Easy Android Car Tablet Installation

by stangtime

13K9310

Intro: Easy Android Car Tablet Installation

This little project came together pretty well.  I wanted a clean dock for a small 7" tablet in my Mustang.  I didn't like like the window suction cup arrangements but also didn't want to make anything that was permanent to the car; no permanent holes.  I still have some finishing to do and things to configure.  Thanks for taking a look.

10 Comments

tmoore9 9 years ago

Great build, going to consider this for my 06 mustang. What tablet is that? And you may be able to improve the look by getting a thin plastic sheet and placing it on to avoid the seams in the wood.

stangtime 9 years ago

Thanks. I actually did an update video and posted here on Instructables where I filled the seams and re-coated with some matched and textured paint. Looks pretty good now. The tab is just a generic cheap tab I picked up. Thanks for your comments.

qvad00 10 years ago

Also, perhaps I am missing an earlier video, but how are the frame and tablet secured in place? Just seems like a sudden acceleration or jolt could easily send it flying. Thinking about doing this for my '06.

stangtime 10 years ago

Thanks for taking a look and your comments. It's really secure in there. It can't go down because the center stack has that V shape. It can't go up because it sits below the top dash ridge. It can't go to either side because it's inside the wings. I have felt stick leg buttons on the sides that really gives it a tight feel but no modifications to the actual dash had to be made. I threw the car all around the other day and it wasn't going anywhere - very tight fit. I was initially thinking of using velcro when I was sketching the thing out for the back of it but it just doesn't need it.

qvad00 10 years ago

Cool, thanks. That definitely ups the chances of me trying it out. Any chance you could go into further detail on the wiring? Did you use anything like power inverters, etc. like I've seen for some CarPC builds to have it power up/down with the ignition?

stangtime 10 years ago

Haven't done anything fancy with the wiring yet. I ran a power line for it to the 12volt cigarette plug under the arm rest and snaked it through so it's hidden. Eventually an app like Tasker will automate things. For the time being when I get out of the car I tap a very plain clock app screen saver. When I get in the car I tap the home button and it wakes up. I don't have it shutting down completely; I like it coming alive immediately. It's an extremely low drain device and after a week of it being in the car and the car not used for that time I haven't noticed any battery drain problems.

qvad00 10 years ago

How is screen visibility in bright sunlight?

stangtime 10 years ago

On a sunny day there is some glare, but I could still see everything on the screen. A more expensive tablet might minimize the glare, but this was a project with pretty cheap stuff that was at hand. I posted an update video today that shows a more finished look to the frame - I didn't like the Plasti-Dip look so I layered up a few coats of different paints.

stangtime 10 years ago

Hey Evil6 - Thanks for taking a look and your comments. The tablet I have here was bought used for $20. Just perusing the Sunday fliers this morning it looks like Office Depot has an Android tablet for $49. Then Big Lots has some starting at $47. But on eBay there are a bunch of 7" tabs starting around $30. The FM radio app (SDR Touch) does not need a wifi connection. It uses a little TV Card USB dongle (I bought mine online for around $15 a while ago - I did an Instructable on that cool little thing). It has a USB on one side and a regular antenna in on the other. The last thing I'm hammering out with this tablet is the Torque app. Typically Torque wants a bluetooth signal and these cheapie tabs don't have BT. However, the Torque app has a wifi button (to work with a wifi ODB2 transmitter). A physical cable should be able to be plugged into the car's ODB2 port to the tablet USB - might need a little configuration though. Anyhow, this project can be done on the cheap and offers some really cool stuff.

z0mb1edad 10 years ago

Great video, but wondering what the "$30 used tablet" is, and will the FM work without wifi (using the headphone jack). I've been wanting do do this for awhile, but convincing the wife that a $100 tablet is necessary for the car is hard to do. LOL