Database Users

[NEW PROJECT] What is the perfect Android Head Unit? Make your dream come true

Hi there.
Long story short...
I got involved in a new project of Universal 2DIN Android Media Device.
The designers made their work and now theres 2 parralell ways of further development.
1. The definition of hardware. The new or some existing device. Screen resolution, processor, RAM, ROM etc... There are several firmware manufacturers in China that offer pure android 5.0
2. The User Interface.
{
"lightbox_close": "Close",
"lightbox_next": "Next",
"lightbox_previous": "Previous",
"lightbox_error": "The requested content cannot be loaded. Please try again later.",
"lightbox_start_slideshow": "Start slideshow",
"lightbox_stop_slideshow": "Stop slideshow",
"lightbox_full_screen": "Full screen",
"lightbox_thumbnails": "Thumbnails",
"lightbox_download": "Download",
"lightbox_share": "Share",
"lightbox_zoom": "Zoom",
"lightbox_new_window": "New window",
"lightbox_toggle_sidebar": "Toggle sidebar"
}
The plan is to use 7/8 inch full touchcreen with no buttons, no dvd.
Maby some functions that other devices dont have. Or the mix of most popular features from different devices?
3G support
DVR
rear camera
can bus
SWC (steering wheel control)
wi-fi+wi-fi hotspot
webcam for skype video calls
BT calls and conntact sync
companion app for phones with Music Folder sync and maby some kind of controll of the car
navigation
screen gestures for volume, playback controll without leaving the current app (e.g. navigation)
voice control
multiscreen
split view when needed (e.g. navigation goes to left and browser/ chat/ music player on the right)
OTA firmware update
cloud backup of the settings
So what are features that are nessesary in the NEW device?
What wolud YOU buy?
Leave the comments below.
Any ideas and help (software development/ firmware modification of future device) would be appriciated.
leave the links for your favourite Android Head Unit.

Build good hardware and open source everything

Bokomaru said:
Build good hardware and open source everything
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
what is good hardware for you?

playahate said:
what is good hardware for you?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Tough question. I've been working with the Newsmy carpad hardware for a bit now and they basically handle everything I personally need but there are some improvements that could be made on that.
A few things I can think of offhand I would improve on that hardware
The HU has a microphone but that is only available to the bluetooth interface on the head unit and is not passed to the android portion
Having multiple options for audio output
Being able to pass audio/video to and from the head unit to android. I suspect plenty of people would want to be able to send different video to remote monitors to show movies to the kids but not have them displayed on the head unit
The biggest advantage that we have with the Newsmy carpad hardware is that there were source leaks for the android code base so we have been able to do a lot of improvements ourselves. If we had access to the head unit code as well we could go a bit further

Thanks for the anwer. The main thing i dont like in Newsmy is android box. Not everybody like to have the additional device in the glove box...

@Bokomaru by the way, how important is 1920x1200 screen?
or the 1024x600 is good enough?

playahate said:
Thanks for the anwer. The main thing i dont like in Newsmy is android box. Not everybody like to have the additional device in the glove box...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For me Android Box is a great advantage of Newsmy. I can take box home and mess everything on TV screen sitting in the armchair using my BT keyboard and mouse. Cannot even imagine doing all this inside the car.

I would like to have the option of detaching a box from my car to work on it in the house. My unit doesn't have that and I have to do it all sitting on my driveway, but I'm not sure if tha twill be a big plus for regular users (not geeks like us). To me what these units need to improve on is the little details like the mic issue that @Bokomaru mentioned. Basically getting rid of the whole MCU side to keep everything accesible to Android.
One of the biggest gripes I have with m unit is that if I'm listening to the radio and I want to play something on PowerAmp I have to exit the radio app first and then go to PowerAmp and look for whatever I want to listen to because if I leave the radio app open in the background (so I can continue listening to it while I'm ready in PowerAmp) then I'll get both apps playing at the same time. This happens because of the way the MCU has direct access to the hardware without going through Android.

Optical output would make it an instant buy for me. I'd love to be able to run full lossless out to my DSP.

Actually, I would like physical buttons - at least for music playback. Volume up/down, Play/pause & next/prev would be enough - that would allow me to control the media playback without taking eyes off the road.

In my opinion, the perfect Android head unit could have been made by Parrot, the RNB6
So much very interesting features (such as front cam or OBD2 connector) and very nice interface
But production seems to be canceled.....

ant-11 said:
In my opinion, the perfect Android head unit could have been made by Parrot, the RNB6
So much very interesting features (such as front cam or OBD2 connector) and very nice interface
But production seems to be canceled.....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yeah. i like it too.
i think its not cancelled. they say its not for aftermarket coz theres a LOT of integration needed, depending of the car model, so they will be pre-installed in some cars.

The perfect head unit for me turns on instantly. All of these android head units take too long to turn on. Figure something out and you have my sale. I'm talking turn on as fast as my single din head units. The only reason I have a single din is because they are instant on.

starfox5194 said:
The perfect head unit for me turns on instantly. All of these android head units take too long to turn on. Figure something out and you have my sale. I'm talking turn on as fast as my single din head units. The only reason I have a single din is because they are instant on.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This could be done faily easily by just having a battery inside the unit. I'm actually surprised theses manufaturers haven't done it yet. Before I bought my headunit I used to have a tablet on a stand that I always kept plugged in to the car (I didn't use it for anything else) and I set it up to go to sleep when it stopped charging (meaning the car was off) and to wake up when it started charging again (meaning I had turned the car on again).
The car charger was crappy so the tablet ended up using more power while in use than it was receiveing from the charger, but this would be easily doable with a better charger so a headunit that's specifically been designed with this in mind shouldn't be difficult. It might be a little more expensive because of the added cost of the battery, but it shouldn't be much more.

starfox5194 said:
The perfect head unit for me turns on instantly. All of these android head units take too long to turn on. Figure something out and you have my sale. I'm talking turn on as fast as my single din head units. The only reason I have a single din is because they are instant on.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually while i've been searching all the information of all the possible devices, i've found the device that boots the android in 4 seconds. It was 1,5 years ago. Not the 4.4 but still...
They say there are many devices with this tech, but i didnt find real pictures on their site

Kriszilla said:
Optical output would make it an instant buy for me. I'd love to be able to run full lossless out to my DSP.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can use optical out already on the Huifeis and the Newsmys if you get a USB sound card.
---------- Post added at 10:01 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:56 PM ----------
JakubAnderwald said:
Actually, I would like physical buttons - at least for music playback. Volume up/down, Play/pause & next/prev would be enough - that would allow me to control the media playback without taking eyes off the road.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, youre right, its good to have a touchscreen and having no buttons looks cool, but in reality its much easier to use physical buttons when driving.
playahate said:
yeah. i like it too.
i think its not cancelled. they say its not for aftermarket coz theres a LOT of integration needed, depending of the car model, so they will be pre-installed in some cars.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ant-11 said:
In my opinion, the perfect Android head unit could have been made by Parrot, the RNB6
So much very interesting features (such as front cam or OBD2 connector) and very nice interface
But production seems to be canceled.....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If its cancelled then good - if its anything like their last effort it will be ridiculously over priced, highly restricted rubbish.
EVERY Android HU in the XDA Android headunit section can do OBD and front cam and have been able to for years.

If i would build a car radio for my BMW E46, i will use the following parts...
1: A Odroid ODROID-XU3/XU4 with: 64GB eMMC with androit 4.4.4 or Lolipop, usb gps modul (Ublox 6010 chipset), Bluetooth 3.0, USB Audio Adapter with stereo out and mic in, usb IEEE 802.11b/g/n 1T1R WLAN module with Antenna, Lithium primary battery to back up the Real Time Clock, DC Plug Cable Assembly 5.5mm. hardkernel.com
2: A Chalkboard Electronics 7" open frame universal HDMI LCD with IPS capacitive multi-touch, ambient light sensor , a bezel for your screen . chalk-elec.com
3: A 5-24V DCDC-USB Intelligent DC-DC Converter with USB Interface and Metal Enclosure by Mini-Box for the Odroid and the Chalke Electronics screen. http://store.mp3car.com/
4:A resler Ibus can for steering wheel control. reslers.de/IBUS/
5: A monkeyboard FM/DAB+, DAB antenna, the app from Googleplay
6: And of course a good amplifier for the sound (i already have)
It's quite expensive, but you will have the fastest android car pc on the market.

playahate said:
Leave the comments below.
Any ideas and help (software development/ firmware modification of future device) would be appriciated.
leave the links for your favourite Android Head Unit.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The Android Auto Headunit app I'm working on (see sig) makes me very interested in seeing nice hardware HUs.
I'm mostly targeting tablets at this point, but a hardware HU designed to be an HU can offer many advantages.
I've personally committed myself to working in the "connected car" space for the next few years at least. I'll be happy to try and help/enable anyone working on open source code and hardware for this.
Big HU companies and auto OEMs want to hold back features, and provide new ones every year to keep us on the upgrade hamster wheel. Example: None of the current aftermarket or auto OEM HUs are known to have Wifi. They will NOT be able to do Android Auto or Carplay over Wifi, despite that both seem imminent. (Wifi works with my HU app right now on Android Auto.)
Even IF some of those HUs have hidden Wifi capability, chances are low that it will ever be enabled in future firmware updates. Same thing is happening with Android Auto. Older HU and cars mostly will NEVER be retroactively enabled (despite that actually breaking some promises for at least one auto OEM). (I say mostly because Hyundai seems to be making retroactive upgrades possible for some cars. Props to Hyundai.)
My point is that open hardware and software will help enable retroactively adding features, without wasting money and filling landfills/garbage dumps with last years products.
(1) I'd love to see something as thin and compact as a tablet, but with power, USB and audio connections that are better than tablets offer.
(2) I'd also like to see something more traditional that is much deeper than a tablet, to hold more "stuff", but I think the concepts of CD's and DVD's are old enought that I'd prefer not to see support for them, meaning it doesn't have to be as deep as HUs with such support.
XDA user doitright has made a few posts on my HU thread about an HU he is building, and I've become rather interested in his thoughts. One such post here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=61988233&postcount=490 .
He is basing his HU on the Qualcomm design of a "96boards" called DragonBoard: https://www.96boards.org/products/ce/dragonboard410c/ . It's $75, supports Android 5.1, Linux based on Ubuntu and Win 10 support to come.
I REALLY, REALLY like that this is supported by Qualcomm and I think it's likely that it will support the latest versions of Android, shortly after Google release, probably for a few years at least, and at least to Android 7.x (IMO). It's built by Arrow, not Qualcomm though. The design is a reference design from Qualcomm.
There is an open "96boards" spec so other companies can easily build boards that follow the specs. There is also a HiKey board right now, so already there is competition. Qualcomm apparently has committed to ensuring boards based on their design are available for the next TEN (!) years, which is important to embedded system companies.
The idea that an HU could be abandoned after 1-2 years really annoys me. Being stuck on Android 4.x, as the popular Chinese HUs are now, also really annoys me.
Give me something that can run the latest Android versions for the next 2-3 years at least. Give me something like a 96boards design where I can easily upgrade the main board after a few years.

playahate said:
The plan is to use 7/8 inch full touchcreen with no buttons, no dvd.
Maby some functions that other devices dont have. Or the mix of most popular features from different devices?
3G support
DVR
rear camera
can bus
SWC (steering wheel control)
wi-fi+wi-fi hotspot
webcam for skype video calls
BT calls and conntact sync
companion app for phones with Music Folder sync and maby some kind of controll of the car
navigation
screen gestures for volume, playback controll without leaving the current app (e.g. navigation)
voice control
multiscreen
split view when needed (e.g. navigation goes to left and browser/ chat/ music player on the right)
OTA firmware update
cloud backup of the settings
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Beyond what I wrote above about 96boards and specifically the Qualcomm designed Dragonboard...
- Worry about hardware first. Software can be done and worried about later.
- Use open hardware supported by open software as much as possible. IMO this likely means forgetting about Chinese SOCs etc. and going with Qualcomm.
- Make it modular so we can add and change stuff in future ourselves.
- Start with the simplest and cheapest (but good quality) possible minimum hardware. Example: touchscreen + SOC board + power board + connectors for power in, USB, and low power analog audio output.
Modularity should mean that we can add as much as we like, whether we build it ourselves or it comes as add-ons from the vendor of the base HU. Maybe a row of physical buttons that can be added at bottom of display. Maybe an FM/HD etc radio board. Maybe a power amplifier with speaker level outputs. Maybe a USB hub add-on that allows flash-drives, cameras and phones to be attached for charging or Android Auto etc.

What's the perfect head unit
Mostly, it's quality components. I would pay $1000 for a device that had support, warranty, and quality components like solid capacitors and properly soldered ICs that are rated for high temperature changes
What new head units need are bug fixes not new features.
That said specs can still be improved
The RK3066 doesn't have enough performance, I would like something a bit newer
I'd like recent versions of software, and an interface that looks modern, the latest 4.4.4 units come closer, but still pretty far from ideal.
Screens have a lot of room for improvement. I would like good quality IPS screens at least 720p
The apps that make use of the MCU need a good redesign, while they look a lot like current gen pioneer interfaces, pioneer isn't known for having a fresh taste in design.
I think it's essential for any head unit to have these features
Rearview camera trigger
steering wheel control support
GOOD sounding FM radio (properly de-emphasized, no static)
capacitive glass screen of course
On paper, these head units sound great, but the execution needs a lot of work. Extensive QA/UX testing needs to be done, components need to be of a higher standard, and there needs to be better communication, and a way for a certain headunit to stand out from the mass of other ones on the market. Give it a name instead of a 3 letter designation, market it properly, and focus on one product for a longer period of time instead of move to new projects so quickly.

Pumpkin RQ0253?

Hello, I've recently purchased a new head unit from Pumpkin (RQ0253) and was wondering if anyone else had experience with this unit in terms of custom roms/rooting? I'm looking to possibly install a Malaysk rom. Any advice is appreciated. Specs below:
OS: Android 4.4 Kit Kat
CPU: RK3188 Cortex A9 Quad Core 1.6GHz
RAM: DDR3 2GB
Screen Resolution: 1024*600
MCU: 5703-20160222-135414-V01

Hi!
If i'm right you're talking about this device: http://www.autopumpkin.com/pumpkin-universal-7-inch-1024-600-touchscreen-quad-core-android-4-4-head-unit-2-din-with-2gb-ram-32gb-nand-memory-support-screen-lock-av-output-gps-obd2-wifi-3g-steering-wheel-control.html
I'm wondering how is the audio quality of this device?
Thank you

I regret going with Pumpkin over Joying. Just letting you know.
Joying is already updating units to Android 5 while Pumpkin still hasn't.

zzEvilGeniuszz said:
I regret going with Pumpkin over Joying. Just letting you know.
Joying is already updating units to Android 5 while Pumpkin still hasn't.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for reply
but what Pumpkin unit do you have? Do you like audio quality? What about handsfree quality? How does unit work with navigation apps, phone calls and internet radio apps?
Thank you
BR

dima_vy said:
Thank you for reply
but what Pumpkin unit do you have? Do you like audio quality? What about handsfree quality? How does unit work with navigation apps, phone calls and internet radio apps?
Thank you
BR
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've the new with Parrot-BT. It is as bad as other units. Reason is simple, they still connect front and external mics in parallel.
Weather widget stopped working. They are still struggling to get a new one. Remember Pumpkin is just a reseller.

halloj said:
I've the new with Parrot-BT. It is as bad as other units. Reason is simple, they still connect front and external mics in parallel.
Weather widget stopped working. They are still struggling to get a new one. Remember Pumpkin is just a reseller.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for the info!
What exact model do you have?
Thanx
BR

dima_vy said:
Thank you for the info!
What exact model do you have?
Thanx
BR
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
259

halloj said:
259
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So this is the unit: http://www.autopumpkin.com/pumpkin-...t-dab-mirrorlink-aux-output-obd2-wifi-3g.html
But if it's only these 2 bad things - microphones and weather widget? Is there no possibility to disable the internal microphone? You unit has only 1GB of RAM. Don't you think that the unit with 2GB of RAM will work better?
How is the quality of the music you play via this unit?
I'm asking all these question because i'd like to buy the HU such Clarion or Pioneer, but there is no such unit which will be Android base Like there are Sony TV for example, working on Android

dima_vy said:
So this is the unit: http://www.autopumpkin.com/pumpkin-...t-dab-mirrorlink-aux-output-obd2-wifi-3g.html
But if it's only these 2 bad things - microphones and weather widget? Is there no possibility to disable the internal microphone? You unit has only 1GB of RAM. Don't you think that the unit with 2GB of RAM will work better?
How is the quality of the music you play via this unit?
I'm asking all these question because i'd like to buy the HU such Clarion or Pioneer, but there is no such unit which will be Android base Like there are Sony TV for example, working on Android
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, I've other units with 2 GB I can't find any difference. Go ahead and buy the Pioneer which has similar to android auto and you can run all your
apps from the phone. The only problem for me is that it's too expensive.
Sounds like all the rest, no high fidelity that's for sure. The only way to get all these units fair is to perform the mods. BT-mod and sound mod. You say, bad BT only.
Well if you can't use it in your car it's worthless. I've tried all the different ways, only front, only external, only front modified with external mic and so on. No improvement compared to the BT-mod.

halloj said:
Well, I've other units with 2 GB I can't find any difference. Go ahead and buy the Pioneer which has similar to android auto and you can run all your
apps from the phone. The only problem for me is that it's too expensive.
Sounds like all the rest, no high fidelity that's for sure. The only way to get all these units fair is to perform the mods. BT-mod and sound mod. You say, bad BT only.
Well if you can't use it in your car it's worthless. I've tried all the different ways, only front, only external, only front modified with external mic and so on. No improvement compared to the BT-mod.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Pioneer doesn't have android unit. The only way is to connect the phone with the cable, and i hate cables in the car Regarding the BT - yep, sounds like a problem...

dima_vy said:
Thank you for reply
but what Pumpkin unit do you have? Do you like audio quality? What about handsfree quality? How does unit work with navigation apps, phone calls and internet radio apps?
Thank you
BR
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you want my brutally honest opinion, don't buy a Chinese Android head unit. Spend a little more for something else.

zzEvilGeniuszz said:
If you want my brutally honest opinion, don't buy a Chinese Android head unit. Spend a little more for something else.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'd like☺, but i want to get unit, that can can run Waze and Internet radio. Till now I didn't find such unit... For some reason well known companies don't use android in audio devices... Any ideas?

dima_vy said:
I'd like, but i want to get unit, that can can run Waze and Internet radio. Till now I didn't find such unit... For some reason well known companies don't use android in audio devices... Any ideas?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I thought the same way until I actually spent the money for one. They are not reliable. The Android OS on them are dinosaurs. Constant crashes. If you do not upload a custom rom the crashes will only get worse.
My advice, get the pioneer Android auto unit (dont know exact model) and have it mirror your phone. Then run waze and whatever off your phone instead.

dima_vy said:
I'd like, but i want to get unit, that can can run Waze and Internet radio. Till now I didn't find such unit... For some reason well known companies don't use android in audio devices... Any ideas?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, Blaupunkt does.

halloj said:
Well, Blaupunkt does.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanx! Looks interesting, but as i see i doesn't have google apps, so there is a problem to install applications... At list out of the box... I think that better way is to wait till someone else will start with Android based device. like Sony doing with TV...

did anyone ever get the Pumpkin 12-RQ0253-US-A ? it's one of the few I see with 2 gigs of RAM

CadillacMike said:
did anyone ever get the Pumpkin 12-RQ0253-US-A ? it's one of the few I see with 2 gigs of RAM
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I got this head from Ali (I cannot post links yet, you can find it by "RQ0253+Y0801" keyword) and installed it a few days ago. Works fine, but it doesn't have a bluetooth host - you cannot connect bluetooth devices to it. You only can pair media bluetooth from your phone and cast calls and music to the head. This is pretty disappointing. I wouldn't order this head if knew that before. Haven't installed rear camera yet, maybe there are more surprises awaiting.
Sound quality is OK to me (I'm not an audiophile), a device is pretty responsive. 32G is plenty of space for apps, plus 2 SD cards for music, plus 2 (potentially, 3) usb ports.
I will post more feedback when test it closer.
Feel free to ask if you have any specific questions.

talaman said:
I got this head from Ali (I cannot post links yet, you can find it by "RQ0253+Y0801" keyword) and installed it a few days ago. Works fine, but it doesn't have a bluetooth host - you cannot connect bluetooth devices to it. You only can pair media bluetooth from your phone and cast calls and music to the head. This is pretty disappointing. I wouldn't order this head if knew that before. Haven't installed rear camera yet, maybe there are more surprises awaiting.
Sound quality is OK to me (I'm not an audiophile), a device is pretty responsive. 32G is plenty of space for apps, plus 2 SD cards for music, plus 2 (potentially, 3) usb ports.
I will post more feedback when test it closer.
Feel free to ask if you have any specific questions.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i would like to see pics if you get the chance

I got this unit, too. I flashed joying update file and now it doesn't get pass the android logo. On top that, when I boot into recovery, unable to load. I'm sending this unit back and will be getting Carjoying.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gBuOQByUfTI

CadillacMike said:
i would like to see pics if you get the chance
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Okay, some impressions:
Pros:
- Device is fast. It lags a bit only during software update, as any android does
- Screen is bright. Map and navigation are clearly visible under direct sunlight right into the screen.
- Surprisingly usable pre-installed offline navigation (iGO). Interface is ugly, but in general it is ok
- 32 gig is a lot of space. SD card is needed only for music
- Sound via bluetooth is good
Cons:
- Bluetooth is limited by regular speakers/headset. I cannot connect any device to the head unit, I can only cast music and phone calls from my phone and that's all. Android just doesn't see any bluetooth adapter in the system. I can make calls using special application, sound from the phone just play when it's connected. Only one phone can be connected at the same time.
- Internal sound is very bad. I'm not an audiophile, but I've tried to play the same song from the soundcloud app from my phone via bluetooth and then from the head directly. I will probably never play music from the head unit, it is awful. Same for music from files on flash drives/sd card
- Screen frame is quite high, so I can't see some google maps interface elements (miles to next turn, top left corner)
- There's 2 mm gap between the unit and my Nissan's dash cover in the bottom. I will handle this later.
- Bad screen sensitivity in the lower part of the screen, some Ok/Cancel buttons are not responsive while installing software. Maybe, because of android lags. In the maps application touchscreen works fine everywhere.
- Android 4.4 interface is ugly to me. I'd prefer 5.
Conclusion: DO NOT BUY IT, unless you know what you are doing. Limited bluetooth looks a deal breaker to me. None of my 2 bluetooth adapters worked with the android. And without full-featured bluetooth I can't connect OBD2 and set up screen mirroring.
I'll try to send it back, but it might be too expensive and not worth it. Anyway, I keep searching for unit with good sound and full featured bluetooth (and bigger screen resolution, but I haven't seen such units so far)
I haven't attached rear camera yet. I will update this post as soon as I do.
Some pics I made (There's more of them, but I cannot attach links yet, you can add this to photos.google.com, sorry for inconvenience /share/AF1QipMkaPjBvN0gqef5SaFPDg6Br1xbnD1f1sstcIQLxlawDkqPAKsWE5ZQ3tJ1b-0F0g?key=M2NJd3FDQTFIMnBfRGF5c05RUEt3bXdKZGlMRzhn):
{
"lightbox_close": "Close",
"lightbox_next": "Next",
"lightbox_previous": "Previous",
"lightbox_error": "The requested content cannot be loaded. Please try again later.",
"lightbox_start_slideshow": "Start slideshow",
"lightbox_stop_slideshow": "Stop slideshow",
"lightbox_full_screen": "Full screen",
"lightbox_thumbnails": "Thumbnails",
"lightbox_download": "Download",
"lightbox_share": "Share",
"lightbox_zoom": "Zoom",
"lightbox_new_window": "New window",
"lightbox_toggle_sidebar": "Toggle sidebar"
}

2012 Chrysler town and country

hi, I have a 2012 Chrysler Town & Country with the touchscreen stereo but it does not have navigation. I was thinking to get one that has navigation but I'm not impressed with the features from the OEM stereo.
I have searched and cannot find any head unit that is specific to this vehicle. Does anyone know what it would take to install a universal android head unit in my Town & Country?
My vehicle has the steering wheel control and the CAN bus.
I really like the one from InDashNet.
Thanks in advance.
I've attached a few pictures of my current stereo connectors.

not sure about the universal, but I think that Chrysler used the same radio in Chrysler family (Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge) for that time frame.
you will probably need to look at your specific radio and see if it looks like one of these Jeep ones, whereas they look the same, but they mount slightly different:
Wrangler
http://www.roadnavi.com/product/m202-jeep-wrangler-media-satnav-2007-16/
Grand Cherokee:
http://www.roadnavi.com/product/m263-jeep-grand-cherokee-media-satnav-2011-13/
I have this Joying for my Jeep and love it:
https://www.carjoying.com/quad-core...for-jeep-dodge-support-mirror-link-wifi-.html

CadillacMike, Thanks for the reply.
Did that just fit into your Jeep, or did you have to splice any wires?

For my Jeep it was plug and play, and works like a champ. This is the harness that comes with the Joying. That purple looking box is the Canbus adapter that should keep your steering wheel controls working
{
"lightbox_close": "Close",
"lightbox_next": "Next",
"lightbox_previous": "Previous",
"lightbox_error": "The requested content cannot be loaded. Please try again later.",
"lightbox_start_slideshow": "Start slideshow",
"lightbox_stop_slideshow": "Stop slideshow",
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"lightbox_download": "Download",
"lightbox_share": "Share",
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"lightbox_new_window": "New window",
"lightbox_toggle_sidebar": "Toggle sidebar"
}
The gray module on the Joying clips right into the Jeep wiring harness
I also sold my old 430N for a decent price on eBay.
However, it is worth noting that I had the Jeep with the base audio system.
Got the same Joying for my buddy with a Jeep that had the premium alpine factory upgrade, and his amp and sub do not work right. So we are having to get a PAC module and splice a harness together.
However my Jeep with an aftermarket sub and amp works just fine. looks stock

Ok, what year and model is your jeep? And you had the 430N huh?
My T&C has the 430, so I know a 430N would just plug and play right in. I've spoke with a dealer parts dept who said that the 430N from a jeep should be the same as from my T&C.

The Lepricon said:
Ok, what year and model is your jeep? And you had the 430N huh?
My T&C has the 430, so I know a 430N would just plug and play right in. I've spoke with a dealer parts dept who said that the 430N from a jeep should be the same as from my T&C.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
mine is a 2016 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited. However they haven't changed the dash on Jeep since 2011.
I dont know for sure, but I have read that Jeep combines the Sirius and GPS cord into one. So in theory Chrysler could do the same, and you would have a GPS antenna already available.
The Joying does come with its own GPS antenna, but i bought an adapter on Amazon for about $10 that allowed me to reuse my existing Jeep GPS

Ok, sounds like I'm willing to give it a shot.
Just a little info on the Joying you bought. I see it had only 1Ggb ram. On a phone that usually causes serious lag. Have you noticed any on this stereo? Any cons at all that you know of?

Well you have to set your expectations accordingly. Some people on these sites complain about these radios like they expect since it is Android it should be the same as a 2016 Flagship phone.
I have a Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge. It is awesome. I do not expect an under $400 chinese radio to perform the same.
I got mine from Amazon with Prime:
https://smile.amazon.com/Challenger...F8&qid=1471449612&sr=8-1&keywords=joying+jeep
Joying support is good, but it is in China, so massive time difference, so about 1 email per day back and forth. So just realize if you need to contact them, a small communication could take a week or so. They write back every day, but there a language barrier and a time delay.
So for me, my Joying is great. I have a remote start, and use that as I walk up, so I dont care about the 30 second startup.
At first it is super cool to have Android and you try a bunch of stuff. More stuff you do, more lag will occur. Now that I'm getting into a routine with it, it performs pretty good. But, I use it like a car head unit.
So I use it for music, GPS, and phone calls, which is about the same as I have used any previous car radio.
I dont use FM radio, I use Google Play Music, Pandora, and Spotify. GPM is a little slow, but works. Pandora works fine, but requires data, and I have plenty of data, but it is annoying to have to turn on and off my hotspot and turn wifi back on when needed. I have found Spotify works the best. I have a Premium account, so I save music offline to the sd card. The Spotify interface is car friendly and is pretty fluid, and it easily recognizes the external sd card, which GPM did not.
GPS i have tried several, but currently sorting through 4. Google Maps is great, but again, kind of laggy like Google Play Music. Neither are intolerable, but just not as fluid as their counterparts. Waze works great with data, but without data it is not as good as a regular offline GPS, and it can be a little slower. Here WeGo (formerly Here Maps) is pretty quick, and looks good. Joying gives you a copy of iGo, and it is hands down the most fluid and works the fastest. At first i didn't like the Interface of iGo, but now it is growing on me, and i tend to use it the most.
Calls you have to use the built in Bluetooth. It works fine, I can hear people fine, and they can hear me fine. The only caveat is for some reason it routes all the audio to one speaker, the front passenger. So I can hear people fine, but they only come out of one speaker and have a mono sound. I have not had any complaints about how I sound when I use the Joying provided external microphone.
The only extra thing I use is a calendar app. That way it syncs with my phone calendar and I can use the location field to link to GPS. So if I have an appointment at the doctor. I pull up my calendar, click the location and it goes right to Google Maps to guide me there.
I love mine, best car radio I have ever had. However, I did research these for a year, and I more or less knew what I was getting into.

I only plan to use GPS, and a music player, and occasionally FM stereo. So, I'm ok with not having a flagship phone. I also like to connect via Bluetooth for incoming alerts and such. Do you know if you receive incoming alerts when you are listening to music? For instance, with my 430 factory stereo, if I am connected via Bluetooth but listening to music from the HDD and I get an email or whatever, nothing comes across the stereo. I have to switch from HDD to AUX in order for anything to come from the phone to the stereo. That, to me, is junk.
One more question, I think, on this Joying unit. About the display. It's only 800x480 resolution. Does that cause any problems? I've read some places where even Google Maps doesn't display very well with that resolution. What is your experience?

The Lepricon said:
I also like to connect via Bluetooth for incoming alerts and such. Do you know if you receive incoming alerts when you are listening to music? For instance, with my 430 factory stereo, if I am connected via Bluetooth but listening to music from the HDD and I get an email or whatever, nothing comes across the stereo. I have to switch from HDD to AUX in order for anything to come from the phone to the stereo. That, to me, is junk.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would think not. I am not sure any of my vehicles do that. Although I do leave my phone on vibrate 100% of the time. Most cars will give you phone calls or SMS, but I dont know that I got an alert for email or anything from my Cadillac, 300, or Jeep?
The Joying does NOT do SMS. All you get is phone calls. It will ring and the name/number shows up on the screen. You can access your full phone book. But you do not get any access to text messages.
The Lepricon said:
One more question, I think, on this Joying unit. About the display. It's only 800x480 resolution. Does that cause any problems? I've read some places where even Google Maps doesn't display very well with that resolution. What is your experience?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I too was worried about those specs when reading all about these, but mine looks fine. The Malaysk ROM on here makes the DPI different or something to make it look better, but either way was fine. Those specs wouldn't work for a 55 inch tv, but it is fine for a 6.2 inch screen
A picture of a screen doesn't translate well, but you get the general idea:
Google Maps
Waze
Spotify
Pandora

Looks good enough for me.
Thank you for all your input. I think I'm gonna get one and see if it works in my T&C.

The Lepricon said:
Looks good enough for me.
Thank you for all your input. I think I'm gonna get one and see if it works in my T&C.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I want to thank you both for posting this. I have a 15 T&C with the 430, and have never liked it. I have been looking at these Android Head units since I got it. Lepricon please let me know how it works for you. I especially want to know if it runs the kids TV in the back ok. Thanks again.

Dreusi said:
I want to thank you both for posting this. I have a 15 T&C with the 430, and have never liked it. I have been looking at these Android Head units since I got it. Lepricon please let me know how it works for you. I especially want to know if it runs the kids TV in the back ok. Thanks again.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My jeep doesn't have a video system in the back, but I have read a lot about these units.
Rear TV should work, but only for the DVD player i think. I dont think you can fire up Netflix on the Joying and have it show on the TV in the back

Dreusi said:
I want to thank you both for posting this. I have a 15 T&C with the 430, and have never liked it. I have been looking at these Android Head units since I got it. Lepricon please let me know how it works for you. I especially want to know if it runs the kids TV in the back ok. Thanks again.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I should be getting mine tomorrow. If it's just plug and play then I expect I'll have it installed and working by afternoon.
I don't use the video player at all, so I won't be much help there. But I'll let you know about pretty well everything else.

Mike,
Got my unit in today. Thank you for the recommendation. So far I really like it. With the bezel installed it looks factory. I'll try to get a picture uploaded tomorrow. Really looks good though.
Install went ok. I mean, I get sound and the steering wheel controls work. There are 2 connectors on the harness and 3 on my van. However, only only one of the connectors from the van matched up to the stereo. So not sure what's going on as all 3 from the van were plugged into the 430. Also, I got the antenna to plug in, but there is another plug that looks the same and has no where to plug into the stereo. I assume it is the one for the serius radio.
But, everything seems to work, except the backup camera so I assume it's one of those connectors that didn't fit.
I've emailed Joying, just waiting for a response.

Update:
Joying says that their head units do not support the factory backup camera. They say I have to install their camera.
For now I'm gonna look for the wiring diagram to see if I can just splice into the camera wire. If not I'll be returning the unit. The backup camera was the main feature I was looking for when I bought the van.

you would have to post some pics. My camera works great, but mine is aftermarket. My Jeep had 2 gray plugs, one white, and one yellow.
Big gray was the wiring harness, should connect to Joying
little gray was Uconnect, not used with Joying
White is the radio antenna - should connect to Joying
Yellow is combo GPS and Sirius. you can't use Sirius, but I bought an adapter to make my GPS from Jeep work. You could always use Joying's GPS as well, I just figured the Jeep one would be better.
I had the Brandmotion aftermarket backup camera. It plugged into the 430N with one of the large gray plugs, but I could disconnect the large gray part and there was a regular RCA left and it plugged into the Joying and works great. Not sure how the factory works though

The Lepricon said:
Update:
Joying says that their head units do not support the factory backup camera. They say I have to install their camera.
For now I'm gonna look for the wiring diagram to see if I can just splice into the camera wire. If not I'll be returning the unit. The backup camera was the main feature I was looking for when I bought the van.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the update. I saw some other posts talking about the the backup camera I think, but it was months ago. If I find them again I will update you. Would love to see the pics.

Dreusi said:
Thanks for the update. I saw some other posts talking about the the backup camera I think, but it was months ago. If I find them again I will update you. Would love to see the pics.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Here is one talking about how to do it.
well, I am a new user and can't post a link, but it is at
Jeep garage . org / f155 / jeep-backup-camera-w-aftermarket-headunit-55252.html
I hope that helps

Ok, I just ordered this adapter
http://www.crutchfield.com/S-C3LLCFgVJvD/p_120CHRYSAV/Metra-CHRYSAV.html
I spoke with the manufacturer, Metra, and they assured me it will give me my stock backup camera back. I should have it by Thursday so I'll let y'all know if it works.
Cadillac Mike, what adapter did you get that lets you use the jeep gps/serius antenna with the Joying unit?

Ownice C500 (2GB/16GB/Cortex-A53) VS New Joying (2GB/32GB/Intel SoFIA 3GR 4 Core)

I am looking for a VW head unit and after reading hundres of threads I came to a conclusion that in the price range up to $300 those two from title are the best choice.
Now I am torn between New Joying Intel 2GB/32GB and Ownice C500 quad core 2GB/16GB.
Are there any comparision tests between Intel SoFIA 3GR used in Joying and Ownice C500 CPU (supposedly Cortex-A53?)?
There's an AnTuTu test by ngochoangimsat of C500:
CPU: 10188
RAM: 3984
3D: 2446
TOTAL: 29946
Ownice C500 - 29
Still looking for the test of Joying.
Are there any comparision tests between their AMP IC (Joying - TDA7388(ST) VS Ownice TB2929)?
I wonder which unit is faster/better as they are priced quite similar on AliExpress.
The cheapest offers I have found:
$285 for Joying 2GB/32GB/Intel (AliExpress: JOYING Official Store, link not allowed yet)
$323 ($278+$45) for Ownice 2GB/16GB/Cortex-A52 (AliExpress: Autolink - Top Car D V D Supplier)

Interested in this as well as I just killed my mtcd kgl screen and digitiser. From what I can see, ownice c500 seems to have more features..4G, DVD drive..But Intel ones seems to get more development at the moment..

I have decided to go with Joying as I have no plans to use DVD drive (I have never used it even though I currently have one) and I have no plans to use 4G neither (I won't buy an extra SIM card, I will just tether connection from my phone over wifi).
C500 CPU scored around 29ks point in AnTuTu while old RK3188 CPU scored around 26k points.
On YouTube movies Intel CPU seems more responsive, it can be only a delusion though.
I am supposed to receive mine on 29/DEC.

i have not tried an Ownice, but I can tell you I went from a Joying MTCD to Joying Intel and it is night and day difference

I am leaning to the Joying intel, but the Ownice is really tempting because:
-the ownice has more features
>TPMS
>4G (this is not important for me)
-Android 6.0
-buttons are much better laid out.
-As I am buying for an Audi A4, the version by Joying has 2 buttons that are not functional meant for DVD operation and have the dvd slot blanked out making it feel like it's missing something. Checking with Joying if it can be reassigned or are they completely none functional.
-has a dvd slot
> not that I will use, but point above...it looks better with the DVD slot...
Reason I am leaning to the Joying unit is because:
-more development on this unit it seems
> unlocking full bluetooth function seems to be close
> have been rooted
-32GB storage
-more user feedback on Intel unit and how well it performs compared to the original MTCD units.
-joying seems to focus more on the software side, which is probably more important

I had similar concerns. The biggest downside of the Joying for me was the knobs placement, I prefer to have them on the lower edge like in the Ownice.
As for the Android version - I wouldn't count on pure 6.0 in Ownice. Seems like they are using some weird mixture of 4.4, 5.1 and 6.0 while majority of their kernel is still 4.4. Offering this mixture as Android 6.0 is kinda cheating...

I would have purchased a joying if they made it my car's form factor. Their website with examples and details alone speaks volumes.
Got a c500 instead. Crossing my fingers.
Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk

So joying just confirmed with me that those buttons are dud...So weird having buttons that does nothing.
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vs this from Ownice:
Buttons layout just makes so much more sense...
argh...so hard to decide..just don't want another regret like my current MTCD KGL

i would be interested to see if those Ownice units work with an American SIM, specifically Verizon

I may eventually try finding a sim to work with it. I've been told you can go to a Verizon Store and they can try one out.
Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk

aarick said:
So joying just confirmed with me that those buttons are dud...So weird having buttons that does nothing.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's because they reused the older injection mold and just blanked out the now useless DVD drive slot.
Probably would have cost too much to rework the whole thing.
I'll bet the buttons can still be pressed and remapped in software.

Didn't Intel cancel the SoFia stuff? so probably no future development of any kind?
http://www.pcworld.com/article/3063...-tablet-markets-after-cutting-atom-chips.html
The company is immediately canceling Atom chips, code-named Sofia and Broxton, for mobile devices, an Intel spokeswoman confirmed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Anyway here is sample result for SoFIA 3G-R it says 26719 for Antutu result.
http://www.notebookcheck.net/Intel-Atom-C3230RK-SoC.156853.0.html
I bet C500 handily would beat it because it's processor at least seems to be much better on paper.
Also C500 has better GPU Mali-T720 compared to what Intel has Mali-450.
@concept5400 I think the screenshots from @ngochoangimsat clearly shows the SDK version is 23 in C500. I am not sure why you think it is a mixture. While I read some manufacturers tried to cheat by using mixed stuff. I think there is nothing which points to C500 not being an Android 6.0 device. While Joying is definitetely 5.x and it will probably never get an upgrade because of the dead Intel project.
So if I would compare C500 vs Joying SoFIA. C500 has faster processor, better GPU, supports 4G, android 6.0, many different C500 models with different button configurations, no buttons, dvd, without dvd etc. But Joying ? hmm rooted? I am not sure if it has any advantage over Ownice models other than being rooted?

leonkernan said:
That's because they reused the older injection mold and just blanked out the now useless DVD drive slot.
Probably would have cost too much to rework the whole thing.
I'll bet the buttons can still be pressed and remapped in software.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Glad to see another Melbournian here....
I agree and my gut feel is that it'll work as well. The lady at Joying also doesn't seem to know her stuff well.
---------- Post added at 11:13 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:11 AM ----------
yurtesen said:
Didn't Intel cancel the SoFia stuff? so probably no future development of any kind?
http://www.pcworld.com/article/3063...-tablet-markets-after-cutting-atom-chips.html
Anyway here is sample result for SoFIA 3G-R it says 26719 for Antutu result.
http://www.notebookcheck.net/Intel-Atom-C3230RK-SoC.156853.0.html
I bet C500 handily would beat it because it's processor at least seems to be much better on paper.
Also C500 has better GPU Mali-T720 compared to what Intel has Mali-450.
@concept5400 I think the screenshots from @ngochoangimsat clearly shows the SDK version is 23 in C500. I am not sure why you think it is a mixture. While I read some manufacturers tried to cheat by using mixed stuff. I think there is nothing which points to C500 not being an Android 6.0 device. While Joying is definitetely 5.x and it will probably never get an upgrade because of the dead Intel project.
So if I would compare C500 vs Joying SoFIA. C500 has faster processor, better GPU, supports 4G, android 6.0, many different C500 models with different button configurations, no buttons, dvd, without dvd etc. But Joying ? hmm rooted? I am not sure if it has any advantage over Ownice models other than being rooted?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You make some good points there sir!...
just as I was about to bite the bullet and get the joying...I'm back to holding position. Might monitor the c500 development a bit further first and see if it changes. Android 6.0 doesn't quite worry me, but the full bluetooth stack and root is important to me as usually the headunits doesn't work exactly as how i want and xposed and root helps make it work a lot better...

@aarick I found another good point for joying, apparently the intel cpu may be supporting glonass. But I still would not go for Intel.
About the bluetooth. It looks like you can do anything with bluetooth attached device. I am not sure what you want to do exactly? Here is a nice video. Bluetooth stuff appear at 1:20 about https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRE-opyLOog
What I want to see in these units is a digital compass. I dont understand why they never have it. I think I will get one of those new C500's with buttons on the left with 7" screen and they have map/sdcard slot also.

yurtesen said:
@aarick I found another good point for joying, apparently the intel cpu may be supporting glonass. But I still would not go for Intel.
About the bluetooth. It looks like you can do anything with bluetooth attached device. I am not sure what you want to do exactly? Here is a nice video. Bluetooth stuff appear at 1:20 about
What I want to see in these units is a digital compass. I dont understand why they never have it. I think I will get one of those new C500's with buttons on the left with 7" screen and they have map/sdcard slot also.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Mainly want to be able to hook up my Bluetooth tyre pressure monitoring system to my head unit.
The ownice seems to have their own TPSM kit, but would like to avoid investing further into more stuff that I already own.
I think right now.. I'll be happy with the joying.. But when development catch up for the ownice.. I might regret it..

A few words after testing the unit for the last few days.
Generally speaking responsiveness is at acceptable level.
It's not even close to an iPhone level but it's doing well enough.
Satellite signal is working with GPS and GLONASS at the same time.
I had to switch off AF funcion in the radio because apparently it doesn't work so well - instead of searching for other frequencies of the same station it was changing radio stations.
It was shipped with language changed to my country language and with iGO NAVI with Europe maps and my country language set up as well, even though it was 2014 version of the app and the maps it was a nice touch.
Bluetooth app have a problem - when downloading contacts it is not saving the "+" sign before the country code.
For example - if I have a number stored in my phone as +44 123456789 it will be downloaded as 44 123456789.
Then if that person would be calling me, the unit would show the caller as +44 123456789, without matching it with the saved contact, because it has saved the contact as 44 123456789, without the + sign.
It's a bit annoying but I can live with it.
The following problem is ground breaking for me.
As this is my first Android head unit ever I am not sure if it's Joying only or general problem of those chinese units.
The unit can play radio sound AND sound of ONE other app with radio in the background.
This function is called GPS MIX and it's working only with predeclared NAVI app only.
If I declare Google Maps as my NAVI app - it can play radio in the background with Google Maps on my main screen.
But other NAVI apps in the background cannot produce sound.
If I would put other NAVI app on my main screen it wil start to produce sound but the radio will be turned off the second other app starts to do so.
Therefore I am not able to use two NAVI apps and radio at the same time.
In my country we have a Waze-like app for speed camera and mobile speed control units with a HUGE community and it's working like a charm (YANOSIK app).
The problem is that the app really sucks at turn-by-turn navigation. Everyone is just using it in the background with other NAVI app on main screen.
With this unit when YANOSIK app is working in the background it will not produce any sound, unless declared as the NAVI app in CarMediaSettings. When it's declared as the NAVI app it will produce sound ine the background but other NAVI app will mute/turn off the radio completely.
I am quite desperate with this problem as for now I still have to use my phone for one navi app...

Not really a definitive answer to your wondering, but I have a MTCD which can have two navi-apps produce sound running in the background and run a media app at the same time. In my case Tomtom and Flitsmeister (which sounds as the equivalent of your Yanosik app).
So I don't know about Joying, but there are definately 5.x units out there that can do this.

HVB83 said:
Not really a definitive answer to your wondering, but I have a MTCD which can have two navi-apps produce sound running in the background and run a media app at the same time. In my case Tomtom and Flitsmeister (which sounds as the equivalent of your Yanosik app).
So I don't know about Joying, but there are definately 5.x units out there that can do this.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Joying can do multiple nav apps and media app at the same time. Problem is playing the radio and multiple nav apps. Only assigned nav app can be heard when radio is playing.

gustden said:
Joying can do multiple nav apps and media app at the same time. Problem is playing the radio and multiple nav apps. Only assigned nav app can be heard when radio is playing.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well.. not really in my case. When I run multiple nav apps in the background the only one producing sound is the one chosed as The Nav app in CarMediaSettings, others stay silent...
EDIT:
OK, I tested it thoroughly, you are right and I was wrong. The issue is caused by the radio app.

aarick said:
Mainly want to be able to hook up my Bluetooth tyre pressure monitoring system to my head unit.
The ownice seems to have their own TPSM kit, but would like to avoid investing further into more stuff that I already own.
I think right now.. I'll be happy with the joying.. But when development catch up for the ownice.. I might regret it..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I actually bought a C500 unit (waiting delivery) but I guess I can't test the bluetooth stuff for you without your sensors but I am not sure why they shouldnt work? I mean if it has an android app and it connects to bluetooth it should work, no?
On the other hand, I never had any case which would save me headaches if I had tire pressure monitoring. So I decided to not invest on one. (also I am not big fan of changing batteries how rarely it may be required ) But that is my opinion...
---------- Post added at 09:26 AM ---------- Previous post was at 09:10 AM ----------
@concept5400 I know this is an annoying response but I have to say... What about driving within speed limits so you wont need to run a speed camera app? I highly recommend this option, it is also safer.
But you can perhaps work around it if you run your YANOSIK app in your phone. Since you don't have to see it, you can even keep your phone in your pocket.

Report - New unit PX3 2GB/16GB Android 7.1.2 (2013 Altima version)

I just received this unit:
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"lightbox_share": "Share",
"lightbox_zoom": "Zoom",
"lightbox_new_window": "New window",
"lightbox_toggle_sidebar": "Toggle sidebar"
}
http://www.eds-fl.com/AndroidHeadUnit/1.png
Summary in case the link dies, it is a 2013/14/15 Altima specific radio, but the underlying hardware seems fairly generic. Similar units are available for a number of different car makes and models.
If you are considering an Android head unit for your car, you must first read these links.
https://forum.xda-developers.com/wiki/Generic_Android_Head_Unit/MCU_Explained
Note that the links below go back to head unit designs that were available a few years ago and much of the comments and problems do not apply to current hardware.
https://forum.xda-developers.com/wiki/Hui_Fei_Type
and
https://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2660662
I like that it has a full 8" screen but also has buttons and knobs which integrate very well with the car's dash and make use in a car much easier and safer (touchscreen-only controls in a car is a safety hazard).
The price was very attractive and I was able to separately buy a PX5 core board (4GB/32GB) for ~$100 (not received yet) so I will have options in case the PX3 CPU is too slow.
The unit appears well made. I have been running it on the bench for about a day and most everything I tried seems to work as expected (caveats below).
The LCD is good, with very wide viewing angle (one of my concerns), the resolution adequate (interestingly, the 1000x600 screen is much better than the pokey 480pixel units on the $600 Pioneer unit I checked at Best Buy), the touch screen is very responsive.
One strange issue is that it takes A LONG TIME to download anything. The web browser (Chrome) works well, but downloading apps from the Play Store takes forever, even though if you are patient, they eventually complete. I have read in another thread that it may be due to insufficient cache space. Whatever the cause, it is irritating, but it is not something you do too often (aside from initial setup,) so it's not a deal breaker. I will report if the PX5 coreboard improves on that when I get it.
Aside from the downloading slowdowns, the unit seems to handle multitasking properly. I was concerned about the Px3/2GB RAM set being underpowered (which is why I bought the PX5 coreboard) but it seems quite usable as is. I suspect that earlier units with 1GB RAM do not fare as well.
Now some random observations:
The radio app works but the UI could use improvements. There does not seem to be a way to name the stations once they are memorized. They take the name of whatever is streaming out of the RDS system, so most stations I saved are named from the song they were playing at the time...
Navigation uses the iGo app with naviextras.com maps. The maps appear to be several years old. There is a particular issue in my street that has been fixed just about everywhere (Google maps and the various GPS nav units I have had my hands on) at least 3 years ago but it is still there on these maps. Not sure how to upgrade the maps since the radio is not registered on the naviextras.com web site. I have placed a question in the customer service area of their web site. They want a zipped copy of the license folder. I have found the folder but not managed to do that yet.
The music player is also adequate. I have not found how to transfer music from the thumb drive to the radio itself using the stock FileBrowser app . That will probably require a separate file manager app of some sort. There is an equalizer with separate sub setting. Interestingly, I have been using the radio with a set of inexpensive Harman Kardon computer speakers (using the RCA output connectors, not the speaker outputs) and the sound is pretty great with the equalizer set to flat. The noise level is extremely low (I am using a well regulated power supply, I will update once the radio is in the car with engine running.)
The radio does not shut down when "powered down", it just goes to sleep. Current consumption in sleep mode is very low (I measured 15mA.) I turned it off last night before going to bed, expecting it would take the ~20 seconds to boot this morning. To my surprise, the radio turned on as soon as I pressed the power button. This is even faster than my Altima's OEM radio! A pleasant surprise.
I bought the radio with a separate Bluetooth ODB scanner from the same vendor as it is advertised as supporting it. The Torque app is installed in the radio, so it seems it is ready to go (I have seen some older Android head units that could not access Bluetooth OBD dongles.) I have not tried it yet.
I connected the radio to my Android phone via Bluetooth last night but did not do anything else then. This morning, while eating breakfast with the radio playing music, the phone rings in the radio and I heard a voice mail from DHL advising me of the impending delivery of the coreboard. So I guess the phone link works too Interestingly the phone was a good distance from the radio (I have a big house) so Bluetooth range is plenty, much more than adequate.
I was reluctant to log into the radio with my main Google account (since it would be easy for anyone breaking into the car to have access to all my Google information, stored passwords and such, so I created a second account with simply the few phone numbers I am likely to want to call from the car and used that to log into the radio.
I have not been able to place a call directly from the radio via voice command or otherwise. I was able to make it read my phonebook from the Android 5.1 handset, so when I ask the radio to call my wife, it properly finds the number and it displays a green handset saying it is calling, but nothing is happening on the phone. A problem that I need to resolve before putting the radio in the car. Note: I also have a Bluetooth headset for my motorcycle helmet and I have no issue calling any number of the phonebook through that, so the issue is not with the phone.
When a call comes in, the phone app opens up and everything works pretty much as expected. Sound is pretty good on both ends. However, the phone app has a row of buttons at the bottom of the screen and some are semi-transparent while others are opaque, so depending on what app was running, those semi-transparent buttons are not legible. This is very strange. When the call was over, the radio which was running did not turn back on (but when I got the voice mail from DHL earlier, the radio turned back on after the call.)
Overall I am quite pleased. I have a couple of bugs to fix before I install the radio in the car. I will report then how that went.
Edit: The MCU version in that unit is MTCE_KGL_V2.70_2, Oct 22 2017

Update:
Attempted to install the head unit in my car today. Removing the trim parts, swapping the bracket between the old radio and the new one was fairly easy. The mechanical parts match well with the mounting holes and the look of the head unit matches the rest of the dash very well.
There are two small connectors that were plugged into the old unit that do not have a match with the harness that came with the new head unit. I suspect it is the XM antenna and the USB socket, so I plugged the connectors that did have a match to the harness, reinstalled the radio temporarily and turned it on.
The unit came up but no sound.
The small LCD display at the center of the dash (between speedo and tach) said "Audio is off" and indeed, nothing came from the speakers. I suspect the Bose amplifier is not getting the signal to turn ON. The cable harness that came with the head unit has an open wire labelled "AMP CON" going out (to the car's wiring) which I assume is for Amplifier Control that needs to be connected to 12V to turn the amplifier on. I need to try that.
All the steering wheel controls did work and operated as expected, so that was good news, but no audio is of course a bummer.
My car has the Bose audio system and I have read that these are not typically compatible with generic head units without some rewiring or an adapter, so unless I can find something on the internet in the next couple of days, I will take the car and the radio to the local installer and ask them if they can make it work. I am not sure what is the solution with the backup camera. I would really prefer to keep the original camera and I can't imagine it would be very hard to make it work. For now, it is back with the original audio system.
Here is more info about Bose audio systems: (can't post links so Google "understanding-factory-bose-system" which will point you to altimaforums dot net)
Edit: I found the blue connector that had no match on my harness goes to the USB socket and Crutchfield has an adapter (search for Metra-AX-NISUSB2-USB-Adapter-for-Nissan on the Crutchfield site, I can't post links yet). I called Crutchfield and they also do have an adapter for the Bose speakers, I ordered it with the USB adapter. They also said there is no solution to use the built-in camera, I will have to use an aftermarket one.
Edit2: Found out that the OEM backup camera is supported, the connections are there in the harness that came with the head unit, I just had to plug the right connectors together. So the only issue originally with the head unit as received was the Bose audio system support which should be fixed with the Crutchfield adapter, due next week.
Note: under the factory radio is a large white plastic box with a large multi-pin connector that has its own harness and does not seem to be directly connected or related to the head unit. It is mounted on the same bracket as the radio, so I reinstalled it in the car. I am curious what that box is for.

I received the PX5 coreboard (4GB RAM + 32GB Flash). It came with Android 6.0 compared to 7.1.2 on the PX3 board (which has 2GB RAM and 16GB Flash).
The PX5 board has a large heatsink over the CPU and memory while the PX3 board has the chips exposed. I would expect a higher current consumption.
Operation was very smooth, but since the PX3 board was already smooth, the change was just noticeable when switching from one to the other. The one major change is that downloading apps, while still not nearly as fast as it is on my phone, is considerably faster than on the PX3 board. Now it's just slow, compared to absolute molasse.
I did not time the boot time but there was no significant difference between the two, not enough to make a decision based on that. Both take 20-30 seconds and both restart immediately from sleep mode.
Android 6.0 definitely has more rough edges than 7.1.2. I particularly dislike the launcher which looks like this (this picture is not of my unit, but the same screen):
compared to the PX3 (Android 7.1.2) launcher:
I find it much easier to have the important icons at the bottom of the screen rather than on the side.
There are also fewer settings under Home->Settings.
I know I could reflash the Android version but right now, I put the PX3 coreboard back in the unit. I may keep the PX5 in case I would run out of Flash, but since the unit came with about 14GB available (out of 16), it is unlikely that I will run out (my music is on a flash card and there is also the USB port).
One observation: I have an old iPod 5th generation (the one with the 60GB hard drive, it is probably 10 years old) and neither unit recognizes it, so that is a little disappointing since it works very well as a portable music system and it works fine in the Altima's OEM head unit.

i also like that other launcher, my 7.1.2 unit didn't have that launcher

At the moment, I am looking at upgrading the Android version on the new coreboard but I will install the radio with the quad core PX3 this week end anyways.

Here are pictures of the installed unit and a little feedback after 4 months of ownership.
Short version: I love it!
Long version: I installed the radio in the car and found out there was no mechanical issue, the radio fit without having to pry or push anything and it looks great. The finish and texture of the facia and buttons perfectly matches that of the car. The only hint that this is not an OEM system is that it is way too nice
However, my car has a Bose audio system that needs to be turned on when the radio turns on and the Bose system has low level differential inputs. The radio has low level outputs on RCA connectors which do not directly interface with the differential inputs of the Bose system so I bought the audio cable adapter from Crutchfields (along with the USB cable adapter) and I took the car and radio to the local installer (I did not want to have to mess with) to have it installed the second time.
Of course, the "professional" installer connected the Bose system to the radio's speaker outputs so when I got the car, with the volume control in position 1, the level was enough for highway driving. In position 2, it was too loud. I can't believe they thought that would be OK. Anyhow, I took the car back and told them that was the reason I gave them the audio cable adapter. 2 hours later, the car was ready (again) and all is now good.
Everything is working (steering wheel controls, bluetooth, backup camera, USB connector, WiFi) and the audio sounds really great.
Navigation works well. I am not sure how I will be able to upgrade the maps. I asked the vendor and they sent me a link to a recent version of the map for the US. Not sure how long they will keep doing that. Of course, I can use the phone in hotspot mode and run Google Maps on the radio via the phone's 4G data connection, as long as there is 4G signal that is.
The nav application has the annoying habit of notifying me when I go more than 3 mph over the speed limit. It only does it once, until the speed limit changes or I turn in another street. I looked through the settings and I have not found how to turn that off. I guess one could consider that a useful reminder. In this area, most traffic goes about 15 miles over the limit so it is annoying.
I bought a Bluetooth OBD-II adapter and that works well with the Torque app to monitor engine and emission parameters.
I somehow expected the FM radio to be cheaply made and with average (or lower) performance. I am very glad to report that the FM radio works at least as well as the OEM radio. My favorite radio station is 50 miles away and with most cars, I do not get good reception everywhere in town, there are areas where the signal is barely there. This radio has not experienced a drop out yet in town. Not only that but the audio quality is actually excellent. The local public radio has outstanding sound quality and it definitely comes through on this set.
The only remaining irritation is the radio app itself. There is no way to set the name of the stations saved in memory. The radio automatically captures the RDS stream and uses the last 5 characters received as the name of the station in memory. I assume that Chinese FM radio stations only broadcast their name via RDS and it works for them. Over here (US), the RDS stream is also used to indicate the program currently playing, so the "name" of the stations in memory is useless.
The head unit came with a dual core/16GB CPU board and Android 7. I also bought a quad core/32GB CPU board but it comes with Android 6 and the launcher is not nearly as nice, so I kept the dual core card in the radio (I tried the FCC launcher and did not like it.) The dual core is fast enough, honestly the quad core was not noticeably faster and I believe 16GB will be enough since there are two micro SD sockets (one used by the maps) and two USB connectors for additional music or video storage.
Finally, a slight disappointment: my iPod will not work when plugged into the USB port. I have a lot of music on it (60GB device) but the radio apparently is limited to 32GB storage devices on USB.
Note that the screen protector is still on the LCD for the pictures above. The display is really good and usable in most conditions, unless the sun comes through the rear window directly on it, not a frequent occurrence.

Hi. Interested on your radio. Can you post the link where you bought that? Is there any way to make it to work with the stock reverse camera? Thanks

I have found how to disable the warning from the navigation system. It is much more pleasant now.
You have to go into the factory settings, password 126

Since the Altima was totaled last year, I kept the radio because it is so nice I was hoping I could find another Altima V6 to put it in, but I could not find a car I liked so I eventually bought an Acura TL therefore I just put the radio for sale on eBay.

PHP:
Stevenlim said:
Hi. Interested on your radio. Can you post the link where you bought that? Is there any way to make it to work with the stock reverse camera? Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It works with the Nissan camera, I just had to connect it, simple as that. I bought it on AliExpress, here is the same unit from somebody else:
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32865581547.html?spm=a2g0o.productlist.0.0.3b353585OJGe9o
Note that you still need to buy the Bose and USB cables to connect to the Nissan harness.