[GUIDE] TLink Hi-DPI Split Mode Android Auto / CarPlay

[darkvoid]

Thanks to the earlier thread with TLink versions, I updated my TLink to v2.0.12.
I've only tested the below on this version, so its best to grab it from there. Additionally I only have Android, so this is tested on Android Auto only.

It turns out that TLink reads a 'hidden' configuration file in order to initialize a few things. This configuration file allows us to specify both the screen and video parameters.
More importantly for Android Auto, we can also set the pixel density, much like Headunit Reloaded which enables split mode in Android Auto.

An example configuration for my 2000x1200 high resolution TS10 headunit is as follows:

#channelId
dingwei
#Configuration
AAUTO_DISPLAY_VIDEO_WIDTH=1920
AAUTO_DISPLAY_VIDEO_HEIGHT=1080
AAUTO_DISPLAY_VIDEO_DENSITY=238
#AAUTO_DISPLAY_VIDEO_FPS=25
CARPLAY_FULL_SCREEN_DISPLAY=true
#CARPLAY_IAP_PATH=
CARPLAY_DISPLAY_VIDEO_WIDTH=2000
CARPLAY_DISPLAY_VIDEO_HEIGHT=1200
#CARPLAY_SCREEN_TOUCH_WIDTH=
#CARPLAY_SCREEN_TOUCH_HEIGHT=
#CARPLAY_SCREEN_MM_WIDTH=
#CARPLAY_SCREEN_MM_HEIGHT=
#MPU_STATUS_BAR_HEIGHT=
#SPEEDPLAY_CONFIG_FILE_PATH=
#SPEED_PLAY_MODE_SUPPORT_DEFAULT=

The configuration file should be created at /data/local/tmp/suding/sdcf and should have 777 or a+xrw rights.
I was able to copy the file into the right location using Terminal Emulator for Android, but there may well be better methods.

If you are going the terminal emulator way, type the following commands. This is assuming you placed your sdcf file in your Downloads folder on the headunit.

cd /data/local/tmp/suding/
cp /storage/emulated/0/Download/sdcf sdcf
chmod a+xrw sdcf

After this your can start TLink and you should see the changes. If you do not see any changes, TLink was already started and you should probably reboot the headunit.
Looking forward to people testing for the best optimized values or easier ways to update the configuration file.

 

[CyberSwede]

Great work!

 

[magma2000]

great work, does this works with vertical screens . tesla type?

 

[darkvoid]

great work, does this works with vertical screens . tesla type?

Technically you can put any value you want in the width and height attributes. Although I can't test, and really don't know what Android Auto will do on a vertical layout.

In short TLink tells your phone what the video projection stream attributes are (Android Auto is just a video stream) and your phone then sends this stream.

Worth trying on your vertical display to see what happens.

 

[kaptan_memo]

i have tried with tesla type screen but i couldnt find correct resolution. screen has 768x1024 res but when i set it AA looks awfull. it becomes like compressed from long sides. and icons got bigger.

 

[chhapil]

Can you please put some screenshot of Android Auto after this change?

 

[darkvoid]

Can you please put some screenshot of Android Auto after this change?

Bit older photo, because now it switched to the new Coolwalk UI. But after the changes I get Hi-DPI full edge to edge display in Android Auto.

(Note, I had to remove some identifying text on the navigation, so some areas are blurred on purpose).

 

[[email protected]]

I have installed the terminal emulator from the playstore.
Created a text file named it sdcf with the content from the example in the post, starting with "ini:", copied it to the download folder and tried the comands.
The cd command failed saying there is no such folder...

Can you please provide a bit more details about how to generate the configuration file and how to copy it to the destination folder?
Can you also please attach your configuration file?

 

[darkvoid]

I have installed the terminal emulator from the playstore.
Created a text file named it sdcf with the content from the example in the post, starting with "ini:", copied it to the download folder and tried the comands.
The cd command failed saying there is no such folder...

Can you please provide a bit more details about how to generate the configuration file and how to copy it to the destination folder?
Can you also please attach your configuration file?

The exact contents of my file are documented in the initial post. I've attached the same sample file here, change the values as needed.

The cd command will fail if you have never ran TLINK before or you are not running the TLINK version as linked above.

 

[chhapil]

This mod not seems compatible with tlink5

 

[[email protected]]

The exact contents of my file are documented in the initial post. I've attached the same sample file here, change the values as needed.

The cd command will fail if you have never ran TLINK before or you are not running the TLINK version as linked above.

Thanks for your responsiveness,

V2.0.12 is not available for download.
Can you please share it here?
Btw - will it work with v2.0.17?

Thanks,

 

[chhapil]

This mod not seems compatible with tlink5

I decompiled both the apk's and found the source for dw version is not obfuscated and could find where its loading the config file but the zlink5 source code has been totally obfuscated
All I can do to force AA to work in new UI is to change the resolution of my head unit to 1280x750 or higher with around 180 DPI to make the AA work in split screen mode.

 

[kaptan_memo]

i have tried with tesla type screen but i couldnt find correct resolution. screen has 768x1024 res but when i set it AA looks awfull. it becomes like compressed from long sides. and icons got bigger.

i have fixed the issue.

sdcf file doesnt have any extension.
768x1024 resolution worked with my tlink app.
Icon problem fixed with changing video density to 150.

 

[darkvoid]

i have fixed the issue.

sdcf file doesnt have any extension.
768x1024 resolution worked with my tlink app.
Icon problem fixed with changing video density to 150.

Great, you are the first to confirm that vertical layouts work. How does it look when AA is in vertical mode?

 

[kaptan_memo]

Great, you are the first to confirm that vertical layouts work. How does it look when AA is in vertical mode?

There is no split mode and if i remember true, there was left bar but it doesnt exist now. i can share photo in future.

 

[ksloh1]

Hi @darkvoid,

For this workaround, are you able to pinch zoom google maps while with TLink, compares to Headunit Reloaded? Because in headunit reloaded i able to pinch zoom the area.

 

[McFred1974]

This mod not seems compatible with tlink5

I am absolutely new to Android, but since I have installed the android car screen in my old jeep, I just had to deep dive. The app that I have is Tlink but version shows 5.3.01 which is what is called TLink5 (all other forums mentions TLink versions 2.xxx so it is just my guess).
In my case I was using a file manager app to locate the path and file showing at the beginning of the thread. I have used my TS18 screen with this version of TLink for wireless CarPlay but the problem is that Waze maps show huge (everything in general looks too big, like the icons for CarPlay apps, etc). There are just 4 columns instead of 5, so other than the screen size, how do u setup this TLink in terms of screen size? What other parameters could I adjust? Thanks...

 

[McFred1974]

Hi @darkvoid,

For this workaround, are you able to pinch zoom google maps while with TLink, compares to Headunit Reloaded? Because in headunit reloaded i able to pinch zoom the area.

Have you been able to pinch and make it smaller (Waze or Google Maps)?
Thanks

 

[BigIlli]

Thank you so much @darkvoid this has changed my head unit experience so much!

Unfortunately, the pinch to zoom isn't working for me.

I got the code change to work on my TS10.1.1 HDPI 360 head unit running T-Link 2.0.12

I fiddled a bit with the settings that you provided.

• Tried changing the AA resolution to the natural resolution of the screen 2000x1200, but that failed! I now know AA can only go up to 1920x1080 (so note for anyone else looking at that)
• The only thing I ended up changing was AAUTO_DISPLAY_VIDEO_DENSITY=200
  • this made it so things appear smaller on the screen - more to my liking but to each their own I have a 10.5 inch screen
  • SMALLER NUMBER = Smaller text/Image (high res looking)
  • LARGER NUMBER = Enlarged text/image (low res looking) - if you go too high you lose the side panel

here are some screenshots of what it looks like for me still waiting on Coolwalk to roll out, hopefully it's soon.
I'm in a right-hand drive country so the side panel is on the left.

With Waze - No map on the side when other app is set to main.


With Google Maps - it shows the map on the side panel
.

 

[darkvoid]

Thank you so much @darkvoid this has changed my head unit experience so much!

Great to hear its working. You are indeed correct that the AA standard (as well as the TLINK code) supports a maximum resolution of 1920x1080. Any value beyond that is ignored.

I have exposed all the values that I found in the config file that I supplied, both Android and iPhone. Nothing related to pinch to zoom functionality that I could see.

I'll test pinch to zoom on my radio today in both Google Maps and Waze and report back.