Cubby Tablet Mounting Bezel

ltullos

Like many others here, shortly after getting my 370Z I wanted to put a tablet in the cubby space to be able to run Torque for engine and performance monitoring, navigation, music, weather radar, police scanner, and several other apps. I learned from several posters here (esp. Bandit_Kaine); but I wasn't really satisfied with any of the installations I found. I decided that if I was going to create one that would meet my standards; I would try to do it where I could reproduce for others. So, for the last 5 months I've been developing a tablet mount that will directly bolt in to replace the cubby. I had the cubby laser scanned and have been working with Part*Snap to complete the design and 3D printing of this prototype.

This is specifically created for the Nexus-7 (2012 version) as my research found it was by far the most suitable tablet for an automotive fixed installation requiring reliable power management. It has custom ROM which supports OTG USB to enable charging, reboot from touchscreen, and USB audio connected through the stock Bose head unit (through a 3.5mm rear mount stereo plug which I added).

I plan to be able to offer the tablet mount bracket for sale in January, either in black plastic similar to what you see here or covered in a black leather that closely matches the surrounding trim. I will also offer the complete parts list to create this (including all of the tablet customization instructions) or if there is sufficient interest, I may offer a turn-key complete installation. More details on this by EOY.

Here are a few additional photos
Rear view
USB hub and cables
With cubby door (magnetically attached)
Torque Pro Racing Meter

I hope you'll send me your questions and comments!
Larry

DEpointfive0

Hey Larry, contact AK before even saying you want to offer products especially with prices

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cdoxp800

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Lunar-Eclipse

Yes please, sign me up!

It looks like you have the Nexus mounted in a case which is mounted to the center of the bracket by some straps. I was thinking of putting in an 8" Samsung tablet. Either a Tab or a Note depending on dimensions.

Can you give us the inner dimensions of your template? It looks like you can mount an 8" tablet to the back if it's not too deep. That way the screen fills the entire opening.

dtul

You like you are off to a great start, good luck with it. Subbed for sure.

mults

Nice, count me in...

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Meulen

Do you have to cut or modify any visible part of the cubby bezel or door?

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ltullos

No cutting whatsoever. My #1 design objective was to make this completely bolt-in without having to mod any existing pieces for the mechanical mounting. This has been my biggest challenge as I've had to do several iterations to overcome some non-obvious interference issues to mate properly. For the door, I removed the latch mechanism essentially retaining the outer shell and attached two 1/2" niobium magnets; but I could easily restore it to the original condition.

For the electrical connections, I have spliced into the power feed to the triple guage cluster to access 12V (always on), 12V switched by ignition, and ground to feed the programmable power supply which enable me to keep the tablet powered for delay after ignition is turned off. I also wired in an audio cable to the radio to provide a rear aux input for my USB DAC which turned out to be very simple to do. These are the ONLY mods needed.

Meulen

I wanted to use an ipad mini. My main objective was also to retain OEM integrity and be able to quickly put it back to stock. So I just did this

DIY: ipad mini magnetic install into cubby

this way I didn't have to even take modify the door.

Nice job on this! I love seeing ideas like this. I'll definitely keep it in mind if I decide to switch to a nexus tablet.

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ltullos

The inside dimensions of the mounting bracket or bezel are 208mm X 130mm which could accommodate 7 inch tablets, but not full size. However, you will likely find that mounting is the small issue compared to the other problems of getting it to work reliably once its integrated into your dash. If you haven't already done so, I recommend you spend some time browsing the forums at www.mp3car.com and Googling "car tablets". Also feel free to shoot me your questions and I'll try to answer as best as I can.

Z370Z011

I have an ipad mini, so if you can make one for the mini I'd be interested.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk

ltullos

Sorry, but I don't have any plans to develop versions for other tablets as there are just too many design compromises. The main elements that made this work was the custom ROM development done by Timur (Google) that is only available for the Nexus 7, and the availability of the soft case which eliminated many potential alignment and registration issues, and greatly simplified the mounting in the custom bracket I fabricated.

I don't say this to discourage anyone else from pursuing their own solution; but I have no interest in developing for other tablets. On the other hand, if someone wanted to buy or license by design files and modify themselves, I'll be happy to listen to help recover my substantial development costs.

Lunar-Eclipse

Man those dimensions are perfect for a Galaxy Note 8 mounted behind the bezel.
Specs - Wi-Fi Tabs GT-N5110 | Samsung Galaxy Tab

I am a frequent mp3car reader. With Tasker in place you can automate to your hearts content. I already have a few on my phone for automatically playing music and what not. I have never had a stability problem on my Nexus tablet. I reboot it every few weeks but it has never crashed or locked up on me.

Thanks for the info. If you do decide to produce the bezel let me know. I'm definitely interested. I also have access to a 3d printer so if you just want to sell the file that would work for me too.

KeVoH

This is really awesome, count me in! PM me whenever these are up for sale.

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martin82

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