Acer a100 tablet as a head unit Options

[b22ri22an]

earlier i attempted to make a custom phone dock to replace my stereo head unit, but my fabrication skills were lacking. I wanted something cleaner and a little bigger screen size. I bought a acer a100 7" tablet and permantly installed in my dash and so far I love it.



first order of business was using a razor blade to remove plastic ribs and the 2 clips that were preventing the tablet from sitting flush



checking the fit to make sure I could get the whole screen visible within the double din opening

the using some double sided mounting tape around the edges of the inside bezel I pressed the tablet into place, hooked up the charger and the headphone jack to the factory amp




finished product, I should have been a little more careful with the mounting tape, was too close to the edge and is visible, tomorrow I will pull it back out and have the mounting tape a little further from the edge so that it isn't seen

better pic in daylight with toyota wallpaper


Update to include parts list
1x Acer A100 Tablet
1x Acer A100 Vehicle Charger
1x 12V Accessory Socket
1x 90 degree 3.5mm to RCA jacks
2x Male to Female RCA 2 way splitter
1x Wiring Harness Adapter for 6 speaker stock amp
1x Volume Control
1x 3M double sided automotive mounting tape

This post has been edited by b22ri22an: May 19, 2012 - 4:24 AM

[b22ri22an]

after using this as a head unit for 2 weeks I have to say it has some quirks that take getting used to.

the negatives

because it does so much you tend to get distracted while driving and have to remind yourself wait till your at a red light or parked to reply on facebook or look stuff up on the net
an actual gain control for volume is a must widgets do the job but when theres glare on the screen its far easier to just turn a knob then find the button hidden in the sun,
another quirk is that this tablet isnt made to be sunlight readable and I drive a convertible so the top has been up any time the sun is out so i can see my screen
no usb host, limited space on microsd card
no standard am/fm tuner

the positives

excellent sound quality
unlimited potential can do whatever you want it to do
multiple connectivity options , bluetooth and wifi
clean installation almost looks like it belongs there
ease of use (when not in sunlight) android ice cream sandwich is a very fluid os requires almost no prior android experience to use
net connectivity to social sites and messaging



the wrap up is if i were to start over i would still choose an android tablet as my head unit but i would not choose the acer a100 again for this application, usb host connectivity is important for mass storage and ease of transfering files and for connecting peripherals such as a 3/4g dongle, with more and more usb host tablets out there can look forward to a usb fm tuner or hd radio add on soon , a sunlight readable screen is a must for anyone that owns a convertible, while the acer a100 performs extremely well as a tablet the lack of host usb and sunlight readable screen make it not a great head unit for a convertible but still better then most options out there.

my next build will probably be a Trim Slice with a separate Sunlight Readable Monitor however saving up the $650 for the monitor may take sometime so the acer stays for now