Quote:
Originally Posted by mhbell
I want to replace my Axxera radio with a Navigation screen backup camera and radio. For those of you who have done this, what did you use? Was it hard to do? Cost?
Mel
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I just did this on my Palazzo. Went ok, if allowing for the goofy Freightliner issues. Lack of ignition switch power, etc.
The Axxera was "on" all the time before, so it constantly drains the chassis batteries. The graphics were horrible, and the "buttons" on the edge of the screen were bizarre.. as if designed by North Korean communists without a focus group.
However - it was also a single-DIN, so I was constrained. I wanted Android Auto, etc., but we don't live in the RV - only use it for 4-8 weeks a year, so it wasn't going to be a $2k project.
Here's what I did:
1.) I went with the Sound Storm Labs (SSL) single-DIN with the plug-in screen. It's kind of interesting - not a "motorized" thing, the single DIN just has an interface, and the screen plugs into it. I had nothing above or below that it would obstruct, so it worked fine. Similar to this one, except I went with a 9" that I found at Crutchfield - which looks better in the spot. There is also a 7" option I think. -
https://www.amazon.com/Sound-Storm-L...=3ALW6DQMTZ9F9
The "AZ Expert" guy on Youtube used this on his Beaver; the only reason I found the thing. He had the same issues & requirements that I had, and looked like a good fit.
2.) I used the Wago reusable wire connectors to trial & error it a little - nothing is marked on a Freightliner and I couldn't find a wire diagram anywhere online. For the most part, the wire colors were the same though.
https://www.amazon.com/LEVER-NUTS-Co...=2MRVJ7R0R72S5
3.) To create an ignition power, I split the constant 12v into the "constant" that the deck needed and routed the other through a 15amp 12v toggle switch that I mounted on the dash by the parking brake. I also did the dash cam while I was at it.
4.) The Freightliner doesn't appear to support an illumination control line so I just disabled illumination on the deck and I manually set it to what I wanted (and it works fine).
Outcomes -
1.) I can't recommend the SSL - it's flaky. The interface works great, and it's snappy, but the Android Auto sucks and will randomly reboot either the phone connection or the deck (either the phone cycles the initial connection and restarts AA or the whole deck reboots itself). AA is buggy, so it's not a surprise, but the error handling in the deck should be better. I suspect it's the interface cable - the deck came with USB extensions that plugged into the back of the deck and routed down to a cigarette adapter opening - but provides 2 (low-amp) USBs instead where the cig lighter would be. We have boatloads of USB chargers in the coach, so wasn't needed, but 1 of these also provides the data interface. AA is very (extremely) sensitive to cable quality - I have tried several excellent cables that are known to work in other vehicles - but I am suspecting what is probably a very charging/data/extension cable from the back of the deck to the cig lighter port and I might get around to swapping them out, or get rid of them and use a wireless AA dongle and just leave it inside the dash. I'm watching for a cyber deal on a wireless one.
SSL, Boss, and a few other deck brands appear to be identical.
2.) The Freightliner dash is very hard to modify - it's just hollow, nothing for mounting the slide rails to, etc. The Axxera that was there before had the same problem. They jiggle, etc., and I'm at a loss as to what to do with it, short of ripping the whole thing apart and building in some structure. I'm hesitant because during the first road trip after the install, the dash A/C wasn't working. When we got back, I found 2 red wires that were spliced (with a wire nut) and had separated - I didn't do that - so that was a funky Thor thing. I fixed it the right way with a soldering iron and solved it, but hesitant to create other problems - considering it's a Freightliner dash. Great chassis, but electronics & dashboard is not a feature that Freightliner is "known for."
3.) Audio quality - "Meh." It's not the Alpine in my Ram Limited pickup. However, the problem is the 5" garbage speakers in the ceiling, not the deck. Don't look for a stunning improvement over the Axxera without a swapping the other parts out too.
I experimented with the EQ and most importantly - turned off the subwoofer support (which defaults to "on" with the SSL) - and that made a world of difference. I would now call it "fair," but I'm a disabled vet with terrible hearing, so your mileage may vary.
4.) Telephone - surprisingly excellent. People can't even tell that I'm on the hands-free, and do not hear any background when driving (but the diesel-pusher is pretty quiet).
5.) The goofy. It has a constant supply wire - but the "memory" for the Android Audio map guidance seems to forget its setting every time I turn off the ignition - so I have to go back into the AA setup, do the "test audio" in the mapping and turn up the volume every time I start the motorhome up. Annoying since it defaults to "zero" volume. Radio stations remain programmed, Bluetooth recalls, and programmed phones are there, and everything else works... The problem is horrible firmware designed by North Korean communists.
6.) Surprising win - the Palazzo has a multi-camera input switcher thing in the dash that only fed a single RCA video cable to the old Axxera. Crutchfield offers one with the SSL, but was only a generic / universal. I figured the one in there was probably the same thing, and in the worst case I had expected to sacrifice the (nearly-useless) side mirror cameras and only hook up the backup cam (directly) - (which is also pretty useless since it is 12 feet in the air at the top of the rear cap). However... I plugged in the single-output from the video switcher, and everything worked normally in the SSL - I can either drive with the backup cam on or I can use the stereo interface, AA, whatever, and it will switch to the backup cam when I go into reverse, or to the left or right when the turn signal is flipped on. Works perfectly, so if you have the camera switcher thing you can probably recycle it for the next stereo deck.
For others - CarPlay (Apple) is not nearly as sensitive as Android Auto, and iPhone users are probably fine with the SSL.
I prefer to use RV Life for RV mapping anyway, and RVL doesn't have an Android Auto app (so it won't display in AA anyway - for some reason, Android requires an AA-specific version of each app to be accessible) - so I just have a phone mount, and I use Bluetooth for the directions/music and phone. That enables me to drive with the rear camera on the deck display - which I also prefer. Works fine, and I'm satisfied. We are usually on interstates anyway so I don't need the play-by-play action on the big screen.