Android Head Unit

[Brizzle]

I've had an Android head unit fitted to my W204 for the past couple of years and have been pretty well happy with it. Recently, however, it is taking about 10 minutes to reach a useable state after power up. During that time the screen is unresponsive and apps won't run - it's like there are loads of stuff going on in the background.

As far as I can tell nothing has changed or been added to the unit recently to cause this to happen. The apps that are installed were either built in as part of the unit or have been on there since day one. In fact the only app I have installed myself is Waze (sat nav app).

Does anyone have any experience with Android set-ups or suggestions as to what I can check to get it back to the way it was?

Hoping for guidance and inspiration

 

[Blobcat]

I’d look at what software updates are available for the unit and try that. Alternatively a power down reset (remove permanent live)

 

[Dean Fletcher]

I've had an Android head unit fitted to my W204 for the past couple of years and have been pretty well happy with it. Recently, however, it is taking about 10 minutes to reach a useable state after power up. During that time the screen is unresponsive and apps won't run - it's like there are loads of stuff going on in the background.

As far as I can tell nothing has changed or been added to the unit recently to cause this to happen. The apps that are installed were either built in as part of the unit or have been on there since day one. In fact the only app I have installed myself is Waze (sat nav app).

Does anyone have any experience with Android set-ups or suggestions as to what I can check to get it back to the way it was?

Hoping for guidance and inspiration

Have you tried a master reset ? Seems to me that the system is lagging but if you haven't downloaded or added anything extra why should it? Are you able to clear the ram?

 

[Brizzle]

I had that thought too but I don't know the password for the master reset

I've tried several guesses but it just says "incorrect password" every time. How would I clear the RAM?

I have noticed that the internal RAM only has about 250MB free and nothing appears to be being saved to the NAND memory and I don't know how to access it.

The user manual that came with the unit is worse than useless.

 

[Brizzle]

I’d look at what software updates are available for the unit and try that. Alternatively a power down reset (remove permanent live)

I can't find anything about updates but I will give the power down reset a try. Cheers Blobcat

 

[M80]

You may get away with a cocktail stick into the 'reset' for 10 seconds.

I'm guessing that your RAM is over working, confused by too many apps trying to take priority perhaps. Are any / many set to auto start on power up?

 

[Brizzle]

You may get away with a cocktail stick into the 'reset' for 10 seconds.

I'm guessing that your RAM is over working, confused by too many apps trying to take priority perhaps. Are any / many set to auto start on power up?

Hmm, I'll have to take a look at what's set to autorun. Looks like a job for the weekend ... again

 

[PovertySpec]

https://forum.xda-developers.com/android-auto/android-head-units

All the help you need will be there.

A hard reset would be my first option and someone there will probably know the default pw for your model which might just be a rebranded standard issue droid board/ROM

You may need the model numbers off the back of the unit/box and/or the information in the developers options menu, if you've enabled them by pressing the 'build number' about 7 times.

Congratulations, you are now a developer!

Good luck.

 

[Brizzle]

https://forum.xda-developers.com/android-auto/android-head-units

All the help you need will be there.

A hard reset would be my first option and someone there will probably know the default pw for your model which might just be a rebranded standard issue droid board/ROM

You may need the model numbers off the back of the unit/box and/or the information in the developers options menu, if you've enabled them by pressing the 'build number' about 7 times.

Congratulations, you are now a developer!

Good luck.

Cheers for the link PowertySpec, I will certainly head over there and see what I can see.

I haven't been a developer since I sold my dark room chemicals way back in 2008 so maybe life is looking up again

 

[PovertySpec]

Cheers for the link PowertySpec, I will certainly head over there and see what I can see.

I haven't been a developer since I sold my dark room chemicals way back in 2008 so maybe life is looking up again

You're welcome.

At least you've been in a darkroom, unlike most modern click n chimp 'professional' photographers

I can still taste the fixative and I haven't been in a pro darkroom since the late 90's.

Every now and again I find myself browsing eBay and thinking which room could be turned into a temp darkroom. A long time ago I actually bought a full colour darkroom setup for a couple of hundred quid, collected.

About a year later, as the kit sat unused in my loft, I saw a message on a pro photographers mailing group I've been on for yonks asking for spare kit for someone who was setting up a darkroom for deprived kids. I ended up giving the whole lot to them. Postage cost me over £100 but at least it was being used.

I'm considering to volunteer to set up a darkroom and teach film photography after school when my son goes up to year 7, from composition to developing and printing, including rolling your own 35mm film on reusable cannisters from 30m rolls using winders (if they still make them?)

Remember that?

 

[Brizzle]

Oh man, you do help to bring back memories ... not all of them good, either

I still shoot the odd roll of 35mm film but can't imagine SWMBO allowing me to convert the spare room into a dark room again. She used to go out of the house when I was in there (because of the smell) so it wasn't all bad An old Army buddy (we were both combat photographers for a while) recently gave me two rolls of Illford 50 ASA mono print film that he'd had since the 1980's and I was gob-smacked that they still produces some respectable quality photographs.

I'm due to retire from work next year and am seriously thinking about setting up a studio again and offering it for hire and teaching portrait photography - all digital though. This would be more to keep myself active than making money and I like your idea - might see if the local schools have any interest.

 

[PovertySpec]

I have a full portable studio in the loft, 6 strobes, 4? 5? tripods, dollies, booms, stands low key/high key bgs, tubs, reflectors, fog machine, gels, big fan etc. etc. I can have pretty much any body/lens delivered within 24 hours so I cut down my expensive kit inventory rather that watch it depreciate.

I've got a few family portraits on the walls at home. When people say they're good, where did you get them done they don't believe me that I did them in the living room. Who took the photo though. I did. How? remote trigger. Oh.

Done a few portraits for familiy & friends and I did a couple of weddings as presents but bikers and ... erm ... alt type people, lovely as they are, don't make for a good wedding portfolio and as many noobs discover, if you don't set your BUR high enough you'll just about cover your costs while wasting a lot of time

After wearing myself to a nub doing everything from national press, sports, charity (onsite dye-sub printing) local advertising to grad & ceremonial my heart's not in it anymore.

Been there, done that, what's next?

For the moment I'm happy with the results of my phone camera.