My tablet as a nav project

Santa-2512

Omnipotent one
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Been toying with this for some time and finally got around to giving it a go



Right I thought I’d give an update on a project I started working on a few weeks ago.

With my upcoming trip to Dent imminent, I want to improve my Nav / music / phone
Situation.

Previously with my Zumo 550 it was music via the phone, and the Nav was just a projector as the 550 doesn’t support A2DP and my headset Sena SMH5 didn’t support multiple BT connections

I changed the Nav a few weeks ago to a Nav IV, and whilst it was I big improvement,
I found it lagging way behind newer Nav units both in operation & functionality

Nice screen, Full A2DP, but the Nav would cut BT audio every time it gave an instruction (why??) and it still had hang ups (lol) with sharing between BT devices

Its OS was still basic and renaming options apps in an attempt to make it look up to date is a bit of a joke. It does have the benefit of lifetime maps, but speed cams is an extra £20 PA.

The Nav VI addresses some of the shortcomings, and finally will allow music to be streamed from your phone, whilst giving you Nav instructions and the screen is nice and bright too, integration with the bike is a bonus, although only if you have a compatible BMW.
On the downside the screen is still on 5” diagonal,And the price is literally eye watering anywhere from £550- £650

I did a quick search of my local auto emporium and found
The most expensive 5” nav was £299, 6” was £289 and the 6.95” was £250
Still near on 50% cheaper than the nav VI, - so what does the extra £250 give you
Waterproofing and ruggedisation appear to be the only things I can see.

Anyway that’s not the purpose of this update, I’ve other plans
So as you’ve seen, the standard size for a nav unit appears to be 5” diagonally
A nice size piece of real estate, but it soon becomes cluttered when you start adding
Icons, speed warnings, junction views, etc. Smart coding and OS management help
But you need to see stuff clearly and make sense of what’s being displayed.

And I’m going to be honest, in your 20’s 5” is the equivalent of a sheet of A3 in front of your face, you could probably pick out individual pixels on screen lol

So to bastardise a phrase, two score and ten years on, a 5” screen is the equivalent of a postage stamp when its 24 inches from your face lol
(its not but you get the idea) Looking at what’s around, I found the following

Nav IV 4.75” diagonal
Garmin Zumo 55 5” diagonal
Honor 9 (phone) 5” diagonal
Nav VI 5” diagonal


So I wanted some more real estate..

Enter the Nexus 7



7” of pixel heaven and with an overall size of 190mm x 120mm its overall size meant it could sit in the area of the low screen above the Kombi and still give me a clear view of the road ahead

A quick search of the web showed it had been done before, so it was a viable option.
So what did I have and what did need –

I had Nexus 7 32GB wifi model running Jelly bean
A GSA nav bar
A short Ram arm
A Ram plate & ball

What did I need?
A mount for the Nexus
Bar mount to lift the Nexus up and away from the Kombi
A waterproof case for the Nexus

Ebay came up with the goods and I ended up with a case & mount and a bar mount

So plastic flashed and posty on his way the parts arrived
Bar mount self explanatory,
Case and mount, not good, the case was good, however the mount was useless.
The nexus flopped round like it was on a jelly … so I was going to have to go to work

Removing the original mount on the back of the case was easy, I just cut the liner in
The back of the case and unscrewed the mount.
The holes / mounting posts didn’t fit to the Ram ball, but 5 minutes with a drill and Stanley knife rectified that.
Fitment to the Nexus was good, the case comes with 3 thickness if neoprene shims to stop the unit from moving, I used all 3 it keeps the Nexus pressed against the plastic case

So now I have a case with ram ball on the back coupled to a short arm




One bank holiday weekend later and I have a bar mount
Fitting was straight forward, I slid the Nav IV mount to the left and bolted the bar mount in and angles everything to an approximate position.






It’s WIP at the moment so needs final tweaks

Now the fun starts –

Rigidity and flexibility.

There is some vibration seen in the unit, this I think is due to the small mount plate coupled with the physical overhang of the unit. It’s not a problem but could be better if I wanted to be a perfectionist.

Doing a search of the web I came across a Brodit powered mount, heaven!
For those who don’t know Brodit, they are the equivalent of Ram for automotive mounts of phones & navs.
Believe me, if you have a Brodit mount in your car its tailor made to the panel / it’s mounted to, and it wont move, ever.
The downside – not cheap near on £90 for a new unit
The bay had some cheaper used stuff, so there on watch at the moment.

The other option is an ally plate bolted inside to give some rigidity
But that’s for later … So we have a display, mount, and power, albeit internal, but that’s another topic to address


Screen legibility
In daylight I’ll admit there are some issues with reflection and glare,
However I had the unit on half brightness, so that could be tweaked, and I have a sun shade on order. The plastic screen of the case does reflect somewhat, so a matt screen may be called for However in darker or overcast conditions it’s legible






Software

This is where the fun starts; the nexus runs droid, so the play store was the place to start

I looked at free stuff first, and there’s plenty of it. And plenty of shite too.
Shonky front ends and linking apps are not sat navs lol
After an evening of downloading, installing, configuring, and uninstalling lol I’d narrowed it down a bit.So the arsenal consisted of

Co pilot
Tom Tom go
Igo
Navigator
Navrut moto
Here wego
Navion
Navfree
Maps me
Kurviger

There were loads more, but they either didn’t work with the nexus, or they required a data plan, and the nexus I have doesn’t have a sim card option

So that kissed goodbye to Android Auto & Waze

Testing

Each is being subjected to two runs - from Home to work, & vice versa
At this stage its work in progress so the results may change lol

Co – pilot

Pros
Nice screen layout,
Good clear voice instructions at low and high speed
Seamless integration with media being streamed from the nexus (spotty offline mode)
No audio stopping and starting to give nav instructions
Cons
If it goes off map, it wont recentre, voice still works but the display just stays on the last picture it has.
Speed cameras, not tested. Either for voice or position
It’s a free app, but to upgrade traffic and cams is £10.99 for the year

Tom Tom Go
Pro’s
Speech is outstanding, with the best descriptions of routing, clear and fully descriptive
Cons
Speech lol, the audio at high speeds is too low, whether it needs a menu tweak I don’t know, but it was the only negative
Speed cams not tested
Free app or £4.99 pcm or £14.99 PA

Navigator
2 versions - Free & TTG maps
Free version

Pro’s
Best screen display so far Uncluttered and legible

Cons
Screen goes dark after a couple of minutes ( settings box not ticked lol)
Spoken audio very basic, but may be tweak able

So there you are …

Next steps is a long term test –

I’m aiming to take it with me to Dent as a trial by fire so to speak

( The Nav iv / phone will be there as backup though)
 
Co – pilot

Pros
Nice screen layout,
Good clear voice instructions at low and high speed
Seamless integration with media being streamed from the nexus (spotty offline mode)
No audio stopping and starting to give nav instructions
Cons
If it goes off map, it wont recentre, voice still works but the display just stays on the last picture it has.
Speed cameras, not tested. Either for voice or position
It’s a free app, but to upgrade traffic and cams is £10.99 for the year

Looking forward to see what you end up with :)

Ref Copilot we regularly use it in France and there's a couple of places where the maps haven't yet caught up with the road building meaning you can suddenly be doing 70 across a field with desperate instructions to turn around :D However on rejoining the route it's always managed to work out where it is and carry on. This is on my phone however which will usually have a data connection but I'm not sure that would make any difference. Sometimes it will show the last location if it's been stopped and the phone moved while mid-route but when this happens a re-centre button appears (above the zoom button) which gets you back to your current location.

One definite -ve for Copilot is the crappy Yelp driven search which is total and utter shite.

Another I've been eying up for consideration is Sygic.
 
Looking forward to see what you end up with :)

Ref Copilot we regularly use it in France and there's a couple of places where the maps haven't yet caught up with the road building meaning you can suddenly be doing 70 across a field with desperate instructions to turn around :D However on rejoining the route it's always managed to work out where it is and carry on. This is on my phone however which will usually have a data connection but I'm not sure that would make any difference. Sometimes it will show the last location if it's been stopped and the phone moved while mid-route but when this happens a re-centre button appears (above the zoom button) which gets you back to your current location.

One definite -ve for Copilot is the crappy Yelp driven search which is total and utter shite.

Another I've been eying up for consideration is Sygic.


Tried that, not very good, thats why it isnt in the list.

And as the Nexus is wifi only everything has to be offline ;)
 
I have that, its on the next batch to try - if i recall the speed warnings were on the small side, but he view was good

Actually to be honest I do not pay attention to the sat nav speed warnings, as I try not to break the speed limit, otherwise the app is great.
 
Actually to be honest I do not pay attention to the sat nav speed warnings, as I try not to break the speed limit, otherwise the app is great.

Hi,

I have been trying this ap. Do you know if there is a way to add additional points into the route besides starting and finishing points? I cannot find a way.

Ian
 
Give

kurviger.de

a look and maybe a try. It is based on OSM, the quality of which is better than most other maps. Compare it with Google when you zoom in really close, Good website for planning routes, especially if you want curvy hilly small roads but equally good for autoroutes, quickest point to point. There is an Android app, both free and paid. Lots of options that let you set preferences and avoidances.
 
Give

kurviger.de

a look and maybe a try....

See opening post. It’s on his list of app’s to try.

After an evening of downloading, installing, configuring, and uninstalling lol I’d narrowed it down a bit.So the arsenal consisted of

Co pilot
Tom Tom go
Igo
Navigator
Navrut moto
Here wego
Navion
Navfree
Maps me
Kurviger

There were loads more.....

Testing

Each is being subjected to two runs - from Home to work, & vice versa

At this stage its work in progress so the results may change lol
 
Give

kurviger.de

a look and maybe a try. It is based on OSM, the quality of which is better than most other maps. Compare it with Google when you zoom in really close, Good website for planning routes, especially if you want curvy hilly small roads but equally good for autoroutes, quickest point to point. There is an Android app, both free and paid. Lots of options that let you set preferences and avoidances.

Naughty corner Wapping is watching you..............:D
 
2nd run with Navigator free today,

Solved the screen going blank, it was a settings issue

Audio still low, but i think i may have worked that out i will confirm this evening
(i double linked the nav & phone to my Sena 30k),

so its doing what it should and stopping one to let the other break through

So far it has the best display setup
 
I have used Kurviger and it is pretty good. But for the last 12 months I've been using the Tomtom Go app in the car on an old Sony Xperia and it's been brilliant. Regarding the Speed Cams, yes, spot on. Also, if you're in an Average Speed zone it displays your actual speed and also your average speed since entering the zone. Another thing I like is that it always over estimates your journey time a little meaning you always arrive a little early.
The maps and coverage are excellent and regularly updated. The Avoid Traffic Jam is useful and works.
In the past I've Sygic (not bad), Copilot (didn't like as much) and others, but have always come back to Tomtom.
All in all I'm very impressed with it and would recommend it.
 
Edit -

Used the nexus for Nav and spotty, and the audio stopping and starting was fixed

but the volume is way too low and i cant find a way to bring it up.. :(

Maps me & Navfree next
 
Edit -

Used the nexus for Nav and spotty, and the audio stopping and starting was fixed

but the volume is way too low and i cant find a way to bring it up.. :(

Maps me & Navfree next

Stating the obvious maybe, have you got the Nexus on full volume from the + and - button on side of Nexus 7
 
Right,
with all this free time, i thought it may be time to revisit this thread

Since the last trip & the power failures, i have cahnged the bike so the power socket is by the kombi,

I procured a Nexus 7 with 3G, so was going to have a play with that, unfortunatly the unit i bought, had allready had a

replacement screen, which ulitimatly failed ...

I have a another unit as backup, so planned to swap the screens over. -- it's doable, but some of the internal mounts

need trimming as the inner bezel is different. I also spotted on ADV that an otterbox case is easier to mount.

I found an auction with a nexus 7 & otterbox case, (peanuts) it should be here next week

Also the Galaxy tab active was mentioned as its already ruggedised, & IP67 ready out of the box

Downside is it needs a mount, Brodit do them, but they aint cheap lol

I'll use this as a future project ( i need a new tablet anyway) (it should be with me next week)

Now i know the Nexus works, as i used it on the Dent trip outwards so i've ordered a usb power monitor, and I'll give it

an extended run and see if it works, we can then see if it's the Nexus drawing more power than the socket can supply.

So what next... Wonderlinq - if the Nexus or Tab, don't draw too much power, the plan would then be to see how

compatible the Wonderlinq dongle is -

Cost wise

Not a mega expensive project so far

Ram mounts - £30 ish

Nexus 7 £35

Galaxy tab £35

Waterproof case £15

Nav visor £10

So using the Nexus would be an outlay of £90

If the Tab will fit the existing case, it would be the same price

if i need a Brodit mount, that will bump the price up quite a bit (£80) so that would hit £170 still cheaper than a Nav Vi

Wonderlinq -

looking long term if the Wonderlinq works as expected the cost isn't too bad I make it about £250 including vat

So that would change the figures a bit

Nexus / Wonderlinq - £340

Galaxy / Wonderlinq - £420

Both still cheaper than a Nav Vi

the only downside is the real estate if you just want to use it for short trips

but for a long trip, it is something else :)
 
I made a mount to use a 6.9" phone is a Garmin Montana/AMPS mount So i can switch between the 2
Works very well with OS maps
Far better than any Garmin GPS with raster maps
Pleny bright enough ( the pic was taken in bright sunlight )
 

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I made a mount to use a 6.9" phone is a Garmin Montana/AMPS mount So i can switch between the 2
Works very well with OS maps
Far better than any Garmin GPS with raster maps
Pleny bright enough ( the pic was taken in bright sunlight )

Did you make the back mount yourself?

If so you may have people asking you to make them one - the oem one is uber expensive :)
 
Plus, you can watch downloaded movies while you ride! :D

Joking of course, but it may occur to cops you pass?
 
SO the farkles arrived eventually.

I now have

1 Nexus 7 - Wifi

1 Nexus 7 Wifi & 3G

1 Nexus 7 Wifi

1 Otterbox rugged case

1 Samsung Galaxy tab active Wifi & 3G IP67 ready

Unfortunately the nexus 7 3G had a badly fitted repair screen, and i broke it, but plan to canibalise on of the other units to replace the screen

(they are different internally but can be modded to fit) ( I hope;) )

I didnt intend to but the Galaxy, but it came up in an auction at a good price ;)


The big concern with the nexus was power consumption - some people have reported it can pull 4 amps when charging / running

Obviously running that & a mobile phone, was going to overload most DIN-USB power plugs

I bought an inline USB dongle which tells me voltages & and load being drawn so i set about testing everything

The Nexis 7 3G/ WIFI is a hungry beast,

I had cellular on , Bluetooth GPS , & was running Spotify & Waze

It was pulling 5.12V @ 0.80A


I tried the same with the Galaxy active it came back with

5.12v @ 0.40@

which was interesting

The Nexus i have in a sealed operating bag, ram mounted to the Nav bar on the bike ,

The Galaxy will fit in the same bag, but is a tight squeeze, and wasn't sit flush to the front screen

No biggy, but doesn't look as neat.


However Brodit do two specific mounts for the galaxy,

An offset portrait / landscape mount, & a centralised portrait / landscape mount

I might give the Galaxy a go first , and see how it performs


Pictures attached for comparison
 

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