DYNAVIN N6 E39 Multimedia GPS System, New for mid-2014

[jeffb325]

If you had a shop do the install have them connect the wire.

[Trancer66]

Does anyone know if there's a feature request area for the N6 firmware?

I've found the PDC display for the on-screen car is actually very bright when it comes on. I hit reverse at night (PDC trigger still connected to reverse light at this point) and it's like a torch has been turned on. If the display car colour could be toned down to a dark grey for night display and off-white for daytime...wouldn't be as intrusive.
A RTC with rechargeable battery would be nice to hold the correct time when the car's turned off.

I also seem to have a swapped front sensor display. Audio signals are correct for left and right but the display shows reverse to whats happening. eg left front of car near an object and the display shows something near right-hand side. Have yet to go through the PDC cabling but if the audio is correct I'd assume that the PDC is connected correctly.

just wondering if there's an email address or forum for contact with dynavin.

Aside from these little niggly bits - the N6 works great - so much better than the OEM unit. Still yet to connect dvb-t and double-check diversity for FM but am very happy with it.

[gmak]

Splice the Orange cable in to a power source that dims. I used the ash tray light to power it, as it dims also. A simple crimp connection works.

This type of connector.

http://www.directindustry.com/prod/s...1-1040873.html

Good idea. But, you have to be careful to have the correct size - and that both wires being spliced are more or less the same size. otherwise, use a butt connector and crimp the wires in.

- - - Updated - - -

Mine are really out of whack. outside temp is aroun 67 degrees C. engine temp is 240_ degrees C. Is this an interpretation error from the Dynavin? My temp on the dash is correct - and INPA shows correct engine temp.

This is something that I would like to see fixed in an upcoming firmware version.

[jdnaik]

[QUOTE=gmak;28305025]Good idea. But, you have to be careful to have the correct size - and that both wires being spliced are more or less the same size. otherwise, use a butt connector and crimp the wires in.

I'm assuming this will work?

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Tyco-Elec...11-4/202204323
- - - Updated - - -

[gmak]

[QUOTE=jdnaik;28305130]

Good idea. But, you have to be careful to have the correct size - and that both wires being spliced are more or less the same size. otherwise, use a butt connector and crimp the wires in.

I'm assuming this will work?

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Tyco-Elec...11-4/202204323
- - - Updated - - -

Sure. Just pay attention to the "AWG" numbers for size.

[Trancer66]

Update on my N6-E39a install (2001 M5 saloon with DSP).

So far it's been pretty good. Got everything installed now and connected.
Haven't had the volume/audio issue since I removed the old analogue tv tuner unit and the PDC display is now correct after re-pining the sensors (6 out of 8 were backwards).

Used an Omron relay (10a, single coil. PCB based - not an automotive one) for the PDC trigger and it's working well. Using pin 7 off the x300 connector (control for pdc light on dash).
DVB-T works well if car is stationary and a bit dodgy when moving but that's a given with DVB-T anyway. DVB-T recording hasn't been tested as yet - don't think I'll ever use it so am not too worried about it.
Movie and audio playback through USB and SD card work great - had to convert a couple of movies but overall the codec support is surprisingly good.
Phone via Bluetooth works fine as long as the mic is adjusted properly (seems to be very directional).

Its definitely a major upgrade compared to the original and well worth the time and $$ spent on it.
Couple of minor software tweaks would be nice (reverse display colours toned down for night, brightness/contrast for movie playback, gps requirements for time, OBC for external temp, volume change with speed, remove silence between audio tracks) but they're pretty small and can live without them. Otherwise I'm really happy with the unit.

[jeffb325]

while you can go ahead and use those splices since its a non critical application just know that in general they are TERRIBLE. Any installer or mechanic will tell you that they have spent LOTS of time troubleshooting electical issues only to find a "scotchlock" (3Ms name for them, add a circuit generically) at the root of it. I personally dont use them for anything anymore.

If you want to do it the easy way you would be much better off getting some basic butt crimp splices, cutting/stripping the wires, and splicing your connection in. You can even get them as a cheapo kit that includes the crimp tool from most auto parts stores. Even the crappy cheap ones are MUCH more reliable, and really just as easy as scotchlocks.

OR take it to a shop and they can do it with higher quality splices and tools for a few minutes of labor.

OR go hardcore and solder and heatshrink the whole thing (fine if you have all the stuff on hand and know what you are doing, overkill otherwise).

[user512]

Hi. I just bought a Dynavin N6 E9X and after using it for some days I have a doubt:

How can I mute the radio completely while using the GPS with voice?.

If I mute the radio with the [mute] button, I'm muting also the GPS voice and I don't want that. If I activate the radio and change to the GPS I hear the radio volume go down each time the GPS is going to speak. That's ok but what I really want is to turn off COMPLETELY the radio sound while using the GPS with its voice, how I achieve this?, thanks a lot.

[bimmerfan2014]

Installed N6 last week.
My car is US Model 2001 525i with business CD and DSP. Followed the usual linked video where you basically take apart the passenger dash to remove the stock mounting bracket. Once the dash was unscrewed the mounting bracket just fell out. I didnt even remove the wood door that covers the CD player (see photo). Wired the mic through the passenger side to the roof. wasnt too bad.
Placed GPS right above the head unit. Have used GPS for a few days and works fine.
As some mentioned there isnt much space to push all the wires in and have the unit sit flush. Mine is not that bad to install and can be removed fairly easy. What i did to install it was mate the main stereo connection in the climate control slot, not the stereo din slot. I pulled the car stereo main plug so it can be grabbed from the climate control slot. Then pushed the N6 main plug into the stereo slot (din) down into the climate control slot, then made the connection. This allowed the bulky main connection be out of the way underneath the stereo. This also allowed for more room when pushing the stereo into its slot. Hopefully that made sense.

My N6 face also did not sit flush. The fit is tight to say the least. So I pushed kinda hard, firm against the edges and little by little it began to fall into the din space. To get it out I incrementally, with a kinda small hook tool, wedge it out enough to get a grip to pull it out.
The install went well especially with the install-video found here and on other sites.
Unit works well. At first i thought i received a bad unit cause a CD would not work, but i didnt know I needed to remove two screws on top of the unit which block CDs. There is a label on the unit notifying you of this but I believe nothing is mentioned in the instructions, but maybe i just missed it.

Two USB plugs on the unit. One works fine with USB only, I cannot use any other device like my android samsung phone as a usb storage device. Kinda sucks cause my biggest USB is 4Gig. Worst case is I have to buy a larger usb. The other usb connection is iphone/interent?? I cannot connect android (as usb storage) or usb to that connection. I dont have an iphone or iwhatever so I think im out of luck. I use micro sd for music and usb for movies. Both seem to work fine. Some movies dont work because of codec used by N6 i guess. Maybe in the future we can add apps like VLC media player which plays almost everything.
The controls for searching for music/videos dont work well for me. Scrolling is really hard while driving and I keep opening songs/videos instead. Maybe this can be fixed in the future. For now its fine I guess. Not the end of the world.

Im working with Jeff on this, but my audio is off. I have DSP so im sure thats the main source of frustration. My mid is plugged into the glovebox. See pic.
Few things which all might be related.

1. It feels like 80/20 my audio is front to rear. Meaning I mostly hear all sound coming from front speakers. I cannot use the fade option to push the location to the rear. Its almost like only the front speakers are working. I can hear the rear but they are lower then the front....Jeff mentioned trying the fade/balance on the MID but I dont have that option. I dont know about others but I can only adjust fade from N6. Turning the MID DSP on/off, there is no option to adjust MID fade....

2. Using the volume on the steering wheel and N6 unit is frustrating and silly. To my fault, I did know of this from early posts but didnt know it was this bad. Driving around im constantly messing with both controls to get an OK sound.

3. Also i have a constant hiss through the speakers. But when i plugged back in my MID (only) there was a slight hiss too so maybe its just the car/dsp...but for sure the hiss is louder on the N6. With sound low the hiss is annoying.

In general i like the N6. It looks good. GPS works fine. Havent tried bluetooth yet. Havent tried the radio.
Im still messing with volume/amp controls so maybe I will figure this out. Just wish this DSP audio thing was further along then now. The $750 i paid seems a lil high for DSP not being fully resolved, but maybe there's something Im not doing. Service with jeff has been good. Product arrived with two days. I called jeff awhile back and he promptly got back to me and sent me some emails trying to help. Will add more later.

[dolsen]

My N6 unit is not retaining my equalizer settings after I turn off the car. Do I have something selected or set up wrong?

[jeffb325]

bimmerfan2014.....most of the volume issues you are having are related to the fact that you are trying to maintain the MID while also having the dynavin.....the dynavin's DSP integration was not made to work like that. It was designed to work with the system WITHOUT the stock stereo/MID in use, then turn the DSP function ON in the dynavin menu. done. The thing you are doing with the two independent volume controls is not how its intended to be used, just something a few people here wanted to do based on their particular wants/needs....it DOES work but if you go that way you need to know HOW it works and WHY otherwise you wont be able to use it properly and will have issues...go back a few pages, we discussed it at length.

Also as has been discussed earlier in this thread, the DSP audio amp input is only 2 channel....meaning the dynavins 4 and fader to work obviously cant work. Its a compromise required to maintain the DSP amp. Most people usually put the fader roughly in the middle anyway so it thus far has not been much of an issue for most.


dolsen.....after you set the EQ hold down the USER setting for a second and it will save.

[polluted]

@bimmerfan2014:

Using the MID with the N6 works quite well, as it allows you to access the DSP effects/EQ and allows for far better EQ'ing than the N6's built-in EQ.

I have mine set to increase the bass, mid-bass and high-treble but with no DSP effects (hall, etc). MID settings are retained on power-off. I believe a couple of other users have done the same and unanimously declared the bass-response to be much better than can be attained with the N6 EQ.

The MID won't allow you to change the balance/fade, though. That was a function of the stock radio. The MID only provides control of things that are connected to it - it is a essentially a dumb terminal. You still retain control of the DSP EQ and effects functions as they are provided by the DSP amp in the trunk.

You should have the N6's OE DSP Amp setting turned on. I have the slider set slightly above the halfway point. With this setting turned 'on', the steering wheel and radio volume controls are linked together and you should not see a volume slider bar on the screen when either of them is used to change the volume.

I have the hiss, too, but it was present before my N6 install and is only noticeable if I'm listening for it. In my car, the hiss doesn't raise in volume with the knob and I have assumed it was just the noise floor of the amp. If you turn the volume all the way down, does it stop? If so, that's the amp turning the output stage off as it has no input - the hiss is the output stage of the amp.

You haven't by chance installed the 1.1.1 beta firmware have you? It does not work with the E39 N6 with a DSP system. Volume controls are very broken as is the OE DSP Amp setting. (There are a lot of other problems with the beta firmware. Avoid!)

I also got a terrible flu after installing my N6 - I'm not sure if it's related. ;-)

[jeffb325]

@bimmerfan2014:

You haven't by chance installed the 1.1.1 beta firmware have you? It does not work with the E39 N6 with a DSP system. Volume controls are very broken as is the OE DSP Amp setting. (There are a lot of other problems with the beta firmware. Avoid!)

???!!!

sounds like you need to email me some details.... Ive got a bunch of happy people on the beta firmware....very few issues to speak of at this point...BUT all different platforms, dont know how many DSP E39s are in that group though.

[polluted]

???!!!

sounds like you need to email me some details.... Ive got a bunch of people on the beta firmware....very few issues to speak of at this point...BUT all different platforms, dont know how many DSP E39s are in that group.

Emailed a list to you. There was one more that I can't think of right now. :-/

[jeffb325]

yeah, the DSP part of the upcoming firmware looks like its incomplete so far. Probably why it hasnt been released yet despite working great in all the other cars Ive tried it in.

[Rontgen]

Jeff,

I'd like to make a suggestion in regards to DSP & iBus integration. I realize that a re-write of the N6's firmware solely to support the E39 DSP cars is probably unrealistic, considering how many makes/models the N6 supports and how small of a percentage the E39 DSP cars probably represent. However, what if it were an App?

What I envision would be an App that would mimic what we see on the stock BMW Nav screen - EQ settings, fuel consumption reset, time/date settings, etc. Under the GUI, it would basically be an iBus translator that would communicate the appropriate commands on the iBus. I'm sure I've oversimplified it, but that would be the concept.

Will the N6's App function be open-source or will all future Apps come from Dynavin directly? It's probably beyond my abilities, but the amount of documented iBus info and hacks out there is impressive and considering the DSP volume control is an iBus command - Dynavin has already proven some degree of knowledge of the iBus...

Thanks

[schiffi]

When can we expect some app's? Any information's?

[Stahlblau530]

Hi Jeff - If you can see if it's possible, I'd really appreciate a way of controlling the N6 startup through the system software. If we could turn off the pre-startup, so the N6 only starts when the vehicle is actually started or just unlocked even, NOT when the doors are opened that would be great. When I'm working on the car in the garage I may open and close the doors multiple times (I can't always leave the doors open and get around it in the garage) and this can drain the battery in a big hurry with the 20 minute runtime. I don't want to have to re-wire the unit, so it's only getting power when the ignition is switched on.
Cheers!

[jeffb325]

noted.

schiffi, dont know, keep in mind, this is not an "i" device or android and the "app" part of the dynavin is not meant to run those types of things, it is my understanding that its there to allow for future functionality, my understanding based on some early conversations I had with them about the development of the N6 is that it could be used for real time weather, news, etc....similar to AudiConnect and similar functions from the other oems.

[jeffb325]

The E39 unit was my best seller the last 2 months and nobody posting? Haha, I know what that means, NO PROBLEMS.....but not very good for business when nobody is discussing anything.

I know all of us "regulars" have discussed everything to death, but all you lurkers out there with new installs, post pics, startup screens, optimal settings, etc... keep this thread alive for future readers.

[Cagey X5]

OK...one small problem, as we changed to Daylight Savings time and went ahead 1 hr., my N6 in my E53 X5 did not, it is still an hour behind.
When i switch to Navigation it shows the correct time, then i switch back to radio it is correct. i would then leave the car for 30 mins and it would be back to an hour behind again. Anyone else having this problem? All the settings are correct and have not been changed. Software is 1.1.1
Thanks for the help.

Ken

[Dking078]

OK...one small problem, as we changed to Daylight Savings time and went ahead 1 hr., my N6 in my E53 X5 did not, it is still an hour behind.
When i switch to Navigation it shows the correct time, then i switch back to radio it is correct. i would then leave the car for 30 mins and it would be back to an hour behind again. Anyone else having this problem? All the settings are correct and have not been changed. Software is 1.1.1
Thanks for the help.

Ken

I have the same issue.. I changed my radio (NOT NAV) time zone to GMT -7 (instead of -8) and that seemed to work. But in the nav, i still have GMT -8 w/ daylight savings checked. I'll try again when I drive it tomorrow.

But as far as issues go, it's been quiet. I'm still trying to chase down the strange no audio problem though... Nothing conclusive still.

[kswist24]

I tried to read as much as I could of the post. But do the steering wheel functions still work when putting this DIN in?

[Dking078]

I tried to read as much as I could of the post. But do the steering wheel functions still work when putting this DIN in?

Yes!

[jeffb325]

OK...one small problem, as we changed to Daylight Savings time and went ahead 1 hr., my N6 in my E53 X5 did not, it is still an hour behind.
When i switch to Navigation it shows the correct time, then i switch back to radio it is correct. i would then leave the car for 30 mins and it would be back to an hour behind again. Anyone else having this problem? All the settings are correct and have not been changed. Software is 1.1.1
Thanks for the help.

Ken

In the system menu you have to change the time.....yes it auto sets the time based on the sat time.....but you have to set the offset from GMT.....and it cant know if you happen to observe daylight savings time or not.....just like all the clocks in your house you need to set it ahead an hour.

I have the same issue.. I changed my radio (NOT NAV) time zone to GMT -7 (instead of -8) and that seemed to work. But in the nav, i still have GMT -8 w/ daylight savings checked. I'll try again when I drive it tomorrow.

The iGo nav system has its own time settings....you can set it to auto change the time based on location and daylight savings....set as needed to get the correct time displayed.