Hey folks,
In troubleshooting an issue I had during installation of a vais bt unit, I disassembled my head unit to check for physical damage or corrosion. In the process of this I learned some things..
The top module (the one that the LCD screen is mounted inside) has 2 circuit boards and the LCD screen. The LCD screen is a resistive screen encased in a metal frame. It communicates to the front board via 2 ribbon connectors. That board has an sh3 processor, which means that it's job is to handle the video processing compute tasks. That board communicates to the back board via a hard IDE mount (where the pin 60 issue occurs on 04 vehicles). The back board has numerous microprocessors and the system's wiring harness connectors (including the connections for the buttons which surround the LCD screen), along with a central processor for that is EM shrouded. That tells me that this board is the main control board for the system, handling the processing of signals being run into and out of the compute load for all attached components. All of these are neatly packed into a very well designed, compact frame that mounts to the front fascia.
One of the neat things about the avc-lan system (the way this stuff "talks") is that the central processor doesn't care what is connected to it. As long as the central processor is functioning, it will run the major control systems regardless of what is actually plugged in - If the network sees it, it will use it. If it's not there it will just move on.
So what Ike? We know all this
This mean that, in theory at least, the system should be able to function without the screen. It would probably even function without the front board attached (the guys who have had a pin 60 failure...chime in here...did the physical HVAC buttons still work?).
So remove the screen and replace with an 8" android auto tablet. If you need more space for the wiring harness (which are super low profile, btw), remove the front board. Run a hardwired backup cam and plug it in. Keep the vais or bttoy45 connected and route the audio from the tablet to that adapter, then control your music via the tape deck controls. HVAC buttons should still function normally. With the exception of fade/balance and rear HVAC, you have a fully functional (albeit somewhat "farm engineered") android head unit.
So, in short...
Keep this
Chuck this (except for the metal frame)
Stick this (or I've like it) in the frame that the screen used to live
And you should have the antidote to this gawd awful technology that never should have been allowed in vehicles.
I may have completely overlooked something here. Feel free to roast me if I have. If someone want to try this project I'd be happy to assist however I can.
In troubleshooting an issue I had during installation of a vais bt unit, I disassembled my head unit to check for physical damage or corrosion. In the process of this I learned some things..
The top module (the one that the LCD screen is mounted inside) has 2 circuit boards and the LCD screen. The LCD screen is a resistive screen encased in a metal frame. It communicates to the front board via 2 ribbon connectors. That board has an sh3 processor, which means that it's job is to handle the video processing compute tasks. That board communicates to the back board via a hard IDE mount (where the pin 60 issue occurs on 04 vehicles). The back board has numerous microprocessors and the system's wiring harness connectors (including the connections for the buttons which surround the LCD screen), along with a central processor for that is EM shrouded. That tells me that this board is the main control board for the system, handling the processing of signals being run into and out of the compute load for all attached components. All of these are neatly packed into a very well designed, compact frame that mounts to the front fascia.
One of the neat things about the avc-lan system (the way this stuff "talks") is that the central processor doesn't care what is connected to it. As long as the central processor is functioning, it will run the major control systems regardless of what is actually plugged in - If the network sees it, it will use it. If it's not there it will just move on.
So what Ike? We know all this
This mean that, in theory at least, the system should be able to function without the screen. It would probably even function without the front board attached (the guys who have had a pin 60 failure...chime in here...did the physical HVAC buttons still work?).
So remove the screen and replace with an 8" android auto tablet. If you need more space for the wiring harness (which are super low profile, btw), remove the front board. Run a hardwired backup cam and plug it in. Keep the vais or bttoy45 connected and route the audio from the tablet to that adapter, then control your music via the tape deck controls. HVAC buttons should still function normally. With the exception of fade/balance and rear HVAC, you have a fully functional (albeit somewhat "farm engineered") android head unit.
So, in short...
Keep this
Chuck this (except for the metal frame)
Stick this (or I've like it) in the frame that the screen used to live
And you should have the antidote to this gawd awful technology that never should have been allowed in vehicles.
I may have completely overlooked something here. Feel free to roast me if I have. If someone want to try this project I'd be happy to assist however I can.
