Builds Heritage Blogmobile Build Thread (1 Viewer)

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.

Wow, I did not realize there was a solution for '18+ vehicles. Is there any way to wire the system to the factory USB and microphone locations?
 
The microphone is taped to the steering wheel column for now. If you look closely at the last pic, you'll see the wire running along the wood trim. I will fine-tune that tomorrow as well.
How large is the microphone? Is there a possibility of stashing it inside the driver side vent or something like that where it could still pick the voice up, but be discrete? What did you end up doing with it?
 
Wow, I did not realize there was a solution for '18+ vehicles. Is there any way to wire the system to the factory USB and microphone locations?

The system uses the car microphone for calls, so I'm not sure you could share one microphone. You might be able to use the factory USB jack though if you wire it to the unit. You'd have to discuss this with them, I guess. I don't know electronics very well.

The microphone is a good half inch with the included windscreen. I think the vent would be a bad location, because the rush of air would destroy audio quality.
 
The system uses the car microphone for calls, so I'm not sure you could share one microphone. You might be able to use the factory USB jack though if you wire it to the unit. You'd have to discuss this with them, I guess. I don't know electronics very well.

The microphone is a good half inch with the included windscreen. I think the vent would be a bad location, because the rush of air would destroy audio quality.
So if the car microphone is used for calls, is the Naviplus microphone just used for voice commands to Android Auto / Apple CarPlay? If so, I suppose it could be considered optional. I never used voice commands for CarPlay on my previous vehicle.
 
So if the car microphone is used for calls, is the Naviplus microphone just used for voice commands to Android Auto / Apple CarPlay? If so, I suppose it could be considered optional. I never used voice commands for CarPlay on my previous vehicle.

Yes. I find voice commands to work really nicely with Google Maps in Android Auto. Don't know anything about CarPlay myself.l
 
I relocated the microphone today to the area just above the USB port. Also installed a Proclip to hold my phone. Here's my final setup.

The only thing I'm working on is getting a shorter USB cord. The system is very picky about cords. The one I have now is the only one of out of 5 or so cords that work with the system. Charging is very slow. I'm hoping a shorter and different cord can improve charging a few percent or so. (The charging speed is my only complaint about the system so far)


DSCF4083 red.JPG
 
Last edited:
I relocated the microphone today to the area just above the USB port. Also installed a Proclip to hold my phone. Here's my final setup.

The only thing I'm working on is getting a shorter USB cord. The system is very picky about cords. The one I have now is the only one of out of 5 or so cords that work with the system. Charging is very slow. I'm hoping a shorter and different cord can improve charging a few percent or so. (The charging speed is my only complaint about the system so far)


View attachment 2367660

Which proclip did you get? Do you like it so far?
 
Which proclip did you get? Do you like it so far?

It's the Center Dash Mount - ProClip Center Mount for 2016-2020 Toyota Land Cruiser 200 (Item 855177) with the Adjustable Phone Holder for Small to Medium Cases.

It's an awesome mount. Leagues above the junk at places like Autozone. On the downside, it does block about half of the air vent. So far, that's not an issue for me, but I don't have experience driving on extremely hot days yet.
 
So an important note on USB cords for anyone else doing Android Auto with the Naviplus unit: most USB cords don't work! I went through several high-quality cords, and for a few days I was using the only one in my collection that worked. But I still got drop-offs with that cord. Finally, I got this one today, and it's been working perfectly:


Amazon product ASIN B07PFHB3R4

The right angle is also nice with my choice of install location--less to interfere with the knee airbag if it ever goes off.

From reading other forums, I see that USB cords are often issues with Android Auto systems. This isn't because cords are defective but because there are compatibility issues with go beyond what would be obvious to laymen like me.
 
Last edited:
A little update on the ProClip mount, in terms of how it slightly blocks the vent. I drove down to NYC for the weekend and had lunch with a friend while we both perched on the open tailgate. It was 95 degrees, and my phone overheated and shut down apps in response. After we said goodbye and I hit the road, I was very pleased to mount the phone directly in front of the vent! An unexpected benefit of the mount location.

On this hot day, I did not find the AC adversely impacted by the vent blockage. I got back in the driver's seat covered in sweat, and the system cooled me down quickly.
 
Hey I’m building a blogger car too! Well mine is a live blogging/live streaming car. Beautiful rig and Followed!

I thought it was interesting you chose satellite, Have you looked into cellular bonding? Is there a reason you chose this?

I’d be glad to exchange ideas, seems you are going for similar build and I’m doing mine in a budget and minimalist way, but I am sure there will be a lot of shared mods between our builds.

In case you didn’t know, cellular bonding is taking multiple cell signals and merging them. I am using speedify bonding service and several unlimited plans, but you look like someone who may be able to afford the more expensive option of using a LiveU/Portabella Mushroom units, as well as their premium bonding service and the more expensive/truly unlimited plans (100-200 each). I will begin testing signal in remote locations soon, and am hoping to figure it out by LCDC in two weeks.

What are your social media handles so I can give ya a follow!
 
Last edited:
Really interesting service. Thanks for mentioning this; I hadn't been aware of it. Will DM.

I will be doing a lot of testing this week on this to make sure it is viable, and will keep you posted. LCDC is around the corner so I will stay on top of this, as I am trying to get it ready by then. Just need to figure out how I’m going to pay for 1 plan from each major provider, and then I’ll bond them for the moving vehicle/on the trails test.

The service I Currently use and am testing is Speedify for 10 per month (3 per month if you pay for an entire year 3 year or something), but there are more “professional” routes like Mushroom Networks and LiveU, that provide “premium” bonding service and hardware with built in encoders.

If your budget is a few hundred per month, like me, for everything including data, go with speedify and dig for plans without cellular throttle that allows for tethering. I also use OBS which has a built in encoder for free, so that helps a lot in reducing the size of the feed I’m sending out.

If you have a higher budget then you can look into LiveU and Mushroom Networks hardware with built in encoders and binders, as well as look into their premium bonding service. Another thing to consider, that I may end up testing myself, are cellular/hotspot plans from data resellers/wholesalers like unlimited bills/unlimitedIRL, Who do not throttle until something like 500GBs. I have no experience with them as 100-200 per plan is last resort for me, and will end up going there if the throttle bypass doesn’t work on cheaper plans.
 
A little update today. First a couple pictures:


front.jpg


side.jpg


Second, thank you to @bloc and @KLF for the slider suggestions. I went ahead and got sliders from Budbuilt. They are probably a bit overbuilt for my needs, but aesthetics are very important to me, and I ultimately chose them over others because of how their appearance integrates with my overall design approach to the vehicle, which I guess you could describe as "classy burliness" or "rugged elegance." The local shop marveled at how well they are engineered after they put them on too.

Based on my the preliminary needs arising from my initial test drives, I also installed a Rigid lightbar with hybrid optics on a Cali Raised LED bracket and a pair of Rigid spotlights on CBI brackets as "ditch lights." Nothing is wired yet. I'm currently planning out additional lighting, finding a lot of inspiration in the work that @Eric Sarjeant has done. In addition to drawing from his and others' ideas for scene and reverse lighting, as well as interior lighting, I also plan to install some items from the film and photography world that will aid in both offroad driving and image capture. I'm going to attempt to install a Switch Pros unit myself this coming weekend.

I also copied @Eric Sarjeant and others here by putting in an Arb compressor on a slee bracket, as well as a Come Up winch on a Trail Tailor mount. I used a compact black hook from Factor 55 and blacked out all the logos with a paint marker.

I'm planning on having dual power sources: the car battery as well as a Yeti power station. I'll likely run some waterproof power jacks on the roof rack down to the power station so that I can run various items with the car turned off without worrying about draining the battery. If anyone has advice on running external power jacks, I'd love to hear from you. I want to make sure I do this safely. It's hard to find information on it. I will also be running external HDMI jacks and camera mounting devices for work.

I'm still torn over communications. I'm leaning toward a HughesNet Gen5 portable satellite dish as an interim solution for the next year or two until low orbit systems become more prevalent and cost-effective. These aren't that robust, but I'm considering mounting one in a foam case on the roof rack and allowing it to swivel out somehow without being removed from the case. This will likely be one of the last things I do though. I'm also considering installing a landing pad for a drone on the roof by the dish. The drone would serve multiple purposes: image capture, terrain review, wildlife surveillance in more remote areas, and assistance with emergency communications.

So much more coming and in the planning stages...

A drawer/sleeping platform system from Air Down Gear Up...

Fabrication of custom emblems and painting of the grill...

A dual monitor/television mount that I'll likely add on to the drawer system in such a way that it can slide forward into the 1st row and backward into the cabin...

Portable air conditioning to enable sleeping in the car on hot nights without the risk of leaving the car turned on.

I'd also like to see if someone can help fabricate a subtle "bull-bar-inspired" protection system for the front that fits in front of the factory bumper and follows its lines. I'm looking for some modest protection against flora and fauna strikes as well as tubular mounting points.

I'm also starting to think about security and ways to protect the vehicle and its contents.
 
Last edited:
Installed Android Auto/Car Play today. I used the Naviplus unit with steering wheel controls for the 2018+ LC200. I'm new at this, so it took me a while to install the unit, but after several hours of sweat, I successfully got everything running. I haven't tested Car Play, because I use an Android phone, but the Android Auto integration is definitely outstanding and a huge upgrade to the vehicle's electronics.

In case anyone else is interested, the product is here: https://www.naviplus.com.au/online-store/Toyota-Landcruiser-LC200-2018-Current-Capacitive-Touchscreen-audio-Apple-CarPlay-&-Android-Auto-Integration-p163937243.

Once you've got everything installed, you enter Android Auto mode by holding down the Nav button for a couple of seconds. To get audio, you also have to select Aux as your source. The only annoyance is having to do that extra source selection when starting a new drive.

For Android Auto, you also have to have your phone plugged into USB (I think Car Play is different?). But I don't mind that at all. The quality is higher than with Bluebooth, so it's worth it, and I generally keep my phone plugged in for charging anyway.

What's really cool about this unit is that you can easily access all your phone apps on the car's touchscreen but also switch back to the car's apps by pressing the nav button. So you can switch back and forth between the car's gps and your phone's, for example.

The steering wheel controls work great. I haven't noticed any loss of functionality with anything due to the install, though I haven't had enough time with it to say with 100% certainty that everything is as it's supposed to be.


Here's my car with the panels removed for install:



View attachment 2366669

Here are the boxes attached behind the screen. I know it looks like a mess, but it's very secure. I used industrial strength velcro to attach the bigger box to the back of the screen and then the smaller box to the bigger box. Then, I used velcro straps on top of everything as an extra support. I like redundancy in my fastenings.


View attachment 2366670

Naviplus gives you a USB receiver that seems to be designed to fasten into an unpowered cigarette lighter. I drilled a hole for mine and installed it in the side panel, a little below where I intend to install a phone mount. I need to fine-tune how the wire is placed behind the panel. Right now the wire is pushing the panel out a bit; but I'll do that tomorrow.


View attachment 2366674

The microphone is taped to the steering wheel column for now. If you look closely at the last pic, you'll see the wire running along the wood trim. I will fine-tune that tomorrow as well.

Here we are! Last pic.


View attachment 2366677

Do you have a link to the Velcro tape you used?
 
One thing I would test thoroughly is your recharge rate, because like me, your electrical demands are higher than most. With the dual battery and the goal zero yeti, you will have good battery capacity, but can you recharge it at the rate at which you use it?

I plan on streaming quite often (up to 10 hours a day) when my setup is done, and that combined with Air Conditioning (5000 BTU Window unit), means that I haven’t found any alternative to bringing a small gas Generator as a way to recharge everything when no shore power is present. I’m thinking for you, run the Goal Zero at night (make sure it has good enough discharge for AC (like the Bluetti AC200 at 1700watts running), and then during the day run the gas generator for long enough to recharge all your batteries, big and small (including the electric generator/Yeti). Long term I will likely get the sportsman 1000w inverter generator (only 25 lbs), and run gas A few hours during the day and electric generator at night/when I need quiet power (during streams).

Also I plan on squeezing out extra recharging anywhere I can - so long term maybe 1-2 solar panels (limited space), bigger alternator and whatever else I can find.

Just my .02 cents because I noticed that the biggest challenge we face when going electric generators/battery banks, is figuring out how to recharge them in a timely manner. With a gas generator it takes a minute to refill the gas.
 
Have you considered upgrading your alternator? There is a shop locally that modifies Toyotas for NGO's and others to power big stuff. I have seen some dual alternator setups as well but those particular engines were diesel. I'm not pushing these guys, I'm sure there must be others. But here is a link to one option that provides 370 amps. 270 Amp XP High Output Alternator for Lexus and Toyota Tundra, Sequoia, Landcruiser
 
One thing I would test thoroughly is your recharge rate, because like me, your electrical demands are higher than most. With the dual battery and the goal zero yeti, you will have good battery capacity, but can you recharge it at the rate at which you use it?

I plan on streaming quite often (up to 10 hours a day) when my setup is done, and that combined with Air Conditioning (5000 BTU Window unit), means that I haven’t found any alternative to bringing a small gas Generator as a way to recharge everything when no shore power is present. I’m thinking for you, run the Goal Zero at night (make sure it has good enough discharge for AC (like the Bluetti AC200 at 1700watts running), and then during the day run the gas generator for long enough to recharge all your batteries, big and small (including the electric generator/Yeti). Long term I will likely get the sportsman 1000w inverter generator (only 25 lbs), and run gas A few hours during the day and electric generator at night/when I need quiet power (during streams).

Also I plan on squeezing out extra recharging anywhere I can - so long term maybe 1-2 solar panels (limited space), bigger alternator and whatever else I can find.

Just my .02 cents because I noticed that the biggest challenge we face when going electric generators/battery banks, is figuring out how to recharge them in a timely manner. With a gas generator it takes a minute to refill the gas.
That bluetti has a decent recharge rate, very good for an OTS product. With a custom LiTi battery you can do 5C recharge, so 5x the pack amp capacity (500 amp on a 100 amp pack). The BMS for this isn't cheap, and the cells are famously inefficient; but the technology is certainly available on the mass market. There are accompanying issues to resolve (heat, wire gauge, a 500 amp source), and these multi C recharge rates isn't fantastic for battery longevity . . .
 
@Dangcat We're doing different things. Sounds like you've thought through some good solutions for yourself. In my case, I'm dealing with an equipment package that runs mostly off its own batteries, as I do much of my travel by plane as well. I've got a suitcase that opens into a charger array and another suitcase filled with lithiums. The air conditioners will have their own batteries too. The Yeti is providing redundancy more than anything, as well as some extra juice for computer gear, a tiny fridge (I live on protein bars, fruit bars, and Bada Beans when travelling remotely). With 180 amps coming off the stock alternator and a charging cord running directly from the Yeti to the alternator, I'll be good.
 
Today--or rather, these past few days (!)--I installed the Switch-Pros SP9100 and connected my front light bar and and ditch lights. This was difficult for me, because I'm new at most of the tasks involved, and resulted in scraped-up hands and a lot of swearing. But mission accomplished!

I opted for mounting the power module underneath my air compressor unit. I chose this location for two main reasons. First, I wanted it to be safe from theft when travelling. The thought of a smash and grab involving a central piece of equipment that powers many things in the truck makes me nervous; and the location beneath the compressor conceals the unit and makes it very hard to quickly extract. Second, I wanted it shielded from moisture for maximum peace of mind, and the mounting bracket for the compressor functions as a great shield. It took a lot of trial and error, but in the end, after a trying at least dozen mounting approaches, I was able to mount the unit with just the standard bracket and a couple of L brackets from Home Depot.

20200802_164314[1].jpg


You can see, or rather not see, the larger context here:

20200803_191102[1].jpg


Unfortunately, I scratched up the fuse box cover while wrestling with the compressor bracket. If I can't control my OCD, I'll replace the cover with a new one. The wiring is also a little messy. I intend to clean that up a bit when installing my next accessories.

I installed a Blue Sea distribution block, recommended by many people here, to help manage the ground connections.

As for the control panel, I opted to mount it in place of the wood trim, with help from the optional bezel, to the right of the steering wheel. Behind the wood trim lies a fairly irregular surface. I layered on pieces of extreme-duty mounting tape to turn that surface into a flat one and then simply adhered the control panel. It's rock solid after curing overnight.


20200803_192506.jpg


I'm quite happy with this location. The downside is that it's obscured by the steering wheel when the wheel is in the straight position. But I really don't need to have a constant view of the panel. The upsides included easy wire routing, no permanent modifications to the vehicle for mounting, and proximity to one's fingertips.

Coming projects that will involve the Switch Pro include amber scene lights, interior lighting, and a thermal imaging camera system. That will leave me with a couple blanks for now. I'll also be installing a lithium power station that will run some things separately and am still working out the overall system in my head.

So far, I love the Switch Pros! The app is a bit slow, and WiFi would be massively better than Bluetooth for remote usage, but those are minor complaints for me.

20200802_164314[1].jpg


20200803_191102[1].jpg


20200802_164314[1].jpg


20200803_191102[1].jpg
 
Last edited:

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top Bottom