Dashboard measurements for Android Auto head unit
Discussion
Hi all,
I picked up a 2021 Exige 410 20th Anniversary (in Laser Blue) this week and am absolutely delighted with it so far.
As a result of my (in)famous sense of direction, I'm looking to swap the head unit with one that has a screen attached for Android Auto. I've seen photos of various configurations, many of which involving a screen covering either the vents or the HVAC controls. I'd like to find something that leaves both mostly open/free.
To that end, I have a Pioneer EVO62DAB (6.8" screen) on order for collection when I'm back from a work trip next weekend. Having seen photos, it looks like a safe bet. The only problem is that I can't shake the feeling that Sony's larger AX8050D might just fit, especially seeing as the height/angle/depth are all adjustable to suit.
Unfortunately, I've had to leave the car with family ahead of my work trip, so I don't have access to it to take any measurements (nor do they - I took the keys!). On that note, could anyone give me the distance between the top of the HVAC controls (this can be literally from the top of any one of the three control knobs) to the bottom of the air vents, please? If I can come to a conclusion between now and next weekend, I can amend my order - if needed.
Thanks!
I picked up a 2021 Exige 410 20th Anniversary (in Laser Blue) this week and am absolutely delighted with it so far.
As a result of my (in)famous sense of direction, I'm looking to swap the head unit with one that has a screen attached for Android Auto. I've seen photos of various configurations, many of which involving a screen covering either the vents or the HVAC controls. I'd like to find something that leaves both mostly open/free.
To that end, I have a Pioneer EVO62DAB (6.8" screen) on order for collection when I'm back from a work trip next weekend. Having seen photos, it looks like a safe bet. The only problem is that I can't shake the feeling that Sony's larger AX8050D might just fit, especially seeing as the height/angle/depth are all adjustable to suit.
Unfortunately, I've had to leave the car with family ahead of my work trip, so I don't have access to it to take any measurements (nor do they - I took the keys!). On that note, could anyone give me the distance between the top of the HVAC controls (this can be literally from the top of any one of the three control knobs) to the bottom of the air vents, please? If I can come to a conclusion between now and next weekend, I can amend my order - if needed.
Thanks!
Many thanks, Paul - really helpful. I've still not yet made a decision, but am getting closer. Having been messed around by various Halfords stores with ex-display stock, I ended up buying three options online, the 6.8" Pioneer EVO62DAB, 8" Pioneer EVO82DAB and 9" Sony AX5150D. None are looking like the ideal solution - the 62 model has just been replaced by the EVO64DAB, which has a more modern screen but isn't readily available, so might require waiting a couple of months, the EVO82DAB would be the ideal screen size if it weren't for the fact that the vertical height of the unit is for some reason bigger than it seems it needs to be and the Sony is similarly tall and uses old screen tech like the 62.
As a result, I've found myself investigating Android-based units from Topping (an 8.8" ultra wide) and Atoto (7" standard ratio), besides waiting on the EVO64DAB.
Thanks again!
As a result, I've found myself investigating Android-based units from Topping (an 8.8" ultra wide) and Atoto (7" standard ratio), besides waiting on the EVO64DAB.
Thanks again!
Where abouts are you? I've got a single DIN Android head unit in my Elise which you'd be welcome to poke around if you're in Hampshire. Different dashboard design obviously but you could compare the screen (which comes off) to your dashboard. The height its at would be about right for a later Exige dashboard I think, with the vents poking over the top and the HVAC controls accessible underneath. I would guess it would block the bottom half of your vents, you could move it a bit lower but that would make the HVAC controls a bit awkward to operate. For reference, the screen unit is around 12.2cm high.
At some point I'll move the screen over to roughly where your radio sits but that will require fabricating a mount.
At some point I'll move the screen over to roughly where your radio sits but that will require fabricating a mount.
Edited by kambites on Sunday 5th June 19:54
Many thanks kambites, and apologies for the delayed reply! Your post was really useful to get an idea of available space. I'm in Cheshire, so it would have been a bit of a drive to come see you, but a massive thanks for the offer all the same. It'd be great if there's an opportunity to say hello in person at some point in the future on an owner's club drive or similar!
In the end, I went for the Joying 8.8 ultra wide. It's a perfect height. That said, there are a couple of drawbacks. I've not bothered with using it as an Android tablet (which is essentially what it is) in part because it requires the WiFi hotspot to be enabled on my phone for internet access (not the end of the world with an Android phone - there are apps and rules that can make that happen when the phone detects the car's Bluetooth connection), in part because the superwide-yet-supershallow screen doesn't appear to be ideal for the rendering of some apps (especially when a keyboard is drawn) and finally because the right-hand third of the screen is obscured by the car's steering wheel when sat properly in the driver's seat. There's also the issue of no physical buttons for things like volume control (the car is far too jiggly on anything but super smooth tarmac to reliably access and use the on-screen volume slider), which has to be resolved with third-party controls and soldering-in of a receiver unit (now done).
On the flip side, despite being an Android device, it runs typical Android Auto (via an app, of course). AA doesn't support superwide resolutions/screen ratios, so it ends up only using the left-hand two thirds of the screen, leaving the right-hand third blank/black. Probably looks a bit weird to the passenger, but it positions AA perfectly, leaving all of it visible from the driver's seat!
I'd wondered about contacting Joying about options for swapping the screen part while keeping the DIN unit (Joying allow and support this, apparently), but a screen with a more normal ratio that allows AA to go full screen is still going to sit centrally in the car and I'd imagine that's going to result in some of it being obscured, so this might actually be the best option.
In the end, I went for the Joying 8.8 ultra wide. It's a perfect height. That said, there are a couple of drawbacks. I've not bothered with using it as an Android tablet (which is essentially what it is) in part because it requires the WiFi hotspot to be enabled on my phone for internet access (not the end of the world with an Android phone - there are apps and rules that can make that happen when the phone detects the car's Bluetooth connection), in part because the superwide-yet-supershallow screen doesn't appear to be ideal for the rendering of some apps (especially when a keyboard is drawn) and finally because the right-hand third of the screen is obscured by the car's steering wheel when sat properly in the driver's seat. There's also the issue of no physical buttons for things like volume control (the car is far too jiggly on anything but super smooth tarmac to reliably access and use the on-screen volume slider), which has to be resolved with third-party controls and soldering-in of a receiver unit (now done).
On the flip side, despite being an Android device, it runs typical Android Auto (via an app, of course). AA doesn't support superwide resolutions/screen ratios, so it ends up only using the left-hand two thirds of the screen, leaving the right-hand third blank/black. Probably looks a bit weird to the passenger, but it positions AA perfectly, leaving all of it visible from the driver's seat!
I'd wondered about contacting Joying about options for swapping the screen part while keeping the DIN unit (Joying allow and support this, apparently), but a screen with a more normal ratio that allows AA to go full screen is still going to sit centrally in the car and I'd imagine that's going to result in some of it being obscured, so this might actually be the best option.
Excuse the rubbish photo - taken to provide evidence to a screen protector manufacturer that their product for the Joying doesn't (quite) fit. I now have (but haven't yet fitted) some 3D printed angle brackets to tilt the screen upwards slightly - not necessary by any means, but I think they might make the unit slightly better presented in the Lotus dash.
Also seen above the unit, between the air vents, is a Greg's Race Parts phone mount and one of two remote controls stuck to it to control volume etc. There's another that does answering of phone calls and the like that I've stuck to the driver's door. Both talk to an aforementioned received that's been soldered into the wiring loom of the Joying.
I might yet reposition the remotes, but they'll do for now. Greg's Race Parts also do a gaugle cluster holder that stretches from under the dash down to the cabin floor and tell me that they can be manufactured without the holes for gauges, so one of those might make a better location for both remotes and, say, a phone holder. We'll see.
Also seen above the unit, between the air vents, is a Greg's Race Parts phone mount and one of two remote controls stuck to it to control volume etc. There's another that does answering of phone calls and the like that I've stuck to the driver's door. Both talk to an aforementioned received that's been soldered into the wiring loom of the Joying.
I might yet reposition the remotes, but they'll do for now. Greg's Race Parts also do a gaugle cluster holder that stretches from under the dash down to the cabin floor and tell me that they can be manufactured without the holes for gauges, so one of those might make a better location for both remotes and, say, a phone holder. We'll see.
Happy to hear it helped. 
Mine is also a Joying, with the more conventional aspect ratio screen. I do what you mention and use an app (Hotspot Automatic) on my android phone to automatically enable a wifi hotspot when the head unit's bluetooth connection comes into range and then run all the software on the head unit itself. The app is completely seamless once installed and set up. I did experiment with android auto but I found that being able to leave my phone in my pocket makes things a lot easier. I tend to run mine in split screen mode with the sat nav on the near side of the screen and the music app (or occasionally Torque) on the far side. If AA will run in one half of a split screen, that might solve your aspect ratio problems?
I also have a remote control thing, although mine is a steering column mounted one just behind the indicator stalk. I can find it by touch there and it's become so ingrained that I find myself reaching for it on other cars. You can just about see the top of it above the steering wheel spoke on the picture above.
One thing to be aware of if your car is a roadster, is that the screens do pick up a lot of glare with the roof off... to the point that you can barely see them. You need to make sure whatever angle you mount the screen at takes that into account.
Mine is also a Joying, with the more conventional aspect ratio screen. I do what you mention and use an app (Hotspot Automatic) on my android phone to automatically enable a wifi hotspot when the head unit's bluetooth connection comes into range and then run all the software on the head unit itself. The app is completely seamless once installed and set up. I did experiment with android auto but I found that being able to leave my phone in my pocket makes things a lot easier. I tend to run mine in split screen mode with the sat nav on the near side of the screen and the music app (or occasionally Torque) on the far side. If AA will run in one half of a split screen, that might solve your aspect ratio problems?
I also have a remote control thing, although mine is a steering column mounted one just behind the indicator stalk. I can find it by touch there and it's become so ingrained that I find myself reaching for it on other cars. You can just about see the top of it above the steering wheel spoke on the picture above.
One thing to be aware of if your car is a roadster, is that the screens do pick up a lot of glare with the roof off... to the point that you can barely see them. You need to make sure whatever angle you mount the screen at takes that into account.
Edited by kambites on Monday 8th August 07:24
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