Hamilton Motor Company head unit?

I can't really find much on these things. My wife and I don't really like out floating head unit. Thinking of going back to stock and utilizing a DSP.

But these 'look' good. Anyone heard anything about these?
https://www.hamiltonmotorcompany.co...mium-head-unit-upgrade?variant=48845868368186

 

I've never heard of Hamilton, but that's this thing: https://cartrimhome.com/Head-Unit-T12-V2-For-Toyota-4Runner

Cartrimhome isn't the manufacturer either but they have relatively proven documentation and support.

 

First I've heard of this brand/company. It does look nice and I like how they re-channeled the air vents. I'll put this on the "maybe" list.

 

It looks like a CTH V12 clone, maybe they are just trying to resell it for more than cth . Love the design, and would love to give up my halo 9 for it. but I can't do android units.

 

Oh yeah it is one of these
https://cartrimhome.com/Head-Unit-T12-V2-For-Toyota-4Runner

Makes a lot of sense because the Hamilton videos are super vague about everything and seem like they just threw their marketing up and didn't even name the head unit and have no technical documentation at all.

 

Hey, I am sorry you aren't a fan of our videos! I am the founder of Hamilton Motor Company. We have been around since 2016. We will be at SEMA this year. We have a few videos on that head unit at the moment and are certainly working on more with more detailed information. Please feel free to reach out to us any time for technical documentation. We have live North Carolina-based phone support and all orders ship from Raleigh, NC. There are large manufacturers that create what is called "Open Tooling" this includes enclosures, buttons, and casings that other manufacturers can use to build out head units. That is why there are a variety of vendors that can offer head units that look nearly the same. When it comes down to it, however, the components (and the quality/authenticity of the various components like the RAM, processor, etc) can vary greatly. We work with a very high quality boutique manufacturing partner for these.

CTH is another vendors that is almost certainly better known and sells a very similar product. They ship from China. We have a free 30-day no questions asked return policy. They have a 14-30 day return policy with lots of exceptions. We have a 3-year warranty with NC-based tech support. They have a 1-year warranty. We call our version the 2014-2024 Toyota 4Runner Premium Apple CarPlay Conversion Kit. We have sold quite a lot of these with an overwhelmingly good feedback.

 

Well welcome to the forum Davis.

 

Could you provide a link to the specifications such as the processor/ram, screen resolution and OS version.
Any reduction in the airflow from the vents due to relocation? And lastly would you have a harness for the 2010-2013 model 4runners?

 

What he said. Ultimately I bought a Dasaita because they listed all their specs, all the connections, how many camera inputs etc etc etc etc. It's not that I'm not a fan of the video, there's just no details at all which is why I was asking people here if anyone knew anything about the product.

This sounds like the vendor you buy these units from told you this. I would expect processors and RAM be very name brand but after reading this sentence I now have a lot of doubt in the quality of the vendor.

After watching many of the CTH guy's videos I've noticed he's made some very interesting statements like, the quality on these units are only because of his feedback and direction(which I'm sure he's given plenty of feedback) but that made me know that he buys from a vendor in China and they aren't his. Your vague statements tell me you both buy from the same vendor and are trying to differentiate.

No shade to either of you. I love the look of the units. Just trying to figure out what they are in terms of specs, connections, inputs etc.

With Dasaita I could see the entire install before I bought it and exactly how it connects to everything and what I have to work with. With yours I have no idea. I cant buy something when I have no idea. I want to know that your HU will connect to all the various other things I've installed in the 4runner. I have not visited your site in a while so perhaps it has changed but, just giving feedback.

If I didn't want to buy your product I would not have posted here asking if anyone knew more about it. It's not about being a fan or not of the videos. It's simply trying to find information.

 

Our 4Runner Apple CarPlay Conversion Kit and 4Runner Premium Apple CarPlay conversion kit both have TS-10 processors and 4gb RAM + 32gb of ROM. Our display on the premium has a resolution of 1920x932 which is a wide-screen display approximately similar to a 1080p.

The Premium unit (which moves the air vents below the display) does cause a very slight reduction in airflow. I have one in my 4Runner (and one of our guys who works here has one in his). We are based in NC where it gets quite hot in the summer and it is not something that is bothersome to us.

We are currently testing and working on a video for a new product we will also offer that is a module that installs into your factory 4Runner display to add Apple CarPlay to your factory display. This system will be Qualcomm based. It should be live on our website in a couple weeks and will be a cheaper alternative for a more OEM approach (does not replace the display)

All our units do support 2009-2024.

 

Hello Dave what’s the screen resolution on the non premium version? Trying to stay stock. Cod you post the specs on the non premium version? Could I still see the image on my backup camera? Is the image on some way improved? Could I connect a dashcam to this unit so that I could see the images on the unit? Does the unit have Xirius Radio installed? Would I be able to connect to the original usb port on the dash so that I can charge my phone and use Apple Carplay without using bluetooth?

 

I bought this unit for my 22 4Runner, had factory radio and when I pulled everything apart the harness that they provided doesn’t fit any of the factory miles plugs I disconnected from factory radio. Kind of a shame but I think this thing is going back.

 

Hi Dave, How is the hands free mic processed… is it chipped effects (like compression, eq, anti-feedback, etc) or software based? Is there anyway to improve the quality of it? I have swapped out multiple mics including the enfig. Getting desperate.

 

Hi Dave, I bought the conversion kit (full head unit), non premium for a 2019 4Runner TRD ORP. Love the OEM look! Bought the Hamilton unit due to being in NC and in the states with great customer service and reviews. I had read that the Dasaita screen gives a distorted picture due to the screen ratio between the factory unit and the extended screen on the Dasaita. I went with Hamilton because I liked the look of the more square screen vs the extended one. Everything seems to work seamlessly except I cannot figure out how to increase the audio level volume for incoming texts and Siri replies without having to turn the volume all the way up (and it is still barely audible) and once the music comes back on, it's blasting. Do you have a fix for this? TIA

UPDATE: Hamilton got back with me and there was a setting on my phone under sounds that needed to be toggled ON to fix the audio level for incoming texts. Sure wish Hamilton had a users manual or a troubleshooting guide to fix some of the minor issues. Am a happy lady now!

 

I've been eyeing the Hamilton 2014-2019 Toyota 4Runner Hamilton Conversion Kit for CarPlay® and Android Auto -- glad I stumbled on this thread. Almost ready to pull the trigger, but doing a bit more research. I have a 2018 TRD ORP and want to maintain stock controls on the wheel, mic, etc. hoping to learn more here

 

I think you would be happy with this unit. All steering wheel controls work except for the little select button in the middle of the arrow buttons bc you do the selecting on CarPlay for the music app you are using (I use Apple Music off my phone). As with any Bluetooth connection there might be lags or disconnects, but I find for the most part this unit is awesome.

 

For those that purchased this radio, any more "long" term thoughts on it? Do you still have it and like it? How has the performance been?

 

I just installed the premium unit this week, and it works awesome. It was plug and play, and now I have everything the newer generation has (i.e. Apple Carplay). Took only 1 hour to install. Glad I did it.

 

How do the vents work, do you still get the same amount of airflow, any noticeable change? Is there any lag on the screen with and without CarPlay? Do you have SiriusXM? If so, how is that working? Any pics?

I actually purchased this unit when it was on a sale so I wouldn't miss the sale. I couldn't find enough reviews or information other than what is on their website about it, and just felt nervous about it and returned it. I ended up going to BestBuy and having them install a JVC KW1000W 10 inch floating screen radio...big mistake. We had it for 2 weeks yesterday (the day I had them remove it and return it). The Sirius XM didn't work (yes we had the extra parts installed) the radio had issues receiving local stations, the "gauges" and "camera" features didn't work. Also, you cannot slide the radio back much, so it sticks out crazy far and the screen is so big it blocks the vents entirely OR it blocks the HVAC controls entirely. This past Tuesday we had them look at it again to "fix" the issues. Wednesday when I came out to the take a drive, the radio and trim were popped out of the dash and falling out. It was a mess. I cannot recommend JVC or BestBuy in any way when it comes to radios or radio installs. I now am back to the stock setup and will just be happy with that.

 

Here is an image of the new unit on my 4Runner with wireless Apple Carplay. The vents get re-routed (provided in the kit) and it works better because it is aimed at the body and middle instead of the top, so the passengers in the back get more airflow. No lag on the screen. No SiriusXM but you can just install the app on your phone and listen to it through the carplay. I'm glad I did it, and it feels like I have a new car.

 

Have you had a chance to switch connections phones while driving?

I have a dasaita and cor the life of me you can't swap connected phones through the dasaita. You have to disconnect from your phone. But kn android when I try to do that it just reconnects. Even when I turn off my blue tooth and wifi it forces the phone to turn these back on. Its weird and a bit frustrating.

Does it ever reset? Every once and a while the dasaita does. Pisses me off.

How's the sound? I had a Kenwood briefly which sounded WAYYYYY better than the dasaita.

 

I haven't switched phones, but I can connect another phone and see if I can switch it while driving. It hasn't reset on me yet, and the sound is better than the old unit. When I listen to music or talk on the phone it's much clearer.

 

ahh! another question. My Dasaita is hooked up to a microphone but everyone complains about the call quality. you're is good? i know you said it was good but no vibrations or rattles or anything?

 

i am on the fence of buying a Dynavin unit (love the company, have had about 3 of their units .. still functioning! and just splicing until the damn thing works.. it even has knobs!!

 

There seems to be a lot of folks who are happy with the Hamilton units, from reading reviews online. I did get one for my 5th gen, got it installed, and then uninstalled it, only to return it. This is the one I bought (head unit replacement kit, not the floating screen one). I wanted it to work for me since it looks really nice, it just didn't for a variety of reasons. That said, I give them credit for good customer support and return policy.

 

Curious why it didn’t work for you? I just bought one and am going to install next week. 2018 sr5.

 

These are the reasons why I uninstalled mine. Might not be issues for others but they were for me in how much I drive each year and my history of relying on CarPlay for a number of things. I ended up keeping the stock stereo and just went with a module to add CarPlay to it. I realize Hamilton offers a similar solution but I let my local car audio place install what they were used to working with.

• Only Wireless CarPlay - I realize it doesn't say wired in the listing but when I go into a car stereo shop today to look at all the Pioneer, Alpine, etc options almost everyone includes wireless and wired CarPlay. I assumed (wrongly) this included both as well. During my few days using this stereo I had a couple times CarPlay just wouldn't reconnect until the car stopped and started again. If I had a wired option that wouldn't be an issue.

• Action Delay - When I switch songs or move to listen to a podcast, all of these actions take almost 3 seconds to respond. It may not sound like a lot but it's slower than any other solution I have owned for vehicles or even home wireless speakers for example. This is part of the reason I was hoping it offered wired. My Pioneer in my 4th gen 4Runner offers wired CarPlay and everything I press is near instant.

• Glare - I know the goal is to have a stereo similar to the 20-24 4Runners but there is a noticeable difference. That stock stereo isn't a glossy screen so the glare is less. This one has more glare than I anticipated. I am probably in the minority yet I don't prefer a large high-gloss screen in my car if given a choice especially at this particular angle that shows a lot of glare from the side windows.

• Night Dim Mode - I appreciate that there is an "extra dim" setting that makes it a little dimmer yet it's not as low as my preference. For example I had a rental car recently that allowed me to dim the screen on a scale of 1 to 8. I drove at night at 1 or 2, which was really dim. In my older vehicles, I haven't been concerned because the screen is smaller but with a bigger screen I want to be able to dim it way down for night driving.

 

I appreciate the in depth answer.

I wonder if anyone here has experience with a OEM style module that doesn’t have these issues…

 

By OEM style you mean these Chinese android based flush mount cheap Hu's?

Im having similar issues with the dasaita. It does do wired and wireless android auto and car play.

Glare isn't really an issue.

At least on my android the phone does a really good job going into night mode which in turn dims the screen. So thats not an issue but otherwise it would be because the screen itself doesnt auto dim.

It has restarted on my randomly quite a few times.

Sometimes I cant switch phones from one to another unless we stop. Turn off blue tooth and wifi on the first phone and then turn the car on and off. Thats real bad.

A light delay in the functions on the screen but not terrible.

Map zooms out with a plus button. Not a hand gesture on the screen. Dumb.

The sound. I had a Kenwood for a bit and without the DSP tuned the sound was amazing. The dasaita doesnt sound nearly as good. Very disappointing.

 

The sound not being good is starting to worry me