s4uzer

Ok, so do you think it can work on my Renault Megane Coach year 1996 with Philips DC 022 (before 2000) head unit (with analog input - no spdif) ??

here are some pictures of the car and the HU
http://www.giovaland.it/gallery.php?...ryalbum&aid=79

I made a connection cable to link mini-iso with the iso10pin on my head unit so that wouldn't be a problem.

In my hopinion, I'm pretty sure the simulator can work on my car...
Do you think the same?
All suggestions are invited ...

Thanks very much for your help!

MP3Car.com

 

roseen

I am sorry if this is slightly off topic, but does anyone have any information on how to write on the dashboard display of a Renault Scenic (2005)?

I have a Tuner List from 2005, and I have not disassembled anything yet, but I imagine that som kind of cable connects between the stereo and the dashboard.

I would just love to have my own texts there... Track info of course, perhaps "Good Morning Göran" when I enter the vehicle, or (really really geeky) why not have the boot messages from my carPC (running Linux) scroll past there, when the system is coming up?

Vicne

As it's not really off-topic, I'm going to try to summarize what we know regarding this (which is not much).

We're 99% sure that nothing can be done on the CDC emulator, because the CDC connection to the HU does not carry any ascii information.

The dashboard display is not controlled directly by the head unit. Instead, it is driven by a "central control unit", which sits between the HU and the display but is also linked to the stalk controls (volume/next/prev/etc. at the right of the driving wheel).
In cars that have a Carminat GPS option, this unit is different, and so is the display of course. The only common point is the link between the HU and the central control unit, via the yellow connector at the back of the HU.

All we have for now regarding this connector is its pinout but it looks like a synchronous bus connection (CLK / DTA / IRQ), so it probably takes more than a serial port to connect to it.

The protocol is probably interoperable as some head-units makes sell adapters to drive the display of Renault cars. For Pioneer, see for example the CA-D-PI 180.

So I guess the first step would be to stick an oscilloscope on those lines in turn and see what travels there. It might be a standard transport protocol such as I2C (but well, there's also MIRQ...)

Good luck.

__________________
Vicne
SPDIF CarPC V2 - Tuner List CD Changer Emulator - Chris Conty

roseen

Thank you, Vicne!

Lets continue to ask newbie questions: what happens to the CD slot in the Tuner List Head Unit, if (when) you connect a CD Changer? Can you still use it?

And where would the CDC normally be mounted? Are there already wires going there from the HU, or is that installed when someone orders a CDC?

You say there are no ascii on the connection from the CDC to the HU, I guess that means that you can't have track title/artist name info on the dashboard, not even with the regular CDC?

And last; looking at the hardware page doesn't explain one thing to me: When I turn off the engine and open a door, the radio will shut off. But I can still turn it on again with the power button. So the "open door event" does not actually turn off power to the HU, just tell it to shut down. Does anyone know how that is done?

Sincerely,

Göran

Vicne

Yes, of course, once you insert a CD in it, the HU switches to this CD, and by pressing the SRC +/- control, you can switch between AM/FM/CDC/front CD.

In fact, adding a CDC changer (or an emulator) just adds a new source to the source list.


Well, mine was mounted already under the driver seat (in a 2005 Scenic), but I think the place can vary according to models and other equipments.

I don't think there is any cabling ready in cars without a CDC. I remember people on planeterenault forums discussing the best way to make the cables run under the carpets when buying a separate CDC...


Exactly. Even if you buy a stock CDC with mp3 functionality such as the CHM 604, the display is limited to "track number" going from 1 to 99...
The documentation states that textual information is sent, but many people have tried on Tuner List HUs without success...


Mmmh, a bit off topic but good question... first, a few things are clear :
- the 12V (pin 4 of the power connector) is constant and always powered. If you unplug it, you take the risk that the HU asks for the secret code when you power it again
- on Renault cars with a hands-free card, opening the door when the engine is OFF is the same as turning the key from "accessory" ("contact" in french) to off position with a standard key (lights go off, cigare-lighter sockets are powered off, etc).

So I'm not 100% sure of my answer, but I'd say when you open the door, the +ACC (pin 7 of the power connector) goes from 12V to 0V, and that's just a signal that triggers the radio off. However, if you press the power button of the radio, it just starts again. No big deal...


Vicne

__________________
Vicne
SPDIF CarPC V2 - Tuner List CD Changer Emulator - Chris Conty

s4uzer

When I turn off the engine of my car, the radio power itself down in 10 minutes to avoid battery discharging ...

The problem is that the +12Vsw signal remains high(to 12V) only for 10minutes and then it goes down to 0V

I think there would be 2 solutions to avoid this:

1. Short circuit +12Vsw with +12Vpermanent ... but I don't know if this can damage my car

2. Cut off the +12Vsw cable and split the +12Vpermanent cable to link it with both 12sw and 12permanent pins on the radio power connector. I think this should be the best solution but, in this case, I don't know if the halving of the current can damage my radio.

What do you think??

Thanks very much,
Giovanni.

Vicne

True. I forgot that detail. After a certain time, everything is powered down except the bare minimum (12v permanent to the radio, door buttons, etc).
I guess what you call +12Vsw is pin 5 (+12V Aerial), right ?


The shortcut at the HU level clearly is a bad idea, because via this shortcut, all the lights and such would still be powered by the 12v permanent of the radio, which is probably not suited for such a load (it most probably is fused differently)

The second solution looks cleaner to me because *only* the radio would still be powered after the timeout, while all the rest would shut down. However, you should verify first that the 12v permanent is sized to power the HU (check the fuse rating).

There's absolutely no "halving of the current" involved : the voltage would be the same on both pins and each one would draw the current it needs, which simply means the 12v permanent must support the sum of these 2 currents. That's what I mean above.

Nevertheless, in my opinion, the security timeout is there for a reason and I wouldn't bypass it without a real need... Take care that if you drawn your battery on modern vehicules, you'll be in big trouble...

Just my 2 cents ;-)

__________________
Vicne
SPDIF CarPC V2 - Tuner List CD Changer Emulator - Chris Conty

s4uzer

Yes, i meant +12V Aerial


Than I will try this solution, thanks very much

Vicne

Err... I guess you mean you will try the *other* solution, right ? :-)

__________________
Vicne
SPDIF CarPC V2 - Tuner List CD Changer Emulator - Chris Conty

s4uzer

ooopppsssss ... sorry, i guess that :-)

yaohui

The connection seems defferent, and I don't have the iso10Pin connection.

tin

Hi!
I have a "Tuner List" HU on a Megane 2004 (South America) and a DVD Player with SPDIF output.
I'm looking for a PIC based solution to fool the HU and allow me to send the DVD digital signal.
Connects2 (CTVRNX001) is a good option, but it features analog inputs and I don't need them. I believe I'm only needing the "cdc emulator" part. Somebody quoted also that the analog/spdif conversion part is what accounts for most of the price of CTVRNX001.

I haven't found this single solution on the Internet, and think you here in the forum arrived to it using creativity, electronic components, shared knowledge and soldering skills...!!
But...I don't have the skills to build one myself. I was wondering if any of you has built some of them and want to sell one to me. Of course, it has to cost me less than the Connects2 part.

Please, let me know about it.

Thanks in advance.

triskel

Hi,

first of all a big hello. I am living in Germany, and driving a Renault Trafic II (june 2006) with the UpdateList Radio and CDC.
My stalkremote is equipped, with:
volume+ & -, source,
scroll-wheel
and a button to change cd's in the CDC, or switch radio-tuner search method.

I have a EPIA MII10000 with Hami 8001 installed. I am currently running WinXP Home with CES as CarPC Software, this is based on Windows Mediaplayer. It is a very stable install.

Somehow the Aux-in on the UpdateList was not giving the sound quality I expected, so last weekend I have build the "full-version" hardware adapter (see: Hardware adapters)
I have chosen this one, so I could still use the CDC when power to the adapter is turned off.
Big thanks to Vicne!!!!!
Installed is the TLCDCEmu Java (build 0.4).

Now my issue(s):

My Background: I am no programmer nor electronically educated.... but very willing to learn.
I assume I am confronted with my lack of programming knowledge.

1: Connection works perfectly, Display shows [CD 1-6], but I have to enter "p" to put emulator into status "playing". Any idea to have this automated? Is it needed?

2: once switched to "playing" the display shows [TR01 CD1], as it should, but I have no sound coming from the speakers. Message in the dos-console shows: rr not found, maybe it is not running. That's correct it isn't.

The following buttons from the stalk remote have the following functions:
Source > (switch from FM, to CD and CDC) = good
CDC button (lowest button) > Display shows Load CD = good.
Scroll-wheel > Display switched from TR01 to TR02, and then immediately switched back to original position = not sooo good
Volume"+" > no function = according to earlier posts indicates no active SPDIF
Volume"-" > no function = according to earlier posts indicates no active SPDIF
Volume"+"&"-" > Pause (=mute) = good

After none re-traceable button moves on the stalkremote (I tried to reproduce my moves, but no success, I used mainly the "change CD" and the "source" buttons) I suddenly heard the sound, in a perfect quality.
I now could also increase and decrease the volume with the remote. This wasn't possible before.
turning of tha HU and rebooting PC resulted in a non working sound again.

I inititally thought it had sth to do with the rrplugin in TLCDCemu.properties, so I deactivated this plugin. But without any plugin, no success either. I tried every plugin that comes with the package, but also without success.

Due to the fact that I seem not to have an immediate SPDIF sound, it is of course also possible that I made a construction error:
One thing that was not clear to me during the soldering of the adapter was the place for the capacitor:
in the schema it is pointed directly to the 10k resistor.
Could this be the cause of my (delayed?) working spdif?

Questions:

Q1: which plugin should I use, and/or adapt? I am not using Winamp, but it worked

Q2: Where should the + of the capacitor be placed?



between resistor and transistor? red or between resistor (10K) and diode ( 1N4148?) green
as stated I have no clue/background, I read, think and build... ;-)

Q3: Will it be possible to steer windows mediaplayer with the scrollwheel? next & previous track?

Q4: Any other tips to find the reason for my sporadically working connection?

Thanks alot in advance!!

Triskel

Vicne

Hi, triskel,


You're welcome :-)


As you probably know, the needed plugins are configured in the TLCDCEmu.properties file (you can edit it in Notepad).

In your case, obviously, you had first left RRPlugin or RRExtendedPlugin activated (I'll write RRPlugin instead of org.tlcdcemu.plugin.roadrunner.RRPlugin if you don't mind).
Those two try to communicate with RoadRunner (hence the 'RR' in their names) and Winamp (I admit I'm only using RoadRunner, so I didn't really focus on other front ends). In your case, you don't need any of these two of course.

The fact that the display "switches from TR01 to TR02, and then immediately back to original position" is due to the fact that two plugins are "struggling" for the control of the display. You should activate at most one plugin that changes the "playing status". This characteristic (changes the playing status or not) is given for each plugin on the plugins page.


Probably, in your case, you should try the LogicalPlugin alone first. All it does is keep the SPDIF alive and increase the track automatically on the display every 3 minutes, and also according to the stalk control commands. But it's a "dead end" : it does not transmit commands to any other program or player, nor does it display information for any program back on the display.

If this does not work, then something is obviously wrong.

More on plugins below...


This symbol of an arrow pointing to a resistor is a potentiometer : a component which is composed of a fixed resistor between two ends, and an adjustable cursor which links the third connection anywhere between the two ends. That's the black rounded component at the bottom right on this picture. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potentiometer for more information.

Anyway, this part is only aimed at delaying time between serial port signal and relay activation. My motherboard switches this pin on and off multiple times during boot up, and adjusting this potentiometer kind of "ignores" those temporary transitions and only switches from the actual CD changer to the emulator when everything is booted up and stable. It shouldn't be linked to your problem...


As I said, in your case, none of the RoadRunner are suited, and Logical is only a "stub" plugin.

If you want to get your stalk controls to have an effect, you have to use another plugin. Currently, the only Plugin that transmits commands (apart from the RoadRunner ones) is the ExecutorPlugin. This plugin can start any program upon stalk command events. If your frontend has a command-line utility to send it commands (it's the case for RoadRunner which can pass commands through to winamp), that's the easy solution. If not, you can probably configure a software such as AutoIt to control your front-end or mediaplayer by simulating button presses. No information will be returned to the HU though (not a big deal if you ask me).

Of course, the high-end solution would be to write a specific plugin for your front-end, but unfortunately, inter-process communication - in particular between Java and Windows apps - is not an easy task, and I don't have time and knowledge of your front-end to do it myself... :-(


The First thing to do is probably to increase the debug level :
DebugLevel=<number between 0 (none) and 6 (maximum)>
and see if console reports connection errors or retries while not touching to any stalk controls (it shouldn't).

According to my own experience, mistakes in the circuit or in component values are easy to make. In particular, if it works "sometimes", it could either be a loose soldering (try gently pressing on components with an isolated tool such as the back of a screwdriver while circuit is powered on to see if it changes something) or a wrong component value (when components heat up or input voltage changes, they can get just in or out of the range).

Good luck.

__________________
Vicne
SPDIF CarPC V2 - Tuner List CD Changer Emulator - Chris Conty

triskel

Hi Vicne,

first of all thank for your response.

I've exchanged the rrExtendedplugin with the logicalPlugin.

Still no immediate success.

Secondly I increased debuglevel to 6, didn't touch the stalk and there are no errors, everything seems fine.

Then I started to play around with the stalk.
Trackchange is now possible, but no sound.

Also cd change (= Load cd) is returning no errors.
But still no sound.

After multiple clicking on the LoadCD button, I received (of course) double entries which are ignored. And all of a sudden, sound came. And volume buttonbs reacted as they should.

I've then put the pc into hibernate mode, turned of the ignition, went to buy some food, returned, started ignition, pc booted, and the sound was immediately there. I could still change the volume with the stalk.

When shutting down, and restarting (not from hiberation), only an "uncontrolled" multiple usage of the cd change function, again results in getting sound.

I am getting more convinced that it really seems a SW issue.
Damn'

How can I proceed, is there something that I can show you, which could help me to trace the cause of my "random" sound?

Thanks alot!!

groeten
Triskel

__________________
CarPC: Via EPIA MII10000, Hami 8001 (8"), 80Gb, M2 atx, navilock 202U, CES, NCK 5.0 en dat in een rijdend bouillon-blokje van Renault

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