I have a jy-ul135n2 but no steering wheel controls in my car. I would like to laser cut a bezel for the head unit that has a row of hardware radio buttons directly under the head unit for << < (pause) > >> etc., as they are much easier to use while driving then a touchscreen. What inputs is the HU looking for on the Key 1 and Key 2 wires? I vaguely recall reading somewhere that this is a resistance based input scheme to decode which button is pressed? Is that correct or is it something else?
Can anyone explain what i need to know to implement this or provide a link that explains it? I just need to know how to wire the Key 1 and Key 2 wires and what inputs they need to see. I can figure the rest out myself. It seems the other option is Canbus controls. I suppose i could find a stand-alone canbus steering wheel control module from another vehicle or aftermarket and kludge it in between my buttons and and the HU canbus input... but that seems overly complicated and a bit Rube Goldbergish way to go about it if i don't need to.
JY-UL135N2 said:
I have a jy-ul135n2 but no steering wheel controls in my car. I would like to laser cut a bezel for the head unit that has a row of hardware radio buttons directly under the head unit for << < (pause) > >> etc., as they are much easier to use while driving then a touchscreen. What inputs is the HU looking for on the Key 1 and Key 2 wires? I vaguely recall reading somewhere that this is a resistance based input scheme to decode which button is pressed? Is that correct or is it something else?
Can anyone explain what i need to know to implement this or provide a link that explains it? I just need to know how to wire the Key 1 and Key 2 wires and what inputs they need to see. I can figure the rest out myself. It seems the other option is Canbus controls. I suppose i could find a stand-alone canbus steering wheel control module from another vehicle or aftermarket and kludge it in between my buttons and and the HU canbus input... but that seems overly complicated and a bit Rube Goldbergish way to go about it if i don't need to.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Why not something simple "out of the box" like this one (also watch the video) or this one?
Or the original Joying one, which is apparently identical to the first but much more expensive.
Thanks for the suggestions.
I did consider the first link (the clamp on kidney bean shaped controller). The problem with this unit is i have a 2001 Accord LX. The unit is designed to go on the right side of the wheel which is already occupied by the cruise control pod. I could mount it on the left upside down, but even then i'm not sure their is enough room between the spokes where it would be best to mount it. and anywhere else on the wheel would be awkward to use. And personally i just think it's a cheap and ugly looking clamp-on aftermarket solution. The second one is interesting but not sure where i would mount it, and with both of them... batteries. I don't want a battery operated controller.
My brother has a 60W CNC laser cutter, and I'm already going to be laser cutting a black acrylic bezel to fill the gap between the HU and dash bezel anyway, so adding buttons to it too is not a problem. And part of the reason i picked up an android HU is as a hobby project/device anyway.
I never do anything fun with my phone or tablets that i use everyday. I just want them to work as utilitarian information appliances. My HU is another matter... something to play around with and customize. I wouldn't have bought one otherwise, as they seem to be a work in progress that are not ready for prime time straight out of the box. It doesn't matter if i brick it for a few days before i figure out how to recover it for example. My life will go on without much interruption unlike my phone/tablet if i screw something up.
For myself i don't care if the tactile controls are on the wheel or below the head unit, just that they look good and work. And placing them below the head unit is a much more straight forward project. Putting them on the wheel requires wireless linking and batteries, or running the wires up through the column and clockspring. Frankly I'm just not that motivated, and the after market controllers all seem a poor fit for my wheel and aesthetic tastes.
BTW i though about getting the stereo controls (or wheel) off an Accord EX, but looks like i'd need to pull the wheel to swap it in and it only has 3 buttons anyway. A lot of work for little gain IMO...
OK, I just did a bit of googling and found a thread on the joying forum about steering wheel controls (SWC). This seems to confirm that the Key 1 & 2 inputs are resistance based. The wiring seems to go (something) like this...
Each switch has a resistor in series with it. Each switch/resistor pair are then wired in parallel with the others. One side goes to ground and the other to Key 1. Key 2 can be used for an additional group of keys wired the same way, only wired to Key 2 instead. There may be an additional resistor on the parallel leg of the circuit too?
Sorry i can't post a link to the joying forum thread as i'm a new member who is blocked from posting links. A couple of relevent quotes from the thread...
"So correct me if im wrong. Steering wheel key 1 is just measuring resistance to ground to assign a button function to it correct? Same with key 2 i would guess. And what are the acceptable resistance ranges and how much of a difference in resistance do you need for it to work? I am making a remote control for the passenger side of my rv and was hoping to confirm specs prior to attaching it."
"I was right made up a circuit 75 ohm then 10 ohm increments seems to work fine."
"This particular Outback has two wires coming from the OEM steering wheel controls (SWC, 6 buttons) via a 24 pin plug. Wires are labelled SWC+ and SWC-. They provide a resistance of 4.7kOhm with no buttons pressed or other, specific resistances for each of the 6 buttons on the steering wheel. There is no ground reference.
Initially I made the mistake of connecting SWC+ to Key1 and SWC- to Key2 thinking the unit would measure across both. In this configuration the unit did not recognize pressed keys though. The reason is that the unit is trying to measure resistance to ground and not from Key1 to Key2. Key2 appears to be just another input incase there are additional controls from the wheel. The solution for my car is to wire the SWC- coming from the steering wheel to a ground instead, say battery ground. The SWC+ remains connected to Key1 and this way everything works fine with all 6 buttons recognised. "
I'll need to pull my head unit and extend the Key 1 & 2 wires and do a little of experimenting to figure out the resistance range and steps needed for the head unit to recognize individual key presses. I have a JY-UL135N2 running the Feb. 22nd firmware update. I went into car settings / steering controls. It displays two rows of key functions that can be assigned to the SWC keys. I think you press and hold the SWC button and tap and the corresponding button on the settings screen that you wish to map to it. The top row of buttons in car settings have a number above each button which fluctuates between 254~255. The second row of buttons in car settings doesn't have the number above them, so not quite sure about those yet...
So it would appear Key 1 & 2 are ADC inputs that are measured in reference to ground, and the head unit sees a number from 0-255 depending on the resistance of the key pressed.
It looks like this should be a fairly simply project. I just need to find the time to do it.
edit:add - If you google "joying key 1 2 resistance" the carjoying forum thread about SWC is the first link (for me anyway), it's titled "Learning Steering wheel control for Joying car stereo - Joying Forum".
First off, i'm aware this is a 2017 thread i'm adding onto but my addition is relevant to this.
So i have an unbranded 10" android SC9853i HU in my 2012 Opel Astra J Sports Tourer (Fancy name eh ) and it has a single blank button which i intend to use as a hardware home button. It is just a cover plate that can be turned into a button with a little creativity. I've been reading around on the forum (and Googled) the use of the KEY1 and KEY2 wires on android devices. As is, they are currently not connected and used, but through some type of wizardry i can't comprehend, the steering wheel buttons do work. I suspect this is being interpreted via the wiring in some other way.
From what i've researched so far i learned that these wires measure resistance and the SWC Control app on the device picks these measurements up and does something with it (?)
From what i've found so far, i believe i will be able to make a custom hardware button with a specific resistance. I am however unable to find a good clear cut tutorial or explanation on how to make said button and how to create the resistance or what value. I read that the app for the button learning gives values from 0 to 255. I am slightly concerned about the fact that all values of the app are 255 and every now and then go to 245 or a tad lower. I don't really know what this means (for now).
I do know that this app has absolutely no effect on the current steering wheel buttons because if i try to reprogram one, it just does its assigned function so from what i read, this app is meant to be used with the KEY1 and KEY2 wires.
If someone knows, or can point me in the right direction to make such a button, please do. If me doing so could potentially result in me making the car fly, or change its body color, also tell me and stop me from doing that please
Thanks
PS: i will continue my research regardless of someone flat out telling me how to do this exactly or not. In the case nobody will or can, i will post my progress here nevertheless.
So, after an evening of research into how SWC works and what is needed to make it work, i went ahead and did the thing i set out to do. I've read about those boxes you need to put in between the radio and ISO plug in older cars. I had this on my previous car (Opel Astra G with Kenwood DAB+ 1 DIN). but reading around i did notice that this SWC app acts like one of those boxes and is programmable. So i want on a scavenge trip in my partsbin in search for resistors and buttons. You'll never guess what i killed to get the parts. An old incredibly yellowed broken Microsoft PS/2 mouse. I tend to not throw away old electronics just to steal the parts from them later. I stole the 3 buttons from the mouse and found a bund of blue 10K resistors. I read that the beige resistors have a tolerance of 5% and the blue ones 1% to 2%. I made 3 buttons (and will likely make more in the future) 1 with 1 10K resistor, a second with 2, 10K resistors in series (pictures will follow) and a third with (you guessed it) 3, 10K resistors again in series. i bunched the ends together and soldered it to 2 single wires, one destined for GND and the other for KEY1
I found that this HU only has a single KEY1 wire, so i connected my newly made loom to KEY1 and ground, connected the negative of the car battery back up (i don't need to tell you guys this is a wise idea to disconnect it before you go and mess with wires... do i? ) and went into the control app. I'll admit, i was slightly nervous. I pushed one of my newly made buttons, and lo and behold, the app said, something along the line of "now press the button to learn. (Gotta love chinese translations, Chinglish, i heard someone once call it ).
I programmed all 3 buttons, and they work like an absolute charm. One i set to GPS which simply starts Waze in my setup. Another one is programmed for what i set this project out to be, a home button. And the third, i wasn't sure of what to set it to, so for now i picked the power button. This actually puts the device in sleep mode. Pretty neat, i didn't know it was capable of that through a button.
So in the next post i will make here will be how i but the stolen mouse button dedicated for "home" behind the blank button. Still not sure where i should put the other 2. There are 4 blank ones at the climate control panel, since i don't have heated seats or steering wheel heating. I'll see what i do with those. The most important one for me is the home button.
So, you might wonder, why did i do this since these vertical units come with a bottom bar thing that has climate controls, volume control and home and back buttons? AirController_190000000_com.syu.air.apk. Well, first of all, those climate control things, did work, sort of. Every time i changed something at the physical buttons of the AC, it would also show up on the bottom of the screen. but i could not touch those on-screen buttons to change the AC. I didn't like that. For me there was no need for that and it just took up real estate of the screen.
This HU isn't rooted and i'm still on the fence of ever doing so. But @surfer63 has a nice way of messing with this HU's system apps, and modify them. He also warns of the apk name to have a different number when you mod it and if you don't, that it would no longer work. I deliberately didn't do this and just installed a copy of itself, upon itself, effectively disabling it. I don't regret that and it freed up the screen real estate but it did mean i lost the bottom home and back buttons. they are still in the status bar, but i wanted something at the bottom of the screen. So, to me this is the perfect solution. I don't have useless clutter at the bottom of the screen, and now i have a physical home button, filling up the blank button on the unit. Win win! (for me)
Related
Hi All,
I just got this unit from amazon. I have the quad core 2GB RAM 16GB ROM 10.1" version which came with Android 8.1. Installation was easy and the unit seems very nice and fast enough but when ever I try to open an app like spotify or youtube or even OBD apps the screen goes black with "DO NOT operate while driving" error. I tried installing a third party launcher and it caused this error every time I tried to go to the home screen. Google maps does not cause this issue.
I currently wired the rear cable to ground just in case wiring causing the issue but that did not help. Under the settings there is no option in the video section which would allow me to turn off this error. Overall the rom on this as is looks half baked missing bunch of options. I do not even have a system update option for me to flash a different firmware.
Any suggestions that could help me get rid of this annoying issue and use this unit properly?
Thank you all.
Seems nobody cares but I finally figured out the solution. Under settings>car options>about there is another settings button. If you select that and enter "8888" it will take you to the deep settings menu where in drive options you change "Break" to "0". This will get rid of this bug permanently.
Thanks in anyways.
I care
I just had the same exact problem with the same radio
thanks so much for taking the time to update your post!
Do you have anymore information on tips and tricks for this radio?
Hi, tried this on my mekede head unit, took a few minutes to figure out which menu to follow and the part to alter but it worked great. Awesome. Cheers
Eonon ga2168k
Good job on figuring it out... I went through this with the same exact head unit...
Let me expand on this "problem" a little further please...
So most head units now are more than just a radio/CD player ..specifically ones with DVD players (or ones that can play any video really) the manufacturers can be held liable for people getting into an accident while driving because they were watching a movie or had a movie playing (Cant fix stupid) on their head unit located on the dash (as well as it being illegal in most (if not all) states in the USA).
REAR DVD players are exempt from this because... well they are in the rear... and not in the driver's line of sight.
With that being said, one wire on the harness that came with this unit (wire #23 I think) is labeled " BRAKE CONTROL" - IF (a big IF here) EONON set this up like most other head unit manufacturers that make an in dash DVD/video display, this wire needs to be connected to the brake switch so that it receives a signal saying that the brake is "on" and the vehicle is not moving...therefore "SAFE" to operate this unit (watch a movie, video, make setting changes, brew you a cup of coffee, paint your nails etc etc etc......)
Because there is NO REALLY good diagram for wiring this to the brake switch... you are left with a guess as to how it is to be done. (Should just be a positive connection from parking brake to wire.... I think... I guess...)???
This brake safety feature has been in other units for years and a LOT of people negate this circuit (I wont list the ways... it's easy to figure out) I even know of some car installers that worked for a national electronic retail store that would "bypass" this circuit in the customer's cars.
I am glad Eonon put this programming control into the back end of the unit because I, (having installed a few radios in numerous vehicles I have owned) REALLY didnt want to go through the trouble of bypassing the circuit... so shutting it off, on The unit was just as well for me. 1 less wire to worry about.
Just go into the root menu as stated above, and select "BRAKE" then adjust to 0. This removes all enable/disable requirements for that circuit.
Great unit so far... wish Eonon would spend more time writing a more informative instruction manual.. and maybe hire an American or British to actually write the darn thing so people could understand it.
Hope this helps.
I have the same unit but I can't get the panel to light up. Anyone knows how to wire to the car to get the panel to light up?
syung61 said:
I have the same unit but I can't get the panel to light up. Anyone knows how to wire to the car to get the panel to light up?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Panel as in the buttons not on the touch screen? (Ie power, volume up volume down )
Wire (I believe its orange or blue in color if my memory serves me well) regardless it has a tag on it that says "ILL" or ILLUM... that's for illumination. You need to figure out what wire in your car is for illumination for the stereo... if you cant, run a wire from your headlight switch that controls the parking light. USUALLY, there is a wire for the stereo to make it light up when the headlights are turned on. You just need to find it.
Wyatte Steel said:
Panel as in the buttons not on the touch screen? (Ie power, volume up volume down )
Wire (I believe its orange or blue in color if my memory serves me well) regardless it has a tag on it that says "ILL" or ILLUM... that's for illumination. You need to figure out what wire in your car is for illumination for the stereo... if you cant, run a wire from your headlight switch that controls the parking light. USUALLY, there is a wire for the stereo to make it light up when the headlights are turned on. You just need to find it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yep. In the Eonon harness, it's an Orange wire with a tag on it that says "ILL". just hook it to any wire that feeds your dash lights.
Dears,
anybody tried Eonon GA2178 - 10" Android 9 Head Unit?
I'm actually on Eonon GA2168K - 10" Android 8 Head Unit, it's a good device with minor problems.
Anytime developers fix a problem they introduce an other problem and there's no community support for MTK chipsets.
Because of this I'm evaluating the new Eonon GA2178, that is quite similar but based on Rockchip chipset.
Tks!
Brake setting
On my Ga2172 the brake setting shows open close or speed, so which is it to watch video on the move?
I did it again....
Since last weekend I have the new Pumpkin here and test it extensively at my test place before I install it in the car.
Link to the radio: https://www.autopumpkin.de/autoradi...a-ram-4gb-rom-32gb-unterstutzt-fast-boot.html
Data
Scope of delivery:
2 DIN Unit
10.1 inch glossy screen, with metal frame
Cable set with 2 USB ports
User manual English/German
PX5
64-bit 8-Core Cortex-A53 1.5GHz
Android 9, build number 201907251651
MCU: CSN2_06252ß19_163051 (Despite this MCU the device is obviously a KLYDE device)
Here again an information to the MCU:
It is a PX5, but with a newer mainboard. The CSN2 devices are not firmware-compatible to the known PX5 boards, so there are no custom-roms at the moment.
First impression:
I must say, the first impression is very good.
The first startup was done after about 20 seconds.
The original launcher is as usual from Punpkin, as well as the apps included.
What's new:
Additional USB on the front panel
2 micro SD trays on the front panel
Volume control knob (illuminated)
Knob for App switching (illuminated)
App called "Tachograph," a new app for the Pumpkin USB-Dashcam.
Caravan, an app that supports rear view camera and front camera and you can switch between both cams. (did not try it...)
Sync (I don't know what it's for yet)
CD player for external CD players
An app called "Joykey Study" for certain OEM-Key-Pads, I have to do some research myself...
VoiceControl App Looks like an app for Apple's friends. The app doesn't work for Android phones (at least for mine).
The Settings menu was cleaned up, also the menu for the "factory settings". Here you don't find the strange menu anymore, but it's neatly clean arranged. Unfortunately not in German, but I think you can live with that.
Display of the battery voltage in the status bar is now possible in the "Personal settings".
Also the settings of the phone can be displayed now. Here you can see the field strength and the battery status at the top of the status bar.
The radio runs very smoothly and I was able to install all the apps I needed without any problems. Root was possible with the well-known ADB method without any problems.
The screen is connected to the radio with a flat cable plug, just slide it on and click into place.
You can turn the screen with a little effort in all directions and the holder makes a very stable impression.
First Tests:
The working temperature is important for me. With active route guidance, DAB+ active in the background, Blitzer.de active, the temperature stays ~60°C... and that without any optimization.
Yesterday I installed the radio. The first thing I noticed was, that Pumpkin is finally keeping the usual EUR installation dimensions for this radio. My previous radios always needed a reworked installation frame. A new frame is therefore due because the existing frame was reworked to fit my other units....
Potential for improvement:
Developer menu is password protected. The PW is even not known at Pumpkin. It's marked as secret... But i´m on it.
I got the information from Pumpkin that the new Android 9 design from Pumpkin is still in work. I'm curious when that will come. So I'll show you some pictures as soon I will get it from them.
On my car the phone keys don't work right now, they are not recognized by the app. So I had to change my voice key so that I can answer a call via the steering wheel and hang up (double assignment of the actions goes via long click).
Recommendation:
For me its´s a clear YES, because I don´t need any custom rom. I just use another launcher.
Please comment on the 10-inchness implementation
Did you have to cut into your car plastics? Or does it stick out an leave a gap? Was there a snug adapter with no gaps and no cutting?
Does it tilt/rotate? If it does, does it stay in place when you are operating it or wiggle under your fingers? Does it stay still on bumpy roads? Etc.
Aadieu said:
Please comment on the 10-inchness implementation
Did you have to cut into your car plastics? Or does it stick out an leave a gap? Was there a snug adapter with no gaps and no cutting?
Does it tilt/rotate? If it does, does it stay in place when you are operating it or wiggle under your fingers? Does it stay still on bumpy roads? Etc.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The unit is exactly 2-DIN large so there is no gap and nothing has to be cut from cockpit plastic at all.
The screen stays completely in place even when placing the hand on the top and using the thumb for a screen touch on bumpy roads.
... and yes, it stays still on bumpy roads.
For my car (Mitsubishi ASX) I need a car specific adapter, because the OEM unit is 2-DIN high but about 6cm wider than 2-DIN but with just a 6" screen and lousy firmware/UI and OS. The adapter I buyed needed to get cut, because nearly all 2-DIN chinese units are not really 2-DIN, they are a bit larger. To get the chinese units in my car, I had to cut the hole larger.
With the new unit I would be able to use the original size... so I have to buy a new one.... unfortunately...
You can tilt and rotate the screen to get rid of any glare and you can move the screen up and down, to get the right position at your dashboard.
Until now I don´t see any bad behavior.
I picked up an Ali Express "Sadocom" 4GB /64GB head unit for a 2000-2006 Toyota Corolla and several other related Toyotas. It's slightly wider than a regular 2din Android, but it retains the 7" screen and has two knobs and several buttons on each side. I'm putting it into a 1998 Dodge truck, and it is replacing an older 1GB/16GB unit. The new unit came with ZERO documents, there is no wiring diagram on the unit. It takes several days for the seller to respond, and they are lackluster at best- example I asked for a wiring diagram, and the response was "Which one?". In the about the unit screen, it says it is a 8259, or 8259 pro depending on which screen you are on.
I found a pinout site that had data for the Corolla, and used it by cross-referencing the connectors on the new unit. Most of the wires were the common yellow= battery, red= accessory, black= ground etc. It powered up right away and the illumination lights up when I turn on the parking lights. Speaker balance is correct. The main connector is a 16-pin connector. The only wire I did not use was the blue antenna/amp power since the truck has neither. There is a small gauge black wire with small ring terminal coming from the area of the accessory connectors. It's only a couple of inches long.
Problems I need help with solved (no thanks to vendor):
1. Steering wheel controls. There are two unidentified wires (plus the small black one on a different part of the radio), so I presumed they were the SWC wires. One was Orange/Black and the other White/Black (it was smaller and not next to the white speaker wire, that W/B wire was larger). The older Android I had in the truck worked OK with the factory SWC. My truck uses a +/- SWC system. I tried connecting the Orange/Black to + and the White/Black to - but could not program any button. I also reversed these and the radio sees no SWC input when I try to program them.
Solution: Use OR/BK radio wire to truck SWC + wire, and truck SWC - wire to radio ground wire. Both sets of controls working properly. See attached PDF for diagram.
2. (solved, see update below) I can't change the logo or any other password-protected menu functions. I Googled Sadocom and 8259 and password w/o any success. I read through several threads here, and tried the following codes w/o success (the input limit is 4 numbers- no letters)
Solution: 5678 works.
UPDATE- I did more reading and 5678 worked to unlock the radio.
UPDATE 2- The accessory power problem was user error! I forgot on these older vehicles accessory is one position back from off, not one position forward (I thought accessory was off). I was used to it being one forward after working on some newer vehicles. I have deleted that problem from the post and title for brevity.
UPDATE 3- I measured the two wires in question, and both are putting out about 3.2V positive. I wired the OR/BK to my RD/BK SWC positive wire, and my BK/BR SWC negative to the radio's ground wire. Voila! Working SWC. PDF diagram attached.
I know that there are many purpose-built Android DIN units that have some sort of resistive keypad interface. More than that I don't know a whole lot. I'm not talking about those.
I'm talking about normal Android tablets, like my Nexus 7 (2013) that sits on a gimble mount to my right. I do USB and Bluetooth so that's what I tried. Android has KeyEvents for a few things, like phone call, contacts and calculator. It doesn't have KeyEvents for Google Maps or your different audio apps. So your USB or Bluetooth device has to be different than a standard HID input device as you'll want to send custom info. Because you'll need to send intents, you have to make sure that your steering wheel is connected all the time to a specific Service or Activity. A normal HID input device belongs to the system and goes to the foreground app, not some random background app. So you need a custom USB or Bluetooth and an Activity or Service.
My steering column currently has just the single wire. I figure that I will use Bluetooth and steal a bit of power (milliamperes, not enough to actuate the horn) so it doesn't need batteries.
So, I threw together a proof-of-concept using USB. It works fine on my Android 9 devices, I set hot keys for a few different apps. I should be able to either add a second HID interface for "normal" buttons like volume, call or simply add that to the Activity or Service. There are currently permission wrinkles to get over on Android 10. Switching this from wired USB to Bluetooth is trivial.
Am I missing something? Is this old hat? How else is this done?
I've been doing some more work on this. I'm a bit surprised that I've gotten no resonance on this or anyone saying that they already do this some other way.
The 16 buttons can each do one of three things
A hot key directly to an app (not simply "next app" or "app switcher" dialog)
Go to a specific webpage using (and reusing) a specific browser tab (I've got onboard systems that host status web pages)
Normal Android keys like VolUp, VolDn, MediaPlay, etc.
The USB version works fine. It uses a daemon to inject the normal keys. The Bluetooth version is coming along. I've switched to using raw GATT instead of HID over GATT.
Na? How about this then?
Hi Renate,
I think these units you are talking about are not that often to find in cars. I don´t know anyone who uses a tablet in his car and the Nexus 7 is a real outdated unit, slow on startup and in usage.
The car units themselves normally provide SWC via CAN or resistance based.
To have an additional keypad beside the radio is not needed, as you are able to use the SWC buttons individually... at least for the most ones which are working resistance based.
That is the reason you won´t get any answers in this forum. Sorry for bad news...
Hi rigattoni: Thanks for the response. I'm just trying to figure out how people are using stuff in this whole Auto department.
I didn't think that anyone would be impressed with my Nexus 7 (2013), it's just what I'm using at the moment. In my vehicle (a Chevy G30 1 ton truck) a DIN unit is not as visible as a gimble mounted tablet. I do have space for a dual DIN. Currently I have a single DIN $20 stereo with Bluetooth. That's good enough.
But my theme was mostly: Do people have app-specific keys (without using the screen)? Can you go to Google Maps, your favorite streamer, your local audio collection (without using the screen). Would you like to? If you have CANBUS SWC you probably don't have a dedicated button to display your propane & fresh water tanks.
Aren't SWCs mostly normal Android KeyEvents? How can they get you to a specific app?
On CAN there is no possibility to change the SWC buttons to different apps.
If they are resistance based as a lot of the cars (even if I would like to get all things done via CAN) there you have an internal app included to register your buttons based on different resistance.
On a lot of units you even are able to set your SWC buttons to specific apps.
On top there you have this menu button on the SWC where you can toggle between FM radio, launcher, phone, MP3 and navigation, you name it...
I don´t use Google Maps, instead I use TomTom and if you set TomTom as standard navigation app, you can do so.
Additional buttons in form of a number pad I personally don´t need. By using an aftermarket launcher and have all my needed apps just in front.
For tablets like you use, the num pad is a nice thing as you don´t have these possibilities.... sure.
BTW: If you use an android car unit, there is no full BT stack implemented. That means that you would not be able to connect with your unit to the propane or fresh water tank or something like that. The implemented BT stack can only be used for phone calls and for BT OBD scanner.
Thanks again. Wow, it seems like those DIN units are more like radios than like Androids if they don't have full Bluetooth. Resistance keypads are kind of bush league too.
Actually, my tanks, power, HVAC, tilt come over WiFi from my Raspberry Pi. The OBD comes over USB from the microcontroller that runs my instrument display. (I've got to take a new photo since I replaced the display with a larger yellow one.) The PRNDL indicator indicates shifter position and which gear I'm actually in. The "5th gear" on a 4 speed is just what I call it when the torque converter locks. It kind of is another gear. I really love the lower left engine running time so that I remember to take coffee breaks!
I threw the keypad back on the steering wheel. For testing I just have 2 x AAA batteries. I'll add the current "stealer" later.
I use similar head unit to this one:
And I use analog (or resistive, whatever) SWC. It can be configured as in video above. I mean you can map any of those 16 functions to any button in SWC
Renate said:
Do people have app-specific keys (without using the screen)? Can you go to Google Maps, your favorite streamer, your local audio collection (without using the screen)
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I'll try to answer as best as I can, because I'm not sure if I got your point.
Its possible to open some apps by SWC. For example button 4 opens navigation app, which can be selected in head unit options (it can be every navi app installed on your head unit - google maps, here maps, sygic etc)
11 opens FM radio app
9 pick ups a call (if actually is someone calling) or opens bluetooth app where you can make calls (contact list can be synced from phone, call history also). Also by this BT app you can stream music from phone to car audio.
As you can see its very limited. In my head unit there is no way to open e.g youtube app by SWC.
other functions which can be used:
1(play/pause), 2 ,3 ,5(mute),6,7, 10 no explanation required I guess
12 depends on how the Chinese implemented it In mine : press once - mute/unmute sound. press & hold for while - somehow locks the screen (like in smartphone), black screen with date and time is displayed. Sound is muted too.
13 'home' button - works like in smartphone, brings you to main menu
14 back - works like in smartphone
15 turns off display (but plays music/ navigation commands in background)
16 'mode' one of most useful - cycles through active apps
8 AFAIK it opens google assistant, but it doesnt work in mine.
Thanks, wotii098. It seems like you're reinforcing my point. Besides "Navigation" and "Radio" most of the actions are generic Android KeyEvents. I'd think that MEDIA_NEXT and MEDIA_PREVIOUS only work correctly when your music app is in the foreground? When it gets to the nitty-gritty, I use 3 different mapping services and I need to switch between them. If you are wondering what keycodes exactly are being generated (or just to check) you can use my UsbMode.apk (in the sig). Probably "Navigation" and "Radio" don't exist as KeyEvents.
Renate said:
Thanks, wotii098. It seems like you're reinforcing my point. Besides "Navigation" and "Radio" most of the actions are generic Android KeyEvents. I'd think that MEDIA_NEXT and MEDIA_PREVIOUS only work correctly when your music app is in the foreground? When it gets to the nitty-gritty, I use 3 different mapping services and I need to switch between them. If you are wondering what keycodes exactly are being generated (or just to check) you can use my UsbMode.apk (in the sig). Probably "Navigation" and "Radio" don't exist as KeyEvents.
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No, Renate, that also works if the audio or navigation is working in background as the translated button press throws an intent. Even Navigation and Radio or any other app can be started (or taken to foreground) by mapping a keycode to a specific app.
For radio you even are able to switch stations without bringing the app to foreground. That all happens in the background by intents.
So nearly any modern Car radio with Android is working like that. You even are able to connect 2 different key panels to the units. That´s what I did... My SWC buttons are connected to the key 1 cable and an additional thingi in my cup holder in the middle console has different settings and is connected to the key 2 cable. So the preconditions in Android car radios are fine to fire the intents to every single app you programmed.
You even are able to use long-click intents to switch to different functions.
Examples:
Station forward is a short click, station search is a long click.
Volume down works in a long click as mute/unmute button.
Menu button calls navigation on long click
the green phone button takes the call, on long click I open the voice dialer
...
Well, clearly your (custom) radio app is working on Intents and not KeyEvents.
The problem with long presses is that it delays the immediate action of a press (until it determines whether it's a long or short press).
Ok, in mode switching applications that's not a killer. For page-turn it is. Being impatient, I expect action on the down press. I defeated the long/short logic on my Android ereader.
I replaced my old Nexus 7 (2013) with my cheapy Walmart ONN 8" tablet. Although the battery was fine, I decided to do a "battery-ectomy". The first reason is, I don't like the USB cord coming in the bottom of the tablet where I can catch my knee on it when I turn around. The Onn 8 is pretty standard with a 10k resistor from the white lead to ground to simulate a thermistor. I didn't want to give up the USB connector entirely as I can/will use it for my custom ODB. I was going to solder in an extension so that I didn't have to use the connector out the bottom. It turned out easier than that. The little PCB for the USB can be unscrewed and the flex printed circuit for it can be routed out a hole in the back of the tablet. I may epoxy the board to the back of the tablet, but for now it's dangling. The round thing in the center is a sawed-off microphone holder (5/8-27 thread) epoxied to the back of the tablet. It screws on a gimbal mount by my right hand. The red/black wires get fed 4V from a Velleman buck converter.
Hey folks!
I tried to come up with a way to use one of the Steering Wheel control momentary switches in a resistor ladder , to also control a separate device.
Some background info on the project:
Using a Teyes CC3 360 Radio with the 360 Camera system
Gauge cluster uses a 10.25" Joying radio which is running RealDash app for gauge info, and it doubles as a secondary display for more cameras
For my project, this meant a "Front" Camera switch and a "Rear" Camera switch in the steering wheel controls. For example: You press the Front switch , the Stereo will display the 360 System's Front view and the Gauge cluster LCD screen will display a Front view camera.
Since the momentary switches are part of the resistor ladder, you cannot just separately control accessories from each individual switch. This is where my idea comes in to play.
The momentary switch would instead supply a 12v Tigger to pin 86 of a relay (or I could make it supply ground to pin. 85). The Relay then connects its common pin (30) to the resistor/ground side of the resistor ladder and the N.O. pin (87) connects to the Kwy 1 /Key 2 wire.
In theory this looks like it should work, but I don't have 100% confidence as my knowledge is limited. This is why I am posting here hoping that some more knowledgeable people can look this over and give their opinion.
I want to thank everyone who took the time to view this post and/or comment their opinions.
Cheers!
Hammer_22 said:
Hey folks!
I tried to come up with a way to use one of the Steering Wheel control momentary switches in a resistor ladder , to also control a separate device.
Some background info on the project:
Using a Teyes CC3 360 Radio with the 360 Camera system
Gauge cluster uses a 10.25" Joying radio which is running RealDash app for gauge info, and it doubles as a secondary display for more cameras
For my project, this meant a "Front" Camera switch and a "Rear" Camera switch in the steering wheel controls. For example: You press the Front switch , the Stereo will display the 360 System's Front view and the Gauge cluster LCD screen will display a Front view camera.
Since the momentary switches are part of the resistor ladder, you cannot just separately control accessories from each individual switch. This is where my idea comes in to play.
The momentary switch would instead supply a 12v Tigger to pin 86 of a relay (or I could make it supply ground to pin. 85). The Relay then connects its common pin (30) to the resistor/ground side of the resistor ladder and the N.O. pin (87) connects to the Kwy 1 /Key 2 wire.
In theory this looks like it should work, but I don't have 100% confidence as my knowledge is limited. This is why I am posting here hoping that some more knowledgeable people can look this over and give their opinion.
I want to thank everyone who took the time to view this post and/or comment their opinions.
Cheers!
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I think, this posting would be better hosted in https://forum.xda-developers.com/f/fyt-android-head-units.12445/, because they are talking exactly about your Teyes CC3. May be ask a mod to move it over there.