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Working on designing and building an interface to properly integrate a modern phone with Toyota/Lexus infotainment systems from before 2010 (which are using the
by LeonM 1y ago
Working on designing and building an interface to properly integrate a modern phone with Toyota/Lexus infotainment systems from before 2010 (which are using the proprietary AVC-LAN protocol).
I've explored all existing commercially available solutions and none match my requirements/standards (high-quality audio codec/DAC, USB-PD, steering wheel controls, no splicing or cutting into the loom, no cutting up the dash, etc.).
After researching how the Toyota/Lexus infotainment systems work I found they are highly modular, and actually quite easy to produce custom modules for. The proprietary AVC-LAN protocol is well-understood, and actually makes it really easy to integrate with. The display are just NTSC composite, and touch events (in fact, all button presses, including steering wheel media controls) are emitted on the AVC-LAN bus.
An simple board with some interfacing logic, a DAC and an RPi nano should be all I need to allow good Bluetooth audio integration, and lossless audio via wired USB, both controllable from the steering wheel.
You could do all sorts of fun things with the display (such as displaying vehicle status from ODB, lap timer, G-force meter etc.). If I use a RPi compute module then running Android Auto should be quite feasible.
It's just a hobby project though, I'll probably open-source everything. Not planning on commercializing it.
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- MrG3D 1y agoI'm already working on something like this and have a prototype board designed. Here is my version 1. https://youtu.be/pJjq_0hZEh4 https://youtu.be/pJjq_0hZEh4 https://youtu.be/drCtDADRJe8 https://youtu.be/drCtDADRJe8 https://youtu.be/jLCiIB6z968 https://youtu.be/jLCiIB6z968 Version 2 is being built around a CM4 IO board and will include my AVCLAN implementation, DAC, GPS and is intended to run AOSP Android. The board is fully designed already and I'm working on the custom Android build now.
- LeonM 1y agoThat's really cool! Looks like you found the same resources as I did on the AVC-LAN inner workings. It's also fun to see how each Toyota product uses the same modules and buttons, just different layouts and front panel designs. Your solution (sans the custom display that will only fit your model) should work on just about every Toyota and Lexus model from the AVC-LAN era (2000~2010) Not sure if you'd be willing to share your code or diagrams, but anything would help me tremendously. My contact info is in my bio.
- loufe 1y agoGodspeed. I find it frustrating these systems don't follow some sort of international standard, still. I can't justify replacing the system in my 2016 Highlander just to get Android auto, but the Bluetooth system handles non-phone calls poorly and the album art database hasn't been updated for basically the entire life of the vehicle. I don't like having to rely on the manufacturer nor Google/Apple for connectivity basics.
- LeonM 1y ago> I find it frustrating these systems don't follow some sort of international standard They do, actually! Most car manufacturers, including Toyota, now use the MOST-bus for infotainment system interconnects, which is an open standard. So your car being a >2010 Toyota, it will have a MOST system. > I can't justify replacing the system in my 2016 Highlander just to get Android auto You don't have to, there are plenty of aftermarket modules available that will add Android Auto to your existing MOST infotainment system. Can be a hit-or-miss though in terms of quality and integration. If you want something reliable and well integrated, stick with the OEM solutions. > I don't like having to rely on the manufacturer nor Google/Apple for connectivity basics. You're already relying on the car OEM for mobility and your safety, and you're already relying on Google or Apply for connectivity (aka: your phone's OS). Remember that your 2016 Highlander (3rd gen XU50) was introduced in 2013, so developed well before that. Android auto didn't even exist back then, and we still hadn't consolidated on the iOS/Android duopoly we have today. Heck we were still using Windows phone and Blackberry OS back then. How could Toyota engineers have designed something that would still remain compatible with devices in 2025? Quite remarkable actually that it still works at all.