T-Style Android Head Unit first impressions - 2016+ model

[RidgieWagon]

I initiated contact and mentioned that I had been told that my understanding was that payment was via bank transfer. The very brief response from Jackie Tang was that they don’t accept payment that way. Sigh…. I sent another reply, but this doesn’t seem to be going well so far LOL. Hopefully we’ll get things sorted out.

My apologies! I called it a bank transfer because I used my bank webpage to make the payment but it's technically a wire transfer or T/T.

 

[greynolds]

My apologies! I called it a bank transfer because I used my bank webpage to make the payment but it's technically a wire transfer or T/T.

No worries - we were able to get past that issue . Jackie sent me a quote only for the 16" head unit with the exact same prices you mentioned in the first post of this thread. Looking at the quote closely, it appears to be yours as there's a name and address in Grand Prairie, TX on the quote. I have also been contacted by several other vendors, 2 of which are "Shenzhen {insert something here}". Two of them are quoting prices of around $420, but I'm inclined to go with Jackie since we know you had good luck there. Now I just need to figure out how to get the order going - it looks like Jackie is still online now, so I may be able to get the ball rolling today. As expected, communication is a bit of an issue, but I think we'll get there:

Me: That quote looks good and appears to be from the other customer I got the information from. Please let me know how to proceed with placing the order. I do see that there is a "Start Order" button I can click in the chat window.

Jackie: no alibaba order

Me: OK, so how do I proceed?

That's it so far

 

[RidgieWagon]

No worries - we were able to get past that issue . Jackie sent me a quote only for the 16" head unit with the exact same prices you mentioned in the first post of this thread. Looking at the quote closely, it appears to be yours as there's a name and address in Grand Prairie, TX on the quote. I have also been contacted by several other vendors, 2 of which are "Shenzhen {insert something here}". Two of them are quoting prices of around $420, but I'm inclined to go with Jackie since we know you had good luck there. Now I just need to figure out how to get the order going - it looks like Jackie is still online now, so I may be able to get the ball rolling today. As expected, communication is a bit of an issue, but I think we'll get there:

LOL I can imagine they just pulled up the last invoice and didn't change much. Take a look at the specs on the cheaper ones...they typically have less memory and/or ram.

 

[greynolds]

LOL I can imagine they just pulled up the last invoice and didn't change much. Take a look at the specs on the cheaper ones...they typically have less memory and/or ram.

Yeah, the cheaper quotes from the other vendors were for less RAM/ROM. Hopefully I can get things rolling with Jackie later this afternoon when he should be back at work. If I can get payment sent today or tomorrow, I should have enough time to get the unit installed before my trip as long as nothing major goes wrong in the shipping.

 

[h777]

I will say that being able to adjust the fan speeds with the buttons is a major advantage over adjusting via the factory screen. Watching this thread closely as I am very interested. Was looking at one of those modules from beatsonic. But, going to hold back and see how this turns out.

Best of luck OP. I know there are so many more like me watching this with interest. Now imagine if you could pair this upgrade with a digital cluster upgrade as well.

 

[greynolds]

I will say that being able to adjust the fan speeds with the buttons is a major advantage over adjusting via the factory screen. Watching this thread closely as I am very interested. Was looking at one of those modules from beatsonic. But, going to hold back and see how this turns out.

Best of luck OP. I know there are so many more like me watching this with interest. Now imagine if you could pair this upgrade with a digital cluster upgrade as well.

Yeah, I'm almost (just almost) tempted to order something like 10 of these to get a discount and essentially organize a group buy, but just don't want to take that on and tie the money up.

Agreed on the ability to adjust fan speeds with the buttons. I'm not sure I would want to give up the rotary volume control, but I'd like to have the option to use the left and right rotary knobs to control driver and passenger temp. Since they don't seem to be labeled on the 16" version, that's just a configuration setting away from being possible.

Ordering via alibaba has a bit of risk associated with it, but the savings versus what EC Offroad charges for essentially the same thing is worth it IMHO (assuming my transaction also goes through without any major issues, of course). I'll keep you guys posted on how it goes.

 

[greynolds]

While waiting for Jackie to get back to me, I noticed a web site listed on the copy of the invoice he sent me, so I decided to take a look. Here's the page for 2016-2020 Land Cruisers:

ZF-1829G - TOYOTA - Shenzhen Changheweiye Technology Co.,Ltd Offical Website

www.szzhifanggps.com

I noticed in the specifications list that there are options for 8GB RAM, 128 GB ROM, and built in 4G LTE capability (with a SIM card slot). I sent Jackie a question asking if those options are actually available. If they are and it doesn't make a huge difference on the price, I'd just assume have as much capability as I can.

 

[greynolds]

While waiting for Jackie to get back to me, I noticed a web site listed on the copy of the invoice he sent me, so I decided to take a look. Here's the page for 2016-2020 Land Cruisers:

ZF-1829G - TOYOTA - Shenzhen Changheweiye Technology Co.,Ltd Offical Website

www.szzhifanggps.com

I noticed in the specifications list that there are options for 8GB RAM, 128 GB ROM, and built in 4G LTE capability (with a SIM card slot). I sent Jackie a question asking if those options are actually available. If they are and it doesn't make a huge difference on the price, I'd just assume have as much capability as I can.

Jackie got back to me about 30 minutes ago. The 8GB RAM, 128GB ROM, and 4G options are currently in development and won’t be available for a month or more, so I proceeded with the current option as I don’t think it’s worth waiting an unknown amount of time for those features. Payment has been initiated, so hopefully the shipment will be on the way in a few days.

 

[RidgieWagon]

Jackie got back to me about 30 minutes ago. The 8GB RAM, 128GB ROM, and 4G options are currently in development and won’t be available for a month or more, so I proceeded with the current option as I don’t think it’s worth waiting an unknown amount of time for those features. Payment has been initiated, so hopefully the shipment will be on the way in a few days.

That's interesting! I'm happy with the 4/64 so far but we'll see when I start loading movies and music.

It took a couple days for payment to clear but they were quick with the shipping and tracking. It's a trip just wiring money out and crossing your fingers you get a product in return. It took a couple weeks to get the unit as it sat "received" in Shenzhen for a week but once it was moving it was quick.

 

[greynolds]

That's interesting! I'm happy with the 4/64 so far but we'll see when I start loading movies and music.

I don't think the extra RAM / ROM should make much of a difference when it comes to handling movies and music. For storage of the movie and music files, my plan is to use the same 512GB USB thumb drive I've been using with the EC Offroad interface module I currently have as even 128GB wouldn't be enough for all of my music. Same thing for any offline map storage - my preference is to store those on removable storage. One big advantage to using removable storage is that if you put the USB connections some place where they're accessible you can disconnect the thumb drive and bring it to your PC to move files around. IMHO, the extra RAM / ROM is more about being able to have more apps running at the same time without the system starting to get sluggish and having more space to install apps. For a car head unit application though, 64GB is probably plenty of space for apps. The other advantage of the 8/128 unit is that it looks like it will be running Android 11 - it looks like the one you have (and I hope to have soon...) is running Android 9. But the current unit should be fine for now and can always be replaced with something newer in a few years if there's a desire or need to do so. At that point, the new units might even have 4K screen resolution.

I thought I had checked the box on Alibaba blocking other vendors from contacting me, but must have screwed that up. A few other vendors were actually fairly helpful. A few seemed VERY shady. Ultimately, I felt far more comfortable going with the vendor @RidgieWagon used since we have 1 success story to go with. That definitely made me a lot more comfortable initiating the wire transfer.

It took a couple days for payment to clear but they were quick with the shipping and tracking. It's a trip just wiring money out and crossing your fingers you get a product in return. It took a couple weeks to get the unit as it sat "received" in Shenzhen for a week but once it was moving it was quick.

Yeah, wiring money always makes me nervous largely because I have only needed to use wire transfers a small number of times over the years as most places obviously take credit cards (or cash if we go back to the dark ages ). I initiated the wire transfer after hours last night, so it won't actually get processed until some time today.

That's actually a bit encouraging on the shipping time - if I get lucky and mine doesn't sit in a "received" status for an extended period, I could have it relatively soon.

I just ordered the NuShield DayView screen protector - thanks for doing the legwork on that as well.

Now you just need to figure out how to swap in higher resolution cameras without having to run new wiring so I can copy what you do there as well.

 

[linuxgod]

Anyone know if this version (or any) support the front windshield de-icer and if it has a digital equivalent of the cabin filter button?

 

[linuxgod]

I don't think the extra RAM / ROM should make much of a difference when it comes to handling movies and music. For storage of the movie and music files, my plan is to use the same 512GB USB thumb drive I've been using with the EC Offroad interface module I currently have as even 128GB wouldn't be enough for all of my music. Same thing for any offline map storage - my preference is to store those on removable storage. One big advantage to using removable storage is that if you put the USB connections some place where they're accessible you can disconnect the thumb drive and bring it to your PC to move files around. IMHO, the extra RAM / ROM is more about being able to have more apps running at the same time without the system starting to get sluggish and having more space to install apps. For a car head unit application though, 64GB is probably plenty of space for apps. The other advantage of the 8/128 unit is that it looks like it will be running Android 11 - it looks like the one you have (and I hope to have soon...) is running Android 9. But the current unit should be fine for now and can always be replaced with something newer in a few years if there's a desire or need to do so. At that point, the new units might even have 4K screen resolution.

I thought I had checked the box on Alibaba blocking other vendors from contacting me, but must have screwed that up. A few other vendors were actually fairly helpful. A few seemed VERY shady. Ultimately, I felt far more comfortable going with the vendor @RidgieWagon used since we have 1 success story to go with. That definitely made me a lot more comfortable initiating the wire transfer.

Yeah, wiring money always makes me nervous largely because I have only needed to use wire transfers a small number of times over the years as most places obviously take credit cards (or cash if we go back to the dark ages ). I initiated the wire transfer after hours last night, so it won't actually get processed until some time today.

That's actually a bit encouraging on the shipping time - if I get lucky and mine doesn't sit in a "received" status for an extended period, I could have it relatively soon.

I just ordered the NuShield DayView screen protector - thanks for doing the legwork on that as well.

Now you just need to figure out how to swap in higher resolution cameras without having to run new wiring so I can copy what you do there as well.

More RAM will matter for running multiple apps, especially ones which are poorly written.

ROM is for storing apps as well as their data. I'd recommend getting as much as possible though - even if you store your movies and music on a USB stick, apps like Google Maps, Spotify, etc will cache data in the ROM and can quickly consume multiple GB.

 

[linuxgod]

Now you just need to figure out how to swap in higher resolution cameras without having to run new wiring so I can copy what you do there as well.

The camera swap should be easy. Wiring diagram for 2016-2021 is below. The cameras have 4 wires (6 volt+ and -, and then video+ and video-). The upstream wiring harness has an extra connector I think to tie all the shields together, and you might need to tie the video- to the shield... or at least I had to when I was testing, but I didn't spend a lot of time on it).

I swapped in a 12V camera on 2013 by using a 6V-to-12V converter, though you could opt to just power the camera all the time off a switched circuit rather than only powering it up when enabled and that would avoid the need for a converter. I had some noise in my camera video but I think it was either due to a crappy camera or more likely due to noise being generated by the voltage converter.

Most aftermarket cameras can switch between standard video and "AHD" which is higher res/quality. I think most of the Tesla-style units support AHD though not all specifically list it in their specs so you'd want to confirm it. Without AHD support you'll just get quality that's similar to OEM.

One thing I wish is that I could find the 4 or 6 pin male connectors, as personally I'd rather plug and play a new camera than to cut and splice the factory wiring. I have part #s for the female wiring harness side, but the male side is built into the camera and I've not been able to source a mating part that correctly fits (I've found some TE connectors which are close, but still off by a few mm).

 

[greynolds]

Anyone know if this version (or any) support the front windshield de-icer and if it has a digital equivalent of the cabin filter button?

I hope so regarding the windshield de-icer. What the heck does the cabin filter button do? I'm hoping that ALL of the original HVAC controls are accessible after the swap. I'm sure I could live without a few of them, but each person will obviously have different priorities.

More RAM will matter for running multiple apps, especially ones which are poorly written.

ROM is for storing apps as well as their data. I'd recommend getting as much as possible though - even if you store your movies and music on a USB stick, apps like Google Maps, Spotify, etc will cache data in the ROM and can quickly consume multiple GB.

Yes, more is certainly better, but I don't think it's worth holding out an indeterminate amount of time for the new one. For the number of apps that will typically be used in this sort of application, the 4/64 option that's the best that is currently available should be fine.

The camera swap should be easy. Wiring diagram for 2016-2021 is below. The cameras have 4 wires (6 volt+ and -, and then video+ and video-). The upstream wiring harness has an extra connector I think to tie all the shields together, and you might need to tie the video- to the shield... or at least I had to when I was testing, but I didn't spend a lot of time on it).

Should being the key word here. I would prefer to avoid having to drill new holes or get too crazy splicing wires, especially for the video signal to reduce the risk of a glitchy image as much as possible. Wouldn't it be nice if these things were standardized and Toyota had just used 12V cameras? I can't fathom why they decided that using 5V cameras was the way to go, but something in the system must have a 5V output. Would be really nice if one of these head unit companies came out with a plug and play replacement that fits in the stock location and plugs into the factory wire harness, but gives us 720P or 1080P video.

Most aftermarket cameras can switch between standard video and "AHD" which is higher res/quality. I think most of the Tesla-style units support AHD though not all specifically list it in their specs so you'd want to confirm it. Without AHD support you'll just get quality that's similar to OEM.

AHD support is included in the specs for this unit.

 

[linuxgod]

I hope so regarding the windshield de-icer. What the heck does the cabin filter button do? I'm hoping that ALL of the original HVAC controls are accessible after the swap. I'm sure I could live without a few of them, but each person will obviously have different priorities.

The button temporarily forces the HVAC unit to push all air through the charcoal filter. I use it whenever we drive by a cattle farm or a coal-fired powerplant... or whenever my kids fart in the backseat. It really works.

Yes, more is certainly better, but I don't think it's worth holding out an indeterminate amount of time for the new one. For the number of apps that will typically be used in this sort of application, the 4/64 option that's the best that is currently available should be fine.

Agreed, I wouldn't hold out, just saying in general for a device you hopefully will keep for 10+ years don't be cheap and so pony up for the biggest, fastest version they sell

Should being the key word here. I would prefer to avoid having to drill new holes or get too crazy splicing wires, especially for the video signal to reduce the risk of a glitchy image as much as possible. Wouldn't it be nice if these things were standardized and Toyota had just used 12V cameras? I can't fathom why they decided that using 5V cameras was the way to go, but something in the system must have a 5V output. Would be really nice if one of these head unit companies came out with a plug and play replacement that fits in the stock location and plugs into the factory wire harness, but gives us 720P or 1080P video.

I think direct camera lens replacement may be possible but will be tricky. I saw a (non-LC) thread somewhere in which someone removed their rear camera from the housing and installed an aftermarket one. But trying to find the precise size to retrofit into the existing housings may be a challenge. And every one I've seen has a different connector than what Toyota uses, so you almost certainly will have to cut and splice (or my preference - cut and use weatherproof DT connectors).

No idea why they use a 6V camera (spec I believe is 5.5V to 7.0V) but getting 12V to the front or rear isn't too hard. The mirror motors are probably 12V as well so you could tap those.

 

[lx200inAR]

I hope so regarding the windshield de-icer. What the heck does the cabin filter button do? I'm hoping that ALL of the original HVAC controls are accessible after the swap. I'm sure I could live without a few of them, but each person will obviously have different priorities.


Yes, more is certainly better, but I don't think it's worth holding out an indeterminate amount of time for the new one. For the number of apps that will typically be used in this sort of application, the 4/64 option that's the best that is currently available should be fine.


Should being the key word here. I would prefer to avoid having to drill new holes or get too crazy splicing wires, especially for the video signal to reduce the risk of a glitchy image as much as possible. Wouldn't it be nice if these things were standardized and Toyota had just used 12V cameras? I can't fathom why they decided that using 5V cameras was the way to go, but something in the system must have a 5V output. Would be really nice if one of these head unit companies came out with a plug and play replacement that fits in the stock location and plugs into the factory wire harness, but gives us 720P or 1080P video.


AHD support is included in the specs for this unit.

Here's an explanation of the button. From a different Lexus, but assume it does the same across the board:

The Lexus IS 250’s button activates a climate system mode that takes advantage of the car’s micro dust and pollen filter, commonly called a cabin air filter. These types of particulate air filters — which do not look like a jar of cotton balls in real life, by the way — help remove dust, allergens, pollutants and reduce odor in the vehicle when systems suck in air from the outside to blow inside through the heating and ventilation system vents. It’s a separate air filter from the engine’s air filter and commonly located in the glove box area or under the hood near the passenger compartment.

Two things happen when the button inside the Lexus is pressed. First, the climate control’s recirculation mode is triggered, and cabin air is exclusively routed through the cabin filter instead of taking air from the outside. At the same time, the air vent mode is switched to the upper vents to deliver the freshly filtered air up occupants’ nostrils.

It’s pretty much a one-touch button to get as much fresh air to the face region as possible, and having one button that does the same thing as hitting two or more is always nice but not a necessity. The mode turns off automatically after about one to three minutes. (This button is found in other Lexus models including the CT200h, IS 350 and GS 350.)

 

[greynolds]

The button temporarily forces the HVAC unit to push all air through the charcoal filter. I use it whenever we drive by a cattle farm or a coal-fired powerplant... or whenever my kids fart in the backseat. It really works.

Cool. Not sure if my 2020 has that feature. I’ll need to take inventory of all the HVAC features before I do the install .

Agreed, I wouldn't hold out, just saying in general for a device you hopefully will keep for 10+ years don't be cheap and so pony up for the biggest, fastest version they sell

Sure, and that’s exactly why I looked into it before buying. I would have opted for the 8/128 version if it was available even if it had been a few hundred dollars more.

 

[kcjaz]

Anyone know if this version (or any) support the front windshield de-icer and if it has a digital equivalent of the cabin filter button?

I verified my defrost vents blow air when I select that on the screen. I didn't play with the air recirc "soft button" and verify the air filter thingy moves. I'll check that later today. Good thought. (BTW my LC 2013 though, so this isn't the right thread).

Edit: went back and reread, @linuxgod is the "cabin air filter button" some different than the air recirc button? I just go to recirc which stops outside air and diverts inside air through the cabin filter. For kid farts, all windows down is my SOP.

 

[linuxgod]

I verified my defrost vents blow air when I select that on the screen. I didn't play with the air recirc "soft button" and verify the air filter thingy moves. I'll check that later today. Good thought. (BTW my LC 2013 though, so this isn't the right thread).

Edit: went back and reread, @linuxgod is the "cabin air filter button" some different than the air recirc button? I just go to recirc which stops outside air and diverts inside air through the cabin filter. For kid farts, all windows down is my SOP.

I'm not sure the official term, but it's the button with the picture of the guy sitting down whose face is about to smash into a brick wall which was just pierced by an arrow (not just the recirc/fresh button)

 

[kcjaz]

I'm not sure the official term, but it's the button with the picture of the guy sitting down whose face is about to smash into a brick wall which was just pierced by an arrow (not just the recirc/fresh button)

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