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Saw this BCM replacement on Facebook, Brian Wallace is the moderator there.
Group: Mercedes BNS/BCM Fires
This one looks legit but not 100% as capable as the OEM BCM, but fused and most likely not starting up a fire...
Essentially $700 plug n play vs a $350 with a little bit of DIY labor. Latter seemingly slightly more robust of a solution as you have an option to add to the emulator it seems.
Thesheikh......take a look at post # 14 to see how everything is hooked ..!
First basically if you through the ol' BCM into the ocean, you still can do the hook up, but be very careful on making sure your new contacts do not touch ground..!
For the DC-DC charger you have + and - for input and the same for Output. Connect the input + to the cable coming from the rear battery + and bundle all the cables as they were connected to the BCM pole 30. Connect the (-) to the chassis. For the output connect the (+) to what was the pole 30a on the BCM and the other cable attached to it.
Now, to connect the emulator, you have 4 conductors, one (+) to the pole 30, one negative to chassis, the other two are CAN high and Can Low, since you do not have the BCM box you would have to find these two in your multipoint connector which is not a big issue. I do not have with me here where I am the schematic to determine which are these pins, but I will post later.
AS far as Mike's unit, it may be easier to install, but I preferred my set up using a sound and reliable DC-DC charger since I have no idea of the type of circuits used by Mike to achieve the same feat that exists in my Dc-Dc larger box! Pretty sure it works too at a higher price. My total expenditures were $250.!
OK chief, found the document with the multipin connector reference and as you can see below, CANB-L is pin 7 and CANB-H is pin 6. In the connector itself you should be able to see the pin ID. You could use a metal sliver to make the connection into these female connectors! I am sure Michael could supply a lot of info to guys like you who lack of all the technical details!
Few weeks back, when parking my SL-500 into my garage, suddenly, the red battery light came up in my dashboard and at the same time an unusual burned electronic smell penetrated my nostrils…! After searching for the root cause, found out that a capacitor in the BCM board had burned and made a large hole in the center of the BCM board. So, it was so damaged that it wasn’t a chance to refurbish it. So, went around the internet in search of a replacement and shortly thereafter found out that all around the planet sellers of used BCM wanted north of $1000 for the part which no telling how much life it had left. I wasn’t too thrilled about that and started the research for a fairly priced replacement option.
After reviewing all available documentation, I learned that the BCM is a combination of a DC to DC battery charger and a digital controller. Since the vehicle was able to operate without the “consumers”, the first step I took was to install a DC-DC charger to maintain the starter battery charged. Afterwards I needed to find a way to bring the consumers online. This was indeed a complex job since I needed to find a way to send digital messages to CAN B in order to re-activate the “consumers”. Basically, I needed a computer programmed in a way that could replicate these missing BCM messages. Fortunately, one of my LinkedIn connections is a savvy computer software developer who I teamed up with to adapt a programmed microprocessor to interface with the CAN-B bus to send the BCM missing messages. A few days later a “little brain” was up for testing.
After installing the “microprocessor board”, my “consumers” came back online, the battery red light disappeared…. I had a moment of eureka…….! I was thrilled to experience how a very small piece of electronics could do so much. At that time, the myth of an irreplaceable BCM went straight to history. There are still few simple knots to tie, but the main job is done.!
The picture below shows this tiny computer fitted inside my BCM box taking care of business…!
If any of you are curious about this tiny computer, see the datasheet attached and you will be amazed to see how much computing power is packed into this little board.
Awesome. I may have an issue with my BCM and this is my 2nd experience. The red battery sign huh as come on again. Am looking forward to more news on the substitution idea as I intend to keep my R 230 SL 350 for some time.
I'm here with my 2003 SL55 AMG, the latest edition to the fleet
Originally Posted by thesheikh
Essentially $700 plug n play vs a $350 with a little bit of DIY labor. Latter seemingly slightly more robust of a solution as you have an option to add to the emulator it seems.
My module (the one on FB being discussed) includes an emulator. It has the same messaging as the one Michael's has. I actually discussed it with him recently to compare. We pretty much hacked the same messages from the factory.
I've just put up a post here today since a few people on FB told me that folks were here that hadn't been able to see my module from FB.
Its GREAT to have an alternative to the un-obtanium MB BCM. So far I don't need it, but plan to first add fuses to it and likely replace the capacitors in it myself.
Merry Christmas all.
I'm here with my 2003 SL55 AMG, the latest edition to the fleet
Originally Posted by mrvedit
Its GREAT to have an alternative to the un-obtanium MB BCM. So far I don't need it, but plan to first add fuses to it and likely replace the capacitors in it myself.
Merry Christmas all.
Bear in mind that replacing a few components on the board does not fix the bad design. It may make the unit work again, so there is a place for it given the limited options. But if you look at what MB did when they revised the unit, you'll conclude that refurbishment is only a band-aid. I did a write up on the FB - BCM page with pics of the revisions MB made to the BCM if you're interested. And at this point we've seen a couple of accounts of people who've had rebuilt units melt down. That said, when people ask me, I always say if you have a working BCM you have a working BCM. The meltdowns are limited in number... not to diminish the catastrophic nature of failure. But in reality, the chances are fairly small in statistical numbers. That's part of why MB never acknowledged the issue, and chose to sweep it under the rug instead. Because there wouldn't be enough complaints to make any regulatory agencies pay attention.
Great threat, a lot of fascinating info, thanks for putting all these items together! Amazing work.
I'm looking to try re-flashing an MCU board by myself, learning something new. Is there any particular reason why you decided to go with the "CAN filter" board? I found a couple of "generic" CAN boards out there on aliexpress.
The cheapest one are using STM32F103C6T6 chipsets which seem to be CAN-capable as well. It only has 32k of Flash memory however it should be enough to hold the firmware file which is less than 12k. The second one runs on STM32F103VET6 and it has 512k Flash memory size.
Both are USB-powered though, so I guess they may require additional converter to connect them to car's 12V line (this could be done via the cigarette lighter port in the trunk).
Is there any other concern about the size of RAM or overall performance of STM32F103 boards vs STM32F105? I'm new to MCU programming, so I may be missing something here.
I'm looking to try re-flashing an MCU board by myself, learning something new. Is there any particular reason why you decided to go with the "CAN filter" board? I found a couple of "generic" CAN boards out there on aliexpress.
Has anyone gotten good service from Aliexpress??? I ordered an accumulator. When their expected delivery date at about 3-4 weeks passed, I used their system to ask for expedited delivery. They canceled my shipment. I asked for a refund. They said it might be approved in a few days. If the refund was approved, it could take a month for me to receive it. They seem to ship from China on a slow boat!!!!!! So, I had Paypal to give me a refund. Paypal dealt with Aliexpress, and sent me a refund 3 - 4 weeks later. I am done with ordering anything from China that I need anytime soon.
A month before my Aliexpress order, I ordered a lawnmower with 3 day delivery from in stock inventory. A week later a Chinese shipping company said there was now a 10 day delay, and later another delay. Amazon customer service said it was clearing customs after a couple of weeks. The Chinese shipper later supplied tracking data saying it was in some city in China. I then had Amazon to expedite a refund.
Aliexpress and good service are not synonymous, don’t know why this is even a question? I look at these sites like gambling, and most times the house prevails
Great threat, a lot of fascinating info, thanks for putting all these items together! Amazing work.
I'm looking to try re-flashing an MCU board by myself, learning something new. Is there any particular reason why you decided to go with the "CAN filter" board? I found a couple of "generic" CAN boards out there on aliexpress.
The cheapest one are using STM32F103C6T6 chipsets which seem to be CAN-capable as well. It only has 32k of Flash memory however it should be enough to hold the firmware file which is less than 12k. The second one runs on STM32F103VET6 and it has 512k Flash memory size.
Both are USB-powered though, so I guess they may require additional converter to connect them to car's 12V line (this could be done via the cigarette lighter port in the trunk).
Is there any other concern about the size of RAM or overall performance of STM32F103 boards vs STM32F105? I'm new to MCU programming, so I may be missing something here.
Originally Posted by cdk4219
Aliexpress and good service are not synonymous, don’t know why this is even a question? I look at these sites like gambling, and most times the house prevails
I ask the question to give my forum friends a heads-up when a dealer like Aliexpress may be a scammer, or has provided inexcusably bad service.
I have ordered many things from both AliExpress and Alibaba and been very satisfied with how quickly orders arrived. Even ordered a $3000 tool which was identical to a $8000 SnapOn tool. (When an idiot employee broke it, the seller made me a custom video of how to fix it. So even better than SnapOn.)
I would be cautious about ordering car parts though; anything listed as "authentic" will likely be a cheap aftermarket clone. If its something that comes from China anyway, and the price isn't stupidly lower than elsewhere, it likely will be a good purchase. If its supposed to be made somewhere else, it will be a cheap clone and to be avoided.) Electronic boards are all made in China nd I would expect AliExpress to be a good source for them. I have Apple CarPlay unit in both my SL600 and a BMW M3 and they came promptly from AliExpress, including the DB2 converter the Merc needed.
Hi Michael,
Brought one of your devises on Ebay uk just before christmas the connections dont seem to look right for my SL 350 2005 there is a diagram in with it but
its not showing where abouts these connections are made would it be possible to send a bit more explanation where im connecting this emulator to please
HI There.. read most of the messages and got lost by now . So there is a device which got manufacture by Michael, and it solve the issue. It’s sold through ebay from time to time, am I right? If this is the case, I need one if it removed the red display alert and solve my issue
Try Foxwell or Launch Creader - both to be ordered with MB software. There are plenty of other scanners but you will need to make sure they have MB software.
Few weeks back, when parking my SL-500 into my garage, suddenly, the red battery light came up in my dashboard and at the same time an unusual burned electronic smell penetrated my nostrils…! After searching for the root cause, found out that a capacitor in the BCM board had burned and made a large hole in the center of the BCM board. So, it was so damaged that it wasn’t a chance to refurbish it. So, went around the internet in search of a replacement and shortly thereafter found out that all around the planet sellers of used BCM wanted north of $1000 for the part which no telling how much life it had left. I wasn’t too thrilled about that and started the research for a fairly priced replacement option.
After reviewing all available documentation, I learned that the BCM is a combination of a DC to DC battery charger and a digital controller. Since the vehicle was able to operate without the “consumers”, the first step I took was to install a DC-DC charger to maintain the starter battery charged. Afterwards I needed to find a way to bring the consumers online. This was indeed a complex job since I needed to find a way to send digital messages to CAN B in order to re-activate the “consumers”. Basically, I needed a computer programmed in a way that could replicate these missing BCM messages. Fortunately, one of my LinkedIn connections is a savvy computer software developer who I teamed up with to adapt a programmed microprocessor to interface with the CAN-B bus to send the BCM missing messages. A few days later a “little brain” was up for testing.
After installing the “microprocessor board”, my “consumers” came back online, the battery red light disappeared…. I had a moment of eureka…….! I was thrilled to experience how a very small piece of electronics could do so much. At that time, the myth of an irreplaceable BCM went straight to history. There are still few simple knots to tie, but the main job is done.!
The picture below shows this tiny computer fitted inside my BCM box taking care of business…!
If any of you are curious about this tiny computer, see the datasheet attached and you will be amazed to see how much computing power is packed into this little board.
would you be interested in selling one if i sent you my old burnt also bcm
My module (the one on FB being discussed) includes an emulator. It has the same messaging as the one Michael's has. I actually discussed it with him recently to compare. We pretty much hacked the same messages from the factory.
I've just put up a post here today since a few people on FB told me that folks were here that hadn't been able to see my module from FB.
Hey Brian,
I need a BCM. I'm assuming and aware that you may have a backlog for BCMs. I want to know, as a non social media person, how can i order one from you? I don't have FB so i can msg you or join any groups on there.
I'm here with my 2003 SL55 AMG, the latest edition to the fleet
Originally Posted by Ajai Thomas
Hey Brian,
I need a BCM. I'm assuming and aware that you may have a backlog for BCMs. I want to know, as a non social media person, how can i order one from you? I don't have FB so i can msg you or join any groups on there.
Please let me know how we can do some business.
Thank you
Ajai,
I'm not on MBWorld very often, so I'm sorry if this reply is delayed. At this time, we just do all of our business through Facebook using Messenger. So you'll just need to create an account to discuss/ purchase. The easiest way to find me is to join the "Mercedes BNS/BCM Fires" page, and I am the admin there (Brian Wallace). On that page you'll find all of my posts about the module with all the details. You'll want to look at the featured posts section of the page... it has multiple posts about our modules, the hatch, the CanBus system, and a Diagnosis Guide I wrote as well. The comments section acts as a Q&A/ FAQ. Everything you need is on FB.
Hit me up there and we can discuss your situation more. Have a great day!
Brian
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. So there is a device which got manufacture by Michael, and it solve the issue. It’s sold through ebay from time to time, am I right? If this is the case, I need one if it removed the red display alert and solve my issue
