[taivlam]

Hi, I have a question.  After sharing this project with someone else, I got a question: will users be able to control music playback via a car on Tangara?

I don't mean Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, but being able to control Tangara from a car's dashboard.  Apparently this is possible when connecting the iPod to the car through the Apple 30-pin connector (via USB, I think?  I'm trying to guess the set up, because I hadn't done this before).

However, this sounds like it was possible, based on this video from 2011:

[jacqueline]

I've got an issue open tracking bluetooth control support: https://codeberg.org/cool-tech-zone/tang.../issues/45
This is probably the easiest way to get car controls working for cars that have bluetooth!

IIUC 'Apple accessory protocol' is the thing we need to support to work with the special iPod modes some cars have. This is a good source for it: http://www.ipodlinux.org/Apple_Accessory_Protocol/
I *think* it's just an extra layer on top of the USB CDC support that we already have, so it should be pretty feasible to support. My car actually has such a mode too, so I can test it out easily enough. Just need to find the time to implement it

[rayne]

some other ideas for the creative little goblins on this internet forum:

• get a carplay license from apple and develop full carplay support, surely the esp32 can send the display as a video stream over usb and still have headroom to decode audio, it is afterall, very fast, many megahertz in fact
  
• many head units also have a cd changer port which is typically some kind of vendor-specific uart command channel so tangara could emulate a cd changer, if like me your car is from the 90s and your head unit from the 00s
  
• another stupid but awesome idea would be to connect an i2c canbus chip to the faceplate connector and have a dedicated in-car tangara for cars with canbus, this would make your car much more valuable and be a fun project
  
• another thing that works is fumbling awkwardly and dangerously with the tangara unit itself and just hooking up the headphone out to the aux on the car stereo
  
• if your car doesn't have aux you can use one of these
  
• voice control faceplate "TANGARA PLAY THE NEXT SONG"
  

[jacqueline]

Tangara faceplate that turns the device into a car headunit. I forsee no regulatory headaches with selling such a thing it will be absolutely 100% fine I am certain.

[rayne]

Tangara faceplate that turns the device into a car headunit. I forsee no regulatory headaches with selling such a thing it will be absolutely 100% fine I am certain.

yeah it'll be fine! i guarantee nothing bad will happen*

*something bad might happen actually

[jepyang]

A lot of car stereos for the last decade or so also support playing music from a regular USB thumb drive, I dunno if making sure tangara shows up as a generic drive is easier or harder than the Apple accessory protocol tho

[jacqueline]

USB drive support is already supported, actually! It's not winning any awards for speed, but good enough for small amounts of syncing + stuff like this.

[taylorhayis]

Tangara faceplate that turns the device into a car headunit. I forsee no regulatory headaches with selling such a thing it will be absolutely 100% fine I am certain.

That sounds like one for the community to develop! I built a head unit for my Landcruiser with a Pi 4 running Android, 7" touchscreen, USB GPS module, and a USB apple car play module. Worked really well! 

Tangara faceplate that makes it landscape (wheel / buttons on the side) and has a built in 12v amp - could work really well!

Or just use an aux cable...

[taivlam]

I've got an issue open tracking bluetooth control support: https://codeberg.org/cool-tech-zone/tang.../issues/45
This is probably the easiest way to get car controls working for cars that have bluetooth!

IIUC 'Apple accessory protocol' is the thing we need to support to work with the special iPod modes some cars have. This is a good source for it: http://www.ipodlinux.org/Apple_Accessory_Protocol/
I *think* it's just an extra layer on top of the USB CDC support that we already have, so it should be pretty feasible to support. My car actually has such a mode too, so I can test it out easily enough. Just need to find the time to implement it

Thank you for the quick reply!  (I'm a bit slow to reply.)