I am either a genius, or one of you smart people will tell me that this wont work and why. Since my Navi isnt working in Hawaii I was looking into replacing the ROM or the Nexus 7 swap....when I came across the USASPEC BT thread and decided to just add that to my car anyway so I can at least listen to music from my phone......but this morning...a lightbulb went off.

Now I am not nearly as skilled enough to do all the soldering and stuff for the nexus 7 swap...BUT... if I added the USASPEC BT module in the back....and swapped out the navi screen with an ipad mini and some molding putty...I could control tracks and everything via the BT Module and have the Ipad in place of my screen for Navi etc...


Would it work??

My only concern is if I am removing the Navi screen is this where the XM and everything hook into or is it the bottom piece under the navi screen that is the actual radio part ?

 

Actually I thin now, if I remove the Navi unit, then what will the USASPEC and Ipad stream to ?

 

Has anyone installed one of these ? ACURA TL 2004-2008 NAVIGATION VIDEO INTERFACE with BUILT-IN HD SMARTPHONE MIRRORING via HDMI

 

Why don't you just mount your iPad outside and don't have to deal with all that nonsense

 

Im thinking it will probably look like shit ? No way to hide power cord etc..

 

Chris - If I'm understanding your post correctly, you're comparing a few different things:

1. Yes, your plan would "work" in one sense. The two main issues with replacing a Navi with a tablet are (i) how you power the tablet, and (ii) will the tablet fit in the bezel. I believe the Mini would fit, but with the USB plug to provide power, it might be tight. Also, the iPad is pretty reliant on that center button, and I'm not 100% sure you would have access to it under the TL's bezel. Look up the dimensions and let us know.
2. Nexus 7 doesn't actually need any soldering, can go into deep sleep, and fits nicely behind the bezel, which is why many people have chose this model. I left the Nexus 7 at 90% volume, and covered up the power and volume buttons during the install. Power is permanently supplied over the USB cable, but automatically goes into deep sleep when the car shuts off (tablet senses it due to Timur's software, and only loses 4% battery per day while sleeping). I'm not sure how you plan to power the iPad, or how much power it would consume daily, but keep those considerations in mind.
3. As for the XM and Navi screen, I believe you will need to keep those in the car, behind the dash, because attached is a "brain" which drives the AC and some other functions. There is space behind the Navi screen, or the future Nexus7/iPad, to fit this stuff.

Happy to answer more - ask away!

 

Let me share some of my experience on this since ive done the 1st gen nexus 7 USB Rom in my car 2 years ago

Since you've stated you have a TL with the NAVI, theres something important you need to know... you cant just remove and replace your navi screen
there are 3 or 4 harness cables that plug into your navi screen which controls pretty much all of your climate control and probably other things im sure
TL guys WITH the NAVI that did the nexus 7 swap (like myself) actually have the navi screen hidden behind the nexus 7... in order to do this you need
to remove the metal casing on the OEM navi screen and then flip the lcd around... that leaves you with a EXTREMELY tight space BUT its just enough
for you to plug the cables back in plus the nexus 7

also there are several ways to go about the nexus 7 swap... you say you want to stay away from soldering cause its not something your comfortable with?
well im exactly the same way and i didnt soldering a single wire... as a matter of fact i didnt even cut any wires everything i did was completely plug and play

now you said your thinking about a iPad which means your going to have to mold the dash but keep in mind however good you are at molding a custom bezel it will still look
weird and out of place... even the smallest ipad made is going to be over sized... if your worried about things looking awkward a ipad install might not be something you want to do
plus molding a custom dash to fit perfectly isnt exactly easy or quick

 

Also let me add a few more points

-iPads are no where near capable of the levels of customization.. im not too well versed with ipads but do they even have usb support? how will you plan on powering the device on and off when you leave the car? is there a deep sleep hibernation mode so the battery doesnt drain when you leave your car for more than a few days at a time?

-bluetooth. You REALLY dont want to use this as your main route as to transmit the music from your device to your car's speakers for a few reasons.
1. delay.. it might be small but there will be a short delay... and also connection. it can take a few moments for your bluetooth to connect to your USASPEC BT everytime you get back into your car

2. Sound Quality/Output... this is a big one, you will be losing a noticeable amount sound quality and possibly volume if your stream your music through bluetooth

3. USB DAC most people that do the nexus 7 swap have a usb dac(digital to analog converter) installed which replaces the tiny amp in the tablet.. this provides a much cleaner signal and more power which means more volume as well as much better sound quality

 

Thanks brother, that is very useful information!! If a Nexus swap plug and play is possible, then that may be the best route for me. Id love to read your write up if you could link me to it !

 

This one seems pretty tough to me. https://acurazine.com/forums/3g-tl-a...ctures-911259/

 

Yeah, you found my install. Physically installing the Nexus wasn't too bad, if you're familiar with car stereos and digging into a car's dash. Installing the software was the bigger challenge for me. But I'm sure others may have an easier time with that part, so overall, I would say the install difficulty is a 6 out of 10. Good luck! Let us know if you have questions.

 

I def dont have any experience writing code or anything like that. Ive installed a few car stereos before but mostly its all plug and play.