IDrive controller with Android 9.0 PX6 4/32GB BMW head unit

This is a quick demo of how it's working. I bought my BMW F20 without original screen or iDrive. So I installed a touchscreen aftermarket unit, but I always wanted to integrate an iDrive controller too. So this is my solution. I bought a used iDrive controller, a CAN BUS transceiver and a Particle Photon. The iDrive controller is connected to a CAN BUS transceiver, which in turn is connected to a Particle Photon. Finally, the Particle Photon is connected through USB OTG to the head unit. Here's the connection diagram: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1fwo-OzQmYnUm_Yh859tAhPDT8hfE2NTM/view?usp=sharing I also developed an Android app which translates the Particle Photon commands into Android commands. The Particle Photon needs a special firmware, I took inspiration from this thread: https://community.particle.io/t/photon-to-bmw-idrive-controller-canbus/47643 Special thanks to JumpMaster for his precious help on setting up the Particle Photon and also for the code. Cheers, mate! The head unit had to be rooted and the Android app I developed had to be installed into /system/priv-app. Google assistant works great, I assigned it to the "Option" button on the iDrive controller and now I can play any music just by asking! There's still space for improvement, but right now, as it is, it's good enough for me. I'll be going back to developing the Huawei Watch Face Maker now. Cheers to everyone!

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