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Old 08-05-2012, 12:35 AM   #1
black thunder
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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.



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.



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.





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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Old 08-05-2012, 01:46 AM   #2
Andrew025
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This is relevant to my interests.

What are you using to hold the tablet in place?
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Old 08-05-2012, 02:10 AM   #3
nickboucher96
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Looks good man!

Last edited by nickboucher96; 08-05-2012 at 02:22 AM.
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Old 08-05-2012, 10:16 AM   #4
black thunder
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Andrew025 View Post
This is relevant to my interests.

What are you using to hold the tablet in place?
right now im trying to figure that out but have some ideas in my head. most likely ill create some sort of metal plate that goes across behind it and screw that into the existing radio screw holes. then ill have to add another layer to the plate that is elevated up and high enough for the kindle to rest on it.
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Old 08-05-2012, 01:09 PM   #5
projectsubaru
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pretty awesome idea, nice work!
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Old 08-05-2012, 09:10 PM   #6
black thunder
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made some progress today. went to home depot and picked up a 14 gauge hyco bar. not sure what its used for in real life but it worked perfectly as the predrilled holes matched up to the radio holes.



i also had to hack a piece of plastic. if you look above the first hyco bar you can see where i hacked off. basically the same width of the kindle. the kindle now slides right in between the hacked off sections and rests on the block of wood.



then i found a peice of wood lying around and used that as a shimmy. screwed it into the hyco bar on the back side.



now with all the dash peices back in place. fits like a charm!



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Old 08-08-2012, 08:45 AM   #7
a32guy
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Very cool! How do you control volume?
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Old 08-08-2012, 08:53 AM   #8
awd1927
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subscribed
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Old 08-08-2012, 12:38 PM   #9
black thunder
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Quote:
Originally Posted by a32guy View Post
Very cool! How do you control volume?
good question. if the music app doesnt have music volume readily available then im hoping i can just use the headunit remote. should come in tomorrow.

i can also probably add volume widgets on the home screen
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Old 08-08-2012, 08:48 PM   #10
Andrew025
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Quote:
Originally Posted by black thunder
good question. if the music app doesnt have music volume readily available then im hoping i can just use the headunit remote. should come in tomorrow.

i can also probably add volume widgets on the home screen
Use this
https://play.google.com/store/apps/d...WVDb250cm9sIl0
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Old 08-08-2012, 09:31 PM   #11
pp-tso
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Well done...subscribed
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Old 08-08-2012, 09:46 PM   #12
sti4rs
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Subscribed
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Old 08-08-2012, 09:59 PM   #13
black thunder
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Andrew025 View Post
awesome app!

it looks like nexus 7 is nearly the same dimensions. might switch to that very soon once i verify it fits.

Last edited by black thunder; 08-08-2012 at 10:05 PM.
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Old 08-08-2012, 11:35 PM   #14
scoobyinjax
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bro this **** just gave me so many idea thanks for the idea thats hot
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Old 08-08-2012, 11:45 PM   #15
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mattjk is rolling in his grave right now, lol!
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Old 08-08-2012, 11:55 PM   #16
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Quote:


then i found a peice of wood lying around and used that as a shimmy. screwed it into the hyco bar on the back side.



Idk why I find that very funny lol. Cool setup though if you can figure out how to control everything easily.
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Old 08-09-2012, 01:04 AM   #17
black thunder
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Quote:
Originally Posted by AcquaCow View Post
mattjk is rolling in his grave right now, lol!
hi dave. hope all is well
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Old 08-09-2012, 02:42 AM   #18
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Is this in a 2005 WRX?

You could retrofit a wheel with audio steering wheel controls and interface those to the HU. That would be handier than pointing an IR remote.

For that matter, Metra has the ASWC-STALK and the RF-ASWC that you can add to a wheel that doesn't have SWC buttons.

Product videos:
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Old 08-09-2012, 10:23 AM   #19
edsonmassao
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very good, man! One question: how do you power up the kindle? do you use some power converter?
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Old 08-09-2012, 11:41 AM   #20
UsernameGoesHere
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Either OP crossposted or someone leeched his post. (this appears original)
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Old 08-09-2012, 11:53 AM   #21
black thunder
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SVXdc View Post
Is this in a 2005 WRX?

You could retrofit a wheel with audio steering wheel controls and interface those to the HU. That would be handier than pointing an IR remote.

For that matter, Metra has the ASWC-STALK and the RF-ASWC that you can add to a wheel that doesn't have SWC buttons.

Product videos: ASWCSTALK RFASWC
thats cool but i think its ugly. actually the volume app posted above works great so far.

Quote:
Originally Posted by edsonmassao View Post
very good, man! One question: how do you power up the kindle? do you use some power converter?
im hoping that the headunit will charge teh kindle. i can change the settings or use tasker to turn on/off the kindle with the ignition.

head unit comes today so should be able to make some progress.
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Old 08-09-2012, 11:55 AM   #22
black thunder
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Quote:
Originally Posted by UsernameGoesHere View Post
Either OP crossposted or someone leeched his post. (this appears original)
im the same guy that posted on mp3car fyi
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Old 08-09-2012, 12:28 PM   #23
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Quote:
Originally Posted by black thunder View Post
im the same guy that posted on mp3car fyi
just making sure you knew about it and someone hadn't stolen it.
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Old 08-11-2012, 10:50 PM   #24
black thunder
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made progress over the weekend

fitting headunit in the glovebox was harder than i anticipated. the radio harness actually is long enough to reach glovebox with extra slack. i actually ordered extra wiring but doesnt appear like ill need it. it just depends on where you drill into your glovebox to fish the wire in. the antenna on the other hand will barely reach so i recommend an extension. i have an extension coming on the way from amazon.

i originally was going to use the USB port on the headunit to charge the kindle but it looks like the 1amp isnt enough .looks like im better off taping into the cigarette lighter for power at this point. anyone know whats the best way to do that?

also im pretty sure ill be switching to a nexus 7 very soon. kindle is great and all but gps and bluetooth built in is a big plus.

but all in all, it works great so far and as expected


all that left to do is clean it up a little bit. figure our tasker app and then switch to a nexus 7








Last edited by black thunder; 08-12-2012 at 07:58 PM.
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Old 08-13-2012, 11:27 AM   #25
Squeakgp
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This is too cool! Great idea, subscribed, and keep up the good work!
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