Nexus 7 Tablet Install for Dummies (Guide)

Stand corrected then!

Does it work out of the box? Or you need some app, or turn on some option,etc for it to work?

Stand corrected then!

 

Does it work out of the box? Or you need some app, or turn on some option,etc for it to work?

Out of the box. USB OTG is a pretty standard fare.

I read some threads about it on XDA developers and consensus seems to be that it doesn’t and needs to be rooted, while others say it does and advertising for it also says it supports it. Also looked at another photography forum and people were having the same issue with reading USB sticks and viewing their camera connected to the nex7 via OTG and rooting solved the issue (in some cases)

No big deal though. I bucked up for the BT dongle from btssm. Already ordered. I’m going to still try it out when I get everything set up and see if it works with the cable. In case I wind up using it down the road I’ll keep it on hand if it works

Thanks for the replies

I suppose it depends on the device. Typically Google devices don't "lock down" anything. The OTG capability is built-in to the kernel drivers on both the 2012 and 2013 Nexus 7 models.

All of the Android phones I've played with (including both of my Blackberrys, which cannot be rooted) work just fine with OTG out of the box.

I recall I tried OTG a long time ago on my Nexus 1st gen and was having trouble. Anyway, good luck! You should post a picture of where you are going to place your tablet.

Will do. Not what I wanted to do initially but it’ll look pretty clean and be functional. Especially that I’ll be able to take it in n out wen needed.

In the near future I’ll be playing with fabbing a custom piece to fit the cubby area with a permanent spot for the N7 and functional (not fully functional but delivering air wen needed) vents. Buncha fun stuff under the hood I gotta take care of first

Just remember you can use the vagcom cable with an otg adapter with the stock kernel but you won't be able to charge it at the same time so it will be on battery power the whole time.

If you want to plug in power and use the USB via otg you will need a custom kernel (timur being the popular one) which enables host mode. You will also need a cable meant to be used in host mode. Which is simply a y cable that splits out the power to one connector and the data to another, which you would plug your vagcom cable into.

If you connect via Bluetooth then you can just use the USB port to charge.

Having trouble with my 2013 nexus 7 install. it's rooted, got Timor's ROM installed, OTG cable etc. Now if I have the tablet out on the bench and disconnect the power and does the Timor suspend thing, and if I leave it for 24 hours it loses about 10% battery. If I have it in the car and the BtSsm hooked up to it ( that's primarily what I want it for, more gauges and real time monitoring ), turn the car off and leave it only over night, it loses at least 20%. Leave it over the weekend, it's flat by Monday morning. I had a 3A power supply, got a bigger 5A one, makes no difference ( still only charges at 1A max according to the Super SU power manager ).

Another problem I have, is when I triune the car off, come back later and start up again, the BtSsm craps out and says USB device is ( i forget exactly what it says ), and it won't work. Only way I can get it to work again is to unplug theBtSsm usb cable from the 4 port hub and plug it back in again. But the last 2 days even that hasn't worked. This morning I started the car to go to work, the BtSsm wouldn't start, unplug and repulsed the usb cable, still didn't work. So when I got to work I pulled the whole Nexus out of the car and took it inside. Put it back in this afternoon to come home and it magically worked again. Stopped at the supermarket on the way home, crapped out again and wouldn't restart, unplug and replug the usb cable again, still didn't work. So I buggered if I know what is going on.

Another thing you guys might know, when you have the BtSsm gauges up, how do you get rid of the pink shaded square around them, so it just has the nice black round gauges to match the dash?

Starting to get really hacked off with it………….

Couple of things. First, and easier answer about the pink shaded square is in the manual: https://www.btssm.com/manual.html

--- DISPLAY SETTINGS ---

...

Gauge glow effect

The gauges have a slight glow around the numbers, and the rim of the gauge. There is also a slight shadow on the needle hub. However, some devices do not support this feature, and if you have one of these devices, an odd looking pink rectangle surrounds each gauge. If this happens, you can simply uncheck this option - the gauge will still have a nice appearance without the subtle glow effect, but the odd pink rectangles will go away.

On to your power issues. I struggled with this a bit as well. I went through a couple different OTG cables and a couple different power convertors until I found a stable setup. There is a lot of junk electronics on the market that look good, but just aren't. In the end, I also installed a kill switch on the side of the console because I think my power was still a high enough trickle to keep the tablet from deep sleep. Before I did that I could have it drain in <2 days. Now it's usually only around 6-8% a day.

Also, if it helps, here are the gauges I run with most typically. I'll rotate some out depending on what I'm troubleshooting. Little tip, on the field chooser screen there is a little green bar at the top, that's your gauge/logging capacity. Too many parameters and it struggles, just keep that bar from filling up. I'm at about 85% I think.

The tablet won't charge much faster than 1A or so, so getting a higher capacity charger won't help you.

To me it sounds like the tablet isn't going to deep sleep. I haven't used Timur's ROM (I merged his kernel changes into the ElementalX kernel, my posts in this thread or the other thread should have more info about that).

Personally, I set my tablet up to use Tasker to force kill apps, disable wifi/bluetooth/location, enable airplane mode, turn on battery saver, etc., to ensure that there's nothing that will keep the tablet awake when power is lost. This is more involved, but it works with no headache.

Did you check the timur settings? there is a setting to check the rtc alarms (i think that is what it js called). you may have an app that's keeping the tablet awake. make sure everything is unchecked.

you may also have an issue with USB mounting and unmounting while you crank the engine. you may want to use a timer for that.

I also had a hell of a time getting my nexus to charge. It would slowly drain while driving with nav and Spotify on. Verified the adapter had enough amperage so that wasn't the problem. And it wouldn't likely be the problem for most also as long as you have a 2amp power supply.

The problem is voltage. The nexus is super picky about voltage. I found some info on I think rootwiki or something, sorry on mobile and don't have the link. The way the nexus works (which is normal for most mobile devices) is the nexus will draw as much amps as it wants/needs but if the voltage drops too low it decides the wires or adapter isn't good enough to supply the amps it wants so it decides to pull less amps.

Example being say it wants 1amp but when pulling 1 amp th voltage drops to 4.8v. It doesn't like that so it will change its mind and pull only 0.5 amp.

Also you can't believe what it's says in the power manager app. I've used a inline voltage measuring device to show the true amps/volts. I got one of these, really useful to checking wires, power adapters, power banks/battery packs etc.

https://www.amazon.com/Digital-Multimeter-Chargers-Capacity-Banks-Black/dp/B07FVHGKGF/ref=asc_df_B07FVHGKGF/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=309763068717&hvpos=1o1&hvnetw=g&hvrand=17702489290500458991&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1021222&hvtargid=pla-575523717515&psc=1

The main reason for the voltage drop is small gauge wire which causes resistance. Secondly is a poor adapter/power supply that drops voltage when more amps are being pulled. Last is a poor usb connection can cause a bit or resistant also.

To solve the problem you could get an otg host with higher gauge wire if you can verify this. Build your own with higher gauge wire. And finally get a power supply (DC to DC adapter) with a voltage adjustment. This way you can set the voltage a bit higher so when it gets to the nexus it's still high, say like 5.2v, that way it will pull as much amps as it needs because it believes the wires/power supply is good. I did both a large gauge wire diy otg host cable and a voltage adjustable power supply. Now I can charge no matter how much load I put on the nexus (nav and Spotify running at the same time)

Now for the sleep issue I also had that issue. First go into the power manager and go to kill apps and just check off everything. Then go to rtc alarms and uncheck everything. Reboot. Now see how that works for you. If you get no ill effects then call it a day. I had the same if not worse drain as you. But after doing that and with the stock launcher I can go 12hrs with only 0.01% battery loss. How long the screen is off and in deep sleep is also in power manager.

Now the btssm might also get solved doing the above. Before doing the above I used tasker to kill btssm when going to sleep. I noticed that if I didn't kill it it would have trouble reconnecting (even when directly connected or via Bluetooth). After having it being killed its reconnects fine.

Thank you guys so much for your replies, I learnt a lot from you.

So first I looked at the RTC alarms and unchecked them all ( about 12 ). Then I looked at the kill apps and unchecked all of those ( about 20 ), then did a reboot. Then I put the nexus back in the car. Magically all the pick shading around the gauges has gone, I didn't have to look up the gauge glow effect tab, so I don't know how it happened but I'm very happy with just that!!! I went for a drive to the shops ( to get a new toilet pan set for my bathroom ) and when I started the car up to come home from the hardware store the BtSsm came back on properly. Happy days!! So I left the unit in the car, the battery was at 100%, so I will see what the battery level is at in the morning when I go to work.

The dc/dc power supply I have can adjust the output voltage, I've got it set at 5.0v now, so I might bump it up to 5.2-5.3 tomorrow.

Thanks so much for your help, so many great people on LegacyGT.com

Thank you guys so much for your replies, I learnt a lot from you.

 

So first I looked at the RTC alarms and unchecked them all ( about 12 ). Then I looked at the kill apps and unchecked all of those ( about 20 ), then did a reboot. Then I put the nexus back in the car. Magically all the pick shading around the gauges has gone, I didn't have to look up the gauge glow effect tab, so I don't know how it happened but I'm very happy with just that!!! I went for a drive to the shops ( to get a new toilet pan set for my bathroom ) and when I started the car up to come home from the hardware store the BtSsm came back on properly. Happy days!! So I left the unit in the car, the battery was at 100%, so I will see what the battery level is at in the morning when I go to work.

 

The dc/dc power supply I have can adjust the output voltage, I've got it set at 5.0v now, so I might bump it up to 5.2-5.3 tomorrow.

 

Thanks so much for your help, so many great people on LegacyGT.com

Fyi, you got the unchecking of the RTC alarms right. But for the kill apps you should be checking them to be killed. It's a bit counter intuitive but the title for each description tells you this, it is a bit confusing.

Fyi, you got the unchecking of the RTC alarms right. But for the kill apps you should be checking them to be killed. It's a bit counter intuitive but the title for each description tells you this, it is a bit confusing.

OK that's my mistake, I did them correctly ( uncheck the RTC alarms and check the Kill App ones ). Last night when I put the car in the garage the Nexus battery was at 100%. This morning when I went to work it was at 98%, so it looks like you guys have nailed it.

I'm chuffed to bits with it now, just got to find a FSL-21 to hook up the USB DAC.

OK that's my mistake, I did them correctly ( uncheck the RTC alarms and check the Kill App ones ). Last night when I put the car in the garage the Nexus battery was at 100%. This morning when I went to work it was at 98%, so it looks like you guys have nailed it.

 

I'm chuffed to bits with it now, just got to find a FSL-21 to hook up the USB DAC.

Keep in mind that once you update apps or install new ones, these may mess up your RTC alarms. So do check them.

Also, look into the GMD gesture app or the like, if you're looking to add gesture functionality. And if you have steering wheel buttons, you may want to add a 'joycon exr' usb device like this one. I have one and love it. I have 6 steering wheel buttons. So in my case, I can have 12 shortcuts (6 short and 6 long press) to do things like opening apps, volume control, alt-tab, etc...

https://www.mo-co-so.com/Joycon-EXR-Steering-Wheel-Interface-p/mcs-joy-exr.htm

I recall I tried OTG a long time ago on my Nexus 1st gen and was having trouble. Anyway, good luck! You should post a picture of where you are going to place your tablet.

Update. This is how I wound up mounting it. Little generic but works and looks ok. Just some high grade velcro strips. I’m loving the ease of it. No bs, looks good and functions as it should. Sits TIGHT too. Doesn’t budge or vibrate one bit

I mounted it upside down so the power and vol buttons r accessible on the bottom right.

Still need to play. How do you get the gauges into square #s instead of gauge form?

Still need to play. How do you get the gauges into square #s instead of gauge form?

In the gauge picker screen, tap the gauge name.

Select Digital instead of Analog.

I’m loving the ease of it. No bs, looks good and functions as it should.

Lucky you. I'm about to put a sledge hammer through my dash. The pos works as it should on BtSsm for a couple of drives, then gives the "USB device not available", so I reboot the Nexus and it comes back on and works another couple of drives. Then the other day I got in the car and started and the Nexus wouldn't start at all, dead as a door nail. So I took it out and back on the bench at work and the stupid thing has changed itself out of FI ( fixed installation ) mode so it didn't sleep last time I turned the car off so has been going the whole time and flattened the battery It's done that a couple of times on the bench at work too, and I've yet to figure out why.

Everytime I have to reboot it to get BtSsm working again the gauges go all to hell and I have to resize and reposition them

Also with Google Maps, I have downloaded some so I can use them offline. I have location turned on on the Nexus ( the little icon is at the top right of the screen ), yet it doesn't know where I am more often than not when I open the Google maps app. Then after I've been driving a while and I keep pressing the symbol which is the crosshairs inside the circle, sometimes it will finally work and know where I am, and then I can put in an address of where I'm going and it'll work fine. But more often than not it can't get my location for whatever reason. I'm always outside, not inside a parking building or under a concrete bridge or anything stupid.

Getting tired of having it in the car for 2 days before it shits itself then having it out for a week trying to get it to work and repeating the cycle. Starting to loose hope. Everything seems to be set so it should work properly, and it does every once in a blue moon, but it never lasts. Can;t for the life of me work out how or why it changes it's settings by itself for no apparent reason. I build race cars not computers, but it can't be that hard can it? I've got it this far??

Lucky you. I'm about to put a sledge hammer through my dash. The pos works as it should on BtSsm for a couple of drives, then gives the "USB device not available", so I reboot the Nexus and it comes back on and works another couple of drives. Then the other day I got in the car and started and the Nexus wouldn't start at all, dead as a door nail. So I took it out and back on the bench at work and the stupid thing has changed itself out of FI ( fixed installation ) mode so it didn't sleep last time I turned the car off so has been going the whole time and flattened the battery It's done that a couple of times on the bench at work too, and I've yet to figure out why.

 

Everytime I have to reboot it to get BtSsm working again the gauges go all to hell and I have to resize and reposition them

 

Also with Google Maps, I have downloaded some so I can use them offline. I have location turned on on the Nexus ( the little icon is at the top right of the screen ), yet it doesn't know where I am more often than not when I open the Google maps app. Then after I've been driving a while and I keep pressing the symbol which is the crosshairs inside the circle, sometimes it will finally work and know where I am, and then I can put in an address of where I'm going and it'll work fine. But more often than not it can't get my location for whatever reason. I'm always outside, not inside a parking building or under a concrete bridge or anything stupid.

 

 

Getting tired of having it in the car for 2 days before it shits itself then having it out for a week trying to get it to work and repeating the cycle. Starting to loose hope. Everything seems to be set so it should work properly, and it does every once in a blue moon, but it never lasts. Can;t for the life of me work out how or why it changes it's settings by itself for no apparent reason. I build race cars not computers, but it can't be that hard can it? I've got it this far??

Location strictly via GPS is typically slow to lock on any mobile device. Your phone gets GPS lock really quickly by using what's called "assisted GPS," which uses your data plan or Wi-Fi to help pinpoint general location before using actual GPS to narrow it down. I find the same issue with my N7. I use bluetooth tethering to connect my phone to my N7 automatically when the car starts, and the tablet gets an internet connection that way. It greatly speeds up the GPS signal and I can use online maps with real-time navigation, traffic, etc.

The changes are weird, but not unheard of. BtSsm isn't the most stable piece of software.

The charging issues are likely related to your issues detecting your logging device in BtSsm, too. If you haven't tried getting a better OTG adapter, that might be worth doing. Cheap ones that give poor connections can cut out randomly, which occasionally can screw with the kernel and make the tablet think it's charging when it isn't (which will cause it to drain the battery when you "think" it's actually sleeping).

I've said it before, but I don't trust any automatic Timur kernel magic. Maybe I'm anal. But I do the tablet startup/shutdown sequence manually to make sure everything works. I have failsafes written in a Tasker script as well to turn the tablet off if the battery drops below 10% or so (in the case that for some reason the tablet doesn't sleep like it should). A dead N7 is very frustrating.

+1 on a solid, quality OTG cable. Cheap ones are soooo frustrating.

Also, unless you have the cell radio version of the nexus, maps are really only going to happen if you tether to a phone. I usually just use my Nexus for btssm and movies. My phone for nav if needed.

I have almost no issues with power now, but the first 2-3 months was a lot of troubleshooting. Now I have tasker to shutdown <10%, also have a physical switch for power. I have the stuff for the power timer, but haven't installed it and may never do it. Only need to restart the tablet once every 2-3 months. Been pretty stable for more than a year now.

sounds to me you have a loose usb connection. At the beginning, I had a lot of trouble and later found out the issue was the otg cable. You MUST have a reliable high quality USB OTG cable. And, you must make sure the connection is secure on the tablet.

And solidxsnake is right on the GPS locking feature. I use a similar method if I want to have a quick GPS fix (i.e. use my phone as a hotspot).

Also, I bought the app called copilot which is a nav app with offline maps too. Somehow, this one feels like it finds a GPS fix offline a bit faster. Been using it for more than 8 months now. Pretty reliable and the screen layout is more car user friendly than Google map in my opinion. Still uses the latter for traffic though.