Hi guys, I am new to programming and classic cars. I recently have the chance to buy a 80 model toyota and decided to make a head unit with my old samsung S3. I won't use it to control music or make calls. I just want head unit to show temperature, compass, fuel level etc. By the way, car does not have OBD or ECU, most of the reading would be analogue or through new sensors. Is it possible to attach new sensors to my old phone and read results on the screen? I believe this can be done using a raspberry pi but I am on a tight budget and if I can use what I have at hand for this project it would be really great. I add a sample image of what I have in mind to build. I want it to look genuine and proper for a classic car. Any help is greatly appreciated and I can even offer a test drive with my old beauty if you happen to swing by my vicinity
buy a Bluetooth odb2 adaptor and use the torque pro app.
I simply do not have anything to connect to OBD all the readings regarding the car are old fashion analogue. there is no central command or control.
yeah I forgot about the "classic" part. My bad. Torque will still let you use your phone sensors, so gps speedometer, and gyro based drag timer and hp estimate, but I dont know of anything else you would be able to use. Not that something doesn't exist, I just dont know what it would be.
thank you man I guess I will use the app and look for temperature on my phone.
When did 1980 start being classic, I was thinking pre-70 at least. Which model do you have? I'm trying to remember if the standard DIN size was being used then - I know it was on my mid-70s VW, but that was German, which is where the DIN came from in the first place. Dropping in a 1-DIN android head unit might be easier that rigging up something with your phone.
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Hello all, I had a Son XAV-601BT, which was supposed to be a very promising and awesome android headunit, but ended up being a dud because mirrorlink doesn't work well, etc, I can only connect my phone with bluetooth and play music through it. I just got a Nissan Titan and want to up my in car experience. I had a good bit of audio equipment I took out of my old 240sx and was going to reuse it, which included the 601BT, 2 kicker amps (one for the sub, another 4 channel for speakers), and polk audio speakers, but the headunit is basically.. meh.
I was wondering what would be the ideal route to go to get the best experience. I know they have head units that have all the android auto stuff built in, but since I already have a nice amp I can use to drive the speakers, would I be better off just using a tablet and getting things connected up that way? I would like to be able to utilize good quality voice for commands and phone calls, but I am not sure if using a tablet for that would work (using the phones capabilities through the tablet to make calls and texts via bluetooth or some other way.)
If anyone has any recommendations on how I can have a nice sized mounted capacitive screen to control my audio (spotify), navigation, and be able to use voice commands (though I could technically just make them through my watch as I have been), I would love to hear some suggestions. If the best route to go would be an actual android auto headunit, then so be it, but I would like to know if alternatives can do this.
See my sig for Headunit app for Android Auto. Nexus tablets are working well with it.
Tablet solution likely takes some time to get it the way you want it, but it makes it very customizable and can be done cheaply-ish.
There are 2 popular lines of $300 Chinese HUs discussed on XDA. They are best described as... the Chinese stuff you find on EBay/Alibaba etc. Source is available but the latest Newsmy is still stuck on Android 4.4.
Or for $500-2k get a Pioneer or Kenwood Android Auto 4100/6100/7100NEX. There's a custom ROM just come out for some Pioneers, but it will take time to mature.
Awesome, thanks for the info. I really appreciate it. I was looking in to some of the interesting setups people have, such as using an Arduino with an IR transmitter that you connect to the tablet, so you can use a standard smaller headunit, hide it in the dash to connect to the speakers and control the volume, and the tablet can be mounted nice, and when you hit the volume etc on the tablet it makes the Arduino blast the IR to the head unit, and it makes the volume go up as if you pressed the button (or in this case, the remote)
That might work well with a head unit app or something similar. I will download the APK's you linked and check them out!
I know I'm missing something about AA, but let me ask this newbie question anyway. Oh silly me ..... what is/are the advantages of AA ..... what if users like me are happy with our car sound and video system but just want a Google centric pc and display in the car. You can buy Android mini pc like Minix, Tronsmart and others for around $200 USD or less. 16:9 HD displays with usb touchscreens have dropped in price, so mount one instead of the Garmin type Navi screens.
Yes, for connectivity you do need a wireless technology bridge from LTE to cat5 wired. But really (!), for $500 or less you get great Android system built into your car and you get to operate your sound system seperately. You can mirror or even 'sidesync' between car pc and phablet/phone if you want. Heck, with those smart TV type boxes you can watch all kinds of stuff. With a little thinking, you can connect audio into your existing sound system. You can use any number of ODBII devices to connect to your car's port and run the Torque app on your car Android pc to have all kinds of car diagnostics and live meters. You have almost the entire Google ecosystem available like any other device (almost).
What does Android Auto get you?
I apologize for asking such a seemingly silly question. Why does everything have to become so complicated and expensive?
The promise of Android Auto and its current reality don't quite match up yet but it is very early and I think it is a matter of time.
AA (and CarPlay) is meant to surface the most important functions of your smartphone and provide a more integrated and less distracting way of interacting with those functions. More integrated in terms of working with steering wheel functions (e.g. volume, next/prev, voice command, etc) and current media playback (e.g. pausing or muting existing audio to deliver turn-by-turn instructions). Less distracting in terms of simplified UI with less touching/typing required and more dependence on voice commands. It also eliminates non-essential notifications while driving (I don't need to see the latest Instagram post until I am parked thanks).
I think it also showcases to auto OEMs what is possible with some good design thinking. I own a 2014 VW with the most unintuitive, cumbersome, slow, frustrating navigation you could imagine. An Android Auto head unit that provides an excellent Google Maps nav experience is light years ahead of a system like that.
Dropping in a smartphone Android interface into a dashboard misses much of what AA is meant to deliver. It may be somewhat more integrated but it is no less distracting.
SCKoman said:
I know I'm missing something about AA, but let me ask this newbie question anyway. Oh silly me ..... what is/are the advantages of AA ..... what if users like me are happy with our car sound and video system but just want a Google centric pc and display in the car. You can buy Android mini pc like Minix, Tronsmart and others for around $200 USD or less. 16:9 HD displays with usb touchscreens have dropped in price, so mount one instead of the Garmin type Navi screens.
Yes, for connectivity you do need a wireless technology bridge from LTE to cat5 wired. But really (!), for $500 or less you get great Android system built into your car and you get to operate your sound system seperately. You can mirror or even 'sidesync' between car pc and phablet/phone if you want. Heck, with those smart TV type boxes you can watch all kinds of stuff. With a little thinking, you can connect audio into your existing sound system. You can use any number of ODBII devices to connect to your car's port and run the Torque app on your car Android pc to have all kinds of car diagnostics and live meters. You have almost the entire Google ecosystem available like any other device (almost).
What does Android Auto get you?
I apologize for asking such a seemingly silly question. Why does everything have to become so complicated and expensive?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Your "build your own Android mini-PC" idea will seem VERY complicated to "regular people".
Regular people can buy a new car with AA HU installed, and simply plug their stock Android phone in. Or buy an aftermarket HU and have any of thousands of shops install it for you. How may shops will build, configure and install a custom mini-PC ? Mp3car.com MAY do it for $10,000.00 or more I guess... (See their website for custom work.)
Android Auto, after a few years of fixes and new apps supporting it, will hopefully provide a "just works" solution.
Android/computing enthusiasts may prefer to build their own systems and spend many hours tinkering etc. Or they may just want a "just works" solution here too.
Different audiences, different requirements.
Good points .... marketing savvy ... I like.
Hi, I am looking to buy a new double-din head unit for my car. I was wondering what the best way to mirror my s6 edge to my car and basically controlling the phone through the head unit using touchscreen? i want to be able to use google maps on my head unit. Should I be looking for a head unit that is mirrorlink ready or am i looking for a head unit that is compatible with chromecast (Pioneer's appradio from what i've read)?
Welcome @hackaveli, you may want to take a look at this thread: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2451980
There aren't going to be many options to control too much of the phone via the head unit, unless you're talking just using BT to control synced things like the phone, and streaming radio. AppRadio aside - if you do find android-based head units, or at least head units with app capability, that are wifi capable, and if you have a hotspot feature on your phone, you could do that, tether the head unit to your phone to access the data for your Google Maps and whatnot.
All that aside, I had a 3-series that I put exactly that kind of aftermarket head unit into. And after the initial play factor wore off in a month, I used exactly one of the fancy options on the head unit - Pandora. I would tether my phone, and start the app. And that would've been just as easy to bluetooth the phone to the HU for sound instead of running it from the unit itself. I just found that it was much easier to just do maps on my phone (my mount was vent-mounted so perfect viewing angle and reach), as well as any other things that I THOUGHT I wanted all those goodies on the head unit for. So obviously your mileage may vary on that.
Just bought a used 2007 Toyota Solara SLE convertible (with JBL 7 speaker system), and looking to replace stereo. I've read up on here and elsewhere about some of this, but still have some Q's before moving forward.
Main needs:
Spotify (strongly prefer NOT to use bluetooth due to audio compression)
GPS (The larger the screen, the better for this)
Theft-resistant (Either looks not worth stealing, has removable face without wearing out connectors, is built-in and looks hard to steal, etc)
I'll drill down on the details in a bit, but I'd like a little perspective first on reasons why it would matter if I go with a dedicated head unit, or possibly get the fiddly bits and hook them up myself to do something like a slide-mounted Samsung tablet that I can easily pop in and out.
1) Is there some reason in general why one path is better than the other?
2) If I go DIY route, I've been reading up that Android Auto is not available for tablets without data (wifi only versions). Can't tell if that info is outdated, or still true. I see a few mentions of 3rd party workarounds, but not much info on how they are working.
3) I'd really prefer a larger readout as I use GPS heavily on a regular basis. The detachable ones I see for 10.1 screens from Joying, etc look to have connectors NOT designed for daily plug/unplug. Do these hold up?
4) Is it better for theftproofing to have a removable face, or something smaller that fits in the double din and looks harder to steal?
5) If I do the DIY route, does the audio come out of the tablet via usb and need a d/a, or out of the phones jack?
5) There seems to be info out there for DIY to get the steering controls working, car info like tire pressure, temp, etc. If I then already have the amp, and can work out the audio, and get info to and from via bluetooth with my phone or using my phone as hotspot, that's all bases covered, right? Is there anything I'm missing that CAN'T be done this way and would be better off just getting head unit?
6) Are the dedicated head units less updatable or anything like that than something like a samsung tablet?
7) Is there an issue with my 7 speaker system? Haven't checked, but I'm under the impression from some conversations I've had that there's a 7 speaker dedicated amp currently in place (not part of existing head unit). I read something about certain versions of AA not supporting subs. Not sure what that means. If I'm replacing head unit with full DIY rig, can't I just sent audio to the amp, and it splits from there, or does processing and separate out for sub need to somehow happen prior to the amp?
FYI: Asking in part because I'm thinking about getting a tablet anyway, and might as well have dual use if possible. Also, I'm considering idea also of leaving the stock stereo as is (has BT for voice, but not audio streaming), and rigging a detachable dock for tablet that then feeds audio via the aux input. I guess if I go this third route, I'd store music on it locally, and use it's wifi with my android phone as mobile hotspot to get new tracks, access map data, etc.
Thoughts on why one path is better?
Too many q's?
Available info in another thread? (I've searched and read all I could find)
Better in another subforum? (Connected car maybe?)
Thank you for the questions it is helping me do more research.
If any one can answer part of a question please chime in.
1. Android tablets (Samsung, LG) over Chinese (KLYDE, Joying, etc) units:
- better screen - even an old Galaxy Tab3 has a screen 10x better than any chinese in-car unit.
- cleaner Android implementations - chinese units suffer from poor system implementation that generates lots o0f issues with Bluetooth audio quality, OBDII pairing, WiFi and 3G/4G compatibility
- software upgradable - again, my Samsung Galaxy Tab3 from 2013 runs Nougat. My Klyde in-car unit runs Lollipop
- better RAM, usually
- more flexible in implementation
Chinese (KLYDE, Joying, etc) units over Android tablets (Samsung, LG):
-easier to install
-FM radio
-some level of integration with the car's systems
2. Since version 2.1 Android Auto is a standalone app so it will run on WiFi only units
3. No idea. But if I were to take the DIY road, instead of removing the tablet I'd have a fake panel to cover the screen, with the front part of a cheap stereo.
4. It depends on your preferences. Audio will be much better if run through an external d/a converter but you can start with getting the signal from the headphone jack and add a converter later.
Probably 2 main differences:
Android tablet wont have good amplifier. Not so good sound, you must install many apps from yourself (this is good and bad), no radio probably or bad radio. You must also connect an antenna for the radio if the tablet has one.
You must also do some modding by yourself, connection for power etc. Probably use tasker for some things, search in youtube and other places for suitable script. Xposed, app settings will help for making many apps more car like.
Search for car launcher etc.
I am writing this as i have installed in past, not tablet but mobile phone (an old galaxy s2) in a Fiat punto. So i have done those im Writting for.
If you give time and efford at the end it could be better the result compaired with a dedicated one.
The dedicated one has the benefit of don't search at all. Just install, plug and play. Probably better sound.
If it has android, you can make many things with this. Probably most as the tablet i wrote before.
If it only has android auto you can do only basic things..
Sent from my SM-G9350 using XDA-Developers Legacy app
Ok, I had both approaches with 2 different chinese units and one Zenpad.
- 1st Chinese unit, piece of .... so I almost smashed it with a hammer in a fury rage, so got it sold after 3 month, conclusion stay away from XTRONS!
-2nd I had a Zenpad built into my dash, lucky enough for me my dash was big enough to easily fit in an 8" tablet. I bought a mechless Sony car radio, which is much smaller than a normal unit and I hid it behind the tablet, steering wheel remote control still worked, so I could control the radio from the steering wheel, but never needed anything else than adjusting the volume. I did not use FM radio at all. See attached picture. This has a few potential problems, most probably you won't be able to charge the device & use the usb port at the same time, you will need a custom kernel for that or a USB-C tablet. Also its much more difficult to fit it in properly, when the system freeze or crash and you need to hard reset it, it can be painful, however overall I was very pleased with my setup. Since you cannot use the tablet for the bluetooth hands free I still needed to use a Himbox HB001. TIP: The install was done with the help of a 6mm acrylic sheet, which I cut to size using a jigsaw.
-3rd changed the car and couldn't do the same thing in the new car so I bit the bullet and bought another chinese unit, this time I went to an Intel based one. So far so good, I have only done about 1000 miles with it but it looks to work OK, boot up is really quick, bluetooth A2DP quality is good (not like the crap XTRONS), handsfree quality seems decent, but I need more feedback from others on this, I hear them clearly the question is how good they can hear me, so I can recommend the unit: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/301955449854
And now to the Android Auto question, they run on all of them, just use my app: https://forum.xda-developers.com/ge...ndroid-4-1-headunit-reloaded-android-t3432348
Hi,
I have a 2015 Audi A3, which unfortunately didn't come with AA as an option (I think it was introduced in 2017). It's a real pain to install the 2017 MMI into an older car, but there are guys out there developing aftermarket Android-based headunits that basically put a whole android "phone" in the dash; which isn't a very eloquent solution and kind of overkill in my opinion. They've got their own SIM cards and you have to change the bluetooth devices the phone is paired to and whatnot. It's really not exactly what I'm looking for. I just want AA and that's it.
Anyway there's one guy who's kind of got what I'm looking for . Unfortunately because the car also didn't come with a touchscreen, I have to toggle through the menus with the knobs and steering wheel buttons, which is meh. I'd love to put a digitizer overlay on the screen and play around with it, maybe have a daughter board made up and inject the screen coordinates into the packets somehow before it's sent down to the phone. I'm more of an EE, don't really have a lot of Android dev experience but I've got a lot of microcontroller and firmware experience. Anyway that's my high level idea of how this might work, not sure if I'm going in the right direction. I did ask the guy at RSNAV (seems to be a one-man show) last night if I might have the source code after signing an NDA and I'm awaiting his response. In the meantime I want to get a plan of action going.
So I'm wondering how AA is integrated on the client-side. Obviously the manufacturer headunits aren't running Android, but they've gotta communicate somehow with the phone. I can't find this info anywhere, I'm guessing this is info Google only shares with Auto manufacturers and the Kentwoods and Pioneers of the world. But maybe I'm wrong. I'm assuming it's a protobuf-based protocol between the headunit and the phone, but I don't know.
Can anybody help me out here? Thanks.
All my android auto head units are running android operating system two Chevy and one Mitsubishi. Main reason why poplar cars get rooted head units and what not. But after market android auto head unit is probably your best choice.