My In-Dash Nexus 7 Project

[su34ru]

Thanks.

I can't help with the Gen5 specific stuff being a Gen4 owner, but there's a couple of things you could investigate. Firstly, you could look at modifying the brackets that hold the standard headunit to allow it to slide further back into the dash, allowing the tablet to sit in front of it, but still behind the fascia. I've seen this done quite well in a Forester (but can't recall what forum it was on, maybe NASIOC). Another option is to get rid of the stock headunit all together and run the tablet standalone. This can be done with a USB DAC and a small amplifier that you could mount behind the tablet where the headunit once was. That is assuming that your model doesn't have a factory amplifier. If it does, you could just run line level RCA's from the DAC to the factory amplifier (some custom cable splicing could be required).

Correct, the pre-facelift McIntosh doesn't have an high level AUX in, but even if it did, I prefer the FSL-21 method as it means I use a USB DAC, eliminating the amplifier in the tablet, meaning I get the best quality output possible. Many people are using the 3.5mm stereo option as it's very easy if your headunit has a 3.5mm in. But sound quality is the trade-off. Most would never tell without hearing the two side by side.

Thanks Chris... i like the idea of pushing the HU back... or even replacing it altogether. I'll take your advice and go the FSL way... better SQ is better SQ. How many low level outputs do you get this way? I was planning on getting a 4 channel amp... could remove the HU and fit the amp behind the tablet. Wondering if that would go well with this setup.

[su34ru]

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How about Now...??



I'm looking at a similar setup in a Gen3 that I'm getting in a month and like the Gen5 it has double DIN HU, single DIN pocket and heater controls.

If i get rid of the pocket and substitute a single DIN HU then there's the perfect space left for a 7" tab

there are a heap of aftermarket DIN sized dash surrounds for the Gen5, depending on which model you have with manual or push button auto CC

i.e, you can remove teh pocket and drop in a dingle DIN HU with nice surround,
then you're left with the top part to put in your Tab with matching surround



surrounds

Hey Rob... I could use those surrounds. Where did you find that 2nd one for the lower half? Do you know of one that would fit a single din HU at the top and the aircon controls (perfectly) below?

[Robbks]

I just googled gen5 dash fascia and it came up with images from crutchfield.com.
but AVO JDM should have them.

Next in my Saga
I ordered my AV panel from my local Subaru parts Slinger, top bloke and great price.
The catch is, the AUDM Satnav is friggin different

and as such the cut out is 5mm not tall enough for a 7" tab to be able to touch the entire screen, plus the vents are full width unlike the JDM versions

AUDM part# 66060AG061


Then there are actually two JDM ones as I found by an earlier Club Lib thread viewtopic.php?f=22&t=6643

Statts, Which part# was supplied by Japan Parts?

I assume the smaller one? as the tab2 and Nexus7 are not even 200mm wide

JDM
Part# H0017AG915
200mm x 100mm

Part# H0017AG932
The hole size is 180mm X 119mm

[Statts]

Thanks.

I can't help with the Gen5 specific stuff being a Gen4 owner, but there's a couple of things you could investigate. Firstly, you could look at modifying the brackets that hold the standard headunit to allow it to slide further back into the dash, allowing the tablet to sit in front of it, but still behind the fascia. I've seen this done quite well in a Forester (but can't recall what forum it was on, maybe NASIOC). Another option is to get rid of the stock headunit all together and run the tablet standalone. This can be done with a USB DAC and a small amplifier that you could mount behind the tablet where the headunit once was. That is assuming that your model doesn't have a factory amplifier. If it does, you could just run line level RCA's from the DAC to the factory amplifier (some custom cable splicing could be required).

Correct, the pre-facelift McIntosh doesn't have an high level AUX in, but even if it did, I prefer the FSL-21 method as it means I use a USB DAC, eliminating the amplifier in the tablet, meaning I get the best quality output possible. Many people are using the 3.5mm stereo option as it's very easy if your headunit has a 3.5mm in. But sound quality is the trade-off. Most would never tell without hearing the two side by side.

Thanks Chris... i like the idea of pushing the HU back... or even replacing it altogether. I'll take your advice and go the FSL way... better SQ is better SQ. How many low level outputs do you get this way? I was planning on getting a 4 channel amp... could remove the HU and fit the amp behind the tablet. Wondering if that would go well with this setup.

Just ensure the FSL-21 suits your headunit. Despite the webpage looking VERY Japanese, the guy at Electric Design is very helpful and replies with good-enough English, so drop him a line. Going this way, you get a 2ch output from the USB DAC, and would need to use a pair of RCA splitters into the amp. You can then use gains on the amp to control fade if required.

Next in my Saga
I ordered my AV panel from my local Subaru parts Slinger, top bloke and great price.
The catch is, the AUDM Satnav is friggin different

and as such the cut out is 5mm not tall enough for a 7" tab to be able to touch the entire screen, plus the vents are full width unlike the JDM versions

AUDM part# 66060AG061


Then there are actually two JDM ones as I found by an earlier Club Lib thread viewtopic.php?f=22&t=6643

Statts, Which part# was supplied by Japan Parts?

I assume the smaller one? as the tab2 and Nexus7 are not even 200mm wide

JDM
Part# H0017AG915
Double DIN 200mm x 100mm

Part# H0017AG932
The hole size is 180mm X 119mm

Rob, you need the 915 model. It's the fascia without the buttons, and was a factory accessory designed for the Panasonic touch screen satnavs, an aftermarket upgrade in Japan.

JapanParts' in-house part number for the 915 fascia is 107-203-002 and can be found here https://www.japanparts.com/db/parts_detail.php?submit.x=72&submit.y=7&NUMBER=00013926&VOLUME=107-203-002&DEALER=1&CAR=6&MIDDLE=2&SMALL=13&MAKER=5&VOLKEY=&SEARCH_DEALER=1&SEARCH_CAR=6&SEARCH_MIDDLE=2&SEARCH_SMALL=13&SEARCH_MAKER=&SEARCH_VOLKEY=&SEARCH_page=3

[Robbks]

Cheers mate.

Just for others out there, the Tab2 is only 193mm wide whereas the Nexus7 is 198.5mm wide.

The cutout in the 915 is labelled as being 200mm so i assume that would be too wide of the tab2 to fit proerly.

And given it's extra height 119mm (tab2 is 122mm tall it may be a better overall fit)

[Robbks]

Me again.

Decided on the H0017AG932 surround from AVOJDM
So as such my stock SatNav Surround is up for sale.

But anyway, for those who don;t wish to use fancy USB DAC's and are happy with headphone/ line out you may notice that some devices are limited in their volume output from the headphone jack
(my ipod is and so is my Tab2) Some european legislation to only allow 85dB to go to your headphones, but teh US don;t care, they can have 110dB..
But there is an audio gain file in Samsung devices that can be easily modified if you have a rooted device.

If anyone is contemplating a Samsung device for on-board or have the same issue on their phone for normal use, let em know and I can give you teh details.
Or search XDA developers there's a million threads on it

[su34ru]

Just ensure the FSL-21 suits your headunit. Despite the webpage looking VERY Japanese, the guy at Electric Design is very helpful and replies with good-enough English, so drop him a line. Going this way, you get a 2ch output from the USB DAC, and would need to use a pair of RCA splitters into the amp. You can then use gains on the amp to control fade if required.

Thanks Statts. I have a couple of questions about the setup. Will PM you.

[jongyrocka]

Thanks for your detailed response

I am still using the prefacelift clock/ display, which you rightly point out has more display parameters than the post facelift. Also, the post facelift display won't sync with my ecu so it won't work

If I order the post facelift relocation kit (to suit the different shape ashtray surround), I was the hoping to put the preface clock/ display unit in the plastic post facelift holder. Does this make sense? Having not seen the relocation kit in person, I don't know if its one piece or able to split like the factory one from the vent holder?

Thanks for clarifying about iPhone compatability. Does this apply to Bluetooth as well? Ie Bluetooth connection from iPhone to nexus 7? At least that way I can try to find a solution to the hands free matter once I know Bluetooth can sync up.

And finally, thanks for your offer of support I will most likely take you up on this

Just found a nexus 7 32gb wifi for $180 brand new, so going to purchase this

Total cost will be:

Nexus 7 32gb - $180
Sat nav display- $220
Clock relocation - $80
Mini-box dcdc-USB - $100
Behringer USB dac $40
Electric designs fsl21 - $200

Total $820

Does this sound about right?

Mick

Where did you find the Nexus 7 so cheap?

And how did you score the Sat Nav display for $220?!

I guess our dollar has shifted a little?

[seanmau5]

Hey Chris,

Awesome write up and results mate. I just won a Nexus 7 so my project has been pushed forward earlier than I thought. Just want to clarify what I need as my set up is a little different due to an aftermarket head unit.

Requirements:
Nexus 7
OTG Y cable
DCDC-USB
3.5mm audio cable (or another possible way to connect audio, my head unit is a Pioneer AVH-P8450BT)
External HDD (plugs straight in to the OTG Y cable?)

The only thing I'm really unsure about is flashing the tablet and using android, I'm an iOS kinda guy. Also, if I leave hotspot connections on on my phone can you set up the tablet to automatically connect when in range?

Cheers,
Sean

[Statts]

Hey Chris,

Awesome write up and results mate. I just won a Nexus 7 so my project has been pushed forward earlier than I thought. Just want to clarify what I need as my set up is a little different due to an aftermarket head unit.

Requirements:
Nexus 7
OTG Y cable
DCDC-USB
3.5mm audio cable (or another possible way to connect audio, my head unit is a Pioneer AVH-P8450BT)
External HDD (plugs straight in to the OTG Y cable?)

The only thing I'm really unsure about is flashing the tablet and using android, I'm an iOS kinda guy. Also, if I leave hotspot connections on on my phone can you set up the tablet to automatically connect when in range?

Cheers,
Sean

Hi Sean,

Sorry I didn't receive a notification for your post, hence no reply.

You're pretty well spot-on with the list or requirements. Since your Pioneer head unit has an RCA AUX in, I'd suggest using a USB DAC to get audio from the Nexus 7 to your head unit, this will give you the best possible sound. So from your list, ditch the 3.5mm cable and add a USB-DAC (Behringer UCA-202 works well and is cheap) and a pair of short-as-hell RCA's (10cm would do nicely).

Yes, the USB HDD can plug direct into the OTG y-cable, but this isn't enough juice for some larger HDDs, so you might want to consider a USB HDD y-cable that could have the power side wired up to the extra output of the DCDC-USB to ensure it's adequately powered.

I can walk you through the flashing of the tablet when the time comes, or we can arrange something else like you sending it to me and I flash it for you (I did this for NhojM). WiFi networks are saved after connecting in Android, just like iOS, so yes, when in range it will automatically connect. With Jellybean, you can even set WiFi priority to connect to certain networks over others (think connect to my home networks as priority over the WiFi hotspot on your phone).

Hope this helps.

[su34ru]

Just ensure the FSL-21 suits your headunit. Despite the webpage looking VERY Japanese, the guy at Electric Design is very helpful and replies with good-enough English, so drop him a line. Going this way, you get a 2ch output from the USB DAC, and would need to use a pair of RCA splitters into the amp. You can then use gains on the amp to control fade if required.

Thanks Statts. I have a couple of questions about the setup. Will PM you.

Just thought I'd post an update on how my own little project is going.
Progress so far-
Rooted nexus 7, got the OTG y cable, got the behringer DAC. Contemplating DCDC USB power supply and awaiting OBD Bluetooth device delivery from eBay.
So I decided to give the setup a little trial. Connected the DAC output (RCA) to my stock hu aux in. The sound is great, can't thank Statts enough for this recommendation.
Also ordered this on a whim. http://www.amazon.com/iOttie-Dashboard- ... B00BR3Q9TK
It is such a good holder that I'm actually thinking of not messing with the stock fascia. My nexus 7 now sits neatly and directly in front of the stock HU. I might just end up with a cable visibly jutting out one end of the tablet and need to figure out if ill be ok with that.
Btw, polarised sunglasses turned the tablet screen invisible. Does anyone else have this issue? Is there a workaround?
Now if I did end up with the above setup, I'm wondering if I need the DCDC USB power supply. Is there another way to power the DAC and a hard drive? I used a portable battery pack (the aldi 6000 odd mAh one) to power the DAC but it could not drive the hard disk (250GB) - only managed to run a thumb drive.

Any thoughts on an alternate power source and any suggestions for concealed wiring for this setup? (Other than 1 USB cable at the tablet)

[Statts]

Just ensure the FSL-21 suits your headunit. Despite the webpage looking VERY Japanese, the guy at Electric Design is very helpful and replies with good-enough English, so drop him a line. Going this way, you get a 2ch output from the USB DAC, and would need to use a pair of RCA splitters into the amp. You can then use gains on the amp to control fade if required.

Thanks Statts. I have a couple of questions about the setup. Will PM you.

Just thought I'd post an update on how my own little project is going.
Progress so far-
Rooted nexus 7, got the OTG y cable, got the behringer DAC. Contemplating DCDC USB power supply and awaiting OBD Bluetooth device delivery from eBay.
So I decided to give the setup a little trial. Connected the DAC output (RCA) to my stock hu aux in. The sound is great, can't thank Statts enough for this recommendation.
Also ordered this on a whim. http://www.amazon.com/iOttie-Dashboard- ... B00BR3Q9TK
It is such a good holder that I'm actually thinking of not messing with the stock fascia. My nexus 7 now sits neatly and directly in front of the stock HU. I might just end up with a cable visibly jutting out one end of the tablet and need to figure out if ill be ok with that.
Btw, polarised sunglasses turned the tablet screen invisible. Does anyone else have this issue? Is there a workaround?
Now if I did end up with the above setup, I'm wondering if I need the DCDC USB power supply. Is there another way to power the DAC and a hard drive? I used a portable battery pack (the aldi 6000 odd mAh one) to power the DAC but it could not drive the hard disk (250GB) - only managed to run a thumb drive.

Any thoughts on an alternate power source and any suggestions for concealed wiring for this setup? (Other than 1 USB cable at the tablet)

Good to hear things are coming along nicely. I knew you'd be happy with the sound from the USB DAC. No comparison to using 3.5mm, the sound quality is night and day.

As for the polarized sunglasses, you may be able to find a screen protector that counters this, not sure, I haven't looked into it before.

I'd say if you want to run a HDD and a DAC, I highly recommend the DCDC-USB. With it, you can set the output voltage to 5.4v which really helps charging rates, and with the two outputs, you can have on to separately power your 4 port HUB or justyour HDD (with the use of a USB power splitter cable).

[Robbks]

Almost done (finally) just need to re-align it a little bit for perfect fitment

Audio is great from the headphone jack,
Tasker app makes it sleep and kills everything 30 seconds after it loses power and wakes it with power on.

[su34ru]

Just thought i'd upload a pic for those interested in seeing what the setup looks like with the tablet stand.

[seanmau5]

Looks reasonable. Do you just unplug it and take it with you when you leave the car?