When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
...your installation images and description are invaluable and will do a fine job of being a visual aid for years to come. I had the thought of making a video about the installation and accessories I/we have selected. Would you mind if I used your images in order to provide a second look in the video? Of course, I would provide credit to you as I have provided credit to the appropriate parties in all of my other videos.
You bet. Any pics I post can be used anytime anywhere, credit or no credit.
For the spacer between the plastic and stereo, do you plan to use another large fender washer as you did on the outside? Coincidentally, I have a fairly large collection of these washers...
Those fender washers would work - I was hoping to find a piece of hard plastic I could put in there and hold easily while putting in the screw. Those washers are handy though. Got a tray of them myself.
As for the lower brackets, due to the HVAC controls being there, perhaps a flat head screw came up up from the HVAC cavity and secure the brackets down with a nut and locking washer.
That's exactly what it needs. Appreciate the idea.
Is the thin black bezel around the S8 the one that came supplied from ATOTO?
I did not install the thin black bezel that came with the unit - what you see is just the radio itself. I could not figure out how to use that piece, so left it off.
I must admit, the S8 looks sleek and very clean. I just didn't feel comfortable with soft buttons though and prefer the use of the physical buttons. Good thing we have the ability to make the choice for ourselves.
A note on this. The vertical buttons for power/home/vol+/vol- are not "soft" per se. They are dedicated capacitive-touch (or similar technology) buttons with user-selectable backlighting. They don't operate like the tactile feel hard buttons on the A6, but they cannot be changed to other buttons like a true soft button. They are still there when you power the unit down.
Thanks for the generous gift FTE'r. This OBDLink SX arrived at our mailbox today and I plan to put it to good use in the near future. I am curious to see if it has the same sampling rate of 12ms that the IBDLink MX bluetooth scan tool has, or if it is faster or slower.
BWST and SSJ have laid out some great ideas and pictures for me to follow regarding mounting methods for the head unit. I am looking forward to getting everything installed and moving on to the next project.
About a year ago I got ForScan for my e99. I have been running a 10 year old Dell laptop which while functional sitting in the driveway, is awkward when on the road. Since then, I have randomly wondered about using a small tablet and integrating into the area of the radio. Having a rare evening of nothing to do, I thought I would kill some time and start looking into this, figuring it would be days of research. One of the most recent posts was about this very topic! I wasn't even aware that aftermarket entertainment systems had the ability to run ForScan, plus other android apps. After reading through all the posts, I am to the point where if I had the components in hand I could install it tomorrow!
An excellent thread of useful info, ranging from selection to install. Thanx much Sous! Consider a virtual IPA sent your way.
pvdiag, I am glad that the FTE could come together and help you see a solution that was fast and suitable for your needs. I cheers you with the virtual IPA!
Sometimes less is more when it comes to gadgets and user features. I hope to get into the installation phase of my project in the coming days.
Feel free to post pictures or tell us about your experience if you so choose sir.
About a year ago I got ForScan for my e99. I have been running a 10 year old Dell laptop which while functional sitting in the driveway, is awkward when on the road. Since then, I have randomly wondered about using a small tablet and integrating into the area of the radio. Having a rare evening of nothing to do, I thought I would kill some time and start looking into this, figuring it would be days of research. One of the most recent posts was about this very topic! I wasn't even aware that aftermarket entertainment systems had the ability to run ForScan, plus other android apps. After reading through all the posts, I am to the point where if I had the components in hand I could install it tomorrow!
An excellent thread of useful info, ranging from selection to install. Thanx much Sous! Consider a virtual IPA sent your way.
A friend runs a tablet in his dash in place of headunit. He uses a magnetic mount and wireless charging pad. He lives in ‘the city’ and likes being able to ****** it off the dash and either carry it inside or stash it between the seats when he parks.
That is the same wireless charging pad that we have in our house and in the 5th wheel. It is the same company that makes the 3 coil wireless charging pad I plan to install and linked above.
They are solid and reputable products for a good price.
I like the tablet idea your "city" friend developed. I may look at doing something similar in the Subaru since the shape of the stereo is very odd/unforgiving when contemplating a modification.
That is the same wireless charging pad that we have in our house and in the 5th wheel. It is the same company that makes the 3 coil wireless charging pad I plan to install and linked above.
They are solid and reputable products for a good price.
I like the tablet idea your "city" friend developed. I may look at doing something similar in the Subaru since the shape of the stereo is very odd/unforgiving when contemplating a modification.
Well, he can saw he has "authentic" wood grain interior.
As far as my project, Santa brought me the last part/piece required which was the OBD port 90° adapter cable.
This will work very well with the OBDLink SX.
Install timeline... We are on call to go up to TN to help with the birth of our nephew who is due on the 17th of January. Once we return from that adventure, I will put the truck in the garage for the Android project and a couple of other small projects.
Tip: If you are working on free-hanging wires inside your vehicle with no place to rest the base, you can remove the base and use the arm with the crocodile clips from the Thing A Ma Jig to hold two wires together inside your vehicle as you work on them I will take a pic the next I do this.
A bit of a caveat to my research from the past regarding the Android head unit project and the use of the BAFX scan tool. Wesley Green sent me a text this morning stating the following:
Originally Posted by Wesley Green
I have not driven the truck in 2 weeks. Forgot I had the BAFX dongle hooked up on the last drive. This morning, at 30*, cycled glow plugs and it fired right up
It appears that the concern of a parasitic battery draw on the truck with the BAFX dongle may be unwarranted and a non-issue. This is good news for those that were contemplating using the BAFX as a "use it and leave it" scan tool. I had concerns about this being a use it and leave it device only because the manufacturer says not to do so. That may be in relation to single battery vehicles that are well below Group 65.
I am confident the OBDLink SX I was gifted will work well for my application, but if it doesn't I may pick up a BAFX scan tool instead of the more expensive OBDLink MX/MX+ for a use and leave it device. I will return the SX to the FTE'r that sent it to me as well so that they can do with it as they please.
Wes's experience is encouraging. I think I'll try the BAFX then always plugged in. Christmas brought a 90 degree OBDII adapter cable I'll put to use for this.
A bit of a caveat to my research from the past regarding the Android head unit project and the use of the BAFX scan tool. Wesley Green sent me a text this morning stating the following:
It appears that the concern of a parasitic battery draw on the truck with the BAFX dongle may be unwarranted and a non-issue. This is good news for those that were contemplating using the BAFX as a "use it and leave it" scan tool. I had concerns about this being a use it and leave it device only because the manufacturer says not to do so. That may be in relation to single battery vehicles that are well below Group 65.
I am confident the OBDLink SX I was gifted will work well for my application, but if it doesn't I may pick up a BAFX scan tool instead of the more expensive OBDLink MX/MX+ for a use and leave it device. I will return the SX to the FTE'r that sent it to me as well so that they can do with it as they please.
Mr. Sous, are you thinking the SX dongle can be left plugged in all the time? The ancient ELM Bluetooth one I have cannot be, or it'll drain the batteries quickly, and I'd love to find a USB version that won't do that.
BTW, this a a *great* thread, and I'm anxious to replace the 9yo Kenwood I have in my Excursion. Get yours installed, already! :-)
Mr. Sous, are you thinking the SX dongle can be left plugged in all the time? The ancient ELM Bluetooth one I have cannot be, or it'll drain the batteries quickly, and I'd love to find a USB version that won't do that.
BTW, this a a *great* thread, and I'm anxious to replace the 9yo Kenwood I have in my Excursion. Get yours installed, already! :-)
Mark
Mark, the OBDLink SX is the hard wired version and is capable of being connected all the time without concern for draining the battery power. The OBDLink MX and MX+ are bluetooth, but they have an inactive sleep function that allows for them to be plugged in all the time too. This is part of the reason why they are much more expensive than the competition. They also sample data at a rate almost 4x faster than the cheaper competitors. Not a big deal in most cases because the sampling rate is in milliseconds.
The BAFX is a low cost alternative to the OBDLink MX and MX+, but even the manufacturer recommends that the BAFX should NOT be left plugged in for longer than 48 hours at a time due to battery drain risks. This and the slower sampling rate led me to decide on an OBDLink MX or MX+. FTE'r Wesley Green provided us some valuable information regarding his observations and the BAFX scan tool staying plugged in. Up to this point, we had no 1st hand experience data on the BAFX and the possibility of battery drain.
Because of budget constraints, I was looking for a deal. Turned out an FTE'r gifted the wired OBDLink SX to me and I will use that.
I am glad you are enjoying the thread and it has helped you. I have to wait until my nephew comes into the world before I can install the Android head unit. The truck sits at the tree line on our property and in order for it to have a spot in the garage the Subaru must come out. We plan to take the Subaru to TN in order to help with the arrival of the nephew. It must be ready for the call at anytime.
So, once we return home, I will be starting the install and I plan to video at least a portion of it and add the video to the YouTube playlist in my signature.
Mark, just so other readers are clear, do you happen to have a link or image for your ELM bluetooth scan tool? This will serve as a confirmation of which scan tool should not be left plugged in based on your shared experience.
