the seller before paying anything and confirm every single feature for your specific car model. Chinese will answer any question before sale and pretty much disappear after sale.
I cannot comment on DAB+, never used it.