According to androidtablets.net not only does the the nook color have a bluetooth chip but also a fm radio chip but with stock os you cant use it of course. Does this mean that with cm7 you can also access the fm radio ability like it allows you with bluetooth? If anyone knows please post below.
No, the FM chipset is not connected to any sort of antenna therefore it does not work, regardless of if your running stock or CM.
Midnitte said:
No, the FM chipset is not connected to any sort of antenna therefore it does not work, regardless of if your running stock or CM.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok but could it be possible to add an wire antenna? Or could you add one like that of an android phone as someone did with an htcs speaker and added it to the nook or is it impossible?
Some phones use headphones as the antenna. I wondered this about the nook, but never cared to find out.
Good Question
colorfulnookie said:
Ok but could it be possible to add an wire antenna? Or could you add one like that of an android phone as someone did with an htcs speaker and added it to the nook or is it impossible?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have wondered about this myself. I bought and learned how to root my Droid 4 for the sole purpose of having the FM radio. I am working on getting my Nook Color to run CM7, and found your post when I searched. I know on my D4 I needed to have it rooted and installed Spirit FM, it works well with the headphones attached. I also found a way to make an antenna using a Radio Shack plug and the antenna off an old cordless phone handset, It works surprisingly well! I don't see why it wouldn't work for the NC, IF it has the fm chip, and IF we can access it. I don't know if Spirit FM has been tested with it or not, but it's worth looking into.
KrellaKrentoshi said:
I have wondered about this myself. I bought and learned how to root my Droid 4 for the sole purpose of having the FM radio. I am working on getting my Nook Color to run CM7, and found your post when I searched. I know on my D4 I needed to have it rooted and installed Spirit FM, it works well with the headphones attached. I also found a way to make an antenna using a Radio Shack plug and the antenna off an old cordless phone handset, It works surprisingly well! I don't see why it wouldn't work for the NC, IF it has the fm chip, and IF we can access it. I don't know if Spirit FM has been tested with it or not, but it's worth looking into.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This has been addressed many times, in this forum and others. To my knowledge no one has gotten anything other than static from any app (Spirit included) with any headphones at any time. I'd guess that there is no connection between the radio chip and the headphone socket, for antenna functionality.
I haven't pursued this in a while though, so there could be newer info out there.
Hmmm
tonestertm said:
This has been addressed many times, in this forum and others. To my knowledge no one has gotten anything other than static from any app (Spirit included) with any headphones at any time. I'd guess that there is no connection between the radio chip and the headphone socket, for antenna functionality.
I haven't pursued this in a while though, so there could be newer info out there.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good to know. I will do a little searching in the morning and post any info I may find. Do you know if any guts tinkering has occured to make that connection? I am hoping for a simple, easy solution, like modifying an atrix lapdock to work for a Droid phone
KrellaKrentoshi said:
Good to know. I will do a little searching in the morning and post any info I may find. Do you know if any guts tinkering has occured to make that connection? I am hoping for a simple, easy solution, like modifying an atrix lapdock to work for a Droid phone
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Been doing some digging since I last posted, and the news, I'm afraid, is not promising.
I learned that the FM receive and transmit (!) antenna functions of the WL1271 chip are on different pins than the WLAN/Bluetooth antenna pins.
In addition, there are dedicated FM Audio Out L/R pins which I would suspect are not provided for on the Nook board/module. It's not clear to me if these are the only outlet for any FM decoded by the chip, though.
These, along with the fact that TI pretty much abandoned the FM feature of this chip in the OMAP implementation, (by their own admission) make the FM radio function for us... challenging.
tonestertm said:
Been doing some digging since I last posted, and the news, I'm afraid, is not promising.
I learned that the FM receive and transmit (!) antenna functions of the WL1271 chip are on different pins than the WLAN/Bluetooth antenna pins.
In addition, there are dedicated FM Audio Out L/R pins which I would suspect are not provided for on the Nook board/module. It's not clear to me if these are the only outlet for any FM decoded by the chip, though.
These, along with the fact that TI pretty much abandoned the FM feature of this chip in the OMAP implementation, (by their own admission) make the FM radio function for us... challenging.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Challenging isn't the same as impossible, and it must surely be easier than trying to get CM7 installed to SD card for my NC. I'm beyond stuck on that one, been trying off an on for a year. It seems to me that if the problem lies in the hardware, we should be able to correct that. BTW, did I see correctly, there may be FM TRANSMIT capabilities?! That would rock!! I would be blissfully happy just getting FM recieve to work. If the pins aren't provided for on the NC board, what would be a possible way to correct that?
KrellaKrentoshi said:
Challenging isn't the same as impossible,
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
True.
and it must surely be easier than trying to get CM7 installed to SD card for my NC.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had difficulty with that the first time, too. I can probably help, but either in PM or another thread; been running SD cards for about as long as you've been trying.
It seems to me that if the problem lies in the hardware, we should be able to correct that. BTW, did I see correctly, there may be FM TRANSMIT capabilities?! ...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unfortunately, even though there are some great resources around (see the Novaports sticky above, for one) there's just not enough solid info yet to discover whether there's access to the necessary pin. The whole chip is about 1/4 inch square, containing about 115 contact sites in what's called a ball grid array, or BGA, all on the bottom surface of that tiny, "wahfer-thin" speck. This is married to a daughtercard which brings the necessary contacts out to the real world and has some more circuitry (most notably the chip which handles the wireless/bluetooth antenna switching). There's no way to tell from the pictures I've found whether they designed any access to the FM receive pin for the outside world. And I'd bet good solid money that there's no access to the FM transmit pins (separate Antenna and Audio L/R).
So, not impossible, but the real question is, how much would you be willing to spend to re-engineer a new daughtercard to gain access to these things (if, in fact, they're not accessible)? It would undoubtedly be more than the price of a brand new tablet which already contains all these things and more.
If they did bring the RX pin out on the daughtercard, then it should be possible to do some microsoldering and a lot of what I've just said is moot. But without disassembling one I have no way of knowing. If this were the case, then Spirit would likely be the way to go, as I ran across indications that Mike was doing some serious digging into this issue last year. There's also an infinitesimal ray of hope for drivers from a ROM that somebody put together for one of the Droids, which uses the same chip, that apparently has FM working.
I suppose one moderately simple test would be to load up Spirit, and bring a moderately powerful FM transmitter right up to the base end of the Nook, hoping for some leakage through all the shielding, and see if a signal can be picked up. Unfortunately, unless the result were positive, we'd be no further than we already are.
Oh. Ok
tonestertm said:
True.
I had difficulty with that the first time, too. I can probably help, but either in PM or another thread; been running SD cards for about as long as you've been trying.
Unfortunately, even though there are some great resources around (see the Novaports sticky above, for one) there's just not enough solid info yet to discover whether there's access to the necessary pin. The whole chip is about 1/4 inch square, containing about 115 contact sites in what's called a ball grid array, or BGA, all on the bottom surface of that tiny, "wahfer-thin" speck. This is married to a daughtercard which brings the necessary contacts out to the real world and has some more circuitry (most notably the chip which handles the wireless/bluetooth antenna switching). There's no way to tell from the pictures I've found whether they designed any access to the FM receive pin for the outside world. And I'd bet good solid money that there's no access to the FM transmit pins (separate Antenna and Audio L/R).
So, not impossible, but the real question is, how much would you be willing to spend to re-engineer a new daughtercard to gain access to these things (if, in fact, they're not accessible)? It would undoubtedly be more than the price of a brand new tablet which already contains all these things and more.
If they did bring the RX pin out on the daughtercard, then it should be possible to do some microsoldering and a lot of what I've just said is moot. But without disassembling one I have no way of knowing. If this were the case, then Spirit would likely be the way to go, as I ran across indications that Mike was doing some serious digging into this issue last year. There's also an infinitesimal ray of hope for drivers from a ROM that somebody put together for one of the Droids, which uses the same chip, that apparently has FM working.
I suppose one moderately simple test would be to load up Spirit, and bring a moderately powerful FM transmitter right up to the base end of the Nook, hoping for some leakage through all the shielding, and see if a signal can be picked up. Unfortunately, unless the result were positive, we'd be no further than we already are.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So I guess the best thing I can do for the moment is to get CM7 to boot and try Spirit on it. I can do that, and I have a transmitter that might work too. I will post the results.
KrellaKrentoshi said:
Challenging isn't the same as impossible, and it must surely be easier than trying to get CM7 installed to SD card for my NC. I'm beyond stuck on that one, been trying off an on for a year. It seems to me that if the problem lies in the hardware, we should be able to correct that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Really?
have you tried this post?
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1000957
because that's been around for quite some time...and it is rather easy...
and it's been around for well over a year....
just sayin...
yep
I have tried it, and 2 others, and im stuck.
KrellaKrentoshi said:
I have tried it, and 2 others, and im stuck.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
okay...it's pretty simple...but i'll bite....where are you stuck? what exactly about the process is messing you up...
you get the CM7 image, burn it to your SD card using the program provided...insert it into the nook and press the power button...
plasticarmyman said:
okay...it's pretty simple...but i'll bite....where are you stuck? what exactly about the process is messing you up...
you get the CM7 image, burn it to your SD card using the program provided...insert it into the nook and press the power button...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
..........and watch the little blue android on the skateboard for the next 20 mins until i shut it off. It wont get past the blue dude's splashscreen. I'm working on it on another thread and PM. In the meantime, do ya think you could run the little experiment mentioned a few posts back please?
I made some progress today!!
tonestertm said:
True.
I had difficulty with that the first time, too. I can probably help, but either in PM or another thread; been running SD cards for about as long as you've been trying.
Unfortunately, even though there are some great resources around (see the Novaports sticky above, for one) there's just not enough solid info yet to discover whether there's access to the necessary pin. The whole chip is about 1/4 inch square, containing about 115 contact sites in what's called a ball grid array, or BGA, all on the bottom surface of that tiny, "wahfer-thin" speck. This is married to a daughtercard which brings the necessary contacts out to the real world and has some more circuitry (most notably the chip which handles the wireless/bluetooth antenna switching). There's no way to tell from the pictures I've found whether they designed any access to the FM receive pin for the outside world. And I'd bet good solid money that there's no access to the FM transmit pins (separate Antenna and Audio L/R).
So, not impossible, but the real question is, how much would you be willing to spend to re-engineer a new daughtercard to gain access to these things (if, in fact, they're not accessible)? It would undoubtedly be more than the price of a brand new tablet which already contains all these things and more.
If they did bring the RX pin out on the daughtercard, then it should be possible to do some microsoldering and a lot of what I've just said is moot. But without disassembling one I have no way of knowing. If this were the case, then Spirit would likely be the way to go, as I ran across indications that Mike was doing some serious digging into this issue last year. There's also an infinitesimal ray of hope for drivers from a ROM that somebody put together for one of the Droids, which uses the same chip, that apparently has FM working.
I suppose one moderately simple test would be to load up Spirit, and bring a moderately powerful FM transmitter right up to the base end of the Nook, hoping for some leakage through all the shielding, and see if a signal can be picked up. Unfortunately, unless the result were positive, we'd be no further than we already are.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I got my NC running CM 7.2.0. Turns out I needed to rename the ROM and also something was bad on my SD card. I have been happily exploring CM7 and getting my google apps on my NC for 2 hours now. Among the apps I downloaded is Spirit FM, the free version for testing. It loads well, I plugged in headphones and an antenna and can't get a signal, not even static. I will look for my transmitter tonight/tomorow and see what happens then. Thanks for all the encouragement and support on the CM7 thing yall!
Yay!
KrellaKrentoshi said:
I got my NC running CM 7.2.0. Turns out I needed to rename the ROM and also something was bad on my SD card. I have been happily exploring CM7 and getting my google apps on my NC for 2 hours now. Among the apps I downloaded is Spirit FM, the free version for testing. It loads well, I plugged in headphones and an antenna and can't get a signal, not even static. I will look for my transmitter tonight/tomorow and see what happens then. Thanks for all the encouragement and support on the CM7 thing yall!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Looking forward to your results. And, Enjoy!
I did the test.....
tonestertm said:
True.
I had difficulty with that the first time, too. I can probably help, but either in PM or another thread; been running SD cards for about as long as you've been trying.
Unfortunately, even though there are some great resources around (see the Novaports sticky above, for one) there's just not enough solid info yet to discover whether there's access to the necessary pin. The whole chip is about 1/4 inch square, containing about 115 contact sites in what's called a ball grid array, or BGA, all on the bottom surface of that tiny, "wahfer-thin" speck. This is married to a daughtercard which brings the necessary contacts out to the real world and has some more circuitry (most notably the chip which handles the wireless/bluetooth antenna switching). There's no way to tell from the pictures I've found whether they designed any access to the FM receive pin for the outside world. And I'd bet good solid money that there's no access to the FM transmit pins (separate Antenna and Audio L/R).
So, not impossible, but the real question is, how much would you be willing to spend to re-engineer a new daughtercard to gain access to these things (if, in fact, they're not accessible)? It would undoubtedly be more than the price of a brand new tablet which already contains all these things and more.
If they did bring the RX pin out on the daughtercard, then it should be possible to do some microsoldering and a lot of what I've just said is moot. But without disassembling one I have no way of knowing. If this were the case, then Spirit would likely be the way to go, as I ran across indications that Mike was doing some serious digging into this issue last year. There's also an infinitesimal ray of hope for drivers from a ROM that somebody put together for one of the Droids, which uses the same chip, that apparently has FM working.
I suppose one moderately simple test would be to load up Spirit, and bring a moderately powerful FM transmitter right up to the base end of the Nook, hoping for some leakage through all the shielding, and see if a signal can be picked up. Unfortunately, unless the result were positive, we'd be no further than we already are.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Houston, we have a problem. I have a stock nook running cm7 on sd card. Spirit FM Free with superuser permissions granted couldn't pick up the transmitter. :crying: I even put the transmitter right up against the nook and didn't hear anything, so it's not looking very good. I know on my droid 4 I had to have it rooted in order for the FM to work, I wonder if that is the case here? Anyone got a rooted nook to try this experiment out on? Once my warrenty is up I will try "nooting" and see if FM works then. If it is the daughter card, I am at a loss. Anyone got an idea about what we can do next? tonestertm, I can't find your Novoports sticky. Can you repost the link please?:good:
KrellaKrentoshi said:
tonestertm, I can't find your Novoports sticky. Can you repost the link please?:good:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No need for a link, the Novaports thread is the third one down from the top of this forum.
Related
So as we are all aware, the captivate does not have a front facing camera. This doesn't bother me considering I never video chat. However, that may not be the same case for others. I was thinking today, computers and laptops have plugin webcams for USB ports. Why not smartphones? It could plug right into the top of the phone via the micro USB port and be the size of something like a wireless mouse receiver for a laptop. Could something like this physically be done? I know people who could do the physical part of the work like make the actual prototype, but would any coding/scripting need to be done inside the phone? I think it something alot of people want/need and could be profitable if successful. Share your opinions. Sorry if this is in the wrong forum or is a prepost...
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
sandrich said:
So as we are all aware, the captivate does not have a front facing camera. This doesn't bother me considering I never video chat. However, that may not be the same case for others. I was thinking today, computers and laptops have plugin webcams for USB ports. Why not smartphones? It could plug right into the top of the phone via the micro USB port and be the size of something like a wireless mouse receiver for a laptop. Could something like this physically be done? I know people who could do the physical part of the work like make the actual prototype, but would any coding/scripting need to be done inside the phone? I think it something alot of people want/need and could be profitable if successful. Share your opinions. Sorry if this is in the wrong forum or is a prepost...
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think if people are going to have to carry around a separate piece of equipment for video chat, they may as well not worry about software and just use one of those mirror attachments I have seen out there. Then you'd have a 5 MP FFC instead of a 1.3 MP one like most FFCs.
I for one would like that feature. It will be a while before I can upgrade again to a newer phone that has video chat and such. I don't know coding and such but I couldn't see why someone couldn't create an app that can be installed with said hardware if one was made. I too think something like that would be awesome. I can't see why if one can be added onto a laptop ( that doesn't already have one) with the added program files why something like that wouldn't work here.
I wouldn't mind carrying a extra bit of hardware with me. I mean I already bring with me an extra battery charger and my bluetooth and wired headsets. It wouldn't be something that would be used all the time. Another feature that our cpativates are lacking that could be added is a led light for when using the webcam. I have thought about making a case or something that has a led light that can (at least) run off a seperate battery and have a switch to turn on the light. But if something could. E done with a webcam that has a light also ( possibly a swivel webcam that rotates so you can either use it for video chat or as a seperate video camera) then you could have the led light turn on when needed for the camera or video functions. Good luck and make millions$. I am sure something like that could be a big seller for even cross platforms for phones that do not have video webcam/ chat or at least for all the android phones that don't.
Sent from MY Perception 10.1 on XDA App
It is possible. Just need someone to work on it. See the link in this thread:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=872377
GAMacky said:
It is possible. Just need someone to work on it. See the link in this thread:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=872377
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sounds like we should start a bounty. I'd love to be able to attach a MIDI controller.
The camera really would not need to be that big. If you look at the size of the camera night now its basically as big as a shirt button. I was thinking if you used something like a JIG but with a small camera on top it really should be no bigger then a quarter. Personally I be willing to pay maybe $100 for a little plug in video camera like that.
I would really like to see something like what the Motorola Atrix has going on with the ability to connect to a computer a basically have the Android OS running as separate OS. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uWIe8wQBqS0&hd=1
That would be a great idea.... But its probably done, just some product marketing guy needs to say ok sell it....
Cause doesn't the new google laptop have a webcam? That webcam piece is the size of strip of gum usually. Just need the connector and done.
I would much rather have some sort of small mirror/prism attachment that would piggy-back on the top of the phone, feeding my image into the already existing image into the camera.
Heck,
would sitting in front of a mirror and using skype/qik work?
Good afternoon to everybody!
I need your help here: I think that bad bluetooth reception on our Nooks because it wasn't designed from the beginning to be operational, so antenna is not present at all.
What if device will be opened and some antenna (maybe regular wire) will be installed.
What do you think? I am ready to hack my Nook for trying and post results here.
* I need information what chip is used for bluetooth communication and how I will find i within my Nook.
* Is regular wire soldered up to this chip will enhance bluetooth reception?
look here:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=892615
onclebob said:
look here:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=892615
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, bro! These are really encouraging news:
First results: The standard WL1271's antenna switch support chip is installed and fully wired, the teething pain problems that the programmers are having with bluetooth are not hardware related.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Waiting for software engineers to find a proper way...
Bluetooth Coupler?
Does anyone think that using a square of metal foil on the back of the Nook might help to couple the BT signal and make it a little stronger?
I'm considering buying a bluetooth transmitter for the Nook. They look like they plug right into the audio jack. It might be a bit of a pain but they don't look that big.
twopossums said:
I'm considering buying a bluetooth transmitter for the Nook. They look like they plug right into the audio jack. It might be a bit of a pain but they don't look that big.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Into the audio jack? You have an example of one?
Just do a search on Amazon for Bluetooth Transmitters.
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_s...luetooth+transmitter+3.5mm&sort=relevancerank
twopossums said:
Just do a search on Amazon for Bluetooth Transmitters.
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_s...luetooth+transmitter+3.5mm&sort=relevancerank
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That will only be good for audio, this will not enhance by any mean the use of a bluetooth keyboard or anything else...
Plus, that will only allow you to send audio feed, you won't receive anything, in fact, I believe we don't even have a ring for micro on the headphone jack.
hey looking at putting an android based car stereo in my new yaris
it can fit a 2 din radio and has steering wheel controls and a remote usb port / aux
i've been looking at the parrot asteroid as that can be rooted and tinkered with and doesnt require the always on usb connection (not to mention the rear-view camera connections are nice)
would like recommendations on brands, models, etc.
my preferred criteria are usb and aux connections and bluetooth hand free for phone calls.
some kind of removable storage would be a plus but not essential.
built in phone independent nav is highly prefered (borderline must-have)
Pioneer 8100NEX..... accept nothing less!
Sent from my 0PJA2 using Tapatalk
sgt. slaughter said:
Pioneer 8100NEX..... accept nothing less!
Sent from my 0PJA2 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
well the fact that that one is not actually android just has android auto functionality (so it has to be plugged in via usb to work) and can NOT be updated by the end user is a major turn off
i have been looking at Parrot's Asteroid Smart which is full android just reskinned and can be rooted for sideloading various apps like google maps; though i dont know where development is currently at for it's stock OS (but if i can root it that's less of an issue as i can just redo it for the most part myself)
i just installed an XTRONS TD702A in my truck and have been very happy with it. its compatible with malaysk rom and flashing was as easy as running a system update on a sd card. the price was cheap and it shipped in a couple of days.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/231772341298
You can check this one which is the latest version from Pumpkin: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Pumpkin-Double-Android-Navigation-Subwoofer/dp/B01B2JNF2C/
alvinjones377 said:
You can check this one which is the latest version from Pumpkin: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Pumpkin-Double-Android-Navigation-Subwoofer/dp/B01B2JNF2C/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The way Pumpkin has implemented Parrot BT it's as bad as the older units. The main screen is hard coded, you can't change any icons or
the way it look. No improvement the way I see it.
iateshaggy said:
i just installed an XTRONS TD702A in my truck and have been very happy with it. its compatible with malaysk rom and flashing was as easy as running a system update on a sd card. the price was cheap and it shipped in a couple of days.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/231772341298
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ya im a little warry on that one, as from the pics it looks like they cannibalized the entire frame from another companies DOA smart radio and just tried to fit their guts into it ( second picture bottom right; holes dont line up and the mounting screw hole for the radio connector is not even in because of the mis-alignment)
cost is less of an issue than making sure it works and i can do what i need to with it; for reference the parrot asteroid retails (depending on form where) from $429 to $729 depending on if its a refurb or used model
if thats the only option for my needs i can more than deal with that price in exchange for less headaches and/or more customization
also side-note: isn't it grand how xda DOESN'T auto subscribe you to threads that you create? didn't even know anyone else replied after the 8100nex recommendation till i remembered i made it and came to look....
to be honest i was a little curious about their mounting brackets but it didn't matter in my truck. i had to do such a custom fit job there was no need for mounting.
iateshaggy said:
to be honest i was a little curious about their mounting brackets but it didn't matter in my truck. i had to do such a custom fit job there was no need for mounting.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ya i'm not talking about the mounting bracket; i mean the mounting hole that secures the actual jack for the radio antenna itself if you look on the picture of the back you can see the jack's mounting hole that's meant to be secured to the inside of the radios shell....
anyway
anyone else have any suggestions?
i see what you mean. the hole on top is unused and the one for the radio worked fine.
ok so just had the time to go and actually measure the radio bay size and it is in fact not a 2 din but a 1.5 din bay
i'm guessing this severely limits my options?
edit: ok scratch that the moulding was just covering up the outer edge of the bay it is a 2 din looks like
so nvm
Does anyone have new Joying HU with surround digital amplifier? Has the sound quality improved?
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFr...zWiloVA/videos
They just came out. I posted in your other thread. I have one coming tomorrow. It may be some time before you get any real feedback since they are new. Looks promising, but we learn not to get our hopes up too much.
pounce said:
They just came out. I posted in your other thread. I have one coming tomorrow. It may be some time before you get any real feedback since they are new. Looks promising, but we learn not to get our hopes up too much.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
that's cool, I'm looking forward to hearing your thoughts on the new unit
For reference:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B073LF3GZP
Others should buy this so I have safety in numbers
I wouldn't expect greatness from an amp in units like this. Any good HUs that have optical out? That is probably the safest choice to get good sound out of these units.
Sent from my VS986 using Tapatalk
Ziggyrama said:
I wouldn't expect greatness from an amp in units like this. Any good HUs that have optical out? That is probably the safest choice to get good sound out of these units.
Sent from my VS986 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Anyone seen an android unit with toslink? For what its worth method of transport has no relation to sound quality. They solve different needs. Transport is like a road. It can be smooth or bumpy, but has nothing to do with the car you drive over it. You can send crap over a toslink and the head unit would have to convert lower grade data to PCM.
pounce said:
Anyone seen an android unit with toslink? For what its worth method of transport has no relation to sound quality. They solve different needs. Transport is like a road. It can be smooth or bumpy, but has nothing to do with the car you drive over it. You can send crap over a toslink and the head unit would have to convert lower grade data to PCM.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, you are correct but it is important to note how these units are built. Toslink removes the need for DAC which is the weak link. Basically, the unit reads digital media and sends digital signal to something else which has its own DAC. Decoding and sending digital signals in these HUs is done with off the shelf chipssets that either work or don't. It is binary. A cheap DAC adds a lot of artifacts and general noise to the signal. So, the reality is, a cheap HU that does toslink can yield good sound. A cheap HU with a DAC will not, because economics won't allow it. That is why I asked. To use your analogy, what is better, a smooth road paved with no seams and expansion joints or one that was paved piece meal with connectors and detours? Hope that makes sense.
Sent from my VS986 using Tapatalk
Ziggyrama said:
Yes, you are correct but it is important to note how these units are built. Toslink removes the need for DAC which is the weak link. Basically, the unit reads digital media and sends digital signal to something else which has its own DAC. Decoding and sending digital signals in these HUs is done with off the shelf chipssets that either work or don't. It is binary. A cheap DAC adds a lot of artifacts and general noise to the signal. So, the reality is, a cheap HU that does toslink can yield good sound. A cheap HU with a DAC will not, because economics won't allow it. That is why I asked. To use your analogy, what is better, a smooth road paved with no seams and expansion joints or one that was paved piece meal with connectors and detours? Hope that makes sense.
Sent from my VS986 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Many head units that have toslink really only had it for the CD or DVD and didn't convert radio or aux etc. A few units exist that do the conversion, but its pretty slim. I really don't think anyone has the expectation that for 300 bucks you are getting something amazing. You probably do get something incrementally better than the basic stuff we have been seeing.
Discussing toslink on these units is definitely an armchair topic and pretty far from realistic even if logically is makes sense.
i am really considering that 10.1 inch Joying, it would be my third Joying, so I have a good method of comparison
Well if its like the previous Joying units you can expect about one in 3 units to fully function out of the box and that one to fail within 90 days. Cheap chinese low quality junk with no warranty support.
Second, it does not belong in this forum. Has NOTHING to do with android auto. Off topic.
CadillacMike said:
i am really considering that 10.1 inch Joying, it would be my third Joying, so I have a good method of comparison
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do it! I need safety in numbers. I have a few others to compare that are still running.
I popped it open. I actually don't think the back is any sort of serious heatsink. The digital amp is screwed to it, but there is a gap. Video out is cables alongside the left rear usb. I'm not sure what the empty socket is between the mic and the video out. There is nothing identifying on the silver box.
I probably wont get to bench testing it until the weekend or next week.
pounce said:
I popped it open. I actually don't think the back is any sort of serious heatsink. The digital amp is screwed to it, but there is a gap. Video out is cables alongside the left rear usb. I'm not sure what the empty socket is between the mic and the video out. There is nothing identifying on the silver box.
I probably wont get to bench testing it until the weekend or next week.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for tearing into one of these... I've been really curious if that fancy looking back panel was actually a functional heatsink or not. Curious how you rank the sound quality and "no heat problem" this unit is supposed to be advertised for... Look forward to the rest of your review/testing!
I am very interested to see if there is a noticeable sound difference
My Joying died and I put in a Sony until I figure out my next move.
I was genuinely shocked at the sound improvement. And I always thought my Joying sounded great, but my speakers have come alive with the Sony
i got the 10 inch single din with an amp and DSP. I got it installed last night. only had a short drive to test it, but I think it sounds pretty great
CadillacMike said:
i got the 10 inch single din with an amp and DSP. I got it installed last night. only had a short drive to test it, but I think it sounds pretty great
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you get a model number on that? I had to have several emails with joying describing what I wanted with a single din and 10.1 screen. They told me to buy a certain one and then add 40 bucks and they would know what to send. Seemed weird. Just wonder if that's what you did also.
pounce said:
Did you get a model number on that? I had to have several emails with joying describing what I wanted with a single din and 10.1 screen. They told me to buy a certain one and then add 40 bucks and they would know what to send. Seemed weird. Just wonder if that's what you did also.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not yet, mine was a replacement for my 8 inch that quit working. I emailed them asking for a specific model number so I can post it in my review
Joying now makes it clear on their site:
Note: JOYING car stereo with internal digital amplifier only can fit the car which without internal amplifier and external amplifier.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I assume this is because there appears to be a lack of rear pre-outs, but I'm not totally clear. I did see that if you enable an external amp the controls are reverted to the old interface.
So I have had my new 10 inch unit for about 2 days, and it works great. *Bluetooth doesn't drop out, sounds awesome. *
today and only today, I was listening to music loudly, and I noticed it would drop out a bit. *I thought it was odd and looked at the screen, and I got this flash with yellow on top and some Chinese writing:
I did a reboot and it started working fine again
Right on, thanks for posting your experiences with this unit... I decided to buy an Xtrons 10.1 octacore unit because it was around $100 cheaper than the Joying with the digital amp... Heard a number of complaints about wireless sucking and stuff so I'm eyeing the Joying as a backup if the Xtrons unit goes bad or I discover some sort of weird issue. I gotta admit, I have not encountered any problems with it thus far so hopefully I won't be needing to swap it for the Joying, but its good to know it generally works pretty good (and sounds good) ... One note about the Xtrons unit, is yes the wireless does kinda suck if I'm trying to use my home wireless from the driveway, however its rock solid and fast when I'm using my phone as a hotspot, which is how it will be used 99% of the time, so I'm pretty stoked thats not an issue!
Anyways, thanks again for the info guys!
Hi All,
Im thinking of buying a new head unit for my BMW E90, are there any preferences over these brands? Im swaying towards the Eonon GA7165/GA8165 but i believe most of these units are all the same but branded differently?
<--Update-->
Right so after carefully considering everything for 2 years I finally bought one!
I've just purchased the Xtrons PE9890BIPL
https://xtrons.co.uk/bmw-3-series-android-8-0-pe9890bipl
It is on offer for just £239.99 which to me was a steal as second hand units (if you can find one) tend to sell for around £150+ because most people paid £300ish.
it has a beefy specced system of an Octa Core PX5 processor with 4GB RAM and a 32GB ROM running Android 8.0. This unit also has a big 9" screen at the expense of losing a DVD drive and some physical buttons (all of which can be used from your own steering wheel controls) but they offer the same spec with a smaller screen and contains the physical buttons if you'd prefer the physical buttons and DVD drive.
the newer head units running Android 9.0 aren't as good, currently offering a quad core PX35 processor (same x64 bit architecture but runs more efficient) and only 2GB RAM and 16GB ROM so it's a downgrade really.
Then of course we move onto the brilliant XDA forum for custom ROMS, and it just so happens they've already managed to get Android 9.0 onto these PX5 units
So I chose Xtrons because from what I've read most companies buy these units from the same supplier and brand them leaving other factors to be considered, for me xtrons is UK based so next day delivery, plus clearence prices, they also offered the beefier head unit, support seems okay (some chaps hasd ssues with steering wheel functions not working after locking and getting back into car, long story short they sent people new looms and sorted) and then on top of this XDA developers providing custom ROMS which can fix a lot of the common issues. I'll provide another update when it comes on Monday
at the moment
8-core-px5 - Dasaita > All because of the different (stand-alone BT and WiFi chips)
4-Core-px3 - IMHO the only differnce is the OS. 7.1 has no custom roms yet, so yo probably have a bloated OS
difference at both to consider: AMP chip TDA7388 or TDA7850, clear recomindation is the TDA7850 because ist has way more power and sounds clearer and more crisp
https://de.aliexpress.com/item/Car-android-GPS-For-BMW-E93-318LI-E92-325-E91-320LI-E90-328LI-autoradio-navigation-head/32808481136.html
zapedge said:
difference at both to consider: AMP chip TDA7388 or TDA7850, clear recomindation is the TDA7850 because ist has way more power and sounds clearer and more crisp
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey I'm new here.
Is the selection of AMP chip important ? Seems there's very few manufacturers using TDA7850.
The few that do use TDA7850 seem lots more expensive. Is this normal ?
Example http://smarty-trend.com/13-2-din-universal
zapedge said:
at the moment
8-core-px5 - Dasaita > All because of the different (stand-alone BT and WiFi chips)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1) BT and Wifi are going to be on the *same* chip, so don't need to pluralize that.
2) The positioning of that particular RF chip (whether it be on the SoM or the host board) doesn't *technically* matter. The downside to being on the host board is typically that the reseller may have a bigger part in writing software that interfaces with it, and reseller written software is always a very bad thing.
3) Intel Sofia units also have the wifibt and GPS chips on the SoM.
Even with the wifibt on the SoM, the resellers *still* manage to mess it up, however, it may be somewhat easier to clean up in this case.
---------- Post added at 07:19 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:17 PM ----------
bgroper said:
Hey I'm new here.
Is the selection of AMP chip important ? Seems there's very few manufacturers using TDA7850.
The few that do use TDA7850 seem lots more expensive. Is this normal ?
Example http://smarty-trend.com/13-2-din-universal
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think it may have to do mainly with your needs and expectations.
Neither is going to satisfy anyone who self-identifies as an "audiophile".
I think the main differences are that the 7850 is slightly more powerful (4x50 vs 4x45 watt), and is ok with 2 ohm speakers where the 7388 is 4 ohm only.
http://www.st.com/content/ccc/resou...df/jcr:content/translations/en.CD00179160.pdf
http://www.st.com/content/ccc/resou...df/jcr:content/translations/en.CD00145702.pdf
luciusfox said:
1) BT and Wifi are going to be on the *same* chip, so don't need to pluralize that.
2) The positioning of that particular RF chip (whether it be on the SoM or the host board) doesn't *technically* matter. The downside to being on the host board is typically that the reseller may have a bigger part in writing software that interfaces with it, and reseller written software is always a very bad thing.
3) Intel Sofia units also have the wifibt and GPS chips on the SoM.
Even with the wifibt on the SoM, the resellers *still* manage to mess it up, however, it may be somewhat easier to clean up in this case.
---------- Post added at 07:19 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:17 PM ----------
I think it may have to do mainly with your needs and expectations.
Neither is going to satisfy anyone who self-identifies as an "audiophile".
I think the main differences are that the 7850 is slightly more powerful (4x50 vs 4x45 watt), and is ok with 2 ohm speakers where the 7388 is 4 ohm only.
http://www.st.com/content/ccc/resou...df/jcr:content/translations/en.CD00179160.pdf
http://www.st.com/content/ccc/resou...df/jcr:content/translations/en.CD00145702.pdf
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Which make and model has the 7850 chip? I've just had a look at the Eonons, Xtrons and Joying units for the E90 and the most I have found is 4x48w and all the rest are the same 4x45w.
Not sure which chip mine got but I do have the Octacore GA7165A and I'm really happy with it just a few setup things I need to figure out. I also installed Viper4Android which improves the sound greatly only issue I'm facing is it does not apply to the MTC radio.
nils_92 said:
Not sure which chip mine got but I do have the Octacore GA7165A and I'm really happy with it just a few setup things I need to figure out. I also installed Viper4Android which improves the sound greatly only issue I'm facing is it does not apply to the MTC radio.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Probably because the radio analog output never touches the CPU. It goes RADIO --> BD37xxx --> amplifier --> speakers.
The BD37xxx is an audio processor/mixer. Bunch of analog inputs, bunch of analog outputs, i2c control from either the MCU or SoC depending in which vendor it is.
nils_92 said:
Not sure which chip mine got but I do have the Octacore GA7165A and I'm really happy with it just a few setup things I need to figure out. I also installed Viper4Android which improves the sound greatly only issue I'm facing is it does not apply to the MTC radio.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi mate,
Good to hear that Viper4Android works on the GA7165A model, so you've not experienced any other issues? On a YouTube video I've read various things such as Audio quality being poor through Spotify which is one of the main things I'd want, and also phone calls sounding muffled, though I assume that's probably down to the positioning of the Mic itself. What sound system do you have as well mate, is it stock or upgraded?
luciusfox said:
Probably because the radio analog output never touches the CPU. It goes RADIO --> BD37xxx --> amplifier --> speakers.
The BD37xxx is an audio processor/mixer. Bunch of analog inputs, bunch of analog outputs, i2c control from either the MCU or SoC depending in which vendor it is.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Very surprised you know information as detailed as that Knowing all that you do, what would you advise to purchase?
mrsweet1991 said:
Hi mate,
Good to hear that Viper4Android works on the GA7165A model, so you've not experienced any other issues? On a YouTube video I've read various things such as Audio quality being poor through Spotify which is one of the main things I'd want, and also phone calls sounding muffled, though I assume that's probably down to the positioning of the Mic itself. What sound system do you have as well mate, is it stock or upgraded?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I’ve got the stock sound system of a 2006 E91 I have installed Spotify but I haven’t used it yet still waiting for my mifi device but I’ll give it a shot maybe tomorrow and let you know.
In terms of Bluetooth / phone Bluetooth music is very good and also works through Viper4Android for the phone function itself I’ve only used the internal mic so far and that is a bit quiet but I’ll install the external mic later in the hope that it will improve the volume issue.
One thing I did have was V4A wouldn’t start automatically until I installed it as a system app now or does that just fine and from a sound quality perspective it is not worse than the default Prof. Head unit if anything I would say better since I can set a more granular sound set-up ( I like deep bass when the radio is not too loud just like the loudness feature on other stereos).
Not sure where you live if anywhere near southwest London feel free to pm me and we can meet for a coffee and you can have a look at it
@mrsweet1991 Have not yet tinkered with the mic but I did try Spotify for you and can report it works just fine I left the Spotify EQ off and instead use V4A and the sound quality is as good as an MP3 on the USB.
Hope that helps.
Have now installed the external mic however I had to disconnect the internal mic to get good quality I might go ahead and solder the external mic onto the internal port so I can use that for OK Google etc as well but with external mic and internal disconnected the quality is good.
How can i root the ga8165 and install xposed framework?
Another thoroughly derailed / hijacked thread
mrsweet1991 said:
Hi All,
Im thinking of buying a new head unit for my BMW E90, are there any preferences over these brands? Im swaying towards the Eonon GA7165/GA8165 but i believe most of these units are all the same but branded differently?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I recently purchased this unit (GA7165A)and installed it.
If you purchased this unit how do you like it so far?
By the way I have a L7 AMP (fiber) and had to do a bit of research to figure out a few functional work around.
nils_92 said:
Have now installed the external mic however I had to disconnect the internal mic to get good quality I might go ahead and solder the external mic onto the internal port so I can use that for OK Google etc as well but with external mic and internal disconnected the quality is good.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi Mate,
Been such a long time since I've been on here, I just wanted to say a big thanks for the information it's good to know. I'm hoping one day I might get a break from fixing things on the car and actually get to stick an eonon unit in! Last time I here the 7165a was the best out and now there's a 8165a lol
mallen462 said:
I recently purchased this unit (GA7165A)and installed it.
If you purchased this unit how do you like it so far?
By the way I have a L7 AMP (fiber) and had to do a bit of research to figure out a few functional work around.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi mate, I've not had a chance to buy one yet.. I seem to end up fixing the bloody car all the time haha. Walked in for an MOT and come out with a failure for a snapped rear spring and a couple of other minor things.. Starting to get back on track now though, so I take it you have the logic 7 system? Mines just the basic system with underseat subs so should be easier to setup but less rewarding on the sound quality side haha.
Also interested in buying a unit for my E90, just not sure how to pick a unit and know that im getting one of the more reliable manufacturers with stable software? Anyone have experience with the Eonon 8165A? seems like the best deal..
Xtrons
Sent from my [device_name] using XDA-Developers Legacy app
Can any GA8615a owners vouch for the sound quality? Is it any worse than the stock HU?