Cheap 2 Din Head Unit

[Skezza]

sadly, theres no knob on the back. But theres a hole in the unit, so maybe i can find a knob or something that fits in the hole, thanks for the tip

also, i was able to select the vw logo, the Logo button is a wide button at the very bottom, i just pushed everywhere and i was able to enter the logo selector somehow:D

If you use the FP-17-00, there are two clips at the bottom that mean the knob at the back is not required it will be well held.

[passatgt]

Here is a quick overview, sorry about the quality, low light conditions and my ipad 2 has a shitty camera. Also, the sound quality is really good, but somehow my mic didn't picked up a decent sound...

One more question: Any idea how to fix the clock? When i turn on the unit, always show 00:00 for some reason.

[stator]

Did you switch the red and yellow wires around? VW have them the wrong way around so if you don't switch them around the memory power turns off with the ignition. (or when you remove the key)

[passatgt]

Oh, cool, the red and yellow wires was already changed with the old unit, but i though i should look for the colour that comes from the car itself, but i guess the previous owner already switched it:) Thanks

[Skezza]

Yeah the wires need to be in the 'default' rather than switched. I have two of these and if you switch the wires round then I get the exact issue you describe (plus losing stations etc).

Glad you're happy with it. The main interface is a little slow for my liking but as I only use the radio and sat nav it wouldn't affect me greatly. I can't tell from your unit if it's a WinCE only unit or a WinCE + External China ROM unit. I'm tempted to say the second one which is just like the first one I bought.

By the way, it's quite normal that the CD/DVD/SD/USB all use the same interface, it's because they're basically emulating the software from a DVD Player which supports all four modes. It's very common on these devices and it actually works better than expected

Like I said, if you look at mine, the FP-17-00 makes a huge difference to how it's styled, it looks cleaner, feels safer as well, you won't get any rattling I promise. When I get chance, I'll take a video for you demonstrating mine.

[Koop]

That actually looks pretty good.

[Skezza]

That actually looks pretty good.

You sound surprised Koop? I've said for months/years these devices are better than people give them credit for. I listed all the functions that mine does above. You won't find many big brand (Alpine, Pioneer, Kenwood, JVC) devices offering that kind of feature-set for under £1000. I'm not saying these devices are all perfect and there will be some bad experiences I'm sure, but the two China 2Din's I own I've been more than happy with.

It's always good to do a bit of research and perhaps target which device you want, also pick a company that is recommended on places like GPS Passion and NaviTotal.

Technically speaking, I would love a pure Android head unit. Big brands don't manufacture them, they bodge it like Parrot do. The only guys producing pure Android head units are Chinese companies. They're a little bit pricey at the moment, usually just over £250 and there's also the risk of it quickly becoming outdated (something that won't happen with WinCE).

I can't argue with the performance of my device though, and at the price they're manufactured for, if you get a years use out of it, you've arguably had your moneys worth. I imagine I'll get quite a lot longer than a year

Edited August 23, 2013 by Skezza

[passatgt]

Just switched the yellow/red wires, everything works now, thanks:) And i ordered an FP-17-00, thanks for the tip.

Any idea how to access the WinCe interface? Tried using the GPS app, but theres no options in the GPS homescreen(i tried this because on my standalone gps, i have a button called Windows or something like that and it takes me to WinCE)

Edited August 23, 2013 by passatgt

[Skezza]

You'll need to work out whether the interface is WinCE or if it's China ROM with a WinCE GPS interface. If you close the GPS app, where do you end up?

[passatgt]

On a different interface, i'll post a screenshot tomorrow, it says Console at the top, then a calendar and a clock widget, and 8 icons at the bottom. Looks like the gps home screen to me, so you can't really close the gps app.

Edited August 23, 2013 by passatgt

[passatgt]

I just received the FP-17-00, and it does NOT work with the player:) It has a little edge on the inside so i can't push the player in or out. I'm going to cut off the front part if the fp-17-00, and use the frame that they gave me.

[Skezza]

Passat, as I said earlier, it has a little lip on the inside you need to get rid of, just file it off

I did say that earlier lol!!

[passatgt]

Hm, looks like i missed that, sorry, i'm going to try that

[Skezza]

It'll fit perfectly when you do. Do it really nicely though, use a decent coarse file and then use emery cloth at the end and it'll look great I uploaded a photo earlier and you'll see how I've done mine!!

[passatgt]

Well, not in my case, because i have some little pins and hinges on the unit and i don't want to touch those. So i gone back to the original plan, i cut of the front part of the fl-17-00 and everything looks fine now with the factory frame:)

[passatgt]

Just checked my GPS microsd card, and i found the documentation in a PDF, might be interesting for someone: http://cl.ly/0Q15443b3R2f

[granthatcher]

Sorry to hijack this thread but has anybody had any experience with the Android head units from the same company?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/271259146805

It's running a fairly old version of Android, and with the ability to root Android mobile phones/tablets - is there any chance of rooting this and updating it?

[Skezza]

Sorry to hijack this thread but has anybody had any experience with the Android head units from the same company?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/271259146805

It's running a fairly old version of Android, and with the ability to root Android mobile phones/tablets - is there any chance of rooting this and updating it?

Answer in a nutshell. No chance. I'd say there's a 0.1% of you updating it, especially as it's Gingerbread. When Google started work on Honeycomb (which is the foundations of ICS and later JB) they made big changes to the API's and core of Android OS. You'd need to find a ROM designed to work on the hardware in the device. The problem is that you might brick it in the process, depending on how the flash process works. If you could find an ICS ROM designed for the Chipset, you may end up with problems down the line such as WiFi issues, GPS issues, potentially audio problems and even screen issues, depending on how the touchscreen is implemented.

In my opinion, I'd go for an ICS device at the moment. Jelly Bean head units are pretty rare right now, but as the fundamentals of Jelly Bean are ICS, you could easily make an ICS head unit last years. Most new apps are compiled using the ICS API or Jelly Bean API, but the Jelly Bean API implicitly supports ICS.

I don't know what changes are coming in Android 5.0 though, so be aware that in 3 years perhaps, your device may well be very obsolete. All that depends on market trends however

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Android-4-0-6-2-Double-Din-Car-DVD-Player-WIFI-3G-GPS-Nav-BT-In-Dash-Headunit-/281137091445?pt=UK_Audio_TV_Electronics_In_Car_Entertainment_GPS_In_Car_Audio_Players_PP&hash=item4175139375

Edited September 10, 2013 by Skezza

[granthatcher]

That looks like a fairly nice head unit. It would look pretty OEM if it wasn't for the silver dials!

Thanks for the reply though, I will look into it a bit further.

[Jonboy]

Can I ask, Does the Head unit plug in to the standard wiring plugs, or is there an adaptor for it, or does it need splicing in to it? I would like one but dont want to cut in to my wiring.

[Aaron_Joy]

^^ I'm interested now and I want one!

[Dblock]

The sound quality is usually good but not exceptional, however for someone who just uses their car and isn't interested in subs etc it's fine. You can usually do a little bit of EQ'ing to boost the bass etc. I don't think the hardware is much different to the main brands, I think the software is where they get the better sound quality.

I know this is an old thread and the headunits are ok if your are into the features BUT I disagree with this statement. Yes Alpine and the likes use their name to push up price and profit I agree 100% but its the internal hardware which makes the units better. I have been a fan on JVC's for a good while. Why because they are feature packed with good internal and cheapish too.

The things like a DAC the jvc I have uses a Burr-Brown 24bit DAC and other alpines and nakamichi's spend all their money on the internals like the dac's and other bits and pieces. The features are usually sparse but the sound will be amazing.

This is a nak cd500. Looks basic doesn't it. It's worth alot of money and is well sought after due to it's sound quality.

But again if your not mad into your music, want something ok and packed with features you can't go wrong with the ebay double dins.

[Skezza]

I know this is an old thread and the headunits are ok if your are into the features BUT I disagree with this statement. Yes Alpine and the likes use their name to push up price and profit I agree 100% but its the internal hardware which makes the units better. I have been a fan on JVC's for a good while. Why because they are feature packed with good internal and cheapish too.

The things like a DAC the jvc I have uses a Burr-Brown 24bit DAC and other alpines and nakamichi's spend all their money on the internals like the dac's and other bits and pieces. The features are usually sparse but the sound will be amazing.

This is a nak cd500. Looks basic doesn't it. It's worth alot of money and is well sought after due to it's sound quality.

[iMAGE]

But again if your not mad into your music, want something ok and packed with features you can't go wrong with the ebay double dins.

Dblock, I think there's some truth to what you're saying, however there was a thread over on another forum where someone disassembled an Eonon and a Pioneer, and funnily enough, the Eonon was using the same DAC. I have a feeling it was a Wolfson if I remember rightly. You have to remember, not many companies actually manufacture DAC chipsets of good enough quality to process music and they're fairly cheap on the whole. A 10bit DAC is easy to manufacture, but would be particularly unpleasant. It'd need to be at least 16bit or 24bit, most likely 24bit, so it's often easier for even cheap companies to just buy in a synthesized specification OR, the chipset itself. Either or will result in very good quality sound.

However, you would be surprised how much software can make a huge difference to music. If you want a good example, Google CreativeLabs Crystalizer, basically, it was a plugin for SoundBlaster X-FI products to take advantage of their 24bit processor and restore the quality of MP3's back to original CD quality. How was it doing this? Nothing more than dropping the soundfloor from -96dB to -144dB and the filter from 24khz to 48khz, with a dynamic equalizer with a compressor that simply monitored levels of bass, mids, and trebles (And probably a lot more in between, I'm simplifying it). It was merely software my friend, and despite making a huge difference to sound quality it was nothing more than code and within a few months, other 24bit soundcards could do exactly the same.

It wouldn't be fair to say Alpine, JVC, Pioneer etc, don't have better hardware than China Double Dins. They clearly do, screens are often better and the front controls are usually better, even the DVD players perhaps, however I don't believe they warrant the rather expensive price. I have a China Double Din which I think would surprise you if I showed it to you. Aside from the fact it has good sound quality (a lot better than the OEM kit), it's also got a very powerful sat nav system which I've customized and take full advantage of.

Edited February 27, 2014 by Skezza

[Dblock]

Hmm il have to give that a google. Yeah I had a x-fi myself but you needed an x-fi to run cyrstallser. Was a good difference.

I'd be honest I'm style skeptical it could compare sound quality to a good headunit but if the internals are similar im open to the fact it could though. Would need to have a listen myself.

Generally with headunit a they either have loads or fancy things like sat nav etc or they are very Audio focused like some alpine a having active crossover built in. Im not saying they are bad either but if your running none amped speaker it will be great.

I've seen my mates use the aldi headunits the single dins and whilst ok mine was deffo better quality but mine was maybe 5x the price though.

[Skezza]

Hmm il have to give that a google. Yeah I had a x-fi myself but you needed an x-fi to run cyrstallser. Was a good difference.

I'd be honest I'm style skeptical it could compare sound quality to a good headunit but if the internals are similar im open to the fact it could though. Would need to have a listen myself.

Generally with headunit a they either have loads or fancy things like sat nav etc or they are very Audio focused like some alpine a having active crossover built in. Im not saying they are bad either but if your running none amped speaker it will be great.

I've seen my mates use the aldi headunits the single dins and whilst ok mine was deffo better quality but mine was maybe 5x the price though.

Don't get me wrong. I'm absolutely sure that if I whacked a JVC, Alpine, Pioneer, or any of those head units in, it would be better quality. My point was merely dispelling the myth that China 2 Dins are all 'cheap hardware' that break within 2 minutes of fitting it. That's what I like to affectionately call 'big brand snobbery' but is rather rife on certain forums. Luckily, less rife on this forum. I guess my main point is that hardware wise, it possibly stands up, but there are subtleties in the software that help the bigger brands. Alternatively, there are some China 2 Dins which are less good and have poorer quality hardware, however I've not come across them.

I agree with what you say though, my head unit is packed full of features and perhaps the price I pay is a slight reduction in audio quality. Does it bother me? No. Is it enough to put me off having another? Definitely not.

Features such as live free TMC make my head unit a real winner for people who use sat nav regularly. Using some naughty electrical hackery, I was able to wire the TMC antenna into the main car antenna (not an easy task, many have tried and failed on their own car). By using a filter I was able to stop the two interfering (possibly the first Lupo owner in the world to do so?), so even when I'm listening to radio, the sat nav is able to pull traffic/weather events from the RDS signals with no negative effect on radio reception. What's better, is TMC has a reputation for **** quality, but that isn't the issue, the issue is **** antennas. Having mine wired into my car antenna means I never get below 70% quality, normally I get nearer 100%. TMC was a life saver the other week in those horrible weather conditions.

Other features such as Bluetooth, region-free DVD player, SD mode with 720p decoder, USB mode, iPod mode, etc etc.

It's funny you mention Aldi CD players. The first CD player I fitted in my old Lupo was an Aldi one. I'd been merrily satisfied with a tape deck + swordfish for 2 years and then about a week before going on a road trip with my friends, I realized that they were all on about bringing CD's or iPod's. Shiiiiiiiiiiit, I thought. I ran to my local Aldi who had been advertising for months that they were selling a car stereo. I picked up the display model for £37.99 instead of £49.99 because there was no box and it came with no warranty. That was back in 2010. It's fitted in a different car still going strong!! CD quality is fine, I'd say the MP3 decoding is a little coarse but nothing you'd complain about for the money

Edited February 27, 2014 by Skezza