What’s on the other end of the 40 pin connector?

[lesguy]

2003 540 with DSP/no nav. About to install a Chinese brand head unit that starts with an E and ends with a N. The install instruction seem to indicate that I need to locate a 40 pin connector in the trunk somewhere. I clearly see the 40 pin connector behind the dash for the stock business cd headunit, but the extended harness I have from the E company has the 40 pin on the end (of their harness) that routes to the trunk. The other end of their harness has the plug that connects to their head unit.

Anyone been through this before?

[edjack]

Ask the vendor, or root around in the trunk, by the rear of the wheel rump.

If it's not a Dynavin, good luck, and Godspeed.

[99Bimmer540]

Look on driver side trunk panel. Thats were the 6 disk changer sits.

Sent from my A571VL using Tapatalk

[geargrinder]

brand head unit that starts with an E and ends with a N.

LOL. So you're clearly familiar with the reputation / status of that company and are "OK" taking your chances... nuf said...

Look on driver side trunk panel. Thats were the 6 disk changer sits.

Right. Amps and CD changer are both on left rear side in the back.

I clearly see the 40 pin connector behind the dash for the stock business cd headunit, but the extended harness I have from the E company has the 40 pin on the end (of their harness) that routes to the trunk. The other end of their harness has the plug that connects to their head unit.

Odd that they want you to route all the way back to the trunk like that. That's usually only done for interfaces that pretend to be the CD changer. Do they have separate instructions / harnesses for DSP vs non-DSP? That's somewhat important as the car will have different wiring depending on which it was equipped with. The non-DSP has a 'normal' 4 corner channels of audio that are sent to the rear amp, while the DSP only sends 2 channels of audio to the rear, and then handles the creation of the 4 corners through the DSP logic.

[99Bimmer540]

That I really don't know. Lol

Sent from my A571VL using Tapatalk

[schatzy62]

From the E company website:
ga7201-note.png
This states that "only" if the plugs behind the radio look like the top picture then you will need the 40 Pin 5M extension cable.

But it also shows on their website that a short 40 pin cable is included to connect to the 40 connector in the dash.
GA7201-last (1).png

So is it possible that your system is "not" DSP?

put up a picture of the OEM head unit so we can see what options it has.

Good Luck

[geargrinder]

Schatzo nailed it. The blue/white plug setup is for a Nav equipped car whereby the Nav brain is back in the trunk therefore you use the 5M cable to connect to it. For a non-NAV car you should be using the shorty cable up front. Forget the trunk cable.

However - item 2 - the DSP might still be a problem. DSP cars w/ aftermarket heads often have to fake out the DSP amp by taking the old radio/MID and leaving it plugged in but hidden (often in the glovebox). Thats a real abomination mess in my mind but I guess it works. I'm too lazy to go to Eonooneon website and try to determine if they have a 'true' DSP integration method but I'm gonna guess not. AFAIK Dynavin has true DSP integration (well at least limited proper DSP integration so that it can turn on the DSP amp and not require you to hide the original radio/MID in the car someplace still connected.

If your car is NOT DSP then you're gonna be fine. If it is... might be problems.

[lesguy]

Thanks all
yes, I did research, and realize the risk with the unit starting with "E" and ending with "N" (the name is censored from this forum). So yes, aware of the risks, but the money back guarantee for 60 days and the purchase via credit card reduced some concern. And yes, I did engage the vendor and sent them detailed pics of my head unit, the DSP logo on my head unit (And I do have the jazz/concert, etc, all working), and the connector for my stock Business CD head unit. Their reply was that I needed the cable, and needed to retain the Business CD so that the DSP amp would be powered. They indicated that the Business CD would be relocated to the back by the amp, and connected with the additional long cable that I purchased for like $70 extra. however, the box came with the shorty cable as well.

Either way, I'll pull out the rear carpet this evening and look around for the connector back there. But bottom line it appears the retaining the business CD in the "loop" is key to keeping the stock DSP amp working, as its needed. Plan is to move the MID to the glove (fairly easy, will need to extend the 5 wires that connect to the Mid, and the MID fits almost perfectly into the backside of the glove box area) and to have the business CD fit into the vacant slot in the metal bracket right on top of the amp. Perfect fit in there.

We'll see. So far Ive cut nothing so absolute worst case, if this doesnt test right..it all goes back and stock goes back in

[lesguy]

Thanks for your email and your great support.
Since you car has DSP system, you need to use factory RADIO TUNNER to active DSP.
Please check if you can find 40PIN connection in the trunk. If no, you need to order extended wire harness A0579.

If you have any question, please feel free to contact us, thanks.

Best regards
Tina

***************************************


Above from "tina" (giggle) is why I added the cable to the order

- - - Updated - - -

Oh, and this reply as well

**********************

Nice day.
Thanks for your email and your great support.
From the picture of the dash, it can fit our unit.
Please kindly check if there is 40 pin connector in the trunk.
If no, you can install the unit via the extended Installation Wiring Harness A0579.
You can install it as follow way:
1.Please power off the car and connect the wire of 12PIN with the MID.

2.Please connect the GA8201 with the extended wire A0579. There are four ports on the extended wire.
A, 17pin Female
B, 17pin Male
C, 40pin Female
D, 40pin Male
Please connect the port “C” with the radio of the original car and connect the port “D” with the connector 40PIN of your original car.

3.Please also connect with the CANBUS.

4.Please start the power supply. Turn the MID volume on. (MID is controlling the AMP in the trunk)

5.If the sound comes out, please unfasten the extended wire, track it through the radio of the original car to the tail of the car and then fix it. Please put the MID in the glove box before the passenger seat. Thanks!

Hope that can help you.

[geargrinder]

I think they have a clear case of cranio-rectal insertion and you're seeing why their name is banned here.

Again - the 5M cable is for Nav cars not DSP cars. Those email show "Tina" confusing what the extension is for. The extension is for if your 40pin IS in the trunk, so you have to reach back there to get to it. If the 40pin is in the FRONT you do NOT need the cable. Opposite of what they are saying.

CANBUS won't do crap for the headunit on these cars. Not one iota of audio related functionality is on the CANBUS in these cars. Its on the K / I bus system (some cars have both some just have K). More evidence that they are morons.

Dude these people are clowns and they don't have any idea how these cars are wired, that's why they are banned... If you insist on pushing forward:
1. Look for threads on how to move your Radio/MID to the glovebox or the trunk. They are out there. E53 guys have same issue BTW.
2. Forget about the damn trunk extension thing. Use the shorty. It obviously fits.

BTW know because this is a hack workaround (unlike Dynavin) that to front/rear fade or individual L/R balance you'll have to use the MID that's in the glovebox or wahtever, you won't be able to do that on the EONONONENXONE

[schatzy62]

CANBUS won't do crap for the headunit on these cars. Not one iota of audio related functionality is on the CANBUS in these cars. Its on the K / I bus system (some cars have both some just have K). More evidence that they are morons.

Although not truly CANBUS they provide a "module" to connect to the car to allow steering wheel control.

But of course I agree that IF they really knew what they were talking about they would use the correct wording so as to not confuse people.

[lesguy]

So did some testing, and figured out their issue. It all works if the extended cable was configured properly. And yes, the small module they supply enables the steering wheel buttons to still work fine.

However, As GG pretty much nails, the issue is that they have their cabling wrong for DSP/no Nav cars.

The extended cable is needed, because the shorty doesnt have a connector that keeps the original Business CD unit in the loop, so to speak. And w/o the Business CD unit being connected to the car, the stock amp will not work.
The long extended cable DOES have the right connections, but the connector that goes to the 40 pin needs to be on the same end of the extended cable as the small connector that connects the E0n0n head unit to the cars wiring. So the end result would be one end of the cable being a Y config with one end of the Y connecting to the E0n0n head unit and the other end of the Y being a connector that goes to the 40 pin connector behind the dashboard.

The other end of the length of the extended cable would have the connector that connects to the original Business CD. The business CD could then easily be installed in the bracket that houses the amp behind the cover in the trunk.

The MID would easily relocate to the glove box.

But no...they dont have the cable configured that way.

Soo..I'll find out if they have a different, appropriate cable for the DSP but no Nav E39's. If not...back she goes.

[schatzy62]

What you are saying makes total sense to me. The NonDSP and DSP cars without NAV have the radio built into the CD/Tape player in the dash. Where cars with NAV have the radio module located in the back of the car with or with out DSP.

Good luck.

[schatzy62]

Just remembered this.


Supposedly AVIN is coming out with a DSP-PDC-OBC compatible unit. The AVANT 3. but it is not available until November at the earliest.


https://avinusa.com/avant-3-for-bmw-...on-system.html


It is as expensive or slightly more than the Dynavin but it is the latest Android Version and from the sound of the reports I am hearing it will be fully PLUG & PLAY for DSP cars e39, e38, e53. And the list of goodies below is only partial.


Only issue is the wait. Back in March they originally were saying April then June and now November so who know when it will really happen.


I won't be driving mine much this winter, dont want all the winter damage that come with New England weather after getting a bunch of body work and paint job. So i will wiat to see what happens with the AVIN unit.


Newest Android Version
Android Auto built in
Option for Apple CarPlay
Support for Valentine V1 Radar Detector displaying on the head unit so you can hide the radar detector
More RAM memory
More Internal storage
A lot better Bluetooth performance and features
A lot better radio tuner with the best reception
DAB+ support for Europe
More powerful amplifier for nice clean sound
4V RCA Preamp output
Better Wifi performance and range
4G LTE built in
Your head unit will be able to have its own phone number, make and receive calls without ever being connected to your mobile phone.
Support Tire Pressure Monitor System.
Digital TV ATSC and DVBT
Bluetooth OBD2 for Torque performance and diagnostic
and much more

[geargrinder]

Yeah. Steering wheel is on the I (or K ) bus.

If that module connects to the I bus but they call it a CANbus adapter it’s like calling a Bluetooth adapter a Wi-Fi adapter because oh they both are like radios and do stuff with computers.

[lesguy]

so the "E" brand was a no go. But seems like there are a ton of chinese companies using same basic Android OS and hardware, but with slightly different faces.
Seicane has a unit that supposedly IS plug and play even for DSP cars and doesnt require the OEM head unit to be connected. It has it's own amp built into the head unit, and allegedly the sound quality is very good (based on a few youtube reviews I;ve seen). I suspect its pretty much same as the unit referenced in #14

https://www.seicane.com/oem-in-dash-...mera-dab-s6902

[DennisCooper]

Hi Lesguy,

Seems you are intent on giving one of the generic, low quality cheap chinese unit's a go ! There's zero mention in that product page you've referenced to the unit supporting the BMW E39's DSP oem audio setup. Why wouldn't they mention it as a matter of priority in amongst all those 'features' it has? The Sound quality will be basic and generic like all the other cheap chinese head units, as they've not highlighted any audio grade electronics and IC's and every cheap chinese head unit has a built in (generic quality level) amplifier stage.

If you get this unit, please continue to post up on this thread or another one if you wish, about your experience with it and the "support" you get from 'Seicane'.

Good luck !

Cheers, Dennis!

[777300ER]

Any android headunit can have DSP compatibility now. No need for the MID in the glovebox because this can do all OBC functions too! You need an ibus interface: http://www.reslers.de/IBUS/ and the program to run it on your android headunit: http://www.ibus-app.de/english .

This has been proven to work on xtrons units but it should work on any android unit with a usb port. Good chance I will be getting rid of my dynavin and replacing it with an android unit. Really isn't worth the price at this point and I can get into the setup for cheaper than I will sell my dynavin for.

so the "E" brand was a no go. But seems like there are a ton of chinese companies using same basic Android OS and hardware, but with slightly different faces.

Seicane has a unit that supposedly IS plug and play even for DSP cars and doesnt require the OEM head unit to be connected. It has it's own amp built into the head unit, and allegedly the sound quality is very good (based on a few youtube reviews I;ve seen). I suspect its pretty much same as the unit referenced in #14

https://www.seicane.com/oem-in-dash-...mera-dab-s6902

Just FYI that is an E53 unit. They fit, but they will look like garbage as the top will be pushed in and the bottom edge will stick out.

[lesguy]

ahh, that lower left edge is what you are referring to?


- - - Updated - - -

fit here looks decent to me? Admittedly its the Xtron (which is minimal difference from most other chinese android units) but fit looks good to me?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YFbVh3SuUug&t=395s

[edjack]

Why screw around with anything but Dynavin, which is a proven product?

[lesguy]

Why screw around with anything but Dynavin, which is a proven product?

Simple: cost.

And with tons of developer support (custom ROM's, etc), and with the current versions of the cheaper units having quad and octacore processors, gigs of ram, and running an open source OS that's easily customizable (if the shipped version is subpar), all for less than half the price of a Dynavin one can have same features. (or very close to it) and fast performance. (Boot up, switching between apps, etc)

So for less than 50% of Dynavin, one can get this functionality:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z9ZEys5eSO4

and if buying via Amazon or via Ebay, decent amount of buyer protection against defective products