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.

Quote from 2BTSquared on 19.02.2023, 13:20

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.

Thanks for the feedback. I'd be interested in what your experience reveals and if your opinion evolve with use.

Quote from 2BTSquared on 19.02.2023, 17:06

Did a 1 hour test run with my Pixel 5a. It was connected to Android Auto via USB cable, but with no power (battery only). Waze was used for navigation. Car temperature was 70 degrees F. Battery dropped from 76% to 69% - 7%/hour.

Not great in my opinion. Could imagine worse results in extreme temperatures. Road trips with long days might put a significant hit on the phone's battery. Not sure I'd want to do this too often (wear and tear on battery).

I'd be curious to see what wireless Android Auto would do to the phone while plugged in. Probably have the phone setup not to quick charge for this experiment (~1.5 to 2 amps max). Would the phone get hot?

Of course, similar experiment with an iPhone, CarPlay and Scenic would be interesting. How would the iPhone fair here? Heat?

 

Quote from massi on 24.02.2023, 17:18

Hi,

I got my identical to Maxca Xplay C5, Ottocast Lite C5 a few days ago, did not test on a real ride, but fiddled around with it at home. It works very well together with my iPhone. But I can't establish a connection to my Midland BT Next helmet headset, it does not find it. I can pair it with my iPhone 11 without a problem.

Has someone paired his headset with the c5?

 

massi

Quote from mbirth on 24.02.2023, 17:24

Quote from massi on 24.02.2023, 17:18

Has someone paired his headset with the c5?

I've paired my Cardo Packtalk Bold without issues. Just make sure to use the BT_Transmit option on the Maxca to initiate pairing and use phone pairing on your headset.

Quote from massi on 24.02.2023, 19:15

Thanks for your answer, but it does not work, seems my BT Next is to old.:-/

 

Quote from Guido on 27.02.2023, 06:08

 

Quote from 2BTSquared on 19.02.2023, 17:06

Battery dropped from 76% to 69% - 7%/hour.

What I’ve seen on iOS this battery usage is normal.

Apple CarPlay (and probably Android Auto as well, no experience yet), is more or less an extended display for your phone. Most of the processing (including GPS receiver) is still done on the phone.

You will use LESS battery by using Apple CarPlay  because your phone screen can be turned off. But you’ll use MORE because your phone needs to drive that second screen. In the end you’ll probably use a bit less battery compared to without CarPlay

In other words, if reducing battery consumption is your reason for getting such a unit, you’ll probably be disappointed.

Quote from Guido on 03.03.2023, 19:33

About 3 weeks ago I ordered the MAXCA XPlay C5 Pro on AliExpress. I paid 150 EUR (incl shipping) and had to pay 300 Mexican pesos (around 15 EUR) taxes and customs fees. So, in total 165 EUR.

It arrived today and I unboxed it and installed it on my 2018 KTM 690 Enduro:

First Impressions:

- Reasonable to good build quality (the sun visor seemed a bit flimsy / cheap plastic, but hey, what can you expect for this price)

- It comes with mounting brackets to mount on your handlebars. The mounts seem very sturdy. The back of the unit has a RAM ball and the mount has a short RAM arm with another ball, so you get quite some flexibility position wise (of course you can always buy more RAM gadgets if you need more flexibility)

- It works even with ‘normal’ non-capacitive gloves. This was totally unexpected for me and a nice surprise.
UPDATE: Unfortunately this was wrong. It ONLY works with capacitive touch enabled gloves. The gloves I initially tested with were all capacitive I guess.

- Pairing my phone to the unit was super easy. (I do have some experience with pairing to CarPlay systems, but it’s basically like Bluetooth pairing).

- Pairing my Cardo Freecom 4x was also quite easy. I first thought I needed to ‘unpair’ the cardo from my phone, but turned out that was not necessary. I’m not sure how/if the cardo determines if it should connect to the phone or to the CarPlay unit. Will post more on that later if I have more experience with that.

- The interface is OK, but honestly you won’t use the built-in Maxca interface much. Once you have it set your way (I only connected the phone and cardo and adjusted the volume) you don’t need that interface anymore. Once the unit gets power it starts up and if the phone is near it automatically goes to CarPlay mode after a few seconds.

- Because it is wireless CarPlay no cable is required between your iPhone and the unit. Wireless CarPlay does have a bit of a delay between user input and actually executing the ‘command’. E.g. skipping to next song via the touch display has a delay of about 1 second before it actually skips to the next song. From what I know all wireless CarPlay units have this. At least in my experience.

-Because there is no cable your phone is not charging. You’ll probably still need a charging solution for your phone for longer rides (see my post just above this one) Perhaps cable to your tank bag, or power bank in pocket, etc.

- It comes with two ways to connect to power. One direct to the 12V power of your bike (I connected it to the ‘switched’ power so the unit turns on whenever my bike turns on)  It also comes with a USB connection so if you already have a USB (says it needs 2.5 amps so check that your USB outlet support at least that)  that might be an easy solution (although keep in mind… you might need that USB port to charge your phone).

- It’s easy enough to take it off from your bike. You can open the RAM leg by hand with a twist nut (not sure how you call those in English)  and the unit comes off. The cable also has a connector so that’s easy as well. So easy that theft might be a concern, so I might change that ‘twist nut’ with a normal nut and bolt so that at least  a tool is required to take the unit off. Not sure yet.
UPDATE: Thanks to @massi and @2BTSquared I found out it's much simpler to unmount. The Maxca actually comes in a cradle, which you can leave on your bike. By simply unscrewing a small screw at the back (can be done with your hand), the unit simply pops out. Cable, mount and cradle can stay on the bike.

All in all.  Happy so far.

Stay tuned for next steps when I actually go riding with it. I’m especially curious about brightness/sunlight, and how waterproof and vibration-proof it really is.

Quote from 2BTSquared on 03.03.2023, 20:34

Thought this unit popped out of it's cradle for unmounting. Didn't think you need to remove from the Ram mount.

Quote from Guido on 03.03.2023, 21:06

Thought this unit popped out of it's cradle for unmounting. Didn't think you need to remove from the Ram mount.

Maybe it does actually. That would be great. I’ll check tomorrow and let you know.

 

 

 

Quote from 2BTSquared on 03.03.2023, 23:52

I'm guessing it should... Most of the adds for them show the unit and cradle separately...

 

You can see this dude popping the unit off the cradle in this video at about the 0:32 mark...

https://www.aliexpress.com/i/3256804558142313.html?gatewayAdapt=4itemAdapt

 

Quote from massi on 04.03.2023, 02:46

Hi,

I have an Ottocast Lite C5, it's the same as the Maxca. You don't have to pull of the RAM Mount, there is a little screw on the back of the device you can losen by hand, then you can push the lever on the top and the device gets out of the cradle.

On my blog https://grossmaggul.de I yesterday published a post on how to "hack" a little bit the unit, it shows how to change the startup splash screen, the background images and the dashboards and some other things you can do.

It works even with ‘normal’ non-capacitive gloves.

Are you sure about this? I tested it with several gloves but only the special smartfon gloves worked.

Regards

Marc-Antón

Quote from Guido on 04.03.2023, 10:24

You don't have to pull of the RAM Mount, there is a little Screw on the back of the device you can losen by hand, then you can push the lever on the top and the device gets out of the cradle.

Found it! Super! Thanks.

It works even with ‘normal’ non-capacitive gloves.

Are you sure about this?

Uhmmm... You're right. Doesnt'work with normal gloves. The gloves I tested with yesterday must be "all capacitive" because I even tested with the palm of the glove (because I was so surprised). In any case, tested with two other gloves now and only the fingers with capacitive capabilities work. Too bad, but not a very big deal. (I've adjusted my post above).

Quote from massi on 15.03.2023, 13:36

Did a little tour today, the display is good even in higher lights, but when the sun shines directly on the display you see nothing, but that's not a big problem. It's the same with my smartphone.

Unfortunately the carplay device lost several times the connection to the phone. I had the phone in the pocket of my trouser.

 

Regards

Marc-Antón

Quote from Guido on 15.03.2023, 13:43

Unfortunately the carplay device lost several times the connection to the phone. I had the phone in the pocket of my trouser.

Same thing happened to me during my first ride. First hour of the ride was fine. Then, during about 5 minutes, it lost connection, reconnected, lost connection, reconnected, etc. After this 5 minutes it was stable for the remaining hour of the ride. Also phone in pocket. Not sure what the cause was. I assume the WiFi dropped away (wireless CarPlay start with Bluetooth to set up the connection, but then switches to WiFi).

Quote from massi on 15.03.2023, 15:31

That's a possible explanation. I will try it on the next trip to put the phone into a tank bag.

Quote from Guido on 16.03.2023, 06:48

So, I asked Maxca about this on AliExpress. Here’s the response:

do you wear a smart watch?

please kindly power off the smart watch when you riding, also delete BT helmet from your phone bluetooth paired list

pair the BT helmet to C5 pro only

so your phone bluetooth won't keep trying to pair those bluetooth devices

that cut the wireless Android auto or carplay off

I haven’t tried this yet, but it sounds plausible. I’m not wearing a smart watch, but I did have my Cardo linked to the c5 AND the phone. I will remove from my iPhone and try it like that on my next ride.

I also asked them for the new firmware. My unit is running the dec-22 firmware. There is a feb-23 firmware but doesn’t seem to address the connection drop issue according to the change log.

Here are the change logs:     

1,Volume settings ( CarPlay Navigation, CarPlay media, CarPlay Phonecall, Android auto volume) 

2, Logo preset ( Settings--Factory--123456--Settings--Logo--123456/000000)

If you dont find these 2 update useful for you, please ignore that.

They also have a Facebook page where they post news: https://m.facebook.com/100065678251410/

 

Quote from Guido on 17.03.2023, 13:43

Second ride with the Maxca today. It was a ride of 1.5 hours. I did not experience any connection drops like on my first ride (see above).
I can only assume this is because I followed the recommendation of Maxca (to 'forget' my cardo in my phone's Bluetooth settings), see above as well. This is a bit of a nuisance because now I have to pair the Cardo to my phone temporarily every time I want to use it with the Cardo app and every time I want to use the Cardo with my phone, but without the Maxca (e.g. when I don't need navigation I don't need the Maxca for guidance, but I would like some music).

I did experience some very short audio drops just when I left my house. I'm not too worried about this though, because this also happens in my car (also wireless CarPlay) when I drive away. I'm guessing that's because my home Wifi is going out of range as I drive/ride away... or something related to that.

Before this ride, I updated the maxca firmware to the newest version. This firmware did not have any changes regarding the connection, but it did enable a customizable start-up screen and more detailed volume settings.

To get the latest firmware version you have to send Maxca a message through AliExpress. There's no link anywhere. They are pretty fast to respond though.

One small annoyance I found, but hopefully this was a one time thing. Because I installed the new firmware I had to reconnect my phone to get CarPlay. The first time it was pretty easy:... find the Maxca in your bluetooth settings on your iPhone, then connect. And rest went automatic. It wasn't automatic this time though. Not sure it was because I changed the default bluetooth name of the maxca, or if there was still some left-over bluetooth config on my phone. After about 5 tries I finally got it working. Not exactly sure why, but I turned off the Maxca. Then 'forgot' the maxca in my iPhone bluetooth settings. Turned off my phone, waited 2 minutes and turned it back on again. Then I turned on the maxca. Found it in my iPhone bluetooth settings and connected to it. That time everything went OK and iPhone asked me if I wanted to use the maxca for CarPlay...etc.

 

Quote from Mikeyman67 on 19.03.2023, 09:35

I was hovering over the 'buy' button on AliExpress. Glad I checked here. The idea seems pretty solid but I'm gonna wait until the execution is done a little better. For now I ride 90% of the time with just Scenic, iPhone 13 and a Quadlock with wireless head and vibe damper. The other 10% or less (long road trips) I load the GPX files into my Garmin XT. Its a bit or a fuss/fiddle to get the Garmin to obey my wishes though. Looking forward to the springtime update and some hopeful improvements in that department. Good stuff Guido. Thank you for your guidance as always.

Quote from massi on 20.03.2023, 05:33

Thanks Guido, for the info, I will try this on my next ride and report if it works or not.

Because my old Midland BT next does not connect to the Maxca/Ottocast it's not that problem for me to remove the BT next from my phone, because I do not hear music when I ride and in the last time I also did not use the guiding voice with scenic.

 

Regards

Marc-Antón

Quote from Dae on 28.03.2023, 13:29

I have the Maxca C5 pro, which I bought as my BMW Nav 6 died.

I’ve used it a few times, but today I gave in and bought a used iPhone XS Max and a WunderLINQ.

I really wanted to like CarPlay on the bike, but it just wasn’t up to the job. I missed being able to zoom in and out using the BMW wonder wheel; it is much more fiddly touching tiny CarPlay icons in thick winter gloves. The screen just isn’t big enough in my opinion.

Even with the latest firmware the connections were unstable and often required me to pair my phone again. The unit would also randomly drop the Cardo Packtalk bold connection and start outputting the audio through the device’s speaker.

There’s no battery in the units either, so when I turned the ignition on the unit would start to boot up, but then lose power as the GS cuts accessory power when starting the engine and the unit would then have to boot up again.

The Maxca units are 5” screens, but there’s too much bezel for my liking.  Elebest do a 7” version but seem to be constantly out of stock

I wouldn’t say the units are bad, but they need a bit of refinement before I’d consider them again. Once you’re used to the BMW wonder wheel everything else seems inferior. Maybe if they integrated WunderLINQ support into the unit, or even basic Bluetooth keyboard control so you could use a small joystick, the experience would be much better (similar to the native CarPlay on the Honda Africa Twin).

I’d give them 8/10 for the idea, but 5/10 for execution.

Quote from Guido on 28.03.2023, 14:05

I understand your points. I've tried the Maxca as well. I like it so far. But indeed I'd prefer a 7" screen.

I use auto-zoom, so zooming is not so much of an issue for me.

The double start-up sequence is not an issue on my particular bike (KTM 690 enduro), but I understand what you mean.

I did experience the connection problems but after Maxca's tip (see post  #36 a bit up) I haven't experienced them anymore. This does need some more testing though. Only had one ride with those recommendations implemented... and these do have a drawback... see posts 37.

 

I'm also the developer of Scenic. If you have a WunderLINQ (or a MotiveMonkey when it's ready... see latest newsletter: https://scenic.app/scenic-monthly-february-2023/  ), the zoom in/out will work, even in CarPlay. But unfortunately, that's all that will work. As a developer I can only link APP functionality to the WunderLINQ / Motive Monkey buttons, not CarPlay functions, meaning not the CarPlay buttons in the upper toolbar, side toolbar, the 4 buttons bottom right and the navigation info panels.... these are all CarPlay templates. And must be tapped by the user (either on screen or through a car/motorcycle linked control). An app can't 'tap' those buttons through code. The only way around this would be if Maxca (or other brand) would supply a remote with their unit. That would bring us a step closer to a truly integrated solution, I agree!

Quote from Dae on 29.03.2023, 00:59

Thanks Guido.

I really appreciate the feedback about WunderLINQ. You’ve really got me reconsidering my thought process now.

My biggest issues this weekend were when my wife was leading and missed a turn due to her only having the basic dashboard navigation on her BMW R1250RS (her Nav 6 also broke a week after mine!) and then later when we came across a road closure. She had no map to look at and I was finding zooming out on CarPlay was not safe enough to do whilst riding, but the road was too narrow to pull over 4 bikes to look on our phone. This was because the zoom buttons are small and on the right hand side of the CarPlay screen but requires using the left hand so your arm blocks the screen.

I do need to be honest - I was using the Beta of the new My Route App Next as I hadn’t discovered Scenic yet😀. This is their first release of CarPlay in beta and  has some serious limitations like no skip waypoint option and only being able to start navigation from the phone itself. It also loses the entire route if CarPlay disconnects, like if you turn the engine off and cut power to the Maxca at a level crossing if you’ll be there a while.

I might now try the WunderLINQ with Scenic and the Maxca and see how I get on. Being able to zoom the map out to get context when a route goes off plan is probably all I need (although the play/pause media from the wheel would be useful)

 

If it works out I’ll return the iPhone XS Max and Quadlock kit I bought and save a few hundred £s.

My WunderLINQ should arrive in a few days so I’ll keep you updated.

Quote from 2BTSquared on 29.03.2023, 06:17

Quote from Dae on 29.03.2023, 00:59

Thanks Guido.

I really appreciate the feedback about WunderLINQ. You’ve really got me reconsidering my thought process now.

My biggest issues this weekend were when my wife was leading and missed a turn due to her only having the basic dashboard navigation on her BMW R1250RS (her Nav 6 also broke a week after mine!) and then later when we came across a road closure. She had no map to look at and I was finding zooming out on CarPlay was not safe enough to do whilst riding, but the road was too narrow to pull over 4 bikes to look on our phone. This was because the zoom buttons are small and on the right hand side of the CarPlay screen but requires using the left hand so your arm blocks the screen.

I do need to be honest - I was using the Beta of the new My Route App Next as I hadn’t discovered Scenic yet. This is their first release of CarPlay in beta and  has some serious limitations like no skip waypoint option and only being able to start navigation from the phone itself. It also loses the entire route if CarPlay disconnects, like if you turn the engine off and cut power to the Maxca at a level crossing if you’ll be there a while.

I might now try the WunderLINQ with Scenic and the Maxca and see how I get on. Being able to zoom the map out to get context when a route goes off plan is probably all I need (although the play/pause media from the wheel would be useful)

 

If it works out I’ll return the iPhone XS Max and Quadlock kit I bought and save a few hundred £s.

My WunderLINQ should arrive in a few days so I’ll keep you updated.

@Dae ... I recognize this username from the MRA forums. I see you might have looked into my post/link on Scenic's detour behaviour.

Quote from Dae on 29.03.2023, 06:31

Quote from 2BTSquared on 29.03.2023, 06:17... I recognize this username from the MRA forums. I see you might have looked into my post/link on Scenic's detour behaviour.

I was already aware of detour functionality from other systems I’ve used, but Scenic was on hand to provide a screenshot so others could understand what we wanted and how it can be done properly.

Quote from 2BTSquared on 29.03.2023, 07:19

Quote from Dae on 29.03.2023, 06:31

Quote from 2BTSquared on 29.03.2023, 06:17... I recognize this username from the MRA forums. I see you might have looked into my post/link on Scenic's detour behaviour.

I was already aware of detour functionality from other systems I’ve used, but Scenic was on hand to provide a screenshot so others could understand what we wanted and how it can be done properly.

Scenic does a lot of things (I would say most) properly. Once upon a time I was solely swimming in the Android pond and couldn't make use of Scenic. MRA Navigation seemed to be the only game in town (that was worthwhile anyway). Then my company started issuing iPhones only. So now I have both - an iPhone and my personal Android phone. Since my company enabled my Scenic experience, Scenic has become my primary go to. Bonus... I also use Furkot for trip/route planning. Furkot is an excellent (perhaps the best) trip/route planner and integrates well with Scenic. The two make a great pair.

If one is into the CarPlay/Android Auto experience, it seems that Scenic is the only one that has a fully baked solution for it at the moment (albeit just CP for now).

Rumor has it that Android will be coming to Scenic sometime this year. Android Auto may be a while longer wait though. So, my choice in app will remain bifurcated for a while longer - depending on which phone I want to use. In the end, I'd like not to be dependent on my company phone - making Android my ultimate goal for the final solution.

The MyRoute-app Mobile/Next beta is showing promise. It's yet to be seen whether it will be on the same level as Scenic (tall order). It may end up that both are excellent (Scenic already is), but each having particular strengths. I participate in their beta and still hang out on the MRA forum where I offer my 2 cents when/where I think it could help.

As it stands now... Scenic will be leading the way for this season's trips.

Quote from Dae on 31.03.2023, 12:22

Quote from Guido on 28.03.2023, 14:05

I'm also the developer of Scenic. If you have a WunderLINQ (or a MotiveMonkey when it's ready... see latest newsletter: https://scenic.app/scenic-monthly-february-2023/  ), the zoom in/out will work, even in CarPlay. But unfortunately, that's all that will work.

Hi Guido.

I received my WunderLINQ today so thought I’d try your setup, but can’t get it to work.

I paired the WunderLINQ with my phone and enabled the WunderLINQ option in Scenic. I also installed the WunderLINQ app on my phone.  I then launched Scenic on CarPlay. When I scroll the Wonderwheel the map doesn’t zoom in and out on the CarPlay screen.

Quote from Guido on 31.03.2023, 13:20

Hmmm. Did you enable manual zoom in Settings > Navigation & Tracking? If it still doesn’t work after that change I’ll need to take a look. I never tried this myself to be honest, but I’m sure it’s possible. Scenic might need a code update for it though.

Quote from Dae on 31.03.2023, 13:52

Quote from Guido on 31.03.2023, 13:20

Hmmm. Did you enable manual zoom in Settings > Navigation & Tracking? If it still doesn’t work after that change I’ll need to take a look. I never tried this myself to be honest, but I’m sure it’s possible. Scenic might need a code update for it though.

Yes, manual zoom is enabled. The app on the phone works, it’s just CarPlay that doesn’t respond to zooming via the wheel.

Quote from 2BTSquared on 01.04.2023, 16:33

Hey @guidomm... Have you done anymore testing with your unit? Curious if any new insights have been acquired.

So far I haven't had any issues. Seems to work fine. But, I don't use other BT devices. I don't use the phone or listen to music while I ride. I just use it to navigate. So... If there are issues on that side of the house I wouldn't notice.

I did note one anomaly today... For whatever reason the speed and speed limit indications froze (I was navigating via CarPlay with my BINIZE unit). I had to stop, get the phone out and end/restart the route to get it to work again. Had no problem the rest of the day.

Quote from Guido on 01.04.2023, 18:14

Hey @guidomm... Have you done anymore testing with your unit?

I haven't had the chance to do any more testing, and I'm on family holiday now, so will be a little while until my next ride. But great to hear it seems to be working well. Will keep you posted.