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What a great job, thanks for sharing. I just did mine with a crutchfield JVC setup. It works and sounds great. Rear camera is great. I would like to do a front camera. I wish I would have known about Max-DIN before I jumped in and I would have held out until I could afford it.
I actually have a Crutchfield kit sitting here that I will probably never use now. I was still researching head units when Damian ran his Black Friday special last year, and I just had to pull the trigger on it. I'm glad I did.
If I ever decide to upgrade my NAV radio, I will be following in VetteVinnie's footsteps for it seems to be The Ultimate Upgrade. Why would I settle for anything less? I also like his front and rear camera implementations.
I have not tried any of the monitoring apps, although I'm pretty sure there are some out there (or some in development) because I've seen screenshots. And, yes, there's the same automatic day/night function as the factory unit.
Since there's already a DVR camera available for it, I would love to see some PDR functionality added at some point even though I probably won't ever need it since most tracks won't allow a convertible to run on them. Damian at @KnightDriveTV would be the one to ask about future developments.
Thanks for the reply. I'm on the list as of today.
If I ever decide to upgrade my NAV radio, I will be following in VetteVinnie's footsteps for it seems to be The Ultimate Upgrade. Why would I settle for anything less? I also like his front and rear camera implementations.
The possibilities don't end there. I am expanding and working on hardware add-ons, proprietary to the MaxDin unit. I am developing several features which will only add to the value and function of the unit, in the C6. Upcoming videos for the MaxDin, on KnightDriveTV, will show these expansions in due time. Buying the unit opens up a lot of possibilties, but that isn't where it ends. As I bring C5's MaxDin unit into fruition, as well as Cadillac XLR, the combined users will allow me to move into expansion systems that enhance how the system works in all 3 cars, ahead.
Hi, In my opinion it is best to stay 'open source' this makes it easier for people to find compatible options. There are many reasons for this not limited to what if something happens and you are no longer available to support them. People will have one cool looking radio that they will not be able to expand. There are so many android apps and accessories. This would only make your product more valuable. Let everyone else do the work and you just reap the benefits. This would only make your product more valuable. I am going to get one too. I just have to wait for a while until the sting of all of my recent purchases subsides.
Hi, In my opinion it is best to stay 'open source' this makes it easier for people to find compatible options. There are many reasons for this not limited to what if something happens and you are no longer available to support them. People will have one cool looking radio that they will not be able to expand. There are so many android apps and accessories. This would only make your product more valuable. Let everyone else do the work and you just reap the benefits. This would only make your product more valuable. I am going to get one too. I just have to wait for a while until the sting of all of my recent purchases subsides.
I think the proprietary part is so that as you have stated, he doesn't do all the work and everyone else reaps the benefits.
I can understand that, but I think it would put in a more accessible sized market if it were truly open and available to not just MaxDIN users but to all. I could see that maybe for an initial set timeframe, that this be exclusive to MaxDIN users but after that, open it up to all. That would provide the best of both worlds. Much like the idea of producing a separate climate control module for those that need to replace a malfunctioning unit, but don't want to upgrade to the full MaxDIN head.
Hi, In my opinion it is best to stay 'open source' this makes it easier for people to find compatible options. There are many reasons for this not limited to what if something happens and you are no longer available to support them. People will have one cool looking radio that they will not be able to expand. There are so many android apps and accessories. This would only make your product more valuable. Let everyone else do the work and you just reap the benefits. This would only make your product more valuable. I am going to get one too. I just have to wait for a while until the sting of all of my recent purchases subsides.
If not full open source, at the very least an API that could open it up for third party innovation. Obviously the ability to install Android applications already exists because Agama Car Launcher was a simple Google Play download.
Update 5/14: Added a before & after photo to the original post. It's amazing how much the look of the interior changed without really changing much. This no longer looks like a 13 year old car.
a few questions
is there a button or a short cut to black the screen out for that late night drive where you're 12h into a road trip and just need the dash dark to see at nigh haha.
have you see the YouTube short of a guy that has a can interface working for the chime without the add on speaker? seems trick.
for the front and back cams, can those record? like if you added the dash cam, could you record the feed from all 3 for say a track day or mountain drive? if so, how the video quality? after my last track day I looked into trying to add a few action cams and be able to start and stop them all easily. there isn't very many options out there, definitely no cheap ones. that would be a big selling point to me if so.
how's the radio part sound? I ditched all the 80s 2 **** radio level factory bose sound system long ago. I don't think I'm super picky on sound, but I couldn't take the factory system. it was literally the worst thing I've heard in a car since I was 16 with 2 6x9s stuffed on the back dash haha. (the 6x9s might have sounded better) hopefully it's at least tolerable hooked to a 5 channel amp and sub?
how's the response of the screen? I have always been an android guy since the G1, but I admit they aren't always crisp running units. is it laggy?
a few questions
is there a button or a short cut to black the screen out for that late night drive where you're 12h into a road trip and just need the dash dark to see at nigh haha.
have you see the YouTube short of a guy that has a can interface working for the chime without the add on speaker? seems trick.
for the front and back cams, can those record? like if you added the dash cam, could you record the feed from all 3 for say a track day or mountain drive? if so, how the video quality? after my last track day I looked into trying to add a few action cams and be able to start and stop them all easily. there isn't very many options out there, definitely no cheap ones. that would be a big selling point to me if so.
how's the radio part sound? I ditched all the 80s 2 **** radio level factory bose sound system long ago. I don't think I'm super picky on sound, but I couldn't take the factory system. it was literally the worst thing I've heard in a car since I was 16 with 2 6x9s stuffed on the back dash haha. (the 6x9s might have sounded better) hopefully it's at least tolerable hooked to a 5 channel amp and sub?
how's the response of the screen? I have always been an android guy since the G1, but I admit they aren't always crisp running units. is it laggy?
there is a button on the screen with a quick swipe down that blacks out the screen
unsure about the chime speaker as I didn't install mine. The chimes are annoying. Plenty of room behind the radio to install the chime speaker if desired.
That I'm aware of the only camera for recording is the dash cam. My rear camera doesn't and I didn't install my front camera as I think they are foolish. I stay well away from things that could damage the front.
Sound quality is subjective, but...from what I see, it's the bose users from the years of self powered lower door speakers with issues and nobody else. I'm one of those users and suffered a complete loss of bass out of those speakers. They aren't moving at all that I can see. I added a 10" sub to get some depth back to my music. They are working on the issue. Later bose and non bose users seem very satisfied with the sound from their units. This is an Android powered unit and those are well known NOT to produce audiophile sound quality.
I honestly expected lagging, but there isnt any. Unit responds very quickly to input.
there is a button on the screen with a quick swipe down that blacks out the screen
unsure about the chime speaker as I didn't install mine. The chimes are annoying. Plenty of room behind the radio to install the chime speaker if desired.
That I'm aware of the only camera for recording is the dash cam. My rear camera doesn't and I didn't install my front camera as I think they are foolish. I stay well away from things that could damage the front.
Sound quality is subjective, but...from what I see, it's the bose users from the years of self powered lower door speakers with issues and nobody else. I'm one of those users and suffered a complete loss of bass out of those speakers. They aren't moving at all that I can see. I added a 10" sub to get some depth back to my music. They are working on the issue. Later bose and non bose users seem very satisfied with the sound from their units. This is an Android powered unit and those are well known NOT to produce audiophile sound quality.
I honestly expected lagging, but there isnt any. Unit responds very quickly to input.
thank you.
that seems good. I'm not surprised at the bose door subs being an issue. those are weird, have a amp in the speaker and did nothing for my stock system but rattle the door trim lol. I gutted the amp/cross over off them, and use them as a front mid and added highs above it. not bad not great, but a 10in door speaker is kinda ridiculous haha but I tired to find a use for them. the rear speakers on the bose are wired mono together using the 4th channel for a dash speaker.
just awful in every way.
I get not needing the front for parking, for me it's more of a don't need to stick go pros around the car to get videos for friends on track and stuff. huh.
everyone is so secretive about these things. I pmed a guy selling one asking some basic question before trying buying it and they don't even reply.
I'm starting to get concerned they aren't very good and everyone is scared to give the guy a bad review that's trying to get these made.
There is nothing secret about this. It's too new, so there could still be unknowns. There's a Facebook group specifically for Q&A.
As for the door chime, I did install mine, and it only had the seatbelt reminders, fob left in car, headlights on, etc. It doesn't currently have door lock/unlock sounds, convertible top up/down confirmation sounds, etc. I know nothing about that YouTube guy you mentioned.
I'm just an end user like you and would have plenty of my own questions (and frequently do on the Facebook forum ).
EDIT: I sent you PM with the info.
Last edited by VetteVinnie; May 22, 2024 at 11:28 AM.
There is nothing secret about this. It's too new, so there could still be unknowns. There's a Facebook group specifically for Q&A.
As for the door chime, I did install mine, and it only had the seatbelt reminders, fob left in car, headlights on, etc. It doesn't currently have door lock/unlock sounds, convertible top up/down confirmation sounds, etc. I know nothing about that YouTube guy you mentioned.
I'm just an end user like you and would have plenty of my own questions (and frequently do on the Facebook forum ).
EDIT: I sent you PM with the info.
When we have engineers here this June, we will be trying to restore beeps for various functions. This will likely weave into the mid summer, major system update that all users will get.
This product isnt a year old yet, and while I did an extensive beta test of 30 users, there were still little bits that have slowly been found and brought to my attention. Now that we have over 400 installed, its revealed things that we can address and update.
So, as with Bose or beeps or whatever...a big system update is coming and we will be checking all things that have come from feedback, over the past 9mo.
To the above user...???. I am a one man business, doing all of this from my shop. I do all customer support, all development, all CAD, all website management, etc. I have the youtube channel and a huge social network so messages get lost in the fray, all the time.
My phone number is on the website...5sec to reach me.
This is great, thank you for the detailed write up.
I think this is way outside my wheelhouse, but the more I sit and read and look at the pics, the more likely I will convince myself that I can do it!
You’re welcome. You can certainly have someone do it for you, but I’d recommend directing them here or to the other linked resources so they know what not to do. I put this together because I had heard horror stories of so-called “professionals” cutting up the factory harness. Installing the unit itself is straight plug and play. The only splicing was when connecting the camera(s).
Hey @VetteVinnie just quick question, in this photo the connection is in order to use the USB located under the center console lid right? I am going to run the 2nd one into the glovebox as well just in case for future updates.
Hey @VetteVinnie just quick question, in this photo the connection is in order to use the USB located under the center console lid right? I am going to run the 2nd one into the glovebox as well just in case for future updates.
Yes, correct. This allowed the center console connection to work. I also ran the other one into the glove box, and I keep my digital music files on a USB key in that one.
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