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The forum has been very helpful as I researched and bought a 2008 Cayenne S a month or so back. Thanks for all the help.
Wanted to share my experience with installing a Android Headunit in place of the terribly dated stock PCM 2.1. I know there are other treads on the subject but given the many different units out there I felt a new tread was more appropriate than posting to one of the other ones talking about slightly different units.
Vehicle: 2008 Cayenne S with Bose and Navigation
Headunit: CHSTEK "9" 1024X600 Quad Core 2GB RAM Android 7.1.1 Car DVD Player Radio GPS for Porsche Cayenne 2003-2010 Head Unit Autoradio 4G/WIFI" from Alienexpress at <$300.
MOST adapter: Seicane "Car Stereo radio GPS Optical Fiber Decoder MOST" for ~$100 on Seicane's ebay store
Other: Soldering iron, trim removal plastic lever, T20 Torx bit
Was a bit worried ordering directly from Alienexpress but took a leap. Worked out fine. Unit shipped quick and arrived within 1 week. No installation instructions included and only very generic user guide. MOST adapter likewise arrived without wiring diagram etc. Rennelist was a big help in getting it put together.
Old radio is well documented and went easily. Installation of the new unit was pretty simple after you figure out what to do. The unit comes with two wiring harnesses I guess for two different stock system configurations. The plugs coming out of Porsche unit only fint into one of the harnesses so that piece was self explanatory.
Wiring harness
Connecting wires was less scary than it seems. I was able to complete without having to tap a fuse or splice into any of the existing wires. I powered the MOST adapter from the wiring harness that came with the android unit. Black to black ie GND, Red soldered to the AMP-CON as that one is 12V when unit is on and Yellow spliced into Yellow (always on wire). Works and no humming or noise despite not using a ground loops isolator.
Wiring. MOST adapter off picture to the right.
Couple of notes: I was not able to use the existing GPS antenna as that one was wired to the Nav unit under my seat. I suspect that one would work with a Fakra adapter if I routed it to behind the unit. For now I'm just using the GPS antenna that was included with the android unit. Unit did not come with a microphone so that's work in progress.
Biggest pain was to get the unit back into the space. It's pretty deep and tall so took at look of patience to pull the CAN BUS decoder, MOST adapter and giant wiring harness up above the unit while pushing it in. I ended up tying zip ties to plugs, adapters and wires and pulling them up over the unit while sliding it in. Was not pretty but it made it in. I removed the ashtray and routed USB and AUX cables there - will make that more permanent in the future.
Stock launcher.
From a software side I didn't love the stock launcher so loaded Google Now Launcher from the Google Playstore. I like that one way better.
Google Now Launcher
Most everything worked but as common with these units the next and previous track buttons on the steering wheel don't work with none stock players (like Google Play Music, Spotify etc) but found MtdcTools which allows you to map those buttons. You download the APK to a USB stick and then install it via the APK installer app on the headunit. Was simple and now controls work. Here's a good tutorial on that piece:
Going to Settings - Elements allows you to tweak the buttons to match the orange color of rest of the displays in our car - cool
Matching orange.
Under Settings - Factory Settings you'll be able to chose a Porsche logo for startup (most times my unit resumes quickly to where it was rather than a full boot i.e. no boot logo)
P logo on boot.
Overall very impressed with the unit especially for the price. In fact, Pretty amazing what you can get for less than $400 total. Really happy having music, podcasts, bluetooth etc. Still to go is removing the Nav unit under the seat but the fiber loop I got didn't work so that will have to wait.
Wanted to cronical my experience even though I know similar info is alway here scattered over multiple pages and treads.
Thanks to all the contribute on this forum.
.. Oh need a picture of the car even if in haste and pretty poor. This is a car forum after all.
Pig rear
So i have plans to do an android unit as well. I'm not sure what this MOST adapter is, is that something i'll need regardless of what brand unit i install? It'll be an '05 CTT with Bose and Nav.
GPS will locate your coordinates, but you need to be online to download the maps.
Use WiFi if you are near a WiFi source like at home. But most folks use their phone data connection as a WiFi hot spot when on the road.
Some Android units have a SIM card slot for their own dedicated data connection, but that requires an additional line (cost) with your wireless carrier.
Some GPS apps (like Google Maps) will allow you to download the map for the area you will be located. As long as you are within that range you should not need to be online. But, other integrated search options may not work.
This is exactly like your cell phone works...
i see that you connected the MOST adapter acc to the blue and white wire from the input harness? what about the blue wire labeled ANT from the main harness? where does that connect to? thanks!!
Sound quality is overall good. To my ears the fidelity is as good as stock. I don't love that it's only 2 channels and that you therefore can't fade forward or rear but that's the limitation of the MOST adapter. Two other small things not to say they are problems but just in the interest of full disclosure:
#1 There is sometimes a crack or a pop from the speakers as the system turns on and off (maybe as the MOST adapter turns on and off) but it's just one and not too loud.
#2 When you turn the system on without the engine running you can hear a low static. It's low so with the engine running you don't hear it. I'm honestly not sure if PCM had the same as I wasn't really inclined to play with that system with the car off. As mentioned about I did not put a ground loop isolator on there but maybe I just got lucky with how my wires ended up running and the quality of the ground.
Overall, I'm very happy with the quality.
I wonder y my audio is not as loud as my stock radio do have any idea?
Good day everyone, Just bought a 2008 GTS with a original radio. I was woundering if this unit(CHSTEK "9" 1024X600 Quad Core 2GB RAM Android 7.1.1 Car DVD Player Radio GPS for Porsche Cayenne 2003-2010 Head Unit Autoradio 4G/WIFI" ) still the best choice to replace the present unit
Look for a unit that is Android 8 or 9.
Make sure it is an 9" screen, many of the suppliers state 9" but they are actually the 8" screen. The trim around the 9" screen is narrow compared to the 8" screen.
The back box is typically a single DIN size with the 9" (Double DIN for the 8" screen).
Hi all, copied from another thread as not getting a response.
Just bought a 957 '09 Diesel a while back, it's non-BOSE. Ordered one of the 9" Android units from AliExpress but I'm struggling to get sound from the unit (GPS, radio antenna etc works).
I don't have BOSE and no orange connector that I think others have identified as the Fibre Optic cable so I didn't order any MOST adapter - do I still need one?
I have the single large black connector to the PCM (not the separate ones like older 955s). Connected the black FM FACRA unit only (no space/fitment for second antenna cable).
PS usefully, the car's GPS cable is FACRA so fit directly without having to use the aftermarket one.
Look for a unit that is Android 8 or 9.
Make sure it is an 9" screen, many of the suppliers state 9" but they are actually the 8" screen. The trim around the 9" screen is narrow compared to the 8" screen.
The back box is typically a single DIN size with the 9" (Double DIN for the 8" screen).
Do you know what chipset yours is? I'd like to "future proof" mine with PX6, in order to get custom firmwares.
Also - 9" in vs 8" - most 9" screens seems to be 1024x600 resolution vs 8" inch 1280x800. Any ideas?
My notes so far:
- Malaysk's / Hal9k custom seem to be a popular ROM from xda-developer forum
- PX30/ PX5 / PX6 seem to be able to get Android 10 (in order to use voice command steering - "hey google") - 8 or 9 inch+ (1280x800 on 8" vs 9" 1024x600) - what is best? best unit would be one with PX6 + IPS + 9" 1280x800 but they seem rare and do not come with Cayenne-frames.
- Bluetooth 5.0 (there is BT 3+4 out there) for most stable phone connections
- DAB+ is required for me in Europe (digital radio receiver)
- MOST adapter is only needed for BOSE-systems (?)
- OWTOSIN system with PX6 and 8" seems very popular in the Porsche 996/997 with PCM 2.1 (same as my Cayenne). However, the seller have no Cayenne frame with this unit.
I got the 9" PX6 Hexa Core 4GB + 64G Android 10 w/ DSP, which I believe was the best spec at the time -- may still be, not sure. It was around $300 delivered. It was an easy install having done the PX3 unit before. The only thing that's not 100% is the GPS lock -- it's weirdly intermittent. I need to check the connections or relocate the antenna.
The performance is night and day better (including the radio) -- so much better that I have not yet bothered to upgrade to Malaysk/Hal9k firmware (like I did on the old PX3).
I got the 9" PX6 Hexa Core 4GB + 64G Android 10 w/ DSP, which I believe was the best spec at the time -- may still be, not sure. It was around $300 delivered. It was an easy install having done the PX3 unit before. The only thing that's not 100% is the GPS lock -- it's weirdly intermittent. I need to check the connections or relocate the antenna.
The performance is night and day better (including the radio) -- so much better that I have not yet bothered to upgrade to Malaysk/Hal9k firmware (like I did on the old PX3).
Thanks! I will probably get one of those or similar. What do you think of 1024*600 IPS HD ? Not to low resolution? Would you recommend a 8 inch with 1280*720 instead?
I have no complaints about the resolution on mine. Think of it this way: for the screen size (9"), it has greater pixel density than the average 21"1080P computer monitor.
It's not like you're reading books on there. You really want apps with big chunky buttons. Finer resolution really isn't needed. I'd also not want to give the CPU (not sure if there is a separate GPU) any more to do than needed. The PX6 runs strong, but still, they all seem to slow down with age.
My old pX3 was 8". The current one is 9". The screen alignment on the 8" looked more factory as the scale was in line with the row of buttons above the screen and there was more space for the soft buttons on the left hand margin.
But otherwise, the benefits of the bigger screen offset the minor aesthetic differences. I'd say it's a toss up between 8 and 9" screen, maybe slight preference to bigger one.
03-20-2019, 03:52 PM
MOST adapter
