Well this is a bit embarassing. I originally thought I would be updating this blog often with new fixes and other things for the ES777A, but as it turns out - it's been a pretty easy experience. The thing just pretty much works.
I will be doing more posts on other things like the chip installation, OBD2 plug etc later. Right now I'm pretty busy at work but I will keep answering your comments every day. I've had thousands of visits and dozens of comments on a small blog which I thought maybe only a few interested people would read. So thanks to all readers for that!
But I'd like to address a couple of usage issues as I've now been using the ES777A for almost three months on a daily basis. The way that you use it matters quite much. It seems that you will be experiencing the least amount of problems if you follow these basic rules:
1. Always let the system do a "full cycle" with the power. What I mean by this is that you should leave the pad connected to main unit when you turn off the power on your car. This will initiate a controlled shut down on the pad and it will be in sync with the main unit's power cycle.
2. Either let the unit start up before connecting the pad OR connect the pad (in shut down mode) while the main unit is turned off. This will allow the pad to be turned on by the main unit in a controlled manner. If you have the pad already on (even with the screen turned off), chances are that it will reboot when you connect it to the main unit.
3. For best sound quality results use the main unit's player software. The sound quality in the main unit is very good, there's very little noise and distortion. On the pad the story is a little different, the noise level is worse and the sound in general is not quite as good. This is not to say that it's unusable or even very bad. Just that given the option I at least will choose the better sound quality of the main unit over the better usability of the Android media player softwares on the pad.
Finally, for absolute the best results in everything - just leave the pad connected to the main unit. When you turn off the car the pad will shut down properly and when you start again the pad will turn on too. Of course this might not suit everyone, i.e. if you are afraid of burglars stealing your stuff (I park my car in a locked car park building at home and in a private garage at work), but if this applies to you I recommend it.
I think the radio looking portions of the screen as ugly, so I plan on using the Android portion 9x outta 10 to stream from Pandora, watch videos, etc...are you saying the sound quality of listening to Pandora won't be as good as listening to old fashioned radio?
ReplyDeletewell it obviously depends on how good the radio reception is vs the bitrate of pandora. The signal to noise ratio however is worse on the android than the main unit so I would recommend using the main unit whenever possible for audio use.
DeleteThanks for posting Timo. I am expecting delivery of my ES777A tomorrow, I can't wait.
ReplyDeleteI look forward to your future posts.
What do you mean by chip installation? Are you talking about that Bluetooth integration into the pad I saw you mention before?
Erisin told me that as long as the pad is connected to the headunit that bluetooth would function because the HU has BT. Have you tried this? Is it true?
Any plans for a reverse camera? I am having a hard time figuring out how I am going to wire my camera. I want to have the ability to view it at any time and also have it switch on automatically when I put the truck in reverse (with out using the AUX input, I have plans for it already).
Thanks again Timo
-Steve
The chip I'm referring to means the performance chip for the car's ECU.
DeleteBluetooth only works with the head unit, this means that you can use it whether the pad is connected or not, but only with the telephone / BT audio application of the head unit. You cannot use it with the pad nor does the Android OS see the BT device.
No plans for the rear camera for me at the moment.
Steve, how are you liking it so far, and what vehicle are you installing it in?
DeleteI'm still on the fence if it was a good decision, but it's already in the mail and I sold my AVIC F90BT today for $400, so I can't complain. I hope the sound difference isn't as dramatic as Timo eludes to, otherwise I'm going to be disappointed.
Well, I had a problem with the main unit...
DeleteWhen I installed it it was working great and I was testing everything with it. Everything was good, only thing that I could notice was that it wouldn't go quite as loud as my stock stereo (I didn't find the bass/treble settings yet).
When I was messing around with my reverse camera input, making sure it was working correctly, the unit shut off. I thought that was odd and tried to turn it back on. It was totally dead. I checked power to it and the power was fine. When I hit the reset button it would light up the buttons on the front for a second and go off.
Long story short, I have to ship the main unit back to China.
Very disappointed at the moment.
Okay, thanks for clarifying. Erisin was implying that the PAD had Bluetooth functionality when connected to the headunit... Slightly disappointing.
ReplyDeleteHi timo,
ReplyDeleteI have one more question:
- How many time does it takes for the pad to turn on when you turn on the car?
Some android phones takes about 1 minute, and I don't want to wait 1 minute before I can listen music (with android player) or use GPS
Thanks again and best regards
Hi Timo,
ReplyDeleteHow do you rooted the tablet, do you know if there is any custom firmware available for this tablet?
Thanks
Hi Timo,
ReplyDeleteThank you for your good reviews, I was own this unit before reading on your blog and totally agree with your post, anything you said i was found it.
I would like you to allow me to share your post into Erisin forrum as link here.
http://www.erisin.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=17
Sure, go ahead.
Delete-Timo
Hi Timo,
DeleteI have try to put your blog link into that forum, it's get block by their admin. I do not know the reason. That may be from my post on them here. http://www.erisin.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=20754
BTW, have you connect the car rear view yet?
Anon
I don't have a rear view camera nor do I have plans to get one in the future. I've got a pretty small car with quite a good visibility to the back so I don't think I will need it.
DeleteHi Timo, I own this unit and like many other people who probably do have came across your post while googling for info on the unit. I was just wondering if you have experienced any issues with your gps in your unit as mine.
ReplyDeleteTo elaborate when my unit arrived the igo software wouldn't load up so I installed a gps test app to make sure all was well during the install then took the tablet portion inside to jiggle the software round and get a few at nav apps on the device.
However now I have returned to the car the gps just doesn't connect (even using the gps test app) and I vaguely remember having to tick use gps satellites the wireless settings page and this option is no longer there. I agree that the best way to use this unit is to leave the tablet portion in always to avoid issues with syncing to the car portion of the unit although even after several reboots to put it all in sync I still have no gps.
So my question is really have you experienced this at all and do you have a possible quirky remedy to maintaining gps sync , as the only other person I could think with the unit I thought I'd comment here
Thanks in advance for takin the time to read this
Hi Jason, sorry to say but I have had no problems with the GPS (aside from the unit conversion problem which I fixed right in the beginnin - mph to kmh converts wrong).
DeleteThanks for the reply I'll have to do some more digging around, maybe I've pinched the cable for the antenna during the install.
DeleteAt least I have the wii all wired in an functioning next stop head rest monitors
Hi Jason,
DeleteI has one time problem with GPS like to say but it's solve after reset it.
-Anon-
Hi Timo
ReplyDeleteIn order to answer to some others users : in order to have gps without issue you need to connect the pad AFTER starting the main unit.
On my camaro the main unit starts after I turned on the engine. So I turn on my engine, wait to linsten radio and then connect the pad (the pad must be off). Then the main unit starts the pad and now the gps works correctly.
Now I have a question : do you have find a way to add bluetooth on pad ? I am searching a way to do it in order to use torque or aDyno with an OBD2 => bluetooth.
Thanks a lot
Hi,
Deletehaven't had time or the energy to go into the pad for the bluetooth functionality. I've been doing other things and the car + the unit have been just a mode of transportation for me recently. I have left the pad connected to the car now for a couple of months without ever taking it out and everything works pretty much perfectly. The only problem comes if I start the car and shut it off before the android on the pad has had enough time to go trough it's power on cycle it will stay on after the car is shut down. Then I need to hold down the pad's power button unti it forcibly shuts down. Not a big issue, this only happens if I move the car for a few meters in the parking lot for example and have the car running for onlu 30 seconds or so.
Hi Timo,
ReplyDeleteThank you for your time and good job to clarify most of this product questions. We know that you do it altruistically
:)
I have some questions to do before I purchase the unit. I read about pros and cons of this product. I think people have to just know that before buy, because the idea of a android+pad+car+dvd+bt... is too sweet.
Please, answer me only the questions you want:
1. If the pad has their own gps separatelly and you only can run gps in the pad, do u know why car unit has a gps antenna?
2. I know dual-zone is able to listen music from unit and using navigation via the pad, but, what happens (for example) when I'm listening the radio + pad navigation and I receive a call via bluetooth? In other words, the dual-zone function is also designed for bluetooth?
3. Is it possible control and use bluetooth, radio and aux functions without the pad attached? Bluetooth is only configurable with the pad screen attached?
4. Car boot logo appears also when car unit is switching on or only when a DVD is loading as i saw in some videos?
5. When you switch on the car, the unit loads automatically and starts the last function automatically (radio, pad, ...)? I think yes but not sure 100%
6. Can pad (in android mode I want say) access to the sd card or usb content of the car unit?
7. USB output is powered (will charge my mobile)?
8. When I switch on the car and the radio starts, if then (for example 10 minutes later) i want to use Android and I press the pad button, Have i to wait for android loading? Or Android always loads (in second plane) at the begining with the car and unit ignition and it's ready for the use?
Thank u much for your time!
Hi,
Delete1. There is only one GPS, the one in the main unit. There is no GPS in the pad and you can only use the GPS softwares while it's connected to the main unit.
2. The dual zone works also with the bluetooth. So when you receive a call the music from the radio pauses.
3. I cannot say about the bluetooth for sure since I havent tested it without the pad being connected, but it should work without the pad. The bluetooth is in the main unit and does not need the pad to work. Same with the aux, radio, cd and ipod. They all work with or without the pad. The only thing the pad does is work as a screen for the main unit, if you have some function going on (like a bluetooth call or music streaming with bluetooth) and you disconnect the pad it will still work.
4. The Car logo appears pretty much whenever the device is loading something. Usually not very often but I haven't found a 100% accurate way to predict when it will come on.
5. You are correct. The last used function starts up, it remembers what song you were playing from a USB stick for example.
6. No. The pad has it's own SD card slot and USB but it cannot access the ones on the min unit. Basically the pad's Android and the WinCE in the main unit are totally separate and have no way of communicating with each other. You can think of the pad as being a totally separate device which can just also act as the screen of the main unit.
7. Cannot answer that for sure, but it will power a portable HDD so it should work for a mobile as well.
8. No. The android boots up in the background so it will be up pretty fast after you start the car. It takes about 30 seconds to a minute for mine to boot up in the background but I have reconfigured it so that a bunch of unneccessary stuff like the phone software is removed. So the basic pad will take a little longer.
hope these answers help.
-Timo
Sure. Many thanks.
DeleteWith all this information I think I will purchase the car unit.
Now my only fear is the possibility I will be unlucky and receive a defective unit, just as a lemon as you said before :)
(I will cross the fingers...)
hi mate brilliant work and thanks for all the info just a few questions if i may, (hope they haven't been asked elsewhere).
ReplyDeleteI want to use my phone's hdmi to play stuff skygo etc and was wondering if the the pad receives hdmi video input or is it just an output.
And is there a difference in the sound quality when playing music sources fro the pad as apposed to the unit.
Thank you in advance.
I'm pretty sure the hdmi on the pad is output only. Havent tested it though so cannot be sure. The audio quality is considerably better with the head unit, although the pad is not bad either.
Delete