Oskar
A2OC Donor
This project has taken a lot more time and effort than I expected, however I have made it more difficult than just a basic install, for reasons outline below.
EDIT: Before reading through this, you may want to go to the last line....
I had a Volvo electric, which had an Android based operating system and had standard apps such as Spotify and Google Maps, and I wanted to emulate that as much as possible. I also wanted to add other apps such as BBC Sounds (as my radio aerial suffers from the poor earth above the rear hatch).
This solution has given me what I was looking for.
I have broken the project down into a number of key areas as some folk may be interested in only some parts.
Mounting in the dash
This was perhaps the easiest part, but perhaps mainly due to the slightly low quality manner in which I performed it, and the subsequent low-spec result.
I wanted the tablet as high as possible so I can see and access it easily. Some have created some sort of mount using the square indent area on top of the dash, however I wanted it lower and less dominant. The only feasible place was exactly where the centre vent comes out, likely also taking up the cupholder space (I have no real use for these, as they are too small for bottles etc).
As it was initially a test, I purchased a second-hand centre vent to cut-up, and therefore I can restore everything back to original using the untouched vent at a later date.
The purchase of a cheap Dremel clone allowed me to cut away the various elements whilst leaving some bits to hold the tablet in place. This was a bit of a suck-it-and-see process, as I did not have a plan or sketch, just a bit of try-and-alter.
There is not a lot of width in the vent after the cutting, if you want to retain some structural integrity and not cut it into two pieces.
I also wanted to retain the shutter element in black, behind the vent, mainly to manage the airflow (on a set-it and leave basis), but also as a backing to hold the tablet when it is prodded. It needs to be really stable, but of course, cannot really be screwed to anything.
Again, this was a trial and error process. It is difficult to describe how this works, but it does, and you may note in the photos the small tabs I retained to hold the tablet on each side and the bottom.
It works well, and is extremely stable, albeit a little more ‘vertical’ than I would really want (which does help avoid reflections though).
The vent unit just slots back into the car, and retained by the 2 lower screws. No work required on the dash at all.
Note however, due to connection issues outlined below, I needed to take more out of one side resulting in the vent structure being broken. This still works well, but looks a bit shabby.
The only issue I have not yet resolved (but know how to) is to relocate the Hazard switch to the area below the climate control. This will just be a male and female connector and some sort of faceplate which will also hold my DRL switch.
Yes, the iPad gets hot and cold due to the airflow behind it, but I have not had any issues yet in operation.
Power and line connection
Apart from just the utility of the table itself, I wanted it to work as close as possible to cars that have such functionality factory fitted.
This means I wanted it to start and stop on the key and require as little ‘button pushing’ as possible.
I also wanted the best sound quality as possible for playing music, which really means line level connection to the amp.
I also wanted to keep the original Concert head unit (or perhaps a Concert II) and the pre-existing Bluetooth setup (Connects2). I also wanted my iPhone to work independently and in a very reliable manner.
Power. In order to have this turn off (and on) with the key I needed to have the power source from the head unit power. However, if this was direct, this would mean the tablet would be powered on whenever the ignition is on irrespective of the radio on/off state. Therefore, I needed a power source that was controlled by the head unit power on state. The usual amp and aerial ‘indicator’ feeds were not sufficient here, as they did not have the required voltage to power things. I researched using these trigger feeds and relays etc, but it was getting a bit silly.
I needed a switched 12v power from the head-unit.
I found this by using the switched 12v as shown in the photo. I just needed to add a pin into my connector and locate an earth. I then connected a twin USB out connector as per the photo, upon a recommendation somewhere on A2OC. Thanks!
This then powered my phone on a magsafe mount, and the tablet via standard USB to lightning cables fed behind the dash.
The tablet would then power on when the head unit was turned on by the key or head unit power button.
Powering off is catered for in the tablet section below.
Line In
I wanted to use the CD changer left-Right line in connectors. I have these connected in the head unit to the Connects2 Bluetooth, but there is a facility to connect what would be the original CD changer into the loom. I had the appropriate plug, however this was a no-go. Research indicated you need more than just the line level to make this work, and I could not find out what needed to be ‘faked’ to make the head unit think the changer is present and receive the line level input. You can buy adapters for this, but this was now getting a little silly, and another £60! If anyone knows how to connect this directly, I would love to know.
The alternative was a 3.5mm connection into the Connects2 unit. I know this works, and the quality is much better than A2DP Bluetooth. The only downside is you have to select CD2 each time you want to listen to audio from the tablet. However I can now have separate audio from my phone or the tablet. Bluetooth stream from the phone or line-in from the tablet.
Again, my personal preferences came into play here, as I did not want to use the headphone port on the tablet. This was mainly due to looks, but also very much to do with there is no room to actually insert the socket. A connection on the left for line out, and the right for power, would have really made a mess of the vent surround.
Connecting to the iPad is where things got a little difficult. I needed a very low profile lightning adapter that then connected to the 2 applicable connections, (Power and Line-in) and would allow the cables to be routed behind the tablet. I purchased a number of angled adaptors and they all had issues of some kind, mainly to do with not connecting the power reliably. I am not sure if my tablet lightning connector is a bit iffy, or the connectors were, but until I spent some real cash, (£15) and got a branded Maclocks item (from Poland!), It was not going to work.
This 180 degree item was ideal, and really good quality, even if the profile was larger than I wanted.
I utilised a Belkin Dual Lightning adapter and a genuine Apple Lightning to 3.5mm line-in. These have a good reputation as audio DAC’s even with their small size.
You can see how the angled adapter makes its presence known, and why I had to make a split in the vent surround, but it all works as it should.
Tablet and software set-up etc.
I wanted to use an iPad mini. An Android tablet may be just as good, or perhaps better, but my phone is Apple, and all my apps will now sync with the car.
I wanted a cellular model, as my experience with hotspotting shows it has real compromises. There are also times I may not have my phone in the car, and all this still needs to work.
A cheap 1p Mobile SIM makes this all work cheaply anyway.
I set all this up with an iPad Mini 2nd Gen. A £15 special, that proved it can all work.
However, I also wanted automation, which means at least iOS15, which means and iPad Mini 5th Gen at least. This also future proofs the solution, for a while anyway. £200 for the iPad.
With the newer iPad I can set shortcuts and automation to either sleep or shut down the ipad when turning off the head unit or taking out the key. Alas, the stupid Apple shortcuts require a key press to approve the shut down, but I am looking at alternatives, or there is talk they may change it in a future update.
The sleep works fine, however unless you drive a lot, or long, the iPad battery can discharge over time. I have also set it to stop playing whatever is on, so that I can come back to the same spot on a podcast etc. Almost like factory. Almost......
It all powers up automatically when the car is started (if the head unit power is on).
As it is a newer iPad, I can adjust icon sizes (still not able to be as big as I would like), and text size etc, and install widgets where appropriate. For example, my Google Maps app has a button for ‘Home’ and other favourites, so I just need to push one button and it opens Google Maps and sets the sat nav to Home. This works really well.
This is not intended as a ‘How to’, nor as a recommendation to anyone on what to do, but merely as an outline of the sort of issues I have faced.
It is nowhere near a best in class implementation, but it does work as intended, albeit a few more button pushes than I would like. Connecting the tablet directly to one of the new headless Bluetooth amps that are only available in the USA at the moment, would be a much more seamless solution, but that may need to wait until such solutions are available in the UK.
Matt
EDIT: 2 months later I had to take it all out. The main reason was the iPad position really interferred with the climate control, to the extent that I lost cold air on long trips (just when you need it!).
I should think the temp sensor was reporting very cool, when the car and airflow was not.
One could divert the airflow etc, but that would mean altering the dash, and I don't want to go there.
If the headunit space was utilised, then it may work, but I await the UK sales of the bluetooth headless amps as you get in the USA.
Also, I never resolved the interference issue. I have a Solvakian CD Changer emulator on the way, which may help, but that is for another day.
I still think there is merit in this, but it needs a more thought through install.
Back to rubbish quality A2DP streaming from the phone and no big screen sat-nav.
EDIT: Before reading through this, you may want to go to the last line....
I had a Volvo electric, which had an Android based operating system and had standard apps such as Spotify and Google Maps, and I wanted to emulate that as much as possible. I also wanted to add other apps such as BBC Sounds (as my radio aerial suffers from the poor earth above the rear hatch).
This solution has given me what I was looking for.
I have broken the project down into a number of key areas as some folk may be interested in only some parts.
Mounting in the dash
This was perhaps the easiest part, but perhaps mainly due to the slightly low quality manner in which I performed it, and the subsequent low-spec result.
I wanted the tablet as high as possible so I can see and access it easily. Some have created some sort of mount using the square indent area on top of the dash, however I wanted it lower and less dominant. The only feasible place was exactly where the centre vent comes out, likely also taking up the cupholder space (I have no real use for these, as they are too small for bottles etc).
As it was initially a test, I purchased a second-hand centre vent to cut-up, and therefore I can restore everything back to original using the untouched vent at a later date.
The purchase of a cheap Dremel clone allowed me to cut away the various elements whilst leaving some bits to hold the tablet in place. This was a bit of a suck-it-and-see process, as I did not have a plan or sketch, just a bit of try-and-alter.
There is not a lot of width in the vent after the cutting, if you want to retain some structural integrity and not cut it into two pieces.
I also wanted to retain the shutter element in black, behind the vent, mainly to manage the airflow (on a set-it and leave basis), but also as a backing to hold the tablet when it is prodded. It needs to be really stable, but of course, cannot really be screwed to anything.
Again, this was a trial and error process. It is difficult to describe how this works, but it does, and you may note in the photos the small tabs I retained to hold the tablet on each side and the bottom.
It works well, and is extremely stable, albeit a little more ‘vertical’ than I would really want (which does help avoid reflections though).
The vent unit just slots back into the car, and retained by the 2 lower screws. No work required on the dash at all.
Note however, due to connection issues outlined below, I needed to take more out of one side resulting in the vent structure being broken. This still works well, but looks a bit shabby.
The only issue I have not yet resolved (but know how to) is to relocate the Hazard switch to the area below the climate control. This will just be a male and female connector and some sort of faceplate which will also hold my DRL switch.
Yes, the iPad gets hot and cold due to the airflow behind it, but I have not had any issues yet in operation.
Power and line connection
Apart from just the utility of the table itself, I wanted it to work as close as possible to cars that have such functionality factory fitted.
This means I wanted it to start and stop on the key and require as little ‘button pushing’ as possible.
I also wanted the best sound quality as possible for playing music, which really means line level connection to the amp.
I also wanted to keep the original Concert head unit (or perhaps a Concert II) and the pre-existing Bluetooth setup (Connects2). I also wanted my iPhone to work independently and in a very reliable manner.
Power. In order to have this turn off (and on) with the key I needed to have the power source from the head unit power. However, if this was direct, this would mean the tablet would be powered on whenever the ignition is on irrespective of the radio on/off state. Therefore, I needed a power source that was controlled by the head unit power on state. The usual amp and aerial ‘indicator’ feeds were not sufficient here, as they did not have the required voltage to power things. I researched using these trigger feeds and relays etc, but it was getting a bit silly.
I needed a switched 12v power from the head-unit.
I found this by using the switched 12v as shown in the photo. I just needed to add a pin into my connector and locate an earth. I then connected a twin USB out connector as per the photo, upon a recommendation somewhere on A2OC. Thanks!
This then powered my phone on a magsafe mount, and the tablet via standard USB to lightning cables fed behind the dash.
The tablet would then power on when the head unit was turned on by the key or head unit power button.
Powering off is catered for in the tablet section below.
Line In
I wanted to use the CD changer left-Right line in connectors. I have these connected in the head unit to the Connects2 Bluetooth, but there is a facility to connect what would be the original CD changer into the loom. I had the appropriate plug, however this was a no-go. Research indicated you need more than just the line level to make this work, and I could not find out what needed to be ‘faked’ to make the head unit think the changer is present and receive the line level input. You can buy adapters for this, but this was now getting a little silly, and another £60! If anyone knows how to connect this directly, I would love to know.
The alternative was a 3.5mm connection into the Connects2 unit. I know this works, and the quality is much better than A2DP Bluetooth. The only downside is you have to select CD2 each time you want to listen to audio from the tablet. However I can now have separate audio from my phone or the tablet. Bluetooth stream from the phone or line-in from the tablet.
Again, my personal preferences came into play here, as I did not want to use the headphone port on the tablet. This was mainly due to looks, but also very much to do with there is no room to actually insert the socket. A connection on the left for line out, and the right for power, would have really made a mess of the vent surround.
Connecting to the iPad is where things got a little difficult. I needed a very low profile lightning adapter that then connected to the 2 applicable connections, (Power and Line-in) and would allow the cables to be routed behind the tablet. I purchased a number of angled adaptors and they all had issues of some kind, mainly to do with not connecting the power reliably. I am not sure if my tablet lightning connector is a bit iffy, or the connectors were, but until I spent some real cash, (£15) and got a branded Maclocks item (from Poland!), It was not going to work.
This 180 degree item was ideal, and really good quality, even if the profile was larger than I wanted.
I utilised a Belkin Dual Lightning adapter and a genuine Apple Lightning to 3.5mm line-in. These have a good reputation as audio DAC’s even with their small size.
You can see how the angled adapter makes its presence known, and why I had to make a split in the vent surround, but it all works as it should.
Tablet and software set-up etc.
I wanted to use an iPad mini. An Android tablet may be just as good, or perhaps better, but my phone is Apple, and all my apps will now sync with the car.
I wanted a cellular model, as my experience with hotspotting shows it has real compromises. There are also times I may not have my phone in the car, and all this still needs to work.
A cheap 1p Mobile SIM makes this all work cheaply anyway.
I set all this up with an iPad Mini 2nd Gen. A £15 special, that proved it can all work.
However, I also wanted automation, which means at least iOS15, which means and iPad Mini 5th Gen at least. This also future proofs the solution, for a while anyway. £200 for the iPad.
With the newer iPad I can set shortcuts and automation to either sleep or shut down the ipad when turning off the head unit or taking out the key. Alas, the stupid Apple shortcuts require a key press to approve the shut down, but I am looking at alternatives, or there is talk they may change it in a future update.
The sleep works fine, however unless you drive a lot, or long, the iPad battery can discharge over time. I have also set it to stop playing whatever is on, so that I can come back to the same spot on a podcast etc. Almost like factory. Almost......
It all powers up automatically when the car is started (if the head unit power is on).
As it is a newer iPad, I can adjust icon sizes (still not able to be as big as I would like), and text size etc, and install widgets where appropriate. For example, my Google Maps app has a button for ‘Home’ and other favourites, so I just need to push one button and it opens Google Maps and sets the sat nav to Home. This works really well.
This is not intended as a ‘How to’, nor as a recommendation to anyone on what to do, but merely as an outline of the sort of issues I have faced.
It is nowhere near a best in class implementation, but it does work as intended, albeit a few more button pushes than I would like. Connecting the tablet directly to one of the new headless Bluetooth amps that are only available in the USA at the moment, would be a much more seamless solution, but that may need to wait until such solutions are available in the UK.
Matt
EDIT: 2 months later I had to take it all out. The main reason was the iPad position really interferred with the climate control, to the extent that I lost cold air on long trips (just when you need it!).
I should think the temp sensor was reporting very cool, when the car and airflow was not.
One could divert the airflow etc, but that would mean altering the dash, and I don't want to go there.
If the headunit space was utilised, then it may work, but I await the UK sales of the bluetooth headless amps as you get in the USA.
Also, I never resolved the interference issue. I have a Solvakian CD Changer emulator on the way, which may help, but that is for another day.
I still think there is merit in this, but it needs a more thought through install.
Back to rubbish quality A2DP streaming from the phone and no big screen sat-nav.
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