Installation of after market Android head unit

[JSB]

Hi folks,

I've ordered an after market Android head unit to replace the mmcs unit that developed a fault in my 2015 gx4h.

The replacement I believe will be a perfect fit and compatible with the factory fitted rear camera and the steering wheel controls.

If anyone is interested I am happy to post how it goes including resolving any unexpected issues that might arise.

Regards J.

 

[Nibbo]

Keep us posted, I am interested in this idea. MMCS is just soooo bad.

 

[JSB]

Hi all,

My mmcs unit developed a fault and I have recently installed an Android head unit, I thought I would share my experiences as others considering the same might find it useful.

I also installed a canbus for the steering wheel controls and the factory fitted rear reverse camera. I'm pleased to say everything works as expected.

The headunit I installed is designed for the Outlander and is a perfect fit in the dash, it took a while to find one designed specifically for the Outlander. It runs very smoothly due to its decent specs. The os is Android 10.

I had to remove the fitting bracket from the mmcs (including the wifi(?) module) and fit it to the new head unit.

There was some messing around with the Settings to get the steering wheel controls to work, but didn't take too long to get my head around it.

The canbus comes with connectors for all the necessary connectors in the car including the reverse cam.

All the functionality of Android works, Google Maps, Play Store etc. The os interface is very good and intuitive including for radio and and music player. It is miles ahead of the clunky Mitsubishi interface.

The only thing missing is the Mitsubishi specific software for things like changing how wing mirrors work or length of time for interior light to stay on when leaving the car, but as I have these settings to my preference already its not an issue.

I'll will look out for a used mmcs to give me the settings functionality, so that I can swap out the Android head unit temporarily if I decide to change any settings.

Any questions feel free to ask.

 

[Nibbo]

Nice one, thanks for the update, any pics? What make is the unit and where can you get them?
I must confess, I forgot some settings are done via the MMCS unit, a bit of a pain that they will disappear; how are they set in PHEV's that do not have MMCS I wonder?

 

[angainor]

AFAIK, all the settings can be changed from the App. Is there anything that you can only change through MMCS?

@JSB It would be nice to know the details! what make etc.

 

[JSB]

You're absolutely right I discovered that yesterday, the settings can be found by tapping Settings > Vehicle Settings > Other. I'll post details and pics of head unit tonight, cheers.

 

[JSB]

I bought the head unit and canbus on ebay, it is a Dasaita, there are several models.

If you search "Dasaita Mitsubishi" it should bring up the models, they're priced from about £260 to £390. It appears the seller is the manufacturer. Very fast delivery through FedEx.

I bought the cheaper one, it has less ram and rom but they all have 64bit processors. To be honest it's quick and smooth, I expect the dearer ones will be even better.

The canbus you need is also from same manufacturer, and should come up with the same search, its the one for Outlander with rear camera connectivity priced around £43.

I've decided not to post the links as items get relisted and the links won't work for future viewers. Happy to pm the links if required.

 

[angainor]

This looks really cool! I was thinking about this, but earlier solutions always had some problems, e.g., you had to exchange the rear-view camera. And it seems this thing works with the factory camera, right?

So is there anything that is not working?

Also, I see they have a number of size variants. It seems you got the 8" variant? How are the larger ones fitted? do they stick out?

Last thing - some of those solutions have a canbus included (at least that's what the description says). Did yours come without a canbus, or did you have to buy a different one to make all things work?

 

[JSB]

Hi Angainor,

Yes, it works with the factory fitted reverse camera, that saved on rewiring a new cam.

All the steering wheel controls work, ie volume, skip, change mode, and the phone controls. The factory fitted mic and GPS receiver are now obsolete, I've fitted the ones that came with the head unit. They work fine. Every thing else works fine.

The one I've fitted is a 7" screen model, I haven't seen any at 8", also I wanted to keep the original factory look. There are some which are up to 9 or 10" that are integrated into the dash, but when I looked into it they admitted the quality of dash is inferior to the original. If you go for that make sure you get the RHD model for the UK!

All the Dasaita ones I looked at do not include the canbus which you will need to get factory reverse camera and steering wheel controls to work, despite some contradictions in the items' descriptions. Without that canbus the steering wheel controls will have to be manually configured possibly with some limitations.

The ebay item number for head unit is 353396395152

and the canbus is
353430726588

I can send you the ebay links for the head unit and canbus if it helps.

Thanks.

 

[angainor]

Ah, now I see! I looked at Amazon, and I've found versions that come with the dash, while you bought a head unit alone and fitted it into the original Outlander dash. Makes sense now, thanks!

I will consider all this, but in either case if I buy the UK version, I'm in trouble - I'm driving in Norway

 

[JSB]

Oops! Good job I didn't offer to come to you to help fit!

 

[JSB]

Does anyone know how the mmcs gets its dab signal, does the aerial pick up both fm and dab and have 2 leads. If so, I don't see the dab signal input to the mmcs, there is one possible connector but I think it is probably the GPS input.

If I can't work this out for my new head unit I will have to try an fm/dab splitter on the fm aerial lead or possibly wire in a new dab antenna. Any info greatly appreciated.