FAQs

The first connection may take up to two minutes to succeed. If the connection is still unsuccessful after this time, try unplugging and re-plugging the USB cable from the Cobalt Cube and waiting another two minutes.

If the connection is still unsuccessful, try the other suggestions in this section.

Some vehicles may show a notification that needs to be clicked on, or require navigating to a particular menu to start the connection.

To connect a Cobalt Cube to a vehicle screen, the vehicle must support Android Auto. This can be checked by connecting an Android phone to the vehicle’s USB port and seeing if an Android Auto connection is established. Furthermore, in the vehicle’s screen menu an Android Auto logo should be present.

As per the “First-time setup” section in the Getting Started Guide, there are setup prompts that need to be accepted in the Android Auto app. These should be accepted automatically, but sometimes this mechanism can fail.

If this happens, you will need an HDMI screen and a mouse to accept the terms and conditions for using Android Auto. Once complete, subsequent connections to the same car occur without any additional input.

The steps to perform this initial setup are as follows:

1. If not already connected, the Cobalt Cube to the vehicle IVI system via the OTG port (you may need a USB-C to USB-A adapter).
2. Connect an HDMI monitor to the Cobalt Cube’s HDMI port.
3. Connect a mouse or touchscreen USB connector to the Cobalt Cube’s HOST port.
4. Start Android Auto on the IVI system.
5. You should see a series of dialogues appear on the HDMI screen (as seen in Figure 1) - accept all of them.

Figure 1: Some Android Auto first experience screens

Modern vehicles may contain multiple USB ports, some of these ports are for charging only and do not send data to the vehicle. This can be checked by connecting an Android phone to the USB port and seeing if an Android Auto connection is established with the vehicle.

A USB A to USB C adaptor should be used when connecting to the vehicle. The wiring is as follows: USB C (connected to the Cobalt Cube OTG port) to USB A cable, USB A to USB C converter (connected to the vehicle’s USB C port).

VNC Automotive recommends the following USB A to USB C converter for use in vehicles with only USB C ports as it has been verified to work by our engineers:

Google recommends using cables that have been certified by themselves within the last two years for Android Auto connections.

VNC Automotive recommends the following certified cable for use in vehicles as it has been verified to work by our engineers:

VNC Automotive advise to use the shortest cable possible and ideally install the Cobalt Cube near to the car’s Android Auto USB port.

Google’s official advice on USB cables is available through their knowledge base here: 

For quick reference it is recommended that you use a cable that is:

• Less than 3 feet (1 meter) long and don’t use USB hubs or cable extensions.
• USB-IF certified within the last two years. Here is a database you can check:

This may occur if power was lost during an update of the device, or if the USB thumb drive became loose or was removed whilst data was being copied. You will need to return the unit to VNC Automotive to be restored by a technician.

The Cobalt Cube software is out of date and requires updating. The latest update would have been provided to you via your point of contact at VNC Automotive.

This may occur if the USB C to USB A cable is not Google USB-IF certified or the cable is longer than 3 feet (1 meter).

The Cobalt Cube is likely not receiving 12V of power. Please check the power supply to the Cobalt Cube.

Detach the HDMI screen from the Cobalt Cube and reboot the Cobalt Cube.

Restart the Cobalt Link+ Windows Server on the Windows machine and restart the MDT Control application on the Cobalt Cube.

Yes. A USB mouse can be connected to the HOST port of the Cobalt Cube. Alongside an HDMI screen, this allows navigation around the Cobalt Cube. To go back to the previous screen the navigation bar can be used, or the “back” button in the mouse, if available.

The update package on the USB thumb drive must be named "update.zip" (including file extension) otherwise the Cobalt Cube will not recognise the file.

The update.zip file must be placed in the root directory of the USB thumb drive. The update package must not be placed in any sub-folders, otherwise the Cobalt Cube will not recognise the file.

The USB thumb drive containing the update package must be plugged into the HOST port of the Cobalt Cube.

Check the SHA256 checksum by running "certUtil -hashfile <location of update.zip> SHA256" on a PC's command line and comparing the output to the update email received from VNC Automotive. If they do not match, please download/copy the file again.

This is due to an update file remaining on the SD Card after an update. The file can be removed by going into the My Settings app and clicking “Remove left-over update files”. After this, the pop-up will no longer appear.

This may occur if power was lost during an update of the device, or if the USB thumb drive became loose whilst data was being copied. You will need to return the unit to be restored by a technician.

No, they cannot. To use a device as an audio source, it must be enabled for media audio in the Cobalt Cube’s Android settings. Only one device can be enabled at a time.

Note: phone call audio in addition to media audio is supported (from either the same, or different, source devices). To set up phone call support, please refer to the phone call audio section in the getting started guide.

Check that the Cobalt Cube is not paired over Bluetooth to the vehicle. If it is, unpair it and try again.

In a wired connection, ensure the Ethernet cables from the Cobalt Cube to the Windows PC are plugged in.

In a wireless connection, ensure both the Cobalt Cube and Windows PC are connected to the same wireless network.

On the Windows PC, open Task Manager via the Windows start menu.

There should be a process called CobaltLink+ServerEmbedded_x64.exe or CobaltLink+ServerEmbedded_x86.exe running.

If it is not, the Windows Server is not running. Please see refer to the Windows Server Getting Started Guide to setup the start-up configuration

Please see the Cobalt Cube Getting Started Guide and Windows Server Getting Started Guide on how to configure the corresponding device’s static IP address.

This can be the result of using a head unit with a low resolution and a phone with a high resolution. Generally, the higher resolution the head unit is, the better phone screens will look on them.

Putting the phone in portrait mode for a portrait head unit or landscape mode for a landscape head unit will also help maximise the usable space and picture quality.

For the Local Wi-Fi hotspot to turn on, Smartphone Control needs to be opened. If this still does not turn on the hotspot, please ensure that the Local Wi-Fi hotspot password is at least 8 characters long. Using a password of less than 8 characters will result in the hotspot not turning on.

The light and siren controller is not wired to the Cobalt Cube correctly.

Please refer to the corresponding light and siren controller section in Cobalt Cube Getting Started Guide to troubleshoot this issue.

Yes. The option can be found in:

Settings > System > Advanced > Reset Options > Erase all data (factory reset) > Reset Tablet