Steering controls on Android HU

Mooseman

Original poster
Moderator
Dec 4, 2011
25,224
Ottawa, ON
So I got a new Android 10 HU for the TB. I never had any luck getting the steering wheel controls on any of my trucks that came with them, even with adapters. However, my 07 LS did not come with them.

I recently replaced the entire steering column so that I could have the switches. A little research shows that two wires in the column sends the signal to the BCM, via different resistances, which then sends the signal over the GMLAN to the stock radio (see attached schematic).

On Android and possibly other aftermarket head units, there are wires called Key1 and Key2 as well as another one called Key ground. On past units, the ground wire was not properly marked or described. This one was. At first, I connected the two wires from the column to Key1 and Key2 and it didn't work. Then tried Key1 and Key ground and the HU received the signals and I was able to program the switches.

So the two wires you need to get are PNK in the C201 position in the connector and L-GRN in position A12, as per the photos. I just cut and extended them to the HU's Key1 and Key Ground. I added spade connectors in case I needed to take it out later. You could also just tap into them if you want to leave them in place. Doing this on trucks that came stock with the switches also eliminates the need for an adapter that would translate the BCM's signal to resistances that the HU would understand.

Column Connector.jpg

I have checked for different years schematics and 2002-2006 are the same as described above with the LT-GRN wire. 2007 says the LT-GRN wire is LT-GRN/WHI (my column came from a 2006). 2008-2009 schematics also say LT-GRN/WHI but for the PNK wire says the connector position is now called X201 instead if C201.
 

Attachments

  • Steering Contronls.pdf
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Boricua SS

Member
Nov 20, 2011
3,080
Ohio
Nice! Seems like you ran into the similar problems i did when doing the steering wheel swap to my 1SS. I did not change columns or go through the BCM. I just got the clock spring, cut the harness, and used the 6 or so wires that i needed and connected a ASWC-1 harness. Grounding was ok, but as i found out through trouble shooting with Carlton, the Pink wire from the clock spring needed to see Voltage, so i tapped into the rear wiper switch and voila, I had steering wheel controls.
 
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Mooseman

Original poster
Moderator
Dec 4, 2011
25,224
Ottawa, ON
so i tapped into the rear wiper switch and voila, I had steering wheel controls.

Thank you for using voila properly! (one of my pet peeves)

I swapped the whole column as I also had to swap the steering wheel and didn't want to deal with swapping the clock spring. And since I have a Tech 2 to do the key cylinder sensor relearn, I think it was easier this way.

And as I also connected the leads for the lights, only one of the bulbs actually works :frown:. Time for LEDs :biggrin:
 

cornchip

Member
Jan 6, 2013
637
Can this Android HU function as a dash cam? I missed a beauty road rage incident the other day, and I am the only guy left in the world who doesn't have a cell phone. I could see myself owning something like this. Do you have to chop up the dash much?
 

Blckshdw

Moderator
Nov 20, 2011
10,660
Tampa Bay Area, FL
Can this Android HU function as a dash cam? I missed a beauty road rage incident the other day, and I am the only guy left in the world who doesn't have a cell phone. I could see myself owning something like this. Do you have to chop up the dash much?

From what I've seen, you need to find a USB dashcam that works with an Android HU. There are options out there. They'll generally have an app in the onboard storage, that you install on the HU to run it, and need to add an SD card to the camera to store the video clips. My HU was a bundle that came with a camera.

I've thought about trying to get another one, so I could record what's going on in the rear, since the app that reads the RCA video inputs, doesn't record 😥
 

Mooseman

Original poster
Moderator
Dec 4, 2011
25,224
Ottawa, ON
Mine came with a USB camera but haven't installed it yet. And I only have one USB input so if I use it for the camera, I can't use it for anything else. And the recording app is already installed. I'm gonna have to spend a day on it to see if it can also capture the rear camera. Also have to figure out if it can start automatically each time it's powered on.
 

Blckshdw

Moderator
Nov 20, 2011
10,660
Tampa Bay Area, FL
I only have one USB input so if I use it for the camera, I can't use it for anything else.

:undecided: I wonder if one of those little USB hubs would work for increasing your usable number of ports?

 
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Mooseman

Original poster
Moderator
Dec 4, 2011
25,224
Ottawa, ON
It's an idea but I don't use the USB that much. I used to have a thumb drive for music but now mostly use Spotify, which I installed and downloaded all my music to. That's the fun thing about an Android HU, it's just like any Android device and can install just about any app.
 

Mektek

Member
May 2, 2017
656
FL
It appears the OP does not have the two wires for the buttons connected to the BCM as a factory LT would have. So what he did can work since the switches can be dedicated to the radio.
Normally the buttons are powered by the BCM and have a variable voltage out depending on what button is pressed. I have not been able to make both the climate control AND radio buttons work together on my android radio :frown:
 

Mooseman

Original poster
Moderator
Dec 4, 2011
25,224
Ottawa, ON
Later years don't have climate control buttons so all the top buttons are for radio controls. So early years that came with this option that opt for this will disable the climate controls however they could replace the switches to the later year's radio controls if they so desire.
 

Mektek

Member
May 2, 2017
656
FL
There ought to be a way to convert the voltage out to the 4 resistance levels that the radio can use. Probably that's what one of those SWC boxes do. I like having the climate controls on the wheel so I want to retain that. I'd prefer to do it a DIY way .
 

Reprise

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Member
Jul 22, 2015
2,724
My Voy is an '03, and has the HVAC temp / fan controls on the LH side. I'm pretty sure that starting '04-onward, those became OnStar buttons, and HVAC was gone forever. My '03 Sierra has the OnStar buttons.

Like you, I like the HVAC buttons and use them. Especially since the temp selector on my control head is a bit goofy (the display starts moving in the opposite direction for a second, then reverses and moves normally, in the direction of the knob)

The ASWC-1 mentioned earlier actually allows button function reprogramming - so you can reassign the HVAC buttons as HU controls (not sure if it can be done the other way around, to 'add' HVAC, especially for the '04s forward). The instructions have the process for reassigning them.
 

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