Latest bits and pieces

[AndyS95]

Have been doing some odds and ends over the winter months. Back in 2015 I had a Raspberry Pi as a media server with a longer term plan to have it, or another one as an engine monitoring function but I shelved that and then, as I moved from iPhone to Android it made sense to have an Android setup. So now in the front I have a 7" tablet, that sits in an adapted cradle that was originally designed to sit in the CD slot of a car stereo. The tablet is for satnav, passenger entertainment and also casts videos etc to the TV in the back. The TV is an old not smart one, with VGA and Scart only. This meant I first had to get a VGA to Scart adapter and then a HDMI screen mirror dongle. The dongle is powered via USB and this also powers the adapter. The dongle doesn't actually let you cast Netflix etc out of the box but I think there is a workaround that I haven't got round to looking in to yet.

Here's my original post about the 'carputer' from 2015
viewtopic.php?f=44&t=70581&p=665144&hil ... er#p665144

Tablet holder - £16
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01 ... UTF8&psc=1

VGA to HDMI adapter - £14
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01 ... UTF8&psc=1

HDMI screen mirror dongle - £16.50
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07 ... UTF8&psc=1











Then in the back I wanted to make a better cover for the rear speaker and also directly wire in to the LB a more robust rear 12v aux socket. So I made up a panel and got a 12v aux / 2 x USB / voltmeter / on, off switch panel. I also added another tablet cradle, this one for a 10" tablet, this screws on to a 1/4 thread attached to a holder which came with an 7" monitor

Panel - £22
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01 ... UTF8&psc=1

Tablet holder - £7
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01 ... UTF8&psc=1





Back to the front and I made a new panel for the front cubby hole where the RPi and screen used to be. In that I put a clock / temp / voltmeter unit in and also a double USB panel. I also put a single USB connector in the centre console on the passenger side of the handbrake. I trimmed the edge of the panel in 6mm plastic chrome, that is self-adhesive but needed extra bolstering with super glue. Time will tell if that holds up.

Clock unit - £11
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01 ... UTF8&psc=1

Double USB socket - £10
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07 ... UTF8&psc=1

6mm trim - £2.50
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07 ... UTF8&psc=1



Finally, after a few years of use and various festivals, I wanted to make the assembly of the double bed more accessible and simple. You can see the original set-up in this thread:

viewtopic.php?f=47&t=37365&start=195#p664734

First step was to store the slats in front of the sofa rather than under it, this was easy with some webbing and connectors, then I replaced the 2 times separate side supports with one hinged unit, I then adapted the clamp that is attached to the grab handle, so that the support can be screwed straight into it. I attached a heavy duty clamp to lock it into place when extended and a light duty one to stop it bouncing when packed away. Very hard to explain so I made a very short video and hosted it on YouTube - on the video I forgot to secure the heavy duty clamp.



https://youtu.be/lQmbtpe1VcY

[mikeonb4c]

Great job!

[Tony x]

Excellent work - there's something about the Bongo that brings out such innovation in folk.
At the risk of starting a war, thumbs up on going to Android

[Bob]

Yep.

Some neat additions.

[mikeonb4c]

Yep.

Some neat additions.

But, never mind Android, me and Ben think Flowerpotmen 2.0 is a much better operating system

[Bob]

And here they are:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=DwlATaS2E-I

[AndyS95]

Excellent work - there's something about the Bongo that brings out such innovation in folk.
At the risk of starting a war, thumbs up on going to Android

Thanks Mike & Tony.. yeah, Android - teamed up with a Google account it's so convenient but also v invasive..

[AndyS95]

A couple of small developments since my last post, thought I would share in case anyone finds the info useful.

Firstly, having 2 devices: Phone for calls and tablet for navigation and music paired simultaneously via bluetooth to the car stereo wasn't an option for my old stereo, so I found a Sony unit on Amazon for £57 that allows phone and tablet to be connected at the same time, it was either that or faff around with adapters and having wires sticking out etc. Works perfectly, it also has an app for voice commands, audio texts etc that I haven't played around with yet.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07 ... UTF8&psc=1

Secondly, the setup for the TV required a lead to the stereo aux in or using the TV's tinny speakers. So I got a 5m 3.5mm extension cable and a USB & Aux input mount. The USB is going to be largely redundant but the aux on their own all seemed to be coming from China. I didn't fancy taking the panel I built off and drilling another hole in it, would probably have meant re-covering it. So I mounted it on the underside of the rear cupboard.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07 ... UTF8&psc=1