Nexus 7 head unit!

[ajthomas05]

I forgot to plug in the 4x4 controls. The following write-up does not work yet.


The other day I noticed how well the Nexus 7 fit in the head unit slot. I know I've seen it done all over the internet, but I don't think anyone on this forum has done a write up, especially for this year explorer, so I figured I'd give it a shot and document it here.

Here it is:

I decided to go with the Nexus behind the dash. I agree that it looks better up front, but there was more room the other way. I would have had to cut into the trim to make room for the power and headphone jack, and I wanted to keep this in a state that I could revert back to my old HU quickly.

I feel like I should preface this by saying that I plan on removing this tonight. It was done in a half-assed fashion to finish quickly. I plan to revisit this and clean it up a lot, but as of now there are too many things I don't like about this set up to keep it:

1: No Radio. I thought I could use iHeartRadio, but that isn't supported on the nexus. The radio stations I listen to are blocked on every other radio app.
2: Too much interference from the cheap amp. There's a constant whine, and it only gets louder at higher RPM's.
3: The Nexus doesn't stop playing music when the car turns off. This may seem like a mild problem, but when you're streaming from pandora, you're just gonna sit there and eat up your data.
4: It's not very secure in the dash. It's definitely not going anywhere, but I'd like to make an actual enclosure to put it in so I can sleep better at night.

If you can get past all this, let's begin!

Parts:
Nexus 7: $200-300
Pyle 300watt mini amp: $20
Wiring Harness: $5
Misc connectors (butt connectors, wire taps, crimp on terminals): $10

Use your favorite hard, flat object (insert joke here) to remove the trim piece around the stereo, and the center console. I prefer the good 'ol spackling blade. There is one screw in the center console, and everything else just prys off. Remove the stereo.

It's a good idea to get a new wire harness for this. They are like 5 bucks on amazon, and well worth the money.

Wire up the amp. The harness you got should have labels to tell you what color wire is each speaker/power. Match them up with the wires from the amp.

Since I got a two-channel amp, I had to split the outputs to go to four speakers, which obviously isn't ideal, but it didn't hinder the quality too much.

Now on to the Nexus. While fiddling around trying to weigh my options, I noticed that the tablet wouldn't fit between the two clips points on the top of the slot. This had me worried that there wouldn't be enough room, so I CAREFULLY held the nexus while I put the trim back on. Turns out, when Ford made the explorer, they knew in 10 years Google would make a tablet, so they planned the entire stereo around that. Once I got all the pieces in, the tablet barely moved at all! The headphone jack should be in the bottom left corner. If it isn't, it will bump up against the clip for the trim, and cause the nexus to lean once you put everything back together.

I'll get a picture of the nexus without the trim piece tonight.

So, get a case. The nexus rests against the metal clip mount once in place. Even though this is a (mostly) permanent solution, you probably don't want to scratch the back in case you change your mind.

Plug in the auxiliary cable to the nexus and the amp.

Now for charging. For the most part, I followed this thread. The only difference is, instead of the last cable to the usb port, plug it in to the nexus.

Now put it all back together! I opted to put the amp under the center console, which was probably a bad idea. This morning on the way to work it got pretty hot. I realized there's no room for it to breathe there. So I'd just put it behind the nexus.

I'll leave you with one final picture of everything connected before it was put back together. Happy modding!

 

[ajthomas05]

First decision I have to make, do I want it in front of, or behind the dash?

In front:

Behind:

 

[Styx]

I would say in front... Looks good keep us updated...

 

[robbieas]

This is awesome! I've been thinking about this since the day it came out! I've got a Nook Color rooted running CM10 and thought about using it, but it's a little larger, and way crappier than the N7.

I've got a 2005 Explorer with climate control, but it looks like otherwise the dashes are the same. Love to hear how this goes, and provide any technical assistance I can provide along the way.

I've also got a Galaxy sIII, and saw this on XDA... thought I'd look into this for the audio and charging.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2033527&highlight=car+charge

What are you going to do with the factory stereo? Are you moving it, or just covering it up?

 

[robbieas]

Also, I'd agree that front looks better.... though I'd be curious how it looks from passenger/driver angle view.

Any plans to try to trim that lower plastic piece down at all to get a better fit?

 

[SEVEN40iL]

Looks better in front.

So what are you using to hook up the Nexus 7 with the stock speakers?

 

[ajthomas05]

Original post updated

robbieas - I was thinking about trimming that myself, but I actually like the angle that it provides. With it, it points right at you.

 

[ajthomas05]

This is awesome! I've been thinking about this since the day it came out! I've got a Nook Color rooted running CM10 and thought about using it, but it's a little larger, and way crappier than the N7.

I've got a 2005 Explorer with climate control, but it looks like otherwise the dashes are the same. Love to hear how this goes, and provide any technical assistance I can provide along the way.

I've also got a Galaxy sIII, and saw this on XDA... thought I'd look into this for the audio and charging.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2033527&highlight=car+charge

What are you going to do with the factory stereo? Are you moving it, or just covering it up?

I wish I would have read this before I finished. I'm definitely going to invest in a DAC, that will probably clear up the noise I'm hearing, so that's good.

I completely removed the old stereo. I had a Pioneer avh-p4300dvd before, and I'm probably going to sell it once I figure out a better solution to using the Nexus.

 

[robbieas]

Have you tried TuneIn Radio? I use it all the time for all of my local stations, even able to get my local AM sports radio stations. It also records, pauses, and rewinds.

Perhaps I'm getting crazy here, but what if a detachable face single DIN receiver was used, but a connector extension from the head unit to the face was made so the face can be mounted in the open space just below the AC controls? The head unit could go about anywhere in that case, somewhere up under the dash, whatever makes the extension to the faceplate closest. That way you'd have full normal receiver functions, and when you want to use the Nexus for audio, switch to AUX and you are set. Seems like a ton of work, but would be sweet ass setup.

Another option is a single DIN receiver mounted facing up in the center console. Power and speaker harnesses would need some serious extensions, but would also work.

 

[ajthomas05]

Have you tried TuneIn Radio? I use it all the time for all of my local stations, even able to get my local AM sports radio stations. It also records, pauses, and rewinds.

Perhaps I'm getting crazy here, but what if a detachable face single DIN receiver was used, but a connector extension from the head unit to the face was made so the face can be mounted in the open space just below the AC controls? The head unit could go about anywhere in that case, somewhere up under the dash, whatever makes the extension to the faceplate closest. That way you'd have full normal receiver functions, and when you want to use the Nexus for audio, switch to AUX and you are set. Seems like a ton of work, but would be sweet ass setup.

Another option is a single DIN receiver mounted facing up in the center console. Power and speaker harnesses would need some serious extensions, but would also work.

Funny you should say that, all day today I've been researching single din units and remote faceplate mounting. I'm pretty sure I'm gonna go that route. It's simple, and the best way to get everything I need and still have that wow factor.

Unfortunately, TuneIn doesn't get clear channel stations, which is what I want most. But I managed to get iheart working, so I got past that.

I also found a 2000 watt amp that I could use instead of the cheap one. I'm going to try that and see how that goes.

 

[robbieas]

Damn, we are really on the same page on this thing! One more thing I found a few weeks ago that I've thought I might do... I found a guy who was using a USB hub with keyboard, mouse, and external drive on a N7... I believe it was supported natively without any kind of hacking. Not worried about keyboard and mouse, but I've thought it might be nice to have a way to easily transfer files via thumbdrive. I'll track that down and post if it's of interest to you.

 

[Wills05xlt4x4]

Damn, we are really on the same page on this thing! One more thing I found a few weeks ago that I've thought I might do... I found a guy who was using a USB hub with keyboard, mouse, and external drive on a N7... I believe it was supported natively without any kind of hacking. Not worried about keyboard and mouse, but I've thought it might be nice to have a way to easily transfer files via thumbdrive. I'll track that down and post if it's of interest to you.

Food for thought, my galaxy tab supports Bluetooth; I have a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse that would be a sick addition to what you have going and may be easier...also have my cell linked to it since mine is WiFi only...

also! Look up the new Seagate D.A.V.E. its a WiFi/bluetooth hard drive you could put wherever and sync with cell laptop N7 etc... Who needs wires these days LOL

 

[robbieas]

@ajthomas05 - You've inspired me, ordering my Nexus 7 today!

Thought of something else... how do you plan to access the power button? You'll want the screen to be able to turn off when your car is parked, so then how will you get it to turn back on? I've done a little research, and it looks like there might be an app that allows for something like this... figure once I get my N7 I'll start trying out some of these things, but curious what you've thought of.

 

[robbieas]

Also found this on the remote mount of the faceplate... guy even has an explorer. Looks like this is totally doable with a little solder and CAT 5 cable. I think I'll mount mine just under the AC controls.

http://www.mp3car.com/car-audio/32881-remote-faceplate-turned-out-really-nice-check-it-out.html

 

[ajthomas05]

Also found this on the remote mount of the faceplate... guy even has an explorer. Looks like this is totally doable with a little solder and CAT 5 cable. I think I'll mount mine just under the AC controls.

http://www.mp3car.com/car-audio/32881-remote-faceplate-turned-out-really-nice-check-it-out.html

Yeah, I've seen that setup while I was looking around at them. I don't know what that guy was thinking though... mounting it on the A pillar. Hope he doesn't get into an accident.

And you can easily hook up up any usb peripheral to the N7. Since they came out with an 11 pin micro usb, all you need is a micro to standard usb cable, and you should be set.

So, if you hook up an additional cigarette lighter to use as a charger, definitely hook it up to the remote power (antenna power, remote on, whatever you call it). Then set the N7 to a 15 second timeout, and always on while plugged in. This way, when you turn off the car the display will shut off shortly after, and when you turn it on, the charger, and display, turns on. I haven't figured out a solution yet for if it ever turns completely off though. Although I accidentally left it on playing music all night last night and it was at 91% this morning.

 

[robbieas]

For both of my tablets, if they completely die, they boot up when plugged into a charger. So your idea may work out. Still though, you know at some point the thing is going to need a power button press, and man is it going to be annoying.

 

[ajthomas05]

For both of my tablets, if they completely die, they boot up when plugged into a charger. So your idea may work out. Still though, you know at some point the thing is going to need a power button press, and man is it going to be annoying.

Yeah, it definitely is going to be annoying. I gotta work on getting it out quickly, without having to pop out the trim first.

I'm also starting to get concerned about how this is going to hold up in the summer. Obviously I don't have to worry about that yet, but it's something to think about...

 

[ajthomas05]

Well, I'm an idiot. I'm going camping tomorrow and just realized today that I never plugged back in my 4x4 controls. I did that, and guess what? The plug for the nexus doesn't fit anymore. I don't have time to mess around with it at the moment, so for the foreseeable future, I'm just going to have a hole in my dash. :/

 

[robbieas]

Dude, that sucks. I'm pulling out my dash toady to try to figure out how I'm going to do this, if i come up with any ideas I'll let you know.

Also saw this yesterday.... i like the concept, might be a good idea for mounting.
http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2459432

 

[ajthomas05]

Yeah, I was thinking about cutting up a double din dash kit to try and get a more permanent mount, and one that wasn't just barely held in place. It's cold here, so I'm pretty quickly losing motivation to keep working on it. Slowly but surely, I'll get there.

Also, I realized yesterday that if I use the DAC with the usb out, I can flip the Nexus around and the headphones won't be in the way of the clip to hold the trim on. So I'll have to go that route.