Head Unit Upgrade - Android 12.1 inch "Tesla" Style

[Damo_Oz]

After months of waiting for the Alphard to get to AUS from Japan with shipping delays in late 2021 and compliance plate shortages here we got the Alphard on the road. One major thing was an issue from the beginning........the original head unit with CD, DVD, etc. All in Japanese and constantly chatting about who knows what! After hunting around and getting advice from my Bro in-law who owns a Car Audio installation business interstate we decided upon this unit: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005003522580371.html?spm=a2g0o.order_list.0.0.60cf1802EZPwgG which had to be installed with an optical box or it simply would not work: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005003953692442.html?spm=a2g0o.order_list.0.0.60cf1802EZPwgG

Seemed easy enough but be warned, it is not simply a "plug n play" unit. There are way more cables supplied with these units that you will need due to the variations between Alphard variants. After much foul language and frustration I was tempted to just pay someone to finish the installation but contacted the supplier on Ali Express who put me in direct contact with one of their Factory Engineers. He was outstanding and even though there was a bit of a language barrier we had several back and forths via Whatsapp exchanging photos of what I had and him sending photos of what it should look like, there were a few things I got wrong. I did my best but these things do not come with instructions! I highly recommend one of these but be warned, the easiest part of the install is removing the trim, fascia panel and original head unit. If you do go down this rabbit hole and you get stuck, don't be like me and spend weeks trying to figure it out solo!  

As you will see from the pics, it's a tad fiddly but wow, it looks and works brilliantly!

Edited August 1, 2022 by Damo_Oz

[Voodoo101]

Looks nice. Question for you, what is the optical box for. I have just installed and Android Head unit and it all works, but dont have the optical box, but I do have an extra plug that seems to go nowhere,  top

[Damo_Oz]

Thanks. To be completely honest I really don't know exactly what it does! I do know that without it, I couldn't finish the install. There was a week delay between receiving the head unit and the box. I tried to get it working without it and......no go!

[R4v3n]

Well,

I'm sorry if you didn't found this one, but it seems to be full plug & play : https://www.dvdgpsnav.com/blog/toyota-alphard-head-unit-replacement-android-radio-upgrade-navigation-multimedia-system-tesla-style/

[Voodoo101]

18 hours ago, R4v3n said:

Well,

I'm sorry if you didn't found this one, but it seems to be full plug & play : https://www.dvdgpsnav.com/blog/toyota-alphard-head-unit-replacement-android-radio-upgrade-navigation-multimedia-system-tesla-style/

They are all just Android head units, just in a different orientation. The wiring is general, but you have to add a box to translate the signal that comes from the ECU to something that the head unit can understand. This is what the optical box is, it's a canbus. If you don't have the amps then you can get away with just the normal head unit, although with this you need it because it has to control the vents. 

 

 

[redsome]

4 hours ago, Voodoo101 said:

They are all just Android head units, just in a different orientation. The wiring is general, but you have to add a box to translate the signal that comes from the ECU to something that the head unit can understand. This is what the optical box is, it's a canbus. If you don't have the amps then you can get away with just the normal head unit, although with this you need it because it has to control the vents. 

 

 

So if you use the optical bus, 
the alphard sound system with 18 speakers can support it?
because in Vellfire premium sound (18 Speakers), it uses a different audio system
can anyone explain?

[Chris.ac]

they call it optical box, but it has no optics.

 

From what I have gathered, there are 3 boxes you can get, one is a LVDS convertor, it is able to take the blue square gvif connector that the parking assist ecu connects to, and convert that video signal (if you have the front/side/rear cameras and sonar) and into a single phono o/p) this then feeds in to the android unit (You can then keep the original car cameras) or you use their supplied rear camera.

 

The next box is the canbus box, this will feed info related to doors open, climate control, speed. and provides some form of control over the configurable aspects of the alphard, such as auto lights, locks, windows.

 

The optical box, is used to provide the signals to feed the external 18 speaker amplifier (the 18 speaker system has an 8 wire connection from the stndard head unit to the amplifier) I imagine it also supports the rear screen

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Voodoo101]

This is the item you need for the 18 speaker system I think.

 

Car Android Radio Cable Connector Socket Power Wiring Harness with CANBus MOST Decoder for Toyota Alphard Lexus IS250 IS300| | - AliExpress

 

This is the one for the doors etc. Beware of the seller though as they are not helpful at all. They sent me just the cable and I'm still fighting with them to get it sorted, but it is the only place I have found the unit.

 

 

Skyfame Car 16pin Wiring Harness Adapter Canbus Box Decoder For Alphard 20 Android Radio Power Cable - Speaker Line - AliExpress

[Stupidearthling]

Pleased to have found this thread. I'm about to embark on this journey.

 

I'm looking at the unit from dvdgpsnav.com - which according to the email I just received will connect to everything but it wont give me the trip / mph etc.. What I was hoping to do is find some software that can read the data in KM/h odometer and display it in MPH and mileage so I don't need to tamper with the spedometer.

 

[Lesz]

17 hours ago, Stupidearthling said:

Pleased to have found this thread. I'm about to embark on this journey.

 

I'm looking at the unit from dvdgpsnav.com - which according to the email I just received will connect to everything but it wont give me the trip / mph etc.. What I was hoping to do is find some software that can read the data in KM/h odometer and display it in MPH and mileage so I don't need to tamper with the spedometer.

 

You can get yourself a HUD. Plug in directly to the OBD2 port or via GPS. Displays driving data on the front windshield such as speed in mph,RPM,water temperature,voltage single mileage,compass etc. 

[OkiDaddy]

I am pleased to find this thread as I have the same exact head unit... The problem is it doesn't have a video out so I am unable to utilize my rear screen for videos... Any help would be greatly appreciated.

There was no support given from the manufacturer and was just really rude!

[garych]

I have a 12.1" Tesla style screen android unit purchased from dvdgpsnav, it has video output to support rear screen, and my 18 speaker system still works after installation, there's not a fiber optical box outside, maybe it's inside the unit. If you would like to check it, here's the link: https://www.dvdgpsnav.com/blog/toyota-alphard-head-unit-replacement-android-radio-upgrade-navigation-multimedia-system-tesla-style/ any questions you can contact them directly via email or contact me.

[Lesz]

Thanks for providing the link, very informative and useful to know. Does the Android screen allow the function to watch 2 different sources? So you may have the radio playing on the Tesla screen and YouTube on the rear screen? 

[garych]

On 7/17/2024 at 9:11 PM, Lesz said:

Thanks for providing the link, very informative and useful to know. Does the Android screen allow the function to watch 2 different sources? So you may have the radio playing on the Tesla screen and YouTube on the rear screen? 

You can't, if that's feasible, 2 sounds come out at the same time, what sound do you want to hear?
 

[Lesz]

23 hours ago, garych said:

You can't, if that's feasible, 2 sounds come out at the same time, what sound do you want to hear?
 

Through the standard setup, I currently split the audio through Bluetooth streaming and split the video via mirror cast.