anyone running a tablet inplace of a head unit ?

seen a few threads touching on the subject but noone seems to have done it id like it for the usual music and satnav needs

id prefer an android tablet as they have alot more for the money and the likes of sdcard slots and usb just make it a sensible option

what im wondering is how would i get the audio to an amp , just a 3.5mm to phono cable or is their incar amps that take hdmi for digital sound

another thing id like is reversing camera , either wireless or usb or maybe a tablet with an av input or some fannied up method of getting video into the tablet and obviously a method to display the video ..... and a way to make it switch whenever reverse is selected

I thought about this before , not only in the coupe. Again using an android based pad over Apple for the expandable memory and usb connectivity. However when you start running cables and dongles out the site I'd imagine it would become quite fiddly and hard to fit/remove as and when required.

If a way could be found could prob be housed in the single din and ashtray section but as said when you start adding line outs and dongles and 12v feed it would be difficult to fit even on a 7" tablet.

Pioneer have a new double din HU called App radio.It is not a tablet, but it does not have all the built in CD Drives etc. Instead it uses an iPhone (and later other devices) to control it. It does have a built in GPS function. It costs £400ish and is probably a lot easier than a tablet for ICE, though maybe not as slick. If a tablet looks too complicated this might be an idea.

low spec slimline pc under seat and a 8" touchscreen in the dash. thats what I did.
all the functionality and connectivity of a PC but the frontend userinterface of a media centre

http://centrafuse.com/

i wouldnt mind modifying a dock of whatever tablet to get the power into it and sound out of it , shouldnt be hard atall

would be a case of finding the right tablet and dock and location on the car for it , id like to make it removable so i could stow it under a seat out of view when i cant take it with me

does anyone do a an android front end like that centrafuse karl posted ?

if not maybe just use a win7 tablet with centrafuse


i always planned on a carputer karl but the touchscreens are still not upto the capacative screens response are they ? last one i played with required more of a press than a touch

plus they are just alot more components and bits and pieces that could go wrong and troubleshooting if something does go wrong

i dont use a tablet,i use an ipod touch though,works for me,as i have gauges where the headunit should be.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mGgx3_qCJyg&feature=youtube_gdata_player

This guy was at Spa this year and gave me a demo. I also helped him setup the new webcam he installed behind his rear view mirror.

what sort of system and os was he running , and did he manage to control all the manual controls with the touchscreen ?

what was the webcam for just to record driving antics ?

and did it have media ?

You see the centrafuse front end towards the end of the video. He's obviously programmed the extension on himself along with the hardware required.
His is just a carputer as well running windows and centrafuse.

As for touchscreens, my one was really responsive and o ly required a light touch.
I think as long as you get decent products with a half decent processor then you shouldn't have any problems.

I wouldn't mind the idea of using a tablet as they do have some advantages like portability but IMO they nail the power issue you get with a carputer.
One of the issues I had was the amount of devices I could connect as a gps receiver, Bluetooth receiver both need a powered USB source as they require more than 5v.
Obviously nowadays tablets have all the connectivity built in.

I did get round the issue by wiring a powered USB hub in but it's just a bit more unexpected hassle

i plan on putting a powered usb hub anyways to makesurer any add ons have plenty of power

would i be best to just put the audio through a 3.5mm jack or is there a way i could find a digital input amplifier ?

A 3.5mm jack into a decent stereo and then out to an amp will be fine

perfect that will be nice and simple, or could i ditch the stereo idea altogether or should i keep it for radio / cd functions

I would keep it personally as it acts as a nice interface between between the devices and allows you to not ALWAYS have to use the tablet AND its nice to have a proper knob for the volume, mute etc.
There aren't many car amps that allow direct input from a tablet via say a 3.5mm jack.
IMO a decent stereo not only compliments the tablet but is essential in the usability of the finished project

Have you decided what tablet your going to run with?

yeh your probably right , not sure think it will be a no name one from ebay probably or one of the hanspree ones something cheap but well specced

maybe even something with a tegra 2 inside, no point it being stuttery while scrolling through cover art etc

plus 3g modem inside


im also considering one that dual boots windows and android so i can choose the best front end/ui that suits me


will start with a head unit with aux in and eventually upgrade all the speakers with something decent and an amp with a small sub , dont need huge volume just a nice experience

cool, make sure you post a link to the tablet you buy

The hannspree hanspad is on offer from ebuyer. I got one a month ago. Good peice of kit when you put the custom rom on. Only downside i have found is the sound is not brilliant.

need to find a tablet with a digital out , maybe bluetooths a2dp profile thing ? surely that would cut out any built in sound chips , anyone know how bluetooth delivered sound is as i have never tried it

I've got a Parrot Mki9200 in wifey's car, the remote control is a piece of crap but actually it's a good sound from either iPod, USB stick or SD card (inc HD) and yesterday I switched on Music Player on my obsolete Palm Pre with bluetooth on and it just came straight through and was surprisngly good quality! But it will run the batteries down pretty quickly, but if it's running on 12V car power. I would say the sound quality is determined more by the head unit thingummy rather than the device that streams the music?

sounds good dave , i was looking at picking up the hp touchpad running webos but they werent long in disappearing

was your pre paired with the parrot or with your head unit ?

as mentioned the hanspree tablets are really cheap and decent specs

I didn't manage to get a Touchpad, they all went to shop staff and other vultures who put them straight on eBay I was talking about my Pre phone, it was paired to the Parrott which has its own amp and hijacks the speakers from the head unit

yeh i know dave i was ragin !

what about this instead of a tablet...

[url=yeh i know dave i was ragin ! what about this instead of a tablet... http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/8-Inch-LCD-Touchscreen-Monitor-AV-VGA-HDMI-Car-Kit-/270777946332?pt=UK_Computing_ComputerComponents_Monitors&hash=item3f0b9f90dc#ht_3732wt_905]hdmi touchscreen[/url]

with this sorta thing....

zotac zbox

oh and a cheap ssd for storing media and the os obviously

i think i may just get the samsung galaxy note now instead of getting a tablet

means ijust find a suitable phone holder and fit it in the car and all i need to do is connect microusb power to it

i will get any old head unit that can support bluetooth streaming and the galaxy notes screen is enormous which will be perfect for use in car ..... look ridiculous holding it to my head for phonecalls though !

or



What ever happened to trigger happy.

Lol that's how I imagine it was going to look

Its a monster of a phone but will serve two purposes and means im not leaving a tablet in the car for tramps to try an steal

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mGgx3_qCJyg&feature=related

Like this?

that is a cool idea i have saw that on here or on youtube before but i prefer physical controls for the things he has digitized , dont fancy looking at a screen to put fogs on or adjust heating etc