If you want to have Android Auto and you like technology, experimenting and carrying out your own experiments and projects, you probably already know the impressive possibilities offered by Raspberry Pi, so small and relatively cheap (or at least before, when it was easy to get) a computer that you can adapt and configure for different utilities. Today we offer one to bring the Google infotainment system to your car: use the Raspberry Pi to install Android Auto in your vehicle.
We’ve already told you something: it’s a adventurer interesting if you have a Raspberry Pi at home and want to learn the process, but if it’s for the price, There are other better, simpler and cheaper options for installing Android Auto in a car what it doesn’t have: you can give a second life to an old Android mobile or buy a screen with Android Auto, without going any further, this was our experience with an AliExpress model for less than 30 dollars.
What you need to install Android Auto in your car with Raspberry Pi
First of all, of course you will need a Raspberry PiAlthough the latest model launched is the Raspberry Pi 5, you can use older models like the 3B or 3B+ and even the Pi 2, although the latter does not have Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, perfect for use daily.
Additionally, you will need a microSD card with a capacity of at least 4 GB, a touchscreen for Raspberry Pi (it can be the official model or other compatible models), a Android phone with the Android Auto app installed, a USB cable to connect the Raspberry Pi to the phone, an accessory to take power from the cigarette lighter and use it to power everything (the cell phone charger from classic car works), a support to place the screen in a safe place on the dashboard, a jack cable to connect the Raspberry Pi audio output to the car sound and if you want to use OK Google, a USB microphone.
Melopero Raspberry Pi 3 Model B, Quad Core 1.2GHz Broadcom BCM2837 64-bit Processor, 1GB RAM, WiFi, Bluetooth BLE, Silver
*Some prices may have changed since the last review
The next thing you need is burn crankshaft to SD card, for which you will need to go to the releases section of the project on GitHub and download the ZIP file to a computer. Be careful, just drag and drop the file onto the drive, but you will need software like Etcher to write the image to the SD. What is the crankshaft?
Crankshaft, Open Auto and Android Auto
Unless you’re looking for a unit that’s compatible with Android Auto, it’s normal that these types of cheap generic units aren’t…and that’s where OpenAuto comes in. OpenAuto was originally developed for use on hardware like the Raspberry Pi and a touchscreen and behind this software is developer Michal Szwaj. Beyond the presentations, stay on the essential: your objective is launch the Android Auto-provided projection of a phone Android which has this app.
In short, the Android mobile runs Android Auto, transferring the experience to a Raspberry Pi that runs OpenAuto equipped with a touch screen where you can see everything, so that This combination is able to compete with a standard screen with Android Auto in terms of functions.
We finish the explanation with Crankshaft, a Linux distribution created for make OpenAuto easier and simpler to configure and run.
How to have Android Auto in your car with Raspberry Pi
If we already know clearly what we need and what OpenAuto and Crankshaft are, tap put it all together to have our own DIY Android Auto.
The most complicated part is assembling the touchscreen, although here is a step-by-step guide. Next, the GitHub project details the connections between the Raspberry Pi and the display, which basically involves connecting the ground and 5V pins to the GND and 5V pins of the touchscreen and inserting the SD with the saved crankshaft image , connect to power and ready to use Android Auto on your phone.
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In Xataka Android | Android Auto, detailed guide: what it is, how it works, how to connect your mobile and the best thing to do
