aeonracer

For you ambitious folks, here is a basic DIY for installing a Nexus 7 into your S2000 dash. First some warnings...

- This installation is not easy, so if you try not to do more than an oil change on your car, this isn't for you
- Lots of plastic molding and dash cutting is required, there is no template for this though I will provide as many details as possible
- You need to have lots of patience, you will have to find your own way for the "perfect fit”
- You’ll need some good understanding of how hardware and software work as we’ll be modding not only the car but the software of the Nexus
- I have zero interest in doing this again, it was a great experience but I’m only here for Q&A now, if you have a question that isn’t “How much do you charge for this” then ask away

Now if you're still interested, keep on reading.

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The Nexus 7 is really the ultimate in dash media center. It has WiFi, Bluetooth, built in GPS, and if you have an LTE model you can get internet anywhere you have service. It’s sized perfectly to work with the S2000 OEM navigation bezel, has a beautiful vibrant screen, and you can often find them for $100-150 on the used market. Even new, they are very affordable. There are many other tablets just like it out there, and if you can find a different Android tablet with approximately the same dimensions then I welcome you to give that a go, but this guide will focus specifically on the Google Nexus 7.



[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Od7NtvcIaU[/media]

Tool you’ll need:

1. Dremmel with a cutting disk and sanding wheel
2. 1000W heat gun
3. Xacto knife
4. Tape Measure
5. Masking tape

Parts you’ll need:

1. Google Nexus 7 (2012 edition, 2013 will be slightly different but this guide uses the 2012)
2. JDM S2000 OEM Navigation Bezel (it’s setup for RHD, but we’ll remold it with the heat gun so it works for LHD cars)
3. Bluetooth enabled car stereo OR an aux input
4. 90 degree headphone jack adapter if you go with AUX input
5. Micro USB cable with a 90 degree adapter that will plug into the Nexus
6. 3.0 Amp minimum 12V outlet USB charger (mine is a 4.2 Amp)
7. OPTIONAL – Bluetooth OBD2 sensor for real time car data

Apps you’ll need:

1. Custom Kernel - CyanogenMod works well enough, but Timur is THE kernel for the car for the 2012 version of the Nexus. To note, Timur’s kernel does NOT work on the 2013 version of the Nexus
2. Tasker – Setup up profiles and commands for power up and shut down
3. Bluetooth Autoconnect – Will automatically connect your Nexus to your stereo and/or any Bluetooth adapter (like the OBD2 sensor)
4. Autorotation Manager – This will help with forcing some of the apps and features to work in landscape mode when they aren’t normally designed to do so

Apps that you’ll want:

1. Car Home Ultra – Full car dash interface with nice large buttons, fully customizable
2. Navigon USA – Free GPS that doesn’t require any data / internet
3. Torque Pro – Gives you access to any engine data that you can get from an OBD2 port (and that the S2000 has a sensor for)
4. Google Play Music – Not part of most custom kernels but you can get it from the app store

Part 1: Setting up the Nexus
The most time consuming part of this whole project is simply getting the Nexus ready to be put into the car. You’ll need to install the custom kernel, load and configure all the apps, get it connected via Bluetooth, configure the start up and shut down profiles, load all your media, and in general learn to use the device. I’m only going to cover the very basics, and you’ll have to just research the rest. Ok onto the major steps.

1. Figure out how to install a custom Kernel. I know that isn’t a lot of help but there are a TON of guides out there so I’m not going to rehash them. CynagenMod is good enough to unlock some of the features we’ll need and is the easiest to install. If you can get CyanogenMod installed, then you’ll have no major issues installing any of the major custom kernels like Timur’s.
   
   a.Put your Nexus into developer mode (in the system settings)
   b.Follow the CyanogenMod installation instructions
   c.Viola, unlocked Nexus 7.
   d.Some good resources are available here if you want to dabble a little more:
   i.http://rootzwiki.com/topic/37755-timurs-kernel-usb-rom/
   ii.http://www.cyanogenmod.org/
   
2. Install the applications you’ll need (from above). Some of them cost a few $, but you shouldn’t have to spend more than $15-20 on applications to get everything fully configured and going. You can get them all from the Google Play Store.
   
3. You’ll need to modify all your settings within the kernel you’re using. Basically set the Nexus up to your liking, but you’ll want to change the following major ones (you’ll need to search for them relative to your specific kernel):
   
   a.Allow landscape mode for the home screen
   
   b.Disable the lock screen (if you hit the power button, you want it to go directly to the home screen) – This just saves you the trouble of having to unlock the Nexus when it boots
   
4. Setup your Tasker profiles:
   
   a.You basically want 2 profiles. One profile that detects USB power and then runs the scripts that will enable all the tablet’s major features and another profile that will detect loss of USB power and then disable all of the tablet’s major features to put it into a “sleep mode”. In this sleep mode, the tablet will consume ~2-3% battery life per 24 hours. Otherwise, you could see 10% or more loss per day. I will help with setting these up for you! Just follow the steps below
   
   b.Power up profile – This profile will automatically turn your screen on, keep it on, turn on GPS, WiFi, Bluetooth, bring up the home screen, set your display brightness / settings, and automatically load any applications you want. What I’ll do below is simply provide you the path within Tasker and the order in which you want to execute the commands. You can modify this to your liking with which apps you want it to load etc.
   i. To be updated
   ii. To be updated
   iii. To be updated
   iv. To be updated
   
   c.Power down profile – This profile will turn everything off and put the tablet into deep sleep. It’ll stop any music that’s playing, power down any apps, and turn the screen off. It does not turn the tablet off, it just puts it into a sleep mode so that it can fire right back up when you get back into the car. Similar to above, I’m simply providing the order and locations of the commands within Tasker to get this working.
   i. To be updated
   ii. To be updated
   iii. To be updated
   iv. To be updated
   
5. Test your profiles – First off make sure they are both ENABLED within Tasker. You’ll need to enable them, and then minimize Tasker for any changes to take effect. Now plug in the power, and let the profile run. Basically you’re testing to make sure you set them up correctly. If they aren’t working then you’ll need to troubleshoot them, use the step above as a reference and double check your order and commands. Unplug the power and make sure the other profile works.
   
6. IF they all work, great, you’re almost there. Just finish setting up all your other applications, getting your home screens to where you want them, and loading up all your media. In theory, the Nexus is now ready to go into the car.

Part 2: Dash cutting and fitting the JDM bezel
Well, here is where the real fun begins. This isn’t hard, per say, but requires a lot of patience and a lot of “measure twice cut once”. We’ll begin by just getting the hole for the bezel to accommodate the bezel as is, and then later (part 3) we’ll modify the bezel to hold the Nexus and then mold it to fit flush with the dash.

1. First things first, mask up your dash near where you’ll be making all your cuts. This will allow you to write on the mask, get your basic dimensions, and get started with the cutting process. I’ll be creating a template for this so you can make your lives easier.
   
2. Apply the template to the dash, and then cut your way to the edges. I preferred cutting out a smaller box inside the template, and then slowly grinding my way to a “perfect fit”. As your work your way outwards, slowly cut away the dash vinyl and remove the foam underneath to expose the plastic. Just keep going in small increments (less is more!), and keep checking your work with the bezel. You’ll want to leave ~1/2 strip of the dash vinyl on all the edges, which you can heat and fold back to keep the look “clean”.
   
3. Once you get the cut out to the correct size, you’ll need to start grinding away all the stuff that’s in the way behind the dash. At the top you’ll see some extra plastic that you’ll need to grind away. On the sides you’ll need to remove some of the reinforcement plastic so that the connectors and the Nexus will clear them. I mounted the Nexus such that all the connector exits are on the right side of the bezel. As such, I needed to do some extra grinding that area to allow for adequate clearance. Don’t go too far, and leave the final adjustment for when we have the Nexus installed in the modified bezel (section 3)
   
4. Test fit the unmodified bezel. Don’t worry, it won’t really fit flush, but you’re basically just checking to see if you’re in the ball park. Keep grinding away until you get the bezel to slide in smoothly.
   

Part 3: Modifying the JDM bezel
Next we need to add slots to the JDM bezel so that the Nexus will slide into place, be retained by the bezel, and sit flush with the dash. Since the JDM bezel is designed for right hand drive cars, we basically have to undo the slight angle to the right and make it slightly angle to the left and face the driver.

1. We first want to cut slots into the bezel and remove the bottom middle tab so that we can slide the Nexus in from the bottom. You can chose to slide it in from the top, but you’ll need to modify the bezel and dash accordingly. You want to take care here to not damage the front of the bezel, so I’d recommend getting some of that masking tape to protect it. Do the cuts in the following order:
   
   a. Cut the bottom middle tab completely off
   
   b. Remove the felt pieces from the bezel, they’re just in the way. I saved them so that once I was done with the cutting I could put them back in place to protect the finish of the Nexus.
   
   c. Cut ¼” groves into the side tabs near the face where the Nexus screen would rest up against. Imagine how you’d want to slide the Nexus into the bezel. You’ll need to make this cut inside all of the side tabs.
   
   As with any cutting, less is more. The bezel costs a stupid amount of money, so really take your time here. It would suck to go too far and irreversibly damage the bezel!
   
   Just trim away a little bit and then test fit the Nexus, and keep adjusting it until the Nexus slides in smoothly but is still retained in the bezel firmly.
   
   d. Grind away material near the top middle tab. This is the same concept as step 3 above. You basically want to slowly work your way into the material so that the Nexus will fully slide into the bezel.
   
   e. Reinstall the felt pieces into the groves of the side tabs.
   
   f. The end result will be a Nexus that is held firmly in place. When you look directly at the bezel, you should only see Nexus screen, and when the screen is on the gaps around the inside of the bezel should be relatively even.
   
2. Now that we have a bezel that accepts the Nexus, we need to remold the bezel to your specific dash and cutout location. Remove the Nexus and grab your heat gun. Same philosophy with the heat gun as with cutting; less is more. We want to heat the bezel JUST enough that it can be pushed and pulled into new shapes, but not enough that the plastic is melting / flowing. Put the heat gun on the high setting, “wave” it over the part of the bezel that you want to remold and try to bend it. If it doesn’t give, apply a little more heat, and try again. Don’t hold the heat gun in one spot too long, the difference between melting and molding is very small.
   
   This part doesn’t really have specific instructions. You just have to keep test fitting the bezel, and modifying it accordingly. I found it easier to get the overall angle molded first, and then do the fine tuning of the edges to sit flush with the dash. Eventually you’ll have a bezel that sits flush with the dash.
   
   The quality of the fit will be directly tied to how long you take remolding the bezel. You can get a 90-95% fit within an hour or so, but if you want that perfect fit then you’ll need to iterate for a bit longer.
   
   Install the Nexus into the bezel, install the bezel onto the dash, see how it fits, and modify accordingly.
   
3. Now we can make the final modifications to the bezel. If you look you’ll notice the middle right side tab interferes with the mini USB port. You’ll need to cut away material, and test fit the 90 degree micro USB cable installation into the Nexus. Your installation order will be as follows:
   
   a. Install Nexus into bezel
   b. Install mini USB port
   c. Install aux jack (if you aren’t doing Bluetooth)
   d. Install bezel into dash
   e. Reverse for removal
   
   Same as before, just slowly modify the bezel so that the mini USB cable can be easily installed. You shouldn’t have to modify the aux jack, as it’s full exposed. You may have to also modify the dash, to make sure the installed cables have adequate clearance behind the dash. It’s very easy to put too much pressure on them and damage either the cable or Nexus, so make sure you remove enough material so that when you install the bezel you don’t have to “force it” into place.
   
4. Now here is where our paths might diverge. I decided I wanted the bezel to be removable, so I modified it further to “snap” into place. The easier option, if you don’t want the Nexus / bezel to be removable is grab some gorilla glue and simply glue the bezel in to place. You’ll need to keep pressure on the bezel while it dries, so I’ll leave that up to you to figure out.

I wouldn’t recommend this for cars that sit a lot. When the Nexus runs out of battery power, you HAVE to push the power button to get it to restart once its fully charged. If you drive your car every day, a permanent installation is fine. If you mostly leave your car for the weekends then you’ll want the tablet to be removable.

Pictures are incoming...

S2G4life

Amazing write up and install!! I will be doing this in the future. Question - is there a reason you didn't install a wireless charging pad behind it so you wouldn't need to plug in? Do you see a possibility of having a magnet back piece and glueing magnets to the nexus for removing easily? Or is the nexus slightly bigger than the bezels hole?

leo520

The wireless charger won't stay charge while with thw tablet on n running.
It's not supplying enough amp of power ,most the wireless charger i seen so far r all less than 1 amp, the tablet need atleast 2.1 or even higher.
As for magenet glue method won't work aswell, the tablet r much bigger than the hole on tthe bezel.

S2G4life

That makes sense. Thanks for the info! Waiting for pictures

S2KiChad

Nice will be using this diy soon can't wait to see pics

Hershey

Do you think the Kindle fire hd will supports those apps you listed?

dwb993

Part number for the bezel please?

4x4 freak

Any chance of a update?

How's it performing?

Any other apps you think worth getting now you have had it for a while?

Anything you would change if you did it again?

Any more tips?

Thanks,

Phil.

bergi85

Great job! I have my Nexus 7 and I really want to do this! I wouldn't mind seeing more pictures.

bottleboy

more pics please