Android Head Unit w/ PAC Bezel for NightOwl LED Integration
 

NightOwl went dark a long time ago and left a lot of people holding onto their old phones for LED control. For a long time I've wanted to control the LEDs straight from my head unit. That would require an Android head unit and I think we call all say that those have been a nightmare for a long time now. I think I finally found the perfect combination of products to give me this functionality though.

My requirements for a functional solution:
A. The bezel and head unit must look as close to OEM as possible. I believe the PAC bezel is the best OEM "like" aftermarket product for double dins so a head unit would have to be able to fit this bezel. PAC Bezel
B. Must run Android 8.0 or older. (The NightOwl app is unsupported past 8.0)
C. The head unit supplier needs a proven support track record along with software support. A lot of Android units run a custom image of Android. If updates eventually fall off, that is alright as long as the initial OS is functional with little to no bugs.
D. Head unit needs at least 1 wifi and 1 bluetooth connection or multiple adapters for each. I want to run apps like torque eventually and having multiple bluetooth adapters would allow for my phone and for an ODB2 adapter to be paired at the same time.

ATOTO started standardizing their face plates to fit most installer bezels and after some research, they have had a pretty decent support field. I ended up with an ATOTO A6. ATOTO A6

The PAC bezel has gone through a few different wiring harness updates and I did have an issue with the initial wire up.

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The black, yellow, and red accessory wires all run into a relay and out to a single red wire. The documentation called for all blue and red accessory wires to be wired together. A newer version of the harness removes the blue wire. When I had it wired in, the head unit remained on when all power was removed. Once I pulled the blue wire and capped it off, the unit ran as intended.

There are several youtube videos of a PAC install out there. This one was really helpful in understanding the PAC module though. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jP28s8uyjVI&t=1s

Once everything was wired up and running, I was able to install the NightOwl APK from the SD slot. It paired with the NightOwl wifi controller and I now have full contol of the system via the head unit.

Attachment 1034064

I couldn't be more happy with the look and the functionality of each product.

Attachment 1034065

NOTE: I don't plan on adding any sound system to this setup in the future. I only wanted an OEM look and would be able to control my NightOwl leds. This solution is probably unique to me since I don't have many additional requirements for this system. Obviously, this gives me way more functionality that my OEM head unit so it's a win win for me all around.

This is awesome! Thanks for posting.