[OrthodocX]

Originally Posted by rosh_aveo1.4

Hey. That looks brilliant. I tried the same thing but used a battery operated unit instead which goes to sleep once disconnected and another one unit in my Civic that uses a small wire. And yes, never liked the wire hanging in the dashboard as you said.
I basically use it for music streaming and not for calls since I'm not comfortable driving and speaking on a phone. But I still haven't solved the NFC tag issue i.e how to go about automatically calling a radio application like Ganna or Saavn (rarely use the music stored in my SD card). I know I can launch an application using NFC but I still haven't figured out how to select a particlar folder or favourite or radio station. The phone music player app works fine with controls and all but not a third party radio app as far as I know.
And how we're you able to toggle the location settings in your phone though Tasker? Was it rooted? I think that was what the Xposed framework modules does?

Thank you. Let me try to answer your questions as best as I can. Regarding type of Bluetooth unit, I avoided a battery powered unit because then the unit does not switch on and off with the car. This was essential for my setup as the connect and disconnect are triggers that I wanted to use for automating my in car audio. Battery powered units may have auto sleep function, but this would mean even when I switched off the car, my phone would continue to be connected to BT till I walked away out of it's range. Since I use a special Car Mode with a totally different layout, it disables my lockscreen, replaces apps and icons, announces all notifications via speaker.... I didn't want that to happen. Also, everytime I sat back in the car, I'd have to manually turn it on. Plus, there's the hassle of periodically charging it, because you can't leave it connected to charger forever and battery is bound to die sometime. I wanted something that was a one time setup and then I could just forget it forever. Sort of like the "Fill it. Shut it. Forget it." Hero Honda philosophy. That is what I have managed to achieve.

I had also explored two other options and wasted money on them. One was an all in one USB Bluetooth device which streamed music from the phone over Bluetooth directly to the USB and the music system thought it was reading a pen drive. The second one was the type that plugs into the USB and a short cable connects it to the AUX input. Both these sound good in theory but the music streaming quality was not up to my standards, the devices didn't auto pair, randomly disconnected, the mic was tinny, call quality through BT was bad. And the worst thing was that I still had to use my phone to change songs and operate calls etc. So I kept looking and finally ended up with the current setup.


Regarding the phone side of the automation process: Yes, I'm rooted. Xposed framework is not necessary for the core functionality I have described, but it's essential in changing NFC listening state form only when phone is unlocked to even when screen is locked. This saves me the step of unlocking the phone when putting it into the car cradle. I can just pop it in there casually and all the magic happens on it's own. The main apps are Trigger, Tasker and a Tasker plug-in app called Secure Settings. The last one is a powerhouse and allows access to countless hidden options and features, including the elusive Car Mode, that Samsung has hidden away, only to be triggered when you use the super expensive Samsung proprietary car dock. I can access all these using secure settings, but only with root.

Originally Posted by blahman

Awesome DIY buddy.. Why don't you try this app called AutoMate instead of using the car mode function? AutoMate is still a Beta buy it looks exactly like the AndriodAuto interface.. There are a few bugs but I haven't faced any major annoyances.. Here's the link to download it from:

https://plus.google.com/communities/...88212710276577

Thank you. I have actually tried automate and am a beta tester for the app. It has great potential, the design is beautiful, and I'm sure it'll be great one day after it exits beta. But currently, the core functionality is still not mature enough to meet my needs or standards. After trying out practically every single Car Home app on the play store, it is my opinion that the current best is "Car Dashdroid". It does everything I want, and the best thing is that the developer is very responsive. I e-mailed him two feature requests and within a week, he added them to the app!

Originally Posted by su1978

Great mate. This is really awsome. Initially i was contemplating the idea of changing the HU on both my cars to have this feature. But now i think i will buy this unit. Few queries that are ringing in my mind are

1. You mentioned that the music fades away and the name of caller gets displayed. Does the display happen on the HU of music system or on the phone
2. Is there a possibility to connect the 3.5mm audio jack from behind the music system.
3. Is there any way we could have the steering mounted controls for answering/rejecting calls.

Thank you.

1. What I meant is that it's displayed on the phone screen. There is no way to display info like that on car system screen via just an AUX cable.

2. I'm glad you asked. Because I want to know this too. That would be even cooler. All wires would disappear! But I'm not very good with car head units and need guidance from some DIY guru to accomplish this task.

3. There are steering mounted units available. Blaupunkt makes one. But the ones I know are battery operated and need a special head unit to work (you can't run an AUX cable from the steering wheel to the music system, right?!). Another variety has built in speaker, but it is too tinny for my liking, and the unit is for calls only, won't connect to the head unit. To the best of my knowledge, unless you DIY a contraption, there's no commercially available unit that is compatible with this setup.


Hope this helps.

[su1978]

Was deeply motivated by this thread. But at the same time was greatly convinced that there would be some other way out wherin the activity could be completed. I was also determined to look for some cheap(but not weird) option. Did a complete survey of Gaffar market here in Delhi and the car accessories market in karol bagh. But none of the dealers/retailers were aware about the device being discussed on this thread(Kinivo 450).

Finally today one thought occurred to me. I recalled some of the colleagues at my workplace using a Bluetooth handsfree with a small dongle tucked in their pocket or their shirts and a wire from that dongle in the ears. This was enough to set the alarm bells ringing at their highest pitch. Drove straight to a mobile shop. Asked for the device. He pulled the device out from one of his boxes that did not seem to have been touched for years altogether. Was excited to see that device from Nokia (BTH 111). The color options were not available with him but again that was not a detrimental factor for me. The price quoted was 2000 rs. But negotiated with him and got that device for 1400 Rs. The installation process was simple

1. Paired the device with my phone
2. Plugged the aux cable into the earphone socket
3. Put the music system into AUX mode
4. Started to play music on my phone and viola everything fell into place
5. Called my wife and asked her if my voice was very clear. She responded in affirmative
6. Asked my wife to call me back and responded by pressing the answer button on that dongle which I had placed on my next seat.
7. Tried changing the music tracks from that dongle and was able to do so without any hassle.
8. There is a volume control button on the dongle also which allows to set the volume as per choice.

Mission accomplished for just Rs 1400. The next step of hiding all those cable will be done next week. Till then

[OrthodocX]

Originally Posted by su1978

Was deeply motivated by this thread. But at the same time was greatly convinced that there would be some other way out wherin the activity could be completed. I was also determined to look for some cheap(but not weird) option. Did a complete survey of Gaffar market here in Delhi and the car accessories market in karol bagh. But none of the dealers/retailers were aware about the device being discussed on this thread(Kinivo 450).

Finally today one thought occurred to me. I recalled some of the colleagues at my workplace using a Bluetooth handsfree with a small dongle tucked in their pocket or their shirts and a wire from that dongle in the ears. This was enough to set the alarm bells ringing at their highest pitch. Drove straight to a mobile shop. Asked for the device. He pulled the device out from one of his boxes that did not seem to have been touched for years altogether. Was excited to see that device from Nokia (BTH 111). The color options were not available with him but again that was not a detrimental factor for me. The price quoted was 2000 rs. But negotiated with him and got that device for 1400 Rs. The installation process was simple

1. Paired the device with my phone
2. Plugged the aux cable into the earphone socket
3. Put the music system into AUX mode
4. Started to play music on my phone and viola everything fell into place
5. Called my wife and asked her if my voice was very clear. She responded in affirmative
6. Asked my wife to call me back and responded by pressing the answer button on that dongle which I had placed on my next seat.
7. Tried changing the music tracks from that dongle and was able to do so without any hassle.
8. There is a volume control button on the dongle also which allows to set the volume as per choice.

Mission accomplished for just Rs 1400. The next step of hiding all those cable will be done next week. Till then

Great. Happy you found what you were looking for. Like I said, I had very specific reasons for not wanting a battery powered Bluetooth headset. I own the Nokia device you're talking about for the last 3 years. It's an excellent device with a good microphone and excellent music output. I had thought of using it initially for my setup but it isn't compatible with the level of automation I needed (I'm very OCD about my requirements). We all have unique needs, and if you're happy with the result, then it's perfect for you. Congrats.

[adarsh.n]

I purchased the kinivo kit recently online. But quite annoyed with a strange buzzing sound that starts once the device is connected and paired with my iphone. I don't know is there is a loose connection or if this is normal.The sound is quite annoying and continues even while playing audio.

[OrthodocX]

Originally Posted by adarsh.n

I purchased the kinivo kit recently online. But quite annoyed with a strange buzzing sound that starts once the device is connected and paired with my iphone. I don't know is there is a loose connection or if this is normal.The sound is quite annoying and continues even while playing audio.

Very sorry to hear about your predicament.

I've been using the device since day one without any problem whatsoever. The audio quality is stellar, and matches that of audio played through USB or CD. I've never heard bluetooth streamed audio so good - on any device.

Well, to the best of my analytical skills, I can think of three possible explanations for your issue, in decreasing order of likelihood:

1. Improper earthing in car. If you look online, that's the most common reason successfully identified for hissing audio on such devices. Get this checked by your local trusted mechanic or audio/accessory guy.

2. Problem with your aux port or car ICE. If you have issues with other AUX sources, this may be the issue. If it's only when using the Kinivo, then this is less likely.

3. Faulty device. If nothing else works, get a replacement under warranty and see if that helps.

[tez]

Amazing and motivated to do this DIY. Need some inputs,
1. where do you get the NFC sticker
2. How did u read NFC through xposed. Did u code something or is it available by default or a 3rd party app?
3. I don't have a car mode in my cell, so would dashdroid help here

[OrthodocX]

Originally Posted by tez

Amazing and motivated to do this DIY. Need some inputs,
1. where do you get the NFC sticker
2. How did u read NFC through xposed. Did u code something or is it available by default or a 3rd party app?
3. I don't have a car mode in my cell, so would dashdroid help here

Glad to know you liked the project.

As for your doubts:

1. NFC stickers can be purchased through local shops or online vendors. I choose to buy mine from e-bay vendor NFC House. http://www.ebay.in/itm/5-pcs-of-Topa.../181446934041?

2. If you have any Android handset with NFC, all you need to do is use a 3rd Party app like Trigger (from Play Store) to program your desired actions onto the tag. You don't have to be rooted for this. Once that is done, whenever your phone back comes near the tag, it will execute whatever actions you have selected. It is all very self explanatory and doesn't require any programming skills whatsoever. All this is do-able with a regular phone without any modifications / tweaks needed.

As far as xposed is concerned, I used it only to enable NFC listening even while the phone was locked (as compared to default android behavior which allows NFC to execute only once the phone is unlocked). You don't need it unless you're very obsessed (like me) about how you want your setup to behave. But this is a grey zone involving rooting and modifying system files that you should only venture into if you are familiar with this sort of thing.

3. Even if there's no car mode, you can use a Car Home app like Car Dashdroid, Car Home Ultra or AutoMate Beta. Most versions of Android have a Car mode written into the code. Whether the manufacturer enables access to it or not is another issue. What phone do you have? Car modes are sometimes hidden and not visible to users. Lemme see if I can help you out with this.

[tez]

Thanks for your reply mate. After the post, I went through some post on XDA Dev forum and found out the details. Planning up by some NFC stickers from the site you mentioned. I have mi3 which has NFC and app for it though it never struck me that we could use it that way and it also had a car mode in NFC app.

[DeepeshKarnik]

Originally Posted by arnabchak

Slightly .

I have a double din Pio HU in my Wagon R.
As you know, there is some gap in the frame and the HU and it does not flush fit.

To elaborate, please refer to the pic(illustrative only)
Attachment 1364659

Is there any frame available to have a flush fit that gives close to OEM finish and not display the gap?
Where can this bracket be procured and what is the approx. cost?

I tries Ebay and Amazon to no avail BTW.

I have been looking for the same since ages. If you happen to find something, I'll be highly obliged to know about it.