HU uses aux port - Android Head-Units

Hi guys, I am looking to put an android head unit into my BMW X1 (e84) and would like some thoughts/advice on the audio side of things.
TLDR; The unit requires the use of the aux port, which is low powered and too quiet - what are my alternatives?
Best I can tell all the android units for the e84 are essentially an extra side unit, as the original OEM HU stays in the car, take the following for example: AVIN BAVE84-1025 (I can't post the link as I don't have enough posts).
My only problem is the audio from the android needs to be looped through the cars aux port, which just seems wrong, as the aux port is low powered I'll never be able to get loud good quality audio through to the car speakers?
As it is at the moment, when I plug my android phone into my aux port, I turn the cars volume to maximum (including the extra aux volume) and it's still incredibly quiet. Is this because it's low powered aux, or is it my phone causing the quietness? (My phone is also turned up to max volume)
I'm worried that if I purchase one of these android units and utilise the aux port for the audio, I'll have the same volume/quality problem that I have when using my phone.
I used to have a 1 series (e87), where the android unit just hooked straight into the cars audio system, no need for utilising aux.
I have read that some people have left the aux unplugged in an F48 and the audio still worked (I'll see if I can find the thread for that) but obviously that's a newer model, so I'm not sure what's different.
I've also read a little about using a USB DAC, but I don't fully understand the process. Am I right in thinking the android device would need to be told to output audio to the USB, and the USB would then be hooked into the cars RCA audio?

At that point it's just another tablet, but with worse specs
See if connecting via bluetooth instead won't help. And try another device, maybe your phone is just being weird.

Aadieu said:
At that point it's just another tablet, but with worse specs
See if connecting via bluetooth instead won't help. And try another device, maybe your phone is just being weird.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm still running the OEM head unit at the moment (professional head unit) but it doesn't have music over Bluetooth.
I'll try another device to see if it'll go louder, but as far as I'm aware the aux port is generally quiet anyway because its low powered.
I have a small amp that I thought could probably help but I wouldnt want to put too much power through the aux port in case it blows.
I thought if I could get the android unit to use a USB DAC, I could then hook into the cars standard audio rather than a low powered aux. I'm just not sure whether it's possible to have these android units output to a USB instead. Does anyone have any experience with this?

Related

Connecting to car stereo

Hi
Just after some input on connecting to a car stereo. My thoughts
1) I have read the guide on creating your own mini usb to 3.5mm jack plug cable and have also seen similar things for sale
2) I have seen on a car forum for the car i own a guide for making a cable connecting 3.5mm jack plug to the AUX on the car stereo (used for the cd changer).
3) I can charger my kaiser through a usb cable in the car.
4) There is obviously a power source on the stereo.
Given the above, would it be possible in theory to have a direct connection between the phone usb and the stereo that would allow the phone to play through the stereo and also charge it at the same time?
I dont want to go through the process of doing it if there is some fundamental reason why it cant be done.
this might be wht your looking for hxxp://cgi.ebay.co.uk/3in1-usb-Adapter-for-HTC-KAISER-P4550-TYTN-II-VARIO-III_W0QQitemZ190232228190QQcmdZViewItem?hash=item190232228190&_trkparms=72%3A12%7C39%3A1%7C65%3A12&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14
Of course you could. But keep in mind that your microphone won't work for most usb+3.5mm adapter. It's very troublesome to pick up the phone. I would recommend you to opt for BT route. e.g. Stereo bt headset w/ 3.5 mm adapter like Sony Ds-220 or BT head unit like JVC BT-1
Something you might have to research is alternator whine.
I made a lead myself as you described. But as long as the device was charging There would be a buzzing coming from the speakers. This went away when running on battery power and when the device was fully charged.
I also tried a bluetooth device, and again if I tried to use it while it was charging I would get the dreaded buzzing.
I still have not found a solution. FM transmitters have never worked either for me. There is not enough space between channels here.
5manarmy said:
Something you might have to research is alternator whine.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can solve this by installing ground looping isolator if the power source from yr car is not clean
Hi.
I had the same problem, see my solution with the help of others:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=2353474
Good luck.
Well I think based on what I have read and the replies on here I am going to give it a go.
I will update on here once completed
I have a bluetooth stereo in my cab and my phone connects to the stereo using the bluetooth, I am also able to use Btmusic and play anything on my phone thru my car stereo its great for the odd file just wish it would do video as well thru bluetooth.
Os
jackleung said:
Of course you could. But keep in mind that your microphone won't work for most usb+3.5mm adapter. It's very troublesome to pick up the phone. I would recommend you to opt for BT route. e.g. Stereo bt headset w/ 3.5 mm adapter like Sony Ds-220 or BT head unit like JVC BT-1
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The original mic supplied works okay for me with the headphones chopped, but its very echoey even mounted as far from my speakers as possible so would agree with the above.
Ive the same setup in my car. The phone stuff was easy, it was getting the right VAG adapter to fit my cars HU that gave me the most trouble.
I also hardwired in my charging cable to keep it tidier and my cig lighter free, might be worth thinking about.
I have made a start on this. I have wired in the cable from the Car stereo and at the moment this ends with a 3.5mm Jack Plug. I have also bought the YC A200 cable from HTC which allows connection of the 3.5mm jack plug, a wired headset and also mini usb charging. In fact two of the HTC cables were delivered to me (one ordered but 2 delivered and invoiced) so I might use one as a development cable.
So far - music plays through stereo ok, not over impressed with the quality so far but am going to fiddle with the settings. SatNav also plays through the stereo - much easier to hear. I have had an issue this morning when having music playing and satnav running that the GPS signal was being lost. Not sure if this is a problem with running the two things at once or an interference issue from somewhere. I have never had problems with the GPS before. Am going to do a soft reset and try again on the way home tonight.
I was looking at hardwiring the charging cable to tidy things up and free up the lighter socket. I was going to use the 12v feed from the stereo. Is there anything I need to do or be aware of on this?
How does the mic etc work? I know you can use the headset but I would prefer to use the car speakers if possible. We also have a number of old nokia car kits at work which I was thinking of using for the mic. Would the speaker side work if I connected the relevant cables from the headset port on the HTC adaptor to the 3.5mm jack plug connections?
Im just using the mic from the supplied headset, chopped off the cable past the mic/volume slider and mounted it in the car. Call audio comes through the car speakers.
To hardwire the charger in you need step the voltage down from 12v to the needed 5v. I took a live and earth from the back of the stereo, took apart a usb cig charger and soldered the cables into it, put it back together and hid it behind the dash. Then just took a mini usb cable from that up to the 3in1 plugged into the phone.
SRSWOWHD cleaned my sound up considerably using Pocketplayer.
Well, my experiences so far,
Got the HTC YC A200 cable
1) Playing music through car stereo works great
2) GPS works fine most of the time, still not sure what the problem is, mainly voice directions not working properly all the time
3) Charging via the cigarette lighter socket, still got to hard wire the charging
Latest development
Got a Nokia car kit mic, just had to trim the locking lugs off the 2.5mm (or is it 2mm) jack plug. The mic works fine and the caller can hear me ok. The sound comes through the stereo but is not as loud as the music but i can change this slightly by fiddling with the plug, gets louder or quieter but still not the same volume as the music.
Any ideas? Would it be that the HTC adaptor is expecting the htc wired headset?
removing alternator whine / hum
Finally solved the alternator whine / hum over at my place too. Key is to take the power for the charger directly from the power feeding the car stereo. That way both the stereo and charger reference the same ground which eliminated the ground loop and thus the alternator noise.
http://www.jenrathbun.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=26&p=76#p76

Car stereo auxiliary jack silent?

I just got a new car that has an auxiliary jack that says I can play my music from MP3/Ipod players. I bought myself a 3.5 mm cord, plugged it into the HD and the Auxiliary port in the car stereo, but there's no sound.
Is there something else I need to do in order to hook my Blackstone up to my car stereo's Auxiliary jack? I figured the 3.5 mm Auxiliary port would just hook up to the HD's headphone jack as if the stereo would act as headphones. Am I wrong?
With mine, I just plugged the 3.5mm jack into the HD and every sound even phone calls automatically came through the cars speakers.
Try plugging another device with a 3.5mm jack into the car, if there is still no sound the theirs either a setting on the head unit or cable may be faulty.
Here is the cable I used, connected directly to the back of the head unit using RCA connectors.
http://catalog.belkin.com/IWCatProductPage.process?Product_Id=172348
Hmm, does sound (sorry) like a cable problem. I have plugged the HD into external speakers via the 3.5 socket with no problems.
What you are aiming for should work but the cable needs to be right.
You probably have to go to the option on your car stereo. It's just like changing from the fm receiver to the cd player on your car stereo (except you have to go to aux-in).
Look in the car stereo manual how to activate the aux-in option.
If Headsets work fine on your HD this should work as well.
Then it's not a problem with you phone.
Thanks for the replies, everyone. I did switch it to the "Aux" function as opposed to Radio/Satellite/CD/Etc., so I'll see if my son's iPod Touch works or maybe there's something else I have to do with the stereo in the user manual. Otherwise I'll assume the cable is faulty. Hope my wife didn't throw out the packaging just yet! It was just a cheap $7 retractable one I got from Target. Next option is a 3 foot $15 one.
Also, make sure you connected the cable to the aux-in on the stereo and not the aux-out. This isn't always indicated in a clear way (I'm just thinking what it could be).
Timbojames said:
Also, make sure you connected the cable to the aux-in on the stereo and not the aux-out. This isn't always indicated in a clear way (I'm just thinking what it could be).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yep, thanks for the input. Luckily it's pretty idiot-proof. It's the manufacturer installed Bose stereo system in a 2009 Nissan Rogue. There's only one input on the front face of the stereo panel labeled "Aux In". And you press a button labeled "AUX" to use it as far as I know. Pretty handy!
i have the same problem with my Alpine stereo,has an AUX Input,Even when i enable aux on the head unit still no sound.Taken it to my local car audio garage and theyre baffled!
Later said to me it could be a faulty HU
Ah, well I am used to after market stereo's with the connections on the back (rca connection).
Sorry that I'm not able to help. Well as long as you get sound through headsets and such it is not a problem with the HD, but I guess you figured that out.
Sadly those RCA's are usually outputs for an amp :'(
I'll test my son's iPod Touch today with the cord and see if his works. If his doesn't work also then I'll try a different 3.5 mm to 3.5 mm cord. If THAT doesn't work then I'll have to assume the stereo is malfunctioning.
Another thing that crossed my mind is what if the headphone jack on the HD doesn't produce enough juice to feed into the stereo. Would that be possible? Although it sounds like others are able to get theirs to work, so I'm assuming the HD puts out enough.
Thanks again for the quick input, everybody!
when you plug the lead into the touchHD, you do get the liitle headfones show up on the topbar of the screen?
you havent muted the media player somehow?
you have removed the 100dB eurolimit on the HD output yes?
vol on the HD is around the 80% on both media player and general system sound?
AUX is actually enabled on the headunit in the car? on my factory fitted headunit, the aux button is switchable between the aux line in and an external cd player... if you have the manual for the headunit, have a look to see if there is this option
the headfone jack on the HD pushes out plenty of power, especially if the 100dB limit is removed (hd tweak or advance config... dont forget to disable audio booster and the EQ as that will really mess up the sound)

Connecting HTC Magic to car stereo

Hi everybody,
I am wondering if someone knows if it is possible to connect the HTC Magic to the car stereo (via USB).
Now that I have flac support I would like to try it in the car stereo.
Thanks
I have mine connected via the CD changer port on my Clio.
The Magic is connected via one of these: Jays HTC Y Splitter
The EXT USB goes into the Magic, the USB connector goes into the USB charger and the female EXT USB goes into usb to 3.5mm jack which connects to the "Connects2" audio adaptor for the CD Changer which fools the head unit into thinking there is a changer connected and gives you a line in.
All this is behind the dash and only a couple of cm is showing to plug the Magic into when audio and charging is needed.
It sounds great when listening to music or podcasts and GPS instructions are clear as well. When connected and you get a call then it shuts off the music and routes the call to my BT headset seamlessly.
One thing I would point out is when I first put it in, I got a high pitched whine rising with the engine revs. I found this was due to the earthing of the charger and the alternator. It is called alternator whine and I fitted a ground loop isolator to the line in which cured the problem. All in all it took about an hour and £30 or so and works brilliantly.
Hope that helps.
I'm pretty sure that you wouldn't be able to connect using an actual USB cable (like you connect to the computer to charge or copy files with). Your head unit would likely be expecting an iPod to interface with.
What you CAN do, if your stereo head unit has an "Aux" input is connect an audio patch cable from the Aux input to the headphone adaptor that your phone came with. If you don't have one, try this link.
You will, of course, have to control the audio from your phone and not the radio head unit.
More expensive, BUT have a look at the Parrot Mki9100 Bluetooth hands free kit. Supports bluetooth stereo streaming, plays from a usb stick (and controls an ipod)

Connecting via USB to processor/DAC - Eonon GA8150 Android 7

Hi Guys
I have been searching and researching for hours but can't get this to work the way that I want, although I don't see any reason why it shouldn't work.
I recently purchased one of my dream cars, and promptly changed the headunit to a more modern unit, to allow me to have spotify, google maps, etc etc. I purchased the Eonon GA8150A for this purpose, and it sounds OK.
I was always planning to upgrade the sound, namely using a Helix DSP and amplifier, upgrading the speakers, etc etc.
Since the helix has an optical input, I figured I could maximise quality by running a digital signal to the unit - to this end I purchased a Behringer UCA202, as its a class compliant USB DAC which has optical out.
I connected via USB, and went into developer settings, and changed the "Select USB Configuration" to Audio. I plugged in some headphones for testing, and....nothing.
After some research, I downloaded the Onkyo player, and this worked! I was getting audio via my USB dac, through the headphones. But spotify, bluetooth, radio, nothing else worked.
Was wondering if what I am trying to achieve is possible?
The only other alternative it to sell the uni, and purchase an AVIN Avant 3 unit - this comes with high quality 4V pre outs but its a lot more expensive and i really dont want to do this. I could use the RCA outs on the Eonon to feed the processor, but as mentioned, these leads to many stages of A/D D/A conversion that will markedly reduce quality.
Thanks
Saad
Ok updates - it now works - the inbuilt audio player via USB, spotify, both work, however the radio doesn't send audio via the DAC, and nor does it send audio to the dac from my phone via bluetooth.
Not sure why this works now, maybe I had to turn off the car a while so the unit could properly reset?
The head unit volume control however doesn't work to adjust the volume of the audio coming from the dac.
Any way to get radio and bluetooth working via the dac?
Cheers

Digital Audio Out via USB

The amp in my car (BMW E39) has a S/PDIF coaxial input that will only work at a sampling rate of 44.1khz. At the moment, I have the RCA analog line-level outputs of my head unit (Dasaita Max6, Android 9) running directly into an ADC that I have mounted on the back of the head unit, and from there I just run a single coax cable to the back of the car that then plugs into the amp. This sounds great to my uneducated ears, however it bugs my OCD-ness that the head unit is converting from digital to analog, and then I am converting this straight back to digital again. It would be better if I could just run a digital signal al the way through.
So, as an experiement, I bought a cheap USB to S/PDIF sound card off ebay (PCM2704), which I hoped that I would be able to plug into one of the USB outputs on the head unit and instantly get digital audio. Only it didn't work. I tried a heap of things and I could not get the head unit to output audio via USB. I did a bit of sniffing around the file system, and found all of the audio-policy configuration files (all are XML) in the /vendor/etc directory. There is a USB Audio policy file there, however the main audio policy file makes no reference to it. The main file recognises a heap of audio outputs (bluetooth, headphones, speakers etc), but neglects USB.
This is as far as I have gotten so far. There is very little info available on this that I could find. I few people managed to get this sorted on Android 6, but all of the audio policy files changed between Android 6 and 9. My next step is to see if I can add USB to the main audio policy file and see if that works, but before I do that, I thought I would post here and see if anyone else had tried this before.
I'm aware of things like USB Audio Player Pro, which uses it's own proprietry drivers to send audio out via USB, but this is not really suitable to me as it won't work with other audio sources, like Youtube, youtube music etc.
So has anyone had any experience with this? Has anyone gone down this path before? Any suggestions or ideas would be much appreciated
Have you get this resolved? i have the same question about it.

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