MY01 double DIN headunit advice

[Mr5o1]

Hey There,

Looks like I'll have this car for a couple more years so I thought I'd take the time to tart her up a little. My first job is the headunit.

My wishlist runs something like this:

* I'd like to keep it under $350 AUD, but $400 is doable I guess.
* I really don't want CD / DVD
* Bluetooth a must
* wifi would be nice
* USB would be nice
* I like the idea of an android system, but I could be convinced otherwise.
* GPS (with antennae) would be nice.
* reverse camera capability would be nice (doesn't need to include camera).
* touchscreen would be nice. resistive would be ok.

So with that list in mind I found the Eonon GA2114 which seems to fit the bill. I've never heard of that brand before, is it a no-name or knock off or something? Are there some more reputable brands I should look at?

Other than the choice of HU I should ask what the install is likely to involve. I looked at the rear of the factory unit today, I think the harness for the speakers is some kind of subaru socket?

I'm guessing I'll need something like this:


Having said that.. there's a bunch of other wires coming from the back of the GA2114



So on the left, where the standard speaker sockets are attached, there's another 7 wires. What are they for?

Thanks in advance for any advice..

[HyRax]

For just the audio side, you can buy a Sony Xplod single-DIN Blueooth & USB headunit for as little as $130 or so at JB Hi-Fi. They have surprisingly great sound quality through the stock car speakers compared to the stock headunit.

There are two parts to the ISO cable. In the case of Sony as an example, you have a Sony to ISO cable and then ISO to Subaru cable. Saves you having to do any splicing - literally plug in and go. Non-mainstream-brands will require you to connect a universal ISO cable (ISO to a bunch of wires) to the plug provided with your headunit (again a socket to wires) before you connect to the ISO to Subaru cable.

For Wifi and GPS you could simply play everything through your phone via Bluetooth and do GPS that way, if you were trying to save cash.

Prices quickly go higher with proper double-DIN with Android though. You could consider going for an eBay unit, but many of them do have noticeably inferior audio quality.

The vast majority of touch double-DIN units are resistive. Those that are capacitive are a little more expensive.

Also bear in mind that most double-DIN Android head units seem to only employ 800x480 resolution which is really low res by today's standards.

The headunit you linked to is the kind that you also find on eBay. Android 4.4.4 is getting a bit long in the tooth now, and a number of Bluetooth issues were addressed in 5.x onwards.

Most double-DIN units including the eBay ones have the ability to connect a composite video signal for a reverse camera and also an external mic for hands-free Bluetooth phone calls.

[Mr5o1]

Hey thanks for the response..


I found an image for those cables I was wondering about:



Of course, that just gives me more questions...

So firstly I had thought the ISO port was for the speakers only, but now I realise it's for power too. Regarding the two parts you mentioned, this unit appears to come with the first part, the unit to ISO.. right ?

Secondly, are connectors 2 through 8 optional?

* what are SW1 and SW2 ?
* AMP .. is that just a power on / off sensor for an amplifier ?
* Brake Shift Control .. handbrake sensor?
* Reverse Control .. switches to reverse cam when you're in reverse ?
* Illumination .. illuminate what?
* GND .. there's a GND in the ISO, so what's this one for?

Re: Eonon,
I see what you mean by "ebay brand" now. They seem reasonable though, they have a fair following on other auto forums and facebook and whatever, I asked a few questions on their site and they're responsive at least.

Re: android,
I couldn't find any android 5 units on ebay at all? There are some mods and custom roms available for this unit on xda-forums. I have no idea how that will play out but there does seem to be some people playing around with it at least.

[Mr5o1]

Oh, and...

This might be a deal breaker.. IDK. My car has 6 speakers but I assume it's only four channel? Is that correct? The Eonon unit I'm looking at is only 4 channel output.

This is a diagram which looks like the subaru audio connector I have.



This shows only four connectors front & rear .. left & right. Does that mean I'll be ok with a 4 channel head unit ?

Thanks again.

[BillyCorgi]

Suggest that you might try GOOGLE.
Try Googling BRAKE SHIFT CONTROL EONON
It turned up something like this http://www.ukcorsa-d.com/forum/archive/ ... aced6bc59e

Seems that the brake shift control must be connected to the handbrake switch.
It Then will only allow the DVD to display when the Hand Brake is ON (So you cannot watch movies from the HU while driving?)

Many of your other questions, like the reversing camera wiring, are also answered by this Google search.
Cheers!

[HyRax]

So firstly I had thought the ISO port was for the speakers only, but now I realise it's for power too. Regarding the two parts you mentioned, this unit appears to come with the first part, the unit to ISO.. right ?

Yes, you have one half already done. Just plug in an ISO to Subaru cable and you're good.

Secondly, are connectors 2 through 8 optional?

Some cars use more connectors than others. ISO attempts to be a standard to suit all vehicles and as such, some will use more pins than others.

* what are SW1 and SW2 ?

Potentially things like Power Antenna which most Subaru's no longer have.

* AMP .. is that just a power on / off sensor for an amplifier ?

External amp control, sometimes on/off.

* Brake Shift Control .. handbrake sensor?
* Reverse Control .. switches to reverse cam when you're in reverse ?

Some functions may to know when the car is in brake mode or reverse (reverse camera activate for example)

* Illumination .. illuminate what?

Illuminate buttons/display when headlights are on.

* GND .. there's a GND in the ISO, so what's this one for?

Ground. If separate, just attaches to any metal part of the car. The ISO connector in this case does have ground - pin A1. Only one ground needs to be connected.

Re: Eonon,
I see what you mean by "ebay brand" now. They seem reasonable though, they have a fair following on other auto forums and facebook and whatever, I asked a few questions on their site and they're responsive at least.

If it works, and has a respectable following behind it. That's all that really matters.

Re: android,
I couldn't find any android 5 units on ebay at all? There are some mods and custom roms available for this unit on xda-forums. I have no idea how that will play out but there does seem to be some people playing around with it at least.

Unfortunately this part is very much dependent on community support. I personally don't know why manufacturers continue to use older Android versions - probably so they don't have to re-develop the software to be compatible with 5.x onwards.

[Mr5o1]

Cool.. thanks for all your help HyRax. You've answered all my questions and I've just bought the unit!

[Mr5o1]

Ok so my head unit is en route. I'm trying to figure out what needs to be done regarding the wire harness...

I had thought I could just google "head unit subaru iso cable" or something, but now I'm not so sure. I included an image of an adapter above, it shows all the connections from the subaru port are connected to points in the ISO socket. However, in the case of my unit some of the connections need to be split out and paired with the single wires from the head unit (illumination, for example). So I'm thinking that's not going to work.

Re-reading HyRax post... now I understand what this means:

Non-mainstream-brands will require you to connect a universal ISO cable (ISO to a bunch of wires) to the plug provided with your headunit (again a socket to wires) before you connect to the ISO to Subaru cable.

So when I was looking at this before, I had (mistakenly) assumed that because my unit has a unit to ISO cable, I could just get an ISO to subaru cable and presto.

Now I think what I need is something like this:

<HU>--<ISO + wires>--<ISO to wires>--<my own solder magic>--<wires to subaru>--<subaru socket>

Given I've ordered the head unit, and I already have a subaru, I still need to organise all the bits in bold. So I get this and this and connect it up.

Sorry.. I'm not really asking, just thinking out loud, but definitely open to any advice you might have.

[Mr5o1]

I think I'm screwed.

Unit arrived, I crimped the harness etc.. plugged it in & powered it up fine, but the gap in my fascia is only 174mm wide, and bezel around the edge of the screen is 176mm.

I totally concede that this is a newbie error on my part. The measurements are listed in the image I quoted above, and it's obvious now how stupid I was, but yes I just assumed that the DIN size is standard.

Live and learn I guess. I guess my options are to either buy a different unit which fits, or remove some of the fascia. I know it's an old car, so no one cares.. but I've had it for years and it's in such great condition. Just seems wrong to hack away at it with the dremel.