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I'll try this. Hopefully, it's able to see the the resistive inputs even though the HU learning menu is apparently unable to see them (or whatever is wrong). I'll keep you posted.
Also, it would be great to bind the COMAND voice input lever on the steering column to trigger Google Voice Search. Right now, that lever doesn't do anything. Apparently, nothing was assigned to it via the CANBUS interface. Hopefully, a signal from that lever is still coming in to the HU (but just isn't assigned a function)
How does it hook up? Through bluetooth, usb or direct to the Canbus? btw, does anyone have an issue with a weak built-in microphone? People complain that it sounds like im talking in a tunnel. If there isn't a tweak, i'll hook up a external mic i guess..
I've tried four different microphones including three externals and none of them have worked and everyone complains on the other end. Somebody posted a soldering fix but that requires one to open up the unit etc.
If you find a solution please let me know (other than breaking it apart and soldering)
Hi everyone thanks for all the great info here! I have a question I live in Japan and want to install one of these units or similar to my Japanese spec car but have noticed the rear conectors look very different to what I have seen on this thread. The HU look very similar with Navi TV ETC but the Jap cars also have a Midi player built in to HU as well. The Navi Disc loads into the HU and there is a CD changer that look very similar. Car has HK sound. Please see image of rear HU. Any help advice appreciated.
I'm going to be installing a backup camera to the Comand head unit and was wondering the best route to go with the cable?
I take it the wires from the driver side trunk go into the cabin? Or is there an easier way to run the composite cable? I figured run it along the floor would be best but wanted to verify.
I'm dumb. I had connected Key1 and Key2 to the terminals of the resistive keypad. I just realized that it should by Key1 (or Key2) and the HU Ground. Now it works perfectly.(and the actual CANBUS SWC works, as well.
Now, I'm just trying to figure out how to remap the extra resistive keys on the keypad that I didn't use to be shortcuts to launch various apps (Spotify, etc) I can get all the learned commands to work, but I can't seem to get any remapping to work (with Xposed Additions or Tasker Settings or MTCDTools, etc)
I guess those tools aren't seeing the resistive key inputs as normal inputs that can be re-mapped.(?) Does anyone have any suggestions on how I might re-map any functions of the steering wheel controls or the resistive keypad? (for resistive or for CANBUS)
Any thoughts would be helpful.
Thanks a bunch!
Patrick
Originally Posted by pfarley11
Great idea! Thanks for the link.
I'll try this. Hopefully, it's able to see the the resistive inputs even though the HU learning menu is apparently unable to see them (or whatever is wrong). I'll keep you posted.
Also, it would be great to bind the COMAND voice input lever on the steering column to trigger Google Voice Search. Right now, that lever doesn't do anything. Apparently, nothing was assigned to it via the CANBUS interface. Hopefully, a signal from that lever is still coming in to the HU (but just isn't assigned a function)
Stock storage compartment part for deleted CD changer
Originally Posted by Rossafuss
Sorry for the delay guys, been busy.
The CD changer function is no longer supported, and i just found out recently that the CD changer DOOR no longer operates either.
(i never used it anyways, so i didn't notice it very quickly.) I plan on removing the cd changer itself, and fabricating a storage box that lays in where that used to be. Then rewiring the "door" to open and close without a signal from the OEM command. That would be the ultimate solution to the problem, since the CD changer is no longer needed.
My 2004 E55 has the HK sound system but only a single CD slot in the head unit - no cd changer. Instead of a changer I have a stock storage compartment behind the switch panel below the head unit.
My 2004 E55 has the HK sound system but only a single CD slot in the head unit - no cd changer. Instead of a changer I have a stock storage compartment behind the switch panel below the head unit.
Hi everyone thanks for all the great info here! I have a question I live in Japan and want to install one of these units or similar to my Japanese spec car but have noticed the rear conectors look very different to what I have seen on this thread. The HU look very similar with Navi TV ETC but the Jap cars also have a Midi player built in to HU as well. The Navi Disc loads into the HU and there is a CD changer that look very similar. Car has HK sound. Please see image of rear HU. Any help advice appreciated.
I am very interested in this also. I have an imported japanese e500 and would like to switch to this headunit. Can't listen to the radio in sweden due to different frequencies and would like to have bluetooth.
Can you (or anyone else) tell me more about the location of the SD card on the 9" unit. I love the unit. It might be a tad slower than the other because of the A7, but the screen size makes it worth it to me. My only problem is that I need to move some of the apps to external storage. I have tried to run some of the apps on a USB memory stick, but I lose them when I restart the unit. I don't think I'll be able to get it to work unless I do it with SD storage.
Can anyone tell me more about the internal SD card slot? (its location, if it works like a regular SD card slot, if it has a max storage size, etc)
Thanks a bunch for your help!
Patrick
Originally Posted by Xpresion
Hi mate, Stay clear from the 9" screen (8.8") to be exact. I already ordered one and mucked around with it. apart from looking good, the unit itself was a phoney. non of the hardware specs were true.
There are 2 9" units going around. I tested the one with the Single din rear housing which seem to have (Joyying) hardware inside.
here is what i found:
CONS:
Coretex A7 processor vs A9 (A7 is crap when compared to the A9)
Ram not at advertised
Rom not as advertised
Bluetooth OBD is impossible (must use Wifi OBD2) so you now have to pick or choose (OBD or internet tethering)
No reset button ( i had to open the unit and provision one on the PCB)
No Micro SD card slots. (only limited to the 2x USB cables)
Externally processed DVR
One micro SD card slot found inside the unit! so you can open up the unit / void your warranty and place a 32GB card in there which i guess you could update its contents by uploading to it using USB device.
PROS:
Nice sleek looking unit and i really liked the wide screen.
Better canbuss interface, manged to see radio stations / volume / CD track # on the dash MFD (multi function display)
I looked up the part number from your VIN. The tray part number is 2116830091. However, it is not clear if this has any parts what would help in CANBUS communication to open and close the door. You have an Android head unit or your original head unit? Original head unit will control the door. Android head unit does not
Okay. I found the SD card slot. It was pretty obvious once I opened up the unit... : )
So, I now have a 64Gb micro-SD card installed and formatted FAT32. I'm able to transfer my apps to the SD card via Titanium (and other apps) with no problem. The apps work great, and they are clearly located on the SD card.
The problem is that I lose all of the apps that I've transferred to SD once I reboot the HU. The shortcuts for the apps that should be on the SD card are greyed out and those apps don't show in app tray or application manager.
After looking into this a little, apparently this is often caused by the unit/launcher booting up faster than the time it takes to mount and access the SD card - so the HU doesn't realize those apps are there in time to load them correctly.
Has anyone else had this problem? Does anyone have any possible solutions for this?
Thanks!
Patrick
Originally Posted by pfarley11
Hi Guys,
I have a new question I was hoping one of you could help me with.
I was able to get the steering wheel controls to work with my 9" Android HU from eBay (similar to the Seicane one). I used the CANBUS interface box. The steering wheel controls are working great now.
Now, I'd like to add a few more media control and app shortcut buttons(physical buttons). I purchased a 12-button resistive keypad (resistance ladder). It has twelve buttons that each provide a different amount of resistance across it's two terminals. See photo attached. So, it operates exactly like resistive steering wheel controls. I was hoping to hook this up to Key 1 and Key 2 wires of the HU and use the steering wheel learning function(for resistive SWC). I assumed that I could use both the CANBUS steering wheel controls and the resistive button controls simultaneously.
I hooked up the 12-button resistive keypad last night and tried to have the HU learn those keys for different functions, and it wouldn't take. It didn't seem to recognize when I hit any of the resistive buttons. I would hit "Start", then I'd choose a function on the learning menu, and then I'd hit one of the resistive buttons. Nothing would happen. Then, I'd hit "End". The key was not learned. None of the resistive buttons seem to have been recognized/learned.
Does anyone have any thoughts on this? Do you happen to know if for some reason the HU can only take inputs from one or the other (CANBUS SWC or Resistive SWC), but not both? I'm not sure why that would be, but maybe the programmer assumed you'd only be using one or the other.(?) Or, some other reason?
Or, do you know if I'm doing something else wrong? Any help would be great.
Attached are some photos of the resistive SWC learning page on my HU and the resistive 12-button keypad I have.
I have already done this, further more, i Fitted a single Din pocket where the changer used to be and I am now able to operate the CD changer using an android application on my mobile phone. ( due to Bluetooth limitations of the Stereo unit. i am unable to operate it with the head unit) hopefully if i become more free and can invest more time in it i may be able to get the CD changer operation to be done via the head unit rather then a mobile phone. [/QUOTE]
Xpresion...Do you have a write up on how this is accomplished or anyone figure out how to get the CD Changer Door to operate? This would be very interesting.
I'll be replacing my Comand in my w215 I have the Bose system etc. My question for you knowledgeable people is this: do I need to keep the audio gateway? Thanks in advance.
could you tell me how you wired in your can bus connector.i have the can bus box on my new head unit lead but dont know where to attach it to the car.is there a can bus connector behind the dash. mines a 2007 cls 350
I looked up the part number from your VIN. The tray part number is 2116830091. However, it is not clear if this has any parts what would help in CANBUS communication to open and close the door. You have an Android head unit or your original head unit? Original head unit will control the door. Android head unit does not
Considering that this thread started one year ago, is the unit mentioned in the first post still the best one to buy now? There seems to be quite a selection of them and judging by a recent post which indicates that component quality varies, is there a newer/better version than the first one mentioned?
My E55 has been sitting for a few years (hate dealing with buyers) and would like to drive it a little more but would enjoy this Android upgrade. I see a ton of the head units on Ebay and Ali. Are all of the 5.1 A9 7" units the same with exception of included accessories such as canbus adapter?
I see one on Ebay which includes the canbus for $379 and I will look into the factory GPS cable, reverse camera, and TPMS.
I plan on getting the Avin box as well.
Last edited by pearlpower; 11-24-2016 at 02:45 PM.
Considering that this thread started one year ago, is the unit mentioned in the first post still the best one to buy now? There seems to be quite a selection of them and judging by a recent post which indicates that component quality varies, is there a newer/better version than the first one mentioned?
I am interested in current recommendations as well. I bought a unit from Amazon and bought separately the rest of the gear (reverse camera, Fakra cables and adapters, etc.) This is the one I bought: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1
It did not come with the 5m harness, so I had to order that from them separately. Running all the cables and doing the initial installation took about six or seven hours. After a frustrating few weeks of trying to get it working right I just sent the head unit back to China today (cost me $80 in shipping to boot). It came with no manual or installation instructions, the steering wheel buttons would not work (though reverse would turn on the reverse camera - so I know Canbus integration for other things was working), and the nav app would freeze a few seconds after startup every time. Worst, the unit's backlighting would stay on all the time - which the vendor said was per design - even though the unit itself would turn on and off with the ignition in position 1 or 2. This thing drained my battery twice to the point convenience functions were disabled.
So, you are all hereby warned away from this particular piece of junk.
I am now looking for a solid unit to install that will work well. I have a 2004 E55 AMG with the Harmon Kardon MOST system.
I have a new question I was hoping one of you could help me with.
I was able to get the steering wheel controls to work with my 9" Android HU from eBay (similar to the Seicane one). I used the CANBUS interface box. The steering wheel controls are working great now.
Now, I'd like to add a few more media control and app shortcut buttons(physical buttons). I purchased a 12-button resistive keypad (resistance ladder). It has twelve buttons that each provide a different amount of resistance across it's two terminals. See photo attached. So, it operates exactly like resistive steering wheel controls. I was hoping to hook this up to Key 1 and Key 2 wires of the HU and use the steering wheel learning function(for resistive SWC). I assumed that I could use both the CANBUS steering wheel controls and the resistive button controls simultaneously.
I hooked up the 12-button resistive keypad last night and tried to have the HU learn those keys for different functions, and it wouldn't take. It didn't seem to recognize when I hit any of the resistive buttons. I would hit "Start", then I'd choose a function on the learning menu, and then I'd hit one of the resistive buttons. Nothing would happen. Then, I'd hit "End". The key was not learned. None of the resistive buttons seem to have been recognized/learned.
Does anyone have any thoughts on this? Do you happen to know if for some reason the HU can only take inputs from one or the other (CANBUS SWC or Resistive SWC), but not both? I'm not sure why that would be, but maybe the programmer assumed you'd only be using one or the other.(?) Or, some other reason?
Or, do you know if I'm doing something else wrong? Any help would be great.
Attached are some photos of the resistive SWC learning page on my HU and the resistive 12-button keypad I have.
Thanks!
Patrick
Sorry cannot help with the question but would you mind sharing which head unit that is... I've been putting this upgrade off for the longest on my cls and have been wanting to stick a 9" in there.
I am interested in current recommendations as well. I bought a unit from Amazon and bought separately the rest of the gear (reverse camera, Fakra cables and adapters, etc.) This is the one I bought: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1
It did not come with the 5m harness, so I had to order that from them separately. Running all the cables and doing the initial installation took about six or seven hours. After a frustrating few weeks of trying to get it working right I just sent the head unit back to China today (cost me $80 in shipping to boot). It came with no manual or installation instructions, the steering wheel buttons would not work (though reverse would turn on the reverse camera - so I know Canbus integration for other things was working), and the nav app would freeze a few seconds after startup every time. Worst, the unit's backlighting would stay on all the time - which the vendor said was per design - even though the unit itself would turn on and off with the ignition in position 1 or 2. This thing drained my battery twice to the point convenience functions were disabled.
So, you are all hereby warned away from this particular piece of junk.
I am now looking for a solid unit to install that will work well. I have a 2004 E55 AMG with the Harmon Kardon MOST system.
/mjp
From the sounds of it, it sounds like you didnt hook up the power correctly. Power needs to be ran to a constant 12V source and the ACC wire needs to be connected to a switched 12V source. The first time I hooked up the power I drained the battery too until I fixed that.
As far as the CANBUS, sounds like the radio you bought didnt enable SW controls. You could have gone into the settings menu and enabled it.
10-24-2016, 11:07 AM
