Android head unit owners - Im porting MBUX to android for the W203/211 platform
08-07-2020, 11:15 AM
#1
Junior Member
Thread Starter
Android head unit owners - Im porting MBUX to android for the W203/211 platform
Early WIP project of mine. But if you have an android headunit, you are welcome to try this out!
Tl;dr. Using a custom android application, Im porting the Interface from the 2020 S class to an android head unit. Using an arduino connected to the headunit as a CAN decoder box, allowing me to read and write to both the interior and powertrain ECUs, giving me full control over the car using my applications touch interface!
Feedback welcome!
Tl;dr. Using a custom android application, Im porting the Interface from the 2020 S class to an android head unit. Using an arduino connected to the headunit as a CAN decoder box, allowing me to read and write to both the interior and powertrain ECUs, giving me full control over the car using my applications touch interface!
Feedback welcome!
08-11-2020, 11:53 AM
#2
Dude this is literally amazing! Are you using Android Studio? I'd love to help! I can buy an Android unit myself and help you debug or serve as a testbed as well! You will want to use a unit with decent specs (a lot of units are using older versions of android and cheap hardware). The biggest detractor of these units for me has always been the UI and this project will fix that!
08-11-2020, 12:11 PM
#3
I actually have an idea I wanted to share btw. The 2020 S-Class has a very large screen, replicating it's UI elements might be a bit difficult to do cleanly as the form factor is so different. Maybe targeting the 2019/2018 units with the smaller screens would work 
Also, the W211 has a pretty nice area behind the shifter that lends itself well to mounting a scroll wheel like the newer models. I saw some android units have them: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/33026553044.html (look through product images) Integrating something like this would be interesting as well (far down the road but something to possibly consider) In a W203 removing the mostly useless cupholder would allow for something like a scroll wheel as well.
Also, the W211 has a pretty nice area behind the shifter that lends itself well to mounting a scroll wheel like the newer models. I saw some android units have them: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/33026553044.html (look through product images) Integrating something like this would be interesting as well (far down the road but something to possibly consider) In a W203 removing the mostly useless cupholder would allow for something like a scroll wheel as well.
08-11-2020, 12:32 PM
#4
Junior Member
Thread Starter
Dude this is literally amazing! Are you using Android Studio? I'd love to help! I can buy an Android unit myself and help you debug or serve as a testbed as well! You will want to use a unit with decent specs (a lot of units are using older versions of android and cheap hardware). The biggest detractor of these units for me has always been the UI and this project will fix that!
I actually have an idea I wanted to share btw. The 2020 S-Class has a very large screen, replicating it's UI elements might be a bit difficult to do cleanly as the form factor is so different. Maybe targeting the 2019/2018 units with the smaller screens would work
Also, the W211 has a pretty nice area behind the shifter that lends itself well to mounting a scroll wheel like the newer models. I saw some android units have them: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/33026553044.html (look through product images) Integrating something like this would be interesting as well (far down the road but something to possibly consider) In a W203 removing the mostly useless cupholder would allow for something like a scroll wheel as well.
Also, the W211 has a pretty nice area behind the shifter that lends itself well to mounting a scroll wheel like the newer models. I saw some android units have them: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/33026553044.html (look through product images) Integrating something like this would be interesting as well (far down the road but something to possibly consider) In a W203 removing the mostly useless cupholder would allow for something like a scroll wheel as well.
08-11-2020, 12:52 PM
#5
Will do! I will try and buy a nice unit and see if I can help you out I'm a bit less experienced with arduino, I have a raspberry Pi but don't really know how to integrate that with CANBUS via usb serial. Will purchase and see about messing around with it. I know some android units have built in canbus decoders, would be interesting to see how they do it.
Technically if you wanted to ghetto rig the Hey Mercedes feature u could just change the phrase for Google Now (would need to install Play Services and have internet connectivity on the android unit too though) so it responds to that, then set up something like Tasker to respond to stuff like "change fan speed to 50%" to go into your app and change what you want (which in turn would send appropriate canbus message to change temp setting or blower setting or whatever).
I'm a bit less experienced with arduino, I have a raspberry Pi but don't really know how to integrate that with CANBUS via usb serial. Will purchase and see about messing around with it. I know some android units have built in canbus decoders, would be interesting to see how they do it.Technically if you wanted to ghetto rig the Hey Mercedes feature u could just change the phrase for Google Now (would need to install Play Services and have internet connectivity on the android unit too though) so it responds to that, then set up something like Tasker to respond to stuff like "change fan speed to 50%" to go into your app and change what you want (which in turn would send appropriate canbus message to change temp setting or blower setting or whatever).
