Related
*update, the conclusion is that the current software is useless and as of the ppc6800 and the following HTC models, the IRDA port is either crap or non-existent, for that reason I am building a powered, universal adapter to turn any phone into a remote*
hello. first off, yes I know there are old threads about this, but they are dead and had a different take on this topic. I am looking to know if anyone has gotten any tv remote control software working on the mogul. I don't care about the distance so I dont want to hear about how the mogul is ill-equipped to do this, I just want to know what software works as I will use\make a IR repeater\booster that will give me all the range I need.
I have tried the following software
1-PDAWin tv remote controller simply crashes when I press any button
2- noviiRemote is not compatible with our IR
3- RemoteControl II v.2.12 stays it is incompatible with our processor and for that reason, it turns off the IR access... but the rest of the software works ??? odd
4- UniversalRemoteCE 4.0 Tested by wagonis, froze his phone with every try
5- Total Remote does not work, freezes when I try to record a signal.
Untested
6- UltraMote
can't find
7- VITO remote
so to recap. Has anyone found a working software? I will give a free IR booster\repeater to anyone who can point me to a proper and working programmable universal remote control software that works over IR and not the web (or even better, anyone who can get PDAWin tv remote working )
thanks.
Honestly, I've tried 4 different softwares from that list and none worked, if anything they kept crashing my phone...so I gave up before I caused any damage to my phone. If you figure out which one works though, please list it, I'd like to know and try it.
can I know which was teh 4th that did not work so I can update my list please?
UniversalRemoteCE 4.0 froze up my phone every time I tried to use it
Many have tried. I am pretty sure no one has succeeded.
in my best Airplane - The Movie voice
"good luck, we're all counting on you"
my best suggestion is to buy an older known compatible phone with stronger irda
i looked into it a bit ago and came up with a good solution and found two of the phones on ebay for $20...but never bought them
i know it would be convenient to use our daily cell for this feature...but its an uphill battle
dont give up...lol
double post
Since the whole software thing does not seem to work... I am going to set out on making my own! My goal is to make a universal-universal remote app; even cross-platform, and the way I will do this is with external hardware. Since most new phones do not have a good IR port, I will make an external IR port that plugs into phones, mark my words!
I will keep people up to date on this
I'll subscribe to this thread to keep tabs on this. Good luck.
Well I am very excited to say that things are moving along nicely. Unfortunately, my local electronics supply shop (that is actually worth going to) is closed during weekends since its a small business who's main clients are engineering students during the year . This means that My full prototype (with range booster) will have to wait, but the basic premise is working, and, depending on my schedule, I should have a working prototype soon. I have already gotten in contact with a few chinese companies to compare the price of production of the modules.
well, the project is coming along well, but I need some input from the community. 1 is a note, 2 is the important question.
1- the software will be open source. The exact format still has to be determined, but the main lead right now is java so that i can be universal for all phones (except the Iphone that will need its own app).
2- Should it be powered or not? The module is coming along well, but I need some input. If it is powered, I have to make the tough decision between having the ext-usb plug sticking out on the edge of the board, meaning you have a 9v battery dangling from your phone or a short cable (1-2 feet) that plugs in the ext-usb port and the module rests next to you. What is the best route for this? (Ideally I would love bluetooth, but I do not have the electronic know-how for this)
julienrl said:
well, the project is coming along well, but I need some input from the community. 1 is a note, 2 is the important question.
1- the software will be open source. The exact format still has to be determined, but the main lead right now is java so that i can be universal for all phones (except the Iphone that will need its own app).
2- Should it be powered or not? The module is coming along well, but I need some input. If it is powered, I have to make the tough decision between having the ext-usb plug sticking out on the edge of the board, meaning you have a 9v battery dangling from your phone or a short cable (1-2 feet) that plugs in the ext-usb port and the module rests next to you. What is the best route for this? (Ideally I would love bluetooth, but I do not have the electronic know-how for this)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Why not make all? Powered and not. Corded and not. Are you encasing the electronics? If just for the Mogul how 'bout a phone case type add on putting the IR port on the right end of the phone while you're at it so we don't have to rotate our screens? That being said, with the Mogul getting dated, how 'bout for newer phones lacking IR ports all together like the touch pro and touch pro 2? Oh, maybe someone could help you out with bluetooth.
Well its not just for the mogul, it is going to work universally for all HTC phones and will be one little tweak away from working with other phones.
As far as corded or not, I think I will make it non corded and then you can just add it. It will cost a few cents extra but save alot on production costs of 2 different modules (if I go with powered, unpowered can easily be both).
The reason I am not doing powered and unpowered is that the powered requires a case and a battery and starts getting a little big (the size of half a thumb approximately), while the unpowered one is about 0.5mmx0.5mm. Also, making the powered one requires a much greater production cost as it would be made in china because if I make it myself, the powered one would be about 4 inches by 2 inches as I can't make the small traces myself, many of the parts are hard to come by and suftace mount is hard to do.
The reason that none of the programs work is because they require raw IR port access, not the IRDA protocol.
dj13241 said:
The reason that none of the programs work is because they require raw IR port access, not the IRDA protocol.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thats ok, this is a hardware\software combination so the IR will work.
I think I love you man. I've been looking for this since before I got my Mogul in my hands.
Manicmoguladdict said:
I think I love you man. I've been looking for this since before I got my Mogul in my hands.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
lol I hear ya. Everything is being delayed because the store I usually go to was selling IR LEDs for 4 bucks and they don't specify voltage so I had to order some online. I just need to get that stupid LED so that I can be done with the hardware and get working on the software.
I am still waiting on those diodes. I bought molding and casting material so that our IR emitters will look better than a loose set or components soldered on an extusb port
Anyone going to china who can buy ExtUSB ports for 50 cents with the breakout port? I got that quote from a company but I don't like sending unsecured payments and 10$ per extusb port + breakout board is going to make it pretty expensive for us. If so, let me know, I would like to buy a batch.
thanks.
since our device will work on many phones, instead of creating threads in every forum of every device, we decided to opt for a twitter account where we will keep everyone up to date on this project.
Spread the word!
http://twitter.com/wrctweets
Found this thread searching for a Bluetooth to IR converter, so I could use my Rhodium as a universal remote.
I was wondering... since all modern smartphones have Bluetooth, why not make a powered BT -> IR converter, which uses the HID standard? Since most phones have a HID application already (my old SE K750i could be used to control my desktop computer with HID), you don't need a lot of development on the phones itself. You'd need a way to program the conversion table (key 5 -> send PLAY IR sequence), I guess. You could then have a simple HID remote on simple phones or a full blown custom skinnable remote on a WVGA smartphone.
It would really be nice to have a Philips Pronto (or similar) universal remote where you can operate all sorts of equipment.
unfortunately, working with bluetooth at that level would be well beyond my expertise and bring the cost up $$$$$ because of the low volume of production. Also, making the drivers for this would be much harder and way to phone-specific, killing the intent of this device. Also, the way this works, it should work with any standard IR device.
I have a p4000 and am upgrading to a touch pro2, when I upgrade again in 2 years, I don't want to have to start the project over .
Finally, bluetooth device = more components = bulkier and = batteries!
I am getting back home late tonight and I will get back to work on the project (got the LEDs the day I was leaving).
ps. I do appreciate all feedback and comments.
thank you
julienrl said:
unfortunately, working with bluetooth at that level would be well beyond my expertise and bring the cost up $$$$$ because of the low volume of production. Also, making the drivers for this would be much harder and way to phone-specific, killing the intent of this device. Also, the way this works, it should work with any standard IR device.
I have a p4000 and am upgrading to a touch pro2, when I upgrade again in 2 years, I don't want to have to start the project over .
Finally, bluetooth device = more components = bulkier and = batteries!
I am getting back home late tonight and I will get back to work on the project (got the LEDs the day I was leaving).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
sorry for being off topic, but do you know when the touch pro 2 is coming out in Canada ? And who's gonna get it telus, roger, fido or bell ?? (hope this is coming to Telus)
hehe, its out with telus waiting for mine in the mail now!
Inbound Ir
Will your Module accept inbound ir transfer? I am using a polar hr monitor that uses ir to download files to my phone. I've been looking for an upgrade option with ir without success. If your module will work, this is great news. Keep up the good work.
Dear XDA people,
I have not found any conclusive topic on whether it's possible (or is already done) to enable USB audio output (to a DAC obviously) on the SGS2. Some shreds of relevant topics have crossed my path, but they all either died out or were for different models.
So: What is the status? What's the roadblock? Is there in fact already a rom/kernel which has this enabled?
Thanks
edit: There's a feature request on the Android project page, but I can't link to it due to <10 posts. The title is: Issue 24614: Enable USB audio on the Galaxy Nexus (or any Android 4.0 device)
Not currently possible & unlikely to be on the SGS2 tbh. Devs who have been asked to have a look at it have gone 'nup' & don't have the time/inclination to work on it (blame Samsung).
Only chance of it happening would be to code it yourself or for a dev who actually wants to use that functionality themselves to have a go at it. People have started threads on here where people have pledged X amount of $ if a dev can get this working, but these threads fall off the radar due to lack of interest fairly quickly & there have been no takers on the dev side.
I wouldn't hold your breath.
Right, that's sad to hear. No developers who want this? Strange... thought they'd be interested in getting the best possible out of the hardware available.
Guess I'll wait for future models then. Thanks for the clarification.
From the comments I've seen from the devs who have been asked, it's a case of not having to mess around with/spend a lot of time dealing with Samsung's ****ty closed source drivers etc. Take CM9 as an example, those guys have been doing that since the first ICS leaks were released late last yr & frankly I don't blame them for being fed up.
Most people don't realise exactly how much work goes into making things work on a custom rom (a real one; not a winzip job like 80% of 'roms' on here), getting this to work would not be a walk in the park.
And the other thing is many (most) people also have a dedicated media player which puts out much better sound than the SGS2 anyways.
suadion said:
Right, that's sad to hear. No developers who want this? Strange... thought they'd be interested in getting the best possible out of the hardware available.
Guess I'll wait for future models then. Thanks for the clarification.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah don't get me wrong -- I appreciate the work that goes into messing with this stuff (especially the process of discovering how it actually works, the reverse engineering of sorts). I just thought that this was a pretty big feature to have and was surprised there was so little to find about it.
And yeah, I also have a better media player (Cowon D2), but the integration into a single device is the attractive part obviously, and unfortunately the SGS2 doesn't have the good audio chip that the SGS1 does have (Stupid Samsung).
Yep using the Yamaha chip in the SGS2 was a puzzling move given how universally praised the sound quality was on the SGS, and made even more puzzling by Samsung going back to a Wolfson chip on the SGS3. A moment of madness perhaps. Every review of the SGS3 I've read so far has said the sound quality is very good.
suadion said:
And yeah, I also have a better media player (Cowon D2), but the integration into a single device is the attractive part obviously, and unfortunately the SGS2 doesn't have the good audio chip that the SGS1 does have (Stupid Samsung).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
MistahBungle said:
And the other thing is many (most) people also have a dedicated media player which puts out much better sound than the SGS2 anyways.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
And that is exactly the reason why this feature should be enabled
There are quite a few people who enjoy high quality portable audio. Many of them use portable headphone amplifiers as standard headphone outputs on devices are quite often unable to properly drive high(er) end headphones. Many of these portable headphone amplifiers also have an USB DAC on board for use with a computer.
Being able to use USB Audio out on your phone would mean one less device to lug around. The quality of the Android devices audio components would no longer matter, as the external DAC/Amplifier would take over their function.
Just imagine, no more worries about what DAC is put in a phone, as you would be free to choose your own external DAC.
Galaxy S3 can do it, some tablets can do it, so hopefully someone will be inspired to make this happen on the S2 and other devices.
I hear the arguments & agree with you (I personally would use it), but it's very unlikely to happen for the SGS2. Samsung have made it very very difficult to do by way of the Yamaha sound chip & their ****ty closed source drivers/firmware, and devs who have been asked so far have looked at it & gone 'Nup'.
So, as I said in my post above, unless you find a dev with a fair bit of time on their hands who actually wants to use this themselves, it probably won't happen.
Edit - @Coop: Have a look at this post by Entropy in the CM9 thread re: proprietary code/the crap devs have to deal with. Just to give you a bit of background as to why the devs who have been asked to date have all said no.
Coop666 said:
And that is exactly the reason why this feature should be enabled
There are quite a few people who enjoy high quality portable audio. Many of them use portable headphone amplifiers as standard headphone outputs on devices are quite often unable to properly drive high(er) end headphones. Many of these portable headphone amplifiers also have an USB DAC on board for use with a computer.
Being able to use USB Audio out on your phone would mean one less device to lug around. The quality of the Android devices audio components would no longer matter, as the external DAC/Amplifier would take over their function.
Just imagine, no more worries about what DAC is put in a phone, as you would be free to choose your own external DAC.
Galaxy S3 can do it, some tablets can do it, so hopefully someone will be inspired to make this happen on the S2 and other devices.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have a Samsung Galaxy Note 2 that I purchased last year. There's been a lot of talk (last fracking year) about Miracast, WiDi, and how great it will be to mirror my device. Here we are in May 2013, and the tech is still garbage or non-exstent. I'd appreciate it if someone could help me. Here's the scenario:
My family (like many of yours) is completely perplexed by the function of a TV remote's "Input" button. Once they have to change the input on the TV, all hell breaks loose and I end up having to "fix" everything by pressing the input button to get the TV to the right input again. My family currently owns 2 iPhones, an iPad, and an iPod. I built a Windows 7 Media Center PC with a 5.1 speaker system that we use as our cable receiver, 3D Blu-ray player, media streamer, music player, and AppleTV receiver. Since everything is built into that one box, no one has to change an input, and all is harmonious. The main focus is the AppleTV receiver feature, which is accomplished using a program called AirServer. It's great because anyone can click on the Airplay button on their iDevice and a window automatically pops up on the PC, maximizes, and mirrors the iDevice. No changing inputs. Great, right?
I, however, have a Galaxy Note 2, and the one feature I desperately want is garbage on this device: mirroring. I don't want to stream something through DLNA (because only a limited amount of files/formats/apps support it). I don't want another box sucking up power and requiring me to switch inputs on both my TV and speaker system. All I want is to mirror my device to my PC in the same manner that Airserver lets me mirror an iDevice on my PC. So far, this seems bleak and far-fetched. There are no PC software options to mirror my Android device onto a PC. Besides, even if I were to buy a dongle, the Samsung Allshare Cast dongle is quite possibly the most infuriating piece of crap I've ever used. It stutters, pixelates, and puts my audio/video so far out of synch that it's useless. On top of it all, my Wifi (for internet, on the Note 2) disconnects when using Miracast/WiDi. I tried the Netgear PTV3000, which is also a stuttering, unreliable mess of a device. I'm also not going to root my device. It's 2013, and I shouldn't have to sacrifice receiving OTA updates because Google dropped the ball.
So here's the question: is there a way to mirror my Android device on a PC without rooting or buying another box/dongle? I'd like to keep my Android phone, but I'm switching back to Apple if September rolls around and I'm still going through this. I'm not a fan of the company, but Airplay mirroring just works. No downloading 20 video players and 6 codec packs. No out-of-synch issues with audio. No dropped WiFi. No family members complaining that they "broke" the tv because it's on the wrong input. I want all that on my Android phone.
Thanks
Then I would just go back to apple. As this feature will always be manufacturer spicific so you will have to do it the way that OEM requires and alot of android things will never play well with anything apple. Mainly not Samsung.
Wayne Tech Nexus
zelendel said:
Then I would just go back to apple. As this feature will always be manufacturer spicific so you will have to do it the way that OEM requires and alot of android things will never play well with anything apple. Mainly not Samsung.
Wayne Tech Nexus
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yup, it sure seems that way. Samsung stuff only seems to work with other Samsung products. My options are that crappy dongle they make or buy a $1500 TV just to mirror my phone. No thanks.
My biggest complaint about Apple now is the damn lightning connector. I get why they made the 30-pin dock connector when they did, but Micro USB has been around for a while and has the bandwidth to handle everything going in and out of that phone. Making another proprietary connector was just a huge slap in the face to consumers everywhere.
Is anyone aware of any mods that support bluetooth low energy. I'm really interested in getting a sports tracking wristband but every one of them requires BLE to sync to phones. I've read that android 4.3 will support it but I doubt our phones will ever see that officially.
Check out the "UP by Jawbone" in the accessories section. There's some discussion there regarding these fitness bands
I've been involved in that thread. It seems that the only android devices officially working with these wristbands through bluetooth are S3/S4/Note2 as Samsung has done their own work to get BLE working on these devices. Just wondering if there are any mods I'm not finding through search out there that would work on other phones.
I'm not sure what to tell you. Hopefully somebody else chimes in...
I know the up syncs thru headphone jack. I also know that the Bluetooth stack used in our phones is lacking...
Have you tried any AOSP ROMs ?
No I haven't made the jump to try out that side yet(I'm pretty attached to Sense's Car Mode vs other apps lol). Possibly will when 4.3 comes out. Especially with the upgraded bluetooth stack.
Hello everyone,
I have a Erisin S2046B in my 2001 BMW E46 and found information, that the RK3188 has several external buses which are partly currently not used in the device. Being an electrical engineer and having some projects in my mind which require some sort of external communication to e.g. microcontrollers, I would like to make use of them.
Did anyone go through the effort to use one of these interfaces?
I read in the sound processor thread (http://forum.xda-developers.com/and.../mtc-sound-controlling-bd37xxx-sound-t3234660), that I2C is used there but only limited information on what is done exactly, as it is just a matter of reconnecting the bus lines from the mcu to the rk3188.
I'm not quite sure, if this is the right section, but I would not really consider this "software development". Anyway, if one finds it inappropriate, I would kindly ask a mod to move it to another section
This is great, hopefully it's with guys like yourself tinkering away at these devices we end up with a how new sub-section of interesting mods that can be done for those that like to take stock and improve on it..
Bookmarked for reading as you go through this ... Look forward to some.positive outcomes...
@LC4T, can you be more clear as to what do you plan to achieve? It is no problem to attach another slave (or more) to existing I2C bus, as this bus is a multi-slave in its nature. There's no need to find any interfaces not in use, you are free to use existing, well known one.
As I already mentioned in my posting, I personally plan to connect an external microcontroller and exchange data between the µC and the RK3188. As I don't want to fit the circuitry inside the erisin enclosure, I2C is not the preferable solution.
The principle of I2C and its architecture is known to me, I have already build hardware using I2C But as the existing I2C bus is already connected to at least one slave device, I would be careful with hooking up another one without knowing exactly, what's happening on the bus already. Worst case would be to make the whole existing system unstable. I'd rather use SPI oder UART for my purpose.
In general, this thread should not be seen limited to my intentional use but some sort of collection of information on which buses are present, usable and in use - knowledge base style, so to speak
What's the first solution that comes to your mind when you think of doing something interesting with your I2C?
Some of these units do CANBUS. I'm not sure if there is separate hardware in them or just hookups.
I plan on installing an engine block heater (webasto thermo top c). With the universal wiring kit and control unit, you're only able to set three starting times with a fixed heating time. Additional control units for remote control are quite limited in range and functionality, the "cheap ones" (~200€) only offer "start" and "stop" with the only feedback if the command reached the unit being a blinking led, the ones with the ability to set the starting time from the distance (they claim it works up to 1km depending on the building density) is 350€... There are also GSM units available but also quite expensive and with few functions.
So including a microcontroller would fix all that
If I got it right, the CAN unit is a standalone device, that only decodes relevant data (e.g. gearbox in reverse), so no communication with the android device itself
LC4T said:
I plan on installing an engine block heater (webasto thermo top c). With the universal wiring kit and control unit, you're only able to set three starting times with a fixed heating time. Additional control units for remote control are quite limited in range and functionality, the "cheap ones" (~200€) only offer "start" and "stop" with the only feedback if the command reached the unit being a blinking led, the ones with the ability to set the starting time from the distance (they claim it works up to 1km depending on the building density) is 350€... There are also GSM units available but also quite expensive and with few functions.
So including a microcontroller would fix all that
If I got it right, the CAN unit is a standalone device, that only decodes relevant data (e.g. gearbox in reverse), so no communication with the android device itself
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I believe there are can bus controllers for that device.
You could take a look at IOIO-OTG boards. it might offer some features.
You can make your own can bus for the devices you want to control and use available can bus adapters.
If you're talking about the webasto heater, yes, there are control units with CAN functionality but they are OEM specific (e.g. VW/Audi, Mercedes, BMW,...) and not universal. Also, adding just another interface is not what I intended to do when there are several of them, mostly unused already available
Again: I don't want to use this thread for my specific problem but as a general thread on using the interfaces already present in the unit
LC4T said:
If you're talking about the webasto heater, yes, there are control units with CAN functionality but they are OEM specific (e.g. VW/Audi, Mercedes, BMW,...) and not universal. Also, adding just another interface is not what I intended to do when there are several of them, mostly unused already available
Again: I don't want to use this thread for my specific problem but as a general thread on using the interfaces already present in the unit
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sure. Sure. I like the idea of tapping into the onboard hardware, but it might be good to talk about the limitations and optimal use cases for doing so.
For your case I think you can solve your need without tapping in if the objective is to get it working quickly. If the geek factor is more important then its a moot point.
You could probably tap in using something like this:
sandboxelectronics.com/?product=active-i2c-long-cable-extender-p82b715-module
That might help cut down on noise if you want to run it around the car.
Here's my thoughts.
If you need to control some external DIY device, you need to go with USB ports, which are already available in our devices.
They are just designed to communicate with external world, opposite to I2C or SPI, which are designed for in-system communications only.
Here we have two options:
1. Use native USB communication:
On the headunit side - libusb library which is well-known in Linux world. It might even happen that it is already compiled into the kernel (need to check); otherwise, a libusb.ko module needs to be compiled and loaded.
Nowadays there are many microcontrollers with USB onboard for direct use; and even simpliest MCUs like AVR attiny/atmega can use USB via V-USB library (I've done some just-for-fun projects with it).
2. Use a cheap USB-Serial converter to get a new serial port on a headunit's side. On the MCU side, you'll get a standard UART, which is much simplier than USB for MCU programming.
And returning to your @LC4T idea.
Are you planning to use head unit only as a control panel for your device, so that you only need a big touch screen with a nice UI to set up your externa DIY device, then go off letting that device to work alone? Don't you plan having your head unit always turned on to track time and on/off your heater? Because latter solution is really bad, as our head units are very power hungry.
7floor said:
Here's my thoughts.
If you need to control some external DIY device, you need to go with USB ports, which are already available in our devices.
They are just designed to communicate with external world, opposite to I2C or SPI, which are designed for in-system communications only.
Here we have two options:
1. Use native USB communication:
On the headunit side - libusb library which is well-known in Linux world. It might even happen that it is already compiled into the kernel (need to check); otherwise, a libusb.ko module needs to be compiled and loaded.
Nowadays there are many microcontrollers with USB onboard for direct use; and even simpliest MCUs like AVR attiny/atmega can use USB via V-USB library (I've done some just-for-fun projects with it).
2. Use a cheap USB-Serial converter to get a new serial port on a headunit's side. On the MCU side, you'll get a standard UART, which is much simplier than USB for MCU programming.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The IOIO OTG solution gets you here plus there are established libraries etc.
github.com/ytai/ioio/wiki
The OTG version allows it to be powered from the host also. That could make it easy to develop and move around.
github.com/ytai/ioio/wiki/Getting-To-Know-The-IOIO-OTG-Board
pounce said:
The IOIO OTG solution gets you here plus there are established libraries etc.
github.com/ytai/ioio/wiki
The OTG version allows it to be powered from the host also. That could make it easy to develop and move around.
github.com/ytai/ioio/wiki/Getting-To-Know-The-IOIO-OTG-Board
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Click to collapse
From $20 for the board on AliExpress to almost $40 elsewhere? No, thanks These guys want too much for their solution. This is the price of a Raspberry PI, a complete computer.
For that price, I would prefer putting a Raspberry under dashboard, connect with WiFi, for example, and have much more flexibility than gives the IOIO.
As to IOIO - as a prototyping board it might be useful, but not for a well-finished DIY project based on a single cheap MCU with a minimum of components, where total cost of it would be much lower than cost of that board.
It is like using ATmega256-based Arduino boards for the purpose of watching a button and blinking a LED, where the $0.5 worth ATtiny13 is an overhead.
Such a boards are probably good for Hackaton events, where you have to show something working after a few hours of quick-and-dirty work, but not for thoroughly designed DIY project.
Depends on how much you value your time and what an existing product offers you for your solution. Many people aren't as price sensitive. I certainly wasn't suggesting the IOIO as the only solution, but for an open ended or more generic solution to get hardware support external to the head unit is generally fits the bill. Established libs for interacting saves some time. Nice bunch of people put it together and there have been some fun projects.
Like I mentioned before, it might be a good idea to discuss what the objective would be to adding smart hardware in the solution through, I2C, USB, bluetooth, wifi or whatever. I think the OP is looking to discuss the general idea and not super specific solutions that might lead a person to pic a very specific ic and com. Well, I know that was the purpose because the OP has redirected me to the point.
You bring up a good point though. You say you would rather put Pi under the dash. I would also for controlling things. In fact Pi or some duino realtime solution is always going to be better for interacting with an auto. This is especially the case when the purpose might be controlling something that is powered like a motor or something life critical. At this point though we are not talking about android or these head units. You are talking about perhaps the method of communication between two systems. Not really for this forum.
---------- Post added at 01:05 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:46 PM ----------
I'd like to have more input/output trigger wires for events. We have a backup wire, but I'd like more for other things. An example might be to support a passenger side view camera. Sure, there are ways to hack it in by switching the backup video input, but that's a simple example. Power on a wire sends an event in android on the unit.
Do we have GPIO possibility on any of these units?
CanBus via Uart?
Does anyone know how the CanBus connection works? My MTCB Unit came with an adapter box which turns some messages into external signals (like illumination, reverse), but also seems to forward messages via serial into my Head Unit. At least that's how i guess that the steering wheel buttons are working.
Now, there are some messages that i wish to interpret and send, and also some i would interpret different. My idea was to get some kind of filter (maybe software, maybe a dedicated micro controller) in between the CanBus adapter and the service on my head unit. But right now, i have no idea how to verify my understanding of the setup, since no tty device on the HU seems to directly reflect my button presses. There's one, that pours out something unreadable on key press, but this also does it if i touch the screen, so i guess that's not the CanBus adapter itself.
I suspect that the information in already interpret before it gets into the android system, and only the relevant messages are forwarded, or even pre-processed. I suspect that the only way to get to the signals is to listen on the CanBus adapters RX/TX lines, and maybe finally put an microcontroller in between. If unlucky, the adapter might also filter out messages before i can get them, and i need to access the CanBus directly.
htt p://i.imgur.com/P1QzXta.jpg?1 << CanBus Adapter
I would appreciate any hints on this topic, especially information on the CanBus Adapter.
From what I can see on the PCB and I have read about the can adapter:
The adapter itself only interprets data from either can bus or analog signals and forwards them to the android unit via some sort of serial interface, most probably UART. As you have almost no way to get an inside look into the software running on the microcontroller, I would suggest to design a seperate device, that way you can be 100% sure to get all the messages and filter yourself.
I ordered some can bus adapters to see what i can read. Maybe i will first have a look into the data on the serial line when i finished moving house and had time to unpack my gear
I have a can bus HU, when i listen to the radio or music player, i haven't information on display of my car (CLK MERCEDES). I read the new units have dual can bus and information of radio appears on car display. Ther's a way to modify my HU to dual can bus? I have to change a can bus decoder? My can bus decoder is B200.
Regards
7floor said:
.... There's no need to find any interfaces not in use, you are free to use existing, well known one.
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Well known interfaces - that's the keyword.
For example I would like to output current FM-frequency, radio station name, song title to the existing (factory) FIS display in a car. Via CAN bus, because the display talks CAN.
Now I would at least have to know which units have CAN capability.
Yes, I could go the USB to RS232 to CAN dasy-chain-adapter route, but I consider that all but a clean solution
Oskar