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Old 08-05-2012, 12:35 AM   #1
black thunder
Scooby Newbie
 
Member#: 210047
Join Date: Apr 2009
Vehicle:
im a scooby guru
really

Default my NEXUS 7 (formerly kindle fire) 'headunit' COMPLETE

decided i wanted to use a tablet as a headunit in my car and do it all on a small budget. im not too big on audio like most of you and just really preferred to have access to my music library. since ive had the car ive been using the jazzy engineering aux-in adapter for my ipod and have been relatively happy.

looked at the android options on the market and picked up a kindle fire for $120 on craigslist in pristine condition. immediately rooted it with cyanogenmod 9 and loaded up my favorite music/nav apps.

http://i.imgur.com/fRPzH.jpg

the good news is that its right about double din size and its all touch screen. the bad news is that it doesnt have bluetooth or gps. bluetooth isnt a big deal but both gps and wifi are tethered through apps from my 4g unlimited data samsung galaxy s3. with gps tethering i can now use google maps turn by turn navigation but its not perfect. it drops the connection occasionally. there is also some glare so i might need to buy an anti glare/screen protector but ill see how it is for now.

http://i.imgur.com/5nvpF.jpg

i tried to see how i could use the kindle as the headunit strictly and bypass using a traditional headunit too but i think i was better off relocating a new headunit to the glove box so i bought a jvc kdx50bt from crutchfield for $100. still waiting on that to come in. i plan to use the aux port and the usb port to channel music into the speakers and also charge the kindle at the same time.

so far all ive done ive done some test fitting and to my surprise i wont need to hack the radio face plate at all. this is good too since i want to buy the subaru carbon fiber trim at some point instead of using the crappy 3m cf vinyl that you see above. the kindle has to rest on top of the ac controls behind the faceplate so it sits slightly higher than id like but the whole screen is still visible in the opening.

http://i.imgur.com/wlJX6.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/TnOra.jpg

will update as i go along and receive the parts. should be done by next weekend! any comments or suggestions are welcome since im a noob audiophile...
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Last edited by black thunder; 08-17-2012 at 01:12 AM.
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