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E85 / E86 BMW Z4 – Android tablet integration

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js_online
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E85 / E86 BMW Z4 – Android tablet integration

Post by js_online » Sun Aug 21, 2016 11:51 am

Hi there!

I was not satisfied with VIDEO quality from Board Monitor and how WiFI video sender operated so finally I got time to implement improvements.
WiFi video sender is replaced with EasyCap video capture device (6$ on AliExpress).

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EasyCap viewer app from GooglePlay is used to display video on Android (4$). According to developers app works only with certain chips - utv007(HTV600). I was lucky - EasyCap I ordered came with right UTV007 chip. Make sure to enable NTSC mode in settings and place button to NTSC mode on Ambery converter.

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The main challenge was to enable Host mode (USB on-the-go or OTG) on Tablet to make easy cap work. Only 4 wires are present in standard micro USB wire (Pins 1,2,3,5). For this purpose I created custom micro USB wire with all 5 pins soldered (including PIN 4 which is responsible for turning on Host mode).

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Host mode (OTG) is enabled on Tablet by connecting PIN 4 to the PIN 5 (GND). After Host Mode is on - Tablet is powering device connected to it (PIN 1 provides +5V), pins 2, 3 are transferring data.

So in my setup one more wire (from micro USB, PIN 4) was passed in parallel with standard micro USB wire to the point of Ambery Video converter. I added button (BLUE one the left bottom corner on image below) in the panel (where AUX socket is located) to turn on Board Monitor video (powers Ambery video converter, powers relay) when required (to do Settings - set time/date, Balance Audio, see Track number etc.).

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12V relay is added (to connect PIN4 with GND) to the same button to enable Host Mode on Tablet. In normal conditions Board Monitor button is turned off in my car to disable Host Mode on Tablet (otherwise EasyCap will drain battery as Phone powers it) and do not power Ambery video converter.

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Standard wire bunch on EasyCap was removed and I soldered 2 wires directly to socket to get video in signal. I also removed USB male connector from EasyCap and soldered by wires USB female connector, so I can use USB male from tablet directly.

Result are fantastic:
1. Stable video from board monitor
2. Right Corner is not cut
3. Video from board monitor appears on Tablet in the moment I turn on Board Monitor button on panel near AUX socket, as EasyCap automatically starts app in the moment Host Mode is enabled and EasyCap device recognized. EasyCap closes automatically after hiost mode is disabled and EasyCap is unpowered (blue button tuned off).

More pictures (including screenshots and video will follow).

PS I managed to do adjustments (connecting new micro USB connector to Tablet and passing thru gray wire from PIN4) without removing board monitor, by opening up board monitor top cover in car. This saved a lot of time.

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Last edited by js_online on Tue Oct 10, 2017 10:15 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Tungmeister
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E85 / E86 BMW Z4 – Android tablet integration

Post by Tungmeister » Wed Oct 19, 2016 1:55 pm

js_online wrote:Hi there!

I was not satisfied with VIDEO quality from Board Monitor and how WiFI video sender operated so finally I got time to implement improvements...
Hi,
I'm looking to undertake this project in my E46 with MK4 Nav computer. I'm going to do it slightly different though in that I'm going to use an android dev board or box and a 6.5" 800x480 screen possibly this http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/HDMI-VGA-2AV- ... xy4dNSzPnR as it will be e perfect fit/replacement for my existing screen. This will allow the Nav output to be native without the need for the WiFi transmission or the android device present.

I'm posting on here as I've not been able to find any decent sources regarding the conversion of the Nav RGB output. What's got me confused is that you've stated that the sync is extracted from green however according to the pinout for the nav as shown here the sync signal is already separate? R(4) G(8) B(13) s(17) As far as I'm aware the MK4 Nav computers are all the same so could you clarify?

Image

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E85 / E86 BMW Z4 – Android tablet integration

Post by Tungmeister » Wed Oct 19, 2016 6:31 pm

Just a quick update to what I'm thinking should work?
Image

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E85 / E86 BMW Z4 – Android tablet integration

Post by sk93 » Thu Oct 20, 2016 9:40 am

McKoval wrote: And does the mediabridge allow mixing sources in it? Meaning if you have a nav on tablet, and usb connected to mediabrigde, will it play it both simultanously?

Cheers,
McK
Nope. they're mutually exclusive on the Denison and mediabridge.
Its something I'm trying right this very moment to resolve on my SkiPi, but currently to no avail. :thumbsdown:
:zzzz:

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E85 / E86 BMW Z4 – Android tablet integration

Post by js_online » Sat Oct 22, 2016 9:42 pm

Tungmeister wrote:
js_online wrote:Hi there!

I'm posting on here as I've not been able to find any decent sources regarding the conversion of the Nav RGB output. What's got me confused is that you've stated that the sync is extracted from green however according to the pinout for the nav as shown here the sync signal is already separate? R(4) G(8) B(13) s(17) As far as I'm aware the MK4 Nav computers are all the same so could you clarify?
According to wiring diagrams I used pins 5, 6, 7 are for RGB and 14, 15, 16 for corresponding grounds. Sync is not present on MK4 and is present on TV tuner only. My setup is without TV tuner. If you have setup with tv tuner you should have sync.
Pinning in my MK4 was similar to X1313 and X1312 pinning in the doc attached (Only pins 1, 3, 10 were used on X1312 in my MK4).
http://www.bmwcarx.com/web/DocumentosBM ... mation.pdf

I believe you should find proper wiring diagram for E46 to double check, I mean wiring diagram between MK4 and screen.
See example for Z4 on page 15 (see wiring between X1313 MK4 ---> X18802 Board Monitor).
http://www.bmwcarx.com/web/DocumentosBM ... ingles.pdf

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E85 / E86 BMW Z4 – Android tablet integration

Post by Tungmeister » Sat Oct 22, 2016 9:58 pm

js_online wrote:According to wiring diagrams I used pins 5, 6, 7 are for RGB and 14, 15, 16 for corresponding grounds. Sync is not present on MK4 and is present on TV tuner only. My setup is without TV tuner. If you have setup with tv tuner you should have sync.
Pinning in my MK4 was similar to X1313 and X1312 to pinning in the doc attached (Only pins 1, 3, 10 were used on X1312 in my MK4).
http://www.bmwcarx.com/web/DocumentosBM ... mation.pdf

I believe you should find proper wiring diagram for E46 to double check, I mean wiring diagram between MK4 and screen.
See example for Z4 on page 15 (see wiring between X1313 MK4 ---> X18802 Board Monitor).
http://www.bmwcarx.com/web/DocumentosBM ... ingles.pdf

I am not sure about output result of your video board. I tried similar one but was not satisfied with results until purchased Ambery.
Thanks for the info. The board has arrived today, it was cheap so I figured I'd give it a go and see if I can get anything. I'll have a good look into the wiring tomorrow and see if I can get any results.

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E85 / E86 BMW Z4 – Android tablet integration

Post by Tungmeister » Sat Oct 22, 2016 10:55 pm

js_online wrote: I believe you should find proper wiring diagram for E46 to double check, I mean wiring diagram between MK4 and screen.
See example for Z4 on page 15 (see wiring between X1313 MK4 ---> X18802 Board Monitor).
http://www.bmwcarx.com/web/DocumentosBM ... ingles.pdf
Well I decided I couldn't wait until the morning so I went and had a play. I do have a TV module so I've used the RGBS out from that. as you can see I've got a full image I just need to adjust the colour levels on the converter board and then hopefully it'll be perfect. It was a bit fiddly in the dark with patch wires pushed into the connector so I'll wire it properly in the morning but for now I'm pretty happy with the results!
Image
I've ordered the screen i'll be using as well as the other bits and pieces however with the screen coming from china it could be quite a while before I get to complete it :(

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E85 / E86 BMW Z4 – Android tablet integration

Post by js_online » Sun Oct 23, 2016 8:12 pm

Tungmeister wrote: Well I decided I couldn't wait until the morning so I went and had a play.
Image
I've ordered the screen i'll be using as well as the other bits and pieces however with the screen coming from china it could be quite a while before I get to complete it :(
:thumbsup:
Looks good. TV tuner simplified solution, but on another hand LM1881 is also not big deal.
Access to MK4 in E46 looks super easy. To get access to MK4 in Z4 I should remove all center console :)
Good luck with completion of you project. Please share final results later.

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E85 / E86 BMW Z4 – Android tablet integration

Post by Tungmeister » Sun Nov 20, 2016 11:09 pm

js_online wrote:Please share final results later.
Here's the results (copied from another forum) - Android integration into the OEM nav screen. Basically I wanted and android head unit whilst also keeping the cars original interface and menus. This way I could keep the use of my intravee, the cars radio and bluetooth which is much better quality than those in the android head units. 

I started out by researching what video signal is provided to the OEM board monitor which turned out to be RGB which I could access from the TV module. As my intention was to replace the LCD in the board monitor with a higher resolution panel with touchscreen I would need to convert this to VGA. In order to do this a converter board would be required so I sourced one to test before committing to ordering the other components. 

I had to make an interface cable to connect the RGB siganal to the converter board which can be seen below and as you can see this was a success! 

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Once I'd got the video signal converted I worked out the basic layout of what components would be needed and how everything would connect up

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I decided to use an Odroid C2 as the android device as it seemed quite customisable and sufficiently powerful for the application. I found the 6.5" screen with driver and touch overlay on eBay.

As the screen was coming from china this gave me plenty of time to work out the exact wiring required and where everything would connect:

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Once everything had arrived I started by removing the boot carpet and routing the wiring through, HDMI for android, VGA for the MK4 Nav, one composite for the reverse camera and the other as the trigger wire and then the USB for the touch screen:

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I set about disassembling the board monitor and adapting it for the new screen. As the CD drive in it would not longer be usable I decided to rewire the eject button to act as the input change on the new screen allowing me to switch between the VGA and HDMI. I also installed the Infra red receiver for the screens remote in place of the light sensor in case I wanted to make alterations to the screens settings: 

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Once I'd completed the screen it was just a case of setting up android and enabling USB touchscreen support on the Odroid C2. I've now got fully functional android as well as the original car systems which looks completely OEM from inside. I've also got the use of 'OK Google' enabling me to use my voice to play music and navigate etc. Here's a quick video of it in action:

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I'm really pleased with how it's turned out, what do you guys think?

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E85 / E86 BMW Z4 – Android tablet integration

Post by Fishy Dave » Mon Nov 21, 2016 1:13 pm

That is seriously impressive, well done sir. 8)
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E85 / E86 BMW Z4 – Android tablet integration

Post by Dubbeljou » Wed Nov 30, 2016 9:26 pm

Hey Guys,

does somebody has the oeiginal wirering harness and would sell it to me ?

Best regards Dubbeljou

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E85 / E86 BMW Z4 – Android tablet integration

Post by js_online » Mon Dec 05, 2016 10:38 pm

Tungmeister wrote: Here's the results
Tungmeister wrote: I've now got fully functional android as well as the original car systems which looks completely OEM from inside.
Good job! Fantastic. Congrats. Looks serious and complete.

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Post by Gloomakos » Sun Feb 26, 2017 4:42 pm

Hi that is a very nice and interesting mod. Does anyone knows which specific tablet can I use for the mode when I am searching for the huawei ascend mate online I'm finding a lot of different models like p8 p9 and I am not sure wich one to order.
Thanks in advance for your help.
Regards :)

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E85 / E86 BMW Z4 – Android tablet integration

Post by markplant » Sun Feb 26, 2017 4:55 pm

Gloomakos wrote:Hi that is a very nice and interesting mod. Does anyone knows which specific tablet can I use for the mode when I am searching for the huawei ascend mate online I'm finding a lot of different models like p8 p9 and I am not sure wich one to order.
Thanks in advance for your help.
Regards :)
There is also a Sony xperia ultra at 6.4 inch will fit
3.0 Manual. Sterling Grey. Cream leather Electric an Heated. Professional Navigation/Sony tablet replacement. Storm Werks . an parts waiting to be fitted

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E85 / E86 BMW Z4 – Android tablet integration

Post by Gloomakos » Sun Feb 26, 2017 7:01 pm

Thank you for your quick response :)

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