Very cool!
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My Cabin Technology Refresh Project (picture intensive!)
- Thread starter clean_green
- Start date
I looked into it further - bought and installed on my Nexus 7 and Nexus 4 - and found that while the texting part works, the phone call thing is basically just a remote control for your existing phone and it does NOT enable the audio of the call to come out of the Nexus 7. It does allow you to answer the call and you can use an existing BT headset. But if you have a headset, you really don't need an app on your tablet to answer the call...
Another alternative is to use a VOIP application, but then you're looking at mobile data, either through the Nexus 7 or using your phone as a WiFi hotspot.
Finally, the other alternative is to not make phone calls while driving, and concentrate on the road ;-)
Some of the reviews for that app were pretty critical, saying it was cool - when it works. I already have BT with the Grom so I can live with that. Being able to dial from the N7 would have been cool tho
Doesn't Google Now work on the Nexus 7?
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There is an icon for G now on the tablet but I'm not familiar with what it does. I'm new to android. Is it used for calls/texts?
Google Now allows you to control an Android device using only voice commands. Unlike Siri, you don't even need to touch your device. The new Motorola devices are taking further advantage of this by making their devices responsive even when off. You say, "OK Google, x-y-z" and it carries out the function. This makes it a truly hands free device. Not sure how well the Nexus 7 does (or doesn't) do this.
I'll have to experiment with it. Android 4.4 (kit kat) was just uploaded so it should work well.
Look at post #9 here. Makes the Nexus 7 turn on when power is applied. So if the battery drains and the unit shuts off, you won't need to push the physical power button.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1833120
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1833120
Interesting but doesn't that require the tablet to be rooted? I have been afraid to root mine because I didn't want to introduce any reliability issues. Do you or anyone following this thread have experience with rooting?
I went into developer mode and set my tablet to turn on the display when receiving a charge but when my tablet battery went dead before I got Tasker programmed correctly, a charge was not enough to boot up it back up. I had to use my "emergency access port" to depress the power button to get it going again.
No rooting required for this modification. You'll need to download the Android SDK to get the necessary tools of course. So now when my tablet receives power, it boots up. If it was already booted, the screen comes on. I have my developer options set to never go to sleep when power is connected, so between these two things my screen should never go dark when I don't want it to.
I rooted my tablet last night. There are a number of toolkits you can use to do this. I used this one: http://www.techspot.com/downloads/6304-nexus-root-toolkit.html which pretty much automates the process. I rooted mine because I installed an app which lets you shut down the tablet without using the power switch. So at least now I have the option of easily shutting down if I want.
I haven't got into Tasker much yet. The one thing I did do is have it enter Car Mode when it boots up. I did this by launching an app because I couldn't see from within Tasker a way to do it. Maybe you know of one? I wanted car mode because it disables the screen dimming feature. Not the screen off/sleep feature mind you, but the one where the brightness gets cut after a certain amount of time.
- - - Updated - - -
Oh and my Nexus 4 phone has been rooted since I got it a year ago with no issues
Thanks for all the info Do you lose anything when you root?
Do you lose anything when you root?
You might lose your warranty, which in your case is long gone anyway
There *might* be issues when applying OS upgrades but there are always tools and workarounds, it seems. The same toolkit I mentioned above also lets you "unroot" your device if you have any issues.
Another big reason to root? You can then use Titanium Backup which I understand can make an excellent backup of everything you've done in terms of configuration. Imagine having to redo all your Tasker work? Would be a big PITA.
There *might* be issues when applying OS upgrades but there are always tools and workarounds, it seems. The same toolkit I mentioned above also lets you "unroot" your device if you have any issues.
Another big reason to root? You can then use Titanium Backup which I understand can make an excellent backup of everything you've done in terms of configuration. Imagine having to redo all your Tasker work? Would be a big PITA.
I've been researching a similar setup. I am currently experimenting with a custom ROM, http://mehrvarz.github.io/nexus-7-usbrom/, which is based on Cyanogenmod which is very popular and stable. The USB ROM allows charging while having other USB devices attached, deep sleep, fixed install mode, etc. If you read the rootzwiki discussion for the ROM, there are many folks who have permanent in dash installs and fancy UIs. So far, the ROM has been stable and as advertised. I understand your caution in rooting. I've being running custom ROMs on various devices for a few years and you can experience difficulties; however, this particular ROM has a large following for this exact type of application. I would recommend the Nexus Root Toolkit at http://www.wugfresh.com/ if you decide to root (it is almost error proof). Keep in mind, you can always restore to factory when you have any trouble. Definitely make backups.
Clean_green,
Did you have any issues with the volume control? ICBW but it seems when I plug in my headphone jack, the Nexus goes to half-volume and I have to use the physical volume button to adjust. Won't be able to do that when it's in the car.
Did you have any issues with the volume control? ICBW but it seems when I plug in my headphone jack, the Nexus goes to half-volume and I have to use the physical volume button to adjust. Won't be able to do that when it's in the car.
No issues with the volume control in my setup. I set the volume control of my music player so that it approximately matched the volume of the FM radio stations but that was it. I don't recall setting the tablet volume at all.
I've had a request for more pics of the pod build up to show more detail. This is the plastic block that the aluminum tablet bracket screws to. It's 1/2" thick ABS, about 3" x 2". The three brass inserts are #10-32 thread
http://
Next, I layered strips of gray 3M VHB body tape to build up between the webbing inside the pod and also covered the back of the plastic block. I used 3 layers of tape but in retrospect, I should have used 4 for a better bond
http://
Here are the 2 pieces bonded together
http://
The bond was very good at the front edge (top of the pic) but at the bottom (nearest the bezel) I did not build up a sufficient thickness of tape to get a good strong bond. When I installed the aluminum bracket and tried to bend it a bit, the block started pulling up so I used JB Weld Steelstick to build up a fillet of epoxy around 3 sides of the bracket. A nuclear blast might be sufficient to remove it now :smile:
I don't have any pics of the aluminum bracket alone, but here is a good view of it in a early test fit. I later removed the OTG cable and USB hub for a different scheme:
http://
The bracket is .060" thick aluminum and proved to be too flimsy to give a quality, solid feel when touching the tablet screen so I 3D printed some 1/2" thick gussets and used more 3M tape to bond them in place. If I recall correctly, the bracket is a 115 degree bend angle:
http://
There's no flimsiness now :smile: Here's the finished housing with the JB Steelstick fillet:
http://
The Velcro strip at the bottom of the tablet is just added insurance.
I tried to get a good picture of where I mounted my power supply but it was really hard to take one that has a good reference point. The best I can describe the location is on the driver side transmission hump, just forward of the console and above the removable tray that has the foot well light. There is a flat surface there where the Velcro can get a good bond. When the foot well tray is installed, the power supply is invisible:
http://
You can't see it in this pic but the Grom unit is mounted in front of the white blower housing toward the passenger side. There is a cubby hole there where it will insert edgewise. There is no flat surface for Velcro to stick to so I used a piece of butyl rummer to stick it in place. Also visible here is the SoS modified harness adapter:
http://
http://
Next, I layered strips of gray 3M VHB body tape to build up between the webbing inside the pod and also covered the back of the plastic block. I used 3 layers of tape but in retrospect, I should have used 4 for a better bond
http://
Here are the 2 pieces bonded together
http://
The bond was very good at the front edge (top of the pic) but at the bottom (nearest the bezel) I did not build up a sufficient thickness of tape to get a good strong bond. When I installed the aluminum bracket and tried to bend it a bit, the block started pulling up so I used JB Weld Steelstick to build up a fillet of epoxy around 3 sides of the bracket. A nuclear blast might be sufficient to remove it now :smile:
I don't have any pics of the aluminum bracket alone, but here is a good view of it in a early test fit. I later removed the OTG cable and USB hub for a different scheme:
http://
The bracket is .060" thick aluminum and proved to be too flimsy to give a quality, solid feel when touching the tablet screen so I 3D printed some 1/2" thick gussets and used more 3M tape to bond them in place. If I recall correctly, the bracket is a 115 degree bend angle:
http://
There's no flimsiness now :smile: Here's the finished housing with the JB Steelstick fillet:
http://
The Velcro strip at the bottom of the tablet is just added insurance.
I tried to get a good picture of where I mounted my power supply but it was really hard to take one that has a good reference point. The best I can describe the location is on the driver side transmission hump, just forward of the console and above the removable tray that has the foot well light. There is a flat surface there where the Velcro can get a good bond. When the foot well tray is installed, the power supply is invisible:
http://
You can't see it in this pic but the Grom unit is mounted in front of the white blower housing toward the passenger side. There is a cubby hole there where it will insert edgewise. There is no flat surface for Velcro to stick to so I used a piece of butyl rummer to stick it in place. Also visible here is the SoS modified harness adapter:
http://
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Can you post a video of the n7 working in the pod like hands on you messing with it to see how it works
After living with the nav pod/N7 combo for a while now, I thought that I would update this thread. I still love it and am very happy that I did it but I have learned a few things.
Since I finished my installation, my FM radio reception has static that it didn't before. Initially, I thought that I must not have seated both of the antenna jacks sufficently but I wasn't too motivated to remove the console again to check it out. I have since learned that many of the high output 2.1 amp cigarette lighter power adapters, such as the one that I hardwired into my power supply package, are poorly shielded and cause static in the FM band. So, the lesson learned here is to spend the money to buy a high quality ciggy adapter that is properly shielded. You could probably get by with a budget adapter if you package it in a metal project box and ground that box. I am going to experiment with adding shielding to the outside of my plastic box to see if that does the trick but in the meantime, the I Heart Radio app works great for FM :smile:
I have also learned that the Torque app is awesome but it is a HUGE battery hog! It does not always shut down when told and will run the battery dead in 3 or 4 days while the tablet sleeps. More investigation is required here to find out how to get Torque to behave as it should. I am sure that rooting the tablet would help here.
So far, glare has not been a problem. I am sure that my dark tinted windows help with that so when the weather warms up and the targa top comes off, I may have to add an anti-glare screen protector.
The Grom pairs up with my iPhone effortlessly and phone calls and bluetooth music playback rock! I was startled when audio from the nav app (TeleNav - excellent app) that I have on my iPhone came through my speakers because it does not do that with the Alpine receiver that I have in my Prelude. The notifications are an annoyance though because the music mutes for 10 seconds or so every time that the iPhone alerts me to an email, text etc. I contacted Grom to see if anything could be done to alleviate this and they said the only thing would be to turn off notifications
The control buttons on my music player are really too small to use while driving so I wait until I stop to play with them. There is a setting in the Developer mode of the tablet that can be turned on that allows you to magnify an area on the screen with a quick triple tap. This enlarges the buttons to a more useable size and is quite handy.
Full brightness of the screen (255) is great for daytime but much too bright and distracting for night time driving. I have the Keepscreen app set up to keep the music player and nav app at full brightness when active but I minimize them until needed so that the screen will dim.
So, that's it for now but I'm sure that I will find some more things to pass along as time goes by.
Since I finished my installation, my FM radio reception has static that it didn't before. Initially, I thought that I must not have seated both of the antenna jacks sufficently but I wasn't too motivated to remove the console again to check it out. I have since learned that many of the high output 2.1 amp cigarette lighter power adapters, such as the one that I hardwired into my power supply package, are poorly shielded and cause static in the FM band. So, the lesson learned here is to spend the money to buy a high quality ciggy adapter that is properly shielded. You could probably get by with a budget adapter if you package it in a metal project box and ground that box. I am going to experiment with adding shielding to the outside of my plastic box to see if that does the trick but in the meantime, the I Heart Radio app works great for FM :smile:
I have also learned that the Torque app is awesome but it is a HUGE battery hog! It does not always shut down when told and will run the battery dead in 3 or 4 days while the tablet sleeps. More investigation is required here to find out how to get Torque to behave as it should. I am sure that rooting the tablet would help here.
So far, glare has not been a problem. I am sure that my dark tinted windows help with that so when the weather warms up and the targa top comes off, I may have to add an anti-glare screen protector.
The Grom pairs up with my iPhone effortlessly and phone calls and bluetooth music playback rock! I was startled when audio from the nav app (TeleNav - excellent app) that I have on my iPhone came through my speakers because it does not do that with the Alpine receiver that I have in my Prelude. The notifications are an annoyance though because the music mutes for 10 seconds or so every time that the iPhone alerts me to an email, text etc. I contacted Grom to see if anything could be done to alleviate this and they said the only thing would be to turn off notifications
The control buttons on my music player are really too small to use while driving so I wait until I stop to play with them. There is a setting in the Developer mode of the tablet that can be turned on that allows you to magnify an area on the screen with a quick triple tap. This enlarges the buttons to a more useable size and is quite handy.
Full brightness of the screen (255) is great for daytime but much too bright and distracting for night time driving. I have the Keepscreen app set up to keep the music player and nav app at full brightness when active but I minimize them until needed so that the screen will dim.
So, that's it for now but I'm sure that I will find some more things to pass along as time goes by.
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Sorry it took so long to get to this, but I now have a short video available. Forgive my shaky camera work and totally unscripted commentary :smile:
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G'Day clean_green
This is the best mod I've seen without ruining the look of the standard features.Great stuff
If you ever decide to have a working holiday you would be very welcome to come down under to create your master piece on my 91.And of course accommodation supplied
This is the best mod I've seen without ruining the look of the standard features.Great stuff
If you ever decide to have a working holiday you would be very welcome to come down under to create your master piece on my 91.And of course accommodation supplied
Thank you for your generous offer :smile: I would like to visit the land down under one day
Your Welcome . Just make sure you have a couple of lead weights to tie to your feet so you don't float into space.:redface:
Greg
Greg
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