Thread: MDT-X7000 Mystery Wires

I'm sitting in my FJ now installing the Xenarc and was baffled by the NC1 and NC2. Thanks!

Terry

Hi Leroy, and anyone else considering the Xenarc MDT-X7000.

I can't recommend it at all, and I'm now looking for an alternative myself. I thought it would be a great solution, making the install easy and access to the computer even easier. The installation was easy, thanks to the good folks here who helped make up for poor documentation, but the design and quality of the unit is very bad.

You can read my review here, and my documentation of the first install here.

The screen is ugly, looking like an old Commodore 64 computer, which is probably harsh on the Commodore 64. Usability is not great either.

If it were only ugly and difficult to use, I might keep it, but my second unit is failing already after less than a month. The first unit was replaced when I reported a bug that could only be fixed with a firmware update. I was amazed to find out that to get a firmware update, I had to remove the unit, send it to the factory and then wait about four weeks to get it back. It looks like they just swapped out the unit, and now this unit is having mechanical problems with the screen retraction mechanism. Every three or four times, the screen fails to retract, making an awful gear-stripping sound until I give it a little help by hand. Also I never got DVI to work, despite my computer working with other DVI monitors. I did get VGA to work.

It's served its purpose as the Denver Business Journal just wrote a nice article on how I'm using the car computer in my business, but it's time to look for another solution besides the Xenarc. Too bad, I had high hopes for it.

Terry

Hi Leroy,

The backup camera doesn't automatically switch for me at least. I can't say for sure that I haven't missed a connection. Because of all the other problems, it hasn't been high on my prioirty list.

I will say this though - the system takes a long time to boot and be usable. It takes 25 seconds from turning on the ignition to getting sound out of the radio. Even if I set the system to open up showing the backup camera, it's still 25 seconds before a picture appears, so I'm already out of the garage and into the street before the camera works. Just switching between the camera and the radio takes eight seconds even after the system is booted up, and going from radio to camera takes 3 seconds. That's not counting the time to press the menu softkey and make the selection.

Today while timing it, the screen stopped before retracting all the way, making a loud cheap-gear-grinding sound. If I hadn't given it a nudge, it probably would have remained half retracted until either the power shut off or it ran my battery down.

The next warm afternoon we get in Colorado, it's coming out of the dash. I bought the extended warrenty and I'll be testing that next. :-)