9” Linux Dashboard Display
(a few companies sell the same exact product)
View attachment 807735View attachment 807736
(The display is not this blurry, just a bad night photo)
Features:
1) Gui showing speed, efficiency, gear selection, distance driven, trip distance, bringers, etc.
2) Wireless Apple Carplay
3) Wired Anderoid Auto . I do not have Android phone so can’t comment on Android Auto experience.
4) Ability to show split view containing appleCar play / Android auto & speedometer gui.
Apple CarPlay Experience
Apple CarPlay experience is mostly very good if you follow the suggested setup of connecting Tesla stereo to Display unit via Bluetooth. All audio is output via the Tesla speakers. There is one area where the experience is not so great, making & receiving phone calls via cell phone and other CarPlay apps such as Zoom, FaceTime, etc. When audio is setup in the suggested manner given by the manual (described later), the person you are taking to hears their statements echo during the conversation. The delay is due to the chain of audio (iPhone CarPlay connection [audio -> Display unit (microphone) -> Tesla Speakers (via connection to Display’s bluetooth, audio from phone seems to have a 1.25 second delay). The delay causes the microphone used in Display device to hear the audio played back from the Tesla stereo speakers when having phone/audio conversations. I do not get a lot of phone calls when driving and when I do, I tend to pull over to make my calls so this quirk doesn’t really bother me. I’d pull over, switch my bluetooth connection to the iPhone and make the call using my iPhone or Tesla phonebook. However, a heavy phone user might be annoyed greatly.
Often asked questions:
- Is the display quality good? Yes. Nice and sharp.
- Is your air conditioning impacted much since the unit is in-front of the vent? No. I just adjusted my vents to point to the left and right. I also activate the passenger vent and point it in my direction sometimes.
- Is the display responsive to touches or is it laggy? It is fairly responsive.
- Do all the required install tools come with the unit? Yes. An interior trim pry tool is included. One side is pronged to help pop off plastic clips. You’ll see this tool in the install videos listed below. I also had my own set of interior pry tools which I used for removing plastic clips.
- Are the instructions good? No. You'll have to search YouTube for the many install videos about the 9" linux version...not the 10.8" version with front camera...that's an older model.
- Will front camera be an optional add on at any point? I don't recall seeing an extra opening on the display for the video circuit..so I'm not expecting an add on to be offered.
- Does the unit support wired Apple CarPlay too? No, wireless only.
- Does the unit support wireless Android Auto? The manual says wired connection only. I do not have an aneroid device to test with.
- How hard was the console to install? This was the first modification I’ve done myself to a car. I spent 10 hours over the course of two days. Someone who has prior experience with car interiors and dealing with the wiring connectors would probably get it done in 2-3 hours. I think I could do it more quickly if I had to again. If you have back issues or are worried about straining your back, you might want to have someone else perform the step of removing/installing the data cables as you need to get in an uncomfortable position.
The hardest part of the install was removing the data cable from the Tesla computer. I spent 3 hours trying to get it out until I found a tip mentioned in only a few YouTube videos. To get the cable out, you need to wiggle the data cable up & down while pushing down the small clip on the data cable connector & also applying some force to pull it outward. Keep doing this for 5 minutes straight. Don’t stop. Don’t apply tons of outward force & I did not pull on the cables in order to get the connector out. Pulling on the cables could damage the connection. I got the cable out within 3 minutes after following this methodology. Can’t believe I spent 3 hours previously (yes I was pushing the data connector’s clip down) with no luck. To get the splitter’s data cable connector in, I had to insert it not perpendicular to where I imagined the connection was. There is a metal railing in the way. Feel with your fingers to map out the area. I spent an hour again trying to get it in. Then I realized I had to insert it at a slight angle rather than perfectly perpendicular to get the connector past the railing and then straighten out to an angle perpendicular to the computer’s port. After I tried that methodology, I got it in within 5 minutes. Sorry, I don’t have photos or anything.
Here were some install videos I found helpful:
“Unboxing and 1st Impressions of the Display Centre Console Dashboard” by DaxM
“Tesla Model 3/Y - Display Touch Dash Screen with Apple Carplay and Android Auto - Installation” by Mtn Ranger
“NEW Display Model Y/3 Steering Wheel Screen Apple CarPlay and Android Auto Ultra HD Installation” by The MegaWatts
- Are there firmware updates available? The unit has the ability to be upgraded via a usb-c stick which is FAT32 formatted. As of this time there are no updates available that I know of. I contacted Display to find out and they said none are available and best way to know when updates come out is to join their Facebook group. Which probably gives them basic info about you aka free marketing data for them.
- How is the audio quality considering the manual says to make a chain such as iphone CarPlay (bluetooth audio)->display->Tesla infotainment via bluetooth . The audio seems pretty good considering the two bluetooth hops. You can also connect the Tesla to your iPhone to remove one bluetooth hop. I find there is less lag between playing/pausing music and hearing output via Tesla stereo. TIP: initially audio will play from display’s internal speaker. On Tesla infotainment’s bluetooth source bar, push pause play icon and the sound will transfer from display to Tesla speakers. Once a while, sound will revert to display speaker. Repeat the process. Audio from navigation apps and messages app will always come from display speaker when using this setup.
FYI
@Truchkinator @BilliganSailor
teslamotorsclub.com
