It's all just little bits of data....
So after getting a bit sick of the Tom Tom GPS looking less then OEM sticking out of the console just above the ashtray, I decided it might be time for the E34 to enter the digital age.
Centralfield Technology in Frankston are currently selling Nexus 7 (3G, 32GB) referbs with 12 month ASUS warranty for $199.00.
So I snapped one up and plan a permanent install. I will most likely perform the bulk of the work on that at the same time I install the Getrag 260 5 Speed out of the donor car. Seems logical as I will be changing the center console auto paneling at that time. I'm thinking a subtle integration with a single piece of curved polished timber surrounding both the shifter and the Nexus screen, power and volume switches wired to OEM style buttons off to the driver's side of the screen.
Image below is a temporary test fit for proof of concept. Plan to run a VMware platform in the boot that I can remote into from the Nexus for work purposes (I'm in I.T.) and some largish USB external storage. I will stream BT audio to the Pioneer head unit and install a small standalone amp and speakers for the Nexus to run independently of whatever's coming out of the Pioneer at the time. That should give me enough flexibility to keep me happy in any config audio-wise. I may even look into a small wireless IP camera for reverse, but that's unlikely to be as integrated as I would like.
Been doing quite a bit of driving and software testing over the weekend.
Sygic is the name of the game when it comes to Nav. Front end is provided by
Ultra Car Home.
MortPlayer won the Audio playback race, whilst
MXPlayer is hands down the best for Video, although you do need to "fernangle" the config a bit for best results.