Nexus 7 Install and Customization

[gdrider77]

So i have been following some threads and debating on different ideas for my audio in my car. I really liked the idea of a tablet and using torque for various gauges, information, etc...

I purchased a Nexus7 and rooted it using timurs rom. This allows the tablet to charge and turn on when the car turns on, and turn off when the car turns off.

I have also started working on custom skinning for both the homescreen and torque. I will post the screen stuff later, but first i wanted to get to the dash install.

I have seen a few people put these in dash and fill the extra space with carpet, black tape, etc...It's really not that hard to simply mold the dash piece to fit around the tablet. Its a really nice fit and the tablet almost fits stock. If i wasnt so anal i could easily wedge the tablet in and call it a day.

I really hate the silver interior on the brz, so i had previously wrapped it in black carbon fiber vinyl. So for this i pulled the vinyl off the dash piece and got started. Total time to mold this and mount was bout 4-5 hours or so. Not much time really.

I dont have pictures of the first few steps as i test fit it before deciding to take pictures and stuff. Basically what i did was shave down the backside of the trim piece slightly to allow a small recess on the bottom for the tablet to fit into. This gave it a bit more room, and helped to lock the tablet into place. I also trimmed the left and right side to allow the table tot fit a bit close to the front of the panel, and this also kept it from sliding left and right.


The next step was to remove the rear speak on the tablet and move the small power plug straight back and to push through the hole where the speaker use to be. This allows me to have the OTG cable plugged in behind, rather to the side where the bezel would obstruct it. Here it is test fit


Next step was working on the "mount". Basically what i did was take a small sheet of black ABS and test fit on top of the tablet. I pulled it off, cut a small section out for the charge port then heated it. Doesnt take much, but using a heat gun i get one side so its soft, and i mean like just about dripping. I then lay it on top of the tablet and using fingers (gloves) and some tools i push and mold the ABS around the contours of the tablet and the back of the trim piece. Once cool it dries in that new shape. I then repeat for the other side. Nothing special, just keep working it till it seems to fit pretty snug. The reason i do this is so basically i can secure the abs to the trim, and still allow the tablet to be removed without too much work should i need to. The lighting is a bit weird so look funky, but its perfect on the tablet and pretty close on the trim and plenty molded for this purpose. If i really wanted to i could have done even more meticulous molding, but this was plenty good and fit nice and snug.


I test fit it in the car and notice on the top there is a bit of plastic that needs to be trimmed on the vents.


Once trimmed the trim fit perfect with the tablet. You cant even notice where i trimmed and should i ever put it back to stock it wont be noticeable. One note on this, the orginal top trim had a small "tab" that fit into a square hole here, which i just cut out, so i also trimmed the radio trim piece as well. This allows a better fit.


Next step was to create the side pieces to work as the major filler for the panel.


After measuring, cutting and sanding/shaving, this is the rough fit. Keep in mind with this it does not need to be perfect. You want it to be pretty close and have the overall shape, but you will fine sand it and fill it with bondo shortly so you just want a good base.


From the back you can see how i drilled out a few small holes for some very little screws to go through. I also drill a few extra holes for the bondo to squeeze through and help reinforce once all done.



Now time to get the first layer of bondo on it. This is just the first build up layer, and nothing to fancy. I concentrate more on filling all the gaps/holes, rather than trying to be perfectly smooth.


I like to mix my bondo a bit "hot" which just means put a bit more hardener in it so it dries faster. Not much extra, just an extra drop or so. This allows me to start working with it in about 15 minutes or so. One tip on this, for larger portions, get to that sooner, it will be a bit softer and you can knock it down/sand it much easier before it totally cures.






For the next coat i now put it a bit lighter and was more concerned about smoothing and filling any holes or areas i really wanted to sand and smooth out, then with the extra bondo i had after that i put some on the back to fill in spots, reinforce thin hollow plastic, etc..


After this dried and i sanded it all smooth it was pretty much ready to go. At this point, i was good because i was giong to wrap it, other may want to sand smoother, primer, paint. If i was going to paint this then i would probably have spent a bit more time sanding, filling, etc..but with vinyl i knew i only needed it to be smooth.


So i did a quick test fit of the tablet.


Here is the carbon fiber vinyl i was going to use. I cute a piece about the size i needed.


Once wrapped this is the look.


And here it is with the tablet test fit and turned on. Notice the custom gauges, RPM setup to mimic the BRZ gauge.


I epoxied a small length of abs on the bottom to work as a guide for the ABS mold to lock into.


Then secured the ABS mold to it using the above mentioned locking strip and Second Skin (essentially Dynomat), which is awesome for stuff like this, and i also used that throughout my car. You heat it up and its moldable, with adhesive on one side and a foam texture on the other. It secures real well and is great because helps with any shakes/rattles. Because i made the ABS mold, its secured (mostly) to that and not the tablet, so if i ever have to remove the tablet, i can without too much hassle.


And then finally, mount in the dash and do a quick test. You can see here the first homepage screen. I am still working on what i want it to be exactly, but this was my initial idea, very basic, with just a single button to access the gauges (torque). I will detail this more once i make more progress.

[gdrider77]

Reserved for the designs on homepage, startup, torque, etc..

[nataku]

Holy crap that's awesome. Sure looks better than the "BeShit" radio I spent $800 on... Subbed for updates

[STV3]

That looks great bro!

[rupert]

Good job! I added your build to the directory.

[gdrider77]

Originally Posted by rupert

Good job! I added your build to the directory.

Thanks.

[Sportsguy83]

Wow......

Really awesome!!!

[scraejtp]

This may be stupid, but what controls all of the original radio functions?
I guess this replaces the navigation, and doesn't need cell/wifi data?

[Prog]

Originally Posted by scraejtp

This may be stupid, but what controls all of the original radio functions?
I guess this replaces the navigation, and doesn't need cell/wifi data?

You either connect it directly to an amplifier of some kind, or you recess a single DIN head unit, set it like you want it, and basically never touch it. I have an IR repeater going around my dash panel so I can use the remote to control my head unit (volume, source change, few other functions).

[Trashed675]

Well done sir. I've been dragging my feet on this for a while (the gaps only bug me a little). I'm curious how you made your torque look like that. All the downloadable "themes" look kinda pooie to me.

[SkAsphalt]

This is really awesome! great work! I have a Nexus 7 and a Moto G that I plan on using (one or the other) for gauges and your custom work looks great for this! Very inspiring.

[gdrider77]

So for audio controls, as mentioned a couple options. I really dont like the idea of putting a whole other unit behind it, just seems like a waste. What i have done is put a DAC on my unit, this allows the audio to be split out. I run that to an external volume control inline with my amplifiers. So essentially i have a small PHYSICAL volume knob on the left of my dash. I hate not having a physical knob for volume. I toyed around with the idea of creating custom physical controls on the steering wheel for basic functions, volume, trackup/down, etc...but really in the end, volume is all i really care about. The audio for me is secondary to the functionality of the tablet and the torque app.

I will detail more of the audio build in the future once i get that all wrapped up and done.

[gdrider77]

Originally Posted by Trashed675

Well done sir. I've been dragging my feet on this for a while (the gaps only bug me a little). I'm curious how you made your torque look like that. All the downloadable "themes" look kinda pooie to me.

Yeah, all the themes i saw were crap. I am designing all my own themes and graphics from scratch.

While not identical, i am working on my gauge themes to match closely, basically to be inspired by the brz gauges. I could make them look identical, but wanted a little bit of flair.

Here is the empty tach for example. The real one in a picture and the one i made. I wasnt concerned about absolutely identical, as i wanted it to be slightly different, but still fit the flow/feel and colors of the current gauges. Its missing all the numbers ticks, etc.. as its the image i created, and those parts are put in once loaded into torque. I have my tablet rooted, so then i get into the torque directory and modify the properties text file, this is where you can tweak fonts, colors, ticks, diameters, settings, etc...

[Trashed675]

Originally Posted by gdrider77

Yeah, all the themes i saw were crap. I am designing all my own themes and graphics from scratch.

While note identical, i am working on my gauge themes to match closely, basically to be inspired by the brz gauges. I could make them look identical, but wanted a little bit of flair.

Here is the empty tach for example. The real one in a picture and the one i made. I wasnt concerned about absolutely identical, as i wanted it to be slightly different, but still fit the flow/feel and colors of the current gauges. Its missing all the numbers ticks, etc.. as its the image i created, and those parts are put in once loaded into torque. I have my tablet rooted, so then i get into the torque directory and modify the properties text file, this is where you can tweak fonts, colors, ticks, diameters, settings, etc...

Good to know. I just rooted my N7 the other day(first rooted device) and i'm still playing with the new toys.