[akshay380]

Requirement: To have a touchscreen android unit in car

Options considered:
1. Android HU. I didnt want to spend too much money since i am not a music buff and needed the display mainly for viewing data from OBD.
2. Tablet mount available online: Most of these were suction mounts on glass/dashboard which affect the visibility.
3. I was OK with slight loss of aesthetics as long as it did'nt look downright ugly.
4. Already had a spare Nexus 7 lying around so decided to use that.

Items needed:
1. Some wooden/plastic blocks
2. Sandpaper for wood
3. Velcro
4. 3M double sided Tape
5. 30 minutes



Getting Hands dirty? Not really!
Went around neighborhood and bought item 1,2,3 from different shops. Since the quantity needed was tiny, none of them asked for money. Had I bought from from one shop, I might had to pay something

1. Get the wooden blocks sanded properly. Make sure that the height is more than the central ON/OFF+Volume knob. As of now I have just stuck two blocks with 3M tape (one onto another) but will replace them with a single block once I find time. Also the length of the block should be such that it has enough contact area on HU for holding weight of Tablet.

2. Cut required length of Velcro and stick it on wooden blocks as well as either ends of tablet. I have kept soft strip on tablet and hard on wooden block. Measure the distance between two blocks and match it with Velcro on tablet.

These pics were taken before the blocks were sanded. Now they are silky smooth!


Ideally I wanted the blocks to be slightly nearer but this is the only flat place I could find.


3. Thats it, job done!





So now I get all readings from Torque pro without using my mobile. I also have a TANTRA bluetooth receiver connected to N7 and I can watch movies or listen songs while the sound gets routed to car audio. I cannot use it to make calls since my N7 does not have simslot. Doing a workaround to fix this.

The tablet does not vibrate/shake even on bad roads. One of the reasons for using Velcro and two blocks of wood with 3M tape. All have good dampening. One issue I am facing right now is to access volume knob when tablet is mounted. I am mitigating that by using volume options on tablet.

So thats it guys. I know many have done it much better but this is sufficient for me. Total cost? About 4 inches of 3M tape!!

[social3047]

Nice mod. And good use of the Nexus 7... one of the iconic tablets.

Do you switch it off when you park the car? The only potential hazard is the lithium cell in the tab. The high temps in the stationary car may impact the battery. Definitely do not keep it on standby mode. Switching off might alleviate the problem a bit.

[akshay380]

Originally Posted by social3047

Nice mod. And good use of the Nexus 7... one of the iconic tablets.

Do you switch it off when you park the car? The only potential hazard is the lithium cell in the tab. The high temps in the stationary car may impact the battery. Definitely do not keep it on standby mode. Switching off might alleviate the problem a bit.

Hey, Thanks. I take it out when leaving the car. That's the reason I'm using velcro.

[govigov]

Originally Posted by akshay380

Requirement: To have a touchscreen android unit in car

Very nice. The nexus 7 is a good tablet for this purpose. There are some custom roms and kernels/firmwares which can take this to the next level.

For example -
https://forum.xda-developers.com/sho....php?t=2789993

https://timur.mobi/timurs-kernel-n7-2013/

[vidyanand]

Nice budget mod.

You can install/sideload Android Auto app on your tablet if it is Lollipop or higher. Interface will give you all Android Auto features including handsfree (Google voice) controls in a standalone app.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/d...ction.gearhead

[gkveda]

Looks nice. But, how do you operate the ICE? The access to ICE is completely shut by the Android

I doubt even if remote works on ICE since android physically covers the system.

[akshay380]

Originally Posted by gkveda

Looks nice. But, how do you operate the ICE? The access to ICE is completely shut by the Android

I doubt even if remote works on ICE since android physically covers the system.

Ok, only thing I use from ICE is the AUX port situated at the bottom. It's connected to tantra Bluetooth receiver. For volume knob, I have set it to almost max position and use volume controls on tablet. I don't use FM or CD player at all. Also worst case, I can just remove the tablet in one second

[joy_swift]

Please can you let me know how do you get all this data from OBD.

Looks really useful.

[ank.nsit]

Simply nice work.

But I have one question, the setup as such does not look sturdy enough to take on the potholes of Indian roads.

How did you ensure that the blocks do not come out? Is the 3M tape that strong?

[harsh79]

@akshay380

Try Dual Lock from 3M instead of the velcro.

[sriramr9]

Originally Posted by akshay380

So now I get all readings from Torque pro without using my mobile.

How do you get data from ECM to your tablet ? If its via the ELM327 streamed through blue tooth, do you keep ELM 327 plugged all the time to the port ?

Will it not cause Battery drain ?

[akshay380]

Originally Posted by joy_swift

Please can you let me know how do you get all this data from OBD.

Looks really useful.

Hey I use Torque Pro app on Android. Here is a the thread on OBD. Pl ask if you have any doubts. http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/techni...dian-cars.html

Originally Posted by ank.nsit

But I have one question, the setup as such does not look sturdy enough to take on the potholes of Indian roads.

How did you ensure that the blocks do not come out? Is the 3M tape that strong?

Its been a week I am using this and yesterday drove on some non existent roads thanks to monsoon. Its holding up well. The best thing I like is the dampening provided by Velcro+wood since the screen does not vibrate at all. Surely at some point I will have to find out what to use though!

Originally Posted by harsh79

@akshay380

Try Dual Lock from 3M instead of the velcro.

Surely didnt know about that!

Originally Posted by sriramr9

How do you get data from ECM to your tablet ? If its via the ELM327 streamed through blue tooth, do you keep ELM 327 plugged all the time to the port ?

Will it not cause Battery drain ?

Yes it is via bluetooth. Frankly I have been using this for 2+ months now and didnt see any issues. That said I make sure I ill take it out when not using car for extended periods.

[batman]

Originally Posted by sriramr9

do you keep ELM 327 plugged all the time to the port ?

Will it not cause Battery drain ?

Originally Posted by akshay380

That said I make sure I ill take it out when not using car for extended periods.

The latest OBD2 adaptor from 'icar pro' from VGATE is said to consume <3mA (Earlier versions upto 30mA) in standby mode. This 'Pro' version also has 'Auto On/Off' feature; so you can avoid plugging / unplugging.

[SRK]

Nice DIY Akshay. Good that it is holding up well.

Did you not check out the CD Slot Mount options? Since your car has a cd slot it could be useful.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_zmo4fyTNMs

These are avaialble on Amazon starting from Rs. 550 onwards - http://amzn.to/2tD8ogD

[samaspire]

I had ordered a similar one and stopped using it because the screen vibrates too much on the road. And there is a very real danger of the tab/phone falling off on hitting a large pothole.