[dhanushs]

Wonderfully done!.. Please do post more information, if possible a step by step instruction guide, so that fellow members can do the same.

[Visaster]

Wow, that is just pure awesome you could sync technology with old hardware.

I have my galaxy note docket into the sunglass holder of my CIAZ which is on the roof. connected via bluetooth, I can make use of calls, change song, increase volume.
It serves as a movie player when parked. Only problem is the sunglass holder when open blocks my rear view. I am presently looking for a 7inch tab with bluetooth connectivity and a good position in the car to fit.

Please explain your setup in detail. Thanks for sharing.

[rattanw]

This is truly excellent stuff. What makes it special is that you seem to have taken little or no help from professional auto shops.

I have been considering upgrading my Grand Vitara's stock unit. My main problem with GV 's system is inability to play audio through USB as there is no USB slot. Being a novice doesnt help either. Hopefully some day I will have your patience and skills to do some kind of DIY setup.

[datvichrox2]

Originally Posted by knp

wow.. awesome work Vimal. Waiting for video now and I will try something similar as I have been experimenting on this area for a while.

Thanks! I will try to post the video today.

Originally Posted by AtheK

Brilliantly done, congratulations on such a neat setup, looks very professional.

Thanks!

Originally Posted by speedmunster

Very neatly executed. But, where is the old head unit?

Thanks! Old head-unit is right where it was. The phone is installed a few CMs infront of the old head-unit.

Originally Posted by Ruchitya

Looks neat! Although at that screen size and low placement, I hope you are using voice navigation more than looking at the actual map. You would have to take your eyes off the road quite a bit to see the map, w.r.t. where its placed right now.
I had a similar idea, but to implement driver monitoring using a phone (heart rate, drowsiness, etc.). Lack of Google APIs for the same is a hindrance though.
I'd love to know how you are reading the car's technical data as well, please? What other data have you been able to receive as of now?

Thanks!
Yes, primarily voice navigation would be sufficient. The voice from google maps will interrupt any music that is playing and announce itself, which is something I like. I agree that looking at the maps while driving should be avoided, but this is more like a utility, which you setup before you start the drive. During driving, I would merely glance to see if I am on track or not. The location is OK because that's where the standard head-unit is placed in most cars.
Your idea is good, check if any of the sensors available for Arduino or Raspberry can be of use. What is the interface between the driver and the phone ?

Originally Posted by StallionAmit

Exceptional work my friend, this indeed is a gem of a work and i can just imagine the amount of satisfaction you will derive from this.

Thanks! Satisfaction is the key takeaway from such projects.

Originally Posted by nimit3105

Great setup, Mate. I would also recommend you to check out the "Automate" app for Android which is sort of a launcher that emulates the Android Auto layout. I use it quite a lot while driving for Maps/Music with the phone connected via Aux.

Thanks! Yes I tried Automate, along with a bunch of other car-dock type of apps. Only thing that I did not like is the tabs to switch between apps is too small (the bottom row). My criteria was BIG buttons. UCCW saved the day, otherwise I would have had to write some custom launcher. Phew!

Originally Posted by Chethan B G

Very smart! Thanks for sharing.

You can actually have separate contact number for the car. That would be awesome.

Thanks!
Yes, it can have its own data connection and you could maybe whatsapp to your car. You could auto-lock and unlock the car like ZoomCar using this combination of Android-Arudino (requires some more work though)

Originally Posted by a4anurag

Excellent buddy. Hats off for all the learning and modification. Do post some day time pictures.

Answering calls would be great with this setup.

Thanks! These are day-time pics only! Problem is that the windshield is always 100 times brighter, ill post some better pics later.
Answering calls would be awesome! But there is a major blocker in how Android implemented the bluetooth profiles. One phone cannot receive bluetooth audio from another phone. I am looking at ways to work around this limitation.

Originally Posted by kvsingh13

That is very professional looking. Kudos to you for doing it all from scratch. It looks so fine.

Originally Posted by invidious

After reading the first post I thought "Has to be some chap in Bangalore". I then checked the location Excellent job - looks professionally done. You can probably spin this off as a business model with a plethora of older cars lacking modern HUs.

Originally Posted by GKMahajan

Dear datvichrocks2,

"I am impressed" is an understatement!
You deserve full 5 stars!

Just a stupid question - is this really plug-and-play?
If yes, you should patent it and offer to end users!
I agree that you have most probably done this as a hobby, but still... just my two bits!

Girish Mahajan

Thanks!
It is plug and play if I remove it from my car and put it in another Palio. Otherwise, only the phone (basically the apps on it), the arduino and the code on it can be considered plug and play. Depending on the car, the location of knobs and wire length and shape of the front-end will have to customized.

Originally Posted by Petrolhead007

I am speechless, that's quite a professional install. I have installed Blaupunkt New Jersy on my Ford Fiesta 1.6 about a week back, I can tell with confidence that your install quality is much superior than mine, which was done at Sachin's Autoshop at Koramangala, supposed to be professionals. Congratulations for the new HU.

Thank you!

Originally Posted by dhanushs

Wonderfully done!.. Please do post more information, if possible a steb by step instruction guide, so that fellow members can do the same.

Originally Posted by Visaster

Wow, that is just pure awesome you could sync technology with old hardware.
I have my galaxy note docket into the sunglass holder of my CIAZ which is on the roof. connected via bluetooth, I can make use of calls, change song, increase volume.
It serves as a movie player when parked. Only problem is the sunglass holder when open blocks my rear view. I am presently looking for a 7inch tab with bluetooth connectivity and a good position in the car to fit.
Please explain your setup in detail. Thanks for sharing.

Thanks! More info coming up
A 7 inch tab would be beautiful provided there is a proper place to install it.

Originally Posted by rattanw

This is truly excellent stuff. What makes it special is that you seem to have taken little or no help from professional auto shops.
I have been considering upgrading my Grand Vitara's stock unit. My main problem with GV 's system is inability to play audio through USB as there is no USB slot. Being a novice doesnt help either. Hopefully some day I will have your patience and skills to do some kind of DIY setup.

Thanks! I am not sure if auto shops would be of help, I think it would be out of their domain. I wish there was a custom shop where I can provide my requirements and get the output the way I had visualised it (withtout breaking the bank).
You can do some research on your GV head-unit. If it can read digital data like mp3 from a CD, there must be a way of to redirect it to read from USB. You might have to build something like USB-CD emualator or something.

Thanks for the overwhelming response and interest guys! This is definitely a morale booster for me.

I will be posting the gory details soon, categorized as follows:

• Installing the Android phone at the location of the head-unit
• Controlling the phone/head-unit using hardware knobs/buttons
• Making it look good
• Software considerations

The finish does look good in darker environments, which is usually how it is inside the car. I would still like to improve the finish, there are some uneven edges and slight gaps when seen from certain angles. Its always difficult to build the resolve to finish the last 2% of the project!

[GTO]

Originally Posted by datvichrox2

Installing the Android phone at the location of the head-unit

Materials:

• A good phone back cover, preferably made out of metal. I used an aluminum based back cover for the redmi.
• Door magnets
• Small machine screws with nuts
• Couple of oversized nuts , to be used as spacers.

Thanks for sharing this update! Moved it to the opening page, post #3 .

[KAN]

Excellent stuff!! You should market this!!

[Ruchitya]

Originally Posted by datvichrox2

Thanks!
Your idea is good, check if any of the sensors available for Arduino or Raspberry can be of use. What is the interface between the driver and the phone ?

Most of the sensors have a limitation in that they are attached (close proximity) to the user's body to monitor heart rate. The only wearable I could think of which would not be a hassle to wear was a Android Wear device, which is where the lack of google APIs kicked me.

[petrolhead_neel]

Brilliant concept! I loved the idea. Thanks for sharing. This is one of the best DIY projects that I have ever seen on Team-BHP. Kudos! Fit and finish look really good, almost matches factory grade. I can imagine how much thought has gone into making this project a success. In other news, my Raspberry Pi is *almost* here and I will surely take your help if I get stuck somewhere.

Got that ol' smartphone lying around, time to put it to some real use!!

Please post more projects like these Sir. They are extremely beneficial.

Regards,
Neel

[good.car-ma]

Fantastic. You have done what some OEMs are struggling to do!!

[Engine_Roars]

This is awesome. You should have started the post with a warning though - Do NOT do it yourself. This thing definitely requires a pro like you.

[aaren]

Absolutely brilliant and you really rock, datvichrox !! Hats off to your innovative and ingenious thoughts alongwith perseverence. A silly question: What is arduino ??

[Tanmay K]

Great work! I see that your interface has "Car Data". Have you connected the smartphone to a bluetooth OBD scanner?

Originally Posted by aaren

What is arduino ??

They're basically electronics DIY kits. They can be programmed according to your needs. Not very difficult to get started with.

[rohitnp]

Awesome!

Just thinking, what if the orientation of the knobs were horizontal, just behind the gear lever ? iDrive alternative?

[iamback]

You can also add Follow me home headlamp feature as your are using arduino. Also if you have remote locking system you can program arduino such that they will close all the windows on double tapping the lock switch on remote. Keep it up dude. Nice work

[r.K]

Excellent! You have a lot of patience. Especially when you need to code an app for android and code the Arduino system as well. I can imagine how you felt when it worked and it all came together. Kudos! The unit looks thoroughly professional.