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Matthew Sharpe
Goo Roo
North Island
JZZ31

Posts: 6307
Reg: 10-2005

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Tuesday, March 29, 2011 - 07:47 am, by:  Matthew Sharpe (Madmatt) Quote hilighted text Edit Post Delete Post Print Post   View Post/Check IP (Moderator/Admin Only) Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Hi guys,

Since I've often had very good consumer advise from the people here, thought I'd throw out this query to you all.

I currently have a Panasonic headunit that I put in a few years ago. It has front USB designed to work with iPods, and also worked OK with my old iPhone 3GS (mostly), but won't do anything other than charge my new HTC Desire HD, so I have to have it plugged into the AUX also, and control it via the handset which is just annoying.

Also I've had to return my old handsfree kit after changing jobs, and I thought rather than buy a new handsfree kit, I might as well get a new headunit with bluetooth built in.

So far I've looked at the Sony MEX-BT3900u which seems OK, but has a stupid little display like my current Panasonic unit, and seems rather over priced - or the JVC KD-R826BT, which seems better value for money, and also lists HTC devices as being fully compatible - though I did test the Sony unit with my phone and it seemed very happy to pair with no problems.

Does anyone have any advise they can offer? I don't listen to a lot of music, mostly I listen to podcasts - but I do like reasonable sound quality for when I do want to listen to music. don't really want to spend more than $400-$500.
Orton Marchant
Tinkerer
NSW Blacktown
JZZ31

Posts: 63
Reg: 01-2011

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Tuesday, March 29, 2011 - 08:58 am, by:  Orton Marchant (Mythorite) Quote hilighted text Edit Post Delete Post Print Post   View Post/Check IP (Moderator/Admin Only) Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

ebay from america, my unit at jb was priced at 1000$ or more, ebayed it for a buy now price at 400 and got an adapter with it to fit my car, am happy with my head unit :-)
Warren Moore
Goo Roo
Victoria
JZZ31 2JZGTE swap

Posts: 1179
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Tuesday, March 29, 2011 - 11:53 pm, by:  Warren Moore (Warreng) Quote hilighted text Edit Post Delete Post Print Post   View Post/Check IP (Moderator/Admin Only) Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

your not going to get better audio quality depending on the headunit unless you are buying a cheap chinese one on ebay. ebay is the cheapest way to go though, much cheaper than retail if you buy from the states. car audio gear is so cheap in the states! take advantage of our dollar!
Matthew Sharpe
Goo Roo
North Island
JZZ31

Posts: 6308
Reg: 10-2005

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Wednesday, March 30, 2011 - 07:38 am, by:  Matthew Sharpe (Madmatt) Quote hilighted text Edit Post Delete Post Print Post   View Post/Check IP (Moderator/Admin Only) Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Hmm, good idea - and my wife has an eBay account already too I think. Connections are no problem as I converted it over to ISO when I put the Panasonic unit in - so it'll be a 20 minute job to change it over :-)

The rest of my setup is just factory speakers and a small Sony amp driving the factory sub. I replaced all the factory speaker wiring with good quality stuff, so its all quite clean sounding as long as you don't push it too loud, which is fine by me as I am old and don't like loud music :-)
Warren Moore
Goo Roo
Victoria
JZZ31 2JZGTE swap

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Wednesday, March 30, 2011 - 11:37 am, by:  Warren Moore (Warreng) Quote hilighted text Edit Post Delete Post Print Post   View Post/Check IP (Moderator/Admin Only) Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

yep i recently bought a brand new pioneer avh4200dvd double din for $450 on ebay. its the us spec model of the avh4250 which retails for $1050. only difference is only us region (1) dvd's will play and there is no AM frequency :-)
Walter Gillmore
DieHard
QLD
TT JZZ30

Posts: 981
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Wednesday, March 30, 2011 - 04:36 pm, by:  Walter Gillmore (Cl33pa) Quote hilighted text Edit Post Delete Post Print Post   View Post/Check IP (Moderator/Admin Only) Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

carpc small unit fit in glove box or under passenger seat $300, metra dash kit $25, by-byte double din 7 inch lcd facia $20 (some modification required) lilliput eby701 NP/c/t $180 for 2008 touchscreen model. dis-assemble lilliput unit. attach lcd panel with touchscreen to by-byte facia, solder on extended IR led (supplied), screw facia to metra dash kit. run vga cable from carpc to screen, re install console, run power and ignition wores to carpc and ground under seat. DONE! then you may add what you wish in future such as bluetooth and mobile broadband for catchin your podcasts live and check the wether. also garmin mobile pc for navigation etc....

EASY!!
Dave Hall
Tinkerer
Tasmania
4ltr V8 GT-L

Posts: 34
Reg: 03-2011

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Wednesday, March 30, 2011 - 05:14 pm, by:  Dave Hall (Dr0pb34r) Quote hilighted text Edit Post Delete Post Print Post   View Post/Check IP (Moderator/Admin Only) Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

I like what walter suggests.... I might have a go at that.

Walter, can you provide some more info, or links??
Walter Gillmore
DieHard
QLD
TT JZZ30

Posts: 983
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Wednesday, March 30, 2011 - 05:47 pm, by:  Walter Gillmore (Cl33pa) Quote hilighted text Edit Post Delete Post Print Post   View Post/Check IP (Moderator/Admin Only) Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

i can only link you to my own IN DASH carpc build. a lot more work invovled and a bit more time consuming as space is limited,
http://soarercentral.com/sc-forum/messages/45853/294882.html?1249601042 that's my resurection, build, and mod thread so have a browse through that.

what i'm suggesting would be far easier to do than what i made :-) and cost about half the price. you can go on ebay and search keywords such as mini itx, carputer, carpc, etc, probably best to buy a mini itx case, mini itx mobo with in built chip, hdd and m3 atx psu. put it together yourself. and then start on the mounting of the lcd to the car. an external slot load dvd burner gives you greater playback ability than any headunit on the market!
Matt Petersen
DieHard
NA
V8

Posts: 888
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Wednesday, March 30, 2011 - 07:20 pm, by:  Matt Petersen (Mattmannz) Quote hilighted text Edit Post Delete Post Print Post   View Post/Check IP (Moderator/Admin Only) Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

I bought a black JVC unit which has dual usb, bluetooth, ipod, aux input, dvd etc. Paid $400NZ I think and installed it myself.
Dave Hall
Tinkerer
Tasmania
4ltr V8 GT-L

Posts: 35
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Wednesday, March 30, 2011 - 08:10 pm, by:  Dave Hall (Dr0pb34r) Quote hilighted text Edit Post Delete Post Print Post   View Post/Check IP (Moderator/Admin Only) Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Walter - I was thinking of getting one of getting a carpc, and mounting it in the boot where the stacker was. I've already run a HDMI, USB3, and gigabit network cable from the boot to where the headunit sits.

Also installing one or two USB ports in the centre console arm rest, along with the cig. lighter port I relocated to there (for phone charging out of the way).
Walter Gillmore
DieHard
QLD
TT JZZ30

Posts: 986
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Wednesday, March 30, 2011 - 08:24 pm, by:  Walter Gillmore (Cl33pa) Quote hilighted text Edit Post Delete Post Print Post   View Post/Check IP (Moderator/Admin Only) Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

nice, i've got my 5 channel digital amp in the stock amp/stacker location, hidden from view. and i was thinking of trying another setup but this one is just too awesome for me.
i like having the slot load tucked in under the climate control, convenience, having usb ports mounted under the screen and the cpu temp lcd on the ashtray lid. having the whole main unit close at hand certainly is what i like.
but i do like the idea of removing the carpc quickly as an independant unit. i can also do this with mine in under two minutes, post up pics of your progress. in the meantime. lets keep it on topic for mr sharpe. :-)
Matthew Sharpe
Goo Roo
North Island
JZZ31

Posts: 6310
Reg: 10-2005

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Thursday, March 31, 2011 - 09:46 am, by:  Matthew Sharpe (Madmatt) Quote hilighted text Edit Post Delete Post Print Post   View Post/Check IP (Moderator/Admin Only) Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Nah, Car PC's are old hat in my opinion. They made sense a few years ago before smartphone technology really took off - but these days why bother? Loads of hassle to install and configure when my smartphone has more grunt than most PC's did a couple of years back, has plenty of storage, can add more via micro SD, and can stream anything I want.

Might make more sense if you want to watch TV's and movies, but I have no need for video, as I'm the only person who's ever in the car - and when I am, I am driving so don't want to be watching anything. Actually if you could find a LCD headunit that supported DLNA, then that would make a car pc even more pointless. No idea if such a beast exists... Then you would only need a PC if you wanted to play games - and again, that's not of any interest to me in a car.

Found the exact head unit I wanted (the JVC one) for $380 delivered - $100 less than RRP so that was good enough for me. Should be arriving today.
Walter Gillmore
DieHard
QLD
TT JZZ30

Posts: 991
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Thursday, March 31, 2011 - 04:34 pm, by:  Walter Gillmore (Cl33pa) Quote hilighted text Edit Post Delete Post Print Post   View Post/Check IP (Moderator/Admin Only) Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

fair enough mate. for me building one myself was a learning curve. and was quite enjoyable, also knowing that the carpc that impresses everyone who see's it was built by my own hands gives you a strange satisfaction. i dont listen to music when i drive alone. i like to drive and hear my engine and feel what my car is doing. noise and entertainment is only there for passengers. plus the fact that my passengers can mix their own tunes via a midi twin deck through the carpc using traktor or virtualdj. this alone makes a random drive fun for those in the car. hdtv, google earth gps, dvd burner, internet access, rss feeds, speech to text dictation of documents. voice activation using dragon naturally speaking, text to speech reading of emails, low cost chatting through facebook and msn as well as skype calling, hd webcam for record keeping. (handy if some jerk decides to do the wrong thing and take off after an accident etc.) also live tuning of my EMB through that carpc with real road loading. on the engine. also hks easy writer software for hks evc6 and data logging for both EMB and evc6, bluetooth connectivity, the list goes on and on and on. hardly old hat mate :-), i'm also planning on gettin a bigger screen and gettin rid of the climate control unit altogether. use the touchscreen to activate climate fucntions through a usb relay card and software. and activate anything driven by a relay for that matter using the touchscreen. pretty much any function that others pay thousands for as features in new cars. can be had for a fraction of the price... there are some carpc's out there that all over bmw's idrive, with things like remote tire pressure monitor, obd2 scanners and readers, live obd2 real time gauges, other gps tracking and lap timers for track use. you can even purchase a 3 axis g meter for usb and have g-tech like functions. the only limit is imagination with a carpc.

i have been thinkin of trying to use an andriod phone or even telstra's T-touch tab, using one of these will allow the removal of the unit just like a faceplate. recess the dash to fit flush. attach audio jack and charging jack and all sweet :-)

good to hear you got what you wanted tho mate. got a pic of the unit? JVC in my experience have always been a good brand. speakers and headunits, ive tried killing one of the old jvc silver headunits. one of the first mp3 ones with the blue backlit lcd display, stupid thing kept working under water, when i pulled it apart, all the curcuits inside were covered in a high temp silicon compound making it waterproof. over engineered much? lol (yes i tried to drown it while it was on and reading a cd, i like to ensure things are destroyed once at the end of its useful life.)
Matthew Sharpe
Goo Roo
North Island
JZZ31

Posts: 6312
Reg: 10-2005

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Friday, April 01, 2011 - 07:06 am, by:  Matthew Sharpe (Madmatt) Quote hilighted text Edit Post Delete Post Print Post   View Post/Check IP (Moderator/Admin Only) Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Wow, sounds pretty sophisticated. Different things for different needs I guess.

I've installed the unit and its working pretty well other than I seem to be having huge signal drop off issues. If the headset is more than half a meter away from the unit the signal drops away and a little further than that it disconnects. I'll have a chat to JVC and see what they say - other than that its working very well - for some reason it won't use the phones phonebook so I had to do a manual transfer - but unfortunately bluetooth data transfer standards are pretty crap, and these are the sorts of problems you often get. Its not a biggie anyway as the unit can store 400 names and numbers, so I'll just push them down from the phone & update every now and then. Hands free works well otherwise, nice and clear.

Here is a picture I took in my garage - the lighting is - sorry - and I've popped my pocket out from behind the edge cover... have to fix that!


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Matthew Sharpe
Goo Roo
North Island
JZZ31

Posts: 6313
Reg: 10-2005

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Friday, April 01, 2011 - 10:24 am, by:  Matthew Sharpe (Madmatt) Quote hilighted text Edit Post Delete Post Print Post   View Post/Check IP (Moderator/Admin Only) Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Fixed the bluetooth range problem - was a piece of lint stuck on the contacts of the back cover aerial connections! Working really nicely now, as long as I don't try and use the phones phonebook on the headunit.
Walter Gillmore
DieHard
QLD
TT JZZ30

Posts: 996
Reg: 07-2009

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Friday, April 01, 2011 - 12:48 pm, by:  Walter Gillmore (Cl33pa) Quote hilighted text Edit Post Delete Post Print Post   View Post/Check IP (Moderator/Admin Only) Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

very nice clean lookin unit mate! not a bad install either :-)

there you go, lint is conductive, lol. with the phonebook thing. when its working properly you can use the headunit to scroll and pick out a contact to .make a call? that's a pretty nice feature. :-) what sort of wattage does this pump out per channel??
Matthew Sharpe
Goo Roo
North Island
JZZ31

Posts: 6314
Reg: 10-2005

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Saturday, April 02, 2011 - 12:59 pm, by:  Matthew Sharpe (Madmatt) Quote hilighted text Edit Post Delete Post Print Post   View Post/Check IP (Moderator/Admin Only) Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Thanks Walter - it was a straight replacement for the old Panasonic unit so very easy install. Looks better when the surround is sitting flush over the bottom of the pocket. Its not co-operating at the moment, so I'll have to pull the console surround off so I can loosen the pocket screws and shift it back a little. :-(

Cool things so far: Ability to change the colour of all, or even parts of the display - so I have changed the colour to match the colour of the dash! Now if only the plastic wasn't so shiny it would almost look factory!

Not so cool feature is, LCD displays are generally polarised in one direction or the other - my old Panasonic unit was polarised in a matching polarity with my sun glasses, so unless I tilted my head I could read it while driving. The JVC unit is polarised at 90 degrees to my sun glasses, so I can't read the display unless I take my sun glasses off, or tilt my head!

Its 50 watts by 4 (more than enough for me) - it has three sets of pre-outs though, L+R Front, L+R Rear, and L+R sub - I'm only using the Sub ones - you can then choose what cut-off frequencies you send to the sub too, which is a nice feature.

Yes, in theory you are supposed to be able to access your phone book on your phone from the head unit, but right now it just causes the bluetooth connection to drop, so I can't use it.

I'll report it to HTC and JVC - both units are supposed to implement the same standard for the phonebook access, but it's a "1.0" standard, so its probably hit and miss. The unit has the ability to update firmware, and of course Android is always improving, so I'm hopeful at some point it will work!

I've fed the rear USB cable through to the arm rest storage so I can charge my phone, play from a USB stick or whatever in there - nice and tidy, no ugly cables draped around. Front USB is taken up by the bluetooth transceiver, which is tiny as you can see. The microphone for handsfree I have mounted on the steering binnacle.

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