My Nexus 7 Car Audio Dash Install

[dB Zac]

I have completed my nexus 7 install as my head unit in my 92 Dodge Diesel D350. These trucks have a din and a half radio in the lower portion of the dash, its hard to get to and see, fold out screens hit the "step" that is just above the radio position and once they are motored out, they end up in front of the AC controls. It just isnt a good option. Also since any in dash unit that compares feature wise to a Nexus 7 (besides audio output) would run about 800-1400 in price and would be to deep for the location I had in mind, it makes the tablet a no brainer.
I considered the Galaxy Tab 7 and tab 2 7.0 because of there HDMI output via dock but I just don't think I will be putting another screen in this truck so I opted for the better hardware at the same price as a used tab that would still work with AT&t.
One of my main goals was not to loose any of the functionality that I currently have in my set up. This includes, bluetooth hands free calling, and the basic automation that a true in dash has(i.e. on and auto play with key on and off and auto pause with key off) On top of that I was to gain google maps and internet connectivity along with android apps. In order to accomplish this goal, a combination of hardware and apps were used.

The hardware used includes a ar Charger 5V 2A charged bought on amazon that I hacked and wired in direct on an ignition source and a parrot MKI9000 that I use as a pre amp for the tablet, remote to control volume and track control for the tablet, and a hands free calling kit for my phone. In doing so, it auto interrupts the music for calls along with turning on the amps via the "mute wire" and a relay.
As for software, I used the stock apps along with tasker for the automation and equalizer for better audio control. I also use a volume widget as a back up since my parrot kit is my main volume control.

here is the stock dash before the install

Now for the install
here is the "message center and AC control bezel removed, along with the new tablet bezel to aid in fitting the apposing aspect ratios

next I made a new AC bezel. I will attach this to the aftermarket dash kit that the radio was in before.

here is a shot of the AC controls mounted to the dash kit/bezel

Here is a picture of the bracket that holds the tablet in place.I used two existing mounts for some of the factory parts that are no longer there

now there is nothing left to do but put it all back together

Now this install was performed on a system that already had external amps. If you were to figure in the cost of amps, it may be cheaper to use a pre existing dash unit...but not near as cool

 

[Asianwhocantgetthingsdone]

hmmmmmm i dont think this would be a great idea, but i would definitely look around for a car charger for it. For the power button, i think if possible put it in landscape mode, not portrait mode. But it'd be way easier if you mounted a phone of the same caliber. But it depends what suits your needs. Hope i helped

 

[lirimac]

So I am going to mount a nexus 7 in the dash of my dodge and I need to get around a couple things. 1st I need to be able to charge the tab and have a working usb port. I I could simply unplug the charger when usb is needed but it would be better if I didn't have to. So is there a way to "t" this the usb to a charger or build a pass threw charger?
2nd thing is the power button. It will be permanently mounted so I will need access to the power button for reboots and such. I can try to make a mechanical extension or hard wire a remote button if possible. Can the board be soldered to or is it coated?
Any other ideas for the install are welcome! I hope this is the correct forum.

1. you could charge the Nexus 7 via POGO pins. You could make a dock with POGO pins. There's a thread about pogo pins in the Nexus 7 - Nexus 7 Accessories section. :good:

 

[dB Zac]

That's a good idea

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[bwassef]

Also, as far as the power button is concerned, I think it might be easier to utilize a magnet, emulating what a smart cover would do. It would be much safer and easier to implement.

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[dB Zac]

Please explain, I'm not fallowing. Is there a magnetic "dock mode" switch?

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[KingAmir]

Have you seen the ipad 3's magnetic cover - when you open it it powers on? Well I think this is what he is talking about. If you can find a magnetic cover, then you could use it on the nexus 7 instead of using the power button.

 

[dB Zac]

I see. Not really the solution I would be looking for, for two reasons: I really don't need a way to turn on the screen, I am simply going to set the developer option to "always on when plugged in" and the power source would be an on with key "ignition" and the most important reason would be to cycle the power in case a reset is needed.

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[erica_renee]

This sounds interesting..

BUT.

Go to amazon.. search for small form factor (something similar ) Auto android pc..
You will find many very small android mountable pcs .150.00 and under with sd usb hdmi dvi on some s video..
then do a search for 7-10 inch(what ever size you can fit ) multi touch monitor . There are many of them..
I Have one of the small form factor android pcs connected to a old lcd tv .. kinda kewl it has gps and all built in ..
So i think for a just a small amount more money You can have something Better sorted for being installed in a automobile .
Good Luck... I

 

[dB Zac]

Most android pc's get terrible reviews, and to have something with a 7" screen would cost well over 200 and still wouldn't have jelly bean and Google navigation. I looked at the parrot unit, I even tried it at SEMA in Vegas. I it was clunky and slow for last year's standards. The off brand units are even worse.

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[dB Zac]

Nexus 7 Car Audio Dash install

I have completed my nexus 7 install as my head unit in my 92 Dodge Diesel D350. These trucks have a din and a half radio in the lower portion of the dash, its hard to get to and see, fold out screens hit the "step" that is just above the radio position and once they are motored out, they end up in front of the AC controls. It just isnt a good option. Also since any in dash unit that compares feature wise to a Nexus 7 (besides audio output) would run about 800-1400 in price and would be to deep for the location I had in mind, it makes the tablet a no brainer.
I considered the Galaxy Tab 7 and tab 2 7.0 because of there HDMI output via dock but I just don't think I will be putting another screen in this truck so I opted for the better hardware at the same price as a used tab that would still work with AT&t.
One of my main goals was not to loose any of the functionality that I currently have in my set up. This includes, bluetooth hands free calling, and the basic automation that a true in dash has(i.e. on and auto play with key on and off and auto pause with key off) On top of that I was to gain google maps and internet connectivity along with android apps. In order to accomplish this goal, a combination of hardware and apps were used.

The hardware used includes a ar Charger 5V 2A charged bought on amazon that I hacked and wired in direct on an ignition source and a parrot MKI9000 that I use as a pre amp for the tablet, remote to control volume and track control for the tablet, and a hands free calling kit for my phone. In doing so, it auto interrupts the music for calls along with turning on the amps via the "mute wire" and a relay.
As for software, I used the stock apps along with tasker for the automation and equalizer for better audio control. I also use a volume widget as a back up since my parrot kit is my main volume control.

here is the stock dash before the install

Now for the install
here is the "message center and AC control bezel removed, along with the new tablet bezel to aid in fitting the apposing aspect ratios

next I made a new AC bezel. I will attach this to the aftermarket dash kit that the radio was in before.

here is a shot of the AC controls mounted to the dash kit/bezel

Here is a picture of the bracket that holds the tablet in place.I used two existing mounts for some of the factory parts that are no longer there

now there is nothing left to do but put it all back together

Now this install was performed on a system that already had external amps. If you were to figure in the cost of amps, it may be cheaper to use a pre existing dash unit...but not near as cool

 

[dB Zac]

OK this is something I think will be right up your alley guys. I will use the "screen always on while charging" setting and the "sleep in 15sec" setting to emulate the same auto power on and off of a head unit.
My question is, can I use tasked or some other app to make all media no later what I am listening to or watching, stop when the screen times out or charging is stopped?

 

[jonhcox]

This is a fascinating project, sometimes the apps themselves have those options in them. I'd look there first. I would love to see how the turns out. Good luck,

Sent from my Google Nexus 7 using xda app-developers app

 

[dB Zac]

Well I picked up another dash bezel the other day and decided to start making room for the tablet since I'm waiting on the parrot piece to come in.
Here is a photo of the day as it is now.


So the plan is to relocate the AC control's to the head unit spot and put the tablet up in the message center/ AC control spot

The stock area for the other items isn't quite the correct ratio so I will still have to make a bezel
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[dB Zac]

Did some more work on the Tablet Project

O also used Tasker to emulate a head unit on and off function. So now the tablet wakes up and starts playing my music where ever I left off when the key is turned on and then the tablet screen, sleeps and the music is paused when the key is turned off. The tablet battery will act as the "always on" power lead and the charger will be connected to the accessory lead ( I may have to program in some delay or use the ign lead if tasker doesn't like the start cycle

 

[dB Zac]

Got it installed, I couldn't be happier with how it sounds. I still have to mount the A/C controls
Also, of any of you have a suggestion for a good charger to use that won't cause noise when hard wired, that would be great

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[chjade84]

I have actually done this with an Archos tablet myself! I can offer you one very useful piece of advice...

You most likely need to remove the battery and connect a 12 VDC->3.3 or 5 VDC DC-DC transformer. If you just leave it plugged in you will likely destroy the battery in about a year or less. When mine finally went I got random reboots from low power, sometimes it refused to turn on because the battery was barely able to supply the correct voltage. I had to solder my transformer leads directly to the motherboard but the Nexus 7 has a pluggable battery pack. Measure the battery at full voltage to see what voltage you need and buy the correct transformer. They are only a few dollars off ebay (lower quality) or digikey.com (higher quality). You don't have to worry about this right away but just know that it will most likely stop working reliably in < 1 year, so plan to either do this mod or buy a new battery.

Once I did the conversion all the problems have gone away and I'm now constantly at "47% charge".

 

[dB Zac]

Was it plugged into constant power or ign switched power? Mine is connected to switched power

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[chjade84]

Was it plugged into constant power or ign switched power? Mine is connected to switched power

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Mine was constant power. If you are switched it should be good - must have missed that part, lol.

EDIT: Actually, that's a very good idea... I wonder why I didn't do that in the first place, lol. I'm looking to upgrade to a Nexus 7 and would like to build mine into the dash but would have to relocate some things. When on AC/USB power, Tasker would have the screen on and when on battery the screen would be off. Only problem could be if you went a few days without driving it would be dead when you turned the car back on. Maybe that's what I was thinking when I did constant power. Maybe there's a NFC device that could be read only when powered on... That could be on switched power and Tasker could use that to control the screen. Oooo or maybe use the 'headset plugged' condition and a switched power relay...

Spec sheet says 12 days of standby time though, so maybe it's not an issue...

MORE EDITS: I re-read through your posts and figured I'd add some more input if you are still looking for answers. What is it you need the USB for? I don't see why you couldn't hack up a USB cable to feed power to the power pins on the tablet side (charging the tablet) as well as the USB device side (power the device) but have the data pins go from the device to the tablet. I just use wi-fi file browsers to add/remove files from mine.

Removing noise is always a PITA especially alternator whine. There are various filters out there that should do the trick though. I think you'll have noise using switched power but the filters go on the audio side before the amp/head unit. (Something like this: http://www.bargainunlimited.net/ser...gdftrk=gdfV21887_a_7c254_a_7c4406_a_7cSNI_d_1)

Tasker can be set to stop media playback on screen off - at least if you use the stock music app. Others (Pandora/Spotify, etc) I'm not sure about. I'd bet there's a way though. In fact... if you had to you could set Tasker to kill whatever app when the screen turns off and launch it again when the screen turns on.

Power button could be an issue to extend but should definitely be possible if you want to play around on the insides. You could get an app that adds power off/restart as menu options or widgets but if the whole thing locked up you would have to pull the battery. You could add a small switch inline from the battery pack so you could interrupt power with a button press effectively "pulling" the battery and plugging it back in.


Other thoughts/stuff I missed? I love doing this kind of stuff so I'm happy to add any input.

 

[dB Zac]

The head set idea won't work unless you hardwired it. All I had was a 90deg elbow with nothing on the other end and it still detected a head set
As for the tab dieing. I use Tasker to shut off all radios when not charging. In that state it will last 2weeks lol.
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