After going through several lousy car mounts with dangling cigarette lighter wires and suction cups popping off the windshield and dashboard I had had enough of this *(&*^&*&^(*)(%$%$#. Time to put on a professional looking permanent installation!
After much research I came upon a solution for my AT&T Tilt. I have an older Taurus which does not have any external (even in the back of the radio) connectivity for audio inputs, so I decided against making changes to integrate the sound between the tilt and the car (but I did want the unit's batteries charged in the mount). Note all powered car mounts need a small transformer, which in many of the versions out there in the marketplace are oin the mount itself, which makes it very bulky. I preferrred one that comes with a separate transformer which can be hidden. I also wanted the PDA up near the windshield so I would not have to look far away from the road while driving, which I consider dangerous - but did not want to have some huge clunky thing sticking up in the middle of the dash - I wanted it as small and unobtrusive as possible. The only mount specifically designed for snapping into place on my model car my car (www.proclipusa.com) actually put the mount on the console down near the shifter between the seats so that was not very useful either. I had decided upon the active Brodit car mount as I wanted to be able to open the keyboard while the unit is in the mount, and wanted to be able to move the mount any which way without worrying if the mount would come loose. This car kit is minimal in size and has a separate transformer which can be hidden as well. With all the above caveats there was nothing else on the market that was handy, unobtrusive, and didn't end up with a lousy plug for the lighter to power the unit (yech). So, here was my solution (7 photos attached). All the parts shown can be purchased at www.proclipusa.com.
Photo #1: Dashboard showing my situation (this was actually part way through the installation, you can see the transformer hanging down under the steering wheel, I just stuffed it up out of view when I was finished with the work).
Photo #2: Fuse Box Connections (under the steering wheel by the firewall). Note all I did was pull the cover off the fuse box, pull the 20 amp fuse out, and wrap the red positive lead around one of the prongs of the fuse which I just stuck in place later. I will probably buy an in-line fuse and put it on the red wire later. (I used the 20 amp fuse for the ignition for the ignition which is only powered while the car is running - I wanted this for the mount's transformer so as not to wear down the battery when the car is not in use). The black lead only has to go to the ground in the car so you can see I was just starting to wrap it around the nut holding the fusebox in place, which is grounded.
Photo #3: Note - all powered car mounts need a small transformer, which in many of the versions out there in the marketplace are on the mount itself, which makes is very bulky. I preferrred one that comes with a separate transformer which can be hidden. So with everything wired up and installed, I hid the wire (and transformer below) andnothing is in view but the wire for the brodit mount going up to the dash. Also note the block attached to the dashboard - to the left of the steering wheel. Easily visibly by the driver, and not destroying the look of the dash in the middle of the car. This block was still too horizontal but it is very solidly connected to the dashboard on the left of the driver's seat, up near the windshield but neatly out of the way. No windshield obstruction whatsoever!
Photo #4: I mounted a second block on top of the first to improve the angle. Note the center two holes which were added for screws to connect the two block and still leave the surface of the second block flat for the brodit mount. It not only made the installation rock solid, but I decided to improve that even further by replacing the two screws on the bottom first block and putting longer screws on the bottom going through both blocks. (I did not want to glue the second block onto the first because that way I would have no way of removing the screws holding the first block in place later - and glue comes undone.) This thing is rock hard - not going anywhere. Most other car mounts get loose over time and with just a little wiggling end up coming off. Not this baby! Won't even wiggle!
Photo #5: Brodit mount screwed onto the top block. Beautiful! Swivels 360% around and tilts every which way. The screw in the center of the mount can be tightened slightly so that the mount only moves if you really try to move it using definite force. Nothing at all loose here - rock solid! (Also note, this mount can be swapped for another brodit mount fitting any PDA on the market, just by loosening that center screw!) Note the two circled areas. They are tiny plastic adhesive wire holders which can be purchased at any hardware store to keep the wires where you want them...
Photo #6: Vertical use with AT&T Tilt - (see white circle - being charged)!
Photo #7: Horizontal use with AT&T Tilt - note you can easily slide the keyboard open - (see white circle - still being charged)!
dude, looks sweet. What are you doing this coming weekend? Can you work on my car?
this is really awesome! the only thing is that i hope ur left handed
Left handedness
I don't think left or right-handedness is a factor - when driving on the highway you cannot really touch any of the tiny software buttons on the screen to use the thing anyway - too dangerous. However, the external hardware buttons - I don't think most people have to use their predominant hand to press a hardware button... If that was the case then most drivers in europe (with the right side steering wheel) wouldn't be able to use the radio unless they were left handed?
Don't you find it very difficult to put the Tytn2 into the Brodit holder? I have one too, but I find it very cumbersome. I have to fiddle with it a couple of times before I get it in properly (onto the USB connector). Previously I had the Brodit holder for my MDA Vario and that went in with my eyes closed.
My guess is that the bad fit is caused by the big empty space between the back of the device and the holder (for big batteries?). If Brodit was to make something to fit in there so that you have some kind of reference when you insert the device, it would be better. The way it is now, it is only irritating me in the morning...
Sliding it in
I find I do have to adjust it ever so slightly to get it seated correctly. However, I believe it is better to have the space so that:
1. The unit will fit with any size battery
2. The GPS signal is not weakened
KruseLudsMobile said:
I find I do have to adjust it ever so slightly to get it seated correctly. However, I believe it is better to have the space so that:
1. The unit will fit with any size battery
2. The GPS signal is not weakened
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I doubt the GPS signal is weakened less by the plastic being an inch further away. And I don't know where the actual antenna is. If it's there where the connector is, it's no problem. That one is clear from the holder.
Also, it's a contradiction to have both the holder and a fat battery. I'm in my car for an hour or two every day (sometimes longer). Long enough to keep the battery loaded. The engineers of Brodit could have thought of an insert so that the space is filled. If you have a fat battery, remove the insert.
I'm not a clumsey person. My previous device slipped in the Brodit holder like it came of the same mould. This one is next to impossible to do without looking very careful, which is not easy in the dark. It's also part fault of the device manufacterers. My old Nokia phone had special idents at the bottom which gripped into the carkit. They don't do that anymore. They seem to think that because of BT you keep the device in your pocket. Such a shame...
Reception
There is one thing I do have to say about your last response - the reception woulod be affected if there were no space there. The GPS antenna is in the back and that part of the holder is completely metal.
KruseLudsMobile said:
There is one thing I do have to say about your last response - the reception woulod be affected if there were no space there. The GPS antenna is in the back and that part of the holder is completely metal.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, but the antenna is on the top part of the device (where the external GPS antenna plug is). And that is the part that is nog covered by the holder. ie: it sticks out. So I doubt if the reception would be hampered by the holder if there wasn't a space.
Reported experience after extensive use (as promised) - daily for 2 1/2 weeks
As promised here is my experience after extensive use. Promise to try to keep the rambling to a minimum.
Sections below -
A. Four warnings - all on safety
B. Stylus Access/Battery Usage
C. GPS/Battery Usage
D. Position of the Mount
E. Gap on the Mount
F. Sliding in and out of the holder
G. Mount closer or further away from the driver; more dangerous? More convenient? -
H. Mount Location legality?
--------------------------
A. Three warnings - all on safety:
1. The extra cabling and transformer that I had just stuffed up behind other wires near the fusebox near the foot pedals - fell out and was hanging down - not very safe - but fortunately it did not happen while I was driving. Good note to people installing anything in their car - be sure everything mounted anywhere near where your hands and feet go while driving - is very securely mounted!
2. DO NOT USE the screen for anything but GPS display - even if you are using voice recognition software (as you need to then look at the screen) unless using only to make phone calls.
3. Note "B." below. I advise AGAINST trying to use a stylus while you are driving. VERY EASY to get into an accident.
4. NEVER, EVER, EVER leave the unit in the cradle - or even anywhere in the car - when you are out of the car for any length of time at all. Some people say even having their cars broken into because a thief saw the mount and thought the unit may be in the glove compartment.
B. Stylus Access/Battery Usage - I have seen only one holder (not this one) that includes a separate slot for an extra stylus to use while the Kaiser is in the car mount. This one does not include that - BUT - you can STILL pull out the stylus easily even when the unit is in the mount - handy. BTW, GPS programs really do such the life out of these batteries, don't they? At least with this mount it is charging it with enough juice to overcome the GPS drain (I have seen older (non-Kaiser) PDAs that drain juice faster than they get charged when in a indoor powered cradle nonetheless!). I don't know if that ability to charge even when a lot of power is being consumed by the unit is due to the charger or the version of the PDA itself. Anyone want to run some tests with different mount/cradle/PDA/software combinations?
C. GPS/Battery Usage - I won't get into a heavy discussion about GPS software in this thread because I don't want it to go off on a tangent. Suffice it to say the unit is often off track by about 25-50 feet at the max (usually about 25 feet) when I have a signal - but the GPS sure does use alot of juice, doesn't it? It seems like if you get into the car with a unit that has a somewhat low battery charge and use the GPS in the holder (while charging if the ignition is on of course - that's the way you should wire it) the PDA battery still does get recharged - but much more slowly. Funny thing is, that is not even an issue because I usually would not use the GPS unless I am driving longer distances anyway. If the battery is really low and I don't need the GPS (most trips) I will just set the unit to sleep or even turn the unit off altogether (phone included) and put it into the mount when I get in the car - for even a very short drive the battery really charges very quickly with this mount (yeah ). How about a car mount with a slot in the back for an extra battery? That would be nice...
D. Position of the Mount -I could have possibly used another angled block. I find myself sometimes trying to tilt the mount ever so slightly more than it can go (so the screen is more vertical). However, that is a very minor isue and at this point not work making any modifications. (I may change my mind later, however - if so, I will supply more photos or update the original sticky post here.)
E. Gap on the Mount - Gap that people have been talking about behind the unit (between the back of the unit and the mount) - that does not bother me so much as the fat connector at the bottom of the unit - which is somewhat unsightly and larger than it needs to be. It does block my headlight switches - but I never need to look at those switches anyway.
F. Sliding in and out of the holder - this is an issue but a very minor one. I find that about 10-15% of the time when I slide it into place it is not mounted correctly and I have to pull it out and try to slide it in again. I suppose if there was no gap as specified in "E." above then it would slide into place 100% of the time with no problem. Although I believe it is meant to allow people with extended (larger) batteries to also use the unit - since it is always powered while I am driving the car - I rarely need to charge my batteries anyway. I was going to get an extended battery - but I really have no need to - most of the time I am at the office, at home, or in the car. In each of those three places I have a charger. I also keep a charger in my briefcase so when I go from office to office for meetings etc. I always have a charger nearby anyway...
G. Mount closer or further away from the driver; more dangerous? More convenient? - wouldn't drivers be more tempted to check email, etc. if it was really close to the driver?
H. Mount Location legality? - Isn't it a rule in the US that the windshield cannot be blocked at all (in my case it isn't) - even though the rule may be loosely or rarely enforced - isn't that what the suction cups on windshields do? Anybody get a ticket because of that? Or is the rule about partial blockage? Is this a state or nationwide regulation, what are the rules for that in Europe? ( I am in the US in NJ...)
Really good thread here. I figured I'd share the pics of my HTC Tilt mounted with the same car kit in my 1998 GMC Sierra K1500.
-Jay
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Looks nice...
Looks very nice, thanks for the post... but - how come you use a cigarette lighter plug instead of the kit with the wires you can hide? You may want to consider that...
KruseLudsMobile said:
Looks very nice, thanks for the post... but - how come you use a cigarette lighter plug instead of the kit with the wires you can hide? You may want to consider that...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Because I want to buy a second device clip for my car, and be able to switch between the two. I don't want to have to buy two $69 cradles, especially to buy a second cradle for a car that I only drive about 2,500 miles a year.
-Jay
Jay2TheRescue said:
Because I want to buy a second device clip for my car, and be able to switch between the two. I don't want to have to buy two $69 cradles, especially to buy a second cradle for a car that I only drive about 2,500 miles a year.
-Jay
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not to mention the hard wire kit is another $30 more than the cig lighter one.
I recently took the plunge and bought the active kit and a clip for my Impala. I'm planning on doing the same thing and getting a clip for the Tahoe eventually. Still not looking forward to another $30 for just the clip. I'm hoping the build quality and stability is worth the small fortune you have to pay.
joshuah82 said:
Not to mention the hard wire kit is another $30 more than the cig lighter one.
I recently took the plunge and bought the active kit and a clip for my Impala. I'm planning on doing the same thing and getting a clip for the Tahoe eventually. Still not looking forward to another $30 for just the clip. I'm hoping the build quality and stability is worth the small fortune you have to pay.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
$30 more? I didn't notice that. For that price I'd cut the lighter plug off and hard wire it if I really wanted a hard wired solution.
-Jay
Jay2TheRescue said:
$30 more? I didn't notice that. For that price I'd cut the lighter plug off and hard wire it if I really wanted a hard wired solution.
-Jay
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Don't do it that way. Many/all "car chargers" have circuitry inside the plug that protects your phone. A better solution is to buy a $5 cigarette lighter "socket" from radio shack, wire that in somewhere behind your dash, then plug your kit into that.
As promised - pic of my install in a 2004 Nissan Titan. Mounting brackets (for the phone and iPod) are both from Panavise.
40-Dan said:
As promised - pic of my install in a 2004 Nissan Titan. Mounting brackets (for the phone and iPod) are both from Panavise.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Looks sharp!
-Jay
Re
Also a picture from my setup in the car....
TytNII
brodit active kit with proclip
parrot MK6000
Pioneer headset!
All works like a charm.....
swiftgs said:
Also a picture from my setup in the car....
TytNII
brodit active kit with proclip
parrot MK6000
Pioneer headset!
All works like a charm.....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I hope you're not watching videos while driving!
-Jay
Related
Hi....
Received the active holder from Proclip.
Here's my take on it:
My car is one of those really unpopular here in the US way back then. It's a Nissan NX2000. Production of the car was from 1991-1993.
On the website, the car isn't even listed. Luckily I knew that the same car is called 100NX in Europe and started searching for it. Found the part number and called up Prokit USA and they said that they have the part number in stock. Go figure. Anyway, ordered it Friday, Dec 16th and received it today.
The vent clip is made of strong plastic. In order for the clip to stay on in my car, I'm going to have to get some adhesive tape and stick the bottom part of the clip. Will probably get some of the velcro from 3m that is double sided and easily removable (by pulling it).
The reason you need to have adhesive at the bottom is because the vent clip needs to be pulled down for the plastic hook to stay in the vent.
The active holder looks pretty good too. There's a place for the mini USB when the Universal is not in there. When you get in the car, place the universal in the holder, remove the mini usb from it's position in the cradle and plug it in.
The holder is plastic and I do not think it will scratch the unit at all. Then again, I only have it for one day. I doubt that with the proporta alu case that I'm getting, I'll be able to fit the whole thing in there. So removing it from the case will have to be a regular thing for me.
Experience from driving with the unit in the cradle.
I went ahead and placed a avi file in the card just to test it out while I'm driving. In the afternoon, while driving, the screen is not very visible because of glare (and the way the Universal is positioned). Played around with the position but couldn't get rid of most of the glare.
My car is also lowered, hence a lot of bounces. But the cradle did it's job. There was no worry about the Universal dropping from the cradle or the vent.
Here's another thing to consider. I plug the universal to my radio (has an aux input) and I hear a lot of static while the engine is on. In fact, the static is in tune with the engine...meaning when I rev more, the static has a higher pitch. Wondering if it's the phone or I need to ground my car better.
Anyway, I'll be here till the end of the week on and off. If any of you have any questions, I'll be happy to answer them. As for pics, no can do. Don't have a digital camera and the one on the universal really sucks.
You'll need a (i think its called) ground loop. You would see this quite often on computer cables especially USB. The cable is looped around a core to sheild from interference. For sure you'll find it in Radio Shack.
Hmmm....didn't know such a product exist.
So, I need to get a ground loop isolator for the audio cable from the Universal to the Car Radio?
Or is it a USB ground loop cable that I need?
Hi Modem Man
Glad your gear arrived and you like it,
Sorry I couldnt help this time, easier shipping from internally in the USA I guess,
Cheers again
Bryson
zerimar - Thanks for the advise. Tested it out this morning and it works great! No more engine hum!
bryson - I'm glad you're around to answer all the questions concerning the Brodits!
First, for those people responding - only please post replies having to do with the below four requirements, it would make it a much easier read for everyone involved, thanks. I am going nuts looking and cannot find a unit meeting the 4 below requirements. I have been looking for a long, long time. I am willing to do some extra installation work to get this done properly. If I cannot get an answer here there is probably no hope so I may then defenestrate! Requirements:
1. SMALL holder that can attach to a HORIZONTAL surface (not a huge geeky looking contraption with huge arms or snaking bendable supports, no huge sand-filled weights - minimal size - also power supply not on the holder which makes it bulky)
2. Allows the Kaiser to be switched between landscape/portrait position
3. Allows the Kaiser to be held with the keyboard open if preferred
4. Full functionality for auto-charging, interrupting radio speakers when turn by turn directions are spoken by GPS on the unit (extra wires and transformer kit to be hidden for installation - AND NO USE OF CIGARETTE LIGHTER!). Power supply for charging the unit must be OFF when car is not in use, so as not to wear out car battery (I would assume that is just an installation preference).
Anybody have any ideas?
KruseLudsMobile said:
First, for those people responding - only please post replies having to do with the below four requirements, it would make it a much easier read for everyone involved, thanks. I am going nuts looking and cannot find a unit meeting the 4 below requirements. I have been looking for a long, long time. I am willing to do some extra installation work to get this done properly. If I cannot get an answer here there is probably no hope so I may then defenestrate! Requirements:
1. SMALL holder that can attach to a HORIZONTAL surface (not a huge geeky looking contraption with huge arms or snaking bendable supports, no huge sand-filled weights - minimal size - also power supply not on the holder which makes it bulky)
2. Allows the Kaiser to be switched between landscape/portrait position
3. Allows the Kaiser to be held with the keyboard open if preferred
4. Full functionality for auto-charging, interrupting radio speakers when turn by turn directions are spoken by GPS on the unit (extra wires and transformer kit to be hidden for installation - AND NO USE OF CIGARETTE LIGHTER!). Power supply for charging the unit must be OFF when car is not in use, so as not to wear out car battery (I would assume that is just an installation preference).
Anybody have any ideas?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is there something about the Proclip holder that doesn't meet those criteria? The only thing I can find is connectivity to the stereo. For me, I redirect the GPS audio to my Bluetooth headset where I can hear it better anyway.
Yeah, Proclips is your best bet. There's nothing that does all that out-of-box on the market right now. If you want to hook it up directly into your stereo system, then of course you're going to have to do that yourself. Or use bluetooth.
I guess there is nothing on the market
The solutions from Proclip that you suggest have no way of mounting the unit on a flat horizontal surface without damaging the car - I guess I would have to use one or two of these:
http://www.proclipusa.com/?sectionp...egoryid=&p_year=&p_countryid=0&p_leftorright=
from proclips to mount the holder (have to drill holes on the mounting surface).
Since the Tilt will work with the soon to be released higher capacity Micro SD cards (now only 8GB available but the tilt would be able to handle up to 32GB - when available) it would be nice to add the audio (music) as an automatically overriding input for the car's audio as well, for that I will have to use the hack mentioned here:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=339263
for replacing the plug on the unit with one that includes the audio out...
I will post pics once I figure out what direction I want to go with this...
Can anyone make a recommendation for a motorcycle mount for the Kaiser? A standard car mount probably won't work because of the vibrations and the relatively loose fit.
I don't need it to be rain proof as I'll probably just zip it up when it's raining. I have a RAM mount on my motorcycle, but I'm sure that I can ghetto rig something if it's not RAM compatible.
FYI, I have a BMW R1150 Adventure.
Thanks,
-Humbert
I have the Seidio rubberized holster with a belt clip. I bet you could remove the belt clip and mod the holster with a clamp that would work. There are several posts of the holster modded for screen out use. I always wondered why you would want to mount it that way until I read your post.
TracyD said:
I have the Seidio rubberized holster with a belt clip. I bet you could remove the belt clip and mod the holster with a clamp that would work. There are several posts of the holster modded for screen out use. I always wondered why you would want to mount it that way until I read your post.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, Tracy. I'll look at some of the posts and see it that works. I appreciate the pointer. Since the Kaiser has a built-in GPS, and I have TomTom, makes sense that I get rid of my old skool Garmin GPS.
-Humbert
I dunno, but I'd definitely be interested.
Found one that I think is pretty secure ...
I decided to eschew the Seido holster and bought the following instead. It looks like it's pretty stable and I got it as an open-box at Semson's for like $9 or so....
It not only slides in, but has a latch at the top. I think that I may be able to ghetto rig something to make sure that it's snug.
http://www.semsons.com/htctyiicucar.html
I'll report back when I've gotten it, installed it and (off) road tested it.
Cheers,
-Humbert
Good waterproof mounts for motorcycle
The link below is a for a product called "Aqua Box: from RAM products
http://www.ram-mount.com/mount/ram_aqua_box_mount.htm
The size that looks best suited for the TILT is the Medium size.
I've been looking for awhile for a good mount and this seems the best system.
It's sturdy, waterproof, you can operate the touch screen in the case and RAM has a variety of adapters to make the connection to your bike.
Sorry -Humbert just re-read your original post and I see you are aware of RAM products already..
Vungtau said:
The link below is a for a product called "Aqua Box: from RAM products
http://www.ram-mount.com/mount/ram_aqua_box_mount.htm
The size that looks best suited for the TILT is the Medium size.
I've been looking for awhile for a good mount and this seems the best system.
It's sturdy, waterproof, you can operate the touch screen in the case and RAM has a variety of adapters to make the connection to your bike.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi Vungtau -- Thanks for the tip. I actually have the Aqua Box. It works, but it's actually almost useless because it's so difficult to see. Not only do you have a somewhat weak screen on the Tilt (vs the Garmin Colormap screens), but then you've got this layer of clear rubber with waves running over it, and you're looking at it from behind a tilted visor.
It sounded great on paper, but in practicality, I can't see anyone using it. I'd end up crashing. Ipod is OK with it, but for that, I have a different case.
If you're still bent on it, I can sell you mine for cheap.... Figure out what they're charging and I'll let it go for 1/2. But, to be honest, I wouldn't do it. It's not even worth that. If you lived in San Francisco, I'd give it to you for free.
-HHumbert
-Humbert thanks for the great feedback. Looks like I'm still looking..
I'll let you know if I find another solution..
Look at the touratech PDA mount - a clamp on isolated rubber brackets, with a semi-waterproof pouch velcro'd to it. Simple and safe. I ride a Buell, which shakes like a wet dog, but the touratech mount is about the only thing that stays still!
For a really budget soloution! I no longer use this as I now have a StreetPilot III and a bluetooth connection to the phone, but it was pretty waterproof, vibration free and cheap (about UKP£3)!
Gentlemen, I give you the tupperware box. (Seriously!) I mounted a mobile phone holder from a mountain bike shope to the handlebars, cut the nylon case that came with it off to leave a flat mounting area about the size of a matchbox, and simply screwed the box to the mount. I then put a strip of velcro in the box, another on the back of my Ipaq (the smooth bit went on the Ipaq) and covered thousands of miles quite happily. All cables were routed through a hole in the bottom of the box and ran along the bars. On the first pic, the red bars are the signal strength, this was about 4 years ago, so the recievers weren't as good as today's, and on my drive, the house blocks about 50% of the sky, so you can get an idea how well the position picks up signals.
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IMHO a much better option....
BigKuri said:
Look at the touratech PDA mount - a clamp on isolated rubber brackets, with a semi-waterproof pouch velcro'd to it. Simple and safe. I ride a Buell, which shakes like a wet dog, but the touratech mount is about the only thing that stays still!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, BigKuri. Looks pretty good, but it is pricey. I've got more than one Touratech bits, so I know they are expensive but of good quality, so oftentimes it's worth it.
However, this design has the same challenge as the RAM waterproof box does. It' has a layer of clear rubber/plastic over the display. At least on the RAM box, this took away too much clarity and brightness, such that the TyTN was only usable at night.
I want a "naked PDA mount". Something more along the tupperware mount that Steve-C proposed. Nice.
When I get my Semson's mount and work something up, I'll try to post a review and pictures.
-Humbert
Motorcycle mount
Did you get your motorcycle mount working? What did you end up with?
Got it working -- works great!
Thanks for asking. I did get it working and it works fantastic. Here's what I ended up with:
http://www.semsons.com/htctyiicucar.html
It's on sale now for like $13 bucks. To attach it to my handlebar on my motorcycle, I basically used a RAM mount handlebar mount, and the long arm to clip onto the back of the Semson's mount.
So, I angle the Semson suction part of the mount upwards, and have the RAM mount grip the joint that is there at the last bend. It doesn't seem as if it's the most secure, but it works fine. It holds it at the correct angle for me. Plus, I get to preserve the suction cup mount, so that I can take this mount and use it on rental cars.
This weekend, I'll be wiring up the mini-USB power to my bike, so that TomTom isn't draining the batteries and I have some juice left when I get to a meeting. I live in San Francisco, and typically, when I need a GPS, it's to navigate to meetings in places I don't know about in San Jose, and the Penninsula. That's about a 45-60 minute ride or so, and that can drain a big chunk of battery using GPS and TomTom.
I will take pictures of the bike and post it here later...
Enjoy,
-Humbert
Some pictures of the mount on my BMW R1150 GS Adventure
Here are some pictures of the Semsens mount on my BMW. The handlebar on the bike (along with 90% of the rest of the bike, actually ) is a custom Renthal motocross mount, but any RAM-mount capable bar should work. I'm using the 8" RAM mount that normally clips onto a RAM mount ball, but it turns out if you torque it down well enough, it grips the Tilt mount just fine (very secure).
Here is a link to a Picasa web album.
http://picasaweb.google.com/MikePetonic/BMWTitleMount
Hope that this helps,
-Humbert
Thanks for the pics. I just got the Scala Q2Intercom head sets and I need to mount my phone where I can get to it
TracyD said:
Thanks for the pics. I just got the Scala Q2Intercom head sets and I need to mount my phone where I can get to it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey, Tracy, let me know how you like the Scala Q2s... instead of using their Scala speakers, can you plug in plain 3.5mm earplugs? I have custom molded audioplugs (www.earplugco.com) and would prefer using them instead of any intercom's set of speakers.
In the past, I modded my Autocom's to be able to do this (before they actually realized that they could make money selling adapters that did this).
I like the specs of the Scala series... How nice is the microphone? Does it work well at speed?
-Humbert
I like the Q2 overall. It is a great intercom, an adequate phone headset, and a fair FM radio. Worst first.
I live on the Kitsap Penisula near Bremerton and all the good radio stations are in Seattle. The ones I like the best are a little weak over here and so the reception is only adequate.
The phone works great for the most part. I have an HTC 3/4 helmet and talk is good up to around 50mph. The HTC's have very deep ear slots. I am going to try putting a spacer in there to get the earpieces closer. The Tilt is notoriously quiet on bluetooth but I was able to get some more gain by using some tweaks found here. All the phone functions work fine. If I am talking to one of my louder offspring, it is fine.
The intercom works best of all the functions. My wife and ride seperate Suzuki Boulevards. We had Chatterbox FRS units and they were an exercise in futility. The VOX never worked well at speed. The Q2's work very well. We only lost each other when she got stuck at a light and I kept going. We lost contact when I got out of sight below an overpass hump. The sound is quite good and there is little wind noise, in fact, I hear her engine more than I hear the wind.
I used the GPS on my Tilt and used BT Toggle to transfer the output of the GPS to the headset. All was well.
The one major design failing of the Q2 is that it is not A2DP. BT Toggle will transfer the audio, but not in stereo. Alas, there are no headphone jacks.
I also use the scala rider with the htc but I cant make the cyberon dial works, in other words when I push the buttom I cant ask to dial numbers. do you have the same problem?
I use Voice Command and it work great. My wife's Treo 750 won't send the Voice Command prompts through the headset, but work fine once connected. Very Odd.
Anyone had any experience of the Brodit pro mount and device holders?
I am looking to purchase the following items for my car:
- Brodit Active Holder - 968848
- Brodit Pro Clip - 653716
That should hopefully mount and secure my Touch Pro nicely in my Toyota Aygo and charge at the same time. I'm not keen on having the place the device in a holder and then find the cable and plug the connector into the device so this option looks great. Just a one step process!
Anyway, all comments would be appreciated.
Thanks
Regards,
Neil
I got the Brodit active holder for my Touch (Elfin)... Besides the fact that it was a little pricey for the 2 items, they work great, and fit perfectly in my Jeep. I'd recommend this holder to anyone... And I'm considering getting one for my Raph...
Yeh, they are a little pricey but I'd rather spend £54 on a good solid mount which is easy to use and not throw my £500 new phone around the car onto the floor as I am driving and the fact that it only requires 1 step from me to get it mounted in a good viewing position and have it charging at the same time is a bonus!
Thanks
Regards,
Neil
I'm keeping my eye on this one and will probably purchase when it's available:
http://www.easydevices.co.uk/pp/HTC..._PRO_CUSTOM_CAR_MOUNT_WITH_HANDSFREE_KIT.html
Had a very similar one for my Kaiser and it was excellent.
I seem to like the look of the Brodit systems as they fit to the dashboard trim and so should reduce vibrations a lot more and hold the device more securely. I also do not need the hands free part as my Aygo came with inbuilt Bluetooth anyway which works perfectly so am just after a holder with charger which is what i shall purchase a bit later today from Clove Technology.
Thanks
Regards,
Neil
My brother has a Brodit car mount for the Tytn II and it wasn't a perfect fit. You have to specifically angle the phone while inserting it or the USB wont insert and the you cannot seat the phone.
I bought a CarComm holder which although a little chunky was a perfect fit. Now that I have upgraded to a touch pro i have removed the side part of the bracket and it still holds my Touch Pro fine.
That said, as soon as available i will be swapping it for the official TouchPro cradle (which they say is smaller). http://www.carcomm.nl/carcomm/websh...ProductId=0910B5DC-5056-8659-08A2B18B78FC3CA5
atece said:
My brother has a Brodit car mount for the Tytn II and it wasn't a perfect fit. You have to specifically angle the phone while inserting it or the USB wont insert and the you cannot seat the phone.
I bought a CarComm holder which although a little chunky was a perfect fit. Now that I have upgraded to a touch pro i have removed the side part of the bracket and it still holds my Touch Pro fine.
That said, as soon as available i will be swapping it for the official TouchPro cradle (which they say is smaller). http://www.carcomm.nl/carcomm/websho...A2B18B78FC3CA5
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi there,
as a longtime Brodit car holder user, I would like to bring light into this conversation. I'm using Brodit car-kits since... forever LOL ;o) Been using it with my Symbians (N73, E61, E90) and to be honest, the materials they use, the way it's glued together, isn't that fancy for the price they want. Now I always had in my mind another company, making 3rd party car-kits and I knew they were perfect, seen it in my friends' Chrysler, and the holder really did fit the car with style and looks. I just could not remember the name of the company. Yesterday as I was dreaming, I had a flashback and remembered the company. So if you really want to go for quality and good looks with your HTC, consider looking after Carcomm's holders. Here's a link of one I'm getting, the price is almost the same as the complete kit of Brodit and Proclip. Personally, I do prefer window-mounted holders, so I've got nothing to think of anymore, ordering the piece in the link:
http://www.carcomm.nl/carcomm/websh...ProductId=0910B5DC-5056-8659-08A2B18B78FC3CA5
Cheers,
chribok
rctneil said:
Anyone had any experience of the Brodit pro mount and device holders?
I am looking to purchase the following items for my car:
- Brodit Active Holder - 968848
- Brodit Pro Clip - 653716
That should hopefully mount and secure my Touch Pro nicely in my Toyota Aygo and charge at the same time. I'm not keen on having the place the device in a holder and then find the cable and plug the connector into the device so this option looks great. Just a one step process!
Anyway, all comments would be appreciated.
Thanks
Regards,
Neil
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I got mine last week for Raphael the one with the cigar charger part number is 968848 from dsl developments, it fits well and charges as any other brodit holder, so no issues at all.
Cheers
LB
I am not sure this one is posted already:
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Active Holder for HTC Touch Pro
Keep your PDA in an active holder in your vehicle, and you will always have a freshly charged battery! Active holders are available with a cigarette lighter cable for connection to the vehicle's 12 Volt socket, and for fixed installation for connection inside the dashboard. The device has got the connector for charging on the side of the device. The active holders offer a firm fit, it is easy to put the phone in the holder and then connect the charging cable to it. The device is in a horizontal, open position in the holders.
The holders are equipped with a tilt swivel, this means that you can adjust the angle of your device for easier viewing and avoiding light reflection. Attach onto the ProClip Mounting Platform.
Active holder with cig-plug
Item no. 968853
Active holder for fixed installation, with Molex adapter system
Item no. 971853
My Active Brodit holder for the HTc Touch Pro - Vertical mount style (closed) and the pro clip centre for my AYGO were dispatced today so when I get them, maybe Thursday I would expect then I shall post here to let you know what I think of it
Bought one of them and waiting as well for my Integra, I'll keep everyone posted of how it looks like and the feel in the car too.
I think the Brodit holders are really good. But I can verify that the active holder for TyTN II wasn't perfect, but fullt functional, The non-active worked alot better.
So I'm gonna get a Brodit car holder for my Raphael as soon as the horisontal one get out. I want to be able to use the keyboard even in the car.
They have already an horizontal holder for the Touch Pro, reference 848853.
The vertical one has a good fit, but whenever you slide the TP out, the Stylo gets stuck in the holder, so it drops out. Little, but very annoying design faul
I need to get more patience, then I would have waited for the horizontal one
Hmm, I just mounted it so I'm not really sure whether it has flaws yet. Give me two days
joeltje said:
The vertical one has a good fit, but whenever you slide the TP out, the Stylo gets stuck in the holder, so it drops out. Little, but very annoying design faul
I need to get more patience, then I would have waited for the horizontal one
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thnx for your comment!
I'll go for the vertical then...
Just picked up the horizonal passive one for 24 euro. Fits well, typical brodit quality
Brodit 843848
I bought a Brodit 843848 active holder with 3-in-1-adapter. I totally forgot that the 3-in-1-adapter makes the Touch Pro go into headset mode so the internal speaker is disabled.
Anyone knows if it's possible to modify the adapter so that only USB charging is working? I've sent an e-mail to Brodit, but they cannot (or will not) help me with this (which I can understand in a way).
Thanks!
I've always used brodit mounts way back when i first had a qtek9100. they are great and you can chop the cig adaptor and wire it in directly which makes it more permanent....
I bought the horizontal open mount, and it holds the device really secure. As was mentioned earlier it does take a lot of the vibration out of the whole setup because of the way it wedges in between panels. I used a bracketron grip-it prior to the brodit setup and it was junk because it was universal, huge, and a vent mount which meant it flopped around since the vents move up/down.
I paired it up with a 3 in one cable from ebay, wired in a 2nd cig lighter to the inside of my dash, then plugged the cig charger into the cable so that the result is one cable coming out of my dash near the upper cup holder, then wired the 3 in one into my aux in on my headunit. Now i have music/gps coming out of my speakers and when calls come in it goes to my parrot via BT so i can use the mic mounted to my steering column cowl. I regret having spent the 20 bucks on the bracketron grip-it *facepalm*
Hey everyone. I have been working on an in-dash Nexus 7 install in my 2010 Jetta Wolfsburg, and I thought I would share my progress as I go in case any one else was considering this for their car. I did a similar install with the original Samsung Galaxy Tab in my 1998 BMW 540i which can be seen on bimmerforums if you're interested. Just search E39 Android Tablet Install.
The first think I did was to buy a double din kit from Metra for about $12 from ebay. I took a Dremel to this and modified it by cutting off the center piece as well as all 4 clips on the corners. Then I got some Plastic Weld made by JB weld from Home Depot and started to shape the bezel like I wanted it to be for the Nexus 7. To get this to be flat and mate with the tablet nicely, I had to take a nail file and sandpaper and fill/sand/fill/sand etc until I got it to be as flat as I could. This is what it looked like at first:
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I then added more to the bottom molding to give the tablet some support from the sides as well. I think this will help in keeping it stable. These are depicted by the yellow arrows. The filing/sanding I was talking about was referring to the red lines in the pictures. I am trying to get these surfaces to be as flat as possible so that the tablet will mate closely with the bezel.
I plasti-dipped the bezel, which FYI matches remarkably well with the interior plastic. Then I attached elastic bands traversing each other diagonally to hold the tablet to the bezel. In addition, I attached magnets around the bezel, which can be seen as the black circles around the edge. I will explain why I did this in more detail as I continue with the install. I also started messing around with the tablet to make it how I would want it in the car. I am using the 2013 Nexus 7 running Paranoid Android so that I can customize every app individually. I put the buttons on the side and made them red to match the interior. One thing that I am happy about is that the way that I chopped up the bezel, I left the camera, light sensor, and notification light open to be used. This way I could even do video calls (granted I will be looking at the road) which might be pretty cool. Here are some more pictures:
I then removed the stock headunit.
This gave me more room to work. I bought a CR2-VW2 harness by PAC from one of the VW forum members. This harness allowed me to connect an aftermarket headunit and retain the stock audio system (amp, speakers etc) but did not include steering wheel controls, which I did not need anyway. I chose the Alpine UTE-42BT for a few reasons. First, it is only $88 which is very reasonable. Secondly, it doesn't have a CD player which is good since that feature would never be used anyway. It has a front auxiliary port and bluetooth handsfree built in, which will allow me to use handsfree from the tablet. I will explain the intricacies of this in a more detailed write up when the project is completely done. As of right now, this is how it is looking:
Pardon the mess, the project is ongoing =) As of right now, the tablet is running on battery, but I am planning on setting it up so that it receives power when the car starts, thus turning on the screen, and when the power shuts off, the screen timeout of 7 seconds will kick in. I'm realizing that 16GB is not a lot of space for something I want to keep music on, so I recently bought a USB OTG cable to mount external storage and I'm waiting for that to arrive. Does anyone have experience with using USB OTG that could provide some insight into this? Will Google Music pick up on the media on the USB storage and add it automatically if I use Stickmount or something like that? I'm going to see how that works out before I decide I need to buy a 32GB Nexus 7 instead. To charge it (if USB OTG works, meaning that the micro USB port will be taken), I will get a wireless charger and plug that into the cigarette lighter for power. If USB OTG doesn't work, I will power it directly using micro USB. One thing I would recommend to anyone trying this is to pick up a ground loop isolator, since charger and using auxiliary at one can lead to some interference. There should be more to come over the next week as I get some more of these peripheral supplies. It sounds great though, and the functionality is far superior to the stock headunit.
Very amazing. I've a plan to put a tablet of some sort in one of my cars! you beat me to it long ago seems like! I wanted to connect my rasberry pi to some sort of 7inch touchscreen!
but this is wayyy nicer.
PROPS!
Reminds me of Statham's Audi from Transporter. Looks pretty futuristic.
Kookas said:
Reminds me of Statham's Audi from Transporter. Looks pretty futuristic.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My friend just got the statham harcut
Awesome work samboner, keep us updated on your progress!
7786 said:
Awesome work samboner, keep us updated on your progress!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Dude, leave me alone! Unless you're here to answer my USB OTG questions. Otherwise, back to leaving me alone Olley.
Looks good, but otg and charging will not happen unless a kernel supports it.
They got it working on the 2012 n7 so most likely will happen
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 4
BrianDigital said:
Looks good, but otg and charging will not happen unless a kernel supports it.
They got it working on the 2012 n7 so most likely will happen
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 4
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can confirm this for wireless charging and USB OTG. On mine the wireless charging cuts off when the OTG cable is plugged in.
7786 said:
Awesome work samboner, keep us updated on your progress!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
BrianDigital said:
Looks good, but otg and charging will not happen unless a kernel supports it.
They got it working on the 2012 n7 so most likely will happen
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 4
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
PMentior said:
I can confirm this for wireless charging and USB OTG. On mine the wireless charging cuts off when the OTG cable is plugged in.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh shoot, you can't do wireless charging and USB OTG at the same time? That is going to be a major problem for me. Well I'm glad I didn't buy a wireless charger yet. The USB OTG is working out like a charm, but I definitely need to have a long term charging solution. I don't want to have to take it in and out. Do any of you know if anyone is working on a kernel that allows USB OTG and wireless charging simultaneously?
faruqster said:
Oh shoot, you can't do wireless charging and USB OTG at the same time? That is going to be a major problem for me. Well I'm glad I didn't buy a wireless charger yet. The USB OTG is working out like a charm, but I definitely need to have a long term charging solution. I don't want to have to take it in and out. Do any of you know if anyone is working on a kernel that allows USB OTG and wireless charging simultaneously?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Could you somehow use Bluetooth instead of OTG?
Options!
I made a steering wheel interface for Androids, n7 primarily.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2206156
For one, I can tell you that you can Charge and use USB OTG if you install the right kernel.
read here too
http://forum.xda-developers.com/show....php?t=2113259
I haven't tried the pogo pins and USB OTG together, that might work. Otherwise there are a few options.
(to be clear, the best option would be a kernel that allows USB OTG and charging, at the same time. )
:good: First, probably best, Buy an adjustable regulator like this : http://www.seeedstudio.com/depot/adjustable-dcdc-power-converter-125v-35v3a-p-1534.html and adjust it to 3.9Volts (lipo used in tablet works between 3.7v and 4.2v) , use the always on BATT 12v input. Then remove the back cover of the N7, remove the battery, and power it directly from the car. http://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/Nexus+7+Teardown/9623/1 It looks like the black, yellow and red wires would be Ground, Vcharge and Vout, but you'd need to verify. You'd probably have to cut the wire. You might want to order a replacement on Ebay to use. You can then use tap to wake to turn the screen on or a USB micro setup like the one I made to tell the tablet to turn on/off with the key (act as if a keyboard was plugged in and you hit the power key).
Second, and most tricky. USB OTG uses pin 5 as the sense pin for Host/Client. IF you don't intend to use Host mode all of the time, like just when pressing a steering wheel button, you could use a Microcontroller to trigger the mode.
Third, Would be to charge when the car is off, and USB host when the car is on. Again this comes down to using pin5, or if you follow Kuchar09's post he has a wire diagram for this.
---------- Post added at 01:37 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:14 PM ----------
Sorry, I just realized yours is a 2013 version. Same deal, not sure about the kernel, but someone will make one. Also not sure about the touch control, it needs kernel modules to work, so again compatible kernel.
BUT my first option, still the best work around.
Here is the tear down http://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/Nexus+7+2nd+Generation+Teardown/16072/1 and you can see the battery still uses wires. you'll need to test what they are. Powering the tablet with a regulator in place of the battery would be ideal.
...
http://www.seagate.com/external-hard-drives/portable-hard-drives/wireless/seagate-satellite/
That would solve the problem.
fzelle said:
http://www.seagate.com/external-hard-drives/portable-hard-drives/wireless/seagate-satellite/
That would solve the problem.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, my first thought was a wifi HDD as well. Just give it power and put it somewhere out of the way. personally, I'd wire it and put it in/under the glove box for easy media adding/removal.
I've done this in several vehicles so far.
What are you doing about heat in a parked car in the sun? At 90 outside, in my sons car ( lighter colored cloth interior ) it's approx 110-115 in the car. In my 350z with black leather, it's over 120 inside.... With the hookup you have going, making that a removable mount would be pretty easy with a pair of nice magnets to snap that entire enclosure and tab into place. Makes it nice when you have to leave the car in the sun for any amount of time, or to work on it, etc.... I've seen 1 screen physically crack, and a 2nd device just flat out die. Something to keep in mind depending on where you live.
As far as the power issues.... I use tasker. When the power is cut to the device, I force it into deep sleep and airplane mode. It will go for 2 weeks+ sitting there idle without dying. When the power is fired up, wake up ( no lock screen ), and set the screen to full bright and no timeout. No need to hack the device. A kernel for this would be great like the orig N7 had, but until we get one, this will work too.
Also, don't go BT to a head unit IF you care about the sound quality ( compressed audio sucks and if you have a good system, you'll hear the difference ). Go with a DAC ( from 30 to 300 bucks depending on what you get ). The sound quality will be much better then using the compressed BT crapola. Or even go out via the head phones, it's still much better then BT.
Just some things I've come across doing this for a few years now with various devices.
Oh yea.. and put an anti glare screen protector on it. Play with them to find the right one, or your screen will be invisible when you have glasses on. IPads do the exact same thing. Once you go into landscape mode, black screen ( put on your shades and just turn it, you'll see.... it sucks )..
fzelle said:
http://www.seagate.com/external-hard-drives/portable-hard-drives/wireless/seagate-satellite/
That would solve the problem.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Coronado is dead said:
Yeah, my first thought was a wifi HDD as well. Just give it power and put it somewhere out of the way. personally, I'd wire it and put it in/under the glove box for easy media adding/removal.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How exactly do these wifi hard drives work? Can I connect to a wifi hotspot while using one of these? How exactly is the storage mounted? Do you have to use a file explorer to access the files, or will Google Music be able to find the media automatically? ie media scanner
rkennison said:
I've done this in several vehicles so far.
What are you doing about heat in a parked car in the sun? At 90 outside, in my sons car ( lighter colored cloth interior ) it's approx 110-115 in the car. In my 350z with black leather, it's over 120 inside.... With the hookup you have going, making that a removable mount would be pretty easy with a pair of nice magnets to snap that entire enclosure and tab into place. Makes it nice when you have to leave the car in the sun for any amount of time, or to work on it, etc.... I've seen 1 screen physically crack, and a 2nd device just flat out die. Something to keep in mind depending on where you live.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good advice. Yeah, that's the plan with the magnets I built into the bezel. I am going to put some metal/magnets in the cavity where the tablet will go and I'll use those to put the tablet/bezel combination in and out.
rkennison said:
IAs far as the power issues.... I use tasker. When the power is cut to the device, I force it into deep sleep and airplane mode. It will go for 2 weeks+ sitting there idle without dying. When the power is fired up, wake up ( no lock screen ), and set the screen to full bright and no timeout. No need to hack the device. A kernel for this would be great like the orig N7 had, but until we get one, this will work too.
Also, don't go BT to a head unit IF you care about the sound quality ( compressed audio sucks and if you have a good system, you'll hear the difference ). Go with a DAC ( from 30 to 300 bucks depending on what you get ). The sound quality will be much better then using the compressed BT crapola. Or even go out via the head phones, it's still much better then BT.
Just some things I've come across doing this for a few years now with various devices.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was thinking about rolling on battery alone, but I thought it would be nice to run it from a charger. I'm realizing that there physically isn't room to use the micro USB port, so I think I will use a wireless charger. I figured I would use Tasker to turn the timeout off, turn on the wifi and bluetooth, and other stuff like that with power, and reverse it when the power drops out. I am planning to use the auxiliary output for now.
rkennison said:
IOh yea.. and put an anti glare screen protector on it. Play with them to find the right one, or your screen will be invisible when you have glasses on. IPads do the exact same thing. Once you go into landscape mode, black screen ( put on your shades and just turn it, you'll see.... it sucks )..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That is definitely something to think about. Are there any brands you would recommend or have experience with?
You could also mount a 120mm fan behind it for when it's hot. Heck, I bet the fan could run while the car is off and draw next to nothing from the battery. You would only need to run the fan at a few hundred rpm as well.
Fiio makes some pretty good ones without breaking the wallet. You can bypass the charging issues by just going headphone jack into the DAC, then into your headunit via an aux port (3.5 or RCA, they make DACs for each). You can go with a USB DAC as well, but I think there are driver requirements and crap to deal with on top of the power issues when hooking up via the N7s usb port. Just sounds messy so I've not tried it that way.
I pulled the HU from my son's completely and go from DAC right into the amp ( well into a crossover first so I can pull the sub frequencies into a separate amp as well ).
I kept my HU in. I just like having the 2 7" screens on the dash so I can still have full nav on the HU and music on the N7.
Oh and I just checked, the spigen ultra crystal screen protectors will cure the landscape sunglass issue. I'm sure others will as well, but I can verify these.
The hdd's create a hotspot the tablet would connect to. I don't know how the tablet would react as far as scanning media. You could soft link the files from the hard drive to the tablet if it doesn't just recognize cans play them. The Seagate is dlna compatible so it should be easy to play from.
A small fan would be easy enought to cool the tablet, you could even have a temp sensor on it, think attic fan, that would just come on automatically. Also of you follow my suggestion and remove the battery, and power it right from the car, the back cover would be off so cooling would be easier.
I run my system phone to Bluetooth (Sony sbh20) straight to my amps, it sounds great. All this bs about USB DAC's is mostly BS. The tablet has a DAC inside its what is converting the 1's and 0's to music. Yeah it might not be the best DAC on the market but I don't think its the source of bad sound quality on most any unit.
I personally am not a fan of hiding a deck just for the amp inside of it. This basically makes zero sense. However many new factory sound systems have the head unit specially eq'd to make the crappy speakers sound good. You might have to get new speakers to make a direct tablet -> amp -> speaker method sound good.
I did car audio for 10yrs I know a bit about it.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 4
That is beautiful! I want to do that so bad but I change tablets too much. So here's my option, bluetooth and all.
2013 N7 Kang Banged!