myk1013

iTrader: (2)

cribbsjy, a little off topic but you mentioned that iPhones need to be jailbroken in order to display out videos, how about factory unlocked iPhones? Will it work?

cribbsjy

I'm not sure. I do not have an iPhone, so I have never had to personally do it. Try and see if you can download the "Display Out" app by Cydia and run it. If you can, then you should be good to go.

myk1013

iTrader: (2)

I dont have the phone yet as I'm still undecided to go S3 or iPhone 4S.


Another off topic question...

Will a PSP or any other portable mutimedia player with a TV out work and show videos on the screen? (I've already done the unmentionable btw)....

Basically, what I want is to be able to play music videos because thats the baller way to go.

I was using an iPod before but it's not consistent (sometimes it will display, sometimes not)

InfiniteSmoke

Nope, 2011 does not have AUX. I would love to have this setup in my 37 if possible to convert the USB somehow. But I noticed that the USB is soley dedicated to Apple. I tried putting in a USB stick (formatted in different sizes and types), and it wouldnt play all my songs. Put in a Ipod Nano, and baam, no problem.

OP: Very nice setup. I myself have the Nexus too upgraded to JB. If there is a way to make this work on the 2011, that would be awesome.

dcg37x

Excellent write-up, cribbsjy! I followed your basic outline and have things working with my Samsung Galaxy S III. As mentioned previously, it requires a newer 11-pin MHL adapter. Additionally, I found an HDMI to RCA/composite converter that seems a bit smaller and does not require external power for this application. Part numbers are listed below.




I want to have all of the adapters inside my armrest, and only the single micro-USB/MHL cable up by my ashtray to plug my phone into.



The issue I'm having is that I cannot find an extension cable (female on one end, and male on the other) for the Samsung 11-pin micro USB cable yet. Once can find one, I plan to run this single cable under the center console and out of the ashtray to the phone (which, incidentally, fits perfectly in landscape orientation in the ashtray cutout when the ashtray door/lid is open - shown with the red rectangle in the above image).



If anyone else has seen such a cable, I'd love to hear where you got it! I'll post a follow up of the finished project once I figure it out.

Parts:



Plus any old USB-A to micro USB-B, HDMI, and composite RCA cables.

cribbsjy

Oh wow, thanks for the link to the smaller unit. Have you noticed any issues with the picture flickering occasionally with this box? The unit I bought was sufficient for a proof of concept, but it isn't a quality piece and it is meh.

Also, regarding an extension cable, you could always try to make your own. Theoretically, the pin connections should line up with a standard hdmi, so you could splice/solder a standard hdmi cable into the mhl adapter like so:

(mhl-minihdmi-end)--------(standardhdmi)----------(mhl-standardhdmi-end)

The electrical signal carried over hdmi shouldn't be anything to worry about. Electrical tape should defeat it, no problem.

Chekz

these cables should work fine.
EEEKit for Samsung Galaxy SII/Note/Nexus/LTE,MHL Micro USB to HDMI Adapter Cable | eBay

1.5m MicroUSB MHL to HDMI Cable for Samsung i9100 Galaxy S2 i9250 Nexus VWAV004 | eBay

http://www.ebay.com/itm/2M-Micro-MHL...item27c9a51ee6

dcg37x

I haven't noticed any flickering issues, but my testing has been limited to a short time in the driveway so far (no unmentionable performed yet). The only thing I noticed on initial inspection is that it tends to go very bright, and requires a fair amount of adjusting the on-screen brightness controls.

I can't use an HDMI cable for the reason I'll describe below. Forgive the giant post.

Chekz, thanks for the reply and the suggestions. Unfortunately, these won't work for two reasons - I have a Galaxy S III, which now uses an 11-pin MHL connector rather than the more standard 5-pin connection of older Samsung model. See below for more details.

-----MORE DETAILS-----

Forgive the rough diagram, but hopefully this will explain what I'm trying to achieve.



1) The Samsung EPL-3FHU adapter for Galaxy S3. Has 11-pin MHL input from phone, 5-pin micro-USB input from charger, and HDMI output toward display.

2) Standard micro-USB to USB cable from #1 to #3 (charger).

3) Griffin dual USB car charger.

4) Standard HDMI cable.

5) ViewHD Universal HDMI to Composite / AV Video Converter with HDMI input, optional (unnecessary) mini-USB power input, and composite A/V output to car display inputs.

6) Standard composite A/V cable.

7) The composite A/V inputs in my armrest. All gear above (#1-6) will be in my armrest, including #1, the MHL adapter.

8) Location of my phone - it fits perfectly in the ashtray opening when the ashtray door is open. I'll run a cable under the center console and out through the ashtray opening so that I can plug it in to my phone. The cable I need for this is number 10.

9) The phone, a Samsung Galaxy S III with its 11-pin MHL/micro-USB port.

10) This is the piece I don't have, can't find, and don't think I can make or re-create. I need it to be 11-pin micro-USB female on one end to plug into #1 above, and 11-pin micro-USB male on the other to plug into the phone. I think I need it to support the 11-pin Samsung micro-USB MHL pinouts (shown in macro/detail above) in order to pass both the audio/video and USB charging over the same cable. I might have to try the 5-pin flavors of MHL adapter and standard micro-USB cable to see if it works.

myk1013

iTrader: (2)

^

WHOAA! Good stuff man! Thanks for the detailed instructions with pics. Thinking of getting the S3 soon.

cribbsjy

If the cable you desire/need doesn't exist, you could always run the MHL charging cable and HDMI the length of the center console, and connect your phone directly to the MHL adapter. This would result in having to hide two cables under your center console, but in my opinion that doesn't sound too bad since you were going to have to run a cable under there anyways. It should still look like 1 cable coming out of the ashtray.

Btw, I got the new, smaller unit in the mail last night. It works well, but I am still getting some flickering in my picture. I'm starting to think my mhl adapter is bad, so I may buy a new one to try to get rid of the occasionally flickering screen.

dcg37x

That was my original plan, but I didn't like the look of the MHL adapter hanging out of my ashtray. Also, I couldn't find a way to close the ashtray door when getting out of my car if the MHL adapter was in there. I've decided to try something a little different. I'm switching to the older 5-pin MHL adapter like you have for your Nexus and using a standard micro-USB female to male extension cable for the single connection from phone to armrest where everything is hidden. I'll update with some photos and details once things arrive.

dcg37x

I'm guessing it might be your MHL adapter. I bought one of the that has just the micro-USB connection on one end of a 6ft cable, then the HDMI and charging port on the other. I took it for a road test today before doing the install, and noticed all kinds of flickering. At first it was intermittent audio static and video drop-outs, but it devolved into almost constant audio/video loss. I switched back to the Samsung 11-pin adapter for my phone and it was perfect with the same HDMI to composite adapter mentioned previously. I guess I'm stuck waiting on someone to come out with a good quality 11-pin 6ft adapter, or will have to just run a rat's nest worth of cables up to my ashtray.

hechen507

iTrader: (5)

How does this effect the Bluetooth phone calls? I have a Galaxy S3 and currently if i'm using the composite to play music when ever I receive a phone call my phone will output it thru the aux cord while the car switches to Bluetooth mode so I just get silence. I'm thinking about switching over to this method if it solves my problem.

dcg37x

It doesn't affect bluetooth audio calls. I have both the MHL connection and the bluetooth connection at the same time. When I'm listening to music/podcast it comes through the MHL connection to my car speakers. When a call comes in, it pauses the music and I can take the call via bluetooth (and controls on the steering wheel). I've had some problems lately on my nightly custom (CyanogenmMod 10) ROMs where the call will connect over bluetooth, but I won't get any audio in either direction. I'm still trying to figure out when they broke it.

I'm still trying to get an MHL cable that works properly. The OEM Samsung cable works flawlessly, but the form factor isn't ideal. I found a 3rd party cable on ebay from China and it worked perfectly for about ten minutes before the audio started suffering. I'm still trying to make it work.

Snakebitx1

I have the HTC Evo 3D and have it hooked up the same way everybody else does in my 2009 G37 Coupe and I am really disappointed in the quality of the picture. Do I have my output mode or something wrong on my phone? Earlier I read that when the HTC was connected it went into tablet type mode, but mine doesn't do that. I'll post a picture in a second.