Since I bought my XK8 a couple of months ago I have been searching high and low for a decent SAT-NAV upgrade and MP3 connectivity without spoiling the original looks.

I have decided that the best way to go forward would be to keep the existing stereo head unit and replace the SAT-NAV with a Samsung Note II.

The Samsung has a 5.5 inch screen which is the same as the factory SAT-NAV. I am hoping it can be connected to the SAT-NAV audio so when the Samsung is on (either playing music or navigating or anything else) it will mute the CD / Cassete player or radio.

I would just need a new carbon fibre centre panel to match the new set up but that can't be too hard to get.

Is there any reason why the above set-up won't work?

Thanks in advance,

Pavlos

 

There have been a few that have replaced the nav screen with a dedicated GPS so what you are proposing seems a logical progression of that mod. For the audio you will probably want to use the CD input or tie in with one of the AUX in modules rather than use the SatNav input. I believe that the sat nav audio, like the phone, is a mono signal.

Sounds like a neat upgrade. Good luck and looking forward to seeing the results.

 

So I have bought all the parts to make the change but have come across a small problem.

Since the Note 2 will be behind the dash there is no way to switch it on if it runs out of battery. A fully charged Note 2 can probably last 2-3 days on standby which is not enough.

I was thinking of providing permanent supply to the Note 2 as opposed to being charged only when the key is on.

My XK8 is my daily driver so I assume the car battery would be ok overnight or over 2 days or so. But would the drain from charging the phone be enough to flatten my battery over a longer period, say a week or 2?

Any modifications I could do to the car to support the extra drain?

Any help is welcomed my technical knowledge with all sorts of cars is extremely limited

 

Just tie into a power line that is switched by the key being on... Maybe the power to the radio? That way it will only charge while you drive. Alternatively, The cigar lighters are powered only when the engine is on as well..

 

the problem with that is that the Note 2 will switch off if I don't drive for a couple of days and to switch it back on I have to remove the centre dash panel which is not very convenient

 

You should measure the sleep current of Note II once the internal battery is charged. If it is under 50mA or so, you probably can get away with it always powered and your car battery will be OK for at least a couple of weeks without driving.

Depending on what the standby current is, you might consider switching to an AGM sealed car battery. They can better withstand longer periods at less than full charge which tends to shorten the life of ordinary car batteries.

 

Would it be possible to build a small mechanical rocker mechanism to allow you to press the power button form the outside?

Or heck, even a way to slid something thin like a small screwdriver in there to reset it would be preferable to having to remove the fascia. I could imagine it being necessary on a fairly regular basis what with software updates and all.

 

I have an electric scooter where they took a Smartphone with a custom interface and apps and use it as the dash. They created a mechanical button on the side of the dash so you could power the thing on. Personally, given these are contact switches, I think it would be better to use a momentary switch externally that bridges the switch on the tablet. I should point out that the phone thing hasn't worked out that well (currently the battery has dropped below recharging levels and the dash is dead) and they are working on a plan "B" for the next version of the scooter.

 

You're going to leave a Samsung Note II in the dash and on view in London?

It's a very neat solution to SatNav/MP3 upgrade but I'd be rethinking the centre panel attachment to make it hinged so the Note was easily accessible and removable.

Graham

 

I love this idea. Though an Apple fanboy (and I do telecom stuff as part of my job), this has the potential to do, well, everything. Give it steady power, an input into the stereo, a solid but not permenent way to affix it behind the trim, and this is going to be a winner! Keep us posted.

 

I've got a similar plan for my S-Type. I bought a 7" lenovo idea pad and plan to fabricate a hinged/removable mount. I still have to access my original screen for climate control, etc so the tablet will have to fold down easily. Then also it needs to be removable for security and if I want to take it with me. I'm thinking of a magnet attachment to a small piano type hinge affixed to the bezel of the original screen with 3M 2 sided tape. The power cord for the tablet will be stored in the ashtray until needed. Also the audio cable will be in there also. Certainly not the built-in look but an acceptable compromise in my eyes.

 

Thanks for all the input.

I am planning to leave the Note 2 behind the dash in a similar fashion the SAT NAV is. I am currently testing it on a daily basis and just plugging it and unplugging from the various cables (power / MP3 cable) is very annoying I cannot possibly imagine removing it on a daily basis even from a hinged or otherwise easily removable panel. Since it will be behind the dash I hope people won't notice it is actually a Note 2.

My car is also parked next to 3 embassies overnight (all on the same road) so I hope the presence of security / police station within 200 meters will deter possible thieves.

I have now figured out a way to switch the thing on and off which will be used only if the car is left idle for over 3-4 days or if I need to reset it for a software upgrade. I am pretty confident that since it will be charged at 100% all the time my car battery will be able to handle 2-3 days worth of standby power drain from the Note 2. I am sure that keeping it charged all the time will ruin the Note 2 battery fast enough so I will buy 2-3 replacement batteries to change them in a few months is as mentioned it get so bad that it prevents it from working.

Actually the testing has given me full confidence that IF my installer makes the carbon fiber panel to match EXACTLY the original OEM (it's the only worry I have - I have bought a walnut centre dash which I will modify and the carbon wrap as I am keeping my OEM CF dash and sat nav in storage) this will be a very neat upgrade. I had some sound quality issues at first but with the PowerAmp application I can dare say the sound coming from the Note 2 is on par with the CD player and the Copilot GPS appliction is a breath of fresh air compared to our rubbish useless SAT NAV. I recently went to Belgium from London and the whole experience was perfect (plus my Jag drove flawelessly!!)

I think the possibilities of a Note 2 far exceed even the most capable of OEM systems plus it can be constantly UPGRADED yay!!

The only drawbacks are:

- The songs don't pause when I receive calls as obviously the head unit does not know my Note 2 is my music source. Not a huge deal but would have been nice.

- I need to manually stop the music player and put it back on when I get out of the car / get in the car.

- I can see that the Note 2 buttons which are on the small size (home / back screen / menu) will be just a bit uncomfortable to access while driving especially using my left hand - why do the English have to drive the wrong side of the road???

I am not very capable with cars so this will be done by an installer I have found but when it's all done end of March I'll post some pics.

Thanks for everyone's input

Pavlos

 

Off topic but you've asked the question so here's the explanation of the very good reason for this.

Up to the late 1700's, everybody traveled on the left side of the road because it was the sensible option in violent societies of mostly right-handed people.

Jousting knights carried their lances under their right arm and naturally passed on each others right. Passing a stranger on the road you walked on the left to ensure that your protective sword arm was between yourself and the approaching stranger.

France overturned this practice as part of the Revolution and the change was carried out all over continental Europe by Napoleon. The reason for it changing under Napoleon was because he was left handed. His armies marched on the right so he could keep his sword arm between him and any approaching opponent.

From that period, any part of the world which was at some time part of the British Empire was left hand and any part colonised by the French was right hand.

Graham

 

Very interesting!!!

 

As an addition to Graham's fascinating history lesson defensive spiral staircases in Chateaux always turn clockwise going up forcing the attacker's right arm into the centre while giving the defender's right arm lots of hacking room.

 

check out xdadevelopers.com. you can root your phone and remap the center button to reset your phone.

 

Consider that most American of icons- the Harley. The sidestand is on the left because that's the side everyone gets on/off, exactly as one would with a horse.

In Britain you stand on the footpath (higher than the road) to get on the bike. The bike leans out from the centre of the road when parked.

In America you walk into the middle of the road to get onto the bike (more dangerous & lower, hence less accessible). The bike also leans into the middle of the road when parked.

What makes our system wrong?

RH

 

It may be more sensible to drive like the British but given the rest of the world drives the other direction it probably makes it the "wrong" side of the road.

But more importantly it forces me to use my left hand to access my SAT-NAV and other dash controls and that is definitely wrong

Pavlos

 

I checked the Note 2 battery capacity which is stated at 3100mAh.

The device is brand new so I'll assume the battery can hold its maximum charge. Since it is discharging at about 1-2% per hour when sleeping I can assume that the sleep current of not 2 is about 30-60mA? That seems to be on the safe side of things right?

Thanks

Pavlos

 

I have also been considering the Samsung Note as a SatNav replacement.
I was looking at the original Samsung Note I (N7000) as it is slightly smaller and a better fit for the existing wood grain fascia.

The physical power button is a still a concern. With a custom ROM like CM10 you can remap the power button to the center button. Not sure if this can power on the unit from cold or if it is just to wake a sleeping unit.


For the issue of starting/stopping music have a look at the android app called TASKER in the Goolge Play Store. (its not free but still cheap)
https://play.google.com/store/apps/d...ndroid.taskerm

I believe it will allow you to automate many things in Android. One use that I saw on another forum was that when it senses external power, the notepad turns on, starts BT/Wifi, starts the Nav software and continues playing music where it left off.
When external power is removed it can turn off BT, pause music and kill off any applications and put the device to sleep.
It looks like there might be a 7 day trial version available from the authors website.


Good luck.