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Old 11-19-2012, 11:11 PM   #1
zedix
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Default Nexus 7 tablet in-car install

Hey guys,

Got a lot of help and inspiration from this forum so figured I'd post my experience with putting a Nexus 7 in my 2010 Impreza. The project is pretty much complete (at least, phase 1!), and everything is working out great! Hopefully this can inspire or help someone who wants to do something similar!

Initial goals I set in place:
- System had to handle calls over Bluetooth on my Android phone, so it had to interrupt whatever music was playing, handle the call, then resume the music, without user intervention;
- System had to work with steering wheel controls (vol up/down, mute);
- Had to look as stock as possible (deter theft and all that).

The work took place over a few weeks.

First shot after removing the bezel, this is the stock headunit that is getting replaced! Took all the courage I had just to pull the dash apart!



Quickly checking the fit behind the bezel. Goal was to make this look as "stock" as possible. Plan is to leave the tablet permanently in the car installed. Noticed that it was going to be a tight fit height-wise. A few plastic pieces will have to come off.



To support the tablet, I wanted to use existing holes which were previously used to mount the Sirus sat radio unit (left). I use the mounting holes of that unit as template on an aluminium metal bar purchased at Home Depot.



Dremel to right width, drill holes, add little notches to make it fit perfectly:




Stock headunit and sat radio removed, aluminium bracket mounted. Good fit!



There's about 1 inch clearance between the edge of the bezel, and the bracket. I had to find some way to support the tablet, without scratching the back... Solution: cork! Also found in misc. aisle at home depot, cut to size with dremel. Offers just enough resistance and a nice feel to hold tablet in place. Picture with bezel over it:



Ok, now on to the fun part! Purchased a JVC head unit that will serve 3 main purposes:
1- Lets me pair my Android phone with it.
2- Can handle steering wheel controls through an adapter.
3- Serves as Aux input for the tablet.

First test powering it up with a PC power supply to run some tests while indoor:



Ok let's add in a bit of wiring. Connected Nexus 7 to head unit using a right-angle 3.5mm cable, connected head unit to some speakers. Success, we have some basic audio!




Well that's a start at least 10 pics per post limit is reached, I'll put up some more details and pictures as a follow up post a bit later!

Cheers!
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Old 11-19-2012, 11:17 PM   #2
black thunder
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sweet! more guys joining the club
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Old 11-20-2012, 03:26 AM   #3
bpang1
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Cool stuff so far...you might want to put some 3M command strips on the cork to hold the Nexus in place. I imagine it would help a lot during install and any time you need to pull off the bezel to do anything. Plus the command strips come off with no residue.
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Old 11-20-2012, 12:14 PM   #4
P.J.
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Nice integration, here is my convertible setup as I wanted to keep my Pioneer unit in place. I do not use the tablet every day just for longer drives.

Disclaimer:
I am not a Pro here, just an average guy that made a mount that works perfectly for my needs, with the Tablet buttons and charging ports accessible wile installed (both tablets), more a removable/convertible install really.

Here is my audio setup Link (originally)

http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/show....php?t=2300312


And here is the setup I made 2 nights ago for my Nexus7 over the top of my headunit. *I still have some minor cleanup to do on the bracket edges (blacking the edges).

Basically I made a two 3 sided brackets , bottom (resting for tablet), side, front and a top "L" bracket to keep it from falling backwards when accelerating. Then screwed them into the face-plate with very little screws from the back.

The brackets basically create a 1 centimeter cube for the tablet to sit on/in, I used 3mm thick carbon-fiber sheet as material. I also mounted it so that there is a 8mm gap from the bottom so the factory radio buttons are still accessible even with the tablet in in use.

Why make it this way, I wanted to keep the Pioneer unit and backup camera for when I do not want to use the tablet (removable/convertible).

I case anyone wonders I use MiFi for my Nexus and or navigation when the tablet is in use. I connect the tablet to the headunit via bluetooth. I even use the steering wheel controls for voice commands and skipping on the tablet and yes my phone is also paired at the same time and I can use the wheel answer and hangup wile the tablet is in. In short when setting up the Bluetooth you have to specify what funtions the tablet has and what functions the phone has (phone = phone only, no streaming audio).

I am using "Car Home" as the Home screen wile in the car

Here are pictures:

Headunit only:



with Tablet:


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Old 11-20-2012, 10:02 PM   #5
zedix
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Now for power. Found a 12v to 5v USB converter (weather proof, yay!) at Princess Auto. This will power the tablet:



Testing voltage coming out of the converter. Looks good.



Purchased the 20 pin harness from ae64.com from this forum! His instructions on the website were really helpful! This prevents cutting into the factory wires:



Remember one of the goals was to preserve steering wheel controls? Well this is where this little guy comes in (Axxess ASWC module)!



Testing the current received from the USB adapter. Looks like it can barely do 1000mA, which probably won't be enough (the Nexus 7 charger is 2.1A). Ordered another one, but for now this will have to do. Android app shown is Battery Monitor Widget.



OK time to start putting this together! Wires are soldered and heat shrink tubing is applied over it.




All soldered together!



The whole solution wired up.

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Old 11-21-2012, 10:09 PM   #6
zedix
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Here's the last pictures for those interested! Basically just putting it all together in the car!















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Old 11-29-2012, 02:56 PM   #7
a32guy
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Quote:
Originally Posted by zedix View Post
Here's the last pictures for those interested! Basically just putting it all together in the car!
Very clean install! This is great, but I feel like I would constantly have my phone on the charger. My gnex barely makes it past lunchtime, and I don't tether at all... How do you deal with your phones battery life with all that tethering (and google music streaming)?
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Old 01-09-2013, 01:59 PM   #8
sabregen
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Quote:
Originally Posted by zedix View Post







it seems like the front of your JVC HU is almost flush (except for the click wheel) with the horizontal aluminum brace bar with the cork on it. mine certainly is not. on the pictures where the interior ducting is removed... what is your deck resting on? you must have a bracket or support that i do not in the WRX. additionally, i think your cavity behind the dash is deeper or your HU is shallower, front to back.

any info you have would be appreciated.

Last edited by sabregen; 01-09-2013 at 02:07 PM.
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Old 11-21-2012, 10:55 PM   #9
GreenL
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nice work
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Old 11-22-2012, 11:59 AM   #10
avik625
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Looks real clean!
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Old 11-22-2012, 02:24 PM   #11
scubynoob
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Awesome. Any daylight pictures?
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Old 11-22-2012, 03:39 PM   #12
SilverJS
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Was just thinking about doing something similar, but I'd prefer a docking solution so tablet can be taken in and out. As it is, where do you store your music? Or is it all on your phone, which is then connected via BlueTooth...?

Have you tried navigation? CoPilot GPS (premium paid app) is apparently pretty good, but I'm also wondering how it would interact with music (cut/dim it for advisories, etc.).
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Old 11-24-2012, 09:37 AM   #13
zedix
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Quote:
Originally Posted by scubynoob View Post
Awesome. Any daylight pictures?
I'll go take a daylight picture and report back!

Quote:
Originally Posted by SilverJS View Post
Was just thinking about doing something similar, but I'd prefer a docking solution so tablet can be taken in and out. As it is, where do you store your music? Or is it all on your phone, which is then connected via BlueTooth...?
I'm a big fan of Google Music, so all my music is streamed from the cloud. I just add albums from my desktop PC, it gets uploaded to Google Music, and is available right away on my tablet.

My phone and tablet pair automatically as soon as I start the car, so the tablet has full internet.

Quote:
Originally Posted by SilverJS View Post
Have you tried navigation? CoPilot GPS (premium paid app) is apparently pretty good, but I'm also wondering how it would interact with music (cut/dim it for advisories, etc.).
Navigation works perfectly with Google Maps Navigation. It has everything you could ask for (dims music for directions, turn by turn, voice input, etc...) and uses the tablet GPS, which is really good.
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Old 11-24-2012, 09:45 AM   #14
redrexrally
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that is so cool
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Old 11-24-2012, 10:10 AM   #15
Kirby11WRX
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Thats bad ass man!
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Old 11-24-2012, 10:44 AM   #16
Proper282
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That looks fantastic. I moulded my dash to be able to slip my rooted nookcolor in and out. Original plan was to permanently mount it as you did, but here in So.Cal I'm pretty sure in-car summer temps would be way to high to leave the device in.
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Old 11-24-2012, 10:46 AM   #17
zedix
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Proper282 View Post
That looks fantastic. I moulded my dash to be able to slip my rooted nookcolor in and out. Original plan was to permanently mount it as you did, but here in So.Cal I'm pretty sure in-car summer temps would be way to high to leave the device in.
Haha yeah, I'm in Canada, so I think my problem will be that the winters might get too cold! So far it has survived a few nights at below 0C, we'll see how it goes!
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Old 11-24-2012, 10:50 AM   #18
ChesterWRX
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Holy crap!
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Old 11-24-2012, 06:13 PM   #19
munkyy
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Wow good stuff man. How long did it take from start to finish?
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Old 11-25-2012, 02:48 PM   #20
zedix
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About 3 weeks, from starting to think about it to being done! Most of the time was spent waiting for parts to arrive
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Old 11-25-2012, 10:28 PM   #21
nrizzo
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daytime pics please!
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Old 11-25-2012, 10:55 PM   #22
EnJoY120
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Would it be too much to ask for a complete inventory of parts w/ prices? I am now extremely eager to implement this!
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Old 11-25-2012, 11:28 PM   #23
italianhunnybee
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wow that looks amazing!! Great job
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Old 11-27-2012, 04:04 AM   #24
spawn11587
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awesome
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Old 11-27-2012, 04:13 AM   #25
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Wow! I was going to get an appradio with ARLiberator but you are making me change my mind. What to do now...
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