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AndroidAuto Using a RaspberryPi Step by Step Guide - 370z Nav Models


Swissh

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I made this guide on the 370z Reddit but moving it here so you all can see it to.

This is a step by step of how I got Android Auto in my car, I love stock setups so I have tried to make this as discreet as possible and to be as reversible as I can (just in case).

Disclaimer – None of this is my idea, I have borrowed and used other people ideas/work and implemented it in my car. I have tried to like to source information where I can but no doubt, I have missed something.

Also, do this at your own risk. If you don’t have the NAV setup you are way better of as you can buy a proper head unit with all this integrated.

Just so you don’t waste your time, this is a list of what does and doesn’t work with my setup.

Not Working

THIS IS NOT APPLE CAR PLAY, ANDROID AUTO ONLY

  • OK Google Detection and Voice Commands (This is due to the lack of USB Microphone, it should be as simple as plugging one in, some people have used a mini DAC to allow 3.5mm jack to USB for the mic)

  • Phone calls through Android Auto – Not sure what is required for this however you can initiate phone calls through the stock system using the AA phone app. At the end of the call, it returns to Android Auto

  • Nothing controls the RPi other than the touch screen, all car controls are for the stock features only

  • No Wireless Android Auto

  • The factory touch screen is not accessible once you apply the overlay. Everything can be controlled with the Nav controls so this should not be an issue. It still works it’s just covered up

  • Not HD, this is an RCA video feed so expect flicker and low res, this can make small text hard to read. This is a limitation of the in-car AUX setup.

  • A soft shutdown of RPi, the power is just cut when you turn off the car

Working

  • AUX whilst in Motion

  • Android Auto minus above features.

  • Touch screen to control android auto

  • Factory Bluetooth phone calls

  • Full Factory System minus touch

 

Cost

Total Cost of Project so far: GBP£70.55 - USD$92.06 - CAD$121.13 - AUD$126.95

  • SD Card £5.99

  • Car Charger £8.99

  • RPi 3B+ £36.00

  • AV to RCA Cable £5.99

  • Touch screen Overlay with USB Controller £13.58

  • Everything else I already had in my assortment of stuff. e.g USB cables. Links to hardware below.

 

Tools

  • Philips Screwdriver

  • Small Torx Driver

  • Double-Sided Tape

  • Electrical Tape

  • Mouse and Keyboard for the Initial Setup of the PI

Hardware

Software

  • VNC Viewer for Android/PC or whatever you want (not strictly needed but makes things easier)

  • AASDK, Open Auto and Dash (Optional) – All from this genius on GitHub HERE

  • Raspian OS – Raspberry Pi Website

Skills

  • Able to use a screwdriver

  • Some experience with Raspberry Pi/Linux

 

Before Starting

Set Up Raspberry Pi

Install Software

Test it all works including touch overlay

 

Instructions

Step 1 - Strip Centre Console VIDEO HERE (Not Mine) Same as for the Nav Version

 

Step 2 - AUX In Motion (I have posed how to do this, but its currently in the 350z section as I am an idiot and diddn't check where i was posting.)

  • Test - Check to see if it works

 

Step 3 - Strip Display Assembly

  • Remove the frame, this is 4 screws

r/370z - Upgrading the Nav System to have Android Auto using a Raspberry Pi - The Step by Step

3.1 - Remove Felt

 

  • The screws hold the PCB and the Screen, once you remove the screws the screen will only be held by ribbon cables so be careful here.

r/370z - Upgrading the Nav System to have Android Auto using a Raspberry Pi - The Step by Step

3.2 - Remove the screen from housing

 

r/370z - Upgrading the Nav System to have Android Auto using a Raspberry Pi - The Step by Step

3.3 - Clean screen with IPA (or glass cleaner) to remove residue and fingerprints

 

Step 4 - Install Touch Screen Overlay

  • The overlay is slightly smaller than the screen, centre it as best you can or the tracking will be off.

  • Test - Plug into Pi to make sure touch overlay still works

 

Step 5 - Assemble Display Assembly

  • Push felt down around housing, no need to reapply to screen

  • Assemble screen back to the housing

 

r/370z - Upgrading the Nav System to have Android Auto using a Raspberry Pi - The Step by Step

Sticky Sticky

 

  • Stick USB controller PCB to housing

  • Assemble display back to the frame. The frame for the display will leave about 20mm gap so the USB controller is safe here.

 

Step 6 - In-Car Final Test

  • Loosely assemble back into the car to make sure it works

  • If it does go ahead and put it all back together, run the USB cable somewhere that it won't get caught, there is plenty of room.

 

Step 7 - Lay USB Cable in Center Console

  • Cup Holder and Buttons removal and reassemble guide HERE (i currently have the touch panel USB coming out of where the buttons would be, I haven’t had time to wire it into the armrest yet.)

 

Step 8 - RPi Settings

  • Adjust RPi config.txt to align and fit screen boundary

sdtv_aspect=3 #this sets the display to 16:9 ratio
sdtv_mode=2 #0 is NSTC and 2 is PAL
  • Raspberry Pi Video Settings MORE DETAIL HERE

  • Adjust the overscan settings to move the display up, down, left and right

  • Set Open Auto to DPI to what you like in the options menu before connecting your phone, I use 170 DPI as that seems to be about right to be able to read everything

 

Step 9 - Enjoy

r/370z - Raspberry Pi = Android Auto, can revert to stock in 30 mins

AndoirdAuto Working

 

r/370z - Raspberry Pi = Android Auto, can revert to stock in 30 mins

RasoberryPi in Action

 

Notable Links – Here are some similar projects that the idea was borrowed from.

G37 Epic Implementation of RPi (has more work put in for more functionality)

G37 Similar Installation (Almost identical)

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On 13/09/2022 at 17:28, GranTurismoEra said:

how long did it take to setup? Seems a cheaper option than the American Australian ipad setups.

All in all with the info above you could probably do it in 4-5 hours or so. The longest part of it is stripping down the display to add the touch panel and to get the aux display working whilst driving. After that it's getting the RaspberryPi and plugging it into the centre console aux.

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2 hours ago, Willsy1980 said:

Cheaper ?

Yeah 100% you seen the price of the Tesla mod ? £1700 :scare:

 

that mod the braniac all in i think its shy of £700 with customs. Plus if you dont have a "non navigation model you need to buy the base switches from Ebay and mess around with controls. Steering wheel controls too. The android retrofit just for the part plus shipping i saw was £699 off Ebay from Australia. 

 

Depends if keeping the car. Each to their own. Braniac looks neat but android/raspberry retrofit is a better option as our center console is 90 degree not slanted up like many modern high end cars. So if youre tall youd be cracking your neck to just to take a look. 

 

You do get a much more modern interior look though. As long as you can change the track/folder, make a phone call and still have voice recognition from the wheel then its not so bad. This is mainly functionality over looks. Id prefer retrofit. 

Edited by GranTurismoEra
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