Another Tablet Cubby Thread (Nexus 7)
 

Well I have posted in a few threads my desire to mount a tablet in my Z for various reasons. After months of research I decided the best tablet for me ( I know some will disagree) was the Nexus 7.

The main things I want to use it for is a GPS, music/movie player, and torque pro for an OBD display. I also want to be able to remove it when I want to. It will power on/off with the car. With the help a few apps this should be no problem.

I am pretty much a noob to this kind of stuff so the install will take me some time. I really like the way member Bandit Kaine went about installing his iPad Mini and plan on doing a similar setup. Bandits Thread

I would like to have my power and audio cords hidden behind the cubby/dash. I am trying to read up on where to get my source of power so it is only on while in ACC or the car is running. I will probably be asking for help with this part.

My part list and prices so far are:

Nexus 7 - 249.99
OBD MX - 149.99
(Update 4/12/13)
Asus Factory Cable - 5.60
N45 1/2" x 1/16" Neodymium Magnets x10 - 7.87
Dual 3.1A 15W Car Charger - 10.99
Poetic Element Hard Case - 8.95
Anti Glare Matte Screen Protector 3 Pack - 2.97
Torque Pro (App) - 4.95
Tasker (App) - 1.99
Fiberglass - 5.99
Fiberglass Resin - 11.99
Bondo - 14.99
iSimple ISNI572 - 84.00

Current Total - 560.27


I know im going to need magnets or some sort of clips, I want a hard case for the Nexus, an anti glare screen protector, and misc parts for fabbing the cubby.

I think I will be around 700.00 total once im done and have all the paid version of apps I need. I will post pictures and info as I go.

Any tips to help me along my way are appreciated!

The fabrication part is easy... I'll help any way I can.

I've been mulling over doing something similar. Subbed for updates.

Power to the cigarette lighter is off when the car is off. Many ppl use it for GPS, cell phones, and such. It's close to the cubby and pretty easy to get to the back to tap in.

Edit: I don't know how this compares to what you are using, but it's a lot cheaper.

Thanks brother!

I already purchased my Nexus 7, and OBD MX. Actually my wife called me and they arrived today. When I get home im going to fiddle around with it and get used to the controls vs our ipad and kindle fire.

If I had not already purchased it for 70 bucks I guess that one is worth a try, but im a firm believer in if "It sounds to good to be true" then it probably is. That my friend is cheap, but at the same time I guess the Nexus and iPad mini are not priced to much higher.

An easy way to get power is to use the passenger side power plug, what I did is unscrewed it and shoved it up under the dash, then plugged in a high power (2.1w) adapter and ran my cable from there. You've still got the power plug in the arm rest if you need it.

Edit.

Also I'd suggest unlocking and rooting your nexus to get the most out of it, a rom like AOKP will allow you to change the size of the nav buttons, quick toggles, and orientation locks to help use it in a car. If you need help with that let me know, I've been an android evangelist for a few years.

Let me know if you have any questions. I remember talking to you about this regarding my 7'' tablet install.

I personally am not familiar with the obd that you purchased, but the Kiwi PLX is a hundred bucks if you want to save a little cash.

PLX Devices Kiwi Bluetooth Wireless Trip Computer and OBDII Scanner : Amazon.com : Automotive

I would also suggest pulling power from the passenger side plug. it's not very hard to run at all once you have the center console out. Tight in a few places but there's plenty of area to work in.

Also, I would suggest wrapping the interior of the cubby with some kind of material for a finished look. I used DiNoc.

Hate to be the bearer of bad news and hopefully I can catch you before you open the OBD MX, but I have this :

Soliport ELM 327 Bluetooth OBDII OBD2 Diagnostic Scanner : Amazon.com : Automotive

$15 shipped and works perfectly with Torque

I personally wouldn't suggest that adapter, as (if I remember correctly) the transmission rate can be pretty slow at times. Since Torque toggles through each dial multiple times a second and updates them one at a time, the feedback can really slow down once you add more than 2 or 3.

You can see how often Torque recieves info based on the little blinking light on each gauge.

But, if this unit works as fast as the PLX, go for it.

sub'd for results! Its of no use to me, but looks cool!

can't wait to see your results

OT: What material is the cubby? I think it feels really nice lol.

I think I'm just going to go the ghetto way and purchase a clip and put my phablet there when I'm in the car.

Hey guys thanks for all of the support. I'm using the nexus now and so far I love it. There are a few hurdles I will have getting it set up but nothing major.


The N7 (figured out this is a short name for it) that I have has no problems with screen orientation I guess they fixed that problem with Jelly Bean 4.2. I am reading up on rooting the tablet but that stuff is was over my head. I may be back for more info on that.


You have convenienced me to use power from the passenger outlet. I will be using an app called tasker to program the N7 to turn on the screen and leave it on when it senses power. I will then have it default to torque for the OBD display.


The reason I went with the OBD MX is for the data rate. It will allow me to use more gauges than the cheaper models. I have read great reviews for it with the next best being the Kiwi. How ever it is 4x faster than it.


I'm going to keep learning the features of the N7, torque, and tasker because they are the main focus of this install. I found some magnets, case, and anti glare screen protector that I like. I will probably order those tonight.


Back to the power did you guys splice into it? Or just use a plug inside the dash? I also have to make sure I get the right charger because I have read, and don't completey understand the N7 has charging issues.

There are several methods that work well, which is best for you depends on how much experience you have.

Arguably the best method, but also the hardest to do, would be to solder your taps directly to the wires going to the lighter and insulate with heat-shrink tubing.

You can also use a fuse tap* at one of the fuse blocks. Easy to install and easy to remove if needed. The fuse block on the outer wall of the driver footwell is easy to get to but kinda defeats the purpose of finding a close place to tap power. You can grab power at the IPDM, but then you have to thread the wire through the firewall (not that difficult to do but I like to avoid going through the firewall because of possible leaks).

Then there are the crimp-type taps* that are very easy to install but can nick the wire and are more-or-less permanent. An acceptable method but, IMNSHO, low on the list.

*Not a recommendation, just the first example I found.

Ok so if I tap into the power going to the outlet....

1) Is it ok to hack up a Micro USB and tap in with it?
2) Will the outlet still have power to charge something? If not it kind of defeats the purpose of tapping into it.

3) How the fudge do I tap into it, I cant seem to find a diagram for it.

EDIT: One more thing! That would be coming right off of the 12V supply from the battery 14-15V while charging correct? Not sure of the amps...but that is to high of voltage I would think. Would I need some sort of resistor?

Sub'd for cool idea.

This might even suit apple guys with their music on an iPhone (like me). I can see doing N7 for torque pro and GPS in cubby while keeping a head unit strictly for music.



Tapatalk2 ...

So basically charging a device with a microUSB like your nexus works like this. There are 4 pins in the charger port, 1 through 4. 1 is positive power, 2 is positive data, 3 is negative data, and 4 is ground. While you could hack it and just use pins 1 and 4, pins 2 and 3 are important because if the android operating system doesn't see a specific constant voltage being applied across these two pins, the tablet will only charge in "USB" mode, drawing a max of 500 mA. What you need is an android friendly charger that will trick the tablet into thinking its plugged into a wall allowing it to enter "AC" charging mode and draw as much amperage as is safe for the device. I use a USB plug in charger that delivers up to 2100 mA, which is what I would suggest you do, no cutting, no mess, no fuss.

Keep in mind your screen on, Bluetooth running, and multiple apps are capable of drawing at least 1500 mA, so you'll constantly lose charge unless you do this correctly.

Edit:

I asked around on the android forums and was pointed to this:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0088U4YAG/...0_M3T1_SC_dp_1

The nexus guys have had great luck with it, and it delivers 3100 mA!

* 1 - Not sure what you mean. If you mean take a cord with a uUSB connector on it and wire the other end to vehicle power, then the answer is no. The car is 12V and USB is 5V. Fortunately, there are umpteen gillion 12V-to-USB converters available in just about any form factor you can imagine. You should be able to find a small unit that can be easily hidden. Just make sure it has some room to breathe.

* 2 - Unless you cut the wires, you will still have power to the lighter. It would be super easy if you didn't want to keep the lighter powered. All you would have to do is snip the wire(s) and butt splice them.

* 3 - One of the wires will be +12V and the other one is ground. The wires will be color-coded, but I don't know the colors off the top of my head. IIRC, there is more than one stereo/GPS/nav/tablet install DIY that explains it well (and gives some routing tips). If my memory is faulty, let me know and I'll look it up in the FSM. I wanna say that you just unscrew the inner part of the lighter and pull the housing out from the rear to get access to the wires.

Thanks man, this is all the tricky charging stuff I have been reading. The way you described it makes alot more sense than some of the other inflated topics on it I found.

This: Car Charger Seems to be the one alot of the people have used that works. One reviewer made a very detailed post on it but confused me a little when I read it at 3 this morning :icon17: Do you think this will work? If it does I can run an extra cord into my glove box for my wifes devices to charge on the road as well.

BTW I will hand out reps for all the help from you guys when I get a chance. Im popping in and out from work right now.

Well I see we both posted the same unit so I guess I will add that to my order later, thanks!

Yep you should be good with that one, Id suggest only trying to use the NA (non apple) port as well as a high quality (preferably OEM) microUSB cable. You MAY use the other port to charge another device, however you wuold not be getting full power to the other port then, so youd have to keep an eye on how much juice youre actually pulling and if its getting enough charge. I actually put a flush mount mini dual usb in the charger in the armrest for additional devices.

I have an OCD thing with never putting anything in the armrest plus I hate when people open it and I have to lift my arm. I also have 5 toggle switches in there for my headlights/rear fog I dont want bumped around.

Just put in my order for a few more items:

Asus Factory Cable, N45 1/2" x 1/16" Neodymium Magnets x10, Dual 3.1A 15W Car Charger, Poetic Element Hard Case, and an Anti Glare Matte Screen Protector 3 Pack.

Tomorrow is my only day off and we are packing up the house for our move in about a month so I may not have much time to work on it, but I will fit some time in.

First post updated with prices.

Question I have is how are you going to avoid the charging port plug protruding 1/3 of an inch out the top of this? wouldn't that cause issues with the tab sitting flush in the cubby?

If this is a problem I am going to search for a right angle cord that meets the charging needs of the tablet. If you check out the link in my first post to my reference thread you can see what he done with an iPad Mini. So basically I do not think it will be a problem.

The charging issue is honestly the most difficult to overcome, as the tablet draws quite a bit of amperage when the screen is on (full brightness), wifi is on (for tethering from phone), along with BT and GPS.

Luckily for you, the Nexus 7 is known to be very car-friendly as far as draw. My tablet was not.

As far as the USB adapter for a right angle, I found this site while I was doing my integration.

USB Cables - From www.AngledCables.com - Overnight delivery available! - USB Cables

Here's a thread about proper car chargers for the tablet:

The Only Car Charger You Need for the Nexus 7 - xda-developers

Ok, I got the center cubby and shroud out. I now have two issues, one being the factory Bose unit. I checked the DIY and removed the 4 bolts that hold it in place. I cant budge it though to pull it out. The DIY says you need a pry bar but not where to pry...I dont want to mess up anything. The second issue is in the DIY pics there is no audio port in the back like I was hoping for and I do not want to run a cord around to the front port.

As mentioned I do not know much about car audio. So I was wondering if the N7 has anything like the iSimple media gateway, or if it works with bluetooth. Both of those options are things I just remember reading about. I have no clue if they will work or not, im heading off to look now, but figured I would ask here real quick.

Im also going to spend a few hours sizing up the cubby with the N7. This is actually really fun I cant wait until its all done.

On another note wow it was a PIA to get all of my iTunes music on this thing. Besides that I think it is wayyyy better than any of our apple products.

The iSimple media gateway will receive streaming audio from your tablet just fine. If you don't already have it though it'll cost you $300 to get the gateway + bluetooth module. Or you could get the gateway and use it's audio input (connect your tablet with the audio out cable to the input of the gateway).

There are (I believe) a total of 8 screws that hold the stereo in place. The head unit doesn't come out by its self the whole temp control assembly comes out with it.

Thanks, I didnt know it cost that much! I may have to wait a bit before I get that. I found a few other options but they were more permanent (required cutting and splicing into the N7 itself. I want to be able to remove mine at any time.

Ok I will check it out tomorrow I was reading it on my phone while I was in the car. Thanks!

Bandit, I see a bunch of different ones im not sure which will work. None of them say for Android devices (that I can seem to find). I found this one: Will this work? It does say supports a separate audio signal though and in the pic looks like it has a plug that will work in the jack on the N7. Im also curious if it will plug right into the factory Bose system. According to this site: It should work.

EDIT: Ordered the above unit.

Can't wait to see the finished product. I want to do the same with my n7.

Also you ABSOLUTELY DO NOT need a pry bar to get the stereo out. once you release all the screws it practically falls out.

I'll be watching this as well, wanted to do this ever since n7 came out. Perfect tablet for the job.
Good luck!

Thanks Cbtech, i did not get a chance to mess with it any today before work. If im not to tired i will when i get home in the morning.

Yep that's the right one. It's a lot cheaper at walmart than the iSimple gateway though. I payed full retail price for mine :S

It comes with the iPod cable and an Auxiliry input cable which is basically just a 3.5mm headphone jack that plugs into whatever has a headphone jack. So that will work. If you decide to add the bluetooth module you will have to give one up (only allows 2 inputs). The bluetooth module is $99, but you might decide to get it because it allows you to skip from the steering wheel and radio controls. With the auxilary you will have to use your tablet to skip, but you can control the volume from the steering wheel.

I wanna see pics and video of this when you're done. :D

Also, there is already a set of wires tapped in behind the passenger outlet. That's where I had gotten power for my radar detector.

I ended up getting it for 84.00 from amazon, and I just got it today in the mail. So with the BlueTooth module I can stream music via (a2dp) I think its called? Im not a huge music buff so if I lose sound quality I wont care.

Dave you need to check out some of the guys that have hacked up the tablet and made it permanent. They solder into the factory buttons and run wires to their steering controls, and/or install roller wheels for control like a carputer. I do not want a permanent install though or I would have tried to go that route for sure.

On another note I ordered the wrong Asus cable (it was late or early..) doh! Im going to try and lay everything out today or tomorrow and get back to removing the Bose deck Friday.

Sigh! Road Blocked again.....So im sitting at work playing with torque and task manager, suddenly I realize I can not lock the screen on. Little research shows that google decided to take that away with JB 4.2!!!!! Only way to get around it is to Root the tablet.

At least I have 3 1/2 more hours to do some reading FFS!!!

Been up all night/morning N7 is now unlocked and rooted. Tomorrow more fun begins! By tomorrow I mean today............im going to get some sleep!

Im working up a PM to you right now in response to your questions, I really think a custom ROM like AOKP or Cyanogenmod will help you get the most out of your nexus. But glad to see you figured out how to unlock it!