Photo: Raspberry Pi Foundation
Bringing Android Auto or Apple CarPlay to an older car is something that can be done with the right aftermarket HUDs, but in most of the cases, these cost more than the majority of drivers are willing to pay.
But what if we tell you that you can actually do the same thing for a lot less?
It’s all possible thanks to the almighty Raspberry Pi 3, which a redditor used to run the CarPlay interface by connecting a cheap CarPlay dongle.
A demo (which you can also find embedded at the end of the article) shows Apple’s CarPlay running pretty smoothly on the screen, albeit it’s worth noting that touch support isn’t yet available. Getting it to work, however, should be easy, but for the time being, mouse input is all we have.
“To get that done I installed Linege OS in the Pi. That allowed me to install the app to enable CarPlay that came with my Aliexpress CarPlay dongle. Overall it was very straightforward to get it to work although I was not able to test it with a touchscreen so I could only navigate the interface with my mouse,” the redditor explains.
“CarPlay starts automatically once the device is plugged in. It’s running an app called AutoKit or something on android. It should work on any device running Android but I just thought the Pi is smart way to have it run on a touchscreen or whatever.”
This project is great news for owners of older cars, as the whole thing could cost less than $100, depending on the price of the CarPlay dongle itself. Depending on the retailer, the Raspberry Pi 3 shouldn’t cost more than $25, and you can even find used models online for a lot less than that.
At the same time, the cheapest CarPlay dongles are rather affordable as well, so if you don’t want to spend a fortune on bringing Apple’s system to your car, this might be the least expensive idea right now.
It’s all possible thanks to the almighty Raspberry Pi 3, which a redditor used to run the CarPlay interface by connecting a cheap CarPlay dongle.
A demo (which you can also find embedded at the end of the article) shows Apple’s CarPlay running pretty smoothly on the screen, albeit it’s worth noting that touch support isn’t yet available. Getting it to work, however, should be easy, but for the time being, mouse input is all we have.
“To get that done I installed Linege OS in the Pi. That allowed me to install the app to enable CarPlay that came with my Aliexpress CarPlay dongle. Overall it was very straightforward to get it to work although I was not able to test it with a touchscreen so I could only navigate the interface with my mouse,” the redditor explains.
“CarPlay starts automatically once the device is plugged in. It’s running an app called AutoKit or something on android. It should work on any device running Android but I just thought the Pi is smart way to have it run on a touchscreen or whatever.”
This project is great news for owners of older cars, as the whole thing could cost less than $100, depending on the price of the CarPlay dongle itself. Depending on the retailer, the Raspberry Pi 3 shouldn’t cost more than $25, and you can even find used models online for a lot less than that.
At the same time, the cheapest CarPlay dongles are rather affordable as well, so if you don’t want to spend a fortune on bringing Apple’s system to your car, this might be the least expensive idea right now.
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