Rick sent me a sneak peek today with his iPhone connected and it looks right proper

 

Lots of updates!

First let me apologize for why I have not posted updates, I started a new job in December, helped my wife move to Philadelphia, I am putting my house up for sale, and I am also moving to Philadelphia....

I have successfully got Android Auto working, Apple Car play working, and able to pass through my original system. I ran the cables down the center column to the center glove box to obscure the cables.
Since I am using CarPlay and Android Auto I did not have to install the GPS Antenna, Audio out is via my AUX Port, and I have an external Microphone.

1 way to do CarPlay, you need a dongle that is purchased additionally with the unit.
2 ways to do Android Auto: Option A via the dongle mentioned above; Option B via Headunit Reloaded
Additionally you can side load Android Auto to your unit, however, that will require Internet and GPS antenna to be setup

CarPlay Review - SEAMLESS! If you have ever driven a car with carplay before, this is basically it in a nutshell, exact look and feel
Android Auto Review - 95% Seamless, I have an issue with it saying no bluetooth when calling that I need to figure out

Calls: I am working on this, the unit comes with a mic, and I placed it near the current microphone, however, quality was bad for the other person. I ordered 2 additional microphones to see if they can be mounted there. Otherwise I will need to find a better mounting location for the Microphones....

Audio Quality: I have spent a SIGNIFICANT amount of time trying to get audio just right, without replacing the amp and interfacing directly to the new amp. There are several limiting factors: AUX Port, MerryWay block a majority of the Bluetooth, USB Audio is disabled, Jaguar Aux port is giving me a bit of noise..., volume/meridian control on aux port...

I purchased a DAC from SoundBlaster to help try and augment the sound and validate a clean sound from the merryway unit to the f-type, however, I no longer think it is the merryway unit as I still get 'noise' without a plug into the aux. I tried to 'hack' the bluetooth on the MW unit to pair with the dac to no success, and the USB Host audio is also disabled. If I plug into the AUX port directly without these, sound is ok, but not great, and seems rather hollow in comparison. There is a base EQ setting on the MW unit that I started to mess with but had no availability to do advanced stuff.... I also had a bit of weird issues integrating my DAC with the MerryWay unit for a bit of time... Using the DAC I was able to confirm the sound to a pair of headphones as relatively clean. I purchased a noise and loop isolator/filter to test that I am pending the arrival of...

Ultimately if I can get the MW unit to work with a great MIC, I would rather throw in my own dac/dsp/amp and connect it to the speakers bypassing the IAM module as I am no longer pairing with the Jaguar unit.
TL;DR aux port is giving me some issues with noise that I need to track down...


Usability: The screen gets difficult to read in direct sun, otherwise its very useable. I do see the occasional lagging, however, it is less noticeable when in CarPlay or Android Auto. When the car restarts it tries to open my last actions, this causes a delay...

Weird issues: I had an issue during base setup where I would hear a beep from the car when initially starting. I noticed my sensors for backup did not work, and my alarm system was a bit funky in that it would arm, but not bring the handles in. I have sort of attributed this to not putting my battery connection on tightly...

Whats Next: I have hidden the wires, I am purchasing a USB Hub to connect to the dongle and make switching between Android and iPhone a bit more seamless. I am also working on the microphone suggestions, placement, and setup (multi mic capabilities). I plan on talking to MW after the Chinese new year to determine if I can get better access to the android system such as Bluetooth Capabilities. Why? If I can peer the bluetooth from MerryWay to the Jaguar, I can ensure a 'digital' connection vs relying on an aux cable susceptible to electrical interference.. Lastly I am going to wrap the shiny plastic in a matte black since I am not a fan of the finger prints...


Final Thoughts: I am a bit of a over engineering freak on my projects. I am over engineering this solution a bit much, and you would probably not need to. Overall I like the setup, and it is miles ahead of Jaguar even at its worst.....

 

On my unit they disabled bluetooth pairing outside of phones... I had already thought about that with a DAC

 

It still uses processing to screen mirror, I have seen it lag a couple of times for this, but they are few and far between and mainly at startup.

 

I spent some time on XDA Forums and it looks like this is common across the board. I should note mine shipped with 7.1 on my replacement. My guess is that the underlying firmware/integration point to the canbus is not updated to newer android oses.

 

Always issues when pioneering something new, for the most part its working great, just some small minor annoyances. I will say install can be nerve bending if you do not know what you are doing OR burn through your car flex cable. This install I swapped ribbon cables before I installed...

 

Correct, you hit a button and it soft switches you back to the OEM screen.

 

I'll update with pictures and crap/videos later. I am driving to Philadelphia this weekend so will get footage of use while driving.

 

Any more updates on this?

 

####Merryway Android Display 10.25" Retrofit Update###

As many of you may know, or not know, I am working with Merryway on a retrofit display unit for the 2013-2016 and SOME 2017s Jaguar F-types. I am hoping to shed some light, provide the story of whats going on, and answer questions, consider this also an FAQ of sorts as well. Lets clear out the first hurdle, I have roughly 4k-5k miles of testing on this and countless hours of functionality usage, I also daily my Jaguar F-Type so this is all around that type of testing.

FAQ:

How much have you spent?
Theoretically? I have probably invested 5k+ into this. 1.2k for the Merryway Unit, 200 in extra parts/cables, 300-400 for a dac(s), 100 for line signal isolators, 100 in microphones, 500 in shipping to china, 100-500 in random parts/pieces to try other connectivity strategies, and rest in hours/troubleshooting/coming up with alternative connection strategies.


What is this Merryway Retrofit:
Merryway has created a unit that replaces half of the display in the Jaguar, with an Android Overlay system. This allows Drivers to still access the native OEM screen and also access a new android display that is modeled after the New Jaguar UI.


What do you mean replaces half of the display?
The multimedia system for the Jaguar is actually called an IAM module, which is located in the center armrest. The display in the Jaguar F-type is just that, a display. It has two components, a screen and a set of 'backboards', connected together via a ribbon cable. The backboards provide connectivity to the power, CAN, Backup camera, Steering wheel media controls, Center Dash screen (between speedo and rpm gauge), HVAC, and IAM access. The display is just a display. The 'backboards' are reused to connect the merryway display to the car, and provide access to the OEM functionality like Dynamic Control, HVAC, etc.


What comes with the Merryway Unit?
Display/Android System with 1 usb cable connected (will touch later on this) and RCA out for video (no clue what this is used for yet), a wiring harness (USB, RCA, MIC, ETC), GPS antenna, mic, and speaker (not used).


How does the android unit send music to the Jaguar?
Via AUX out to AUX in on the f-type. As of right now, there is no digital out... I have worked on this and am working with Merrway on this.


How do I do Android Auto or carPlay?
You will need to purchase an additional module from Merryway, I don't know what the cost is. Once this is connected to the Android unit, the car uses Autobox to create a carplay and androidauto environment.


How does connectivity work with the android/carplay work with the android unit or jagaur?


CarPlay - all data, voice, siri, etc, goes over the hard link between your phone and the android unit over the usb cables that come with the android retrofit unit. No need for bluetooth. This is the best, however, requires that you install the microphone, i shopped different microphones and installed it right next to the factory location behind the steering. NOTE: you do get some road noise.


Android Auto - Cable connection sends Data, 'hey google'* (SOMETIMES), and Music over, however, Phone calls is via bluetooth. I paired mine with the Jaguar's Bluetooth vs the Android Retrofit Unit. The reason for this, is that it provided me more of a 'normal' experience to answering calls and such. The merryway unit ui phone setup forces you out of android auto when a call comes in, forcing a different experience.... NOTE: Calls will always say 'not connected to bluetooth', thats ok, there is an api that is just not replicated...


Note: For android auto an alternative solution is Headunit Remix for 5.99 on the store. This does not require the added cable, but I have not go into in-depth testing. It does offer wireless android auto.


What controls on the steering wheel work?
Forward and Back work towards to the merryway unit, volume up down control the OEM Unit volume, Call or Mode, bring you back to the OEM screen and control OEM functions.


Backup Camera?
Backup camera and sensors work when you go in reverse. Please note I am troubleshooting a weird issue now, as of right now i THINK this is a 'jaguar' issue.


The 'display' seems slow?
The modified launcher for the Jag UI on the Merrway is slow, once I use Carplay or Android Auto, it goes away.


Can I run Android auto without connecting a phone, natively on the display?
This took some research, short answer is 'yes', but you would not want to. Android Auto requires you to side load on any tablet that is not a phone, that is the same case here. Furthermore, since this is not a phone, lots of functionality is missing, even with a 4g modem... It is better to use Android Auto like you do with car play.


Android Versions:
The unit runs a custom firmware.... I am running 7.1, however, my previous unit was 4.1 and another users was also 4.1. Personally I had no problem with the 4.1, I did not allow internet access to it, i would download something but in a controlled environment. My phone never 'shared internet' to the unit either. Android Auto was done via my phone vs the android unit, which allowed me not worry about gps antenna install. In-fact I rarely interacted with android beyond my 'advanced' tinkering. Most of my time was spent with phone hooked up and interacting with the display to my phone. I know there are security concerns with 4.1 however, if it is never connected to the internet, and bluetooth is disabled, i feel this mitigates the risk..


Sound Quality via Aux:
This is a mix BAG..... The sound is good but often times I was lacking base. I was able to get the Android EQ to finally work the way I sort of wanted, HOWEVER, I decided to opt for SoundBlaster DAC to increase overall quality, and introduced a ground loop isolator to help with some noise at higher volumes. You do not need this, this was experimenting for me. I have not had any real big issues.


Bluetooth and USB Audio:
Bluetooth beyond the phone profile seems disabled, USB Audio is also disabled.... I am working on figuring out how ot enable them, any help is appreciated, I am also working with Merryway.


Fixing weird issues:
Did you click a button and it doesn't seem to be applied (something with backup sensors)? Did sound stop because you changed out your DAC or aux cable? Steering wheel buttons stopped working? Reboot the car seems to apply the settings to the car... I figured this out during my long drive.


Can I do RHD? yes there is a setting for it in the menu. It allows the screen to mirror over to RHD.


Current Weird issues:
Backup sensors sometimes work and sometimes don't work, camera always works. I am not getting sound for cross traffic or backup warnings. I believe this is part of the recent update from Jag that i took before I installed my unit. It worked prior to this. I also have a weird alarm issue where car will arm the alarm but not put the handles in... or lock the door. Again I think its the update.


Audio/Connectivity:
I had a issue I troubleshot on my drive, when driving occasionally I would hear the audio cut out and the touch displays would become hard to use. I figured it out and it seems to be an issue with how the phone connects to the USB port of the android unit. If the connection is not 100% you get 'data distortion' and it causes this issue. It looks like there was a lot of wiggle room in mine and small bumps would cause it to 'go out'. Switching usb ports on. the android unit helped me for a snug fit. I am going to see if I can easily fix the other connector.


Carplay Crashes:
Happened a couple of times no idea why yet. It did it after several hours randomly, current troubleshooting leads back to connectivity having wiggle room.


Whats left?
Weird Bugs and annoyances that i would like to get fixed or worked out, such as, when starting the car, if a phone is. connected before the unit starts up, the ui gets jumbled.


Did you have a hard time installing?
Taking apart the dash is about 10-15 mins of work, taking out the display is another 10 mins. I can now do it in low light conditions. The scary part is the display work and putting it back in. I replaced my ribbon cable this time with a bit longer one that was equally spec'd and allowed for me to have more play. I DID BREAK my first unit because I may have left the power on in the car. The way Jag sends power to endpoints without a connection overloaded the cable and several pins on my backboard... I found a new one on ebay for 400. PLEASE MAKE SURE TO TURN OFF YOU CAR AND DISCONNECT THE BATTERY...


What am I working on?
I want to retrofit 360 cameras on the car, look into lane departure warnings, and some other things. Also, I want to bypass the factory amp entirely to rid myself of the meridian 'sound'.


Does this void my warranty?
Probably.... The unit leaves no trace of install, and you can probably argue the point, however, I just reinstall my factory unit for warranty work. It is important to note, that it only interprets signals, and does not send commands to canbus.

How is it working with Merryway?
Sometimes difficult, communication is through one individual so it makes it tough.

Why are you slow on updates?
I started a new Job in December, wife started a new Job in January, her new job is in North Eastern Philadelphia Pennsylvania and we currently live in Dallas Texas. I had to move her up, find an rental, and now also have to put my house up for sale, along with all necessary work. Easy to say I have a lot going on, with travel for work, traveling between homes, packing, working on the house for the market, and just life.

What do you do for a living that we can trust your expertise?
I am a Security/Network/Datacenter Engineer and lightweight developer. I do reverse engineering, hacking, and tons of research for my day job. I also have to do tons of troubleshooting of designs for what I do. I also use to be a former car audio installer for Tweeter and Best Buy with an MECP certification (lapsed).
How did you hide the cables?
Behind the dash down the center colum to the center armrest. I did not have to take anything apart beyond the center console for the unit.

 

any more updates? I'm also in Dallas and possibly interested in this retrofit.

 

Thanks to RickW and frosty for being brave and sharing all their learnings with us.

This thread seems to have gone like every other stereo upgrade thread on every other car forum I have ever been a part of: too many $$ and too much hassle for an imperfect setup dogged by problems. I don't get why folks just don't mount their state of the art phones in the car and forget about the OEM head unit altogether. A big screen isn't worth all this, IMHO.

 

It's not just a bigger screen. it's a much better system overall. phones can't control climate, suspension, etc, either. one thing a mounted phone/tablet can do though - take up additional room in an already extremely tight cabin. There are a lot of reasons to consider this upgrade.

 

I'm afraid I have to disagree with you on that one. I just completed a 5,000 miles trip and for me, all the factory controls, aside from navigation, works wonderfully well.
I have my phone mounted on the dash. It does not interfere with AC or anything else. It's plugged in and connected to the car, also used as a hot spot for our Pixelbook, (which fits perfectly in the glove box by the way)
The phone is always up to date and Google directions are so clear now, that you don't even have to look at the screen.

 

Thanks for all useful information.
@rickw it was worth it? i want to have waze in my jaguar xe 10/2017 model 2018 with in control touch. can you recomend me this upgrade? i found several different solution that could work look there:
instalation manual:
https://drive.263.net/link/5UBMR8hcZ...UBMR8hcZWWmrdR
Can you tell me which is better for me? you have more experience.
thanks for answer.
regards

 

I want to thank the guys that have went through the testing phase with this unit. I have an XJ, and there are Android units I am looking at to replace my OEM unit. I have previously owned 3 universal Android units in different cars, but they were easy because I completely replaced the OEM stereo systems. This will be my first time where I actually need to keep factory functions(specifically the valet function and the climate control functions). Communication with the sellers, did not instill any confidence in me that those functions would work. The displays shown in the videos are similar to what the sellers videos are showing, so I am guessing that the actual factory/manufacturer is the same, and the only difference is the name brand, and the specific interface(based on vehicle). Also, the seller doesn't bother describing that a swap of the boards is necessary, so it wasn't clear exactly how the OEM functions would remain based on what was shown. You guys on here have shed some light on the process, and I think I am ready to pull the trigger and buy one. When I get around to buying and installing the unit, I will be doing a report on it. Since I have an XJ rather than an F-Type, I will post it in the X351 forum rather than here, but will update here with a link to it if anyone is interested. Probably won't be for about a month, because I have some traveling to do, and some maintenance(transmission work) I need to do on the XJ.

Note on sluggish performance: Based on my experience with Android car stereos, you want to make sure that any unit you get has at least 2GB of ram. The 1GB models will be sluggish once you have many apps installed and/or if you are multitasking(i.e. using Spotify and Waze at the same time). There is a work around for the sluggishness of models with only 1GB of ram. It involves a root and replacing all the Google apps with lightweight versions of them. It is much easier if you just limit your purchases to units with a minimum of 2GB of ram though.

Also, it seems a lot of people are only looking for the ability to have Carplay or Android Auto. There are other cheaper solutions, that don't involve changing the entire head unit. Navtool is one that comes to mind. There are others. The reason I have always bought Android head units, is so I don't need my phone at all. I install my nav programs, Spotify, Netflix, whatever I want, onto the actual head unit. I only use my phone for receiving phone calls and to tether the data signal for the head unit to use. Honestly, if you have an Android head unit, you don't need Android Auto, because anything on your phone can be installed on the headunit anyway. With the one caveat I mentioned before though. You need to get one with at least 2GB of ram.

 

Navtool is out of stock on the F-Type CarPlay smartphone interface until September.

 

I guess that is for the pre-2017 models? They claim the 2017/2018 unit is in stock. https://www.navtool.com/jaguar-f-pac...e-carplay.aspx

In any case, I was talking primarily about the people who wanted the unit for the Android Auto capability more so than the Apple Carplay capability. If it is Android Auto they want the unit for, my opinion is that it really makes no sense to mirror your phone onto something that can already do everything that your phone can do anyway. Anything you can install on your phone, you can install on one of the Android car stereos. It would be like buying a cellphone so you can mirror your current cellphone display onto it. Since they make no car stereos that run off of IOS, I realize that rationale doesn't apply for those wanting it for Carplay capability.

 

That’s for the F-Pace. They aren’t currently listing one for any F-Type.

 

Hey yall! Long time. I finally got around to doing a video of the Merryway Autoplay USB dongle that they ship with the unit (which I had lost), and had replaced. The experience overall is much better than using a sort of emulator like Headunit Reloaded, or trying to use the tablets OS. The video shows an iPhone being used, and I wasn't able to show an Android Auto version as I was using the only Android probably within 50 miles to record the video (this was in Connecticut).

It's a short and dirty video I did in one take, so sorry some of the usual polish isn't there. Let me know if you have any questions.