C5 X7 ambient lighting (and some other bits and pieces)

[vborovic]

because, Citroen (as we all know) do things different

Well, they don't have the slogan "Creative Technology" for nothing ...

[vborovic]

I am very close to getting something nice (a bit expensive, though), something that was on my to-get list for quite a while now ...

[vborovic]

A bit of rambling, that might give some ideas to others ... I still haven't dropped the Android project to my car ... to be as an addition to the genuine setup, since I can have one extra video/audio input to the already installed DVB-T tuner ... there are 3 possibilities, none of which are simple to implement, because you need extra wiring/chargers, or video adapters etc ... so I'll do the breakdown so far:

I want to have an android device which powers on automatically with the car's engine, which will output the video to the external screen as soon as it boots, to be able to have an external digitizer panel attached to it and to have an accelerometer.

Why is this so hard to find? Let's scratch the surface ...

#1: Android phone

- hard to get anything smaller as a device, which has all the required features (including the accelerometer which is my priority)
- the simplest would be to obtain a RCA video output one (through the 3.5 connector), they're rare, and one notable model is the Samsung Galaxy S (and S Plus) ... which is quite outdated and single-core
- the downsides of the above mentioned is that it doesn't support OTG (couldn't connect the external touch screen panel digitizer) and that you'd need to enable tv-out after each reboot (which would happen quite often since the car may not run for 2 days)
- the 3.5 to RCA cable has its own issues, supposedly it is hard to find a working cable for it, since the video cable's polarity is flipped (why, only Samsung knows) ... so either you make modifications to the already brittle cable, or you hit the jackpot and get the cable that works (people report that Motorola, Nokia and some other cables work, some not ... again, test-it-yourself)
- the OTG can be solved with the newer firmwares (even up to the 5.x), but then the phone loses the tv-out feature
- some phones might have the possibility to have auto-on after the charger connects (power comes after the key turn), but no way of knowing unless you test each unit beforehand ... in theory, with some android modifications it is possible to enable this feature, but there is a high probability that rooting is required, after which, no guarantee the tv-out over the 3.5 connector would work
- the next step is to get a HDMI out phone, or a phone with MHL to HDMI functionality, but in any case, I'd need an external HDMI -> RCA converter (meaning more wires and more power consumers)
- no guarantee that I'll be able to charge the phone, have the external video AND have a touch screen digitizer connected at the same time to the single microUSB port of the phone (splitters exist of course)

#2: Android tablet

- I've searched high and low, and couldn't find a tablet which has a RCA video output (can't say 100% that such a device doesn't actually exist)
- I currently have what I believe is the closest tablet matching everything as I've required - Acer Iconia A500 - and it is packed with connectors (mini HDMI output, regular USB port, mini USB port)
- obviously, I'd need the HDMI -> RCA converter
- the tablet has it's own dedicated charging port, and as such there is no possibility to have it power-on after the electricity comes (only the microusb port can detect this) - I'd need to turn it on somehow manually (meaning, I can't install it somewhere where it is not accessible)
- the tablet is much to big to squeeze it somewhere suitable and have access to its power button (and mind the cabling that I need) ... the passenger compartment is too small for it, the only other idea was to put it behind the seat (the back compartment), but I gave up on this ... too much cables running around the car

#3: Android Mini PC (HTPC)

- these can be pretty small, and hardware wise very powerful (even beating a lot of brand name tablets, for a fraction of the price)
- they can have 3RCA video output (although this is getting harder and harder to find on the latest models, since the HDMI is THE video standard that people love to use these days)
- they don't have the auto power-on feature (I've potentially found 1-2 devices that had such a claim, but no confirmation was received)
- they could be powered on by the remote, but most of the boxes have IR, which means I'd need to install the entire box somewhere visible ... again, 1-2 devices claim to have RF remotes, but you couldn't be sure unless you actually bought them and see what you get
- no accelerometer (those could be bought as an extra, ranging from 20-50$, but again, extra wiring will be the result)

Turning the device (any of the above listed) off (once it is on by any means necessary) doesn't concern me, it will either run out of battery or be dead after the engine stops anyway ... there are app solutions which detect the power state, and can turn the device off (applies to #1 & #2, if the battery actually has some charge in it).

Before I leave the window open, I'll state that I'm not, at this point, interested in carputers (specially designed enclosures which have auto sensing of the car's battery, etc), because they're much more expensive (some full systems with Core i7s are over 1000$), are Windows/Linux only, usually quite bigger than what I'm looking for, hungry for power and fresh air (ventilation) and still don't have the accelerometer built-in.

[GiveMeABreak]

I've completely lost the plot now! What is this in aid of? What do you want the tablet / android accelerometer thingamybob to do and what is it for? Whatever it is you're trying to achieve, don't forget you'll need a battery the size of a suitcase to run everything

[vborovic]

I'd like to use my nav screen to add touch screen functionality to it on an Android based device (the 2nd input) ... what I'd like to use the Android device for, would be for the following apps:
- Torque (advanced car details)
- Navigon navigation (self-explanatory)
- SoundHound (to ID radio playing songs)
- Apollo (to play music from the SD card)
- Opera (to browse the internet, just because)
- YouTube, ...

The android device would connect to my cell phone's internet connection via the hotspot feature. And no, the regular car battery is just fine. Actually, I haven't even changed the battery yet (5+ years since the car's birth and no battery change), and all is good so far (of course, economy mode every now and then) ... energy efficiency is also what I'm looking for as well ...

[Xantippa]

Picture quality through RCA is awful.

[vborovic]

On a full HD 42" screen ... probably ... on the car's screen which has a resolution of 800x500 (roughly), and the PPI is quite low, the RCA input actually gives good results ... I have a DVB-T tuner installed in the car, it outputs RCA which goes into my video switch box, that uses RCA inputs ... and uses the nav screen to display the picture ... the subtitles on movies and news ticker text that can be found scrolling down below on news channels are quite readable ... this coming from a guy that uses IPS pro panels on both the notebook and external monitors ...

[GiveMeABreak]

Well you've obviously got a better outside 3G/4G network where you are. We can't even get a phone signal in many places here in Wales! Sounds like you'd be better off with an Ipad with cellular / 4G and using Bluetooth - there must be loads of apps out there that will do what you want. Would cut down on all the wiring.

[vborovic]

It is ranging from 2/2 up to 15/15 Mbits ... and how exactly would I connect the said iPad + Bluetooth to my setup? I can't see the cutback on the wires ... and, the Apple family is not to my liking, I have 2 iPods and they're a pain to set up and manage ... and I avoid iTunes, managed to find some freeware alternative which does just the music sync, nothing else ... Android is far more open in my view, especially if you want to tweak and tune some bits and pieces (and get the device rooted, you can have all the fun you want)

[GiveMeABreak]

Apple, love them or hate them! I was thinking more about some of the gadgets out there that work on wifi and Bluetooth (like those plug in OBD diagnostic units) that use an app to display all the info and live data from the car. That would be wireless, but I guess you probably have other ideas and projects for it too.

[vborovic]

No worries, I already have a Bluetooth OBDII reader on disposal ... ... hence the Torque app for the Android platform

[GiveMeABreak]

When, (or if) you ever finish your project(s) you'll have to do a 360• 3D video for us to show all the things you've done!

[vborovic]

I think it would be easier to fly one of you guys over here to see for yourselves ...

[jgra1]

its a nice drive otherwise once past Munich or Munching or what it's called

in fact, I feel an FCF field trip coming...

[vborovic]

If you make it to Munich, it will only take you another 350 miles to my place ...