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EquinnoxX

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Posts posted by EquinnoxX

    Tablet PC as Carputer?

    in Interior/Audio

    Posted

    For all you guys that have tablets in your cars I was wondering if you ever had any trouble with then not working in the winter? I live in Wisconsin and im worried that the LCD crystals in the screen could freeze when we have some of our -20° temperatures.

     

    The 2012 N7 had some noticeable screen lag/ghosting on very cold (~ -10°F) VT mornings in the past. The stock navi also had issues around that temp as well. Both still usable but more responsive once the car warmed up.

     

    I plan to put the 2013 N7 in as a replacement/upgrade in a few weeks. Will post if I notice anything like the old ones.

    Tablet PC as Carputer?

    in Interior/Audio

    Posted

    How much free space is left on the tablet? I believe if it is less than 2-3GB, it begins to slow down. I experienced this and cleaned it up last week. It is a bit faster now.

     

    Thanks for that, I will check on it a bit and clean some stuff up.

     

    I am also possibly thinking of trying to bypass the battery altogether. A direct connection would seem a better route to go to alleviate the power issues as well as temperature concerns. I would welcome anyone who has ideas good/bad on how to accomplish this.

    Tablet PC as Carputer?

    in Interior/Audio

    Posted · Edited by EquinnoxX

    Some updates worth mentioning in case you kids haven't seen them:

     

    Looks like Timur moved to a donations model for updates (not a bad thing, he made this all possible!). Also mentions built-in support for backup camera as well as some other features:

    https://timur.mobi/timurs-kernel-n7-2013/

     

    New Nexus 9 tablet announced which is probably too big for our dash (dimensions are 8.99 x 6.05 x 0.31 inches) but it could mean we may see a price drop on the Nexus 7 tabs in the future:

    http://amzn.to/1t91OYe

     

     

    My 2012 Nexus 7 tab has been in the car awhile and working (mostly) well. I will most likely pickup a 2013 tab soon and swap that in. While not horrible, the 2012 version is just getting a little 'sluggish' for my tastes now. Besides it gives me an excuse to take things apart again :D

     

    This install was also done nicely and looks like he modified the power connector to fit thru the seaker grill on the back which may solve our 'vent cutting' issues. He also added a 15A DC charger. It also links to 'autodroid' which may be a free option instead of Timur's (now paid) kernel:

     

    http://www.reddit.com/r/Android/comments/2jm097/i_installed_an_nexus_7_in_my_car_it_looks_awesome/

     

     

    http://i.imgur.com/ZC9rzA5.jpg

     

    Full gallery link:

    http://imgur.com/a/51cPf

     

    Autodroid:

    http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2789993

    Tablet PC as Carputer?

    in Interior/Audio

    Posted

    So I finally mounted my Nexus 7 in my dash. It's similar to most of the other installs on here (thanks for the inspiration guys!) but I used the JDM bezel and was able to modify the bracket they sent with it to fit. IMHO looks pretty stock.

     

    http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5327/9547724171_ca35eb8e64.jpg

    (Disclaimer: The picture above was taken with a professional driver on a closed course)

     

    Yes the JDM nav bezel was pricey but it comes with a bracket, has a slightly wider screen opening than the US one, fits in the dash perfectly and has no hole for the USDM navi buttons. There are a few slight modifications I had to do to get it all to fit snugly tho...

     

    Hardware Stuffs:

    Here is the bracket installed in the dash as-is. It snaps right into the stock mounting locations perfectly.

     

    http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3666/9550487904_efe4da176e.jpg

     

     

    The bracket the JDM bezel comes with does fit in the stock nav location nicely however the pitch isn't right for the tablet as-is. I used washers to soak up the slack and get the desired pitch for the tablet. I believe I used 4 on top and 5 on the bottom. YMMV. I also hot glued the original plastic popits on the top of the bracket. Velcro helps hold the tablet in place on the front of the bracket.

     

    http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3739/9547699581_845f87a6a1.jpg

     

     

    I drilled a hole in the bottom part so I could make a pass through hole and access the screw holes which will secure the bottom of the bracket (bracket comes in two pieces).

     

    http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2885/9547702641_6d1c4d4fc7.jpg

     

     

    The couplers for the vents on the JDM bezel had to be shaved down w/ a dremel. On the US bezel, they are one solid piece. In the pic below the JDM one is a bit longer and the whole thing won't snap in unless they are shaved down. :spin:

     

    http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7449/9550489550_fb1d578813.jpg

    JDM bezel on left, USDM on right.

     

     

    For some added clearance, I sanded down the support grooves (struts?) on the inside of the top plastic tab of the bezel. I also bent down the metal ledge the tablet rests on in the bracket a tiny bit.

     

    http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5469/9550487248_6f1ae6ca2a.jpg

     

     

    Here is a pic of how it sits on the bracket in the dash without the bezel. Again, washers can be added/subtracted to adjust pitch.

     

    http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2851/9550488192_c45d02c489.jpg

     

     

    Since the JDM bezel is a few mm wider than the US one, the silver case of the Nexus shows through the screen opening in the bezel. I used some black vinyl I had lying around to mask that and eliminate the gaps on the side as well. I imagine you could use electrical tape as well.

     

    http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3798/9550489740_25dccd044a.jpg

    Vinyl applied to right side of tablet

     

     

    The one thing I wasn't happy about was cutting into the vent for the USB cable. I looked into the pogo pin route but didn't have the time to really get into it. I ended up notching each side of the passenger vent so the USB cable passes straight through. You can barely see it but the vent adjustments are stiff as the vent fins hit the cable. Next time I pull it out I will solder my own right angle USB cable to fix that.

     

    http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7440/9550490054_319cbbe121.jpg

     

     

    Below is everything installed. Of course the flash throws extra highlights on the vinyl borders and the USB cable in the vent. In reality, both aren't that noticeable.

     

    http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2817/9550491374_1a44166738.jpg

     

     

    Software Stuffs:

    So with the bezel sorted, I did some modifications to the tablet software and some automation with NFC tags. The tablet is rooted running Cyanogenmod 10.1 and Timur's USB kernel. Timur's kernel is basically tailored to this type of installation. It includes USB host mode, fast charging, landscape UI locking and many more options. It will also wake the tablet when it senses power and drop it into deep sleep gracefully when power is cut. Since power is only supplied to the cigarette lighter when the car is started and cut when it's turned off, this works nicely with the tablet plugged into the armrest car charger.

     

    Since my tablet is WiFi only, I have to tether to my phone (unlimited data plan) for an internet connection. I created an NFC tag with some tasks programmed on it and put it in the cup holder. All I have to do is put my phone in the cup holder and it will read the tag. Upon reading the tag, it will enable the WiFi hotspot (so the tablet can get data), bluetooth and sync apps which will give me hands free texting and phone calls on the tablet. I never thought I'd use NFC tags for anything but in this specific instance they rock!! And they are super cheap too!

     

    http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3716/9550487092_e70abc1b8b.jpg

    Yes that game controller is in there for a reason!

     

    http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7317/9550488524_196b917c0e.jpg

    (Disclaimer: The picture above was taken with a professional driver on a closed course) And YES I have enough self control to keep my eyes on the road! This keeps the woman out of my hair on long road trips :lol:

     

    My home WiFi also reaches outside a bit which makes it super easy to connect and change content on the device. Although it was odd to see my car connected to my home WiFi network :D

     

    Pretty much the sky is the limit with this thing. Between USB, WiFi and Bluetooth you can hook up just about anything! I will be adding a few other things including a backup camera hooked up to the tablet as well. I did some limited testing with a USB webcam and results were decent. I haven't figured out a trigger to have it automagically come up when you pop it into reverse, I'm all ears if anyone has ideas. :confused:

     

    Thanks to all who posted in the thread to keep me going and my boy Askin for helping out!!

     

    Shopping list:

    Nexus 7 tablet

    Nexus 7 Shell Case (From [ame=http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00903HAL0/ref=oh_details_o02_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1]Amazon[/ame])

    Nexus 7 Anti-Glare Screen Protector (From [ame=http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008OHRJ32/ref=oh_details_o08_s00_i02?ie=UTF8&psc=1]Amazon[/ame])

    JDM Legacy Nav Bezel (From AVOJDM)

    Fiio E10 USB DAC (for cleaner audio)

    USB OTG Power Y-cable (From [ame=http://www.amazon.com/Micro-Cable-Power-Nexus-Galaxy/dp/B00CXAC1ZW/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1376983972&sr=8-5]Amazon[/ame])

    3.6A 18W dual USB car charger (From [ame=http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0088U4YAG/ref=oh_details_o08_s00_i03?ie=UTF8&psc=1]Amazon[/ame])

    USB Hub (4 Port Generic)

    128GB Flash Drive

    Logitech Wireless USB Rumblepad

     

    Apps:

    GMD Gesture Control

    ES File Explorer

    TuneIn Radio

    Spotify

    Tablet Talk

    Poweramp

    NFC Task Launcher

    And a bunch of others I'm sure I'm forgetting...

    Cabling:

    N7 -> USB OTG Y-Cable -> Charging cable to USB cig lighter -> Other end to USB Hub (Thumbdrive, Wireless Controller USB reciever and USB DAC are all plugged into USB hub). Aux cable from USB DAC -> AUX input in armrest.

     

    Tablet PC as Carputer?

    in Interior/Audio

    Posted

    We would also lose the temperature display on the NAV screen, and since we don't have a separate display for it, it would be gone. I would be able to display temperature in Celsius though (albeit from an app), something I hate not being able to change on my NAV screen :p

     

    The tablet has a few weather apps that can display outside temp based on GPS so that shouldn't be an issue. I would also figure that the configurable defroster settings would be set the same as they were when you took out the navi. Personally I can live without them for the added functionality of the tablet! ;)

    Tablet PC as Carputer?

    in Interior/Audio

    Posted

    ^^ So the pogo supplies both power and audio? Good to know. I was looking to use the pogo's for power. I had a USB OTG cable that had a split for power but it wasn't a right angle cable. I'd prefer to use the pogo pins for power and then use a right angle OTG cable for USB so I don't have to drill out that vent.

     

    In other news, does anyone know the difference b/w these two JDM vents? They seem to have different part numbers. Do they fit US LHD cars?

    Vent 1

    Vent 2

     

    Going from the previous info posted by Recca168, the USDM nav bezel is 185mm wide whereas the JDM nav bezel is 205mm. Since the Nexus 7 is 198mm, it seems that the JDM nav bezel would be a better fit (albeit with a little gap, easily covered). From this pic you can see the whole tablet fits, camera and bottom buttons vs some other pics which show them covered. IMHO it would be cleaner to use the JDM one and use some black vinyl or something to cover the gaps.

    Tablet PC as Carputer?

    in Interior/Audio

    Posted · Edited by EquinnoxX

    Don't know if you kids saw it already but over on the nabisco forums they mounted a Nexus 7 in an 08 STi.

    http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2459432

     

    Cool, detailed install and his mounting bracket thing was impressive...

     

    sti_n7-14.jpg

     

    There is also some good info if you scour the reddit thread.

    Also some ideas about connecting a backup camera ...

    http://stackoverflow.com/questions/9784683/android-external-camera-options-overlay-on-top-of-video-stream-no-middleman-s

    Tablet PC as Carputer?

    in Interior/Audio

    Posted

    ^^ Just a thought ... If you have any old hard drives lying around there are some pretty strong magnets inside them. Older the better / more powerful. I took some out of a 500MB hdd and put a $20 under it on my buddy's fridge. Stayed there for many months, even with scrape marks around it. :D

    Tablet PC as Carputer?

    in Interior/Audio

    Posted · Edited by EquinnoxX

    ^^ Excellent idea w/ the MiFi. I will prob end up doing something similar tethering my phone as a hotspot whenever I'm in the car.

     

    One question, how is it with the screen not on an angle? Have you / any passengers watched a movie on it for a decent length of time? Any issues ... Neck strains? Sun Glare? Just curious as to what the motivation was to not angle it thats all.

     

    Also there are apps on the market that will let you turn on the screen from a touch or touch combo. I believe one of them was called button savior or something. I had a busted power button on my old phone and it worked well. Not that the tape mod is bad or anything! :D

    Tablet PC as Carputer?

    in Interior/Audio

    Posted

    Yea EquinnoxX, it'is SpawnGT. I left to go to med school, sold my car to my best friend Gareth, he owned the car for a year, and then the insurance got way to expensive and sold me back my baby with an extra 6k on the clock. But I got her back. Couldn't be happier. I just can't get back into my SpawnGT account because the email account no longer exists for the "Forgot Passwod option"

     

     

    Weclome back! :lol:

    Let me know if you need any help or are gonna head out to any local meets. I'd like to check out the setup when it's complete!

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