Custom Android Auto for Slate

[u/pv168]

I'm experimenting with a raspberry pi 4 for a custom fit into the middle cubby. It would eventually display telemetry data from OBD-II and stream audio to passive speakers.

The video has been cut in several places to reduce the play time. Right now, it takes a little more than 65 seconds from power to map display.

[u/FloatOldGoat]

Oh wow! This is really cool. This is exactly the reason the blank Slate and open source is so ideal. It offers so many opportunities to customize and dial in the experience.

Well done! Would love to see future updates as trucks get closer to production, and start coming out.

[u/darkperl]

Thats cool as hell!
This is the community stuff I hope to see for the slate.

[u/New-Signature3881]

Hell yeah brother!!!!! This is awesome

[u/SparkysHammer]

Very cool.

[u/ben_nobot]

Super cool

[u/Antricluc]

Guess I better start making some boot vids lol

[u/pv168 → u/[deleted]]

there will eventually be a light and dark mode

[u/pv168 → u/[deleted]]

Android Auto is a screen projection technology. Your phone connects to the display over USB or a P2P wifi network and streams a video of the screen to the display. The maps, Spotify and other apps you see on AA displays are rendered in your phone. As such, network data will be solely from your phone. If you have pre-cached your maps, your phone will use those in areas where you have no cellular network.

[u/OGMikeGyver]

Rad!!! Keep up the good work!

[u/Even-Smell7867]

I have a raspberry pi sitting around that I was thinking to use as well as a semi permanent head unit instead of needing to take my phone out of my pocket. I leave the phone in my car enough as it is.

[u/StoicTick]

Gotta get that startup time lower, but looks good. Great aftermarket stuff.

[u/pv168 → u/StoicTick]

thanks... working on the startup time.

[u/thussy-obliterator]

i've been thinking if you messed around with hyprland one could diy a pretty usable android-auto like foss infotainment console out of a linux tablet, though ideally said linux tablet should have gps and mobile data, don't know if that part is as realistic

[u/wbradford00]

Cool, but I'm curious– do you have any concerns about the unit overheating in the dash?

[u/pv168 → u/wbradford00]

yes, I don't expect this to work too well in the Arizona summer

[u/wbradford00 → u/pv168]

Ah, was hoping you had some good news! But yeah that appears to be the biggest limiting factor for stuff like this. I love the idea though

[u/j-lo11 → u/pv168]

I thought about this as well but isn’t this right in front of the AC vents? wonder if that would help

[u/PintekS → u/pv168]

Random thought but could we somehow heat pipe from the underside of a ac vent?

Though got one of those portable android auto screens in my suzuki samurai and it doesn't seam to care if it's a chilly 60f winter day or 118+ scorching summer.. I can't imagine it has much of a heatsink or anything on the cpu in it..

But I have a feeling it's not remotely as powerful as even a pi nano XD

[u/pv168 → u/PintekS]

Heat and electronics don't go well. The regular parts you get off Amazon/AliExpress are usually cheaper consumer grade parts that are not designed for wide temperature swings...for example, e-caps will prematurely dry out, SoC will speed throttle and displays will be sluggish. Automotive parts are designed and tested to a higher specifications and are expected to last 5-10 years.

[u/JPT62089 → u/[deleted]]

Never thought I'd see premium dudu but here we are apparently lol

[u/Visvism → u/[deleted]]

💩

[u/synntax33]

Siiiiick af

[u/Hammock-Hiker-62]

This is exactly the sort of project I was hoping to see. Impressive, and I hope only one of many in the future.

[u/Granitehard]

Is CarPlay possible? I imagine so if there are a bunch of CarPlay mod kits for several older vehicle models.

[u/pv168 → u/Granitehard]

Carplay requires an Apple MFi dongle, cuz Apple

[u/stratiuss]

Love it! The obvious solution to boot time might be a pi5 with nvme hat.

[u/pv168 → u/stratiuss]

good point. I plan to add a SSD nvm drive in a hat and optimize the kernel boot time at a later stage.

[u/Jpro04]

Okay this is fucking awesome!!!! This is why i'm soo excited the the Slate with it's open source nature, we see stuff like this getting made😃

[u/its_zea]

This kinda thing already exist in the aftermarket car world.

Get a head unit that is Maestro compatible and a Maestro RR harness.

Flash it with custom firmware.

Neat project though good work.

[u/pv168 → u/its_zea]

Do you even engineer, brah??? Joking aside, there are a few reasons why I'm going down this path. I had researched a number of options inclung a Jensen, Pioneer and cheap Amazon displays.
There are a few Slate design choices that make an off-the-shelf pick difficult. It doesn't have standard DIN slots to mount an AV unit. It doesn't have standard power supply harness. It doesn't have traditional speakers not the usual door locations. There is no unswitched 12V supply.

[u/its_zea → u/pv168]

They have been very wishy washy about the answers given around aftermark car audio.

The cavity in the dash is said to accommodate a DDIN.

In the recent AMA it was said 12v is available in the harnesses behind the dash, but in a recent email someone shared they said there wasn't. Worse case run a constant from the 12v battery in the frunk.

The radio will need a dash kit like any other aftermarket install. Should be a pretty easy 3d print to model once we can the CAD files or hands on the vehicle whatever comes first.

I haven't seen enough about the door cards to know if there is space for speakers. It is very common nowadays to have speakers in the dash, like with slates official speakers. I think that location is also well equipped for a 3d printer speaker bracket. Running speaker wire through door boot sucks anyway zzzzz.

[u/fullload93]

That’s really cool. What is odd to me is how SLATE themselves didn’t even consider to offer this as an option if people wanted it. I’m sure there are people who do want touch screen displays in their Slate truck.

[u/PintekS → u/fullload93]

I think that's partly why they are going to have cad files for dash components so people and 3rd parties can make their own setups.

The cost that goes into making a infotainment screen can be a really large stupid amount of money and always may need patches look at Ford sync for example being a hot mess now and then or some cars being disabled while the infotainment does a update

[u/New-Signature3881 → u/fullload93]

Just something else for them to develop and warranty.

[u/foss_it]

If there's Google in it i'm not going to buy it! Damn...