iPad mini

[bngl3rt]

Sorry I didn't know you were The Stig... Lol

Pretty sure I have better taste in music than him... :biggrin:

 

[bngl3rt]

So what's your thought on the Bluetooth?

Also, in iOS 6 they are introducing Bluetooth Low-Energy 4.0 to allow apps to talk to devices that have NOT passed the MFi certification for accessories - in other words, hobbyists and small vendors will now have a way to build low-volume bluetooth accessories without the high cost of joining the MFi program.

So, I'd rather bring the audio out over the connector and leave Bluetooth open for some other custom BT accessories for talking to the ECU/CCU/whatever. Just my opinion though :redface:

 

[TURBO2GO]

I agree.

 

[Tai]

Any creative thoughts on installation placement options?

 

[bngl3rt]

Any creative thoughts on installation placement options?

I want it flush inside the console, TURBO wants it removable (and rotatable, IIRC). So you'll see two approaches

 

[Tai]

Is a modified navpod or alternate navpod location option out of the question? If integration in the console works as well as the mp4 or 918 or be interested.

 

[bngl3rt]

Is a modified navpod or alternate navpod location option out of the question? If integration in the console works as well as the mp4 or 918 or be interested.

Probably, since it's 7.9" and the navpod maxes out at 7.4 IIRC.

TURBO is all about simplicity and reliability but I find myself inspired by the interiors of the Tesla Model S and the McLaren as you mentioned... I'd love to buy a spare CCU and build a simple bluetooth control circuit for it so someone with more graphical talent than I can make a gorgeous CCU control app for the iPad.

 

[TURBO2GO]

Hey don't let me stop you. The more options the better. But I don't want to rebuild the car. I have a low miage 2005, it'd be different if I had a high mileage 1991. I need to preserve the car and not do things that take away from its value. I am not keen on cutting my factory console.

I do understand the value of a permanently mounted iPad mini.

I don't like the navpod location even if it fit. It's not ergonomic. It's a long reach.

 

[bngl3rt]

Hey don't let me stop you. The more options the better. But I don't want to rebuild the car. I have a low miage 2005, it'd be different if I had a high mileage 1991. I need to preserve the car and not do things that take away from its value. I am not keen on cutting my factory console.

Definitely not cutting my factory console. Buying an uncut unpainted one from SoS or used. OEM stuff is all going in a box in the garage in case I want to ever put it back.

I tried to preserve the car's value, but then some asshole crashed into it. Title's still clean, but frame had to be pulled, so so much for that I guess.

 

[TURBO2GO]

SOS console is not a factory fit. Just FYI. There is no aftermarket console that fits like a factory one. The Dali one is complete junk.

 

[Malibu Rapper]

Instead of trying to adapt a tablet to be a car stereo, you might think about buying a head unit that puts the functionality of your tablet or phone on the stereo. There's something out right now and on the horizon called MirrorLink, sorry Apple users, but it's a standard of linking your phone to your headunit. Read about it here and you can save time shoving rectangular pegs into triangular pods. If you care about your sound quality and kludgy installations, this is the way to go... Sony already has a few units out, Alpine and the greater will be out soon...

 

[bngl3rt]

SOS console is not a factory fit. Just FYI. There is no aftermarket console that fits like a factory one. The Dali one is complete junk.

I'll have to get a used OEM one to chop up then.

 

[TURBO2GO]

Instead of trying to adapt a tablet to be a car stereo, you might think about buying a head unit that puts the functionality of your tablet or phone on the stereo. There's something out right now and on the horizon called MirrorLink, sorry Apple users, but it's a standard of linking your phone to your headunit. Read about it here and you can save time shoving rectangular pegs into triangular pods. If you care about your sound quality and kludgy installations, this is the way to go... Sony already has a few units out, Alpine and the greater will be out soon...

Where have You been?

Mailbu they've all been clunkers to date. From mimics to a problematic app radio, not a single unit on the market ever was what I would call fully functional, nevermind well-designed.

Are the new ones better? Yeah... But that doesn't mean good. I don't know I haven't looked at them close enough but if you're telling me they have no apple support that's a red flag right away.

You think an iPad mini is a bad idea but which one of these radios and all it's adapters is $350, doesn't need a modified console, and weighs .6 pounds?

Your link goes to my thread BTW.

 

[Malibu Rapper]

Where have You been?

Mailbu they've all been clunkers to date. From mimics to a problematic app radio, not a single unit on the market ever was what I would call fully functional, nevermind well-designed.

Are the new ones better? Yeah... But that doesn't mean good. I don't know I haven't looked at them close enough but if you're telling me they have no apple support that's a red flag right away.

You think an iPad mini is a bad idea but which one of these radios and all it's adapters is $350, doesn't need a modified console, and weighs .6 pounds?

Your link goes to my thread BTW.

I'm still here Dave!

This is not AppRadio. This is a mirror of your phone. If you can mirror the phone and controls, you can make it fully functional. It would be like remote desktop/Citrix/VNC. Ties to music or videos if you want to read off a file system is something everyone can do these days. It works with Nokia Symbian and Android and it's an attempt to make a standard. But the premise is solid and with a few good onboarders like Alpine, Sony, JVC, Mercedes Benz, others should follow. Forcing apps to run on headunits is just a formula for incompatibility.

You try to put a tablet in the place of a head unit you lose a lot of basic functionality and have to re-engineer how things turn on, dim, control amps, output signals, etc. Everything is a workaround. You get something from a reputable car audio manufacturer and they've got the basics down solid. How many of those upstart Chinese head unit manufacturers have basic problems with power supplies and SNR? The answer is all of them. That's why it's a good idea to buy car stereos from reputable car stereo manufacturers. But the problem is the car stereo manufacturers are not sophisticated enough innovate at the levels of phone manufacturers.

So you get a source unit that is compatible with existing car specific hardware but has the ability to keep up with your phone. Car specific hardware is an important thing to consider. I don't think that crappy little GPS sensor in a tablet can compare to the car units. Or how about if you turn on your CD/DVD player and you want your antenna to go down like any basic head unit you will install will do? Or turn on your amps? You'll have to find a workaround be it a fixed antenna, switch, relays, etc. What if you want to listen to Sirius or HD Radio?

There's a lot of great equipment outside of the car environment you can adapt to work in the car. But I like car equipment for cars.

 

[TURBO2GO]

So what's the best one?l are they using the same resolution as the phone screen? I see all sorts of hurdles. I see something very complex.

 

[bngl3rt]

You try to put a tablet in the place of a head unit you lose a lot of basic functionality and have to re-engineer how things turn on, dim, control amps, output signals, etc. Everything is a workaround. You get something from a reputable car audio manufacturer and they've got the basics down solid. How many of those upstart Chinese head unit manufacturers have basic problems with power supplies and SNR? The answer is all of them. That's why it's a good idea to buy car stereos from reputable car stereo manufacturers. But the problem is the car stereo manufacturers are not sophisticated enough innovate at the levels of phone manufacturers.

Dave's system includes a Rockford Fosgate 3sixty.3 processor - definitely a reputable piece of car audio hardware that can replace a lot of head unit functionality including source selection, volume control, amp power control. Really the processor is the center of the system - the tablet is just a source.

I was thinking about how to lock/unlock an iPad whose lock button is hidden away inside the center console. It just hit me - it also looks for magnets in the Smart Cover as it unlocks automatically when the cover is opened, and locks when it closes. So a small electromagnet mounted in the right spot will do the trick.

There is now an app-quitting multitouch gesture you can enable so you could even hide away the home button as well. I probably won't do that, though. No other way to activate Siri as far as I know.

 

[bngl3rt]

And what do you know, the iPad mini is 5.3 inches wide and the 3sixty.3 is 5.02 inches wide (although it is about three inches taller).

So, maybe the 3sixty can live inside the center console directly behind the iPad! I'm sure there isn't much empty space in there to begin with, and it's not clear how much you gain by removing the factory HU...

 

[Malibu Rapper]

So what's the best one?l are they using the same resolution as the phone screen? I see all sorts of hurdles. I see something very complex.

I'm waiting for the Alpine unit. The demos have been w/o the same resolution but it's certainly something you can scale, that's been available with this type of technology for some time. I don't see it as complex, it's built on existing technologies and working toward a standard. It uses VNC for the display and remote control technologies and any geek can tell you it's been around forever.

Here are some of the members:

The Car Connectivity Consortium is dedicated to cross-industry collaboration in developing MirrorLink™
global standards and solutions for smartphone and in-vehicle connectivity. Car Connectivity Consortium
members are among the world’s leading automotive, mobile communications and consumer electronics
industry companies, including Alpine, BMW AG, Daimler, Delphi, Fiat Group Automobiles, Ford, Fujitsu
Ten Corporation of America, General Motors, Garmin International, Harman, Honda R&D Co., Ltd., HTC,
Hyundai Motor Company, JVC Kenwood Corporation, KDDI Corporation, LG Electronics, Mitsubishi
Electric Corporation, Motorola Mobility, Nokia, Panasonic, Pioneer Corporation, PSA Automotive, QNX
Software Systems, Ltd., Renault SAS, Renesas Electronics Corporation, Samsung, Sony Corporation, Sony
Ericsson AB, Toyota, Volkswagen and many others.

 

[TURBO2GO]

Sounds like we are at least a couple of generations away from a standard and this product being viable. I just know this from experience. The auto world just can't keep up with the phone/tablet world. You wind up with a rather pricey car stereo that's old as soon as you've installed it,

Right now none of these work with apple as you said. So to a large populace, it is useless.

Bngl3rt is right... The radio should only be a source. Things that handle integration like amps and 12V triggers, volume, tone, preamp source selection should be handled by a separate preamp processor. These two items need to be separate so the source can be quickly changed without revamping the whole system. IMO car stereo manufacturers are in a bad spot.

 

[Malibu Rapper]

Sounds like we are at least a couple of generations away from a standard and this product being viable. I just know this from experience. The auto world just can't keep up with the phone/tablet world. You wind up with a rather pricey car stereo that's old as soon as you've installed it,

The products are already here and viable. There are people using them. There's really not much of a challenge here, all the technologies exist and they work. They don't have to keep up with phones and tablets because all they have to do is provide VNC like control of your phone and move the audio and video back and forth. I think you're not understanding the tech involved.

Right now none of these work with apple as you said. So to a large populace, it is useless.

Apple doesn't jump onto standards right away. They might just make up their own.

Bngl3rt is right... The radio should only be a source. Things that handle integration like amps and 12V triggers, volume, tone, preamp source selection should be handled by a separate preamp processor. These two items need to be separate so the source can be quickly changed without revamping the whole system. IMO car stereo manufacturers are in a bad spot.

This is pie in the sky thinking, that's not the way things are done in the car world. It's been this way since Hector was a pup and it won't change anytime soon.

 

[NetViper]

I think the autoworld is going to change quickly over the next year as Blackberry rolls out BB10 in all the cars that use QNX (which is most of them). Look for apps that run in your car and all kinds of cool stuff. I can't wait!

http://www.theverge.com/2012/1/11/2700579/qnx-equipped-porsche-carrera-car-2-platform-video

And that is a year old. Looking forward to what they are doing now.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4qNsTm6opK8

This is the newest:

http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/19/qnxs-watson-connected-porsche-911-hands-on/

 

[bngl3rt]

Back on topic...

We assume it's going to fit, but is it going to be a tight fit? I decided to find out.

Using a picture I found here on prime, and the knowledge that standard double DIN faceplates are 7" x 4"...

You can see it's a tight fit either way. Landscape might not work at all with the lightning connector sticking out of the bottom. Portrait is going to cover the entire ashtray area so the 12v socket will need to be relocated if it's supposed to be useful.

 

[bngl3rt]

I suppose one could always move/delete the CCU... but that's a pretty involved modification IMHO.

Put the CCU in the glove box or the gun box and build a bluetooth circuit to control it from an iPad app? Doable, but annoying...

 

[TURBO2GO]

If it's on the surface like I suggested, and able to rotate and pull off, there is enough room.

 

[bngl3rt]

If it's on the surface like I suggested, and able to rotate and pull off, there is enough room.

But then you have an lightning cable poking out somewhere when it's removed... it won't exactly "look factory"