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Thread: Help: Tablet install on Gen I MPS 3 w / Bose amp

  1. #1

    Default Help: Tablet install on Gen I MPS 3 w / Bose amp

    So I want to replace the stock head unit with a double din fascia fabricated to fit a 7 inch android tablet that has 3g and fm radio.

    I'll probably hook up some kind of RCA level controller or a potentiometer to control the volume and I might even get a Joycon EX Steering Wheel Control PC Interface to control the tablet.

    All eBay searches I can find for wiring harnesses bring up items that aren't compatible with the Bose unit or don't say or are too expensive.

    Since I'm removing the head unit completely and don't want to install another one, how can I route the 3.5mm headphone audio from the tablet through to the amp?

    NB: If it wasn't obvious, I have no idea what I'm doing.

  2. #2

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    Hi tony,

    sorry if I sound like a git but you know you'll need to install an amp if you remove the stock head unit, right? In doing so that will make it ever harder to work with the Bose subwoofer. Therefore I'd consider removing the sub and putting in a better replacement, either under the seat or elsewhere.

    I recently completed a Car PC in my 3MPS using the stock head unit (non-Bose); mounted on a 7" HDMI flip-up LCD screen on the dash (I'll get around to posting some pics of the setup soon!). I'd consider keeping the stock head unit for amplificiation, radio, and either modding the android tablet into the region above the front vents or a custom harness to hold the tablet in front of the head unit.

    I consider the Joycon to be a bit of a waste of time as you only have a few buttons to encode, and probably would use the touch panel on the tablet to do stuff. Consider a small remote control instead. The Joycon device also looks like a PITA to configure and wire up.

  3. #3

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    Fair call, Byrd. As I said, I have no idea what I'm doing. I just want a tablet in my car as a fairly permanent fixture. Amp and sub replacement sounds expensive ... any idea on rough costs?

    Another idea I have is to use a Xenomix 2X tablet mount, but I'm worried that it might attract thieves.

  4. #4

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    Sorry didn't mean to sound rude, Tony, just wanted to check re: amp stuff. I'd definately look into keeping the headunit + sub setup as replacing these would be fairly expensive paying someone else to do the job, for the mod you have in mind.

    I'd look into the Eonon headunit that is a direct replacement for the stock stereo and easily modified to accept the Bose amp. Later models also work with the LCD up top. These run Windows CE 6.0 which is rubbish but it'll do 80% of the stuff you probably want it to do. Another option is an Android-based double DIN headunit (with Metra or Scoshe fascia kit); some of these have a removable 7" tablet. Last time I looked though they only ran Android 2.2 but surely there are better ones out there now.

    Anything that doesn't look stock on a car dash will attract thieves. So yes you'd want to make sure the tablet is hidden away when not there. For inspiration, this is the unit I modified to accept a HDMI monitor for my car PC:

    6in1 CAR Mazda M3 7 0" TFT DVR USB Bluetooth GPS AUX BT A2DP MAP NO Disc V6017 | eBay

    ... I bought mine second hand and learnt to hate the software quickly, it made me look at the car PC route. There is a good deal of space above the front fan vents for a tablet - consider getting another top piece and making your own mount? Just a thought.

    JB
    Last edited by Byrd; 20-06-2013 at 09:55 PM.

  5. #5

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    In my old car I installed a CarPC so I can probably help you a bit with my lessons learnt.

    Firstly, your question about volume. The tablet will have volume control internally so you can probably just use that to a degree. That steering wheel control may or may not work. Your issue will be that most carpcs are either Windows or Linux based not Android. If there are no Android drivers then it simply won't work. I also note that the tablet you are looking at charges via the usb port which means you cannot plug in anything else easily. May be able to use a usb hub, but I can't say I've ever experimented with using one with an Android tablet.

    Things you will need
    1 - Power supply for the tablet, you can basically hardwire a 12V to 5V power supply into your dash, make sure it is a decent quality one otherwise you may find yourself using battery faster than it can be charged.
    2 - Car Stereo Equipment - Amplifier, Subwoofer, (maybe subwoofer box), wiring, maybe new speakers (while you are at it). You are going to basically going to have to install this new amplifier, run a power wire to it directly from your battery, then wire up all your speakers to it. As you will be rewiring all the speakers anyway I'd suggest it might be worth considering new ones to take advantage of your amplifier.

    Issues you will face
    Primarily heat - Your tablet will run hot, you are liable to be running it full brightness just so you can read the display and continuously charging it, and in summer when your car gets hot it will crash, recieve phantom button presses and generally be a real shit. Honestly with my experience in cheap chinese tablets it may do exactly that just from charging it and running the screen on anyway... Consider piping cool air to the back of it from the Cars AC.
    Interference - You will be running a low voltage signal wire from this to your amplifier. You may get some annoying whine introduced by your cars power system. One of my first wiring attempts resulted in casual conversation level whine which changed with engine RPM
    Audio Out Quality - A complete unknown for your system and you will be running of the 3.5mm jack. There may be a way to have an external sound card running off the usb port, but once again drivers are an unknown and this isn't something I have ever looked into.
    Viewing Angle - It won't be facing directly towards you like when you normally use a tablet. Check a review of that tablet before you get it, some of the cheaper chinese tablets have very poor viewing angles.
    Sunlight - Depending on how bright your screen gets you may find yourself unable to see it during bright sunny days. Of course the brighter the tablets screen is able to go the more heat it will generate...

    I would suggest you are looking at somewhere around $1000, give or take a few hundred to do a tablet install with half decent audio equipment. Cheaper if you can interface with the current BOSE system of course. I reccomend checking out some forums about Carputers or Carpcs, there will undoubtably be people with tablet builds.

    Also just a side note, your tablet is liable to have all its buttons on the edge of the bezel so you can't flush mount it into the dash, otherwise if the screen locks you will never be able to unlock it.... You also wouldnt be able to turn it on and off. I'm also not sure whats available for auto startup and shutdown with an android tablet based on charge voltage.

    Well hope that was helpful.

  6. #6

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    You weren't rude, don't worry.

    Windows CE is indeed rubbish. I'm pretty keen on Android. And yeah, the Android head units are still rubbish and still running 2.3, unless you shell out for one of the Parrot ones, which are around $800.

    That centre vent thing isn't cheap :S one of the other ideas I had was to install a single din up in the front vents using one of these dash kits and combine that with the tablet where the stock head unit is.

  7. #7

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    Thanks, Nepharius.

    A little scared off, but will definitely continue to investigate.

  8. #8

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    Centre vent GPS thing cost me $150 I think it was, it's definately not worth $350. I basically stripped it out completely and installed a comparable size 7" VGA/HDMI monitor in its place. This needed a fair bit of work but am really happy with the results (again pics will follow one day ...). The screen connects to a Mini-ITX setup housed in the glove box. The computer got hot - but I've since installed a 120mm fan + hole in the top of the glovebox and it's been running perfectly now.

    I was originally going to take the same route as you and strip the stock head unit out and replace it with some sort of custom double-DIN setup, but the fact is the stock head unit is quite decent and you lose the functionality of the orange LCD almost completely, if removed.

    What you've found looks interesting, you could install the tablet on some sort of slide-out bracket which folds down. Or I was suggesting to get an OEM top lid and make your own "flip up" casing with a tablet underneath. You can fit basically two thick paperback books in the place between the top lid and the vents, there is surprisingly a lot of space under that piece of plastic.
    Last edited by Byrd; 20-06-2013 at 10:18 PM.

  9. #9

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    Hey. I don't know much about android installs (have a windows 7 carPC instead), but you can try mp3car.com for lots of good info and plenty of tablet installs. Also diymobileaudio.com has a few really nice tablet installs.
    Re audio: something like a minidsp ( http://www.minidsp.com ) might be good for improving the audio output pre-amp.
    You could also possibly hook up a fan behind the tablet to help cooling if you removed the head unit.
    Interested to see how you go. :-)

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