When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
has anyone fitted a Samsung tablet as a head unit ?
I have a 7" Samsung Tablet spare that I'd like to use as a music player through the car's speakers . The tablet will also have GPS and has a built in Sim for 3/4g calls so it will be multipurpose .
I will use Googlemaps with GPS but at the moment I'm struggling to find a simple uncomplicated Android music player to download .
I will probably shove the car's CD Radio into the glove box and velcose the Tablet to a 2x Din backplate fitted to the car's radio housing . I can then run a stereo feed from Tablet to the car radio and connect a permanent 12v feed to the tablet from cig lighter socket so that it is always on and charging. Hopefully that should mean the tablet will power up automatically when turning the ignition on.
i have downloaded 'locked rotation' for landscape mode and 'always on screen' volume control
I'd appreciate any advice especially from anyone that has actually done this .
Not specific to a classic Porsche, but any classic with a working radio: if you can wire in a headset jack, or have the same as AUX already, you can just plug in that way. Musicolet is a good android player/manager, and just look up running apps in "kiosk mode" to keep them on screen/awake.
I have a phone in my 1970 Riviera serving in that role. I'll likely add something similar to my 1987 924S.
As a software guy: be wary of downloading apps which do the same as a system function (like rotation lock) since they're often data harvesters (or worse). Definitely don't _buy_ apps that do the same as a system function.
Not specific to a classic Porsche, but any classic with a working radio: if you can wire in a headset jack, or have the same as AUX already, you can just plug in that way. Musicolet is a good android player/manager, and just look up running apps in "kiosk mode" to keep them on screen/awake.
I have a phone in my 1970 Riviera serving in that role. I'll likely add something similar to my 1987 924S.
As a software guy: be wary of downloading apps which do the same as a system function (like rotation lock) since they're often data harvesters (or worse). Definitely don't _buy_ apps that do the same as a system function.
Thanks. that's very good advice, especially about Rotation lock. In the end I found that my Samsung Tablet had a built-in landscape lock so I've used that.
I have a working Cassette Radio installed with a huge 5x CD deck in the glove box. I just realised that the CD Deck must have an Aux input to the cassette radio so I shall remove the CD Deck and put the cassette radio in the glove box .
The tablet will fit with Velcrose to a 2x Din Radio Faceplate where the aradio Cassette is now.
I have downloaded Googlemaps which is excellent and also BBC Radio App . I'll use the tablet's music player to play my MP3 Playlist and I'll install a Sim card in the Tablet for a phone.
Hoping to start the install tomorrow. Thanks for your advice .
Not sure how committed you are to the tablet installation -- but if you are open to other ideas, I'd suggest installing an all-in-one CarPlay unit (these also support android auto).
I'm a huge fan of these and installed one in front of the center speaker area on my square dash car. It's wired up to the radio/accessory power and therefore is ignition-switched.
One thing people complain about some of these cheaper all-in-one units is that they are stuttery or laggy; this is because many of the cheaper ones run a 30fps display, but if you search hard enough you can find some that run at 60fps
thank s for the suggestion. I have seen these units and they look like an excellent all-in-one solution for many classic car owners .
The main reason that I chose to use a 7" tablet is that it has a much better screen size for GPS maps and it also has a Sim card slot for mobile phone use ,built in.
There is therefore no need for casting or tethering with a phone and I have all my Apps and phone contacts in the one removable unit.
I really don't understand why TV's Mobile phones and these car units all have such wide but shallow screens ? The only possible advantage that I can see is watching a wide screen movie in the car which I am never likely to do whilst driving.I very rarely watch them at home on the TV !.....
Its the same with cell phones...there is nothing more frustrating to my mind than to try and read a book , a text message or view a picture or a map etc on a screen that is 5" long but only 2.5" wide ! crazy !
I also like the idea that I can remove the tablet from the car simply by pulling it off the velcrose fixing and take it with me .
The Tablet fits perfectly into the double Din space over the existing CD Radio slot and looks more like an integral solution .
I do not plan to connect the Tablet to a 12v power source and just use its integral battery . I can always charge it up if I need to by attaching a type C USB cable to the 12v lighter socket.