dassaur
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- Jun 10, 2020
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- Location
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- Members Ride
- VF Calais V V8 Wagon
I promised a review and here it is.
TLDR: Can't imagine a better option. Get it, you wont regret it.
As someone who loves tinkering, an android head unit was perfect for me. I can't remember where I came across this one (I think it was here), but it included the fascia for the dash, the canbus decoder and a generic head unit. I got the 4GB/64GB version. It was $595 AUD all up.
www.aliexpress.com
The unit had some factory settings I wanted to look at and change some developer options which were locked behind a password, but the seller supplied it. (BTW password is 3368) For the technically inclined, it is a Unisoc UIS8581A 8 Core: 4x ARM Cortex-A55 @ 1.6 GHz, 4x ARM Cortex-A55 @ 1.2 GHz. It runs android 10 (but for some reason it says android 11!)
If you want to read a bit more about the tech side, XDA is good:
forum.xda-developers.com
First up. All the canbus stuff. It works beautifully. Reverse, the reverse cam comes up. dash warnings, indicators, all that kind of stuff. Dipping left wing mirror works. The only thing that doesnt work is the heated seats on my calais.
In terms of brightness, it's excellent. I only struggled to see it at one time in my driving - direct sunlight angled on. Could still see, but it was a struggle.
Often run Torque and waze with music in the background (or radio). Split screening apps works well too. The only downside is that the audio quality for phone calls on the other end is lower than the mylink (even though this Mic is right next to the factory mic). It's still ok, just not as good.
My set up is Nova Launcher. One little quirk is, to enable USB reading properly you need to install an extra APK for the documents UI:
Also, factory USB slot works with it.
Fairly easy to install too. No wiring needed, all just goes in harnesses.
One trick with the radio: I needed an adaptor. Specifically a 'Fakra Z male to DIN. I bought this one from Amazon:
You can see it in the picture below. The black part is the factory antenna connector.
Since I have a GPS antenna, I wanted to use the factory antenna - but I needed another adapter. This time a Fakra C male to SMA male. I got this one:
In the mean time however, I used the antenna the head unit came with. Worked beautifully.
This is where I put the GPS antenna and the 4G antenna then fed the wires down. (OfC, the grill is back on
And here's a picture of my UI:
I realise I dont have a photo of it installed. Will chuck one up tomorrow. Too dark now to get a good one!
I did a bit of a video summary too, if you'd like to see.
I'll gladly answer questions/etc.
TLDR: Can't imagine a better option. Get it, you wont regret it.
As someone who loves tinkering, an android head unit was perfect for me. I can't remember where I came across this one (I think it was here), but it included the fascia for the dash, the canbus decoder and a generic head unit. I got the 4GB/64GB version. It was $595 AUD all up.
286.3AU $ |Built-in Carplay Multimedia Player For Holden Commodore Vf 2014 Android Screen - Car Multimedia Player - AliExpress
Smarter Shopping, Better Living! Aliexpress.com
www.aliexpress.com
The unit had some factory settings I wanted to look at and change some developer options which were locked behind a password, but the seller supplied it. (BTW password is 3368) For the technically inclined, it is a Unisoc UIS8581A 8 Core: 4x ARM Cortex-A55 @ 1.6 GHz, 4x ARM Cortex-A55 @ 1.2 GHz. It runs android 10 (but for some reason it says android 11!)
If you want to read a bit more about the tech side, XDA is good:
General FYT based Spreadtrum uis7862(s) (unisoc ums512) & uis8581a (sc9863) - Q&A, Mods, tips, firmware
Last revised: 19 February 2024 This thread tries to be a "one fits all" thread about FYT based Spreadtrum Unisoc uis7862(s) (Unisoc ums512) and uis8581a (sc9863) head units and its software, modded or not. The first few posts will be...
forum.xda-developers.com
First up. All the canbus stuff. It works beautifully. Reverse, the reverse cam comes up. dash warnings, indicators, all that kind of stuff. Dipping left wing mirror works. The only thing that doesnt work is the heated seats on my calais.
In terms of brightness, it's excellent. I only struggled to see it at one time in my driving - direct sunlight angled on. Could still see, but it was a struggle.
Often run Torque and waze with music in the background (or radio). Split screening apps works well too. The only downside is that the audio quality for phone calls on the other end is lower than the mylink (even though this Mic is right next to the factory mic). It's still ok, just not as good.
My set up is Nova Launcher. One little quirk is, to enable USB reading properly you need to install an extra APK for the documents UI:
Also, factory USB slot works with it.
Fairly easy to install too. No wiring needed, all just goes in harnesses.
One trick with the radio: I needed an adaptor. Specifically a 'Fakra Z male to DIN. I bought this one from Amazon:
You can see it in the picture below. The black part is the factory antenna connector.
Since I have a GPS antenna, I wanted to use the factory antenna - but I needed another adapter. This time a Fakra C male to SMA male. I got this one:
In the mean time however, I used the antenna the head unit came with. Worked beautifully.
This is where I put the GPS antenna and the 4G antenna then fed the wires down. (OfC, the grill is back on
And here's a picture of my UI:
I realise I dont have a photo of it installed. Will chuck one up tomorrow. Too dark now to get a good one!
I did a bit of a video summary too, if you'd like to see.
I'll gladly answer questions/etc.
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