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I got everything to work on the unit which uses the original screen via the COMAND knob, but I simply could NOT get the big connectors to fit behind the radio head. So, on the shelf it sits 🫤.
Is the Android one you are talking about any different in that regard? I do t want to break a wire or optical cable trying to force those connectors somewhere they don’t want to go!
I got everything to work on the unit which uses the original screen via the COMAND knob, but I simply could NOT get the big connectors to fit behind the radio head. So, on the shelf it sits 🫤.
Is the Android one you are talking about any different in that regard? I do t want to break a wire or optical cable trying to force those connectors somewhere they don’t want to go!
Thank you!
Bill
drop the passenger kick plate and glove box and then feed the wire on that side instead all the way up. Now you have access to try to fit it. The square connector and fuse can fit underneath the COMAND unit. Now when you wiggle it all the way in, leave the top screws above the COMAND down until you fit it all the way in. Once you get the comand repositioned in then pull out aslightly and pull up the screws - then screw them down.
Thank you! I may jump to getting an android touch screen now but I DREAD taking that center trim off and various connectors apart for fear of breaking them.
if only there were a way to gain access on the LH side of the radio…
Would those of you that bought an Android 11 screen please do me a favor? Ask your vendor for "mylogo.zip" which is a file that can be imported to offer Mercedes-branded boot/splash screen logos.
I ask for multiple people to help because the vendors vary widely in their support. What I have seen so far:
Mine had no idea you could change the boot logo. I found the option myself. I don't have Mercedes logos. I asked but doubt that they can furnish the logo.zip file I need.
I found some youtube videos from a vendor that offers the file to their buyers if it isn't already on the system.
I found a customer that claims they paid their vendor to create custom logos. They didn't share any pricing despite being asked several times and they won't share the zip file (because I want to see what's inside of it)
I can't find any rogue posting of this zip file anywhere on the internet. I was hoping that somebody stashed it somewhere.
Android is open source. This shouldn't be this difficult!
I got an Android 11 unit with the 12" screen. The vendors vary in their support. I see a few that offer a "mylogo.zip" file that can be imported, giving more startup logo splash screen options. That goofy old car with the bicycle wheels isn't my preference.
I read that one offers to make a custom one for you with pictures of your choice - only for their customers and at a cost... but nobody is quoting the cost.
My vendor stated that they have no idea about the logo change. I found it myself. They're likely not a good source for that mylogo.zip.
Android is open source. The ability to change the logo splash screen and other things shouldn't be easier
We notice that so many people want to get wireless carplay and wireless Android auto. However, the cost of retrofitting a car is about 800-1500 USD. If your car has wired carplay, we have a good solution to you.
Would those of you that bought an Android 11 screen please do me a favor? Ask your vendor for "mylogo.zip" which is a file that can be imported to offer Mercedes-branded boot/splash screen logos.
I ask for multiple people to help because the vendors vary widely in their support. What I have seen so far:
Mine had no idea you could change the boot logo. I found the option myself. I don't have Mercedes logos. I asked but doubt that they can furnish the logo.zip file I need.
I found some youtube videos from a vendor that offers the file to their buyers if it isn't already on the system.
I found a customer that claims they paid their vendor to create custom logos. They didn't share any pricing despite being asked several times and they won't share the zip file (because I want to see what's inside of it)
I can't find any rogue posting of this zip file anywhere on the internet. I was hoping that somebody stashed it somewhere.
Android is open source. This shouldn't be this difficult!
I got an Android 11 unit with the 12" screen. The vendors vary in their support. I see a few that offer a "mylogo.zip" file that can be imported, giving more startup logo splash screen options. That goofy old car with the bicycle wheels isn't my preference.
I read that one offers to make a custom one for you with pictures of your choice - only for their customers and at a cost... but nobody is quoting the cost.
My vendor stated that they have no idea about the logo change. I found it myself. They're likely not a good source for that mylogo.zip.
Android is open source. The ability to change the logo splash screen and other things shouldn't be easier
Yeah I think you're right about Benz suing for unauthorized use of their logo, if you look around on places like Aliexpress and Alibaba when they sell tonnes of pirated and copied Benz bits and pieces a majority of sellers use images of W212's with the Benz name and pentastar images blurred out.
Last edited by Aussie_E350_Wag; Jul 14, 2022 at 05:05 PM.
Here are the details on my installation here. It was relatively easy!
2010 W212 E350 Base Sedan with NTG4.0 and absolutely nothing in the way of AUX/MMI/USB. It came with an iPod integration that I removed.
The good:
My greatest concern was about how the AUX input would be worked out. It ended up being the least of my concerns.
The aftermarket back up camera works better on this unit than when it was connected to the NTG4.0! The back up camera comes up as soon as you put it in reverse gear. With NTG4.0 I had to wait for the COMAND warning screen to go away.
The bad: (relatively speaking, not a big deal really)
The most difficult part was deciphering the end-user instructions when it came to using the unit as either an Android tablet or a CarPlay/Android-Auto unit, and what extra 4G/GPS antennae to connect based on this decision.
I wish it did not take so long to boot up. I was hoping it could go into some low-power hibernation sleep state where it could quickly resume operation.
Getting the NTG4.0 back in the dash was difficult due to that large inline block connector.
The ugly: (things that were unnecessarily difficult)
- The seller "RoadTop" has been very responsive to all my customization questions. I didn't need any installation technical support.
Android v11 - because Android v9/v10 will go end-of-life sooner and these units do not appear to benefit from any OS updates, let alone major version upgrades.
6G RAM + 128G Storage - because the 4G units had 64G of storage. I wanted the extra RAM and storage to keep this unit in play longer
12" HD 1920x720 screen - I would have preferred the 10" unit but those were often 480p. There I could not find the sweet spot with 10" HD screens that had 6G/128G Android v11 and with easy returns.
Amazon as a vendor to facilitate easier returns in case the AUX didn't work out.
Returning Aliexpress purchases is expensive and takes a long time. Filtering Aliexpress search results to "free returns" removed all the desired v11 6/128 units.
Some ebay sellers ship from the US but returns go back to China.
This unit is a universal fit for NTG4.0/4.5/4.7 - it came wired for NTG4.0 and can be adapted to NTG4.5/4.7
The unit itself:
It has wiring options for NTG4.0 and NTG4.5/4.7 - and a few different cable swaps are offered if the audio output doesn't work right.
Included Optional Parts: I only used the first one.
LVDS adapter for my older NTG4.0 video connection. Would not be used in 2012+ cars.
4G antenna, which doesn't need to be installed unless you use this natively as an Android tablet and you use a 4G SIM for internet access
GPS antenna, which doesn't need to be installed unless you use this natively as an Android tablet, providing 4G or tethered wifi for internet access
Monoaural microphone, which only needs to be connected if the microphone built into the screen isn't good enough
AMI/MMI to AUX adapter cable, which I didn't use because I didn't have any physical AMI/MMI/AUX/USB on my NTG4.0
1/8" stereo cable output for the AUX connection, which I didn't use because no AMI/MMI/AUX.
Internet data connection options:
This was the most confusing part. You can use this unit as an Android tablet or relegate it to be an extension of your mobile phone.
Do not provide any data service to the Android unit itself, use it as an extension of your phone
I used Apple Carplay with my iPhone, so I only set up bluetooth connectivity with the unit. The bluetooth connectivity is only an initial setup. The live connection is wifi.
I believe Android Auto works the same way as CarPlay - wired or wireless
There's a "screen mirroring" app for Android and iPhone.
Provide data services to the Android unit itself, use it as an Android tablet, and connect the GPS antenna
Install a 4G SIM and the 4G antenna, or
Connect the unit to wifi via your phone's tethering option
If it was not already active I could have activated it via the engineering menu. The youtube videos tell me that there is a lot of variance in this procedure depending on your software version and whatever stuff is activated via Xentry.
The Android unit's wiring matched up to the AUX pins on the big connector to the NTG4.0 so no AUX wiring on the car-side connector was needed.
If you have a wired AUX you could just connect it there. An AMI/MMI adapter is provided.
Mate that's a pretty awesome summation of your install experience, I'm about to undergo the same with a NTG 4.5 unit to a 12" v.11 Android unit.
Could you post up some pics of yours running so I can see how much real-estate it takes up.
What's it like at night? Do you look like your live podcasting while driving to other drivers beside you in traffic?
I'll add some pics later. There are brightness controls and the system is on the CAN BUS so it knows what's going on with the car including when the headlights are on.
It has another useless feature where it shows the HVAC controls for a bit when they change (but you can't use it to change the settings.) Some screens show the warning lights for seat belts and the parking brake. I guess they got bored.
I would like to see something talk OBD2 native without a bluetooth dongle.
I am looking into doing this soon. Leaning towards going with 4x4 Shop's Android 11 unit. I have been searching for detailed installation instructions for the NTG 5 head unit but have come up empty. My specific question is the 2 USB ports in the center console. Will these units retain functionality of these two ports? All the instruction videos I have found are for the NTG 4x units which have an AMI port. Thanks in advance!
Hello guys, i have a 10.25 inch MTK from Mekede 2 years old on my car, so far it was running great, from 2 weeks it starts stuck on boot or after start about 4 to 5 minutes it stuck, reset button does not solve it, as i read on forums it need software reinstall, seller does not respond, anyone guys can help or have the firmware files? Thanks.
Hello guys, i have a 10.25 inch MTK from Mekede 2 years old on my car, so far it was running great, from 2 weeks it starts stuck on boot or after start about 4 to 5 minutes it stuck, reset button does not solve it, as i read on forums it need software reinstall, seller does not respond, anyone guys can help or have the firmware files? Thanks.
try a hard reset. Pull the fuse for comand (assuming it’s wited there) and let the tablet’s internal battery go dead
Mine, the exact same model works like a charm. My only matter, the very poor mic quality via Navifly. Even my old Comand NT4.0 was better. Thinking about an external mic , what do you think
Got my screen set up and have it working, but having a no sound issue, when connecting to the aux in command I'm getting an error saying Media interface not available. I only used BT before this so I'm not sure it ever worked before. Anyone ever deal with a similar issue? Recommendations for a fix?
edit - I did some more troubleshooting and ended up flipping the fiber optic connections on the head unit and have sound now. Next step will be getting it to stop automatically switching from the aux connection and then I'll be all set. As silly as it is, I got twisted up because I did the disassembly from the passenger seat and was doing some of the reassembly from the drivers side. Sometimes it's the little things....
Hi, i have now android 10 s450 4/64, the mylogo.zip did not work for me, it import the logo successfully from the usb then when pressing on the logo in the menu setting it gives me the logo file does not support android 10, any thought?
Hi, i have now android 10 s450 4/64, the mylogo.zip did not work for me, it import the logo successfully from the usb then when pressing on the logo in the menu setting it gives me the logo file does not support android 10, any thought?
I used to be pretty active with testing Android OS on Samsung but have not delt with its integration to Benz.
I bet your issue has to do with either file format (jpg, png, gif,...) -Or file size (80kB, 300kB, 1MB,...) given your stick is using a FAT32 formatting.
If you use a large stick usupported by FAT, then use a reduced partition size near 4B or lower for a FAT partition table.
Ultimately:
Take a working inbond file as sample to guide your upload specifications. There are thousand combinations that are wrong and only a few working ones.
Don't get too frustrated with half-baked technology. Find the combinations and bug workaround that nearly work as expected.
🤘
Last edited by CaliBenzDriver; Oct 23, 2022 at 02:25 AM.
2016 E350 4Matic wagon, 2019 Ford Expedition, 2019 Chevy Bolt EV
The bottom line is, all these off brand Chinese Android implemtations are buggy as heck. My Android Auto on the Mercedes NTG5 in the 2016:212, with a flashware upgrade and tweaked feature coding, and my Pixel phone works quite well, but the no name stuff is a buggy mess.
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