Portable waterproof CarPlay units for your motorcycle

Quote from Guido on 08.11.2022, 11:40

I know of one user who emailed me about this unit. He's not on the forum. He has not purchased it yet, but was looking into it. I will report here if I get more news.

I have a similar (non-waterproof) unit that I use for development purposes behind my desk. Also came from China, so wouldn't surprise me if the internals are the same or very similar. It works good. Hardware build quality is a bit flimsy. Might be better on this Maxca.

Can the touch screen of this maxca unit be operated with normal (non-touch enabled) gloves? My unit can't. So that's definitely worth to check, as it doesn't come with a remove control, does it? (CarPlay on Honda motorcycles can be operated with the switch gear on the motorcycle handlebar).

CarPlay is limited a lot by iOS/Apple, but I believe I integrated the most used features in it. I don't have CarPlay on my motorcycle, but perhaps some of the Motorcycle CarPlay owners (GoldWing, Africa Twin) on this forum, can chime in on that. Or, if you have CarPlay in your car, give it a try through there.

Quote from mbirth on 08.11.2022, 18:53

Quote from Guido on 08.11.2022, 11:40

Can the touch screen of this maxca unit be operated with normal (non-touch enabled) gloves? My unit can't.

I believe that's the "future" we live in now. Even Garmin's latest motorcycle nav unit (zumo XT) has a capacitive touchscreen instead of a resistive one like their previous models. And yes, this comes with problems like needing special gloves and ghost-inputs when raindrops roll down the display.

Quote from mbirth on 14.11.2022, 17:37

Current motorcycle CarPlay models:

• MAXCA Xplay lite C5 (5") - $299
• WIZCAR Mate (5") - $259
• Ottocast CarPlay Lite C5 (5") - $249
• Coral Vision CarPlay M1 (5") - not yet released?
• LeCarLife LCLmedia™ Mini (5") - $399
• LeCarLife LCLmedia™ (7") + waterproof case - not yet released, prob. $250
• no-name AliExpress (5") - $160-250
• no-name AliExpress (7") - $60-$120 (not waterproof without case)

They all seem to be based on the SunPlus SPHE8368-U - In-Vehicle Infotainment SoC with smartphone link and its reference implementation with slightly different GUIs between brands. The 5" models seem to have "Dual-Bluetooth" so you can connect your phone AND your helmet comm unit. The 7" model (originally for cars) has an FM-transmitter which should work fine with e.g. the Cardo Packtalk's FM radio.

I'm still deciding whether/which to buy. 🙂

Quote from SpearMen on 16.11.2022, 10:48

I use SC1 Advanced and scenic. Time by time the garmin zumo xt too. Why also carplay units??

I don´t see the benefit.

 

Greetings

Quote from mbirth on 16.11.2022, 10:55

Quote from SpearMen on 16.11.2022, 10:48

I use SC1 Advanced and scenic. Time by time the garmin zumo xt too. Why also carplay units??

I don't like spoken instructions as apps/nav units sometimes don't recognise a turn as a turn and stay quiet or give ambiguous information (e.g. "turn left" when there's 2 possible "left"s) - especially in dense areas like city centres.

And I'm trying to get rid of my Garmin and embrace the future which is having the unused powerful device in my pocket do the things for which I'm carrying a second powerful device (Garmin) around at the moment.

Quote from SpearMen on 16.11.2022, 11:27

Nevertheless, the goal should be to have the view with the eyes on the road, instead of on the navigation screen. Driving instructions are therefore essential. With a lot of experience in driving and after long training with navigation, it should be easy to get along in the big city. Navigation should help the driver and not make him dependent. That's why "Scenic" can stay in your jacket pocket.

"Many roads lead to the goal!"

Quote from mbirth on 25.11.2022, 04:24

I've now used Black Friday offers and not only am I a Scenic Premium user now, but I've als ordered a generic Motorcycle CarPlay unit from AliExpress for slightly under 160€ incl. shipping. I'll write a review once it arrived and I had the chance to test it.

Update (28 Nov):

Quote from Guido on 25.11.2022, 06:30

Quote from mbirth on 25.11.2022, 04:24

I've now used Black Friday offers and not only am I a Scenic Premium user now, but I've als ordered a generic Motorcycle CarPlay unit from AliExpress for slightly under 160€ incl. shipping. I'll write a review once it arrived and I had the chance to test it.

That would be great. I’m sure many others will be interested in that!

My guess is that most people just don’t know these units exist, so I might link to your review in the next newsletter.

Quote from Guido on 03.02.2023, 11:58

Looks like more people are finding out about these units. See this article on ADVRider: https://www.advrider.com/long-term-review-easy-carplay-or-android-auto-for-any-bike/

Says there that the unit can be operated with normal gloves if I understand correctly.

Curious about your experiences @mbirth

Quote from mbirth on 03.02.2023, 13:36

I wish I could tell you something, but the weather here in Berlin has been abysmal in the last weeks and the unit is still sitting on my desk (after I've played around with the firmware). I'm eagerly waiting for the weather to get better so I can finally replace my Garmin and try this unit in the wild. 🙂

Quote from Jimmy999 on 16.02.2023, 15:20

Is it possible to use all of the display in full screen mode, instead of show icons on the left hand side?

I bought this unit, seems to be working ok for now. https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256804570387823.html?spm=a2g0o.order_list.order_list_main.5.19311802pPPaIF&gatewayAdapt=glo2usa&_randl_shipto=US

Quote from Guido on 16.02.2023, 15:43

I ordered similar unit. Didn’t arrive yet. Does it work with normal gloves or do they need to be special capacitive touch tips?

 

its not possible to remove the icons in the left. That’s arranged by CarPlay. Out of control from app developers.

Quote from Jimmy999 on 17.02.2023, 01:00

I just tried it out and you need the dots on the glove. The leather glove on its own doesnt work, but with the dot it works perfect. I have these.

https://smartmoto.com.au/products/glovetact

Quote from 2BTSquared on 18.02.2023, 23:17

Quote from Jimmy999 on 17.02.2023, 01:00

I just tried it out and you need the dots on the glove. The leather glove on its own doesnt work, but with the dot it works perfect. I have these.

https://smartmoto.com.au/products/glovetact

Got questions...

Did you use the supplied 12V to 5V converter/supply? What did the directions tell you? Wire it directly to battery? Seen on the BINIZE site, they suggests one wire it to the ignition switch. Ha! Many don't have one. Odd they don't have an inline fuse. You you know what size the DC power plug on the thing is? Why do I ask? One might rather use the USB port on their bike to power it instead of using their converter/supply. To do that one could probably find a compatible USB to DC power plug adapter cable. Worst case... Cut, splice, solder, shrink tube.

Any issues with it reconnecting after the initial pairing?

Quote from mbirth on 19.02.2023, 08:29

Quote from 2BTSquared on 18.02.2023, 23:17

Did you use the supplied 12V to 5V converter/supply? What did the directions tell you? Wire it directly to battery? Seen on the BINIZE site, they suggests one wire it to the ignition switch. Ha! Many don't have one. Odd they don't have an inline fuse.

You need to wire it to the ACC line which you can do directly at the ignition switch (where you put your key to turn on the bike which I guess almost all motorcycles have) or you wire it to e.g. the headlights, city lights or whatever is always on when you ride. Some people wired it to their horn as there was a switched +12V line. These lines are also usually fused already. I'll go with my city lights - I just have to order the proper connectors so I don't have to cut into existing wires.

Wiring it directly to the battery might cause issues as the 12V-to-5V converter will be using a bit of power all the time. Also there's 5V on the pogo pins in the cradle, so I don't know what happens when it rains and the contacts get shorted from water drops.

You you know what size the DC power plug on the thing is? Why do I ask? One might rather use the USB port on their bike to power it instead of using their converter/supply. To do that one could probably find a compatible USB to DC power plug adapter cable. Worst case... Cut, splice, solder, shrink tube.

I don't know the name, but this (https://amzn.eu/d/6s6DuVY) is the connector. Just take extra care with the red/black wires as it seems the other way around than what's on the CarPlay unit I have. The 5V converter box is rated for 2A, but since you can power the unit from USB on your PC, it shouldn't take more than 500mA. But I didn't measure that yet.

Any issues with it reconnecting after the initial pairing?

Nope. Once set up it'll connect to my iPhone every time.

Quote from 2BTSquared on 19.02.2023, 09:34

So I've been digging into these things a little more...

Noted on the Maxca site that the OS is Linux. Also, found out that they support both wired and wireless Android Auto and CarPlay.

Searching around, I've found reports of roughly 10%/hour (some more, some less) phone battery drain using wireless Android Auto. I might find that unacceptable. They say on a charger, the phone will run hot while running wireless AA.

The wired option may be important. I did a quick test running Android Auto with no power (using my Chargie to facilitate this test). It consumed about 1% in roughly 1/2 hour. If this is indeed representative, then 2 to 3 percent battery usage in an hour wouldn't be bad. I might do some longer runs to confirm this.

So... You'd have to wire the provided power supply harness into the bike's accessory power (might also be able to use the bike's USB port). Then you'd need to run a USB cable to where the phone is. Hmmm... What would make for a good setup here? Perhaps I could mount a windshield bag on my Heritage and toss the phone in it. The USB cable run from the windshield bag to a device like this might not be too bad. A little kludgy, but perhaps acceptable.

One potential important use case... Cold weather riding. They say not to charge your phone when it's cold, which is generally not a problem. In times past, I haven't used my phone on the bike during the winter. However, I've done a couple of rides beta testing MRA this year. I've noted that charging performance appears to be poor when it gets cold enough. So, one of these things might be useful here.

Hot weather riding might also see a benefit for obvious reasons.

Quote from mbirth on 19.02.2023, 09:55

Thing is: The USB connector on the device is behind a waterproof lid that's screwed on with 2 screws. You'd have to remove that to use the "wired" Android Auto. Also it would expose the MicroSD card slot to the elements. And it's a hassle to remove the display unit as the USB plug would be caught in the cradle.

I don't have real life experience yet (winter) but my plan is to use Apple's MagSafe battery with my phone being in the small pouch attached to my belt where I always have it. This will hopefully provide enough power for rides as long as I need. I could upgrade to Anker's MagSafe/MagGo battery which even has three times the capacity. On other phones I would use a power bank and charging cable.

On cold days you could put the phone and power bank into the inside pockets of your gear which should keep both at comfy temperatures. However, everything above 5C I wouldn't even consider "cold". And I usually don't ride below 5C.

Oh, and if your phone gets hot during charging and using Android Auto it might be because it's quick charging. To help with that, get a power bank without USB-PD (Power Delivery) or use the normal USB-A socket instead of USB-C so your phone gets charged at slow speed.

Quote from 2BTSquared on 19.02.2023, 12:12

Quote from mbirth on 19.02.2023, 09:55

Thing is: The USB connector on the device is behind a waterproof lid that's screwed on with 2 screws. You'd have to remove that to use the "wired" Android Auto. Also it would expose the MicroSD card slot to the elements. And it's a hassle to remove the display unit as the USB plug would be caught in the cradle.

I don't have real life experience yet (winter) but my plan is to use Apple's MagSafe battery with my phone being in the small pouch attached to my belt where I always have it. This will hopefully provide enough power for rides as long as I need. I could upgrade to Anker's MagSafe/MagGo battery which even has three times the capacity. On other phones I would use a power bank and charging cable.

On cold days you could put the phone and power bank into the inside pockets of your gear which should keep both at comfy temperatures. However, everything above 5C I wouldn't even consider "cold". And I usually don't ride below 5C.

Oh, and if your phone gets hot during charging and using Android Auto it might be because it's quick charging. To help with that, get a power bank without USB-PD (Power Delivery) or use the normal USB-A socket instead of USB-C so your phone gets charged at slow speed.

 

I might consider removing the lid/cover to access the USB port as an acceptable compromise. For normal riding it probably wouldn't be an issue. Maybe just put some tape over the SD card. For occasions getting caught in weather, if one thought it necessary, one could simply re-install the lid and run wireless until the weather passes. But, are you saying you can't access the USB port while the unit is in it's cradle? Every picture I've seen of the thing suggest that the USB is easily accessible when in the cradle. Or are you saying it would be difficult to remove the unit from the cradle with the USB cable plugged in? Why would one do that? Seems you would just unplug the cable then remove.

Yes. Slowing the charging rate will help with heat. The Chargie will mitigate the quick charging. Still might expect it to generate a fair amount of heat with all that's running while doing wireless AA.

 

Quote from mbirth on 19.02.2023, 12:34

Quote from 2BTSquared on 19.02.2023, 12:12

But, are you saying you can't access the USB port while the unit is in it's cradle? Every picture I've seen of the thing suggest that the USB is easily accessible when in the cradle. Or are you saying it would be difficult to remove the unit from the cradle with the USB cable plugged in? Why would one do that? Seems you would just unplug the cable then remove.

The latter. You'll have to remove the USB before taking the display with you and fiddle again with the plug after putting the display unit into the cradle. Or use the anti-theft screw and some Loctite to make the display a permanent one on your bike.