How To Install A 7” Android Tablet & Relocate Your Radio

DaveyC · 20th April 2014, 08:35

Hopefully this will be a useful guide to installing a 7” Android tablet into a double din fascia. Plus help with the dilemma of what to do with your existing head unit, and maintaining its functionality.

OK, so here is a pic of where this guide should get you to:

So, why do it?

Well, if you are like me, I like Android but don't want to spend a small fortune on a double din system. I also needed something that's not running the Android equivalent of Windows '95 :-)

What can it do?

It can pretty much do anything your tablet is capable of. Mine has Bluetooth and GPS. This means I can use it as a Sat Nav AND it will run Torque Pro, which means I can monitor engine data from the bluetooth adapter I have in my ODB socket. Its also got all the usual, e-mail, internet and pretty much any app from the Google Play Store.

What did I use to get the tablet working in the car?

First off, I bought a second hand Acer Iconia B1-71A (has GPS & Bluetooth). £40 on Ebay!

To power it from the ignition reliably, I need a 12v to USB power supply, so it was Ebay again for one of these for about £6.

I wired this into the ignition live on my original head unit and the same for the earth.

To get sound from the unit into my Kenwood head unit, I got a cheap 3.5mm jack to jack lead, again from Ebay for £1.75. It needs to be at right angles, so that it does not stick out too far and is less likely to get caught and get damaged.

Finally I got hold of a double din fascia panel for £16 (yes, you guessed it, from Ebay!).

So, now you need to remove the ATC, Switches, Eybrow, and Ashtray / Cup Holder assembly. There are plenty of How Tos on here, so if you need to know how to do this, have a read of them before you do anything further.

I had been toying with doing this install for ages and have a few spare parts (understatement!) I could have a go at, before making a mess of my existing teriror.

I occurred to me that a head unit would fit where the cup holders and power socket are. If you are like me, I don't use the cup holder and I have a power socket in the arm rest.

Here is my first trial with an old head unit.

To get the radio in, remove the cup holer(s) and you are left with the power socket. This has 2 uprights, which form the 3 compartments. I hacksawed these out carefully, to create one aperture. The cage for the head unit slides in and is a great fit width wise. I used and old piece of plastic (about 3mm) to pack it vertically.

You are left with gaps either side, which I covered up with the cup holder fascia plates, trimmed to size and glued into place.

If you wanted to, at this point you can refit the unit into the car, as the wiring will just fit the head unit as before. The infra red LED on my ZT-T is yet to be located permanently, as I have not decided how I want this to look yet but as long as it can be seen by the head unit, your steering wheel controls will work as before.

The double din fascia will have to be cut to take the tablet. It will protrude from the top and bottom of the panel but its not a problem, as there is plenty of room above and its hidden by the eyebrow.

To trim the fascia I used my Dremmel. Make sure you only cut out what you need (this will depend on your tablet but I would not suggest going bigger than a 7” tablet).

I fixed the tablet to the fascia with a bracket I made and some double sided tape.

The fascia fits back and looks like this.

The fascia plate on the ATC will need trimming to take the part of the tablet the protrudes from the bottom. Again, I did this with a Dremmel. Just be careful not to take too much plastic out.

I wanted my tablet to turn on with the ignition and go into standby when I turned it off.

There are a couple of great free apps to help achieve this. I used “AutoSleeper” from the play store and “Condi (previously Mini Tasker)”. The latter allows far more tweaking as to what starts and stops with the power (or lack of). Have a read about this here: https://play.google.com/store/apps/d...kix.minitasker

I hope you find this how to useful and that it shows you CAN have all this functionality for about £60.

20th April 2014, 08:35	#1
DaveyC I really should get out more....... MG ZT-T Diesel Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Costa-Del-Dudley Posts: 2,432 Thanks: 213 Thanked 259 Times in 204 Posts	How To Install A 7” Android Tablet & Relocate Your Radio Hopefully this will be a useful guide to installing a 7” Android tablet into a double din fascia. Plus help with the dilemma of what to do with your existing head unit, and maintaining its functionality. OK, so here is a pic of where this guide should get you to: So, why do it? Well, if you are like me, I like Android but don't want to spend a small fortune on a double din system. I also needed something that's not running the Android equivalent of Windows '95 :-) What can it do? It can pretty much do anything your tablet is capable of. Mine has Bluetooth and GPS. This means I can use it as a Sat Nav AND it will run Torque Pro, which means I can monitor engine data from the bluetooth adapter I have in my ODB socket. Its also got all the usual, e-mail, internet and pretty much any app from the Google Play Store. What did I use to get the tablet working in the car? First off, I bought a second hand Acer Iconia B1-71A (has GPS & Bluetooth). £40 on Ebay! To power it from the ignition reliably, I need a 12v to USB power supply, so it was Ebay again for one of these for about £6. I wired this into the ignition live on my original head unit and the same for the earth. To get sound from the unit into my Kenwood head unit, I got a cheap 3.5mm jack to jack lead, again from Ebay for £1.75. It needs to be at right angles, so that it does not stick out too far and is less likely to get caught and get damaged. Finally I got hold of a double din fascia panel for £16 (yes, you guessed it, from Ebay!). So, now you need to remove the ATC, Switches, Eybrow, and Ashtray / Cup Holder assembly. There are plenty of How Tos on here, so if you need to know how to do this, have a read of them before you do anything further. I had been toying with doing this install for ages and have a few spare parts (understatement!) I could have a go at, before making a mess of my existing teriror. I occurred to me that a head unit would fit where the cup holders and power socket are. If you are like me, I don't use the cup holder and I have a power socket in the arm rest. Here is my first trial with an old head unit. To get the radio in, remove the cup holer(s) and you are left with the power socket. This has 2 uprights, which form the 3 compartments. I hacksawed these out carefully, to create one aperture. The cage for the head unit slides in and is a great fit width wise. I used and old piece of plastic (about 3mm) to pack it vertically. You are left with gaps either side, which I covered up with the cup holder fascia plates, trimmed to size and glued into place. If you wanted to, at this point you can refit the unit into the car, as the wiring will just fit the head unit as before. The infra red LED on my ZT-T is yet to be located permanently, as I have not decided how I want this to look yet but as long as it can be seen by the head unit, your steering wheel controls will work as before. The double din fascia will have to be cut to take the tablet. It will protrude from the top and bottom of the panel but its not a problem, as there is plenty of room above and its hidden by the eyebrow. To trim the fascia I used my Dremmel. Make sure you only cut out what you need (this will depend on your tablet but I would not suggest going bigger than a 7” tablet). I fixed the tablet to the fascia with a bracket I made and some double sided tape. The fascia fits back and looks like this. The fascia plate on the ATC will need trimming to take the part of the tablet the protrudes from the bottom. Again, I did this with a Dremmel. Just be careful not to take too much plastic out. I wanted my tablet to turn on with the ignition and go into standby when I turned it off. There are a couple of great free apps to help achieve this. I used “AutoSleeper” from the play store and “Condi (previously Mini Tasker)”. The latter allows far more tweaking as to what starts and stops with the power (or lack of). Have a read about this here: https://play.google.com/store/apps/d...kix.minitasker I hope you find this how to useful and that it shows you CAN have all this functionality for about £60. __________________ [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC] Last edited by DaveyC; 20th April 2014 at 12:54..