You will need one with the same (or extremely similar) SoC not just the same core processor(s).
You will need one with the same (or extremely similar) SoC not just the same core processor(s).
If you read through how he does it, it requires having access to the radio to extract symbols and such. I have yet to receive mine, so I have that thought (and many others) on hold...
On that note: My seller sent me a UPS tracking number 5 days ago, saying it would be trackable in about 3 days, still shows not found... has anyone else experienced something like that?[/QUOTE]
Same thing happened to me. They said that fedex would not take the shipment and that they had to switch over to DHL. They gave me a new tracking number and its location is being tracked as expected.
On that note: My seller sent me a UPS tracking number 5 days ago, saying it would be trackable in about 3 days, still shows not found... has anyone else experienced something like that?[/QUOTE]
Same thing happened to me. They said that fedex would not take the shipment and that they had to switch over to DHL. They gave me a new tracking number and its location is being tracked as expected.
Just to comment to a few things on the past few pages. I purchased mine from pumpkin, which was delivered by DHL (I'm in the US), within a few days. It came with an ISO connector attached to the wires which I cut off.
Definitely use the AUX or TV app prior to root, I didn't and it was near impossible to finish it, but if you pull down the notification bar and flick it back up you can momentarily see the icons and screen. Using the newest root I still needed to use the terminal to delete the local.prop file.
Since putting it in the car I've only driven that car a few times, but so far I like it. The iGo nav is pretty good too, just need to figure out how to get it to MPH... My iPad2 works fine through the app and I can tether it to my GS3.
One question is, will a launcher let me change the horrible normal home screen with the radio/nav/tv etc none android icons?
Definitely use the AUX or TV app prior to root, I didn't and it was near impossible to finish it, but if you pull down the notification bar and flick it back up you can momentarily see the icons and screen. Using the newest root I still needed to use the terminal to delete the local.prop file.
Since putting it in the car I've only driven that car a few times, but so far I like it. The iGo nav is pretty good too, just need to figure out how to get it to MPH... My iPad2 works fine through the app and I can tether it to my GS3.
One question is, will a launcher let me change the horrible normal home screen with the radio/nav/tv etc none android icons?
I tried Nova and ADW, both worked nicely. Not sure what I'll go with for daily use, I'm still running the unit on my desk until I get a harness.
Works fine for me. I am not sure where they save to though.
This is why it is part of the guide as mentioned a few posts ago
When you install iGO it asks you if you want to use miles or kilometres. You can change this again in the settings menu.
Yes, ADW launcher is very good and customizable.
I finally received my unit from Peter Chan.
I tried to power it on on my desk with an old PC power adapter. To the quadlock adapter of my VW unit leads a thick yellow cable, which I connected to 12V, and a thick black one to ground. The unit does nothing, shouldn't the two wires be enough? Did I miss something?
I tried to power it on on my desk with an old PC power adapter. To the quadlock adapter of my VW unit leads a thick yellow cable, which I connected to 12V, and a thick black one to ground. The unit does nothing, shouldn't the two wires be enough? Did I miss something?
Yes, you missed the ACC wire. This should be a red one, needs to be connected to 12v also.
Grab a molex connector. Twist the battery positive (B+) and ACC wires together. Insert both in a 12v pin on the molex (yellow). Insert the ground in a black pin.
Also short the ATX connector to power on the PSU. I put a wire in the green Power on pin and another on a ground pin.
Same thing happened to me. They said that fedex would not take the shipment and that they had to switch over to DHL. They gave me a new tracking number and its location is being tracked as expected.[/QUOTE]
This is typical chinese when they don't have the device in stock, they send wrong tracking numbers to keep the buyer calm.
Normally after a few days they send then correct number saying: "DHL changed the number..."
This is why it is part of the guide as mentioned a few posts ago
I had originally thought the revised root program fixed that, but obviously it didn't
Ah, iGO was already on my unit, I'll have to dig around more, I haven't seen the option in the settings so far.
I tried ADW today, much much better.
Does the sound, by that I mean the voice, work in the version of iGO that was already installed?
Yes the voice announces when I'm over speed limit (do see the option to disable that) and turns.
Interesting.
You wouldn't believe how many versions of iGO I downloaded before I found one that actually worked fully. It seems the voices not working is a common issue on Android 4.1. I have yet to get TTS voices working though.
Thanks for your replies. But I can't find a red ACC wire, which I could connect to something... There is one, which comes out of the CAN decoder box, should I use that one? But then I have to disconnect the decoder box... I'm seriously confused
Thanks for your replies. But I can't find a red ACC wire, which I could connect to something... There is one, which comes out of the CAN decoder box, should I use that one? But then I have to disconnect the decoder box... I'm seriously confused
View attachment 2467406
View attachment 2467407
Yea, the ACC wire is the red one with the fuse on it going into that box, if it's sat on your desk rather than your car, just disconnect the box.
+1 one thing you can do is unclip that black fuse box and apply 12v at the fuse (away from the unit to be safe and keep the fuse in the circuit)
This is an excellent recommendation, it made many apps readable without getting right up to the crappy screen. You can also use the module to change how large icons and widgets are by changing the settings of the launcher (ADW in my case). I also found most widgets unusable, this helped immensely. Thanks, I think this is a must have mod.
I didn't even think about altering the launcher, I'll have to give it a try. I still haven't installed mine in a vehicle, I've got too much going on, but I'm definitely going to mess around with it a bit more before I do.
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39"AN-21 U" - Unbranded 6.2" 2 DIN Pure Android 4.1 Car Stereo Radio Head Unit [ROOTED]
"AN-21 U" - Unbranded 6.2" 2 DIN Pure Android 4.1 Car Stereo Radio Head Unit
To avoid confusion, below is a picture of the unit this thread relates to.
I am aware of a previous unit using the same design, but it runs an older version of Android. This thread is for the unit running 4.1 as standard.
Specification / Features
Hardware
CPU: ARM Cortex A9 MST786 Dual Core 1GHz
GPU: Mali-400 MP
RAM: SKHYNIX 1G DDR3 RAM H5TQ4G83AFR
iNAND: SanDisk 8GB SD1N5C2-8G (1GB system storage, 6GB internal USB storage)
MCU: STM8AH ST
Bluetooth: BlueCore5 CSR
Screen: Capacitive 800*480
GPS: SiRF Atlas V GPS Processor
Radio: Philips TEF6624
Sound Effect Processor: BD37534 ROHM
Outputs: 4x 45w outputs, Toshiba TB2929
Additional Outputs: 1x Subwoofer, 4x pre-outs
Microphone: Built in microphone
Supported Features
Bluetooth connection to phone for calls.
WiFi and 3G dongles. These must be plugged in before turning the device on, and are not hot-swappable.
Compatible 3G Dongles
- ZTE MF190 Clone (Qualcomm MSM6280 + RTR6280)
- Huawei E171 (Qualcomm MSM6290)
- Huawei E180
- Huawei E261
- Huawei E1752
Non-Compatible 3G Dongles
- Generic Orange/Black eBay dongle (Qualcomm MSM6280 + RTR6275)
- Huawei E220
- Huawei E352
- Huawei E367
Connection of multiple USB devices through a USB hub, including wireless keyboards, USB memory sticks, and wireless dongles. These types of devices are hot-swappable.
Multiple USB memory sticks can be plugged in. They mount at "mnt/usb/sda1", "mnt/usb/sdb1", and so on. The limit is not known, three have been tested at once.
Wiki Page
This unit has a very useful Wiki page with a lot of good information.
Tonghai Create AN-21 U Wiki
It would be really appreciated if before posting any questions, you take a read of it, this main post, watch the video review, or do a search of this thread to avoid any repeats.
Video Review
Other videos showing specific features are also available on my channel.
News
2014.01.20Download links and bugs section updated.
2013.12.05Root is now possible.
Previous News
File Repository
This site has links to most of the files in this thread, including firmware and MCUs.
Android 4.1 Car Stereo File Repository
All files are of course used at your own risk.
Firmware Updates
To update the unit, extract the update files from the downloaded RAR and copy them to a MicroSD Card, insert the card, go to Settings -> General Settings -> System Update or turn the unit on whilst holding down the 'Menu' and 'Volume' buttons until the update starts.
System Version 2.7.29
Mirror 1 - Click here
Previous Versions
"4.2.2" Versions
Changelog (Unofficial)
System Version 2.7.29
- Unknown
Bugs / Issues
KeyUnresolved
Workaround
Resolved
Updated 2014.01.20Newest issues will be put at the top, solved issues, or issues with workarounds will be moved to the bottom.
Unable to remove applications that are device administrators without factory reset due to security menu being disabled.
Many applications are unable to "see" the MicroSD card, so the choice of music players is limited. The mount point is "mnt/usb/mmcblk1p1".
Despite selecting "Front Speakers Only" for navigation sound, the sound comes out of the rear speakers too. Setting to "Front Right" appears to work correctly.
Bluetooth is restricted to phones only. (Unsure if this is hardware or software related, talking to manufacturer suggests hardware limitation).
Bluetooth dongles do not work.
There is a "pop" from the speakers sometimes when changing applications that control sound, this is extremely obvious if you have a subwoofer installed. It happens when the unit is turned on, and when going from mute, to a volume level.
Screen brightness when buttons illuminated is not user-configurable. This means it may be too bright or dark depending on the conditions. For example, when it is only mildly dark outside, and you have your lights on, the screen is very hard to see.
Workaround: Enable constant illumination from the "Extra Settings" menu by setting the option to "CLOSE", this will set the keys to always illuminate. Then use an application such as Twlight to control the screen brightness based on sunset and sunrise.
Random issue when downloading large applications. The progress will usually get to more than 50%, and then no progress is made.
Workaround: The only fix I have found so far is to stop the download, reboot the unit, start the download, and repeat until download continues. It should download from where you cancelled. This appears to be caused by a limited download cache size.
Steering wheel controls only work with default applications.
Resolved: Open the radio (this does not appear to work with the music app), then hold the back arrow in the bottom right hand corner, the app will close, allowing steering wheel controls to function with other apps.
Most recent default application always opens on boot and continues to play, even if paused. This includes the radio, music, video, and iPod applications.
Resolved: Open the radio (this does not appear to work with the music app), then hold the back arrow in the bottom right hand corner, the app will close, and no default app will open on boot.
USB Debugging is password protected.
Resolved: The password is "john@tw-desktop". Credit to @nikko82
Screenshot feature does not work, when trying to save the screenshot, a save error appears.
Resolved: This is solved in system version 2.6.60.
Root
Root is now possible thanks to help from some great XDA members.
Credits to @WonderEkin for the Root My AN-21 U app and @bmj67 for supplying SettingsProvider.apk
2014.06.06 - A new rooting tool named Baidu Root has been added to the repository. You can use this tool as an alternative to following the guide below.
Files required
Root My AN-21 U - [ Mirror1 | Mirror2 ]
Root My AN-21 U has been updated since this video was taken, the app should now correctly show "Step 2".
- Download the required files above.
- Install Android Terminal Emulator on your unit.
- Open the AUX application and close it.
- Install Root My AN-21 U and create a link on the homescreen.
- Run Root My AN-21 U and press the "Step 1" button.
- Reboot the unit.
- Once the unit has rebooted the screen will likely be black, press the Home button to display the homescreen.
- Run Root My AN-21 U and press the "Step 2" button.
- Reboot the unit.
- Open Android Terminal Emulator and run the following commands.
Code:su rm /data/local.prop - Reboot the unit.
FAQ
Can I root this unit?HELP! My unit is stuck in a boot-loop!Can I use Bluetooth OBD devices with Torque?Does it have the full Play Store?What is the boot time?Where can I buy one?How good is the radio?Is there a Wiki page?What is the USB Debugging password?What is the Factory Reset / Developer Options password?What is the Extra Settings password?13Skinning/Modding AN21 system apps
For all people who are interested to "skin" their AN21-U, I'd like to post some of my customizations:
In general, it is super easy to change the appearance of the AN21 apps. Some experience with XML-based layouting programming languages such as Android, Java or WPF makes life easier but is not mandatory. I attached a detailed HOWTO below...
A few words about my design thoughts: I tried to combine the red-themed flat style of the new Golf 7 infotainment system with Android JellyBean look&feel. Due to my blue temperature displays (-> first picture) I tried to reuse the same blue color in all system apps:
Great VW boot animation, downloadable at i-cartech-forum.tk. Credit goes to raabi (YouTube video)
View attachment 2617927
ADW launcher with Car Widget & custom background
Custom status bar without soft buttons (SystemUI.apk)
Radio app: side note - even Radiotext is supported with this unit (not very common with chinese headunits)
Equalizer, Zone settings
Equalizer, Faders
View attachment 2569467
Phone app; I tried to use as much space as possible to avoid line breaks within contacts like in the factory design
Phone app; Dialer
I use Poweramp instead of the Music app; looks a lot fancier with the album covers
Parking sensors (service app): I changed the car top view, colors and I also modified the smali code to display the range of my parking sensors correctly (outer sensors have less range than center sensors)
HOWTO: Mod/Skin system applications
Requires root access
1.) Download apktool
2.) Extract it to your hard disk
3.) Copy the system app to modify (*.apk) from /system/app to an external USB stick
5.) Copy the apk file to the location of apktool
4.) Copy the apk to a different backup location (in case that something goes wrong)
6.) Open command line and navigate to the location of apktool
7.) Enter apktool d systemapp.apk (this will decompile the system app)
8.) Change Icons and image resources (located in res/drawable-mdpi)
9.) Change application layout (located in res/layout)
10.) Rebuild the app by entering apktool b systemapp systemapp_MODDED.apk
!!!
IMPORTANT STEPS (otherwise the modded app won't work on the unit):
11.) Open the original systemapp.apk with a ZIP tool (such as 7zip) and extract AndroidManifest.xml and the META-INF folder to your hard disk
12.) Open your newly generated app (systemapp_MODDED.apk) with a ZIP tool and drag AndroidManifest.xml and the META-INF folder to your app archive
!!!
12.) Copy the systemapp_MODDED.apk back to your USB stick
13.) Rename it back to systemapp.apk
14.) Use RootBrowser on your unit to copy your modded systemapp.apk from the USB stick to /system/app/
DONE!
Those steps sound more complicated as they are. If you get some practise in modifying apps it actually takes about 1 minute...
You can also use ADB over WIFI for grabbing and copying the system apps; In that case you have to ensure that you remount the /system partition as Read/Write (rw).
EDITING THE SERVICE APP:
Please be careful with editing the com.tw.service_a5a4.apk since this app handles all the communication with the MCU (so nearly everything). Coding mistakes will potentially cause constant crashes of the app, causing a modal popup to appear, which makes it nearly impossible to interact with the Android system then. I nearly destroyed my firmware with such a carelessness -> the only possibility then is to reflash a factory image. So please be careful, especially with this app.13After a while something new from my side:
I modded the system apps of 2.8.7 to look a bit more like Google's "material design" to harmonize better with current apps. In my opinion the chinese developers tend to add to much of everything, especially glossy buttons
Anyway, here is the SystemUI with a thinner status bar without buttons and with white icons + text:
Radio app:
I actually like the layout of the Radio app.
Moreover, I modified the smali code so that the radiotext always appears centered (that annoyed me a lot ):
The Equalizer:
And the Phone app:
View attachment 3020346
If someone is interested in the APKs, find them attached. Simply copy the files into system/app and get the permissions right (or use RootBrowser for copying).
BTW: Does anyone have the link to the post which described how to modify the phone app to display the contacts in alphabetical order? I know that there was a post in this thread, because I did that once (I think it was written by Nikko). However, I wasn't able to find the post with the forum search.11MCU naming scheme
Ok here it goes... by disassembling one of the system files from 2.7.11, this is what I found:
DISCLAIMER: This does not mean, that you can change the features in the MCU firmware by renaming the .zip files. You can change how they are presented in the model choose list, but the firmware will remain the same.
This is purely for informational purpose, about how to identify the various .zip files. I take no responsibility for the accuracy of this information - Viewer Discretion Is Advised as they say.
... and before you ask - I don't know what all the features mean or do. The strings are copied from the source.
Model Choose:
/Miwer
Edits:
31-07-2014 - Added information about BlueCore6 module. Minor layout change10
