Fading radio pixels observation

Clammy · 05-27-2020, 04:04 PM

I've noticed that in the winter, the radio pixels start off all working normally, and start to fade after driving for a while (usually over an hour), which is to be expected with the older Alpine HUs.

The reason for this post is that since the temperatures have been high (well over 90F for the past few days), when I start the car, the pixels start off faded right from the get-go, but as I drive, with the A/C on, they come back to full working order with enough time.

This has me thinking that if I could mount a small fan in behind the radio somewhere, maybe I can keep the HU cool, and get rid of the fading problem altogether. I touched the screen when the pixels were faded, and it was quite hot. Once all the pixels were lit up normally, the screen was cool to the touch.

Anyone ever try to do something like this?

Cheers!

smass · 05-27-2020, 04:33 PM

While that may work it probably is not worth the effort. LCI radios are as low as $20 and don't suffer from the pixel issue. Plus you get HD radio, faster preset tuning and some even have sirius.

colorado.e9x · 05-27-2020, 05:16 PM

What he said. Although for a deal like $20, it'd most certainly be from a pick n' pull or a local part out. The lowest I've seen online for an LCI HU is about $60. Lately they've been about $90

Skoidat69 · 05-27-2020, 05:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by colorado.e9x

What he said. Although for a deal like $20, it'd most certainly be from a pick n' pull or a local part out. The lowest I've seen online for an LCI HU is about $60. Lately they've been about $90

I got one that I'll sell for $60 including shipping

ctuna · 05-27-2020, 06:50 PM

Yeah but you have to be able to program the radio to your
sound system and options. And sometimes this requires and Icom
cable.

colorado.e9x · 05-27-2020, 08:17 PM

Not necessarily, I didn't have to with mine. I did anyways but it worked right away

Clammy · 05-27-2020, 08:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by smass

While that may work it probably is not worth the effort. LCI radios are as low as $20 and don't suffer from the pixel issue. Plus you get HD radio, faster preset tuning and some even have sirius.

Do the LCI radios look the same as the Alpine units, and are they compatible with Logic 7 systems?

Cheers!

colorado.e9x · 05-27-2020, 09:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Clammy

Quote:

Originally Posted by smass

While that may work it probably is not worth the effort. LCI radios are as low as $20 and don't suffer from the pixel issue. Plus you get HD radio, faster preset tuning and some even have sirius.

Do the LCI radios look the same as the Alpine units, and are they compatible with Logic 7 systems?

Cheers!

Yes and yes. Just make sure it has the MOST connections in the main harness. ctuna taught me that.

The only difference I've noticed from my experience is the volume/tuner knobs. That's if your originals are just black. My friends 07 hifi has chrome/aluminum trim on the knobs where as my 06 logic7 does not.

That's until I got an LCI HU / CC combo out of a 2010 for an amazing deal.

ctuna · 05-27-2020, 09:04 PM

If you get the right one . Some Euro Radio's don't have a Most bus connection.

https://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1036190
See entry 2

https://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=687463

You might get lucky and get a unit that comes from a car
that had the exact same options as your but I wouldn't
count on it.

For some reason , mostly likely the change from k can
to d can, the ability to program at least the sound system type
requires a Icom cable after 3/07 . I know this is a problem with changing sound system types don't know about the rest of the modules . This subject is not comfortably nailed down.

Clammy · 05-27-2020, 09:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by colorado.e9x

Yes and yes. Just make sure it has the MOST connections in the main harness. ctuna taught me that.

The only difference I've noticed from my experience is the volume/tuner knobs. That's if your originals are just black. My friends 07 hifi has chrome/aluminum trim on the knobs where as my 06 logic7 does not.

That's until I got an LCI HU / CC combo out of a 2010 for an amazing deal.

Cool! Thanks. My original radio had the plain black knobs (2006 330i). The display on that was completely dead, so I got a used one from a 2008 car, with the silver highlighted knobs... which then caused me to seek out a climate control panel with the same style knobs to match. My OCD would not allow that the difference pass, hahaha!!

So, what manufacturer made the LCI radios?

Thanks.

Cheers!

Clammy · 05-27-2020, 09:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ctuna

If you get the right one . Some Euro Radio's don't have a Most bus connection.

https://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1036190
See entry 2

https://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=687463

You might get lucky and get a unit that comes from a car
that had the exact same options as your but I wouldn't
count on it.

For some reason , mostly likely the change from k can
to d can, the ability to program at least the sound system type
requires a Icom cable after 3/07 . I know this is a problem with changing sound system types don't know about the rest of the modules . This subject is not comfortably nailed down.

The radio I have installed in my car (the one exhibiting the described behaviour) was from a 2008 donor car, and I was able to code it with my K+DCan cable.

Will I absolutely for sure need an ICOM cable to code an LCI head unit?

Thanks.

Cheers!

Clammy · 05-27-2020, 09:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by colorado.e9x

Yes and yes. Just make sure it has the MOST connections in the main harness. ctuna taught me that.

The only difference I've noticed from my experience is the volume/tuner knobs. That's if your originals are just black. My friends 07 hifi has chrome/aluminum trim on the knobs where as my 06 logic7 does not.

That's until I got an LCI HU / CC combo out of a 2010 for an amazing deal.

Is this what I'm looking for?

https://www.ebay.com/itm/2010-2011-2....c100005.m1851

Thanks.

Cheers!

colorado.e9x · 05-27-2020, 09:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Clammy

Quote:

Originally Posted by colorado.e9x

Yes and yes. Just make sure it has the MOST connections in the main harness. ctuna taught me that.

The only difference I've noticed from my experience is the volume/tuner knobs. That's if your originals are just black. My friends 07 hifi has chrome/aluminum trim on the knobs where as my 06 logic7 does not.

That's until I got an LCI HU / CC combo out of a 2010 for an amazing deal.

Is this what I'm looking for?

https://www.ebay.com/itm/2010-2011-2....c100005.m1851

Thanks.

Cheers!

That looks exactly like mine. If it helps, heres the label on mine as well.

Clammy · 05-27-2020, 10:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by colorado.e9x

That looks exactly like mine. If it helps, heres the label on mine as well.

Awesome! Thanks. And these ones don't fade over time? I had no idea, or I would have looked for a 2010+ HU when I was replacing my original one!

Cheers!

colorado.e9x · 05-27-2020, 10:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Clammy

Quote:

Originally Posted by colorado.e9x

That looks exactly like mine. If it helps, heres the label on mine as well.

Awesome! Thanks. And these ones don't fade over time? I had no idea, or I would have looked for a 2010+ HU when I was replacing my original one!

Cheers!

Honestly I have no idea if they do or not. Supposedly not. Also, the one you're looking at right now has built in Sirius so that's a plus. I've been thinking about extending the sat antenna from the trunk to it

Clammy · 05-27-2020, 10:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by colorado.e9x

Honestly I have no idea if they do or not. Supposedly not. Also, the one you're looking at right now has built in Sirius so that's a plus. I've been thinking about extending the sat antenna from the trunk to it

It's cool, but I don't need that. I just want to make sure it's compatible with my Logic 7 system, and USB/Bluetooth functionality supplied by the MULF2Hi I installed a few months ago.

Cheers!

colorado.e9x · 05-27-2020, 11:02 PM

It should be good to do that

My radio came with usb so that was the primary reason for default coding it as I don't have it

smass · 05-28-2020, 09:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Clammy

It's cool, but I don't need that. I just want to make sure it's compatible with my Logic 7 system, and USB/Bluetooth functionality supplied by the MULF2Hi I installed a few months ago.

Cheers!

As long as you can code, an LCI radio will work fine with L7. MULF USB will work with all E90 radios except some early versions that came in 2006s. Since your car is 2006, you won't need to worry about the ICOM coding issue that some people encounter.

Clammy · 05-28-2020, 10:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by smass

As long as you can code, an LCI radio will work fine with L7. MULF USB will work with all E90 radios except some early versions that came in 2006s. Since your car is 2006, you won't need to worry about the ICOM coding issue that some people encounter.

Excellent news! Thanks!

Cheers!

ctuna · 05-28-2020, 11:38 AM

As far as I know they are still using the same display.

Clammy · 05-28-2020, 11:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ctuna

As far as I know they are still using the same display.

Someone above stated the later LCI radios don't suffer the same fading pixel problem... if they use the same display, why wouldn't they have the same issue?

Cheers!

smass · 05-28-2020, 12:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Clammy

Someone above stated the later LCI radios don't suffer the same fading pixel problem... if they use the same display, why wouldn't they have the same issue?

Cheers!

I don't think the displays are the same. LCI radios are made by Siemens VDO. Pre-lci are Alpine.

05-27-2020, 04:04 PM	#1
Clammy Captain 322 Rep 624 Posts Drives: 2006 330i 6MT Join Date: May 2012 Location: Canada iTrader: (2)	Fading radio pixels observation I've noticed that in the winter, the radio pixels start off all working normally, and start to fade after driving for a while (usually over an hour), which is to be expected with the older Alpine HUs. The reason for this post is that since the temperatures have been high (well over 90F for the past few days), when I start the car, the pixels start off faded right from the get-go, but as I drive, with the A/C on, they come back to full working order with enough time. This has me thinking that if I could mount a small fan in behind the radio somewhere, maybe I can keep the HU cool, and get rid of the fading problem altogether. I touched the screen when the pixels were faded, and it was quite hot. Once all the pixels were lit up normally, the screen was cool to the touch. Anyone ever try to do something like this? Cheers!
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05-27-2020, 04:33 PM	#2
smass Lieutenant Colonel 398 Rep 1,578 Posts Drives: 06 325i - 10 335i Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Scottsdale, AZ iTrader: (1) Garage List 2010 E90 335i [0.00] 2016 F15 35i [0.00] 2003 E53 3.0 [0.00] 2006 E90 325i [0.00]	While that may work it probably is not worth the effort. LCI radios are as low as $20 and don't suffer from the pixel issue. Plus you get HD radio, faster preset tuning and some even have sirius.
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05-27-2020, 05:16 PM	#3
colorado.e9x eBay Special 3066 Rep 3,028 Posts Drives: E90 330xi Join Date: Feb 2018 Location: Western Slope, Colorado iTrader: (1) Garage List 2007 BMW 328xi [9.50] 2006 BMW 330xi [10.00]	What he said. Although for a deal like $20, it'd most certainly be from a pick n' pull or a local part out. The lowest I've seen online for an LCI HU is about $60. Lately they've been about $90 __________________ Common sense is a flower that does not bloom in everyone's garden
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05-27-2020, 06:50 PM	#5
ctuna Lieutenant General 1911 Rep 13,103 Posts Drives: 325xi 06 wagon MT Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Santa Cruz, Ca iTrader: (0)	Yeah but you have to be able to program the radio to your sound system and options. And sometimes this requires and Icom cable.
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05-27-2020, 08:17 PM	#6
colorado.e9x eBay Special 3066 Rep 3,028 Posts Drives: E90 330xi Join Date: Feb 2018 Location: Western Slope, Colorado iTrader: (1) Garage List 2007 BMW 328xi [9.50] 2006 BMW 330xi [10.00]	Not necessarily, I didn't have to with mine. I did anyways but it worked right away __________________ Common sense is a flower that does not bloom in everyone's garden
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05-27-2020, 09:04 PM	#9
ctuna Lieutenant General 1911 Rep 13,103 Posts Drives: 325xi 06 wagon MT Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Santa Cruz, Ca iTrader: (0)	If you get the right one . Some Euro Radio's don't have a Most bus connection. https://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1036190 See entry 2 https://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=687463 You might get lucky and get a unit that comes from a car that had the exact same options as your but I wouldn't count on it. For some reason , mostly likely the change from k can to d can, the ability to program at least the sound system type requires a Icom cable after 3/07 . I know this is a problem with changing sound system types don't know about the rest of the modules . This subject is not comfortably nailed down. Last edited by ctuna; 05-27-2020 at 09:20 PM..
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05-27-2020, 11:02 PM	#17
colorado.e9x eBay Special 3066 Rep 3,028 Posts Drives: E90 330xi Join Date: Feb 2018 Location: Western Slope, Colorado iTrader: (1) Garage List 2007 BMW 328xi [9.50] 2006 BMW 330xi [10.00]	It should be good to do that My radio came with usb so that was the primary reason for default coding it as I don't have it __________________ Common sense is a flower that does not bloom in everyone's garden
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05-28-2020, 11:38 AM	#20
ctuna Lieutenant General 1911 Rep 13,103 Posts Drives: 325xi 06 wagon MT Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Santa Cruz, Ca iTrader: (0)	As far as I know they are still using the same display.
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