DIY 8" XOVision GX2802 Guide from a First Timer
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From: San Diego, CA
DIY 8" XOVision GX2802 Guide from a First Timer
I recently put a GX2802 8" XO Vision Display in my Scion XB. Very Easy Install.. except for some custom stuff I did.. but the basic install is pretty cake if you don’t do the dome light mod. And for the standard disclaimer: I’m not a professional car audio/video installer, nor do I work for any audio/video or electronics shop. I do trial and error stuff, and I publish my results. Follow at your own risk...
The GX2802 runs about 150 from Fry’s Electronics. I’m sure other places have comparable prices. It is a high-resolution display at about 640x480 and looks very nice and crisp compared to some of the other displays (larger or smaller), which just stretch the image across a lower resolution. It comes with 3 RDA inputs, one for composite video, and two for right/left audio that is re transmitted through infrared to your choice of XOVision IR headphones (sweetness!). It also has 1 power wire, and one ground wire. The problem with this, and the reason for my mod, is that if you are replacing your dome light, then either the TFT display will only work when the doors are open, or your dome light is controlled by a switch, and the TFT/dome light work when acc power is connected. I wanted two situations to exist. I wanted the TFT to power on when my DVD system turned on, and I wanted the lights to independently turn on when the doors open.....
Stuff I used
First thing I did was kill the trace from the switch to the main power wire. This is one step towards isolating the interior lights from the TFT
I then added my own power wire to where the trace was going, effectively switching my own power.. The problem with this was that at the time I didn’t realize that the other side of this PCB had traces connecting to this switch for power also.. poor design, bad component isolation.
To get around that issue with the extra traces, I had to reroute some other wires. In this image you can see the red wire which would have powered the TFT display, is pulled off of its board location next to the other wires, and instead soldered to a green wire which I jumped to the original main power wire for the unit in the next picture.
The green wire then goes to where the main power for the unit went.. or the other side of that cut trace from the second image.
With most of the wiring done, its time to mount. This was super easy.. I didn’t have to cut anything. I just put the plate up on the roof! One of the screw holes lined up perfectly with one of the existing dome light screw holes. To make the second dome light screw hole line up, I just drilled a hole in the plate while the first hole was screwed in. Perfect!
And plate mounted
This was literally 5 minutes of work.
Getting ready to run the wires through the ceiling, I soldered on a power wire and ground connector to the flip down unit. I would recommend heat shrink tubing for all of this stuff. Works just like electrical tape but looks good. I use a butane soldering iron to shrink it.
To get the wires through the roof, I pulled down the headliner just a little bit, and used a coat hanger to fish with. Anyone not familiar with the coat hanger method, stretch out a coat hanger, use electrical tape to tape up the pushing end so you don’t cut any holes.. Then fish the coat hanger. Once the end pops through where you want it, bend the coat hanger around your wire, use electrical tape to secure it and tape up all sharp edges... then pull the coat hanger back through the other end. Works on seats, carpet, roof, toilets..
Heres something I learned during the trail and error phase.. Since the dome light power is not really positive or negative but switches depending on the condition, you get some back feed through your main power line. I added a diode to prevent that from happening. The problem was that once everything was hooked up, the power from the dome light was back feeding into my other TFT panels at the relay preventing them from turning off.
Heres a slightly out of sequence shot, just to show you the impression the unit will make on the roof after some time installed. Notice no cutting required, but it does squish some stuff a little.
Pushing all the wires up.
And done! W00T!
And you thought those hooks were for groceries!
The GX2802 runs about 150 from Fry’s Electronics. I’m sure other places have comparable prices. It is a high-resolution display at about 640x480 and looks very nice and crisp compared to some of the other displays (larger or smaller), which just stretch the image across a lower resolution. It comes with 3 RDA inputs, one for composite video, and two for right/left audio that is re transmitted through infrared to your choice of XOVision IR headphones (sweetness!). It also has 1 power wire, and one ground wire. The problem with this, and the reason for my mod, is that if you are replacing your dome light, then either the TFT display will only work when the doors are open, or your dome light is controlled by a switch, and the TFT/dome light work when acc power is connected. I wanted two situations to exist. I wanted the TFT to power on when my DVD system turned on, and I wanted the lights to independently turn on when the doors open.....
Stuff I used
First thing I did was kill the trace from the switch to the main power wire. This is one step towards isolating the interior lights from the TFT
I then added my own power wire to where the trace was going, effectively switching my own power.. The problem with this was that at the time I didn’t realize that the other side of this PCB had traces connecting to this switch for power also.. poor design, bad component isolation.
To get around that issue with the extra traces, I had to reroute some other wires. In this image you can see the red wire which would have powered the TFT display, is pulled off of its board location next to the other wires, and instead soldered to a green wire which I jumped to the original main power wire for the unit in the next picture.
The green wire then goes to where the main power for the unit went.. or the other side of that cut trace from the second image.
With most of the wiring done, its time to mount. This was super easy.. I didn’t have to cut anything. I just put the plate up on the roof! One of the screw holes lined up perfectly with one of the existing dome light screw holes. To make the second dome light screw hole line up, I just drilled a hole in the plate while the first hole was screwed in. Perfect!
And plate mounted
This was literally 5 minutes of work.Getting ready to run the wires through the ceiling, I soldered on a power wire and ground connector to the flip down unit. I would recommend heat shrink tubing for all of this stuff. Works just like electrical tape but looks good. I use a butane soldering iron to shrink it.
To get the wires through the roof, I pulled down the headliner just a little bit, and used a coat hanger to fish with. Anyone not familiar with the coat hanger method, stretch out a coat hanger, use electrical tape to tape up the pushing end so you don’t cut any holes.. Then fish the coat hanger. Once the end pops through where you want it, bend the coat hanger around your wire, use electrical tape to secure it and tape up all sharp edges... then pull the coat hanger back through the other end. Works on seats, carpet, roof, toilets..
Heres something I learned during the trail and error phase.. Since the dome light power is not really positive or negative but switches depending on the condition, you get some back feed through your main power line. I added a diode to prevent that from happening. The problem was that once everything was hooked up, the power from the dome light was back feeding into my other TFT panels at the relay preventing them from turning off.
Heres a slightly out of sequence shot, just to show you the impression the unit will make on the roof after some time installed. Notice no cutting required, but it does squish some stuff a little.
Pushing all the wires up.
And done! W00T!
And you thought those hooks were for groceries!
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SJMiller
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Sep 12, 2015 06:33 PM
