DIY: Touchscreen Android Unit in Car on Shoestring Budget


Thread Starter #1
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Requirement: To have a touchscreen android unit in car

Options considered:
1. Android HU. I didnt want to spend too much money since i am not a music buff and needed the display mainly for viewing data from OBD.
2. Tablet mount available online: Most of these were suction mounts on glass/dashboard which affect the visibility.
3. I was OK with slight loss of aesthetics as long as it did'nt look downright ugly.
4. Already had a spare Nexus 7 lying around so decided to use that.

Items needed:
1. Some wooden/plastic blocks
2. Sandpaper for wood
3. Velcro
4. 3M double sided Tape
5. 30 minutes

IMG_20170715_171357.jpg

Getting Hands dirty? Not really!
Went around neighborhood and bought item 1,2,3 from different shops. Since the quantity needed was tiny, none of them asked for money. Had I bought from from one shop, I might had to pay something

1. Get the wooden blocks sanded properly. Make sure that the height is more than the central ON/OFF+Volume knob. As of now I have just stuck two blocks with 3M tape (one onto another) but will replace them with a single block once I find time. Also the length of the block should be such that it has enough contact area on HU for holding weight of Tablet.

2. Cut required length of Velcro and stick it on wooden blocks as well as either ends of tablet. I have kept soft strip on tablet and hard on wooden block. Measure the distance between two blocks and match it with Velcro on tablet.

IMG_20170718_162631.jpg

These pics were taken before the blocks were sanded. Now they are silky smooth!

Ideally I wanted the blocks to be slightly nearer but this is the only flat place I could find.

IMG_20170718_162638.jpg

3. Thats it, job done! clap:

IMG_20170718_172102.jpg

IMG_20170718_165530.jpg

So now I get all readings from Torque pro without using my mobile. I also have a TANTRA bluetooth receiver connected to N7 and I can watch movies or listen songs while the sound gets routed to car audio. I cannot use it to make calls since my N7 does not have simslot. Doing a workaround to fix this.

The tablet does not vibrate/shake even on bad roads. One of the reasons for using Velcro and two blocks of wood with 3M tape. All have good dampening. One issue I am facing right now is to access volume knob when tablet is mounted. I am mitigating that by using volume options on tablet.

So thats it guys. I know many have done it much better but this is sufficient for me. Total cost? About 4 inches of 3M tape!!
 
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Congratulations !!!!!! what an Idea and by reading this I got the new idea to use my small clock on my dashboard. because I was worrying how to take out the small clock for changing the batteries.

But instead of using wood piece, I shall use some thick cardboard. I have all the items such as double sided tape, velcro with me.

Regards
 

kkn13

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Id like to add, a large phone like the Mi Max etc is a great alternative to using a tablet since there arent any good budget tablets in the market today
Mi Max has 64gb and 128gb variants and is pretty large for a phone with thin bezels making it easy to install in a dash install

Im personally using a Moto G5 Plus but I have used A7000 and A2107-H before

For Bluetooth, Sony SBH-20 is an excellent choice and has its own mic too
It supports dual device so you can pair 2 phones/tablets

For Aux, Portronics Braided aux is great
 
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Id like to add, a large phone like the Mi Max etc is a great alternative to using a tablet since there arent any good budget tablets in the market today
Mi Max has 64gb and 128gb variants and is pretty large for a phone with thin bezels making it easy to install in a dash install

Im personally using a Moto G5 Plus but I have used A7000 and A2107-H before

For Bluetooth, Sony SBH-20 is an excellent choice and has its own mic too
It supports dual device so you can pair 2 phones/tablets

For Aux, Portronics Braided aux is great
Hello kkn13, It looks like you are one of the experts in using Mobile phones.

May I request you to have a look at page no 53 of the Thread "What's Hot in Mobile Phone Industry?" where I posted a query to buy a reasonably priced Mobile phone and asked few questions.

Appreciate your suggestion/ guidance.
Thanks in Advance.
 

kkn13

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Hello kkn13, It looks like you are one of the experts in using Mobile phones.

May I request you to have a look at page no 53 of the Thread "What's Hot in Mobile Phone Industry?" where I posted a query to buy a reasonably priced Mobile phone and asked few questions.

Appreciate your suggestion/ guidance.
Thanks in Advance.
Sure Ill take a look [:)]
 
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Hi Akshay,
Kudos for this brilliant idea and thank you for sharing with us [clap]. Sorry to go off topic, May I ask the purpose of below gauges if you don't mind?
- Intake Pressure
- Timing Adv
- Intake Temperature
 
Thread Starter #7
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Hi Akshay,
Kudos for this brilliant idea and thank you for sharing with us [clap]. Sorry to go off topic, May I ask the purpose of below gauges if you don't mind?
- Intake Pressure
- Timing Adv
- Intake Temperature
Hi, Thanks! Actually I was comparing my car with friends Fiesta 1.6 to see if readings are different to troubleshoot performance issue. Technically you will have to google to know what those things are. I have very basic understanding of them. Is Tiago compatible with OBD readers?
 
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Hi, Thanks! Actually I was comparing my car with friends Fiesta 1.6 to see if readings are different to troubleshoot performance issue. Technically you will have to google to know what those things are. I have very basic understanding of them. Is Tiago compatible with OBD readers?
Not a problem, thanks for the update. Yes, Tiago also has a OBD port, here is one example of it's use to me: http://www.theautomotiveindia.com/f...go-petrol-xz-laymans-review-8.html#post514861.
 
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Great diy with velcro.
I was using a smartphone mounted on the dashboard to use the Torque app.
Worked like a charm. One problem I faced was overheating of the battery and subsequent drain of charge, because I have to park my car in the sun.
Read about a portable mobile charger exploding in a i20 couple of months back due to cabin temperature heating up the Li ion battery in some forum, and I removed the smartphone.
Just be cautious while the car is parked in the Sun as the car becomes a oven due to the greenhouse. Or take the tablet along with you.
Hope it helps.
 
Thread Starter #11
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Great diy with velcro.
I was using a smartphone mounted on the dashboard to use the Torque app.
Worked like a charm. One problem I faced was overheating of the battery and subsequent drain of charge, because I have to park my car in the sun.
Read about a portable mobile charger exploding in a i20 couple of months back due to cabin temperature heating up the Li ion battery in some forum, and I removed the smartphone.
Just be cautious while the car is parked in the Sun as the car becomes a oven due to the greenhouse. Or take the tablet along with you.
Hope it helps.
Hey, thanks. Exactly because of heating issue I used velcro. I carry tablet with me everytime I park in sun. Otherwise it stays in the glovebox. Does not get warm.
 
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Great DIY!!!
I feel that it is more useful than any touch screen provided Car companies.

I always used to think why people pay 60-70k extra for touch screen equipped car. This is a great demonstration that instead of build in touch screen with android play/apple play support, if car manufacture provide some way to attach your phone or apple i-pad, it would be more value for money and also much more useful (You may detach i-pad and use is outside car, also can easily update any app/OS).
 
Thread Starter #14
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Thanks. Actually whole point was to keep windscreen absolutely clear. I already have similar type of mounts :)
 

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