Radio delete and in-dash tablet install for NAV & OBDII

[Goatherder]

I did this in my Jeep XJ, and now I've doing it in my bus. I deleted the in-dash radio and replaced it with a Google Nexus tablet computer. This functions as a real-time engine monitor, as well as moving-map GPS navigation. I can also link this tablet to my iPhone for internet access, so I could theoretically surf the web... or watch movies, youtube vids or porn while driving down the road. Of course I never do this. Might get arrested, go blind...or worse.

For music I installed an amplifier, connected speakers, and connected a $30 USB-powered bluetooth adapter to the amp's input. This allows me to link up my phone and stream Pandora One ($5/mo, no commercials), play content stored on my phone...or link up the tablet and play content stored on that. I no longer have a radio or CD player...but I no longer have a need to carry CD's and there's nothing but stupid sh!t on the radio anymore.

I connected a bluetooth OBDII adapter to the port under the dash; it links to the tablet and allows use as a real-time engine monitor using Torque Pro (available at the Google app store for $5) Powerstroke diesels have a shitload of engine sensors and Torque Pro has a predefined set of PID's for Ford which will read them. You can add, delete, configure all kinds of different instruments all kinds of different ways. Graph trends, data log, add inputs...I've just scratched the surface with this app.

For navigation I use Backcountry Navigator (paid version), which allows map downloads at varying zoom levels for offline use (when you have no connection). To download I will pull up behind the house and pull wifi signal from the house router. All kinds of possibilities w/ this app; again I've just scratched the surface.

For city navigation I can link the tablet to my iphone and use Google Maps...or just use my iPhone itself.

Google Nexus 7 has a really good internal GPS antenna; much better than most tablets according to my research. The 2nd gen Nexus 7 can be had used on Ebay for damn cheap; I paid $60 for a used 32GB wifi model.



OBDII adapters have come WAY down in price; this one here is reputed to be good and is 9 bucks on Ebay. 9 bucks. Amazing.



For a mount I cut out a piece of plywood (4" x 7.5"), countersunk a couple 5/16 bolts, which go thru the plywood and thread into a piece of 2"x .250" aluminum stock that's about half an inch longer on each end. The longer ends grab the dash inside the hole and clamp the plywood firmly to it. Then some industrial strength velcro from Lowes. 3" x 4" works nice on both sides. In this pic I have yet to velcro the plywood. You can see it on the tablet laying face down below it.



Here it is on the dash:




Nav screen:


Instruments I'm using:
Engine coolant, Engine Oil Temp, Trans Oil Temp, Fuel Inj Control Module Voltage
Boost, Batt voltage, High Pressure Oil Pump pressure, Injection Pressure Regulator duty cycle



Charging: Requires a 90 degree Micro-USB cord that will tuck in behind the tablet, plugged into a 12v USB charger wired in back inside the dash (or wherever) You want a 3A charger...or the tablet will go dead w/ extended use of several hours. Like these or similar.

https://www.amazon.com/CableDeconn-D...icro+usb&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/Cllena-Waterp...charger+socket

For me, this gives me everything I could want. I'm sure there are many more possibilities. Like I said, I've just scratched the surface.

[turf]

wow!!
that's a cool set up!

makes me wish they had OBDII back in 93! i guess the E motors have some benefits too.

[Goatherder]

Originally Posted by turf

wow!!
that's a cool set up!

makes me wish they had OBDII back in 93! i guess the E motors have some benefits too.

They do have some, and the good ones have LOTS. But they're not ALL good.

The 7.3L in my 99 F350 is a hairy-chested brute of an engine, electronically controlled and (with a few mods) reliable as it gets. The next-gen 6.0L in this 04 short bus is WAY more complex, with alot more to go wrong...and go wrong it does. apparently subsequent engines to the 6.0L (6.4 & 6.7) are even more and even worse.

All of this driven by those weasels at the EPA.
Then again...go any number of places that lack these weasels and the smog will choke you.

[Oldmopars]

That is a great idea, it's too bad the full size buses do not use OBDII. But for the music, that would work on anything, very cool.

[cadillackid]

I did this in my smart-car.. although I used a device that actually has AM-FM in it... then used a Miro-cast device so I have features of Androiud-Auto / Apple CarPlay in it..

its a really cool thing to do as long as you keep your tab cool.. much better than the crappy or no-radio.. and you can take the output of your tab and run it into an AMP and still have good audio controls, as well as fade / balance, etc..


the unit I used in my smart car has a few side-buttons on it that i tied to apps.. so I can press a hard button and go to my Navi App, or music, my OBD-II, etc..

rockin! i love this.
-Christopher

[JA Savage]

I like the setup and I like all of the thought and expertise behind the setup. My only question is how do you charge the tablet? Do you take it off every time you need to charge it?

[Goatherder]

Originally Posted by JA Savage

I like the setup and I like all of the thought and expertise behind the setup. My only question is how do you charge the tablet? Do you take it off every time you need to charge it?

Re-read my post. It's at the bottom.

[milkmania]

Interested in this as a radio ADD, not a delete...
But, very droid ignorant. JBiPhone 6S+ only here, except for those damned Amazon Fire xd tablets I bought the kids a couple Christmases ago... Ran them long enough to hate them during setup!
Which tablet is a good place to start? I searched CL heaven and found prices all over the place!

[Goatherder]

Originally Posted by milkmania

Interested in this as a radio ADD, not a delete...
But, very droid ignorant. JBiPhone 6S+ only here, except for those damned Amazon Fire xd tablets I bought the kids a couple Christmases ago... Ran them long enough to hate them during setup!
Which tablet is a good place to start? I searched CL heaven and found prices all over the place!

What...do you guys just look at the pictures? Read the post!

Google Nexus 7 has a really good internal GPS antenna; much better than most tablets according to my research. The 2nd gen Nexus 7 can be had used on Ebay for damn cheap; I paid $60 for a used 32GB wifi model.

And don't be intimidated by the android functionality. Its different from iPhone but its just to get an android tablet and muck around with it until you recognize the patterns. And if you get stuck, get on your computer and ask google "How do I (insert question here) with android?" Then look thru the results until you find what you're after.

[cadillackid]

for those that prefer iOS you can do this with an iPAD as well... Wi-Fi OBD-II modules will work with it and the Dash-Command software.. while its not as customizable as Torque it is nice nevertheless..

GPS-wise the iPADS with cellular capabilities have built in GPS chipsets.. the GPS will work even if you do not activate the cellular account on the ipad.. you can find first or 2nd gen ipad minis reasonably priced now...

I run Co-pilot Truck on mine which is an off-line GPS, all the maps are downloaded..

since my DEV bus is purely mechanical I have no beed for OBD in that bus... my new T-444E doesnt use OBD-II it has the IHC PCM so I doubt i'll find a scanner to read it.. havent looked into it yet

the OBD-II portion is useful for those that have Cutaways like the E series and GMC short busses...

-Christopher

[milkmania]

Originally Posted by Goatherder

What...do you guys just look at the pictures? Read the post!



And don't be intimidated by the android functionality. Its different from iPhone but its just to get an android tablet and muck around with it until you recognize the patterns. And if you get stuck, get on your computer and ask google "How do I (insert question here) with android?" Then look thru the results until you find what you're after.

I read the post.
And craigslist has nexus 7 tablets for $300 bucks & up! And I don't know what the hell in buying.
I won't buy used electronics from eBay anymore, been burned twice! Only CL local for used electronics.

Anything I find in the $100 range is 3 hours away... Again, I don't know what I'm buying.
Then they throw in Verizon, AT&T, etc... Then 16 gig, 32gig, etc... I can rip movies to run on tablet, but I don't know how much space the converted movie produces.

I can learn how to Root a tablet, but I've gotta take baby steps

And Me & Google are bestest buddies!

[JA Savage]

Thanks. I missed it. Great setup.

[Goatherder]

...as a matter of fact...

This setup just helped me diagnose the cold start / poor driveability problems I've been experiencing. Low voltage on the Fuel Injector Control Module (FICM). Very common on these 6.0L diesels. The power supply board inside the module is known for failure and low voltage is how you diagnose it.

Dorman makes a replacement board available from Amazon for $93. This Torque Pro app allows me to monitor the FICM voltage as I am travelling down the road and shows the voltage is fluctuating...thus indicating that my fkkng FICM is bad and I need to spend another fkkng $93.

[cadillackid]

I love torquepro, i use it in my smart-car..

on my latest Bus I have to deal with WinDOZE and run the servicemaxx since its an international and not a ford.. I'll have to run it probably on my surfacepro..

which by the way International GIVES away the servicemaxx software now for those that have "legacy" engines.. which covers all of the engines pretty much on our forum.. the DT-466E, T-444E, and VT-365 are all considered "legacy" and run on the J-1708 protocol.. so those with internationals just need the adapter and the software is free...

-Christopher

[chad.nuesmeyer]

So what buses have OBDII... I have an '01 Blue Bird with Cummins and Allison...Does that one have OBDII?

[Carytowncat]

Yea i used a Torque app with an obd transmitter , to troubleshoot a o2 sensor in a volvo, and those are super cool!

[cadillackid]

Originally Posted by chad.nuesmeyer

So what buses have OBDII... I have an '01 Blue Bird with Cummins and Allison...Does that one have OBDII?

your Van cutaway busses will have OBD-II, they were sold in pure van form as consumer vehicles so they had to be OBD-II

commercial trucks were exempt from the law that went into effect way back when so they are on different stuff..

your large bus platforms are usually on J1708 or J1939 (newer).. some of the newest stiuff is on the 50k baud.

the Majority of our busses on here are J-1708 considered "Legacy" engines as far as international..

I know International gives away the legacy ServiceMaxx software with some of the options disabled unless you activate it.. but that only covers Internationals with International Engines.. Namely the 2 relevant to this forum would be the DT-466E and the T-444E..

Cummins (if electronically controlled) will likely be J-1708 however i dont know what software you would use to program or read it out, Torque works for the cummins in consumer pickups as they are OBD-II, but im sure the PID's are different in the commercial ECM..

your AT-545 (if your engine is electronic) is still a mechanical transmission but MAY have an electronic Modulator.. basically the computer operates an electric motor which simulates the shift-throttle-cable.. this was done on the fly-by-wire engines.. because there was no way to actuate a cable since the pedal is just a controller..

once you get into the 2000 Series.. SOME of the PCM software allows you some access to allison, but typically you need a separate cable and software to program the allison transmissions themselves... ie to iunlock 6th gear, control lockup functions, and the like..

-Christopher

[Njsurf73]

Originally Posted by cadillackid

for those that prefer iOS you can do this with an iPAD as well... Wi-Fi OBD-II modules will work with it and the Dash-Command software.. while its not as customizable as Torque it is nice nevertheless..

GPS-wise the iPADS with cellular capabilities have built in GPS chipsets.. the GPS will work even if you do not activate the cellular account on the ipad.. you can find first or 2nd gen ipad minis reasonably priced now...

I run Co-pilot Truck on mine which is an off-line GPS, all the maps are downloaded..

since my DEV bus is purely mechanical I have no beed for OBD in that bus... my new T-444E doesnt use OBD-II it has the IHC PCM so I doubt i'll find a scanner to read it.. havent looked into it yet

the OBD-II portion is useful for those that have Cutaways like the E series and GMC short busses...

-Christopher

darn, I was thinking this could be a usable and fairly easy way to upgrade or replace the wonky international dash clusters. didn't realize the full sized busses didn't use obd2

[Njsurf73]

Originally Posted by cadillackid

your Van cutaway busses will have OBD-II, they were sold in pure van form as consumer vehicles so they had to be OBD-II

commercial trucks were exempt from the law that went into effect way back when so they are on different stuff..

your large bus platforms are usually on J1708 or J1939 (newer).. some of the newest stiuff is on the 50k baud.

the Majority of our busses on here are J-1708 considered "Legacy" engines as far as international..

I know International gives away the legacy ServiceMaxx software with some of the options disabled unless you activate it.. but that only covers Internationals with International Engines.. Namely the 2 relevant to this forum would be the DT-466E and the T-444E..

Cummins (if electronically controlled) will likely be J-1708 however i dont know what software you would use to program or read it out, Torque works for the cummins in consumer pickups as they are OBD-II, but im sure the PID's are different in the commercial ECM..

your AT-545 (if your engine is electronic) is still a mechanical transmission but MAY have an electronic Modulator.. basically the computer operates an electric motor which simulates the shift-throttle-cable.. this was done on the fly-by-wire engines.. because there was no way to actuate a cable since the pedal is just a controller..

once you get into the 2000 Series.. SOME of the PCM software allows you some access to allison, but typically you need a separate cable and software to program the allison transmissions themselves... ie to iunlock 6th gear, control lockup functions, and the like..

-Christopher

would this adapter work?
diagnostic-tool OBD2 Interface truck Y-cable OBD2 16Pin Female to Female 6pin SAE J1939 and SAE J1708 9pin Female - Blazen Auto

[cadillackid]

Originally Posted by Njsurf73

darn, I was thinking this could be a usable and fairly easy way to upgrade or replace the wonky international dash clusters. didn't realize the full sized busses didn't use obd2

I use a WIN tablet on my main dash right now... its connected to a SilverLeaf electronics VMSpc device... that gets me everything except my trans temp and Fuel... they dont go through the computer...

i think I may build my own device and write my own software at some point so I can use android or raspberry pi and have all my gauges digital on the 444E bus..

the ELM-325 Chip is a good J1708 / J1587 decocder chip.. J-1708 is the physical layer and is based on RS-485.. its not too hard to build a circuit to talk to it.. and the ELM chip handles the timings and what not required to talk on the bus..

the J1587 protocol is published as to what the PID numbers are..

ive done a lot of studying up on this stuff in the last couple months...

my ASUS win tablet and VMSpc device works for now but isnt the de all / end all i want..

I do believe for NAVI and info-tainment im going to build myself a new dashboard panel for the bluebird and in-mount a Tablet or some sort.. not sire what yet.. I may use an iPAD mini on that one, and then below it moiunt a Raspberry PI controlled touch-screen for my switches like the A/C and heat..

I also plan to try and ditch the outside mirrors in favor of cameras.. I just have to figure a way to deal with the inside light pollution if i have so many screens..

-Christopher