My Nexus 7 Dash Install Project
12-11-2013, 02:30 PM
#11
Thread Starter
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: Kentucky
Posts: 31
Hey, just saw this posted. I actually have been working on and test fitting and doing a lot of bench testing of a very similar setup. Your Tasker setup sounds like mine as well. How much battery life did you tune out of it? I got my N7 to last 3 weeks! That is assuming you don't touch it, of course, but awesome none the less. That plus a switched power source like you mention is the key to not killing your car, but keeping your tablet charged. I highly suggest running your own power line and switch it with a relay rather than piggybacking on a lower amperage existing ignition line.
I'll read over the whole thread more when I'm not at work, but if I can make a quick suggestion off the bat, if you pop the back cover off (easy to do with even a fingernail, start at the USB port), the USB/audio board is separate from the rest of the board and can be relocated as to not require you to run your USB cable out the side. I plan on cutting a hole in the back casing and accessing the USB port from there.
Also, a generic Metra mounting kit can be modified with the help of a dremel to build a great surround for the tablet to clean up the installed appearance. Let me see if I can find the pic I posted of a test fit.
Edit: Hmm... don't think I posted one yet and I don't see one on this computer (or phone). I'll try to remember later when I'm home.
Do you have wiring experience for some of the custom wiring you'll need? Do you have good Android experience for installing a custom ROM, optimizing and configuring the tablet for car use? Do you have a good engineering mind to help you figure out exactly how to piece it all together and mount it all up and make it work?
It doesn't seem that terribly hard to me, but compared to popping out the old head unit and sliding in a new one, it takes quite a bit more work. I may suggest that if you don't already know you're capable of building something like this, then you may not be. Not to discourage anyone at all, and there are certainly more simple ways to do it, but to do it right will take some work. On the other hand, if you do it right, it'll blow away every single head unit on the market by a long shot, and for the same or less cost. Just depends on your skill level at this kind of thing.
I'll read over the whole thread more when I'm not at work, but if I can make a quick suggestion off the bat, if you pop the back cover off (easy to do with even a fingernail, start at the USB port), the USB/audio board is separate from the rest of the board and can be relocated as to not require you to run your USB cable out the side. I plan on cutting a hole in the back casing and accessing the USB port from there.
Also, a generic Metra mounting kit can be modified with the help of a dremel to build a great surround for the tablet to clean up the installed appearance. Let me see if I can find the pic I posted of a test fit.
Edit: Hmm... don't think I posted one yet and I don't see one on this computer (or phone). I'll try to remember later when I'm home.
Do you have wiring experience for some of the custom wiring you'll need? Do you have good Android experience for installing a custom ROM, optimizing and configuring the tablet for car use? Do you have a good engineering mind to help you figure out exactly how to piece it all together and mount it all up and make it work?
It doesn't seem that terribly hard to me, but compared to popping out the old head unit and sliding in a new one, it takes quite a bit more work. I may suggest that if you don't already know you're capable of building something like this, then you may not be. Not to discourage anyone at all, and there are certainly more simple ways to do it, but to do it right will take some work. On the other hand, if you do it right, it'll blow away every single head unit on the market by a long shot, and for the same or less cost. Just depends on your skill level at this kind of thing.
I will be changing my power wiring exactly as you state... I have some noise in my system and I think the power wiring from the harness has something to do with it.
I have the Metra mounting kit you mention, but I didn't really like it, the bezel got in the way of touching the screen in some cases. I ended up cutting a 1/8” thick piece of ABS plastic to fit between the tablet and radio bezel and cutting an opening in it for the screen. I'll post a picture later, I'm out of pic space on the forum lol!
12-11-2013, 04:30 PM
#13
Thread Starter
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: Kentucky
Posts: 31
No problem. The last bit of advice I'll give you is research, and then research some more, and when you think you've got all the research done, research some more! And lastly, put it all together outside of the car and test it before you put it in. Good luck!
12-11-2013, 05:53 PM
#14
5th Gear Member
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Raleigh, NC
Posts: 2,966
I end up losing 2% battery over 12 hours, and it is completely recharged after 15 minutes of driving.
I will be changing my power wiring exactly as you state... I have some noise in my system and I think the power wiring from the harness has something to do with it.
I have the Metra mounting kit you mention, but I didn't really like it, the bezel got in the way of touching the screen in some cases. I ended up cutting a 1/8” thick piece of ABS plastic to fit between the tablet and radio bezel and cutting an opening in it for the screen. I'll post a picture later, I'm out of pic space on the forum lol!
I will be changing my power wiring exactly as you state... I have some noise in my system and I think the power wiring from the harness has something to do with it.
I have the Metra mounting kit you mention, but I didn't really like it, the bezel got in the way of touching the screen in some cases. I ended up cutting a 1/8” thick piece of ABS plastic to fit between the tablet and radio bezel and cutting an opening in it for the screen. I'll post a picture later, I'm out of pic space on the forum lol!
I did have to do quite a bit of dremeling to get the Nexus to fit in the Metra kit without having huge gaps or covering anything. It's not perfect, there's a slight gap at the bottom, but when it's mounted in a dark hole I don't think it will be noticeable, and I ended up getting it to fit perfectly so that it doesn't block anything like the bottom buttons, in fact it's so close that if you rest your finger on the bottom of the bezel, it's exactly where the nav bar buttons are which I thought would be a nice convenience since touch screens can get a little awkward from an angle. I thought about just using a piece of plastic like you said though, and still might if the bezel doesn't work out as well as I hoped, so yeah, please do post a pic!
Glad to see other people taking on projects like this. I think the way I have planned may be a little more complex, but I did so in hopes of avoiding the issues you mentioned like line noise.
And I second your notion of researching the hell out of it and planning and testing quite a bit. I've been on hold just because I've been so busy with work and the holidays and hope to get it done in January, but I haven't been rushing it so I can make sure I do it right. Definitely a very cool project and I can't wait to get it all done. I've just never been a car audio guy before, so I'm learning as I go.
I'll definitely post up a full write up of my build as well. Hopefully between this thread and mine we'll be able to answer most questions you'd have.
Last edited by AJ06GT; 12-11-2013 at 05:58 PM.
12-11-2013, 07:51 PM
#15
5th Gear Member
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Raleigh, NC
Posts: 2,966
Remembered to grab this pic off my old phone tonight, here's one of my test fits with the Metra kit. You can kind of tell that the bottom doesn't sit perfectly flush, but I would have had to cut out the shoulder on the bottom of the frame that keeps it from popping out of the front if I cut it out anymore. I think it would be only noticeable if you looked for it.
12-12-2013, 02:53 AM
#16
Thread Starter
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: Kentucky
Posts: 31
Remembered to grab this pic off my old phone tonight, here's one of my test fits with the Metra kit. You can kind of tell that the bottom doesn't sit perfectly flush, but I would have had to cut out the shoulder on the bottom of the frame that keeps it from popping out of the front if I cut it out anymore. I think it would be only noticeable if you looked for it.
12-19-2013, 11:07 AM
#18
2nd Gear Member
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: LaSalle, Ontario
Posts: 453
Any pics of the mount with the factory face plate in place? I am woorking on the same install and I am trying to figure out the best way to get the tablet mounted nicely. I have a couiple different double din kits and I just don't know what the right way to mount the tablet is.
Sean
Sean
Very nice! Cant even see the gap in the picture. I ended up using the frame from my kit... only I mounted it backwards and used it to hold the tablet in place. I'll get a pic up tomorrow for ya. My dremel got away from me once while removing the small ledge at the bottom of the opening. Gouged the front so I've gotta fix that.
12-19-2013, 11:59 AM
#19
5th Gear Member
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Raleigh, NC
Posts: 2,966
Any pics of the mount with the factory face plate in place? I am woorking on the same install and I am trying to figure out the best way to get the tablet mounted nicely. I have a couiple different double din kits and I just don't know what the right way to mount the tablet is.
Sean
Sean
I have a friend who is supposed to be getting a 3d printer, I'm considering holding out to see if I can get him to print me some clips. If it worked out, I'm sure I could get a handful of them made for whoever wanted to do the same.
12-20-2013, 05:09 AM
#20
2nd Gear Member
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: LaSalle, Ontario
Posts: 453
What amps did you end up getting for the speakers and sub?
New to the forums, not new to Mustangs! I wanted to share my project in case it might help someone else.
So I just bought a 2007 Mustang GT a few months ago, and traded in my 06 which had a nice Kenwood head unit with navigation. I liked the Shaker that was in my 07 but I really missed the navigation.
Navigation head units are not cheap!!! This got me thinking... what if I could install an Android tablet? I'd have music, navigation, voice commands, and full access to any app on the Google Play Store. So after doing some research I decided this was the route I wanted to go.
I had a few caveats in mind... it had to fit in the double din hole in the dash, and I wanted to be able to put the Shaker back in if the project didn't work out or if I decided to sell the car.
So here are the items I went with and the steps I followed.
Nexus 7 - has bluetooth, gps and is fairly close to the size of the double din hole in the dash.
Custom ROM - Timur's USBROM http://mehrvarz.github.io/nexus-7-usbrom/ This is the only way to go for a fixed car install. It enables USB host options allowing you to connect a hub, a flash drive, wireless remote, etc. It also allows for fast charging from the same micro usb port and has a standby feature when the power is turned off.
OTG Y Cable - http://www.ebay.com/itm/251343009305...84.m1497.l2649 Allows for fast charging and powering a hub connected at the same time
USB Hub - http://www.ebay.com/itm/280964488313...84.m1439.l2649
Power Inverter - http://www.ebay.com/itm/171136813489...84.m1439.l2649 Needs to supply 2 amps for the tablet and at least 1/2 amp per hub output. This may end up being to small for my setup.
USB DAC - http://www.ebay.com/itm/290996438101...84.m1439.l2649 Most tablets have built in DACs to provide audio to the headphone out port but they do not provide a clean enough audio stream for anything other than headphones.
External USB port - http://www.ebay.com/itm/190926565796...84.m1439.l2649 for charging or attaching other devices.
Since I removed the Shaker and my USB DAC only provided line level audio the only amplification I had were the stock amps for the door subs so I also purchased a couple of amps and a Kicker 12" sub in a box designed for the Mustang trunk. http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...m=131021868195
So this is how this works, the OTG Y cable plugs into the Nexus and it has a standard female usb port and a female micro usb port. The power inverter provides 5 volts to a female usb port. The original Nexus charging cable plugs into it, and into the female micro usb end on the OTG cable. This provides charging for the Nexus and power for the hub and devices plugged into it. The hub plugs into the OTG female usb port and the DAC, external usb port and a flash drive plug into the hub. The inverter is wired into an ignition switched 12v source and provides power and charging when the ignition is on. When the ignition is turned off, the tablet goes into standby. The Nexus usually discharges about 2% over night, so it is completely recharged minutes after I start my car. I also tether to my phone for data. I'm still working on an external microphone for hands free calling and voice commands.
Here are a few pics of the install.
My Pony
Testing everything
Test fit... not perfect, I've got more plans for this.
Wiring the inverter and mounting the DAC
The only modification I had to make. Had to have room for the cable.
Booting up
Installed
Standby when key is off
I'm still working out a few bugs so if anyone is interested I'll post more. Thanks for looking!!!
Greg
So I just bought a 2007 Mustang GT a few months ago, and traded in my 06 which had a nice Kenwood head unit with navigation. I liked the Shaker that was in my 07 but I really missed the navigation.
Navigation head units are not cheap!!! This got me thinking... what if I could install an Android tablet? I'd have music, navigation, voice commands, and full access to any app on the Google Play Store. So after doing some research I decided this was the route I wanted to go.
I had a few caveats in mind... it had to fit in the double din hole in the dash, and I wanted to be able to put the Shaker back in if the project didn't work out or if I decided to sell the car.
So here are the items I went with and the steps I followed.
Nexus 7 - has bluetooth, gps and is fairly close to the size of the double din hole in the dash.
Custom ROM - Timur's USBROM http://mehrvarz.github.io/nexus-7-usbrom/ This is the only way to go for a fixed car install. It enables USB host options allowing you to connect a hub, a flash drive, wireless remote, etc. It also allows for fast charging from the same micro usb port and has a standby feature when the power is turned off.
OTG Y Cable - http://www.ebay.com/itm/251343009305...84.m1497.l2649 Allows for fast charging and powering a hub connected at the same time
USB Hub - http://www.ebay.com/itm/280964488313...84.m1439.l2649
Power Inverter - http://www.ebay.com/itm/171136813489...84.m1439.l2649 Needs to supply 2 amps for the tablet and at least 1/2 amp per hub output. This may end up being to small for my setup.
USB DAC - http://www.ebay.com/itm/290996438101...84.m1439.l2649 Most tablets have built in DACs to provide audio to the headphone out port but they do not provide a clean enough audio stream for anything other than headphones.
External USB port - http://www.ebay.com/itm/190926565796...84.m1439.l2649 for charging or attaching other devices.
Since I removed the Shaker and my USB DAC only provided line level audio the only amplification I had were the stock amps for the door subs so I also purchased a couple of amps and a Kicker 12" sub in a box designed for the Mustang trunk. http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...m=131021868195
So this is how this works, the OTG Y cable plugs into the Nexus and it has a standard female usb port and a female micro usb port. The power inverter provides 5 volts to a female usb port. The original Nexus charging cable plugs into it, and into the female micro usb end on the OTG cable. This provides charging for the Nexus and power for the hub and devices plugged into it. The hub plugs into the OTG female usb port and the DAC, external usb port and a flash drive plug into the hub. The inverter is wired into an ignition switched 12v source and provides power and charging when the ignition is on. When the ignition is turned off, the tablet goes into standby. The Nexus usually discharges about 2% over night, so it is completely recharged minutes after I start my car. I also tether to my phone for data. I'm still working on an external microphone for hands free calling and voice commands.
Here are a few pics of the install.
My Pony
Testing everything
Test fit... not perfect, I've got more plans for this.
Wiring the inverter and mounting the DAC
The only modification I had to make. Had to have room for the cable.
Booting up
Installed
Standby when key is off
I'm still working out a few bugs so if anyone is interested I'll post more. Thanks for looking!!!
Greg