[Nickco43]

Originally Posted by vilord

I was getting the weird echo with phone calls, even after swapping to an F series amplifier.
I didn't change the coding in the Evo, instead I just flashed my amp to the latest software revision. The EQing immediately sounded better, and now no echo

The amps are really weird. It seems like they are hit or miss.

[vilord]

probably more hit and less miss if the software updates are run

[lab_rat]

Originally Posted by vilord

probably more hit and less miss if the software updates are run

What are the steps to update the F01 amp? Would like to check and update mine if needed.

[YoMuS]

Originally Posted by vilord

To have any of the connecteddrive features work, you need to leave the ATM alone with the VIN of the donor car.

BMW has a database that connects the ATM SIM card IMEI numbers with VINs, and as yet nobody has been able to convince a dealer to change the mapping unless buying a brand new ATM for a 2016+ car.

Your best bet is to buy an ATM with a VIN you know from a non-fleet donor vehicle that still has time left on the connecteddrive account. BMW sometimes also cancels the connecteddrive AT&T SIMs for wrecked cars, so there is some luck involved here too.

I bought one from a non-fleet 2017 X3 owned by a local New England person.

Next step is to change the VIN *of the EVO* to match the ATM. Can't go the other way, because you can't change the VIN in BMW's database. You'll need to buy retrofit FSCs to do this.

I suggest backing up the factory FSCs first, in case you ever want to put the Evo back to how you found it, but otherwise a useless step.

Only once the Evo and ATM have the same VIN do you connect them to each other. I have heard (though I have no proof of this) that the ATM will wipe itself if connected to a mismatching VIN Evo.

The Evo and ATM also need to be at approximately the same i-level.
I flashed my Evo and ATM to 2018-07, which is the last update that supports usb-key FSC installation. Before flashing, they would not communicate.

Will it be possible to renew/extend the ATM services or is a dead end?

[vilord]

Originally Posted by lab_rat

What are the steps to update the F01 amp? Would like to check and update mine if needed.

With the evo and amp both in the car and connected, I was able to connect to the evo with esys, then when i clicked 'read ecu' in the tal-calculating section, the amplifier showed up as AMPT-HB or something like that (I have a harman becker amp, a LEAR amp will have a different tag).

I was then able to flash it following the usual e-sys flashing guides.
While I was at it, I flashed my touch wheel as well.

Originally Posted by YoMuS

Will it be possible to renew/extend the ATM services or is a dead end?

As long as you can register the donor ATM's VIN with the connecteddrive.bmw.com website, you should be able to renew when they expire.
I won't know for sure until 2021 when mine are due, though. My car will have 185K+ miles on it by then, so I might only renew RTTI.

[Nickco43]

Originally Posted by vilord

With the evo and amp both in the car and connected, I was able to connect to the evo with esys, then when i clicked 'read ecu' in the tal-calculating section, the amplifier showed up as AMPT-HB or something like that (I have a harman becker amp, a LEAR amp will have a different tag).

I was then able to flash it following the usual e-sys flashing guides.
While I was at it, I flashed my touch wheel as well.



As long as you can register the donor ATM's VIN with the connecteddrive.bmw.com website, you should be able to renew when they expire.
I won't know for sure until 2021 when mine are due, though. My car will have 185K+ miles on it by then, so I might only renew RTTI.

I am going to renew RTTI and whatever the weather thing is.

[downtowncb]

I'm contemplating this retrofit for my e90 M. Couple of questions. First do you know if there are similar menu options in the NBT evo (ID5 or 6) as there are in the CIC for configuring the M settings such as suspension stiffness, throttle response, etc?

Second, why can't you retrofit an F30 amp if you have comfort access?

Originally Posted by Nickco43

You can not retrofit a F30 radio amp if you have comfort access.

Thank you

[vilord]

The Evo does have most of those settings, but you'll need to check with the emulator company to find out if the settings will work.
I'll try to take a photo of what options show up for an m car later today.

The F30 diversity radio amplifier only supports the FM and AM antennas. The E90 diversity amplifier supports FM, AM, and comfort access antennas. So, to retrofit the F30 diversity you need to do something else with CA.
My plan (currently, haven't actually done it) is to find a way to fit both, possibly by cutting the E90 diversity in half to keep the CA parts.

[Nickco43]

Originally Posted by downtowncb

I'm contemplating this retrofit my my e90 M. Couple of questions. First do you know if there are similar menu options in the NBT evo (ID5 or 6) as there are in the CIC for configuring the M settings such as suspension stiffness, throttle response, etc?

Second, why can't you retrofit an F30 amp if you have comfort access?



Thank you

Keep in mind most retrofit companies will sell you a botched retrofit kit instead of a complete install like we are doing.

[downtowncb]

Originally Posted by Nickco43

Keep in mind most retrofit companies will sell you a botched retrofit kit instead of a complete install like we are doing.

Understood, that's why I'm doing my research. It looks like most don't use the ATM, but it appears Bimmer Retrofit compensates for this in part by using a standalone GPS?

I'm an engineer so I'm the type that likes to take it apart, understand how it works, and do it myself; rather than just pay someone else to do it. I did the CIC retrofit 6 odd years ago (car is an '08 came with the CCC). Recently had a '18 340i loaner while I had several recalls done with Apply Carplay. Thought boy I would love to have that in my M. Otherwise I love the car and no plans to sell it.

[dls]

Hi everyone. I see there are some great retrofit projects going on in this thread. I just wanted to introduce myself here.
I am new to this forum, but I am known on other BMW forums under nickname '2real4u'. It seems like there is already a (banned?) member on this forum under that nickname from Britain.

I am an author of the NBT firmware unpacker, OTA provisioning XML downloader, NBT/EVO HDD unlock and F30 antenna retrofit instructions.

I currently have an ID5 EVO in my pre-LCI E60 with ceramic ZBE6, TBX, F07 AMPT, black ATM and ICAM with CarSystems adapter.

Since E60 multimedia is very similar to E90 I thought this may be a good place to share some knowledge on retrofits.

One question that has been asked here is flashing NBT or EVO on bench without ZGW. I've discovered a way to do this back in 2014.

For it to work, you need to tweak timers in E-Sys to maximum, set up a DHCP server and connect to the HU through a switch, to minimize the connection downtime. Another option is connecting through a USB ethernet adapter with Asix 100Mbps chipset - it is recognized and supported by both NBT and EVO.
In case of NBT, you need to configure EDIABAS and issue reboot into rescue mode through Tool32 when programming in Esys and the screen turns black.
The screen should turn to blue bootloader mode and Esys should continue flashing the HU.

For EVO you can use the Transmitter included with Esys to force the HU into programming mode when the screen turns black.

That's usually done by ZGW, BDC or FEM, so you are essentially sending this command in place of the gateway.

[Nickco43]

Originally Posted by dls

Hi everyone. I see there are some great retrofit projects going on in this thread. I just wanted to introduce myself here.
I am new to this forum, but I am known on other BMW forums under nickname '2real4u'. It seems like there is already a (banned?) member on this forum under that nickname from Britain.

I am an author of the NBT firmware unpacker, OTA provisioning XML downloader, NBT/EVO HDD unlock and F30 antenna retrofit instructions.

I currently have an ID5 EVO in my pre-LCI E60 with ceramic ZBE6, TBX, F07 AMPT, black ATM and ICAM with CarSystems adapter.

Since E60 multimedia is very similar to E90 I thought this may be a good place to share some knowledge on retrofits.

One question that has been asked here is flashing NBT or EVO on bench without ZGW. I've discovered a way to do this back in 2014.

For it to work, you need to tweak timers in E-Sys to maximum, set up a DHCP server and connect to the HU through a switch, to minimize the connection downtime. Another option is connecting through a USB ethernet adapter with Asix 100Mbps chipset - it is recognized and supported by both NBT and EVO.
In case of NBT, you need to configure EDIABAS and issue reboot into rescue mode through Tool32 when programming in Esys and the screen turns black.
The screen should turn to blue bootloader mode and Esys should continue flashing the HU.

For EVO you can use the Transmitter included with Esys to force the HU into programming mode when the screen turns black.

That's usually done by ZGW, BDC or FEM, so you are essentially sending this command in place of the gateway.

Share your wisdom about the Icam retrofit. I have an Icam kit coming from Ukraine. How did you drill into your trunk?

[vilord]

Hi! Welcome!

Out of curiosity, what can be done with the XML provisioning file? I imagine it has some sort of checksums and signatures so we can't just change it and tell the evo it has more capabilities than are paid for...

[Mashman]

Originally Posted by vilord

Hi! Welcome!

Out of curiosity, what can be done with the XML provisioning file? I imagine it has some sort of checksums and signatures so we can't just change it and tell the evo it has more capabilities than are paid for...

That worked with NBT, but with EVO the provisioning file is encrypted, and can not be modified.

[dls]

Originally Posted by vilord

Hi! Welcome!

Out of curiosity, what can be done with the XML provisioning file? I imagine it has some sort of checksums and signatures so we can't just change it and tell the evo it has more capabilities than are paid for...

On NBT you could change just about anything. My tool was downloading the file from BMW through one of their Internet-facing proxies. When they decommissioned Internet service, they shut down the proxy, so there is no way to get the provisioning file from Internet now. EVO files are not encrypted, but they are signed. It is not possible to modify them without modifying the public keys in EVO firmware.

[dls]

Originally Posted by Nickco43

Share your wisdom about the Icam retrofit. I have an Icam kit coming from Ukraine. How did you drill into your trunk?

First, you want the correct ICAM. There are two kinds - FBAS (old 3AG) and OABR (5DL and new 3AG). ICAMs are keyed differently, but the universal green connector you get from BMW will fit both. You want the FBAS type, unless you are doing surround view with external ICAM2 ECU. I've used F15 trunk handle boot and made a template out of it. Using a template, I've enlarged the trunk boot opening with dremel and oscillating tool. I've primed and painted the enlarged opening with some automotive paint. The rubber boot covers a bit of space around opening, so it does not have to be pretty - you just don't want it to rust.
FBAS is a differential signal, you have positive, negative and shield. Positive and negative are opposite phase, but same amplitude in relation to the shield. Some get away with using just positive and a shield with coax, but it is not correct way to connect ICAM and in such configuration you are missing all the tolerance to interference you get with differential signal. I've used a microphone cable, since it is very flexible, designed to be bent and has two wires covered by shield. For CAN I've used regular twisted pair stranded wire - I've made my own by twisting the wires using a drill. Don't use solid, it is not designed to be bent very often - it will break due to metal fatigue faster than stranded. I've already had ATM in the trunk with 30G and K-CAN2 connected to it, so I've pulled power and K-CAN2 from ATM location in trunk(stock TCU location). I've pulled the microphone cable with FBAS along the right side, along the stock wires. If you are not using the stock harness, you would want a proper crimper for ICAM connector. MicroMQS pins are very brittle. Don't try to solder them - they would not fit the connector. I've used "Engineer PA-09" to crimp the MicroMQS pins. Not ideal, but it is inexpensive and you could get used to it if you practice with some extra pins. Digikey and Newark sell pins for less than BMW. If you doing a lot of crimping for OABR or ICAM it may make sense to skip the dealer and get the spool from Newark.

[Nickco43]

Originally Posted by dls

First, you want the correct ICAM. There are two kinds - FBAS (old 3AG) and OABR (5DL and new 3AG). ICAMs are keyed differently, but the universal green connector you get from BMW will fit both. You want the FBAS type, unless you are doing surround view with external ICAM2 ECU. I've used F15 trunk handle boot and made a template out of it. Using a template, I've enlarged the trunk boot opening with dremel and oscillating tool. I've primed and painted the enlarged opening with some automotive paint. The rubber boot covers a bit of space around opening, so it does not have to be pretty - you just don't want it to rust.
FBAS is a differential signal, you have positive, negative and shield. Positive and negative are opposite phase, but same amplitude in relation to the shield. Some get away with using just positive and a shield with coax, but it is not correct way to connect ICAM and in such configuration you are missing all the tolerance to interference you get with differential signal. I've used a microphone cable, since it is very flexible, designed to be bent and has two wires covered by shield. For CAN I've used regular twisted pair stranded wire - I've made my own by twisting the wires using a drill. Don't use solid, it is not designed to be bent very often - it will break due to metal fatigue faster than stranded. I've already had ATM in the trunk with 30G and K-CAN2 connected to it, so I've pulled power and K-CAN2 from ATM location in trunk(stock TCU location). I've pulled the microphone cable with FBAS along the right side, along the stock wires. If you are not using the stock harness, you would want a proper crimper for ICAM connector. MicroMQS pins are very brittle. Don't try to solder them - they would not fit the connector. I've used "Engineer PA-09" to crimp the MicroMQS pins. Not ideal, but it is inexpensive and you could get used to it if you practice with some extra pins. Digikey and Newark sell pins for less than BMW. If you doing a lot of crimping for OABR or ICAM it may make sense to skip the dealer and get the spool from Newark.

I bought this from my car systems dealer.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/BMW-Retrofi...53.m1438.l2649

[dls]

Originally Posted by Nickco43

I bought this from my car systems dealer.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/BMW-Retrofi...53.m1438.l2649

Nice kit. I've assembled my own with ICAM from Ebay and the rest from FCP Euro. With this kit it looks like you don't have to crimp anything - everything is pre-assembled. One thing to keep in mind is that it's unlikely you will be able to code ICAM - it is supposed to go to KCAN3, but will work on KCAN2. Unless you connect it to a ZGW2 with KCAN3 and a terminating resistor, you may not be able to code it in Esys, so the lines and obstacle PDC location will be inherited from the ICAM donor. Hopefully it is close to what you get with your chassis. Ideally, you would want to code ICAM to get the lines match the trajectory of your car.

Here is the diagram for 3AG ICAM. It is useful if you make your own cable, or even for connecting the assembled cable to the HU side. Hopefully the cable vendor marked positive and negative signal pins on HU side of the cable. If not, use continuity tester with some needles inserted into ICAM connector.
https://www.newtis.info/tisv2/a/en/f...amera/L10JknMH

[Nickco43]

Originally Posted by dls

Nice kit. I've assembled my own with ICAM from Ebay and the rest from FCP Euro. With this kit it looks like you don't have to crimp anything - everything is pre-assembled. One thing to keep in mind is that it's unlikely you will be able to code ICAM - it is supposed to go to KCAN3, but will work on KCAN2. Unless you connect it to a ZGW2 with KCAN3 and a terminating resistor, you may not be able to code it in Esys, so the lines and obstacle PDC location will be inherited from the ICAM donor. Hopefully it is close to what you get with your chassis. Ideally, you would want to code ICAM to get the lines match the trajectory of your car.

Here is the diagram for 3AG ICAM. It is useful if you make your own cable, or even for connecting the assembled cable to the HU side. Hopefully the cable vendor marked positive and negative signal pins on HU side of the cable. If not, use continuity tester with some needles inserted into ICAM connector.
https://www.newtis.info/tisv2/a/en/f...amera/L10JknMH

I think he pre-coded the icam for my car.

[vilord]

I'll need to code my ICAM once I build the cable for it (also bought my ICAM from eBay, bought pins from a BMW dealer, and bought a connector direct from TE connectivity). I have a zgw for coding. I wonder if I would want to use the F31 coding for an E91... Not sure if the turning radius is the same or the number of turns lock to lock.

Knowing what the right nanomqs pins are from digikey/Newark would come in handy too

[dls]

Originally Posted by vilord

I'll need to code my ICAM once I build the cable for it (also bought my ICAM from eBay, bought pins from a BMW dealer, and bought a connector direct from TE connectivity). I have a zgw for coding. I wonder if I would want to use the F31 coding for an E91... Not sure if the turning radius is the same or the number of turns lock to lock.

Knowing what the right nanomqs pins are from digikey/Newark would come in handy too

Here is a link to NanoMQS pins used for ICAM and OABR:
https://www.newark.com/te-connectivi...imp/dp/40Y0883

[Mashman]

To add a little about the OABR pins, they are smaller than regular MQS pins, and much more fragile. It took me a long time to figure out why I couldn't get my ATM to work, and it ended up being the OABR connections. I had damaged the pins either while crimping them, or while inserting them into the connector.

I finally removed all the pins that I crimped, and went with precrimped wires - 61119374919. This BMW part is an ethernet repair cable and has MQS connectors on one end and nano-mqs on the other end, so each part will get you one twisted pair. So for an EVO with ATM you would need 4 of these. They are $5 a pop, so they are much more expensive than crimping your own, but it was worth it for me.