marko69

I'm shopping for a new Android head unit and I believe I have everything covered for the install except for the steering wheel controls.
I'm not sure how the steering wheel controls get to the radio. Is it through a can bus connection or are there direct wires from the steering wheel
to the radio. Where on the original Radio is it connected? Do I need an ASW-1 converter box or something else?
Need to figure this out before buying the new Android unit to make sure it will work. SWC is a must have.
I'm going blind on research, need a little help. Would also like to keep the car's original microphone but not a must have.
I have 2004 with D2B.

suffolk tony

dRockSL55

marko69

I've looked at tons of Android units on Ebay and none that I have seen come with a steering wheel control box. They either have one or two wires to hook up the SWC.
The Seicane unit comes with a canbus decoder and two canbus adapters although I don't know how they hook up.
I'd like to get the Seicane unit as it also has the oem fit but for $555 that's out for me. The ebay android units have the same features or more
and cost waaaay less. One drawback is that I'll have to work on getting it to look good in the dash, but for 1/4 the cost, I'll find a way.
I just need to know where the SWC is connected originally and how the Axxess ASWC-1 contol box would hook up to the aftermarket androids so
I can get the right Android unit.

Axxess ASWC-1 SWC adapter (not really sure this is what I need, perhaps I can buy the Sceicane adapters separetly)
https://www.crutchfield.com/p_120ASW...l-Adapter.html
Sceicane unit
https://www.seicane.com/android-gps-...usb-sd-s018817

ozc204

How did this work out for you. Did the TV work and the unit works well in regard to sat nav and all other areas.

suffolk tony

Sorry, not interested in the TV so I've not tried it. Instructions are lousy, you have to feel your way around things. As for the rest, the FM reception is relatively poor, something I intend to fix at some stage with an improved antenna. Satnav. is excellent - I've not used the GPS antenna that comes with the unit, I've adapted the existing GPS input. It's a complicated thing, but it sounds excellent. All in all, a considerable improvement on the old Comand unit.

ozc204

Thankyou for the response. I tried to make contact with the Co' and nil response. I am not sure of my next move but def want to upgrade the Command system
Peter

lagolag

I will install this one and according to others that done it the SW controls works and to this it's preferable to install a new amplifier if you requier good soud, the separate amplifier is for the woofer and the door speakers, the built in amp can be used for the rear speaker and the dash speaker.
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Ouch...311.0.0.rG9xn8

marko69

Looks just like the Sceicane unit but a lot cheaper. Still triple that of the universal androids. Also shows they do not deliver to my country when I choose The United States.
Not to worried about the sound, I'll be using an '05 Audi A6 most amplifier ($35 on ebay) which is hopefully compatible, and an XTRONS Optical Fiber decoder ($99) for the head to amp signal, then I won't have to replace the whole sound system.
I think I got a handle on the steering wheel control business by watching the below video and reading the comments, and seeing this page in the WIS.
As I mentioned before some of the android units have one SWC wire input, some have two wires. Apparently if the android unit comes with one
swc wire then you connect one wire from the pac swi-rc interface unit to ground, and the other to the android unit. If two wires, then both wires are connected to the android unit. Still have a little more research to do as to which wires are the CAN bus wires to the original radio, then I'm gunna start buying stuff.

SpiritR230

if your problem is with the steering wheel control......then all the focus should be on....the canbus I believe, from what I remember the steering wheel controls works like a charm without any problem what so ever.

marko69

Found this thread which shows the canbus wires to the original radio. Looks like pins 8 & 9 of connector C2.
https://mbworld.org/forums/sl-class-r230/541226-ntg2-5-retrofit-how-pictures-part-numbers.html#&gid=1&pid=7

Austinsec

how is you radio reception?

I_am_Sam

Just an FYI, mine was bad, until I realised that the antenna needs power.
There is an additional harness that goes on the back of my Android radio with RCA for each speaker
I don't need that because the speaker connections are done with the main harness, so I originally didn't connect it.
However on that harness is a blue antenna cable which connects to the main harness.
Once I connected that, and left all the RCA's just hanging, the radio reception was top notch.

Austinsec

Sadly I did connect it and it did no do a thing.

Matt Hutson

Does the station display still show in the cluster with that unit? Also, are you able to plug in the factory backup camera?

OnePiece@aTime

I just upgraded my stereo in my 2003 MY R230.

I first tried a SWC from Incartec and found it unworkable.

I then went with a SWC from Crux, the model is SWRBM-57. It was not truly plug and play, as I had to tie it into the two CANBUS wires, but it worked without any trouble.

OnePiece@aTime

I tied my new head unit into the original mic and it works better than more modern vehicles I own, I was quite surprised at how well.

The OEM Mic wire is the only coax wire going into the legacy amplifier behind the driver seat. Splice it to your two-wire 3.5 mm Mic plug for your new head unit. The coax is shielded and I grounded the shield, but I’m not sure that was necessary.

Also, the brown wire is ground/negative in the Mic wire, as brown is ground for everything in the R230.

Austinsec

where did you attach that blue wirre?

Austinsec

How is your reception did you remove the factory amp?

OnePiece@aTime

The following is relevant to the blue wires that are original to the 2 primary R230 Comand wiring harnesses:

The solid blue wires are illumination wiring, they are two going into one pin (#6 I think) of the eight-pin connector, just leave them connected to one another.

The blue wire with the black stripe, going into pin 1 in the 18-pin connector, that’s an outbound wake-up wire to the legacy amp/cd player. Again, you can just terminate that wire (or pull it out all together). It runs to the back driver storage area via the center console.

OnePiece@aTime

I removed the legacy amp. I see that unrelated to reception. No problems with reception. I installed a Pioneer headunit.

Tokyoite

@Jim Muller check this out.

Austinsec

where do you connect the blue wire , I connected mine no help I think I have to connecct to the back near the amp