OMG! This is quite amazing and the coolest charger I've seen out there! I am not engineering-inclined and don't own a 3D printer so I'm SOL. I just know how to click on webpages and put in my credit card when it comes to things like this. Is this something you'd be willing to sell?

Do you see any possibility of reusing the CD slot for something like this?

 

OMG! This is quite amazing and the coolest charger I've seen out there! I am not engineering-inclined and don't own a 3D printer so I'm SOL. I just know how to click on webpages and put in my credit card when it comes to things like this. Is this something you'd be willing to sell?

Do you see any possibility of reusing the CD slot for something like this?

CD slot can’t be used. It is an integral part of PCM3.1.

As far as the 3d design, I would download from Thingiverse and have someone that do 3d printing for living print it. Have them print in polycarbonate. This part takes a long time to print.

Note that no one can commercialize this part per terms I established in Thingiverse.

 

I just don't get it. I have checked wiring a few times. When the car is on, the OEM mic has a ton of noise. As if it’s picking it up interference from a digital bus. It’s not usable for calls when connected to Mr12volt. I have run out of things to try… I even opened up the mic in the roof. It’s a complicated mic setup with a large and a small mic plus pre-amp. Four wires go to it. Two of the wires are directly connected to: mic1 shield and mic 1+. The other two could be vcc and gnd. Haven’t checked yet. I may try connecting a mic to the two wires and see what happens. The issue wasn’t miss-connected pins. It wasn’t saturation either. It’s just interference when car is on. With car off, mic is acceptable.

 

It seems is a ground issue. Did you connect to the right ground wire (mic shield)? The same thing happened to me initially because I connected to incorrect ground. Did you selected the ground I circled in the diagram (mic shield)? In addition, after I made my connection, @Don16 connected only red wire to mic1+ and black ground wire to mic shield, as only two wires are really needed. You may want to try that.

 

I grew tired of the issue and gave up on OEM mic. I am going to live with the mic provided by Mr12v. Something doesn’t work right. Not sure if the connectors done make contact or something else. I also noticed that along the way, I have lost rear-view camera. Fuse e6 is fine. Not feeling great after all the time I put into it. You folks have been very helpful but I think isudar has done something to my car. I may try the spare PCM to check but I’m growing tired of the pain…
I also tried hooking a mic in the roof and just using the wires but it produced the exact same noise. I feel like I am just going downhill with adding more issues than solving…

 

One important update for Mr12v probably is preventing the white plug from being inserted the wrong way. I think that may have been the root cause of the new issues. My own fault though.

 

Update: I found the issues. It was all in the connectors. Mr12volt connectors get loose after being connected and disconnected a few times.
so for anyone attempting it now, I recommend being careful with the connectors. They are not heavy duty like the OEM stuff. If you want to use the OEM mic, try taping into wires rather than connectors.

My troubleshooting steps:

• test spare pcm without Mr12v harness => everything works fine except mic and no sound
• I accidentally learned to program the VIN on my spare PCM using LAUNCH x431 which brought back the sound. It doesn’t need codes from dealer. It was interesting.
• put my own pcm back without Mr12v and everything works fine except mic.
• added Mr12v harness and lost rear view camera.
• tested connector connectivity and learned that some are not making contact.
• compressed connectors and replaced, everything works except mic.

regarding mic noise: it may also have been connector issue. One ground wire may not have made contact. Unfortunate for me ‘cause the mic doesn’t work anymore.

Mr12v vs iSudar: iSudar is definitely easier to install. Mr12v is higher end device. After update I realized it does improve video color adjustment a little bit. (Tones are correct without adjustment)

My summary is that Mr12v has to improve on the following to become ideal setup:

• better connectors (and prevent incorrect fitting)
• add OEM mic. I have no idea why they didn’t do it.
• make the box slightly smaller. That would increase placement options.
• improve video bit depth.
• add usb firmware update or include sdcard extension with LEDs
• allow for changing logos and icons easily.

 

@Santirx you're work and guide on this mod has been exemplary, thanks so much for all the hard work!! 🤜🤛
@Ymaval thanks for your great input, quick response and getting me the Turbo picture 😇

I am just starting on the MR12Volt journey, but now after a few hours of working it is in and I love it

p.s. When installing make sure you fixate the daughter-board cable - i did not and inadvertently pulled it loose from the board connector at the final installation, making me redo all the work again 🥴

 

@Thedutchcrew , excellent. Glad it worked well for you. How did the mic work for you, and which pins did u use? How is the voice quality? IEM level?

 

First glance Mic is working ok, siri and quick call gave no strange results.
I connected the Mic+ and Ground shield pin only, so let me do some more testing and get some feedback from the other end of the line to hear how it is for them.

 

I’m glad everything worked for you, @Thedutchcrew.

How is the video? Are you noticing color depth/banding issues, like I demonstrated in my latest video?

BTW, @Ymaval, people in Rennlist are also reporting success with mic install using the procedure I developed, even with Joye system.

 

@Santirx yeah. It seams iSudar board did something to my pcm during update. There is an electrical issue somehow… couldn’t figure it out. I’m so irritated by that. Irritated enough that I put together a setup to independently bias an electret mic in the OEM mic’s place using the OEM wires and connect it to Mr12v by coupling it with a capacitor and GLI to reduce the noise to an acceptable level. Mr12v seems to be biasing the mic @1.5v while OEM is biased @6v. Granted my car may have an issue and not be the same as everyone else at this point. I found a few Audi mics from when they sent us samples years ago, which are also biased @6v. I will try to use one of those. The Audi ones have a preamp which should help too. The Porsche one has two mics. One (larger) is directly wired to PCM without preamp while the smaller one is wired to an unknown location to me and has a preamp. I have no clue what the second one does. The issue in my car seems to be related to the grounding of PCM itself. I don’t know what may have caused it. The mic+ and mic- pins are connected to the larger electret mic directly, but mic- seems to also be connected to ground somewhere outside of PCM which may mean that I would have to use GLI to isolate it when connected to Mr12v. But the combo of preamp and GLI should do it. PCM will not have mic but I don’t care at this point. I haven’t used PCM except for navigation outside of cell coverage anytime that I had a working CarPlay. I don’t even connect to PCM’s Bluetooth anymore. Mr12v is way better quality.

 

Indeed the 8bit banding is present here as well with color gradients, would love if mr12v can fix this but for now everything beats the stock system

 

So, I received my Mr12Volt unit today and jump to install it. First problem I ran into was removing the vents/trim. I ended up breaking some of the vent fins. What a pain in the butt! But once that was done, the PCM unit was easy to remove. Seond problem I ran into was removing the CD tray. It doesn't so easily slide out. I had to really work at getting that lose. Once that hurdle was jumped, the board was easy to install. I ended up removing the XM radio board all together. Getting that cable out was a struggle too. I almost just cut the cable but after breaking some small plastic bits, managed to figure out how to get that cable lose from the clamp. Putting back the CD tray was another problem as I did not notice the metal tabs that I ended up bending. Next was putting it all back. Managed to figure out how to cable it all up, confusing part was the FO cable. I dediced to route the Mr12volt cables to the driver side instead of the passenger side since I didn't want to deal with removing the glove compartment. I found a route through the left side and down under the steering wheel. Then the hardest part: making enough room with all the extra cables to slide the unit back in place. I don't think there's any easy way but just trial and error. Did manage to power up and get the CarPlay connected wirelessly. My first impression was WOW! It works! But then, immediate disappointment at seeing the screen in 8 bit mode. Seriously after $500 and all that effort and to see that was a bummer. I got over it fast and as I was putting everything back, I was checking everything and BOOM! The problem: I do not get any sound from FM or AM radio. S-O-S HELP! I'm wondering if I shouldn't have removed the XM radio board. Could it be that? Or could it be something else? Did I do something as I was pushing the unit back in? I ran out of time today so I'll need to tackle this problem tomorrow. Any ideas any one? Mr. @Santirx? Perhaps you have some ideas? 😢

 

Something similar happened to me before…. While installing my Joye system for first time, I lost AM/FM connection. It ended up being loose cables… there were some cables (see photo -yellow circle) that I loosen when I was connecting ribbon wires.

Try that… and make sure all cables and wires are properly seated.

 

@yoyo I have also removed my XM for installing Mr12v. I’ll check tomorrow to see if I have sound from FM. I know I have sound from Bluetooth and nav. But haven’t tested radio.
For fins, I have a spare vent. I can send u the the fins if I know exactly which one(s) you have broken. I purchased a spare on eBay for $80 only for 1 fin 🤦‍♂️ but haven’t replaced the fin yet. I assume you broke the piece that connects the fin to the black metal piece behind them. I found the best technique to be what Santirx does in video: pull with one hand while holding back with the other, to prevent it from jumping out. For removal tool, I made one out of IKEA cabinet holders (a rod with a thin end). I should have made it sooner. Makes the job so much easier.
And, don’t worry too much about the pins holding the cd drive. I see them more as a convenience for installing (as they hold it in place before screwing) rather than a necessity because it is screwed anyway.
I agree about video. They should have charge a few $ more and give us: better bit depth and integrated mic connection. Still, it’s way better than iSudar for connectivity and sound quality. I see the video problem as a hardware limitation, but I hope to be wrong. Santirx’s SD card extension idea is excellent. I did that and it works: leave extender in, plug SD card into extension, pull the fuse and re-insert fuse. Works.

 

Thank you @Ymaval & @Santirx. I took the unit apart and reseated all the cables and still no sound from AM/FM radio. 😭

@Ymaval, thanks for the offer on the vent fins but I'm just going to live with the fact that I can't adjust it left and right. I'll decide whether to replace all the vents later.

@Santirx, I check the two cable and they were securely in place:

One problem I noticed when I opened up the PCM was that the small white cable adapter had come apart while I was taking the PCM out.

Seems like there should/could have been a better way to secure the connector. I ended up redoing the cable tie (it's easier to do it before the board is screwed on) and added an extra cable tie before the exit point:

I ran out of time to try to reinstall the XM radio card so I reassembled everything since I needed the car. Except the car wouldn't start because my battery was too low. Apparently, I forgot to completely shut off the ignition. Another ordeal that I had to resolve.

After the reassmbly, I realized that putting the unit on the driver side was a big mistake. There is no sensible place to hide and secure the Mr12volt unit. It's just sitting under my steering column. Not a big fan.

Will have to redo the entire install again! Ugh!

 

Sorry if this has already been noted, is there an update yet for fixing the sound issues? You know, that intermittent snapping sound?

 

It has been solved. Contact Mr12Volt directly via whatsapp.

 

Just updated my software. Now have a new issue where the display is showing 2 small quadrants rather than the full screen. Anyone else experience this?

 

Odd…Never seen that. I recommend you contact Mr12volt on this…

 

@getschwifty , I agree with @Ymaval …. Do a back-rev. Revert to prior version of firmware and see if that solves it. If you don’t have prior version (finishing in 2.3) either @Ymaval or I can provide. If that solve it, you can try upgrading again with file ending in 2.5.

 

Today I spent 6+ hours on redoing the Mr12volt unit. I decided to disassembled and replace the XM radio board, and to reroute the unit over to the passenger side instead of the driver side. Everything that could go wrong happened to me despite thinking I was more prepared than the last time around.

I bought some tools since the last install. I bought these finger saving tape so I could wrap my fingers tips so I didn't end up with abrased finger tips like the last time. I also bought a different vent remover than the one I used the last time around which I bought on Alibaba. I actually found a motorcycle spring hook and it worked perfectly, I also bought some cloth electrical tape, and circuit board spacers. Here's a photo of my bounty:

BTW, using the spring hook made removing the vents so much easier. And of course, using a flashlight this time instead of fumbling around the last time and breaking my vents...

First problem I ran into was when I was removing the Mr12volt from the driver side was that I couldn't pull the cable through. I guess it was easier to fish it through than pull it back out. While I was attempting this, I ended up pulling on some other cable and yanked out some sensor that was inside the steering column. I don't even know what it was and I didn't know where it came from but it just hanging there tangled up with my Mr12volt cable. So I had to pull out the trim piece under the steering column except I couldn't figure out how to fully remove it. I managed to loosen it enough to get my hand inside to finally put back that lose sensor.

I finally managed to pull the cable through and get the PCM unit out and opened the PCM unit to reinstall the XM radio board. I knew that the spacers that Mr12volt included wasn't long enough to put the Mr12volt board on top of the XM radio so my reason for purchase the extra ones. My second problem was that I couldn't match the spacers so that they were long enough to clear the XM radio board but not too long that the CD unit couldn't be put back. I didn't notice before but Mr12volt included spacer were 3 long ones and one short one. So after trying all possible combinations, I ended up just using 3 spacers instead of the 4. Then my third problem: as I was reassembling the PCM, I dropped one of the torx screws that held the screen to the CD unit. It fell in between so I had to open it up again, including removing the screen. I finally managed to get the screw out and as I was trying to reattach the CD ribbon cable, I ran into my fourth problem: since the Mr12volt board is now sitting so much higher (on top of the XM radio board), it was hard to reach in to reseat the CD ribbon cable. As I was trying to pull out the little ribbon cable lock, I accidentally pulled it lose breaking one of the tabs. I didn't know what to do, spent an hour Googling, and finally, I just got a needle nose plyers and just try 6 times to put the tab back in with the cable. I finally got it in to the point where I thought it was pretty solid and reassembled the PCM.

I had removed the passenger side trim and the glove compartment and routed the cables to the passenger side. Then I remember the Mr12volt microphone. I decided to just stick the microphone through the side of the vent up towards where the vents are on top of the dash next to the clock. I ended up reaching my hand through the vent hole, around the vent and up towards the underneath the dash. It stuck and I was happy with it although I forgot to test it. Oh well, I'll just have to live with it. I tried to take a pic but didn't really get a good focus on it. Here it is regardless:

As I was putting everything back I could figure out where to put the Mr12volt unit. I rewatched @Santirx video couple of times but I could get the unit to reach past the cabin filter. I had to drop the glove box multiple times trying to pull the unit further out. In the end, I just managed to tuck it where it was and only used one of the 3 plastic screws to hold the thin foam cover.

After all this, the good news is everything is working. My AM and FM sound is back and the CarPlay is working as well. Didn't get to drive around and test it out fully. Will do that tomorrow. In addition to the 2 plastic screws I couldn't put back, one screwn under the glove box wouldn't go in. I think the Mr12volt cable might be in the way of the screw hole. I wasn't about to undo the glovebox again so I left it for now. Hopefully it doesn't cause any problems.

Quite the ordeal but I'm happy with the outcome so far. We will see how this fares in the long run.

 

Today I spent 6+ hours on redoing the Mr12volt unit. I decided to disassembled and replace the XM radio board, and to reroute the unit over to the passenger side instead of the driver side. Everything that could go wrong happened to me despite thinking I was more prepared than the last time around.

I bought some tools since the last install. I bought these finger saving tape so I could wrap my fingers tips so I didn't end up with abrased finger tips like the last time. I also bought a different vent remover than the one I used the last time around which I bought on Alibaba. I actually found a motorcycle spring hook and it worked perfectly, I also bought some cloth electrical tape, and circuit board spacers. Here's a photo of my bounty:

View attachment 263265

BTW, using the spring hook made removing the vents so much easier. And of course, using a flashlight this time instead of fumbling around the last time and breaking my vents...

First problem I ran into was when I was removing the Mr12volt from the driver side was that I couldn't pull the cable through. I guess it was easier to fish it through than pull it back out. While I was attempting this, I ended up pulling on some other cable and yanked out some sensor that was inside the steering column. I don't even know what it was and I didn't know where it came from but it just hanging there tangled up with my Mr12volt cable. So I had to pull out the trim piece under the steering column except I couldn't figure out how to fully remove it. I managed to loosen it enough to get my hand inside to finally put back that lose sensor.

I finally managed to pull the cable through and get the PCM unit out and opened the PCM unit to reinstall the XM radio board. I knew that the spacers that Mr12volt included wasn't long enough to put the Mr12volt board on top of the XM radio so my reason for purchase the extra ones. My second problem was that I couldn't match the spacers so that they were long enough to clear the XM radio board but not too long that the CD unit couldn't be put back. I didn't notice before but Mr12volt included spacer were 3 long ones and one short one. So after trying all possible combinations, I ended up just using 3 spacers instead of the 4. Then my third problem: as I was reassembling the PCM, I dropped one of the torx screws that held the screen to the CD unit. It fell in between so I had to open it up again, including removing the screen. I finally managed to get the screw out and as I was trying to reattach the CD ribbon cable, I ran into my fourth problem: since the Mr12volt board is now sitting so much higher (on top of the XM radio board), it was hard to reach in to reseat the CD ribbon cable. As I was trying to pull out the little ribbon cable lock, I accidentally pulled it lose breaking one of the tabs. I didn't know what to do, spent an hour Googling, and finally, I just got a needle nose plyers and just try 6 times to put the tab back in with the cable. I finally got it in to the point where I thought it was pretty solid and reassembled the PCM.

I had removed the passenger side trim and the glove compartment and routed the cables to the passenger side. Then I remember the Mr12volt microphone. I decided to just stick the microphone through the side of the vent up towards where the vents are on top of the dash next to the clock. I ended up reaching my hand through the vent hole, around the vent and up towards the underneath the dash. It stuck and I was happy with it although I forgot to test it. Oh well, I'll just have to live with it. I tried to take a pic but didn't really get a good focus on it. Here it is regardless:

View attachment 263269

As I was putting everything back I could figure out where to put the Mr12volt unit. I rewatched @Santirx video couple of times but I could get the unit to reach past the cabin filter. I had to drop the glove box multiple times trying to pull the unit further out. In the end, I just managed to tuck it where it was and only used one of the 3 plastic screws to hold the thin foam cover.

After all this, the good news is everything is working. My AM and FM sound is back and the CarPlay is working as well. Didn't get to drive around and test it out fully. Will do that tomorrow. In addition to the 2 plastic screws I couldn't put back, one screwn under the glove box wouldn't go in. I think the Mr12volt cable might be in the way of the screw hole. I wasn't about to undo the glovebox again so I left it for now. Hopefully it doesn't cause any problems.

Quite the ordeal but I'm happy with the outcome so far. We will see how this fares in the long run.

Oh my! That was quite the experience there. Sorry to hear all the issues you had to go through.

Through the years doing this kind of stuff, I learned that patience is of upmost importance. I have had my share of broken things as well, but take those as learnings. I’m sure this will never happen to you again…☺

 

Confirmed, the video quality is a hardware limitation with current model. Below is my conversation with Mr12Volt via WhatsApp. It seems there are plans to release a hardware version that improves on video quality by late 2023 early 2024.

In the meantime, as I stated earlier, since I’m prioritizing audio quality this is not really an issue for me… I would not trade Mr12Volt audio quality for Isudar nicer video. But this may be an issue for others, hence why I’m posting it here.

 

Really interested in this solution/product but these limitations are putting me off. One year timeline to update the hardware internals is a joke in today's hardware/software technology world.

I am sure competitors in this space would reverse engineer this product and offer the best of both worlds i.e good resolution and digital audio

 

As always, thank you for the update @Santirx. That’s sad news but I agree that sound is more important than the screen resolution since the PCM 3.1 unit itself isn’t all that high in resolution or touch sensitivity.

My next adventure, following your guide on updating the initial splash logo and maybe a firmware upgrade. And sorting out why the audio doesn’t play even though I see it playing, until I shut off the PCM and restart.

 

Any luck with resolving the audio issue? I am frequently have the same problem: music will be playing in my spotify app on my phone and carplay, but there is no audio. Issue also occurs with Waze and TuneIN: No audio. I have to go into the settings menu and reboot in order to hear audio.

 

When equiped with Mr12Volt, do you revert back to Radio by default when you start the car ?

Thanks,

 

The system doesn’t revert back to radio. It remember last state.

 

Hi guys, i think that will buy this solution. Thanks Santirx for your help and videos 🖕
I will modify the micro as same as your video.

 

Any chance somebody can give me a backup file from their own mr12volt unit it will be saved on sd card folder msfactoryconfig hit: Settings system- factory mode -advanced settings- 688612- factory settings export my email is progrip890@gmail.com i meased up mine and no support from mr12volt or reseller , never buy this again

 

Does anyone have issues with mr12volt delaying audio when watching a video on their phone?

 

I'm very happy by Mr12volt. But when i have a call after stop the call, i've no sound on Spotify. It's necessary up the music at the next song. it's normal ?

 

There are two different factors that need to be considered. It can be the unit itself, but it can also be your iOS device and carplay software.