Android Tablet in a Vehicle

skeptic_SA

skeptic_SA

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Has anybody managed to integrate an android tablet to their vehicles entertainment system?

If so - how?

Mounting so that it looks "stock" is the easy part.
What I'd like to know is how do you get it to "talk" to the existing car radio and connect the speakers?
 
isnt somebody selling a built in car radio that runs android? maybe worth a look?

Id think that would be the most ideal, as anything else will just not work as reliably sometimes,
I mean sure android auto ect, but that built for cars properly.... not jury rigged with duct tape and hopes and dreams....
I mean you'd need BT and a connector to the speakers somehow, then you might need a way to charge it,
and the min it goes off, due to hibernation, there goes your audio....

I mean we all have see some shoddy installations of car kits back in the day....
could easily translate into today with a tablet PC running a ICE for a car.....
 
eg2505 said:
isnt somebody selling a built in car radio that runs android? maybe worth a look?

Id think that would be the most ideal, as anything else will just not work as reliably sometimes,
I mean sure android auto ect, but that built for cars properly.... not jury rigged with duct tape and hopes and dreams....
I mean you'd need BT and a connector to the speakers somehow, then you might need a way to charge it,
and the min it goes off, due to hibernation, there goes your audio....

I mean we all have see some shoddy installations of car kits back in the day....
could easily translate into today with a tablet PC running a ICE for a car.....
Click to expand...

I saw that Android headunit. First prob is its din1. I need din2.
Also Scott has dropped the price to an almost giveaway - but R4k is still 4K. And I have a couple spare tablets lying around.
 
I have seen a few DIY installations with Ipad, Ipad mini & Andriod tablets but they don't look neat. The stereo jack would be used if you want to get rid of your head unit. You won't get the fade control between front & rear speakers. Then you need to have your tablet connected to a power source permanently.

If you want to go this route it would be better to have an installer do it for your. Of the better installers would be able to make a decent trim panel to mount the tablet.

Your best bet would be to install an android double din head unit. This is designed for in car use, and would give you all the options of a normal car radio and tablet, without the mobile ability.
 
marco79 said:
I have seen a few DIY installations with Ipad, Ipad mini & Andriod tablets but they don't look neat. The stereo jack would be used if you want to get rid of your head unit. You won't get the fade control between front & rear speakers. Then you need to have your tablet connected to a power source permanently.

If you want to go this route it would be better to have an installer do it for your. Of the better installers would be able to make a decent trim panel to mount the tablet.

Your best bet would be to install an android double din head unit. This is designed for in car use, and would give you all the options of a normal car radio and tablet, without the mobile ability.
Click to expand...

Thanks Marco. Ive done a few installs in my day. So im confident wrt the fit and trim part of the install. What Im curious about is if there's a plug in gadget that would act as an interface between the H/U and the tablet. Something that would facilitate the issues you highlighted (power on/off - fade control etc).
 
skeptic_SA said:
Thanks Marco. Ive done a few installs in my day. So im confident wrt the fit and trim part of the install. What Im curious about is if there's a plug in gadget that would act as an interface between the H/U and the tablet. Something that would facilitate the issues you highlighted (power on/off - fade control etc).
Click to expand...

Depending on your setup, you’d either need an amp behind the tablet or use a normal smaller 499 radio and plug your tablet into the Aux of that, while the radio part behind the tablet sorts out the speakers.

Will try find a video explaining the process in a bit.
 
There you are ;)
[video=youtube;8KjlvHGIK6g]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8KjlvHGIK6g[/video]
 
Much simpler to just install a new head unit that runs Android.

It was after all built for that very purpose.
 
raind33r said:
Thees is wery kool yah!
[video=youtube;oRMmth6itGc]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oRMmth6itGc&t=110s[/video]
Click to expand...

That is wery kool.

It occurs to me that if it is an older head end that you could just connect via an aux cable.

I jerry rigged a couple of mic/earphone cables to work as a franken-hands free set up a while back. That also works as an antenna for radio although I don't remember how well. The only problem I for see is routing calls from your phone to the tablet. It seems like a problem that might be solved easily enough with an app.
 
I just remembered why I gave up on the franken-handsfree. I would get a buzzing noise when I plugged my phone into charge. It's not an insurmountable problem - you get filters and things. You could even make a couple of filters if you can get your hands on a couple of little transformers.
 
Somebody on 4x4community was doing this exact process, but I am not sure how far he got with it. Very detailed system design more for the challenge than to do something better than a head unit.
 
I got a dedicated head unit for my car from StopShop.co.za. Cost R6800 (incl. 2K shipping), does everything you'd expect Android to do, and integrates with the car's systems (reverse, power, etc. etc.), and is a one-plug integration into the speakers.
 
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