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Hacking the iMid.

289K views 371 replies 102 participants last post by  wxman13 
#1 ·
I know this post is pure speculation, but something is really bugging me:

How come no one has come up with an app that simply lets you duplicate your cell phone screen on to the iMID?

Maybe the OEMs wouldn't allow this, but this would by far be the best modern app for car I could think of. You wouldn't have to worry about Navi, or mounting your cellphone, or the car's music player.

Any thoughts?
 
#70 ·
hmm would love to split that wires that led to back up camera and install a A/V connector and make a switch.
 
#71 ·
It's probably possible. Do it lol
 
#72 ·
:banana: :biggrin: :banana:

Look what the post office dropped off today!

Next week I will order the second piece, the GVIF interface.
 

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#73 ·
Nice!
 
#75 ·
#77 ·
Electronics Technology Electronic device Electrical wiring Power supply


My second piece of the iMid puzzle.
 
#78 · (Edited)
Electronics Wire Technology Electronic device Electronics accessory


Above is the unlucky sacrificial harness after following the Unpinning Metra Harness youtube video. I could not get one pin out, so I tried to "cut" around it. I found out later that only 19 of the 24 pins are needed, which is good because that one ended up breaking. Here is a picture of the pins needed:

Technology Electronics Electronic device Gadget Vehicle


On top row, small pins #3,#4,#10 are empty.
On bottom row, small pins #3 and #4 are empty.


Unpinning Harness Video. Thanks SMK for the video.

Unpinning Metra Harness
 
#79 ·
Electrical wiring Cable management Wire Cable Electronics

Here is my new harness I made.

Wire Cable Electronics Electrical wiring Technology

And here it is cleaned up a bit.
 
#80 ·
Car Vehicle Acura Technology Acura rdx


Woot woot.

Galaxy S3 MHL to HDMI cable will arrive later today (Saturday). That is why it says "HDMI no signal".

Going to bed now. Stayed up too late working on it. More to come tomorrow.
 
#82 ·
i was thinking about this the other day. is mirror only going to be available for those that has hdmi ports on their phones? what other ways are available to connect for video signals?

and wth happened to your harness in the first pic? leave the soldering iron sitting on it? lol
 
#83 ·
There doesnt need to be a hdmi port on the phone itself, the phone just has to have some way of outputting a video. In the case of the iphone 5/5s/5c you would need a apple tv connected that has the ability to mirror the iphone via airplay(i think, cant remember). Then the apple tv would be connected via hdmi.
Some phones also have an adapter to go from other proprietary ports to a hdmi.

I still just wished they could accept payment via paypal instead...
 
#90 ·
#94 ·
That is what I was seeing and understanding also. It would be ideal if we could use bluetooth the stream the screen from phone to car. Especially for Google Maps navigation. That would be so awesome. Hoping you guys that are investing time and money into this can figure it out for all of us.
 
#95 ·
Stream image over BT, no... but over Wifi(like using Apple TV then airplay using iOS device), yes
 
#96 ·
Here are two links showing my progress.

First is a video of the screen showing me taking the video ... "video within a video" This was testing the wireless mirroring. I used the Samsung Wireless Hub. My phone is a Samsung Galaxy S3. It was a pain to get working because I had it rooted phone with a custom ROM(software). Custom ROMs don't support mirroring so I had to revert back to the stock/factory ROM. (FYI - was still able to be rooted!)

Google Drive Video Samsung S3

I just returned the Samsung Wireless Hub. Overall I don't think the the wireless option is very practical. Wi-Fi, GPS, and 3G/4G/LTE connection all together cause massive battery drain. I am going to buy a MHL cable for the S3.

The second video is the iPhone5 with lightning to hdmi cable. The audio is playing through bluetooth which causes a lag if you are watching a video but it is fine for navi.

Google Drive Video iPhone 5

I just ordered an audio RCA to 3.5mm cable to get the audio to work through AUX input which should fix audio lag on videos.
 
#97 ·
so no custom roms support mirroring? how would that work if phones already have mhl ports for video out? or are you referring to only wireless mirroring? I could never go back to stock rom after getting cm support for my device and im pretty sure mhl isnt supported on my device despite what youre said before to me. everything ive read shows other users with my device unable to get it working even on stock roms.

this mod will probably not be for me until i eventually get a new phone. sad but it almost looks like more work than its worth. it will be nice if you provide a very detailed write up once youre done, especially for the wiring harness.
 
#98 ·
I believe he was just speaking about wireless mirroring. The MHL wire should work with any ROM. I'm hoping the audio lag will be a non issue when connected via a cable. I do not see why not. I would love to be able to play movies and videos on long trips for the other passengers.

6 hour trip to Vermont planned for December.
 
#99 ·
#106 ·
I never had Navigation. That was my primary reason to add mirroring. I can't imagine how you could lose any functionality.
 
#108 ·
so you have everything working properly now? did you have to wire in a switch that you push that mimics the screen going into reverse or is there an internal switch in the conversion boxes or stock screen that senses an incoming signal and brings up the screen for mirroring your signal? i think it was on the civic forums where they have an external switch that they had to flip to bring up the mirrored screen signal. I was hoping we could avoid that but not sure.
 
#109 ·
I finished up last night. Relocated the boxes from the glovebox to behind the center console covers. It was a tight fit. Kinda crammed them in there. Will monitor for heat. Ran the HDMI cable to come out the glove box. Popped out the change holder and that is where the cable comes out into the glovebox. Also popped out the aux connector and it is hid behind the USB port so I don't have a wire hanging out.

No additional switches. It toggles between the stock midi screen and GVIF inputs by long pressing the "source" button on the steering wheel. See video links for examples.



Sent from AutoGuide.com Free App
 
#113 ·
So how much did it end up costing? Over $400? If so then I cannot see any reason to do this. I'll just buy me a heavy duty bracket to mount my Android tablet somewhere on the dash, and boom it's done! That way you can watch videos, use maps or whatever. Anything that Honda releases will not allow you to play videos directly so it's either this video interface device or a simple mounting bracket. I'm going with the latter, much cheaper option.
 
#115 ·
gvif $150
h30 $110
wire transfer $45 + $45 (two separate, but bank was nice and waived the fees)
EMS shipping $40 + $40
iPhone 5 hookup $45
Aux cable $5
HDMI cable $15
Harnesses $30
Misc shrink wrap, tie downs, $15
Trim removal tools $15
---------------------
You can do it for less than $500

I did it instead of paying ~$2,500 extra for EX-L with Nav.

I'll post a tutorial and links to everything next week. Busy weekend.

BTW, this method does not work with Sport trim. Those and the LX have a Pioneer head unit. Ours have the Alpine with GVIF input/output.

I agree the tablet option is cheaper, but I prefer the stock integration and the fact that my phone provides internet connection for nav, videos, etc.
 
#114 ·
If someone could figure out how to stream video from google maps (navigation) from a smartphone to the iMid that would be DA BOMB! I'm guessing Honda would never sell another Nav unit though :)
 
#117 ·
Oh OK. I saw on the vendor's website that it said it only works with nav-equipped models but I thought someone on here said it would work with non-navi. Guess I just misread. Congrats on the install! It is a cool techie setup!
 
#119 ·
My car is EX-L non nav. The vendor's website is incorrect. I believe it says only nav equipped denso head units. Non of the 9th gen have denso. We have Pioneer and Alpine. It is talked about around page 5 or 6 of this thread.
 
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