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I bet someone's regretting selling the ipod so soon. lol
2006 Audi A4 - In Dash Install
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LOL, nope. I do regret not ordering a better cable sooner though! Typical that it is scheduled to arrive on Thursday, I work from home tomorrow so could have swapped it out in the evening.I bet someone's regretting selling the ipod so soon. lol![]()
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I have a 2002 Toyota Celica. I have a double din opening, but the stereo is in that currently. I could move that elsewhere though if needed.
I'm still not sure how you have the Nexus secured down in there. It seems like it would just move around unless it was bolted/screwed down somehow. I could see a simple way of holding it in would be to make a box around it (all but the front) then a bezel to hold the front in place.
Wow, just found this. I think something like this would work perfectly for my setup.
http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2459432
My original stereo has been removed completely, does yours have an aux input that you plan to use with the nexus? I will try to get a picture later, but in my car there is an existing lip that the nexus leans against, and the bezel when snapped in, holds it securely in place.
I do like the box that the Impreza owner has, but for me it would be kind of pointless.
I do like the box that the Impreza owner has, but for me it would be kind of pointless.
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Ahh that makes more sense and is what I guessed. It must just be leaning against something then in those pictures where the bezel isn't on, or it is taped on the back.
I will have to pull my stereo out to see what fitment is like. I will probably have to transplant my stereo into the upper compartment like this example.
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The box in the impreza idea would likely work better for me because the Nexus wouldn't have anything to lean against with the stereo removed. I live the idea of using that snap in case to make it removable if needed as well.
I will need to keep my stereo since I am running a 3-way active setup with my component speakers. I planned upgrading my stereo to one with a USB input and using the Timur's USB Audio kernel to get the best sound digital sound from it.
I will have to pull my stereo out to see what fitment is like. I will probably have to transplant my stereo into the upper compartment like this example.
The box in the impreza idea would likely work better for me because the Nexus wouldn't have anything to lean against with the stereo removed. I live the idea of using that snap in case to make it removable if needed as well.
I will need to keep my stereo since I am running a 3-way active setup with my component speakers. I planned upgrading my stereo to one with a USB input and using the Timur's USB Audio kernel to get the best sound digital sound from it.
Here you go, the red line kind of shows where there is a lip for mine to sit against.
It's only a really small lip, but is enough to stop the Nexus from falling into the dash. I am sure once you get your stereo removed, you will likely see you have a similar lip. Most stereo's the face has a small lip on them. Also, don't forget the Nexus is wider than a typical double DIN head unit.
I drilled a larger hole today for my new USB cable (the hole is a mess as I had to use my Dremel, and there is 0 room to work there, especially as the tan piece to the right is a visible piece of the dash that I don't want to tear up):
What's annoying is that while USPS say my new cable has been delivered, it's not in my mailbox
Next thing I need to do is figure out a better way to make the Nexus sit flush against the bezel. I could tape it, but would prefer not to do that. In the first picture above, the blue box is around a piece that I glued some foam to, but it came off (I only used a small amount of glue). I may go this route again, the only other option is to try to fabricate some kind of hook system to the back of the bezel, but I am there is not much room on the back:
The advantage to making some kind of hook system though, is that it will likely hold the tablet nicely against the bezel, and make it a little easier for removal/installaiton. You can see in the bottom right of the bezel where I had to cut a section out, this kept pushing on the power / volume rocker when I was installing it in the car causing it to either end up muted, or power off.
I wish that cable were in my mailbox!! I might try to get things working in its current configuration at least for my drive to work tomorrow. Chances are I will get annoyed with it cutting out though, and give in.
Edit: So, just went down to the garage to take a look at things. Seems like I need a new OTG cable, I was looking at the male end of mine that would plug into the Nexus, and noticed it at a slight angle, if I touch it, I see it spark. Not sure if that's a result of it being a cheap Chinese cable, or the plug being pushed at an angle by the dash. Either way it means I am now having to find another OTG Y-cable, which I will be lucky to get before Monday. I may try to look inside at the pins, just to make sure there is not something that has fallen in there causing a short. But, at the same time am not sure I want to risk my equipment on it.
Thankfully I can use my phone to listen to music on the way to work and back.
Just got done taking a closer look at my OTG cable... yep, its trash. If I look at the piece that plugs into the Nexus, the pins are out of alignment. Here is a nice drawing to show what I mean:
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The top is what the pins in my OTG cable look like, the bottom is what they should look like. Nice and evenly spaced, not with them all shifted one over and the 5 pin squashed at the side. I am pretty sure now it's due to the stress that was being put on the cable from it being angled into the dash, the new cable that should have arrived today will take care of this.
What it does mean though is no progress until I get a new OTG cable. In the meantime I am thinking of pulling all the wiring out and re-doing it, I have one of these USB hubs:
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While it does the job, I feel like it's unneccessary clutter due to each female port having its own wire. I already have a new hub on the way like this one:
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When that gets here I am going to splice it into the power slightly differently (read more securely) and see if I can mount it to the side of the dash behind where the Nexus will sit. Since I have a big open hole in my dash I am thinking of also doing a bit of cable management, no real reason other than I don't like to have the rats nest behind there. If I am lucky, I should have everything I need again by next Monday. Fingers crossed (in case it was hard to tell, I am VERY impatient when it comes to waiting on things to be delivered).
The top is what the pins in my OTG cable look like, the bottom is what they should look like. Nice and evenly spaced, not with them all shifted one over and the 5 pin squashed at the side. I am pretty sure now it's due to the stress that was being put on the cable from it being angled into the dash, the new cable that should have arrived today will take care of this.
What it does mean though is no progress until I get a new OTG cable. In the meantime I am thinking of pulling all the wiring out and re-doing it, I have one of these USB hubs:
While it does the job, I feel like it's unneccessary clutter due to each female port having its own wire. I already have a new hub on the way like this one:
When that gets here I am going to splice it into the power slightly differently (read more securely) and see if I can mount it to the side of the dash behind where the Nexus will sit. Since I have a big open hole in my dash I am thinking of also doing a bit of cable management, no real reason other than I don't like to have the rats nest behind there. If I am lucky, I should have everything I need again by next Monday. Fingers crossed (in case it was hard to tell, I am VERY impatient when it comes to waiting on things to be delivered).
Yanked out the USB hub today, rewired the female USB to the DC regulator, and soldered 2 wires in place for my new USB hub. I had hoped it would arrive today, but tracking has not updated since the 19th (it should only take 3 days to get here from where it shipped). Fingers crossed that arrives tomorrow, i can then solder the power wires for that, my new OTG cable should arrive by Monday, and then I an back in business.
I also tried to create a hook to hold the nexus flush against the trim. It works on my bench, but we will see how it does in the car. I should have some more pictures Monday.
I also tried to create a hook to hold the nexus flush against the trim. It works on my bench, but we will see how it does in the car. I should have some more pictures Monday.
Got my new USB hub wired up today, what's odd though is that while driving the green led on the hub stays lit, but the orange led sometimes goes out on the USB DAC. I need to see if that is normal for the DAC though. Apart from that everything is working well, and my new OTG cable should arrive tomorrow.
New OTG cable arrived today, just did a quick test with it and everything is working perfectly. I did not leave the Nexus in the dash tonight as it's currently snowing and cold (yay Spring?). Tomorrow will be a bit of a test as I drive to work and back with it, if all works correctly then it's onto the next step of getting what I need in order to get my steering wheel controls back.
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Great news!
I'm trying to get my new WD 500Gb to work on the N7, but somehow I get the feeling it's not getting enough juice, as most of the times it doesn't remount after a sudden power loss. Ordered a dual power cable to see if that solves the problem. Oh well... patience is a virtue.
Good luck, I kind of toyed with the idea of adding a HDD, but I don't know that I really need that much storage. At least unless I figure out a way to send video to a remote screen (I saw your post about sending to another tablet, but I am thinking headrest mounted screens) and need the extra space for movies. I will keep an eye on your thread though to see if you get it working.I'm trying to get my new WD 500Gb to work on the N7, but somehow I get the feeling it's not getting enough juice, as most of the times it doesn't remount after a sudden power loss. Ordered a dual power cable to see if that solves the problem. Oh well... patience is a virtue.![]()
An update to my project... drove to work this morning, annoyingly about 2 minutes after pulling out of the driveway, the screen went off. Turns out I had been messing with Tasker while it was out of the car and screwed up my profiles (the tablet also did not turn off the display when I turned the engine off). So, at a gas station I popped the trim off and fixed Tasker, took care of that problem.
Next issue I ran into was that after turning the ignition off, when I then started the engine, the tablet did not recognize my USB hub. Another quick stop, reboot the tablet and it picked it back up. I should find out later if that was an issue with Tasker, or something else. I also discovered I need to rethink my way of holding the tablet flush to the trim piece, the hook I put on did not work (I suspected it would not hold). I think the best way is to glue something to the top of the opening in the dash, but I don't want anything too permanent as I need to return it to stock at some point in the future.
The other, and most annoying, headache I ran into was, polarized sunglasses. With them on I had to be looking directly at the screen, or it appears as if its off. I need to research if another screen protector will work better (I have a matt one on there, cuts out glare entirely). In a way its a nice safety feature, I can't see the screen while looking ahead, so its not a distraction. But, without steering wheel controls it's almost impossible to change the volume easily. Since I have a spare screen protector, I am tempted to remove this one, see if it makes a difference, and then make a decision on what do do, whether that be a different type of screen protector, or see if I can somehow angle the Nexus towards me (not likely to happen, as there is no room).
Once I iron out these couple of kinks, then I will 100% be adding steering wheel controls.
Driving home from work yesterday, I just had to deal with the polarized sunglasses issue. I need new sunglasses anyway, so will just get some non-polarized ones as that seems to be about the only option. I am still having the problem though that when I turn on the ignition again, the USB hub is not recognized until I reboot the Nexus.
One thing I can say though, is that the Nexus combined with the Sabre DAC absolutely blows my OEM head unit out of the water for sound quality. I am sure it is more the DAC than anything else, especially as the Audi Symphony units put out a flat signal. I could sit in the car listening to music all day long.
One thing I can say though, is that the Nexus combined with the Sabre DAC absolutely blows my OEM head unit out of the water for sound quality. I am sure it is more the DAC than anything else, especially as the Audi Symphony units put out a flat signal. I could sit in the car listening to music all day long.
Still sort of having issues with the USB hub not being picked up after power comes back on, what's odd is that it does not do it all the time. Yesterday I started the car 3 separate times, and each time the hub was picked up. Today, I start to leave for work, and it needed a reboot to be recognized.
I decided this morning that I need to rethink how to hold the Nexus flush to the trim, currently I am using this hook I glued to the back:
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However, it does not hold the Nexus flush and so there is a big gap along the side.
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Not only does it look annoying, it also makes it harder to touch some of the notifications that pop up. First thing I plan to do is make sure the piece the Nexus sits against is 100% flat. Then, I am thinking of either attaching some kind of elastic strap, or a velcro strap to the back of the bezel. I like this idea because when I either take the Nexus out, or put it in the car, once I pop off the bezel I have to kind of catch it from falling out the bottom. If I put a strap of some kind on there, that is tight enough to hold it flush, it will also prevent it from falling when I take that trim piece off.
I decided this morning that I need to rethink how to hold the Nexus flush to the trim, currently I am using this hook I glued to the back:
However, it does not hold the Nexus flush and so there is a big gap along the side.
Not only does it look annoying, it also makes it harder to touch some of the notifications that pop up. First thing I plan to do is make sure the piece the Nexus sits against is 100% flat. Then, I am thinking of either attaching some kind of elastic strap, or a velcro strap to the back of the bezel. I like this idea because when I either take the Nexus out, or put it in the car, once I pop off the bezel I have to kind of catch it from falling out the bottom. If I put a strap of some kind on there, that is tight enough to hold it flush, it will also prevent it from falling when I take that trim piece off.
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It seems like if you travel enough you could just leave the Nexus on in standby since they last quite awhile that way. You could then just let it charge once you get in the car again.
Post some more pictures on your solution to get it flush with the bezel once you get that done. I'm interested to see what you come up with. I have kind of held off on my N7 intall since the N7 v2 is soon to release and I am going to wait until it is a little warmer out to start working on the car.
Post some more pictures on your solution to get it flush with the bezel once you get that done. I'm interested to see what you come up with. I have kind of held off on my N7 intall since the N7 v2 is soon to release and I am going to wait until it is a little warmer out to start working on the car.
Will do, I am still trying to figure it out. I am sure once its done I will buy a new bezel since this one is getting kind of dinged up. At the weekend I cut the elastic out of some boxer shorts and glued that to the back. It seems to be working well, but one side is not quite as flush as I want, and the other side is not quite perfect either. The one thing I did notice is that the bezel has a very slight curve to it, so I am trying to decide whether to sand the lip down to try to eliminate the curve, live with a slight gap, or attempt to fiberglass my own bezel entirely.
The elastic does hold the Nexus snugly though. I had to pop the bezel off yesterday to do something behind the tablet, and it gripped it fine.
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Nice approach!!
I'm having the same problem: figuring out how to secure the tablet to the bezel.
This whole project has turn out to be much more difficult than I thought...
LOL ... I did not want to go hunt down elastic at a fabric store, especially if it might not work. This was freeNice approach!!![]()
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I'm having the same problem: figuring out how to secure the tablet to the bezel.
This whole project has turn out to be much more difficult than I thought...
I agree on the difficulty though, getting the basics working has been easy enough, its the fine tuning that is being a bit of a pain for me.
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Yep... it really is the fine tuning. Truth is I probably complicated the whole thing by wanting to throw the HDD in the mix but I really wasn't willing to pay the same for a 64Gb Flash Drive as I did for the 500Gb HDD. Really makes no sense to me.LOL ... I did not want to go hunt down elastic at a fabric store, especially if it might not work. This was free
I agree on the difficulty though, getting the basics working has been easy enough, its the fine tuning that is being a bit of a pain for me.
I'm hoping I will receive all the remaining pieces of the puzzle until next month but I really want to make all the installation (cables and stuff) prior to that.
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