# Nexus 7 as a head unit questions.



## feeshta

Hello all. I am in the planning stages of a new system, and I have decided to go with a nexus 7 as a source. Sorting through all of the things I need to make it work properly is a little daunting so far though, so I thought I would put this out there in case someone has already been there and done that so to speak. So, some questions.

I know I need an On the Go(OTG) cable in order to both charge and host at the same time, but I am a little confused on how all of that works. I am doing an external mount, so I would like to keep the cable that plugs into the tablet as low profile as possible. I would really like to use something like this Ninja Cable 180 Degree MicroUSB | NinjaCable.com, with a 180° connector, but I don't know for sure how to make that work with the OTG concept. Would I just need to find an OTG cable with a female standard USB connection instead of micro USB in that case? Can't find any OTG cables that have that style connection. 

When it comes to FM radio, does anyone have any suggestions for a decent FM tuner? Looking around I am finding a lot of them, but the majority look like they are of dubious quality. Anyone have any experience they care to share? 

when it comes to a backup camera, does anyone have an suggestions there? I was looking at using something like this https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA6RA5CH8165&cm_re=usb_composite_video-_-9SIA6RA5CH8165-_-Product Are there maybe cheaper options that would do the same job? 


Any and all help would be greatly appreciated.


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## naiku

I have never seen a 180 degree OTG Y-cable, I would see if some thing like this would work for you: https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA2JX1GW2069

I run a 90 degree connector and have no issues with it, as I think you are going to have a really hard time finding an OTG cable that uses standard USB connections since no mobile devices have those.

For an FM tuner I picked up a little USB tuner (DVB+T) from eBay that cost me about $10 and it works fine. This one, but I got it from a US seller: 

Digital RTL2832U+R820T DVB-T SDR+DAB+FM USB 2.0 DIGITAL TV Tuner Receiver SM | eBay

I actually don't use it that much currently because I want to build an adapter to hook it into my stock antenna, but have had no time to do so. With it's supplied antenna it seems to work fine though. 

I have no experience with a back up camera, so cannot help you must there. What year Nexus 7 do you have? and what ROM are you running or plan to run? I have had mine in place now for at least 3 years.

For a power supply I highly recommend a DCDC-USB as it has 2 outputs, one you can wire to your OTG cable to power the Nexus and the other can power a USB hub. I soldered female USB ports onto the outputs on mine so it was simple to plug both the USB hub and OTG cable in. Steering wheel controls look into a Joycon. 

Any other questions let me know.


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## feeshta

naiku said:


> I have never seen a 180 degree OTG Y-cable, I would see if some thing like this would work for you: https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA2JX1GW2069
> 
> I run a 90 degree connector and have no issues with it, as I think you are going to have a really hard time finding an OTG cable that uses standard USB connections since no mobile devices have those.
> 
> For an FM tuner I picked up a little USB tuner (DVB+T) from eBay that cost me about $10 and it works fine. This one, but I got it from a US seller:
> 
> Digital RTL2832U+R820T DVB-T SDR+DAB+FM USB 2.0 DIGITAL TV Tuner Receiver SM | eBay
> 
> I actually don't use it that much currently because I want to build an adapter to hook it into my stock antenna, but have had no time to do so. With it's supplied antenna it seems to work fine though.
> 
> I have no experience with a back up camera, so cannot help you must there. What year Nexus 7 do you have? and what ROM are you running or plan to run? I have had mine in place now for at least 3 years.


I have a 2013 Nexus 7 on the way. It's scheduled to be delivered on Tuesday. I am planning to run Timur's Kernel, as it enables things like hard sleep and backup camera integration. The backup camera is a key thing for me, as the car is really difficult to see out of in the rear 3/4 aspect. I actually had a minor fender bender in it a few months ago that was purely a result of the visibility and would most likely have been prevented with a backup cam. Someone backed out into my path after I checked behind myself. Diagonal parking sucks. 

That's really what started me back down the path of car audio, as I started looking into adding a cam. My factory Bose system is nearly impossible to integrate a normal aftermarket HU with, so the amplifier needs to be replaced as well. Throw in the fact that it sounds like crap, and it seemed time to just replace the whole shebang. The lack of good options on the Double DIN market is what lead me down the path of considering a tablet. I don't understand how they are getting people to pay $1400 for a completely compromised solution that you have to plug your phone into to get half the features to work?


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## naiku

I have a 2012 but have been running Timurs ROM since day 1. I believe a back up cam is easier to integrate with the 2013.

The cost factor was what pushed me to the Nexus as well. Aftermarket units were expensive, adding factory navigation was really expensive for what I wanted. The tablet was a bit if trial and error to set up but has been very reliable. Good luck, mine also replaced a Bose system.


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## bbfoto

It's a long read but there's some great information in member "Bowdown" original build log. You might have to search a bit for the specific information regarding the Nexus 7 integration, but it's there.

http://www.diymobileaudio.com/forum/build-logs-project-install-gallery/69600-2010-fusion-sq-installation-thread.html

I'm using a Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 8.0 GSM/LTE Phone/Tablet (#SM-T715Y) with Cell & Data service from AT&T as my HU. It is connected via a USB OTG Y cable and powered USB hub to an *SMSL X-USB XMOS Digital Audio Extractor* (smaller than an Altoids tin) which sends optical or coaxial Digital signal to the digital input on the Helix DSP PRO. I use the *USB Audio Player Pro *app for bit-perfect digital output and control the volume with the DSP Remote. I can play Hi-Res and DSD files and sounds as good as any $$$$ source that I've tested. I have a 256GB microSD card in the Phablet for most of my music files and can attach a Thumb Drive or SSD to the Hub. The *UAPP* app will stream Hi-Res via the Tidal app & service as well. You can also connect to and stream files wirelessly from a portable Wi-Fi media Server/Storage Device thru the *UAPP* app.


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## feeshta

I just realized that the device I was planning to use for USB audio extraction is not going to work. Was planning to use a miniDSP USB streamer, but it turns out that they don't support Android. I need to go USB audio to Optical Toslink, so that I can feed my Zapco DSP IV a digital signal. I see the gentleman in the above link post was using a SMSL X-USB XMOS Digital Audio Extractor, but that device gives me some questions due to the fact that it has a power button on the front. I intend to mount whatever solution I use inside the double DIN dash location, so I need a device that simply starts working on power application. Anyone happen to know whether the above solution works, or if there is another that would be preferable?


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## feeshta

bbfoto said:


> It's a long read but there's some great information in member "Bowdown" original build log. You might have to search a bit for the specific information regarding the Nexus 7 integration, but it's there.
> 
> http://www.diymobileaudio.com/forum/build-logs-project-install-gallery/69600-2010-fusion-sq-installation-thread.html
> 
> I'm using a Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 8.0 GSM/LTE Phone/Tablet (#SM-T715Y) with Cell & Data service from AT&T as my HU. It is connected via a USB OTG Y cable and powered USB hub to an *SMSL X-USB XMOS Digital Audio Extractor* (smaller than an Altoids tin) which sends optical or coaxial Digital signal to the digital input on the Helix DSP PRO. I use the *USB Audio Player Pro *app for bit-perfect digital output and control the volume with the DSP Remote. I can play Hi-Res and DSD files and sounds as good as any $$$$ source that I've tested. I have a 256GB microSD card in the Phablet for most of my music files and can attach a Thumb Drive or SSD to the Hub. The *UAPP* app will stream Hi-Res via the Tidal app & service as well. You can also connect to and stream files wirelessly from a portable Wi-Fi media Server/Storage Device thru the *UAPP* app.


Whoops, I thought that was a quote from the thread you linked rather than your own comments. I actually sent BowDown a question about the SMSL thinking it was him that installed it. LOL. 

Question about the SMSL if you don't mind. Does it simply start working on power application? The fact that it has a power button on the front has me worried that you would need to turn it on each time you get in the car. Mine will be mounted out of reach, so that would not work for me if it were the case.


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## naiku

In my install I use a Sabre USB DAC, works great sending optical to the DSP. I know a few people use the Behringer UCA202, so that may be an option. This looks like it would also work USB TO SPDIF Converter Coaxial/Optical HA info PCM/AC3/DTS Support Source Output | eBay


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## feeshta

naiku said:


> In my install I use a Sabre USB DAC, works great sending optical to the DSP. I know a few people use the Behringer UCA202, so that may be an option. This looks like it would also work USB TO SPDIF Converter Coaxial/Optical HA info PCM/AC3/DTS Support Source Output | eBay


Which version of the Sabre do you use? Searching for that term turns up a lot of items, all of which don't support toslink in my look so far.


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## naiku

This is the one I use.... https://www.amazon.com/HiFiMeDIY-Digital-Analog-Converter-Optical/dp/B00AOH5JTQ

The output can either be 3.5mm to RCA or optical using mini toslink. I use an optical cable from monoprice.


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## feeshta

naiku said:


> This is the one I use.... https://www.amazon.com/HiFiMeDIY-Digital-Analog-Converter-Optical/dp/B00AOH5JTQ
> 
> The output can either be 3.5mm to RCA or optical using mini toslink. I use an optical cable from monoprice.


That's more like what I am looking for. Do you happen to know which one yours is? They have 2 very similar ones listed on their site, one simply called a Sabre, and the other a Sabre 9018 for slightly more money. The amazon ad does not specify which of those it is. It's also more expensive than either of those are directly from HifiMe.


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## bbfoto

feeshta said:


> Whoops, I thought that was a quote from the thread you linked rather than your own comments. I actually sent BowDown a question about the SMSL thinking it was him that installed it. LOL.
> 
> Question about the SMSL if you don't mind. Does it simply start working on power application? The fact that it has a power button on the front has me worried that you would need to turn it on each time you get in the car. Mine will be mounted out of reach, so that would not work for me if it were the case.


The SMSL X-USB automatically powers up when a Powered USB Connection is made (from your tablet, etc.) So you don't need to have it accessible to use it.  But the small front panel display will also show exactly what Bit Depth and Sample Frequency it is receiving, i.e. 16/44.1kHz, 24/192kHz, DSD64, etc. These used to be about $80 but they seem to be getting scarce and more expensive now. EDIT: Oh, Wait... they are just $54 now.

*SMSL X-USB XMOS USB to Coaxial Optical Converter*

It's tiny, you can tell by the size of the USB cable that is next to it in the photos on Amazon. It's about the size of a flat/slim pack of JuicyFruit chewing gum...









The *UAPP* app that I mentioned above is the only one that I know of that completely bypasses the stock Android Audio Kernel, and routes all audio through its own Custom Audio Kernel which guarantees Bit Perfect digital and Hi-Res Playback. The developers are constantly updating the app with new features and bug fixes. It also includes a very good digital PEQ. It's well worth the money IMHO, but YMMV. You must select or activate "Bit Perfect" in the settings menu.

.


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## feeshta

It looks like you basically have your choice of cheaper and arrives sometimes in May, or more expensive and arrives quicker from an American distributor. Parts express has it for $89 for example. 

The Hifime on the other hand costs $60 for the more expensive one, but they have a US distribution center so shipping is 2-5 days. It doesn't have the display, and only goes up to 96K resolution, but I don't currently have any files that are beyond that resolution. Mostly I intend to use FLAC rips of my CD collection and Spotify streaming. 

How does the UAPP app work if you don't mind my asking? You have to open it and run things from there, or it can run in the background and serve as your audio output?



bbfoto said:


> The SMSL X-USB automatically powers up when a Powered USB Connection is made (from your tablet, etc.) So you don't need to have it accessible to use it.  But the small front panel display will also show exactly what Bit Depth and Sample Frequency it is receiving, i.e. 16/44.1kHz, 24/192kHz, DSD64, etc. These used to be about $80 but they seem to be getting scarce and more expensive now. EDIT: Oh, Wait... they are just $54 now.
> 
> *SMSL X-USB XMOS USB to Coaxial Optical Converter*
> 
> It's tiny, you can tell by the size of the USB cable that is next to it in the photos on Amazon. It's about the size of a flat/slim pack of JuicyFruit chewing gum...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The *UAPP* app that I mentioned above is the only one that I know of that completely bypasses the stock Android Audio Kernel, and routes all audio through its own Custom Audio Kernel which guarantees Bit Perfect digital and Hi-Res Playback. The developers are constantly updating the app with new features and bug fixes. It also includes a very good digital PEQ. It's well worth the money IMHO, but YMMV. You must select or activate "Bit Perfect" in the settings menu.
> 
> .


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## bbfoto

When you plug your tablet or Android source device into the micro-USB charging/data port to connect your DAC, the *UAPP* app automatically opens and initializes the DAC connection. If there is no DAC found when you plug in your tablet, UAPP can be set to automatically route the audio normally (through your Android device and its built-in audio kernel).

I think they still have a free trial, so check out the screen shots and the app to see what you think. IMHO, it is the Best Sounding media player app, and with appropriate equipment it rivals any Ultra High End portable DAP or Home Digital Media Playing Device or Software. 

One small thing that I really like is that you can easily tap on the large album artwork to Pause/Play the Music. With the JoyCon EXR+ or SteerBlue module, you can program all of your vehicle's SWC to initiate any function that you'd like, including long-presses to initiate secondary commands or functions. I use a long-press of one of my SWC buttons to initiate Google Assistant for voice commands, such as saying, "Play Pink Floyd, Dark Side of the Moon", etc.

Check out the Google Play Store and the Developers page for a list of Supported Devices. Notice all of the specific SETTINGS in the Screen Shots of the app.

*USB AUDIO PLAYER PRO @ Google Play Store*

*Extreamsd USB AUDIO PLAYER PRO User Info & Details*

.


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## Silvercoat

I have been looking into a car tablet for headunit as well.

As far as I can tell, there seem to be the same kind of question I have. From what I can tell, the basic you need are

USB OTG + Charging

Some form of DC/DC adapter for power/hub power

Backup camera: Any RCA camera into a USB/Vid capture device. I think a usb cam will work as well but most car built ones are RCA

Steering Wheel Controls: RC Joycon

Audio Out: Either USB DAC, USB>USB (With the Helix card is my plan), USB DAC > Analog

The big questions I have is the HD/FM Radio.

I know some folks in the past have said that the DAB tuners do not get HD Radio in the US. I am surprised there is no easy solution.

I know there is the MC/USB cable that works with the DEI/Visteon tuners but that seems like a pain plus there is no solid app for it.


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## naiku

feeshta said:


> That's more like what I am looking for. Do you happen to know which one yours is? They have 2 very similar ones listed on their site, one simply called a Sabre, and the other a Sabre 9018 for slightly more money. The amazon ad does not specify which of those it is. It's also more expensive than either of those are directly from HifiMe.


I have the cheaper one, the 9023. I actually have an older version that does not appear to be listed on the site anymore, but is essentially a squared off version of the ES9023.


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## feeshta

My new Nexus 7 was on my doorstep when I got home today. Naturally I wanted to get started on installing Timur's Kernel etc, but it seems that the site is down 

Does anyone happen to know what best procedure is concerning that? Should I update the tablet as much as possible prior to loading the kernel? It's currently on version 4.3, and is prompting me to update to version 4.4.3 at the moment. 

As far as where I stand with my install overall at the moment, I have probably about 75% of the parts ordered. The only things remaining to order as far as I know are the backup cam, RCA to USB video converter, and a radio receiver. The radio receiver is the one that I have the most confusion about at the moment. I have a 4.2 amp charger, usb hub, OTG cable, 6 foot Toslink cable and toslink to mini toslink adapter, Double DIN install kit for my car, Morel 9 2W component set, and a few other random adaptors etc on the way yet. 

Really need to decide which backup cam and radio tuner to go with yet. Once the Double Din kit gets here, I can start getting down to the business of figuring out how to make it work in my car. I suspect it will not quite fit inside the dash, so I am planning an external mount in the factory radio location. I'm thinking I can use a blank plate, possibly slightly recessed back from the font face, and 3 "steelie" magnetic mounts to make a solid "floating" install that is easily removable when needed. 

So, anyone have any recommendations on radio tuners, cams, and RCA to USB video converters?


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## feeshta

Timur's site came back online later in the evening and I was able to get everything installed, I think. The tablet is not behaving quite how I expected, as it would not go to sleep mode when disconnected from power. Will spend some more time playing with that tonight. 

Still need to order a radio receiver, backup cam, and DAC. Having trouble making a choice on those so far. 

I was able to physically install the Zapco DSP last night, but I don't have it wired up yet. It fit very nicely in the spot formerly occupied by the factory CD changer. It had a strange problem when it arrived, in that it has removable mounting ears that would not install correctly. The screws included from the factory were too long for the purpose, and would bottom out before getting tight, allowing the ears to flop around. Installation of extra washers pushed the head of the screw too far out, meaning they would hit the mounting surface before the mounting ears would. 

The fix was pretty simple. I traced the position of the screw holes onto a blank sheet of paper and used that to transfer them to the metal CD changer mounting bracket, which happens to be thick enough to alleviate the problem with screw length. It even lends a sophisticated "floating" look the install. 

Will be a little while before amps can be installed, so I likely will not get to hear the results for several weeks at a minimum. Hoping to get the Morels in tonight, which could allow me to finish up the doors in the next couple days, then spend a little time on sound deadening. Might be interesting trying to get that accomplished without amps though, as I would like to be able to play test tones through them and hunt for resonances.


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## naiku

feeshta said:


> The tablet is not behaving quite how I expected, as it would not go to sleep mode when disconnected from power. Will spend some more time playing with that tonight.


Go into Settings - USB Host and check the options there. I have not looked at mine in forever, but pretty sure it is one of those settings.



feeshta said:


> Still need to order a radio receiver, backup cam, and DAC. Having trouble making a choice on those so far.


Just pick up one of the RTL8032 radio receivers from eBay, they are cheap and work well enough for FM. I am pretty sure that Bowdown recommended one to me way back. All your talk of it makes me want to try and figure out a way to connect my OEM antenna to it though as the included one does not work that well in the glovebox (hardly surprising!). It picks up just as many stations on my desk though that my truck does outside, so works fine.


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## feeshta

I found an option called "firm sleep" that I thought was the right thing, but it may only control what actually happens when the device goes to sleep rather than the circumstances that cause it to sleep. I just finished up getting everything installed at like 11:30 and was getting tired so I didn't mess with it any more last night. 



naiku said:


> Go into Settings - USB Host and check the options there. I have not looked at mine in forever, but pretty sure it is one of those settings.
> 
> 
> 
> Just pick up one of the RTL8032 radio receivers from eBay, they are cheap and work well enough for FM. I am pretty sure that Bowdown recommended one to me way back. All your talk of it makes me want to try and figure out a way to connect my OEM antenna to it though as the included one does not work that well in the glovebox (hardly surprising!). It picks up just as many stations on my desk though that my truck does outside, so works fine.


On the radio thing, I am looking into the SDR route, but slightly confused about which ones play nice with Android and which don't. It seems like they should all work with SDR touch, but I guess they are not there on standardization yet? Just want to make sure I order one that is going to work with SDR touch or at minimum has it's own app that I can use effectively to set presets etc. Wondering if I should integrate with the factory antenna or go another route. The factory radio has been awful. I suspect an antenna amp I have somewhere in the A-pillar might be to blame. 

Incidentally, I work with similar equipment to this all the time, just the much more expensive varieties. I do Electromagnetic Spectrum Management for the DOD, and typically use a Rodhe and Schwartz PR100 in the course of my duties. Sometimes I also use a Techtronix RF Hawk. These can't demodulate nearly as many signal types as many of these SDR's can, but they do offer some features the SDRs do not of course.


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## naiku

The RTL8032 works with SDR touch. That's what I use.


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## feeshta

naiku said:


> The RTL8032 works with SDR touch. That's what I use.


I actually just ordered one. There was some slightly confusing information out there, but I called up one of the manufacturers to get some clarity. Now I need to figure out whether to use the factory antenna or something else. The one I ordered comes with a small antenna, but I don't think it would be good enough. I suspect the factory one has an issue with the amplifier.


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## naiku

Likely the same small antenna that mine has. I may try to find a place to mount the antenna up in the dash somewhere behind the glovebox to see how that works, but suspect it will be just as bad as with it sitting in the glovebox.


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## Silvercoat

feeshta said:


> I actually just ordered one. There was some slightly confusing information out there, but I called up one of the manufacturers to get some clarity. Now I need to figure out whether to use the factory antenna or something else. The one I ordered comes with a small antenna, but I don't think it would be good enough. I suspect the factory one has an issue with the amplifier.



Can you link the tuner you purchased?

I saw one similar I suppose on Adafruit but I am not sure.

Keep in mind the antenna is just a connector cable. 

Looks like it is this style:
https://www.showmecables.com/mcx-male-crimp-connector-rg174?gclid=CN23qoLrjdMCFcYfhgodqfIGhQ

Wire this up to a male or female motorola connector then use the appropriate antenna adapter for your car. Should not be a problem to use your vehicles FM antenna.

Btw, does the tuner you picked up able to tune US HD Radio? or just normal FM tuning?


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## AccordUno

Thanks for the good all the good info. Planning the same thing, just need to find a decent tablet.. the list is pretty big but finding one, gonna have to go on ebay and find one..


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## naiku

Before you buy any tablet, I would definitely recommend looking up what ROM's are available for them as well. If I could not have loaded Timur's ROM onto my Nexus then it would have been a pain in the car. So many small things I would not have taken into consideration...... 
Mounting flash drives
Power on/off with ignition
Deep sleep - preventing apps from waking the tablet while the engine is off 
etc.


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## AccordUno

Yeah, saw that.. Samsung is what I was thinking but saw the list, finding the right one. is a gonna be a painful exercise


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## naiku

If it were me and I were looking at 7" tablets, I would be trying to find a 2013 Nexus 7. Plenty powerful enough for use in the car, can run the latest version of Android and run Timur's ROM. Additionally you should be able to find one for around $150 in good condition.


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## AccordUno

16Gb or 32GB?


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## naiku

Either should be fine, for reference my 2012 Nexus is an 8GB version. Not once have I had any issues with storage, if you are solely using it for in car use, then there won't be much by the way of apps on there.

If I were forced to pick though, I would go with 32GB. No real reason behind it, would just pick the larger storage if I had to choose one.


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## feeshta

Silvercoat said:


> Can you link the tuner you purchased?
> 
> I saw one similar I suppose on Adafruit but I am not sure.
> 
> Keep in mind the antenna is just a connector cable.
> 
> Looks like it is this style:
> https://www.showmecables.com/mcx-male-crimp-connector-rg174?gclid=CN23qoLrjdMCFcYfhgodqfIGhQ
> 
> Wire this up to a male or female motorola connector then use the appropriate antenna adapter for your car. Should not be a problem to use your vehicles FM antenna.
> 
> Btw, does the tuner you picked up able to tune US HD Radio? or just normal FM tuning?


I ended up going with this one. NooElec - NooElec NESDR SMArt - Premium RTL-SDR w/ Aluminum Enclosure, 0.5PPM TCXO, SMA Input & 3 Antennas. RTL2832U & R820T2-Based. - SDR Receivers - Software Defined Radio There really didn't seem to be too much to differentiate between the different units available, but the plastic housed version of this was among the best rated on Amazon. I went with the Aluminum housed one simply because I prefer something more sturdy. The thing about an SDR is that the unit itself doesn't really have an impact on whether you can tune so and so signal. It's the interface that determines that. I'm not 100% sure whether there is one out there for Android that can do that decoding, but even if there isn't, there may be in the future for the same SDR module. 

In other news, I was able to cut the door panels for fitment of the Elate 9's this afternoon, and then had the joy of removing my factory head unit. I'm a former pro installer, and I have NEVER had as much trouble getting a head unit out of car as this one. Porsche's of this generation have a strange setup. You have to remove the factory subwoofer, which sits in the passenger foot well. Then remove two side covers from either side of the center stack. Then you remove a set screw that is set into the side of the unit too far back to reach properly without tearing half the dash apart, so you have to use a pair of pliers to slowly work it out of there a sixth of a turn at a time. 

The the real fun began. There are 4 cam type devices at the upper and lower corner on each side that are supposed to release the springs that hold the radio into the dash. Slight problem in that at least 2 of them would not work. It took me hours of fighting with it to eventually manage to rip three of those springs out through tiny holes in the side of the center stack, and FINALLY get the head unit out. 

Once it was out, I was able to see why my radio reception sucks so badly. There was small electronic unit wired in series with the antenna that is how the previous owner added an Aux jack and iPod interface. That also explains why my aux jack seemed to have problems with reception. LOL! Needless to say I will be removing that. Thank you for the help tracking down the connector type. That saved me some googling time. I ordered an MCX to SMA adaptor tonight.


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## bbfoto

I have a love/hate relationship with German vehicles. In too many instances they "over-engineer" things, where a KISS principle would be much better in all regards, as in your case with the HU.

But I'm glad you were able to figure out what was going on with your OEM antenna and Aux input!

A few other apps that I would recommend for rooted Android if you need more control or customization of functions are:

Tasker
Screen Standby
Delayed Lock (with Plug-Ins)
Orientation Control/Orientation Switch
Paragon NTFS&HFS
Widgetsoid
Smart Keyboard Pro (with "Cupertino" skin)


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## feeshta

bbfoto said:


> I have a love/hate relationship with German vehicles. In too many instances they "over-engineer" things, where a KISS principle would be much better in all regards, as in your case with the HU.
> 
> But I'm glad you were able to figure out what was going on with your OEM antenna and Aux input!
> 
> A few other apps that I would recommend for rooted Android if you need more control or customization of functions are:
> 
> Tasker
> Screen Standby
> Delayed Lock (with Plug-Ins)
> Orientation Control/Orientation Switch
> Paragon NTFS&HFS
> Widgetsoid
> Smart Keyboard Pro (with "Cupertino" skin)


Thanks for the recommendations. I will look into those when I have some free time. Still need to figure out exactly how to use the Kernel features as well.


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## naiku

feeshta said:


> The thing about an SDR is that the unit itself doesn't really have an impact on whether you can tune so and so signal. It's the interface that determines that. I'm not 100% sure whether there is one out there for Android that can do that decoding, but even if there isn't, there may be in the future for the same SDR module.


At the moment I use SDR Touch, it's not the nicest looking app in the world but appears to work fine. I am only using the demo version currently, if I get it picking up stations reliably in the car then I will pay for the full version.



bbfoto said:


> I have a love/hate relationship with German vehicles. In too many instances they "over-engineer" things, where a KISS principle would be much better in all regards


100% agree, German car here (Audi) and there are many things that are just annoying and for no reason.


----------



## AccordUno

German car issue what is this you speak of? Not such thing.. (runs and gets into my Passat Wagon)

Fellas thanks for all the info..


----------



## feeshta

No new parts in the mail today, and torrential rain most of the day so I'm not all that inclined to take the car out of the garage. Will have the weekend to work hopefully.


----------



## Silvercoat

AccordUno said:


> German car issue what is this you speak of? Not such thing.. (runs and gets into my Passat Wagon)
> 
> Fellas thanks for all the info..



But you did not say "(runs and gets into my Passat Wagon and drives away)"

German vehicles ugh.....

Any company that decides a company standard for a high current main ignition line to not be fused in ANY way does not have my confidence.


----------



## feeshta

Got a few more parts in the mail today, and have spent a few hours playing with things. I'm a little concerned that this tablet is going to work at the moment. It's had repeated crash and reboots, is annoyingly slow to find my wifi hotspot(45 seconds to a minute), has real trouble playing music files without constant jittering, and the micro usb connector seems very loose, constantly shifting and causing the DAC connection to be lost. 

I hooked up to the aux jack in my other car, a 2008 Volvo XC90 V8 Sport with the Dynaudio optional stereo. When it did play, it sounded awesome. Much better than running from my iPhone's headphone jack. I'm going to be using the optical digital in my car, so this isn't a perfect test of course, but I wanted to get a feel for how it will work. The answer was not well, at least so far. It seems to run better feeding a pair of headphones indoors. It's still extremely sensitive to anything being moved though. I freaking HATE micro USB connectors. It might be that the USB OTG cable I got is just of poor quality. But my experience has always been that the Micro USB connector is a deeply flawed design. I will be happy when I can upgrade to a USB C equipped tablet in the future if someone comes up with a kernel for one.

I'm glad I already made the decision to not mount it inside the dash, as it would be nightmare if I went through all that work and then it behaved like this. 

This tablet has also had issues with crash and reboots since I got it. I had thought I had that solved by upgrading the Android version, but it crashed about 10 times today. First I downloaded iheartradio, and it crashed every time I opened that app withing 30 seconds or so. Later it crashed several times when the USB cable shifted. If it wasn't crashing, it was losing connection to the DAC, and shifting the audio to the built in speakers. If it wasn't doing that, it was constantly glitching in time with the beat on nearly every song I played. The only ting that seemed to stop that was turning the volume down on the tablet itself, but half the time I did that it decided to switch to internal speakers for unknown reasons. 

Hopefully things get better. Anyone have any suggestions?


----------



## feeshta

Well, the seller agreed to a return. This tab does indeed appear to be defective. I ordered a brand new one as a replacement.


----------



## naiku

I was going to say that sounds like a faulty tablet. I have had some apps crash note and then, albeit rarely. But, the number of times the tablet has fully crashed is very low and it takes no more than a couple seconds to connect to WiFi.

Good luck, hopefully the new tablet works out.


----------



## AccordUno

So here's what I have on order:
- SMSL X-USB XMOS USB to Coaxial Optical IIS Digital Audio Converter Interface Silver
- Mini-Box DCDC-USB-200, Intelligent DC-DC converter with USB interface
- the OTG Cable mentioned earlier from Newegg (they had had it here in the US Warehouse and I got it shipped from HK)
- USB 2.0 Digital DVB-T SDR+DAB+FM HDTV TV Tuner Receiver Stick RTL2832U+R820T2 US

will order a rotary USB knob (need volume control until I can get a arc Audio PSC)
and need to wait on the toslink cable (monoprice is out on the length I need, we the nicer one of the toslink cable)..


Any thing else I need to order? Got the ROM installed on the Nexus 7 (2012), UAPP, apps listed on here by bbfoto, any other items to install?


thanks


----------



## naiku

I don't see a USB hub listed, you will want to grab one of those. I use this one and definitely recommend it if you only need 4 ports:

https://www.amazon.com/Internal-Mou...014&sr=8-7&keywords=internal+external+usb+hub

The thing I like about it is how simple it is to get power, especially as you are going to run a DCDC-USB. Essentially pick up a pair of these:

10PCS USB Type A Standard Port Female Solder Jacks Connector B3 | eBay

The DCDC-USB has 2 outputs, solder one of these onto each output. Use one for your USB-OTG cable to power the Nexus, the other plugs into the USB-Bus power cable for that hub. Also, I recommend setting the output power on your DCDC-USB to 5.4v as it just gives it a slight bump over the stock 5v to make sure you never lose a charge on the tablet. 

Next time I have my tablet to hand I can look up my Tasker profile and let you know what that is as well. I only have a very basic profile on there, it's not the easiest app to use in the world, but I believe mine shuts off bluetooth, wifi etc when the ignition is turned off.


----------



## feeshta

Do you actually need to run a powered hub? I am going to be running a OTG Y cable with one side feeding power to the Nexus 7, and the the other side for data connectivety only. I ran it successfully in my truck the other day with no power on the USB hub, while the tablet would play nice anyway. Obbviously I dudn't have everything connected to it yet though, just the DAC and a USB stick. 

I will have a 4.2 Amp charging adaptor hard wired into the car's power with a relay operating the 12 V hot from the turn on lead. This has 2 ports, the second of which will be used to power my phone. The 4 ports on the USB hub I have will go to USB thumbdrive for music, backup cam, SDR for radio, and DAC.




naiku said:


> I don't see a USB hub listed, you will want to grab one of those. I use this one and definitely recommend it if you only need 4 ports:
> 
> https://www.amazon.com/Internal-Mou...014&sr=8-7&keywords=internal+external+usb+hub
> 
> The thing I like about it is how simple it is to get power, especially as you are going to run a DCDC-USB. Essentially pick up a pair of these:
> 
> 10PCS USB Type A Standard Port Female Solder Jacks Connector B3 | eBay
> 
> The DCDC-USB has 2 outputs, solder one of these onto each output. Use one for your USB-OTG cable to power the Nexus, the other plugs into the USB-Bus power cable for that hub. Also, I recommend setting the output power on your DCDC-USB to 5.4v as it just gives it a slight bump over the stock 5v to make sure you never lose a charge on the tablet.
> 
> Next time I have my tablet to hand I can look up my Tasker profile and let you know what that is as well. I only have a very basic profile on there, it's not the easiest app to use in the world, but I believe mine shuts off bluetooth, wifi etc when the ignition is turned off.


----------



## Silvercoat

AccordUno said:


> So here's what I have on order:
> - SMSL X-USB XMOS USB to Coaxial Optical IIS Digital Audio Converter Interface Silver
> - Mini-Box DCDC-USB-200, Intelligent DC-DC converter with USB interface
> - the OTG Cable mentioned earlier from Newegg (they had had it here in the US Warehouse and I got it shipped from HK)
> - USB 2.0 Digital DVB-T SDR+DAB+FM HDTV TV Tuner Receiver Stick RTL2832U+R820T2 US
> 
> will order a rotary USB knob (need volume control until I can get a arc Audio PSC)
> and need to wait on the toslink cable (monoprice is out on the length I need, we the nicer one of the toslink cable)..
> 
> 
> Any thing else I need to order? Got the ROM installed on the Nexus 7 (2012), UAPP, apps listed on here by bbfoto, any other items to install?
> 
> 
> thanks


For thr USB Rotary knob I ordered this:
https://www.amazon.com/Fusion-Contr...TF8&qid=1492003575&sr=8-7&keywords=Fusion+USB

I know they show out of stock but I know mp3car.com had them as well.

This guy is Android plug and play. It does volume well enough but did not do MUTE on inpress in the stock volume, not sure how it affects each app. 

Which USB rotary knob were you looking at?


----------



## naiku

feeshta said:


> Do you actually need to run a powered hub? I am going to be running a OTG Y cable with one side feeding power to the Nexus 7, and the the other side for data connectivety only. I ran it successfully in my truck the other day with no power on the USB hub, while the tablet would play nice anyway. Obbviously I dudn't have everything connected to it yet though, just the DAC and a USB stick.


You could certainly try without a powered hub, if it works then great. I sometimes charge my phone off the hub, am also looking at adding a USB CD-ROM, so having a powered hub makes sense for me.


----------



## AccordUno

Silvercoat said:


> For thr USB Rotary knob I ordered this:
> https://www.amazon.com/Fusion-Contr...TF8&qid=1492003575&sr=8-7&keywords=Fusion+USB
> 
> I know they show out of stock but I know mp3car.com had them as well.
> 
> This guy is Android plug and play. It does volume well enough but did not do MUTE on inpress in the stock volume, not sure how it affects each app.
> 
> Which USB rotary knob were you looking at?


I looked at that one. was wondering is there was a possibility of getting one that is programmable like the one Erin found off ebay a while back.. but I might just get that one to toy around with, while I work on getting the Arc Audio PSC (has some other features that I can use as well as master volume for optical).


Let's talk about power dcdc-usb , Naiku, how do you have yours configured? I was thinking automotive, 5s offdelay and 60s hardoff delay. I got that now, so I can start on that. I do have a regular USB hub but the end uses a male end and have 4 female inputs. 

the SMSL is small, really small.. gonna have to look on how to integrate into the dash or maybe the ashtray.

The Tuner - nice little package, except, didn't come with any software..


----------



## naiku

I have to double check mine, might have the glovebox out soon so can double check. I might have it in dumb mode though, need to check the jumpers to be sure.

Try SDR touch for the radio, if you find a better option let me know though!


----------



## feeshta

Anyone ever tried Wavesink? I found some references to it as an FM tuner app for SDRs, but not much actual information on it. I'm still waiting on my new Nexus 7, which is supposed to arrive tomorrow, so I can't try it myself. 

It really seems like there is an opening for an easy to use FM tuner app for SDRs. Surprised nobody has built one. I do hope the sound quality is a bit better than I am getting out of it on the PC though, as it sounds really tinny and nasty so far with SDR sharp. 

In the meantime, I have the speaker installation nearly done. I thought I was done minus sound deadening(still in the mail) last night, but then found out that the tweeters and mids ran off the same speaker cable in the factory install. I forgot there were rear speakers, so the number of cables looked correct, but when I started checking them, I quickly figured out my error. So, now I need to run speaker wires to the tweeter locations. I chose them over the doors to avoid the door jam pass throughs, which are pretty tough to access on this car. Then I need to check the lines for the mids to make sure there is no passive crossover somwhere up inside the dash, or I might need to run another for the mids. I got one tweeter run through to the headunit location last night before I ran out of light. Once I get those both through to the HU location, it's a pretty simple matter of routing those two wires, the remote turn-on lead, and the Toslink fiber up to the front trunk where the amps and DSP will be located. 

After that is done, it's on to building a mount for the Nexus 7. I won't have much time to work this weekend due to Easter though, as I am heading home to visit family.


----------



## naiku

Installing the Wavesink trial now, will let you know how it goes. I also checked my Tasker profile, and it actually does very little. Just shuts down Torque if I have it running when the ignition is turned off and disconnects from a phone I no longer have!

If any of you need to know what my USB Host settings are, let me know and I will post them up.


----------



## -=Jeff=-

This thread has sparked my interest in a tablet in the car again.. I had the Nexus 7 (2012) installed a few years ago, I was using the Behringer 202 DAC and had a Directed HD tuner with MJS cable. that worked ok, but had no volume control on the tuner from the tablet. the Tuner was a bit quirky too.

I then moved to a Chinese Android radio (NU3001) had that until last year and install a Joying Android) while there it nothing wrong with it, some of the UI is a bit gimmicky to me and I cannot change the hard buttons to use different apps ( like the music player).

I have a Nexus 7 (2013) LTE tablet, I don't use as much anymore, I just installed Timurs V4 kernel and have been toying with that. I think my MJS cable is bad as it is not connecting completely.. I did however try a SDR tuner with SDR Touch

SD touch is nice, but I am not so sure it is the best for a car solution. it would be nice if there is a a nice FM app solution. I have been thinking about setting up the Nexus again to see if I can get everything to work how I want on a bench then install it in the car again.. 

I will be watching this thread to see how things work out for you


----------



## naiku

-=Jeff=- said:


> SD touch is nice, but I am not so sure it is the best for a car solution. it would be nice if there is a a nice FM app solution.


Yup, I agree SDR Touch is not easy to use in the car. Just tried the Wavesink trial, but only on my phone as the Nexus is out of the car at the moment. The trial version cut out after a few minutes, so could not get a great feel for it. 

When you first open it, the first thing it does is scan for stations. Out here I don't get a whole lot of stations outside of manually tuning, but it still managed to find 2 stations. Swapping between them seems slightly easier than SDR touch, there is a big arrow and you just press it to move between stations. This may be easier to navigate on the larger tablet, so I may try it later.

The one piece that was difficult, again could be my phone, is when I went to the manual tuning piece. The font is so ridiculously small that it is very difficult to read. However, it did make it easier to click through steps in FM as it lists them:

92.5
92.6
92.7
and so on.

So you can just click on each one until a station comes in, definitely an improvement over my experience with SDR Touch. I may try it in the car later, if the font is easier to read in the car then it has SDR Touch beaten on that front. Still, $15 for the full version is not cheap for an Android app that plays FM Radio!!


----------



## feeshta

SDR touch seems like a tinkering app, not something that was designed for ease of use, especially with one hand in a moving vehicle. As I said above, it seems like a market opening is there for a streamlined FM tuner application for SDRs. It could also easily include other known bands, such as AM radio and weather radio formats. Honestly it seems like that would be easier to desegn than something like the full featured SDR touch. but then I am not an android programmer so maybe there is something that goes into it that I am not aware of. 

Naiku, how is the FM reception quality with SDR touch? As I said above, it's pretty crappy on my PC with SDR Sharp. I do wonder if it might help if I were to move the dongle away from the PC chassis a bit. It's plugged directly into the chassis, and I know that is a pretty electroically noisy environment which is a problem for any receiveing device.


----------



## -=Jeff=-

Any suggestions on a good OTG cable for the Nexus, One I have seem to have some issues


----------



## feeshta

-=Jeff=- said:


> Any suggestions on a good OTG cable for the Nexus, One I have seem to have some issues


I may be in the market for another one as well. The one I got seems to have very loose connector fitment, which worries me when it comes to road vibrations. I'm looking for a 90° version, or preferably 180° if someone made one as my tablet will be externally mounted and I would prefer to keep cable clutter down.


----------



## naiku

feeshta said:


> As I said above, it seems like a market opening is there for a streamlined FM tuner application for SDRs. It could also easily include other known bands, such as AM radio and weather radio formats. Honestly it seems like that would be easier to desegn than something like the full featured SDR touch. but then I am not an android programmer so maybe there is something that goes into it that I am not aware of.


Agreed entirely, it just needs to be something simple to tune and store half a dozen presets. I think I had some Android programming tools on my other laptop, may see what is involved, but I suspect it is way outside of my skill set. 



feeshta said:


> Naiku, how is the FM reception quality with SDR touch?


For me it is about the same as I get with the OEM antenna/radio in my other vehicles. Suffice to say not great, but that is more due to geographical location than anything else. On a road trip the other day I was able to pick up stations just with the little included antenna sitting up on the dash. I am hoping to get better reception once I tap into my OEM antenna (waiting on a reply back on an adapter, I don't want to spend $20 on something, cut it up, and then it not do what I think it does). I will put the Nexus back in the car shortly and grab a couple pictures of SDR touch and Wavesink. 



-=Jeff=- said:


> Any suggestions on a good OTG cable for the Nexus, One I have seem to have some issues


I wish I could remember where I got mine from, it was either Amazon or eBay. I then added a short 6" extension with a down angle that plugs into the tablet which I got from here:

USB Right Angle USB Micro-B Extension - 5 wires - 877.522.3779 - USBFireWire.com

It's a really nice quality cable, in fact it looks like they also sell an OTG cable:

USB 2.0 OTG Cable - 877.522.3779 - USBFireWire.com

I would absolutely give that one a try.


----------



## Silvercoat

The whole FM situation bugs me as well. Would just be nice to have a simple HD Radio.


Also the calling features get to me as well. I know there is tablet talk but there also has to be a way to pipe audio over USB from the phone.


----------



## -=Jeff=-

Yes, I agree with the calling features. My current radio works for calling, lacks HD Tuner and has limits with the default apps. 

It has hard buttons and volume knob, but the hard buttons cannot be remapped (I think with a modded ROM they can) I will probably stick with the radio, although the last day or so withmy N7 it has been smooth with minimal lag. that along with the thought of LTE avail without hotspotting is nice. 

Naiku, I saw those, was hoping amazon had something but I might give these a try


----------



## -=Jeff=-

I might order this for my bench
https://www.sparkfun.com/products/10031

then I can build my cable


----------



## feeshta

Got the new tablet, the backup cam, and a few other odds and ends like relays etc last night. Got the new tablet up and running, went to Verizon and got it added to my data plan, then came home and installed Timur's Kernel. I also installed USB Audio Player Pro. I'm having some issues with that so far, specifically I can't figure out how to get it to play audio out to the DAC from anything other than an internal or USB source so far. It will not pass audio from youtube for example, which I was just using as a test. It's probably something with the settings, as it will play youtube though the speakers if you disconnect the DAC. 

Took a quick look at SDR touch, but wasn't sure which app to download as there are three, 1 paid and 2 free, and it was getting late so I just headed to bed. I'm guessing you need the pay one, but not wure what the other two are about. 

Hoping to get some of the remaining wiring taken care of tonight, then address the mount for the Nexus 7 as soon as I have time.


----------



## feeshta

I am having one possible issue with how to make everything work effectively. Due to the fact that you sacrifice volume control on your source when you go this route, I was planning to use the wired remove for the Zapco DSP IV for that purpose. The problem there is that I am not willing to modify the interior extensively to do so, and I am not finding a good way to mount it in an easily accessible location without major mods so far. A smaller knob would be much easier to work with than this little controller.

Another minor concern I have is running these old Tube amps, which I love, in a confined space like the front trunk, which will sometimes also be stuffed with a large cooler. It's going to be really tight to even fit everything in, and I'm slightly worried that it will cause overheating issues. 

The combination of those two issues got me thinking, and a possible alternative came to mind. I could simply go with a JL Audio XD-800v2. It would fit nearly perfectly in the factory storage/amp location and enable me to avoid paying for installation because it would be easily doable myself. That would allow me to go with 4x75 for the tweets and mids, and then bridge two sets of channels to send 2x200 to the 9s. This is slightly more power than the 2 amps I was planning to use, but in a much smaller and easier to install footprint, far easier to wire up(the US amps require 2 power and 2 ground leads each), and minus the heat concerns. As an added bonus, it would allow for the installation of a small system volume knob, allowing me to stash the Zapco controller in the glove box for use only when I need to change a preset. I could then sell the two Tube amps, most likely for slightly more than I would pay for the 800v2. 

There is a lot to like about this arrangement.

Possible downsides? I have a hard time believing that it could sound as good as the TU's. 

Thoughts?


----------



## naiku

feeshta said:


> Took a quick look at SDR touch, but wasn't sure which app to download as there are three, 1 paid and 2 free, and it was getting late so I just headed to bed. I'm guessing you need the pay one, but not wure what the other two are about.


Get the free one, it is a demo of the paid version, if I remember correctly the other free version is the driver that is also required. 



feeshta said:


> I could simply go with a JL Audio XD-800v2. It would fit nearly perfectly in the factory storage/amp location and enable me to avoid paying for installation because it would be easily doable myself. That would allow me to go with 4x75 for the tweets and mids, and then bridge two sets of channels to send 2x200 to the 9s. This is slightly more power than the 2 amps I was planning to use, but in a much smaller and easier to install footprint, far easier to wire up(the US amps require 2 power and 2 ground leads each), and minus the heat concerns. As an added bonus, it would allow for the installation of a small system volume knob, allowing me to stash the Zapco controller in the glove box for use only when I need to change a preset. I could then sell the two Tube amps, most likely for slightly more than I would pay for the 800v2.
> 
> There is a lot to like about this arrangement.
> 
> Possible downsides? I have a hard time believing that it could sound as good as the TU's.
> 
> Thoughts?


While the JL may not sound as good as the TU, I would bet it still sounds good and also removes a large chunk of your installation concerns. 

I don't know anything about the Zapco, but does it not let you control volume from the tablet or steering wheel controls? I run a Helix DSP, the volume works fine either directly on the tablet or from my steering wheel controls (which are tied into the tablet via Joycon).


----------



## feeshta

The problem with volume control isn't due to the Zapco. It's because I am using UAPP, which removes volume control when you enable the bit perfect playback option. I'm also not going to try using the volume keys in the Nexus 7, as they are not easy to use, especially on the move, and have a pretty limited adjustment range. My car does not have steering wheel mounted controls either. So, I really do need a universal volume control of some kind. With a small one, I can repurpose the opening for a silly airbag warning light in the center console. It's right next to the stick shift, so it falls nicely to hand.


----------



## feeshta

Got a bit more done today after work. Pulled the cable through for the other tweeter. Then I pulled cables for the two tweeters, remote turn on, and the toslink source cable through the firewall into the front trunk. I also drilled a hole and pulled through the backup cam cable, mounted the cam itself, found a reverse lead, and wired up a test rig with a relay setup as described on Timur's page to make sure it works before running the wires through to the front concealed. 

The backup camera function is not working correctly. I have response from the relay, the USB capture card is turning on, but nothing happens on screen. When I go into the app, it shows a change of state upon putting the car into reverse gear, but then says that it cannot find video if you try to open the video app for example. 

Anyone have any ideas on what I am missing here?


----------



## -=Jeff=-

Video camera getting power? I have not installed the nexus with backup camera yet


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## -=Jeff=-

So the Wavesink app might be nice if you have stations in the presets. My issue is on my bench I don't get great reception so I one get one station. 

I have to wonder if I am better off with a windows pc 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## naiku

-=Jeff=- said:


> So the Wavesink app might be nice if you have stations in the presets. My issue is on my bench I don't get great reception so I one get one station.


If you wait a few days I ordered a harness that should allow me to tap into the OEM amplified antenna my vehicle uses. I need to cut one end off and solder it to the board of the RTL2823 dongle, but hopefully, that should not be too difficult. I can post if there is a decent improvement or not. On the desk or in the car with the antenna that comes with it, I get similar performance that you are on your bench.


----------



## -=Jeff=-

Yeah, My challenge is being in my basement with a make shift car antenna. I need to buy a basic whip, to try. I also need a BNC to female Antenna connector, I have a SMB to BNC.

Then I can try it outside. One thing I see with Wavesink is you cannot 'search' easily on the preset UI, but the Preset UI is nice an big for a car..


----------



## feeshta

-=Jeff=- said:


> Video camera getting power? I have not installed the nexus with backup camera yet
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


I know the camera is getting power, as the lead that feeds the relay is the same one that feeds the camera. Not sure how to test the camera itself, as I don't have a display of any kind anymore that uses composite video. Will mess with it a little more tonight after work. hopefully it is just a setting I have entered incorrectly or something. It seems like if the camera feed were dark, you would get a black screen popping up when you go to reverse, but nothing actually happens at all. You can see the state changing when you watch it in power event manager, but nothing at all if you are not in the app. 

I also got some things cut properly for mounting the tablet, so I will be doing some gluing tonight to get everything bonded up. From there I can install the magnetic mounts and be ready to actually mount the tablet. I might have to do a little modification to the double DIN kit to make things work properly, as I don't think you would be able to remove it once it clicks into place with the back plate installed. I need to be able to get back in there for maintenance, so I might trim the mounting tabs off and just run a couple screws in from the outside to hold it in place. There are removeable covers on either side that give a little access to the sides of the mounting area, but would perfectly cover any screws I might install there.


----------



## AccordUno

So initial test, 

Nexus 7 to (via USB hub that Naiku recommended) SMSL to (8' toslink waiting on the 15ft from monoprice to restock) PS8..

Excellent. Definitely need a remote volume or the Arc PSC. Need to download a DSD file to see if the SMSL will send it as such to the processor or will it be stuck at 44.1k. Does sound like it's richer (playing NC SQ Meet tracks posted by BBFoto I believe), gonna try some other tracks. 

Still need to get the DCDC USB in and sort out my USB cables and tasker. But I like it.. Might do the same in my truck but with a bigger tablet.. And mounting to sort out.. Thanks for everyone's help..


----------



## feeshta

AccordUno said:


> So initial test,
> 
> Nexus 7 to (via USB hub that Naiku recommended) SMSL to (8' toslink waiting on the 15ft from monoprice to restock) PS8..
> 
> Excellent. Definitely need a remote volume or the Arc PSC. Need to download a DSD file to see if the SMSL will send it as such to the processor or will it be stuck at 44.1k. Does sound like it's richer (playing NC SQ Meet tracks posted by BBFoto I believe), gonna try some other tracks.
> 
> Still need to get the DCDC USB in and sort out my USB cables and tasker. But I like it.. Might do the same in my truck but with a bigger tablet.. And mounting to sort out.. Thanks for everyone's help..


Glad to hear you got yours up and running. I was able to play some songs that were higher than 44.1 on mine the other day, but I'm using the HIFIME DAC, so it's a little different setup. I didn't think to try DSD files though. 

I did run into a possible issue with mine last night though. I already had a 6ft Toslink cable around, so I just ordered a Toslink to mini-toslink adaptor to work with the HIFIME. Unfortunately if you push the adaptor on the whole way, it forces the filament out the end of the plug. It may work, but at the moment I don't have an easy way to test it as I don't have amplifiers installed yet. I might drag down one of my home amps just to test it. Need to get the Zapco set up with at least initial crossover settings to protect the speakers on initial fire up anyway, as I suspect it will probably want to start at full volume as soon as you plug it in. 

I got a mounting solution mostly finished last night. I'm afraid to install it at the moment, because I'm sure it will be quite difficult to remove. I might need to look into modifying the way it latches to the dash, as I am not sure it would even come back out at all in the current form. 

Still waiting on sound deadening supplies to arrive so I can finish up the doors and close them back up. Then I need to figure out the backup cam issue. Either the USB capture device or the cam appears to be bad. Can't tell which one though. The cam doesn't have any way to tell if it is even turning on. No LEDs or anything like that. Capture device turns on, but I can't tell anything beyond that. It has a button on the front, but I have no idea what it does as it didn't come with instructions of any kind. If I need to go with another method, I might need to buy a USB hub with more outlets, as they are all used in my current arrangement. 

With a little luck, I might be ready to take it in for amp install in a week or so.


----------



## naiku

Which camera are you using? Sorry if you posted it already. I have but looked into the camera for a long time, but vaguely remember it needing to be something specific to work.


----------



## feeshta

naiku said:


> Which camera are you using? Sorry if you posted it already. I have but looked into the camera for a long time, but vaguely remember it needing to be something specific to work.


SV-5340.II - Universal Mini License Plate Camera with Hidden Mount | Crimestopper™

That's the one I went with. Didn't see anything specific about what type of camera, or USB capture device, to use.


Does anyone happen to know whether you need something else to make this work? I keep seeing mentions of tasker around these sorts of discussions, but have no idea what I would use it for.


----------



## mfenske

I was trying something like this too and was running in to issues with the Nexus seeing the external storage, consistently connecting to the DAC, and constantly skipping/jittering. I gave up on it and hacked an iPod 5th gen instead. Not as "nerd cool" but works great.


----------



## feeshta

Well, I was pretty close to trying things out for the first time with a home amp in place of my yet to be installed amps, and it appears my OTG cable just crapped out. It suddenly will not recognize any USB devices plugged into it, and it's randomly dropping power for a split second even when not touched. As in, vehicle power is on and it is being fed power, but will go to the "abort" screen that the Kernel shows when power is removed, then immediately come back. 

I have no idea how to tell whether an OTG charging cable I'm looking at on the internet is actually made to a decent quality or not. I was already very unhappy with the quality of the fittings on this one. Guess I will be buying a new one. 

Quite annoying.

EdtI : Check that, there appears to be something wrong with USB hosting on the tablet itself. Using regular cables including the charging cable that came with it, it still will not recognize any devices attached to the USB port. Not sure what is going on here. I hope to god the USB port on the device itself didn't go bad 

Edit #2

Well, I have confirmed that the USB port does indeed work. I connected it up to my PC, and the device was recognized immediately. I was also able to move files from PC to tablet in bootloader. 

This appears to be some type of issue with the Kernel, or possibly some app interaction? I don't think I have changed anything since it was working though.


----------



## feeshta

I'm really not sure what is going on with things right now. It has started working again, but is intermittent. It will work on time, but if you unplug the charging cable and plug it back in, it will almost certainly not work. 

I found an example of someone having a similar issue on the Timur Reddit forum, and his fix was a new OTG cable. Given that I already had a dislike for mine due to quality issues, I ordered the one he suggested, which is part OTG cable, part USB hub. Will let you guys know how it works when it arrives. 

I'm also having an issue with spotify not playing through the DAC. Anyone happen to know what is going on there? I just have a pair of headphones connected up to it for testing purposes, but I get no sound, unless I unplug it. Then I get sound through the built in speakers. USB Audio Player Pro works, but has severe issues reconnecting to the USB storage drive after a power cycle. I looked through the options in Spotify, but couldn't find anything to do with sound output. 

Anyone have any ideas on what is up there? 

Oh, and I did play a couple DSF files, which worked perfectly through UAPP. That is, when it decides I am allowed to play them.


----------



## AccordUno

I bought a cheap set of OTG cables that I found on amazon, waiting on my 90 degree from newegg. Not an expert but I will try to help you guys out.. I will tell you that I had to trim the cable some so that it would not fall off.. 

maybe the connector is not going all the way (yes I know that's what she said).. 

now the one thing that I'm working thru is how I'm going to get this wired up.. need to get a usb connector on the dcdcusb. I also saw a project on GitHub that dealt with getting the management software for Linux so it might be able to get that on the tablet to use the usb to manage the convertor just like you would with windows..


----------



## bbfoto

There are some "USB Tweaks" settings in the *UAPP* app. You might want to try each of them as suggested in the *UAPP* FAQ.

There may be some conflicts with *UAPP* and Timur's ROM since the *UAPP* app does try to over-ride the base Audio Kernel. I haven't used a Nexus 7 in a looooong time, and when I did *UAPP* was not nearly as developed and polished as it is now.

Good luck.


----------



## feeshta

bbfoto said:


> There are some "USB Tweaks" settings in the *UAPP* app. You might want to try each of them as suggested in the *UAPP* FAQ.
> 
> There may be some conflicts with *UAPP* and Timur's ROM since the *UAPP* app does try to over-ride the base Audio Kernel. I haven't used a Nexus 7 in a looooong time, and when I did *UAPP* was not nearly as developed and polished as it is now.
> 
> Good luck.


I did look through those settings, I believe there are like 5 of them at this point, but I didn't see anything that seemed to address this particular issue. I'm thinking there might be an issue with the "bit perfect" mode hogging the DAC and not letting other apps access it though. No other applicfations I have tried so far are functioning correctly with the DAC. Only UAPP. 

With the cable acting up, I focused on some other things I could actually get done last night. Mostly boring stuff like wiring up the processor to power and putting some trim back together in spots where I am confident I will not need to go back in there. Hoping the Sound deadening will arrive today to give me something else to do for a little while till the new cable gets here.


----------



## naiku

feeshta said:


> SV-5340.II - Universal Mini License Plate Camera with Hidden Mount | Crimestopper™
> 
> That's the one I went with. Didn't see anything specific about what type of camera, or USB capture device, to use.
> 
> 
> Does anyone happen to know whether you need something else to make this work? I keep seeing mentions of tasker around these sorts of discussions, but have no idea what I would use it for.


You need an Easycap specifically one with an STK1160 chip in order for it to work with the Nexus


----------



## feeshta

naiku said:


> You need an Easycap specifically one with an STK1160 chip in order for it to work with the Nexus


Hmm, it would be nice if Timur' site noted that limitation some place. 

To make things doubly confusing, apparently the majority of things labeled Easycap on ebay etc are counterfits.


----------



## naiku

Agreed, especially as there looks to be a picture of one on his site. Hopefully you can find a genuine one and be up and running.


----------



## AccordUno

So, about the SMSL X-USB Dac, DSD files will only play thru the IIS Port (mini hdmi) so in UAPP you need to set it up to play DSD over PCM. Was hoping it wouldn't but hey, **** happens and you roll with the punches..


----------



## feeshta

AccordUno said:


> So, about the SMSL X-USB Dac, DSD files will only play thru the IIS Port (mini hdmi) so in UAPP you need to set it up to play DSD over PCM. Was hoping it wouldn't but hey, **** happens and you roll with the punches..


Yeah, volume knob seems crucial to me. 

In other news, it seems UAPP was the culprit in hogging the DAC. It doesn't seem possible to actually shut UAPP off, and it does not appear to allow other applications access to the DAC. Uninstalling it immediately cured the issue. That's a shame, because I did like it as a music player. Will have to look into whether there is some way to make it play nice.


----------



## naiku

feeshta said:


> In other news, it seems UAPP was the culprit in hogging the DAC. It doesn't seem possible to actually shut UAPP off, and it does not appear to allow other applications access to the DAC. Uninstalling it immediately cured the issue. That's a shame, because I did like it as a music player. Will have to look into whether there is some way to make it play nice.


I see you uninstalled it already, but you may be able to kill it using Tasker. I think there is an option in there to specifically close/kill apps.


----------



## feeshta

naiku said:


> I see you uninstalled it already, but you may be able to kill it using Tasker. I think there is an option in there to specifically close/kill apps.


I installed a different music player for the moment, Gone Mad Music player, which works without issue. I might try UAPP again, and see if I can find a way around the issues. 

I have other issues at the moment. The Zapco Z8 IV DSP that I bought used from a board member does not want to communicate with the computer, and so far I have been completely unable to set it up properly. I've tried 2 different versions of their software, but neither work, and I can't get the DSP to take new firmware either. It does actually play, but the default crossover settings etc are of course not what I need at all. 

Probably should have done a little more research on that, as I've seen several members here mention this issue now that I started searching for how to fix it. No mentions of actual success that I have seen so far though 

On the positive side, the Morel's definitely have plenty of low end juice to keep me out of the need for a sub. I hooked them up through one of my home amps yesterday to verify settings on the Zapco and see how my efforts at sound deadening the doors were working out. I'm going to have to spend some time on the doors, as they have something inside that buzzes pretty good.

Edit: Oh, and new OTG cable came and works a charm. Still no backup cam signal though. Looks like I need to order a new USB frame-grabber.


----------



## naiku

I use Poweramp for a music player, works fine, but I do like the idea of UAPP or GoneMad as one that bypasses the Android audio entirely. Poweramp had a setting in there that before I found it and changed it, was having a definite impact on what was playing.

Hope you get the Zapco figured out, when I had a BitOne.1 it took a few tries to get it going with it's quirks. 

Still waiting on my antenna adapter to ship, hopefully that will get me some decent FM performance when it arrives. I also asked someone who is moving into Android development today that they need to work on a simple app for in car use for FM radio.


----------



## feeshta

naiku said:


> I use Poweramp for a music player, works fine, but I do like the idea of UAPP or GoneMad as one that bypasses the Android audio entirely. Poweramp had a setting in there that before I found it and changed it, was having a definite impact on what was playing.
> 
> Hope you get the Zapco figured out, when I had a BitOne.1 it took a few tries to get it going with it's quirks.
> 
> Still waiting on my antenna adapter to ship, hopefully that will get me some decent FM performance when it arrives. I also asked someone who is moving into Android development today that they need to work on a simple app for in car use for FM radio.



it would be awesome if your friend could come through with a quality app. Unfortunately my reception so far with SDR touch has been pretty poor. I think the lack of hardware filtering really hurts it as an FM receiver. 

I did get some progress with the DSP, but not really. It will now connect and allow me to adjust settings. Unfortunately the result of those settings is always total silence. LOL. There must be some setting I am missing that is muting the whole thing, but so far I can't figure it out. The software to control it is horribly designed unfortunately. 

Another issue I have seen with both UAPP and the new music player is stuttering sound when playing from USB stick. It's like the transfer from the USB storage isn't fast enough. All other audio sources play stutter free, but USB seems to have an issue.


----------



## naiku

I saw your other thread about the DSP.... that would really about drive me crazy. What flash drive are you using? I have never had that issue with mine, it's a 128GB SanDisk plugged into the powered hub. 

Sorry to hear yours is giving you headaches, if you are free May 20th I am hosting a meet here and you can come check mine out. Hopefully by then though you are up and running!


----------



## feeshta

naiku said:


> I saw your other thread about the DSP.... that would really about drive me crazy. What flash drive are you using? I have never had that issue with mine, it's a 128GB SanDisk plugged into the powered hub.
> 
> Sorry to hear yours is giving you headaches, if you are free May 20th I am hosting a meet here and you can come check mine out. Hopefully by then though you are up and running!


I did finally get at least part of the problem with the DSP figured out. Installing the software as administrator fixed the connection issue, and the silence issue turned out to be due to an inadvertant click from what I can tell. Somehow the "solo" button on channel 8, which is unused in my 6 speaker setup, was clicked. That mutes all of the other channels. I didn't even notice that such a button existed, and I'm not sure how it got clicked. What is even stranger is that it stayed that way through multiple starts from scratch. Not sure how that is possible, but at least I know how to stop it now. 

My USB drive is an EMTEC 256 GB USB 3.0 stick. Sometimes it seems to work ok, then it will start stuttering. I haven't had enough time to play with the buffer settings etc to try to work it out. 

Where are you located that you are having a meet up? I might be around on the 20th, but it depends how distant you are. I am hoping to get my car in for an amplifier install this week or next. Other than that, everything but the backup cam does work, at least through a pair of headphones. LOL! Still have some work to do as far as a car launcher setup, etc, but it does work.


----------



## naiku

feeshta said:


> Where are you located that you are having a meet up? I might be around on the 20th, but it depends how distant you are


I am close to Winchester, I think about a 2 hour or so drive from Baltimore?


----------



## AccordUno

feeshta said:


> My USB drive is an EMTEC 256 GB USB 3.0 stick. Sometimes it seems to work ok, then it will start stuttering. I haven't had enough time to play with the buffer settings etc to try to work it out.


I think there's a couple of checks in the settings for that, if I'm not mistaken.. if it's not there then it was some settings in the UAPP that dealt with that..


----------



## feeshta

AccordUno said:


> I think there's a couple of checks in the settings for that, if I'm not mistaken.. if it's not there then it was some settings in the UAPP that dealt with that..


Well, I tried UAPP again to see if I could get it working. It broke audio on every other app as before, and removing it fixed the issues with one exception. My other audio player will no longer connect to the USB drive for some reason. Grrrrr.


----------



## naiku

My FM antenna adapter arrived yesterday, still waiting on an extension to arrive though as I don't want to cut the adapter to pieces. Would rather cut up a cheap extension cable. Hopefully, though this gets me decent FM performance as the harness not only allows me to use the OEM antenna, but will also power on the FM antenna in my vehicle.


----------



## feeshta

Well, the UAPP guys can't figure out why mine is doing what it is doing and have agreed to refund the purchase cost. I think I might try reverting to the image I made right after the installation of the kernel, because it appears to be retaining settings even after being uninstalled and reinstalled. 

Hoping maybe starting agian from scratch will fix the issue with the thumbdrive as well, as that still will not work with either UAPP or Gonemad. I can access the drive and play songs with the google music play app, but the interface is really clunky. It gives an error when I tried to open them with VLC. 

It is cool what android can do, but good lord this should not be so damned complicated to make things work.


----------



## AccordUno

feeshta said:


> It is cool what android can do, but good lord this should not be so damned complicated to make things work.


Have you ever worked on a linux box? That's how things are. I like UAPP, but would like to find something that doesn't hog the USB DAC, but the UAPP is the only that plays DSD files so, gotta use that until then..

Naiku, hey did you have issues connecting to the DC/DC Converter via usb to correct a voltage drop. I might have to move it up front to fix this as the tablet is not getting enough voltage to charge fully..


----------



## naiku

AccordUno said:


> Naiku, hey did you have issues connecting to the DC/DC Converter via usb to correct a voltage drop. I might have to move it up front to fix this as the tablet is not getting enough voltage to charge fully..


Nope, mine has been rock solid. Soldered female USB onto each of the DCDC USB outputs, plugged things in and worked like a charm. Mine is mounted above the glovebox up front already, only about 12" or so of wire from the DCDC to the tablet itself. 

How much of a drop are you getting? Have you tried upping the output in the software? Before doing that with mine it would charge very slowly, bumping the output from 5v to 5.4v made a huge difference.


----------



## AccordUno

naiku said:


> Nope, mine has been rock solid. Soldered female USB onto each of the DCDC USB outputs, plugged things in and worked like a charm. Mine is mounted above the glovebox up front already, only about 12" or so of wire from the DCDC to the tablet itself.
> 
> How much of a drop are you getting? Have you tried upping the output in the software? Before doing that with mine it would charge very slowly, bumping the output from 5v to 5.4v made a huge difference.


I can't connect to it va USB. states device not found.. like it's missing drivers.. I got the src code and tried recompiling it and nothing.. Nothing, they had a api tried that too. need to check it out tomorrow.. I mounted it 8-9 ft away from the tablet and hub, so it' minuscule the drop but enough to not charge the tablet. So gonna start looking at moving the pwr supply upfront.. 

OTher than that. I'm enjoying the tunes in my car..


----------



## feeshta

Well, I made some decisions today. I rigged up a quick test with one of the old school US Amps, and something's off. They have always been really picky about wanting a really high level input signal, like 8 Volt, but now it's distorting with much less than that. They have not been hooked up in about 7 years, so I'm not sure what it is. It could just be a tube in need of replacement, or a wonky pot in the gains as it was basically doing on/off rather than gradually increasing volume, but in any case I was already on the fence about using them due to the size, complexity of install, and overheat concerns. I decided to take the plunge and go modern.

To that end, I just ordered a JL Audio XD800/8v2, and the equipment to install it. I'm going to run it as a 6 channel, with 2 pairs bridged to the 9's to give them 200 watts each. I'm probably going to have to hit the doors with about another 50 pounds of sound deadening though, as even with a substantial amount of second skin damplifier installed, they vibrate quite a bit during testing with my Adcom. 

I did talk to a local installer, but in the end they simply wanted too much both for the equipment, and the install for me to justify it given how simple an install it will be. They wanted to charge $799 for the amp, 3 hours labor at $95 an hour for the installation, and whatever materials they needed on top of that. For the same price as they wanted for the amp alone, I ordered the amp, battery terminals, RCAs, a circuit breaker, enough 4 gauge power cable to do the job, and some 4 gauge ring terminals.

I also finally ordered a new USB video capture, as I finally found one specifically labeled as guaranteed GENUINE. 

In other news I just reflashed my Nexus 7 back to stock, re-rooted and installed the kernel, and it immediately found the music on my USB drive again. UAPP somehow killed that functionality when I uninstalled it and the reinstalled it several times in an effort to get it to work properly. 

Also, I figured out my glitchy playback issue. It's the DAC. It only seems to do it when you use the copper outputs though, when you connect it to the DSP with fiber, it doesn't have any issues. Makes me a bit worried about the long term health of the device though. 

So, progress, inch by inch.


----------



## naiku

AccordUno said:


> I can't connect to it va USB. states device not found.. like it's missing drivers.. I got the src code and tried recompiling it and nothing.. Nothing, they had a api tried that too. need to check it out tomorrow.. I mounted it 8-9 ft away from the tablet and hub, so it' minuscule the drop but enough to not charge the tablet. So gonna start looking at moving the pwr supply upfront..
> 
> OTher than that. I'm enjoying the tunes in my car..


Weird, are you using Windows or something else?


----------



## AccordUno

naiku said:


> Weird, are you using Windows or something else?


Using Windows 10. even used a usb 2.0 hub to connect, nothing. so kinda irked about that and the fact that my 90 degree OTG cable is sitting somewhere in USPS Port in New York and not even enroute since the 19th. Probably lost since it came from HK. 

Then I got the USB volume knob that should be here today or tomorrow hopefully..


----------



## naiku

Not sure I ever tried running mine on Windows 10, think it was Windows 7 when I programmed the thing. Still, really odd that yours just refuses to connect at all. 

Here's hoping you get it sorted, the OTG cable arrives and the USB volume knob does not disappear!!


----------



## AccordUno

I got the power thing resolved (constant popped off the fuse box), would still like to connect to the dc/dc to the pc and change some of the voltage to a little higher, to accommodate the minute voltage loss. 

BTW, 3C battery monitoring sucks, I installed Amperage (something like that), it won't give you the actual amperage the tablet is seeing, but will tell you the concise information like voltage, full battery, charging, on what it's charging off of. There's a warning message that it doesn't work with Nexus 7, ignore it, it does just not display actual amperage. 

Last part, UAPP is hogging up the usb dac, so SDR Touch is not sending sound to the dac. So that's something else to look into but other than that. I'm happy, just need to finish my dash..


----------



## -=Jeff=-

I broke my tablet last night, wiring up a USB cable I built was wired wrong when I cut it so all the lines went to places they shouldn't.. 

now:
Nexus 7 thinks it is charging with nothing plugged in
USB DAC no longer is working for audio out
SDR touch stil works
Also my Directed HD Tuner and Mitch's cable still work. 

I think it cooked/damaged something on the motherboard. I rarely use the tablet anymore, but a bit bummed I broke it.. ~100 for a mother board, assuming that will fix it..


----------



## feeshta

-=Jeff=- said:


> I broke my tablet last night, wiring up a USB cable I built was wired wrong when I cut it so all the lines went to places they shouldn't..
> 
> now:
> Nexus 7 thinks it is charging with nothing plugged in
> USB DAC no longer is working for audio out
> SDR touch stil works
> Also my Directed HD Tuner and Mitch's cable still work.
> 
> I think it cooked/damaged something on the motherboard. I rarely use the tablet anymore, but a bit bummed I broke it.. ~100 for a mother board, assuming that will fix it..


Ouch, that sucks man.  Hope you get it figured out and it's not too costly.


----------



## naiku

AccordUno said:


> BTW, 3C battery monitoring sucks, I installed Amperage (something like that), it won't give you the actual amperage the tablet is seeing, but will tell you the concise information like voltage, full battery, charging, on what it's charging off of. There's a warning message that it doesn't work with Nexus 7, ignore it, it does just not display actual amperage.


Yep, I have 3C on mine but it sometimes acts like it has a delay. I rarely use it, but may look into Amperage. 



-=Jeff=- said:


> I broke my tablet last night, wiring up a USB cable I built was wired wrong when I cut it so all the lines went to places they shouldn't..
> 
> now:
> Nexus 7 thinks it is charging with nothing plugged in
> USB DAC no longer is working for audio out
> SDR touch stil works
> Also my Directed HD Tuner and Mitch's cable still work.
> 
> I think it cooked/damaged something on the motherboard. I rarely use the tablet anymore, but a bit bummed I broke it.. ~100 for a mother board, assuming that will fix it..


$100 for a motherboard, I think I would spend a little extra and get a whole new (used) tablet. Although, in my case I use it a lot, so would be worth it.


----------



## -=Jeff=-

naiku said:


> $100 for a motherboard, I think I would spend a little extra and get a whole new (used) tablet. Although, in my case I use it a lot, so would be worth it.


Yeah thinking I need to fix it.. I have not found a cheap 32gb LTE Nexus 7.. Was hoping to find one with a broken screen then have more parts

I see them on eBay for ~100

aliexpress has them for ~$85. mine was purchased from Google for t-mobile but I have it on verizon

LOL.. bought a motherboard.. have it Monday-ish.. then set it up again


----------



## feeshta

-=Jeff=- said:


> Yeah thinking I need to fix it.. I have not found a cheap 32gb LTE Nexus 7.. Was hoping to find one with a broken screen then have more parts
> 
> I see them on eBay for ~100
> 
> aliexpress has them for ~$85. mine was purchased from Google for t-mobile but I have it on verizon
> 
> LOL.. bought a motherboard.. have it Monday-ish.. then set it up again


I have it down to about 30 minutes to get the tablet wiped back to stock, rooted, and kernel installed at this point. It's not hard when you actually understand what to do and have all the files you need. The figuring out what to do is the hard part.


----------



## naiku

feeshta said:


> I have it down to about 30 minutes to get the tablet wiped back to stock, rooted, and kernel installed at this point. It's not hard when you actually understand what to do and have all the files you need.


Yep, once you have everything you need, flashing it does not take all that long. Especially as after you get over the nerves of rooting/flashing the first time then you move a little faster!!

Soldered a new pigtail onto my SDR tuner today, on my desk plugged into my phone I get more stations than I did with the antenna that came with it. The harness to attach it to the stock antenna arrived as well, I just need to pull the glovebox and find a switched 12V source as it turns on the FM amplifier as well. Hoping with that all connected I get decent FM performance.


----------



## feeshta

naiku said:


> Yep, once you have everything you need, flashing it does not take all that long. Especially as after you get over the nerves of rooting/flashing the first time then you move a little faster!!
> 
> Soldered a new pigtail onto my SDR tuner today, on my desk plugged into my phone I get more stations than I did with the antenna that came with it. The harness to attach it to the stock antenna arrived as well, I just need to pull the glovebox and find a switched 12V source as it turns on the FM amplifier as well. Hoping with that all connected I get decent FM performance.


I was looking into moving my SDR dongle out of the area behind the tablet and into the A pillar where the Antenna comes in. That would decrease line-loss by making the conversion to digital earlier, and get the dongle itself away from the other electronics and the noise they make. 

So far I have not been able to find a connector for SMA to standard antenna lead (Motorola?) though. There is a little FM amp in the A Pillar that has a standard antenna output, but then the other end inside the dash is that MCX style. that one is an angled connector, and the connector itself is recessed down into a plastic clip that makes me feel like it may not be making the best of connections.


----------



## naiku

I picked up one of these FM adapter and then an extension cable like this 

Cut the make end off that, then removed the Belling-Lee connector from the board on my USB dongle and soldered the extension to that. Fingers crossed it works. 

Edit: Quickly plugged everything into the car, at the moment my thoughts on FM reception... not sure. It is definitely better than with the antenna that came with the dongle. How good it performs remains to be seen though, in my garage stations are staticky, but I am not surprised. With the OEM radio there was no static, but that's to be expected. With the tablet I am going from the OEM harness, to the adapter linked above, to a USB hub, to my tablet. I can pick up the local stations that I know of, just hope that when I am driving I can pick up and lock onto a station. The extension I bought is 36" I could cut that down by about half, but not sure if that will have any real effect. What I would really like to know is if there is a way to test that the adapter is turning on the FM amplifier. 

Still wish there was a simple app to use for in the car though! neither SDR Touch or Wavesink are ideal, both are not the cheapest of Android apps either.


----------



## feeshta

Just a head's up for everyone, avoid the HiFiMe 918 DAC. After corresponding with them, it turns out that they have a known issue with that DAC when it comes to the Nexus 7. They said it will work fine in airplane mode, but what the hell is the point of that? LOL!

To that end, I may be following AccordUno's lead and going with the SMSL X-USB DA. As far as I can thell though, the choices are expensive($89) and delivered now, or cheaper $53) and delivered in 2-4 weeks. 

I think I may wait and see what happens when my amplifier arrives and gets installed though, as so far I have not noticed the issue when utilizing the Optical output, so it may be confined to the analog output only. But definitely avoid the 918 if you plan to use the analog outs with a Nexus 7.


----------



## AccordUno

feeshta said:


> To that end, I may be following AccordUno's lead and going with the SMSL X-USB DA. As far as I can thell though, the choices are expensive($89) and delivered now, or cheaper $53) and delivered in 2-4 weeks.



I got it from here, I got prime so I had it in my hands in 2 days: http://a.co/8Z3wBZg


----------



## naiku

feeshta said:


> Just a head's up for everyone, avoid the HiFiMe 918 DAC. After corresponding with them, it turns out that they have a known issue with that DAC when it comes to the Nexus 7. They said it will work fine in airplane mode, but what the hell is the point of that? LOL!


Good to know in case my current one ever dies!!!

FM radio update........ reception while driving this morning was pretty good. I could tune into several stations, RDS was picking up the station name and in some cases what song was playing. Certain areas (under trees) it got staticky, but overall pretty decent. I think if I did a better job soldering onto the board with a better quality cable then it may improve some. 

I also emailed the developer of SDR Touch to ask if he could set up an in car mode. Will report back if I ever hear from him!


----------



## AccordUno

So I had to cancel both orders: 90 degree otg from Newegg and the volume know from mp3car. neither was getting shipped in a timely manner (the otg cable I ordered on the 9th and hasn't arrived yet, the knob is somewhere in lala land with a open UPS ticket with no ship date)

So I'm going with a BT Media button from Satechi: http://a.co/7NLHm2a


----------



## banshee28

bbfoto said:


> It's a long read but there's some great information in member "Bowdown" original build log. You might have to search a bit for the specific information regarding the Nexus 7 integration, but it's there.
> 
> http://www.diymobileaudio.com/forum/build-logs-project-install-gallery/69600-2010-fusion-sq-installation-thread.html
> 
> I'm using a Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 8.0 GSM/LTE Phone/Tablet (#SM-T715Y) with Cell & Data service from AT&T as my HU. It is connected via a USB OTG Y cable and powered USB hub to an *SMSL X-USB XMOS Digital Audio Extractor* (smaller than an Altoids tin) which sends optical or coaxial Digital signal to the digital input on the Helix DSP PRO. I use the *USB Audio Player Pro *app for bit-perfect digital output and control the volume with the DSP Remote. I can play Hi-Res and DSD files and sounds as good as any $$$$ source that I've tested. I have a 256GB microSD card in the Phablet for most of my music files and can attach a Thumb Drive or SSD to the Hub. The *UAPP* app will stream Hi-Res via the Tidal app & service as well. You can also connect to and stream files wirelessly from a portable Wi-Fi media Server/Storage Device thru the *UAPP* app.


I just purchased the SMSL X-USB XMOS and plan to use it from my phone to Coax optical into my Mini DSP. However I noticed on the box it says Coax is only supported with PCM and up to like 192kHz. DSD is supported but only with the HDMI output? Or will DSD work just not at the full signal and "downgrade" to PCM 192? I have yet to install it since I need the cable from my phone to this unit and have to DL the UAPP next.


----------



## bbfoto

banshee28 said:


> I just purchased the SMSL X-USB XMOS and plan to use it from my phone to Coax optical into my Mini DSP. However I noticed on the box it says Coax is only supported with PCM and up to like 192kHz. DSD is supported but only with the HDMI output? Or will DSD work just not at the full signal and "downgrade" to PCM 192? I have yet to install it since I need the cable from my phone to this unit and have to DL the UAPP next.


Correct. The SMSL will only output a true DSD Bitstream via its mini-HDMI port which is _I2S_ protocol. No matter what brand or model DAC you have, DSD cannot be transferred in its native format *over the S/PDIF protocol* via Coaxial or Toslink Optical cables. However, DSD files can be played on your SmartDevice via "DoP" (which means DSD Over PCM) when using the _UAPP_ app and a few other apps mentioned previously. This option is in the _UAPP_ settings.

I wouldn't get too hung up about not being able to play DSD files natively. Only a _very_ select few DACs actually process/convert the DSD bitstream in a true DSD format from input to output. Most "DSD DACs" convert the DSD bitstream to PCM internally anyway before outputting them to Analog Line Level. If you do your research, you will find that there isn't really any "perceptible" difference between a DSD file and a 24/96 PCM file. You can compare for yourself by doing a Double-Blind A/B/X Listening Test using  *Foobar2000 and the A/B/X Comparator Plugin*.

In addition, _very few_ DSD files that you Purchase and Download are _actually_ recorded and mixed in pure DSD Format from start to finish. A LOT of these "DSD" files are actually converted to DSD from original 24/96 PCM Studio Masters, and most must be converted to PCM in order to be mixed & mastered with modern, powerful DAW equipment and software. 

Most of the sites that sell DSD files do not actually reveal what process they used to record and mix the music, or what format the original masters/source files are, so caveat emptor. 

That's my .02 FWIW.

I will try to come back and Link to other posts with more detailed info about this. There are a few posts here: *High End Head Unit Shootout*

I think some of them are also in the *New Sony RSX-GS9* Head Unit thread.

Here is one very good article by our own Andy Wehmeyer of Harmon/JBL and Audiofrog:

*Audiofrog Forums Tech Tips: Digital Audio Basics*

.


----------



## -=Jeff=-

Got my new Motherboard today and installed it. I have not installed Timur's Kernel yet. I know it works, but Need to determine if I am going back to a tablet in the car or staying with my Android radio..


----------



## banshee28

bbfoto said:


> Correct. The SMSL will only output a true DSD Bitstream via its mini-HDMI port which is _I2S_ protocol. No matter what brand or model DAC you have, DSD cannot be transferred in its native format *over the S/PDIF protocol* via Coaxial or Toslink Optical cables. However, DSD files can be played on your SmartDevice via "DoP" (which means DSD Over PCM) when using the _UAPP_ app and a few other apps mentioned previously. This option is in the _UAPP_ settings.
> 
> I wouldn't get too hung up about not being able to play DSD files natively. Only a _very_ select few DACs actually process/convert the DSD bitstream in a true DSD format from input to output. Most "DSD DACs" convert the DSD bitstream to PCM internally anyway before outputting them to Analog Line Level. If you do your research, you will find that there isn't really any "perceptible" difference between a DSD file and a 24/96 PCM file. You can compare for yourself by doing a Double-Blind A/B/X Listening Test using  *Foobar2000 and the A/B/X Comparator Plugin*.
> 
> In addition, _very few_ DSD files that you Purchase and Download are _actually_ recorded and mixed in pure DSD Format from start to finish. A LOT of these "DSD" files are actually converted to DSD from original 24/96 PCM Studio Masters, and most must be converted to PCM in order to be mixed & mastered with modern, powerful DAW equipment and software.
> 
> Most of the sites that sell DSD files do not actually reveal what process they used to record and mix the music, or what format the original masters/source files are, so caveat emptor.
> 
> That's my .02 FWIW.
> 
> I will try to come back and Link to other posts with more detailed info about this. There are a few posts here: *High End Head Unit Shootout*
> 
> I think some of them are also in the *New Sony RSX-GS9* Head Unit thread.
> 
> Here is one very good article by our own Andy Wehmeyer of Harmon/JBL and Audiofrog:
> 
> *Audiofrog Forums Tech Tips: Digital Audio Basics*
> 
> .


Lots of good info there, thanks!! Yea I will try it as it is with the coax out, as I already have that available. Will get the app soon. 

I really want to A/B test this with my Audioengine B1 BT wireless and see how that compares!!


----------



## bbfoto

banshee28 said:


> Lots of good info there, thanks!! Yea I will try it as it is with the coax out, as I already have that available. Will get the app soon.
> 
> *I really want to A/B test this with my Audioengine B1 BT wireless and see how that compares!!*


If the rest of your system is truly up to snuff, there is no comparison. The Hard-Wired, Lossless signal via USB OTG to the SMSL or another Hi-Quality DAC is far superior, even if you're comparing them using Bluetooth with Apt-X/CSR. 

I'm using the Arcam rBlink Apt-X/CSR wireless BT unit, and also the OPPO HA-1 DAC/Preamp/Headphone Amp with Apt-X/CSR. I've specifically tested and compared the difference, and Hard-Wired Lossless wins hands down. However, even if your system is really good, you probably will not hear the difference, especially at highway speeds, unless your system is truly TOTL _and_ perfectly dialed-in.

Now this may change in the not too distant future as BlueTooth V5.0 comes online. The Samsung Galaxy S8/S8+ already have it. It allows you to connect to 2 different BT Devices at once, _AND_ also has 10x the Bandwidth of BT 4.0, meaning PLENTY of bandwidth for LOSSLESS Hi-Res!


----------



## feeshta

I'm getting really frustrated with this backup camera issue. I got the new easycap, specifically one that was sold as guaranteed genuine, and I still get nothing. I don't know how to test the camera to see whether it is good or not, as nothing else uses composite video anymore and I don't own a display of any kind that can accept it. I really don't want to go through fishing that cable again if I can avoid it as it was a huge pain in the ass. I tried hooking the easycap up to my laptop and loading some software to check things, and that was a major waste of time so far. It took 45 minutes to find the right drivers for the easycap, as they don't ship with them anymore. Then I installed "debut" I believe it was, and it says there are not valid video capture devices available. Grrr... 

I'm also still waiting on the amplifier and accouterments. It's been nearly a week, and they still haven't got it in the mail. I called on Friday and they said everything was packaged up waiting to go in the mail that day, and nothing. Starting to get a little ticked at woofers etc for the poor service.


----------



## banshee28

bbfoto said:


> If the rest of your system is truly up to snuff, there is no comparison. The Hard-Wired, Lossless signal via USB OTG to the SMSL or another Hi-Quality DAC is far superior, even if you're comparing them using Bluetooth with Apt-X/CSR.
> 
> I'm using the Arcam rBlink Apt-X/CSR wireless BT unit, and also the OPPO HA-1 DAC/Preamp/Headphone Amp with Apt-X/CSR. I've specifically tested and compared the difference, and Hard-Wired Lossless wins hands down. However, even if your system is really good, you probably will not hear the difference, especially at highway speeds, unless your system is truly TOTL _and_ perfectly dialed-in.
> 
> Now this may change in the not too distant future as BlueTooth V5.0 comes online. The Samsung Galaxy S8/S8+ already have it. It allows you to connect to 2 different BT Devices at once, _AND_ also has 10x the Bandwidth of BT 4.0, meaning PLENTY of bandwidth for LOSSLESS Hi-Res!


Well, I connected up the SMSL to my system and I was able to get PCM files to play. However could not get any DSD to play even though I tried all 3 of the DSD playback options. I did not think Native would work but the other two may have? 

ALSO, this was interesting as on my DSP (Mini-C) I have my L/R inputs set with certain EQ and routing per speaker. For SPDIF, I only have ONE input so the only thing I could do is route that input to ALL output channels but of course this leaves me with no L/R and the tune is all "broke". I can re-eq with the SPDIF inputs, but I will still only have ONE input right?


----------



## AccordUno

Yes I tried all 3 options using uapp but I punted on playing dsd files in my car for now unless something IASCA/MECA starts using DSD, going put that on the side for now.. But so far I'm happing with just running flac and pcm.. I just need to find a better software to rip cds so I can put them on a flash drive.


----------



## naiku

Try using Exact Audio Copy to rip CD to flac. That's what I have been using, works easily enough. I then use Musicbrainz Picard to sort all the tagging/file names.

Any of you know of an 8 port USB hub that is bus powered? I am out of ports on my 4 port hub. Currently using this

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B001...SY340_QL65&keywords=internal+external+USB+hub

The barrel connector has a USB on the end that I hooked up to my power supply. I could daisy chain another hub, but would prefer to find something similar to this in an 8 port.


----------



## bbfoto

banshee28 said:


> Well, I connected up the SMSL to my system and I was able to get PCM files to play. However could not get any DSD to play even though I tried all 3 of the DSD playback options. I did not think Native would work but the other two may have?
> 
> ALSO, this was interesting as on my DSP (Mini-C) I have my L/R inputs set with certain EQ and routing per speaker. For SPDIF, I only have ONE input so the only thing I could do is route that input to ALL output channels but of course this leaves me with no L/R and the tune is all "broke". I can re-eq with the SPDIF inputs, but I will still only have ONE input right?


I can't comment on the implementation of the DSP Mini-C.

But, playback of DSD files should work via DoP in UAPP. However, there is one other limitation that SMSL and other manufactures aren't keen to point out, and that is it's usually limited to DSD64 files when using Toslink Optical or Coaxial as the interconnect. So if you are trying to play DSD128 or higher it will not work as they simply require too much bandwidth over Coaxial or Optical S/PDIF.

This is one area where a good or better interconnect cable _will_ or _can_ make a difference. There are losses in both optical and wire cables. Obviously, shorter cables will have less loss and less deviation from spec. For coaxial cables, it is important to have a high-quality, true 75-ohm shielded coax cable with matching 75-ohm spec connectors on both ends, such as the Canare crimp-on 75-ohm RCA connectors.

For Optical cables, the quality of the POF is important. Mitsubishi's Eska POF is widely considered to be best. Real glass fiber has better transmission/less loss over distance and less internal diffraction. But equally important is the quality of the polished ends of the cable at the aperture. You also want to minimize the length and definitely try to avoid using any type of adapters or couplers. IMPE, a high quality, properly-spec'd cable has made the difference between the setup working or not working, especially at higher sample rates.. 

See Blue Jeans Cable for high-quality cables that won't break the bank...

*BlueJeans Cable*

Going back to my earlier posts regarding Bit Depth (word length) and Sample Rate, according to the Nyquist Theorem, 24 Bit at 192kHz technically matches or exceeds our physical or biological hearing limitations. Still, in their own Blind listening tests, the vast majority of audio recording engineers do not discern any sonic advantage above 24/96 for playback.

There are some excellent YouTube videos that cover a variety digital audio topics in easy to understand layman's terms, including a series of videos on Meridian's MQA format, on the following website:

*the Hans Beekhuyzen project*

.


----------



## Hammer1

I have a question on the smsl. Will it run the battery down when your not using the tablet since it does get power from the tablet


----------



## bbfoto

Hammer1 said:


> I have a question on the smsl. Will it run the battery down when your not using the tablet since it does get power from the tablet


Not if you turn it off with the power button on the front of the unit. 

However, my Phablet is mounted in a portable dock, so it gets unplugged and goes with me when I leave the vehicle.


----------



## feeshta

bbfoto said:


> Not if you turn it off with the power button on the front of the unit.
> 
> However, my Phablet is mounted in a portable dock, so it gets unplugged and goes with me when I leave the vehicle.


Hmm, this could be an issue for me. My car tends to sit for long periods over the winter, and I don't intend to bring the tablet inside. Would the DAC still charge from the tablet when it is in firm sleep mode? Everything else attached to the USB hub goes dark when I turn the vehicle off. 


In other news, anyone have any suggestions concerning my backup cam? Not worrying about it is not an option, as getting a backup camera was the primary driver behind replacing the stereo in the first place. The rear 3/4 visibility out of the car is non-existent.


----------



## -=Jeff=-

did you get the other camera and it still doesn't work?


----------



## feeshta

-=Jeff=- said:


> did you get the other camera and it still doesn't work?


No, I got a new capture card because the one I originally ordered apparently was not supported by Timur's kernel. I'm not sure I can return the camera without being able to verify whether or not it actually works. 

Wish I knew how to verify whether the capture card is actually working and not seeing a signal, or the card isn't even working either.


----------



## -=Jeff=-

Oops I meant card.. Any way for you to plug in the camera into a TV and test it out?

Try the capture card on a PC?


----------



## naiku

feeshta said:


> No, I got a new capture card because the one I originally ordered apparently was not supported by Timur's kernel. I'm not sure I can return the camera without being able to verify whether or not it actually works.
> 
> Wish I knew how to verify whether the capture card is actually working and not seeing a signal, or the card isn't even working either.


I forget, do you have a 2012 or 2013 Nexus? I know on the 2012 it was not as easy to get working as Timur did not include it in the kernel, but 2013 was supposed to be much easier. 

I will try to dig up some old threads from XDA / Rootzwiki that may help out.


----------



## feeshta

-=Jeff=- said:


> Oops I meant card.. Any way for you to plug in the camera into a TV and test it out?
> 
> Try the capture card on a PC?


Unfortunately no. I haven't had a TV with Composite input for at least 5 years. Most TVs made these days don't bother with them, and I use a projector, which is even more specialized. 



naiku said:


> I forget, do you have a 2012 or 2013 Nexus? I know on the 2012 it was not as easy to get working as Timur did not include it in the kernel, but 2013 was supposed to be much easier.
> 
> I will try to dig up some old threads from XDA / Rootzwiki that may help out.


I'm using a 2013 Nexus 7 with 4G. Any alternate resources for information would be appreciated. The Timur's kernel reddit page helps a little, but I can't post new questions there because I'm not approved, and messages to Timur asking for approval have so far gone unanswered. 

Really I guess I need to start asking friends if they have an old TV stashed somewhere that I could borrow.


----------



## feeshta

I forgot to mention that I tried a coulld programs to check the cam on my laptop. One of the fist said it needs 1.5 GB to install, then upgraded that to 3.4 GB after 20 plus minutes of downloading, so I cancelled it. The second said it could not find a "valid" capture device, and then suggested options to use, the easy cap not among them.


----------



## naiku

Might be worth seeing if anyone is having issues in this thread:

https://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2753941

Failing that, ask someone in that thread for help. A lot of very knowledgable guys on XDA.

Found this post from the developer of SDR Touch:



martintzvetomirov said:


> Hi. I do agree GUI needs a refresh. The plan for 2016 is to get a friendly in-car interface up and running
> 
> As for the dialog, it is the Android OS asking you for permissions.


Sadly, it is now 2017 and no car friendly interface. Hopefully it is something he may still put together.

Edit: Got a reply from the SDR Touch developer, he agrees that a car interface should be the next thing that is included. Can you guys let me know what sort of thing you would want? I said it just needs to be very simple:
Large preset buttons
Simpler tuner or digital tuner where the frequency can be typed in. 

Just something really basic, but that is easy to use while driving to swap between preset stations or tune into a new station. In my opinion it does not need to be anything elaborate.


----------



## feeshta

The only other function that I would really want is a channel scan, but that's optional really as it would be quite a bit more difficult to program if there isn't software out there. 

Having a preset up and down button would be nice as well, especially if you made them nice and big for ease of use.

If he wanted to make something really cool, he could add DAR functionality with a buffer, for those moments when you miss something that was said on the news or the like. I may be getting a bit too far into the weeds on that one though


----------



## feeshta

Well, my neighbor had some old composite video stuff she let me borrow. It looks like the USB Capture device is a dud  I got video out of the cam, so that works, thank God. That was a hell of a pain in the ass to fish through the rear bumper, so I REALLY didn't want to have to do it again. 

I managed to find the original software for the Easycap and install it, the program recognizes the USB device, but all I get when any source is connected is a black screen. Have a request in to the seller, so we shall see what happens.

Edit: Well, I found another problem here. This "guaranteed Genuine" easycap isn't using the Stk1160 chipset, it's a UTV007 chip. Seriously, this whole thing is becoming a fiasco. The thing doesn't even work with it's included software, and now I know it will never work with my nexus. WTF.. over?


----------



## feeshta

Finally got a tracking number from Woofers' etc, 9 days and three phone calls where I was assured "it's going out today" later. I did at least get them to upgrade it to 2 day shipping for free, but don't think I will be doing business with them again. 

On the camera front, I think I may try easycam viewer, which is a paid app. It will not integrate with the kernel as far as I know, but it does claim to support the UTV007 chipset. If it works, I may try to integrate it with Tasker so that it will automatically activate with the reverse lights. Not convinced this USB Capture device even works at all though.


----------



## naiku

feeshta said:


> Edit: Well, I found another problem here. This "guaranteed Genuine" easycap isn't using the Stk1160 chipset, it's a UTV007 chip. Seriously, this whole thing is becoming a fiasco. The thing doesn't even work with it's included software, and now I know it will never work with my nexus. WTF.. over?


Wow. Hard enough finding an STK1160 as it is, ridiculous that you spent all the time looking for a genuine one only to find that it is not even remotely the same.



feeshta said:


> On the camera front, I think I may try easycam viewer, which is a paid app. It will not integrate with the kernel as far as I know, but it does claim to support the UTV007 chipset. If it works, I may try to integrate it with Tasker so that it will automatically activate with the reverse lights. Not convinced this USB Capture device even works at all though.


Fingers crossed for you!


----------



## Silvercoat

naiku said:


> Might be worth seeing if anyone is having issues in this thread:
> 
> https://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2753941
> 
> Failing that, ask someone in that thread for help. A lot of very knowledgable guys on XDA.
> 
> Found this post from the developer of SDR Touch:
> 
> 
> 
> Sadly, it is now 2017 and no car friendly interface. Hopefully it is something he may still put together.
> 
> Edit: Got a reply from the SDR Touch developer, he agrees that a car interface should be the next thing that is included. Can you guys let me know what sort of thing you would want? I said it just needs to be very simple:
> Large preset buttons
> Simpler tuner or digital tuner where the frequency can be typed in.
> 
> Just something really basic, but that is easy to use while driving to swap between preset stations or tune into a new station. In my opinion it does not need to be anything elaborate.



I would think the basic for a good FM app are

1-10 Preset buttons (in US I mean I only listen to like 10 different ones, maybe outside US there is a lot more?

Direct type in of frquency

Digital tune

Scan forward & back buttons

Frequency up and down buttons

Preset forward and back

Not sure what else you would need other than that.


----------



## naiku

Silvercoat said:


> I would think the basic for a good FM app are
> 
> 1-10 Preset buttons (in US I mean I only listen to like 10 different ones, maybe outside US there is a lot more?
> 
> Direct type in of frquency
> 
> Digital tune
> 
> Scan forward & back buttons
> 
> Frequency up and down buttons
> 
> Preset forward and back
> 
> Not sure what else you would need other than that.


Was exactly the same in the UK with presets, the head unit could hold 24+ and typically you had 3 that you actually listened to regularly, maybe 6 saved and the rest with nothing on it.

I obviously don't have any idea if the developer will do anything, but figure at least if he does and we have some easy requirements we can pass on it will be worth it.


----------



## AccordUno

From a developers stand point, the app should scan for the band and save the highest recorded bands and then sort and set presets on based off that. just like you would a radio. Of course, I don't code for android and not really a fan of Java, but I do c# all day long. So I would need to review any documentation (SDK) and then I could probably build something for it.. Well I found a API (list of methods that are accesible) document, it's in C++ not my expertise.. 

But all the features you are asking for should be doable.


----------



## AccordUno

So I found that LineageOs is unofficially supported on Nexus 7 2012. Now I need to find out if it supports usb audio. if it does then I might flash it on my tablet.


----------



## naiku

AccordUno said:


> So I found that LineageOs is unofficially supported on Nexus 7 2012. Now I need to find out if it supports usb audio. if it does then I might flash it on my tablet.


Make sure to post here if it does, I may flash mine to a newer version than the Android 4 that Timur stopped work on the Nexus 2012 at. Although, at the same time... if it ain't broke....


----------



## feeshta

I got my amplifier installed this weekend. Working in the front trunk of a Porsche is no fun, I can tell you that much. My chest still hurts from leaning over the front of the car to reach into the bottom area where the amp is installed. LOL!

I got started on tuning last night, but only had time to work on the woofers so far. I think there is a pretty nasty peak in the mid-range somewhere, as it is a bit harsh at the moment. I will try to get the mids and tweets smoothed out tonight, then I will be able to level match the outputs, add my preferred curve, and finally time align everything. 

I have still not been able to get my backup camera working. It appears the most recent USB Capture device is a dud. I downloaded another app that is supposed to work with the UTV007 chipset, but it says there is no device attached. Coupled with the fact this thing would not even work with the included software, I think it's safe to say it's just bad at this point. 

Another issue I am having is that the JL Remote Level Control I purchased to act as a volume knob doesn't work at all. Need to get with JL on that one. 

Finally, I am having issues with USB music storage. basically, the two apps I have tried so far (Power Amp and Gone Mad) forget what is in your music library every time I shut the car off. Then I have to go in and tell it to rescan, which takes quite a while. Gone mad is a lot quicker than power amp, but it's still 2-3 minutes before sound will play cleanly, as it skips while the scan is still running. Obviously that is not ideal. Anyone have any ideas on how to rectify this issue?


----------



## AccordUno

naiku said:


> Make sure to post here if it does, I may flash mine to a newer version than the Android 4 that Timur stopped work on the Nexus 2012 at. Although, at the same time... if it ain't broke....


Yup. Right now it works 90% of the time. just want some of the newer Android options.. 


Just need to offload all the music I put on it first..


----------



## AccordUno

feeshta said:


> Finally, I am having issues with USB music storage. basically, the two apps I have tried so far (Power Amp and Gone Mad) forget what is in your music library every time I shut the car off. Then I have to go in and tell it to rescan, which takes quite a while. Gone mad is a lot quicker than power amp, but it's still 2-3 minutes before sound will play cleanly, as it skips while the scan is still running. Obviously that is not ideal. Anyone have any ideas on how to rectify this issue?



I think there's a setting if you are using the USBROM, I believe I saw a setting in there for the scanning, or probably on UAPP. I will have to check to make sure..


----------



## naiku

feeshta said:


> I got my amplifier installed this weekend. Working in the front trunk of a Porsche is no fun, I can tell you that much. My chest still hurts from leaning over the front of the car to reach into the bottom area where the amp is installed. LOL!
> 
> I got started on tuning last night, but only had time to work on the woofers so far. I think there is a pretty nasty peak in the mid-range somewhere, as it is a bit harsh at the moment. I will try to get the mids and tweets smoothed out tonight, then I will be able to level match the outputs, add my preferred curve, and finally time align everything.
> 
> I have still not been able to get my backup camera working. It appears the most recent USB Capture device is a dud. I downloaded another app that is supposed to work with the UTV007 chipset, but it says there is no device attached. Coupled with the fact this thing would not even work with the included software, I think it's safe to say it's just bad at this point.
> 
> Another issue I am having is that the JL Remote Level Control I purchased to act as a volume knob doesn't work at all. Need to get with JL on that one.
> 
> Finally, I am having issues with USB music storage. basically, the two apps I have tried so far (Power Amp and Gone Mad) forget what is in your music library every time I shut the car off. Then I have to go in and tell it to rescan, which takes quite a while. Gone mad is a lot quicker than power amp, but it's still 2-3 minutes before sound will play cleanly, as it skips while the scan is still running. Obviously that is not ideal. Anyone have any ideas on how to rectify this issue?


Glad to hear you are getting somewhere, even if still having terrible luck with the back up camera!! 




AccordUno said:


> I think there's a setting if you are using the USBROM, I believe I saw a setting in there for the scanning, or probably on UAPP. I will have to check to make sure..


It must be a setting, I have Poweramp and it never needs to rescan when I start the car again. When I turn the car back on, Power amp is displaying a message that the folder is missing, but that's caused by me turning the car off. As soon as it is back on that message disappears and music carries on playing fine.



AccordUno said:


> Yup. Right now it works 90% of the time. just want some of the newer Android options..


This is why I would look to upgrade.


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## feeshta

What is the USBROM you guys are speaking of? Is it just part of the kernel, or something else? I may have been unaware that I needed something.


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## naiku

Just part of Timurs ROM. I believe there is a setting "_nomedia" or something along those lines that you check to prevent it from doing the rescan every time. Go into your settings, scroll down to USB ROM, it should be under there.


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## feeshta

naiku said:


> Just part of Timurs ROM. I believe there is a setting "_nomedia" or something along thos​e lines that you check to prevent it from doing the rescan every time. Go into your settings, scroll down to USB ROM, it should be under there.


Could you possibly clarify where it is in settings? I don't see it in either the Android settings or under power manager.


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## naiku

It is in the settings, under USB Host (see picture) there is an entire Media section.


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## feeshta

naiku said:


> It is in the settings, under USB Host (see picture) there is an entire Media section.


Hmm, this may be a version difference problem. My settings menu looks nothing like that, and a search for the term "host" reveals no results. I 'm on the newest version of the Kernel, version 6.0.1.


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## SPLEclipse

I use Timur's ROM on my 1st gen N7. If the drive looses power before the tablet is powered off I usually have to rescan. However, once I start the scan (using GMMP, I never use the scanner in the ROM menu) I can go into any folder and start playing music without a problem.


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## feeshta

SPLEclipse said:


> I use Timur's ROM on my 1st gen N7. If the drive looses power before the tablet is powered off I usually have to rescan. However, once I start the scan (using GMMP, I never use the scanner in the ROM menu) I can go into any folder and start playing music without a problem.


My USB drive and the tablet are both powered from the same source, so they should be losing power at the same time when the car is turned off. I wonder if maybe the delay in screen turn off on the tablet is messing things up?


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## naiku

feeshta said:


> Hmm, this may be a version difference problem. My settings menu looks nothing like that, and a search for the term "host" reveals no results. I 'm on the newest version of the Kernel, version 6.0.1.


Makes sense that your settings menu looks completely different, but it is odd that you cannot find the USB Host settings anywhere. That is where the Fixed installation mode, Firm Sleep, USB disk lock, USB Audio etc. settings are all located.



feeshta said:


> My USB drive and the tablet are both powered from the same source, so they should be losing power at the same time when the car is turned off. I wonder if maybe the delay in screen turn off on the tablet is messing things up?


Same here, both the tablet and USB drive are powered from the DCDC-USB, the screen also has a delay for me. The USB hub and tablet lose power at the same time, the tablet then takes about 4-5 seconds for the screen to power down. When I restart the car, Poweramp displays a message saying that the folder cannot be found, but I suspect that is a hold over from shutting the car off and that slight delay between the hub and tablet going to sleep. I never need to rescan unless I have added music. 

If I were you I would try to find those settings I mentioned above, I would not be surprised if something in there is causing your problems.


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## feeshta

naiku said:


> Makes sense that your settings menu looks completely different, but it is odd that you cannot find the USB Host settings anywhere. That is where the Fixed installation mode, Firm Sleep, USB disk lock, USB Audio etc. settings are all located.
> 
> 
> 
> Same here, both the tablet and USB drive are powered from the DCDC-USB, the screen also has a delay for me. The USB hub and tablet lose power at the same time, the tablet then takes about 4-5 seconds for the screen to power down. When I restart the car, Poweramp displays a message saying that the folder cannot be found, but I suspect that is a hold over from shutting the car off and that slight delay between the hub and tablet going to sleep. I never need to rescan unless I have added music.
> 
> If I were you I would try to find those settings I mentioned above, I would not be surprised if something in there is causing your problems.


In my version it seems that those settings are offloaded to a separate application called Power Event Manager. Not sure if your version of the Kernel has that or not. All of the FI Mode, firm sleep, etc options are in there. There were some items for USB, but I couldn't find anything actually labeled "USB Host" or the like. It has an option to automatically mount USB drives, which is checked, and some menus that show what devices are connected etc. 

Still trying to decide what music player to go with. I'm not a fan of Poweramp's interface, specifically the fact that you are forced to start back from the top every time you want to change albums. Not sure why you can't just hit the back button to go back to the previous layer of the menus. As it is, the back button goes back to the android home screen, which is rather annoying. I already have a home button for that. Also, the icon to access the music library is tiny, and located right next to options for EQ etc that I will never use while driving, which is a pain. You have to really concentrate on hitting the right thing, which takes your eyes off the road too much for my liking. This is especially true when you have to hit it every time you want to change albums. 

Gone Mad is okay, but I'm not sure it is worth the money. I'm on the trial version. 

Personally I would prefer something that just allowed you to access the folder structure I have built for use on the PC, with nothing else on the screen to clutter or confuse things. There is a folder navigation option on Poweramp, but it shows every single folder in one layer, which is nearly unusable. UAPP was good, if it didn't steal the DAC from everything else. 

I feel like Goldilocks over here, LOL!


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## naiku

feeshta said:


> In my version it seems that those settings are offloaded to a separate application called Power Event Manager. Not sure if your version of the Kernel has that or not. All of the FI Mode, firm sleep, etc options are in there. There were some items for USB, but I couldn't find anything actually labeled "USB Host" or the like. It has an option to automatically mount USB drives, which is checked, and some menus that show what devices are connected etc.


Interesting, I have Power Event Manager on my 2012 version, but all it has is a button saying "Sleep Now" 



feeshta said:


> I'm not a fan of Poweramp's interface, specifically the fact that you are forced to start back from the top every time you want to change albums. Not sure why you can't just hit the back button to go back to the previous layer of the menus. As it is, the back button goes back to the android home screen, which is rather annoying.


In Poweramp, instead of hitting back. Touch at the top left where it says Poweramp and it takes you back to the music library. I have done the same thing many times, hitting the actual back and ending up not where I want to be. You can also touch the current song playing and it takes you back to the album, then hitting the Poweramp in the top left takes you back to the previous level. 

The EQ button being close to the music library could be better, but you get used to it after a few times.


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## feeshta

Still can't figure out how to get the USB stick to not dump when you turn the car off. I tried playing with several settings in the Power Event Manager, including dropping delay to 0 milliseconds, but it still dumps the library if the car is turned off for more than a split second on both poweramp and Gonemad. When the car is turned back on, you get a message through android that a USB device has been connected and is being scanned for errors, then after a few seconds it says it is available for use. 

In other news, now that I have had a chance to tune the car a bit, I have to say I am not very impressed with the JL Amplifier. Nice power for the size, but that's about the best I can say about it. It makes me wonder whether most people these days are only listening to cookie cutter, seriously compressed recordings on equally compromised MP3 and either don't hear the issues, or just blame the issues on that. I can't think of another way you could listen to this and think it wasn't compromised from a sound perspective in the upper registers.

It does fine as long as the song is pretty simple, but complex and aggressive songs with a lot of highs(think 90s hard rock) become extremely harsh to the ear and muddled at high volumes, which is how they are meant to be played. Complex distorted guitar pieces and especially cymbals just blend together and become a wall of harsh-as-hell noise. 

This was where the Tube amps shone their brightest. They were able to take this wall of sound and parse out all of the detail, and do so in a way that wasn't harsh on your hearing. They made it sound like you were actually listening to a group of guys playing in person through high quality equipment. Where it's loud as hell and you can feel the music as much as hear it, but it's not making your ears bleed. I would be lying if I said I don't miss that. I miss it enough that I will seriously consider replacing this JL in the future if I can get the tube amp situation figured out, even if it means sacrificing some rear trunk space or something like that.


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## AccordUno

lineage 14 (Android 7.1.0) works on our the tablet (2012) but all the nice to have items of the timur rom I'm not sure I could recreate the items using the applications at this point..


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## AccordUno

Okay, so I am going to start looking for another USB DAC or have to add a mini HDMI cable to hdmi convertor to get audio out into RCAs. No matter what I do the output into the USB DAC unless I use UAPP is DSD. So I can't use SDRTouch, or any other item that sends audio thru usb audio.. (Crap!)


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## feeshta

AccordUno said:


> Okay, so I am going to start looking for another USB DAC or have to add a mini HDMI cable to hdmi convertor to get audio out into RCAs. No matter what I do the output into the USB DAC unless I use UAPP is DSD. So I can't use SDRTouch, or any other item that sends audio thru usb audio.. (Crap!)


Which DAC do you have? I'm probably going to have to order a new one here, and don't want to go from one bad apple to another. I am starting to suspect my sound issues are related to the DAC more than the amp. I figured out that they mostly go away if I turn the tablet's sound output down to around 65% or so, although things still sound a bit harsh. Some of that might be down to EQ settings, but I think a fair bit has to be coming from somewhere else, and the DAC seems like a likely culprit considering it's issues with analog output.


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## AccordUno

MY dac is fine SMSL X-USB, basically the tablet defaults to hires (dsd64/128) when I route other audio thru it unless I use UAPP. not really a problem, but I want to use SDR touch (found it a lot easier to use that previously). Probably just need to order the hdmi cable and convertor.. and go DSD/PCM over copper into the RCA jacks of my DSP (PS8) .

BTW, if you are using UAPP, it tends to turn on EQ and jacks up the output then turn it off and it's fine. Not sure if that's your case.. 


I just did a clean install on my tablet, so so far its good to go..


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## Hammer1

AccordUno said:


> MY dac is fine SMSL X-USB, basically the tablet defaults to hires (dsd64/128) when I route other audio thru it unless I use UAPP. not really a problem, but I want to use SDR touch (found it a lot easier to use that previously). Probably just need to order the hdmi cable and convertor.. and go DSD/PCM over copper into the RCA jacks of my DSP (PS8) ..


I just got the SMSL X-usb this weekend. It powers up but that is it will not connect to computer or my tablet. Think I got a dud


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## feeshta

AccordUno said:


> MY dac is fine SMSL X-USB, basically the tablet defaults to hires (dsd64/128) when I route other audio thru it unless I use UAPP. not really a problem, but I want to use SDR touch (found it a lot easier to use that previously). Probably just need to order the hdmi cable and convertor.. and go DSD/PCM over copper into the RCA jacks of my DSP (PS8) .
> 
> BTW, if you are using UAPP, it tends to turn on EQ and jacks up the output then turn it off and it's fine. Not sure if that's your case..
> 
> 
> I just did a clean install on my tablet, so so far its good to go..


UAPP killed audio from all other applications on mine. Everything worked fine once it was removed, including SDR touch. That may be your issue as well. It seems to take exclusive control over the dac once turned on, to the exclusion of all other audio. They actually refunded me, which I would take to mean they know it is an issue.

Edit: Looking at this again with slightly less tired eyes, I am pretty strongly convinced your issue is with UAPP. The tablet would never default to DSD audio. In fact, I don't think it is even capable of that format out of the box. That must be UAPP's default audio format when not playing a file of another format. That would also partially explain why UAPP kills sound from all other apps. It is apparently outputting a silent DSD stream all of the time, thus occupying the DAC and preventing other applications from being able to access it. 

It's also possible the DACs can only handle one DSD stream at a time, or there is something particular to the nature of a DSD stream over SPDIF that is causing the issue. I've run into similar issues with Dolby Digital on my home theater PC. If you use a SPDIF cable from the PC to a home theater receiver, is mostly works somewhat normally. As soon as the home theater receiver saw a Dolby Digital signal though, everything changed. You would lose volume control through the PC, meaning it would suddenly go to full volume, and no other audio could be processed. So, even if you paused the movie, nothing else could access the SPDIF connection until the movie player was closed and released the connection. In the case of UAPP, even closing the app wouldn't release audio to other apps though. I had to remove UAPP and reboot the tablet to get it back.


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## AccordUno

Hammers said:


> I just got the SMSL X-usb this weekend. It powers up but that is it will not connect to computer or my tablet. Think I got a dud


Okay, before you call it that look at the screen, if it says DSDXX(X) X- represents a number it could be 64 or 128, then you will not get any audio out of it unless you use the I2S port, if it says 44.11Khz then it will route the sound thru the Fiber or Coax jack. When I play DSD thru UAPP it plays thru the I2S port (not currently connected), same goes for any other app that is on my tablet, it defaults to the DSD (which is my main issue at the moment, but I think I got a solution for it)



feeshta said:


> UAPP killed audio from all other applications on mine. Everything worked fine once it was removed, including SDR touch. That may be your issue as well. It seems to take exclusive control over the dac once turned on, to the exclusion of all other audio. They actually refunded me, which I would take to mean they know it is an issue.


I did a clean install on my tablet this weekend, before I even put UAPP on it, the DAC was showing DSD64 or 128 when using PowerAmp, SDR Touch, and the default audio player included with the ROM. So it might be that the DAC defaults to the highest output by default, unless it receives something different. I will have to check on that with SMSL to make sure. 



feeshta said:


> Edit: Looking at this again with slightly less tired eyes, I am pretty strongly convinced your issue is with UAPP. The tablet would never default to DSD audio. In fact, I don't think it is even capable of that format out of the box. That must be UAPP's default audio format when not playing a file of another format. That would also partially explain why UAPP kills sound from all other apps. It is apparently outputting a silent DSD stream all of the time, thus occupying the DAC and preventing other applications from being able to access it.


If it's running in the background I can see that being the case, but what I experienced this weekend was prior to me installing UAPP. The thing with UAPP is that it totally overrides the Android audio subsystem. But that's when it's running, when it's not, it's not. But when I play other apps that touch audio my DAC goes into the highest output (DSD) which I'm not using the port that handles that. (will in a few days)



feeshta said:


> It's also possible the DACs can only handle one DSD stream at a time, or there is something particular to the nature of a DSD stream over SPDIF that is causing the issue. I've run into similar issues with Dolby Digital on my home theater PC. If you use a SPDIF cable from the PC to a home theater receiver, is mostly works somewhat normally. As soon as the home theater receiver saw a Dolby Digital signal though, everything changed. You would lose volume control through the PC, meaning it would suddenly go to full volume, and no other audio could be processed. So, even if you paused the movie, nothing else could access the SPDIF connection until the movie player was closed and released the connection. In the case of UAPP, even closing the app wouldn't release audio to other apps though. I had to remove UAPP and reboot the tablet to get it back.


DSD will not go over fiber or coax, not enough bandwidth. it needs to go over copper. If you don't have a DSD capable DAC it would down convert to use DSD over PCM, but I got a DAC that can play DSD, but I don't have it connected that way. 

Read my comment on UAPP, it just sits outside of the Andriod audio subsystem. I do get prompted to tap into the USB items and I just tell it not to..


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## feeshta

AccordUno said:


> Okay, before you call it that look at the screen, if it says DSDXX(X) X- represents a number it could be 64 or 128, then you will not get any audio out of it unless you use the I2S port, if it says 44.11Khz then it will route the sound thru the Fiber or Coax jack. When I play DSD thru UAPP it plays thru the I2S port (not currently connected), same goes for any other app that is on my tablet, it defaults to the DSD (which is my main issue at the moment, but I think I got a solution for it)
> 
> 
> 
> I did a clean install on my tablet this weekend, before I even put UAPP on it, the DAC was showing DSD64 or 128 when using PowerAmp, SDR Touch, and the default audio player included with the ROM. So it might be that the DAC defaults to the highest output by default, unless it receives something different. I will have to check on that with SMSL to make sure.
> 
> 
> 
> If it's running in the background I can see that being the case, but what I experienced this weekend was prior to me installing UAPP. The thing with UAPP is that it totally overrides the Android audio subsystem. But that's when it's running, when it's not, it's not. But when I play other apps that touch audio my DAC goes into the highest output (DSD) which I'm not using the port that handles that. (will in a few days)
> 
> 
> 
> DSD will not go over fiber or coax, not enough bandwidth. it needs to go over copper. If you don't have a DSD capable DAC it would down convert to use DSD over PCM, but I got a DAC that can play DSD, but I don't have it connected that way.
> 
> Read my comment on UAPP, it just sits outside of the Andriod audio subsystem. I do get prompted to tap into the USB items and I just tell it not to..


Hmm. All I know is that when I installed UAPP, nothing else worked. I uninstalled, and things returned to normal. Well, they did after a clean reinstall anyway, things were initially messed up after it's removal. My DAC doesn't have a display, so I couldn't tell you what it's actually doing most of the time. I did try a clean install of UAPP, twice, along with numerous settings adjustments etc. Never once got sound to work from any other device than UAPP while it was installed. Even rebooting didn't help, as UAPP immediately popped up on reboot and stole the DAC again. Forcing the app closed also has no effect. I guess it never properly released the DAC when forced closed? It also caused weird issues with other apps like YouTube. YouTube would play video for about 5 seconds, then freeze whenever UAPP was installed. The progress bar would keep moving, but video was frozen and of course there was no audio. The video freezing continued even after UAPP was uninstalled, so I had to clean start again. 

UAPP folks said there should be a dialog when you install the app that asks something about whether you want it to have exclusive access to the DAC or something like that, and that I should select no. This dialog never appeared in 3 or 4 re-installation attempts. I believe I saw something to that effect the first time I installed, but then it never resurfaced, despite nuking the operating system and starting from scratch at least twice.

Ina any case, UAPP would not have worked for me because I want to use the tablet for Waze while driving, and I wouldn't have audio from Waze if I were listening to a song on UAPP. If it can't play nice with other apps, its a nonstarter for me.


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## AccordUno

Okay, time to bring the back up from the week long death. Feeshta, I finally experienced your issue but it wasn't with UAPP, it with SDR Touch, I think the issue is once you say that's the default for the usb device, it takes over and doens't let you route audio thru the usb audio device.

Also, for those of you using the XMOS from SMSL, bypass the fiber and get your a minihdmi convertor, hdmi cable, and get you a hdmi+audio splitter, the DAC defaults to DSD unless your driver changes it to be 44.1 (UAPP w/ bit matching). Everything so far that I've tried the DAC defaults to DSD (not really a bad thing, just more crap to get when using our dac)...

Oh and have a spare(s) of the min usb charging port board, mine was acting funny and try bypassing it using the docking pins (no usb host after that). installed new one back on the road.. 


Samsung Tab A - sucks, I should have known better to get a Samsung product.
Best Buy Cheap Digiland - sucks


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## -=Jeff=-

AccordUno said:


> Samsung Tab A - sucks, I should have known better to get a Samsung product.
> Best Buy Cheap Digiland - sucks


I have a couple Nexus 7 2012 models if you want to go that route


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## AccordUno

I might take you up on that (at least to have a spare). Looking at doing the same setup in my Titan, later down the road. I bought the two tablets to try out (backups), I should have known better, going back today... I did try my Win10 2in1, sucks it has a 13" screen or I would looked at integrating it in the car..


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## -=Jeff=-

Just let me know what you would like to do..


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## naiku

My DCDC-USB decided to die on a road trip to NY last week, got about 200 miles into the trip and the Nexus shut off, it came back on again for about 30 minutes, then cut off again. I was able to open the glove box while driving and notice the USB hub was powered off as well, so figured it was a power issue.

Sure enough, testing the DCDC-USB I get 0v out of it. The inputs are seeing power, both constant and switched, an auxiliary 12V output that is on the board reads 12V, but nothing I do is getting any voltage on the output side. Not sure if it was a combination of heat and the awful condition of the roads constantly banging it around, but it appears the output side is dead. Any other suggestions on testing? MP3car.com is dead otherwise I would post there, I have emailed the manufacturer as well, but no reply so far.

For now I have ordered one of these: https://www.amazon.com/KNACRO-Converter-Module-charger-Regulators/dp/B01J9DITZQ as a cheap replacement. If it powers the hub and charges the tablet well enough, I may leave it as a permanent solution.

Frustrating, the 6 hour drive home also sucked with no music.


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## AccordUno

Let me know how that one works out. They still haven't fixed the issue with the newer versions of windows connecting to it via USB to adjust the voltage.. so might dump later.. 

Backup, tablet/pc with USB to connect to the DAC..


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## naiku

Will do, I tried with a Windows 7 PC after reading that Windows 10 did not work, made no difference. Did some more testing and if I remove the jumpers from the config, so it is in Dumb mode, 12V output, I can read about 2.5V on the terminals going to the output. 

Not sure where I am losing 9.5V, but that would at least make sense that at 5V output I read nothing. 

Theslaking recommended this power supply that he has used several times: Dual Double 2 Usb Dc-dc Car Converter Module 12v To 5v 3a 15w Power Adapter | eBay

$6 might be worth a try as well, I had one similar in the past but it did not charge very quickly. That was one of the real positives about the DCDC-USB, being able to increase the output voltage slightly above 5V really made a difference.

Edit: Well, this is strange. So after trying at 12V in Dumb mode (no jumpers on the config pins) I figured I would try a higher voltage. Set the output to 19V as I only had 2 jumpers to hand, checked with a meter and read 19.4V at the output. Weird. Set them back to 5V, tablet powers right on and it reads 5V out. Set it back to Automotive mode, 5V and it still works. Not sure if removing all the jumpers reset something, but it appears to now be working again. 

I think I will keep the new one that is coming today as a back up plan, but for now leave the DCDC-USB in place. I do need to tidy some of the wiring though, it's been a mess for a while but having to trouble shoot was not made any easier with the mess I was looking at.


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## copter

For those having problems with PowerAmp reading large USB drives https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=eu.chainfire.stickmount I have a 7 port USB 3.0 powered hub and my N7 wouldn't read it without StickMount.


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## AccordUno

How big is the file? I'm using UAPP and running 32mb files, it's a little slow when it loads folders, but gets there after a few seconds..


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## naiku

naiku said:


> I think I will keep the new one that is coming today as a back up plan, but for now leave the DCDC-USB in place.


Quoting myself...... DCDC-USB died again today, drove into town and it was working fine. Came out of the grocery store, started the car and nothing came back on. I have barely driven 100 miles since it started working again, so I am thinking it is just slowly dying. I had started noticing it not appear to be charging the Nexus as well as it used to, suspect the heat/cold over the years has gotten to it. 

Glad I kept the spare I ordered, just need to find something to mount it in before dropping the glove box and swapping it out.


----------

