Interest in a fully integrated A2DP Bluetooth solution?

[Zerocool818]

I recently watched the VinWiki episode on this

When did you pre-order? I have 50 units going out to them tomorrow -- they're sitting just behind me right now .

Thanks!
-Ted

erm like a month ago? I have a feeling none of those are going to be mine LOL

Tylers a cool guy, And the event really made everyone socialize because they didn't allow us to take our phones in at all, it was a weird experience having so many people and no one was texting or tweeting.

[Ghettobird52]

I recently watched the VinWiki episode on this

When did you pre-order? I have 50 units going out to them tomorrow -- they're sitting just behind me right now .

Thanks!
-Ted

What order numbers are going out?

[t3ddftw]

erm like a month ago? I have a feeling none of those are going to be mine LOL


Tylers a cool guy, And the event really made everyone socialize because they didn't allow us to take our phones in at all, it was a weird experience having so many people and no one was texting or tweeting.

You might still be in luck. You should know early next week

What order numbers are going out?

For ECS? No idea. I have a hard enough time asking them how many they have on backorder...


Hoovie's Garage video with the BlueBus is live (for those interested): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FfePBxpmAN8

[Ghettobird52]

You might still be in luck. You should know early next week







For ECS? No idea. I have a hard enough time asking them how many they have on backorder...


Hoovie's Garage video with the BlueBus is live (for those interested): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FfePBxpmAN8

I misread that post of yours. I thought you mean fifty of your personal sales. So that brings me to the next question...

If he preordered with ecs a month ago and those are being shipped to them... what’s the news with your personal sales? I ordered back in July.

[t3ddftw]

I misread that post of yours. I thought you mean fifty of your personal sales. So that brings me to the next question...

If he preordered with ecs a month ago and those are being shipped to them... what’s the news with your personal sales? I ordered back in July.

Those are here too .

I have 300 units in the house. If you ordered in July, you're probably near the top of the list.

The first shipments will be going out over the weekend.

Thanks!
-Ted

[Ghettobird52]

Those are here too .

I have 300 units in the house. If you ordered in July, you're probably near the top of the list.

The first shipments will be going out over the weekend.

Thanks!
-Ted

Awesome! This is great news. Christmas is coming early!

[nmlss2006]

Ted, will new orders get the 'updated' HW?
Out of curiosity - how will the Bluebus coexist with SES? I have one E38 with and one without.

[t3ddftw]

Ted, will new orders get the 'updated' HW?
Out of curiosity - how will the Bluebus coexist with SES? I have one E38 with and one without.

I'm still undecided because I haven't done extensive testing (I have an updated one in my own car, and that's it).

The BlueBus would just not react to a long press of the talking head button if you had an SES on the bus.

Thanks!
-Ted

[nmlss2006]

Understood, thank you.
Isn't that currently tied to calling up Google assistant / Siri though? That is to say, when SES isn't there.

[t3ddftw]

Understood, thank you.
Isn't that currently tied to calling up Google assistant / Siri though? That is to say, when SES isn't there.

That's correct, but you can't have both, so by keeping the SES I make the presumption that you don't use a voice assitant.

Thanks!
-Ted

[Frankie]

In case this helps:

SES was the central voice controller for telephone, nav, and voice memos (notepad). Its primary function was to bring voice control to navigation (telephone control units [TCU/ULF] have their own voice controllers, which are overridden with SES). Given that Mk4 navs are now out-of-date since 2015, and given that most people use phone-based nav, this leaves in-dash nav obsolete taking SES along with it.

BlueBus does the telephone stuff (currently, sans onscreen displays). And no one uses voice memos (because few people know about it).

To make matters worse, the SES module is not as durable as other BMW electronics (in my experience) and by now, most SES modules have failed. Mine has. This makes me sad, because I liked my SES features. I would guess less than 25% are still functional and, long-term, would constitute a very small percentage of BlueBus customers.

The good news is that SES can be easily removed and bypassed with the SES jumper plug (p/n 84-11-0-018-038) for about $15. Then, to retain telephone audio, it's necessary to jumper pins 11 and 14 in the black phone plug under the center armrest.

If I understand correctly, to gain telephone features, BlueBus can connect at the SES plug without the jumper, and even without jumpering pins 11/14! (BT streaming routes thru the CD changer plug separately.) So requiring users to remove their SES to connect using its plug shouldn't be too much to ask.

[archieafroz]

In case this helps:

SES was the central voice controller for telephone, nav, and voice memos (notepad). Its primary function was to bring voice control to navigation (telephone control units [TCU/ULF] have their own voice controllers, which are overridden with SES). Given that Mk4 navs are now out-of-date since 2015, and given that most people use phone-based nav, this leaves in-dash nav obsolete taking SES along with it.

BlueBus does the telephone stuff (currently, sans onscreen displays). And no one uses voice memos (because few people know about it).

To make matters worse, the SES module is not as durable as other BMW electronics (in my experience) and by now, most SES modules have failed. Mine has. This makes me sad, because I liked my SES features. I would guess less than 25% are still functional and, long-term, would constitute a very small percentage of BlueBus customers.

The good news is that SES can be easily removed and bypassed with the SES jumper plug (p/n 84-11-0-018-038) for about $15. Then, to retain telephone audio, it's necessary to jumper pins 11 and 14 in the black phone plug under the center armrest.

If I understand correctly, to gain telephone features, BlueBus can connect at the SES plug without the jumper, and even without jumpering pins 11/14! (BT streaming routes thru the CD changer plug separately.) So requiring users to remove their SES to connect using its plug shouldn't be too much to ask.

Thanks for this great information Frankie.

Archie

[Ghettobird52]

I didnt want to hijack this thread about a question i had on finding the correct connections in the trunk. Here is my thread, any help is greatly appreciated!

https://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/s...s-installation!

[nmlss2006]

Frankie, fair points all. My MK III/IVs have been on OBC display mode for... quite a while now.
So remove the SES it is.

[Ghettobird52]

Sorry if this was stated somewhere, I tried searching, but where can I find the newest version of the 'hex code' for the BlueBus. I am trying to update my unit before installing it this Wednesday and I cant seem to find where I can download it at. Thanks all!

[Thresher]

Sorry if this was stated somewhere, I tried searching, but where can I find the newest version of the 'hex code' for the BlueBus. I am trying to update my unit before installing it this Wednesday and I cant seem to find where I can download it at. Thanks all!

First, I highly recommend permanently installing a USB cable on your BlueBus that can connect to a laptop. This will allow you to bring a laptop to the trunk of your car and apply firmware updates there without having to go through the hassle of disconnecting the navigation unit and opening the left rear side compartment to get at your BlueBus.

Firmware updates are here: https://github.com/tedsalmon/BlueBus...eases/firmware

However, the latest firmware is not listed there! I see firmware only up to 1.1.6 there.

Ted - Github shows you were working on version 1.1.16 recently; can you put your latest firmware release on GitHub? That would help those of us that don't have a development environment for BlueBus to stay up-to-date.

[Thresher]

If I understand correctly, to gain telephone features, BlueBus can connect at the SES plug without the jumper, and even without jumpering pins 11/14! (BT streaming routes thru the CD changer plug separately.) So requiring users to remove their SES to connect using its plug shouldn't be too much to ask.

My BlueBus installation uses the SES connector plug. No fiddling around with having to jumper pins. It just works.

[Ghettobird52]

First, I highly recommend permanently installing a USB cable on your BlueBus that can connect to a laptop. This will allow you to bring a laptop to the trunk of your car and apply firmware updates there without having to go through the hassle of disconnecting the navigation unit and opening the left rear side compartment to get at your BlueBus.

Firmware updates are here: https://github.com/tedsalmon/BlueBus...eases/firmware

However, the latest firmware is not listed there! I see firmware only up to 1.1.6 there.

Ted - Github shows you were working on version 1.1.16 recently; can you put your latest firmware release on GitHub? That would help those of us that don't have a development environment for BlueBus to stay up-to-date.

Thanks for the response! So then do I just right click, save link as? Then that hex file is the one I update onto the BlueBus unit?

Good idea on permanently installing a usb cable. Will that cause any issues/pull extra load with a cable always plugged in?

[Ghettobird52]

I believe I found the most updated firmware: https://t3ddftw.s3.us-east-2.amazona...s_1_1_16_5.hex

I sourced it from here https://github.com/tedsalmon/BlueBus/issues/43 . Ted posted it about two hours ago. Is that the hex file i would 'right click, then save link as' and then update my BlueBus unit with that Hex file?

[Thresher]

I believe I found the most updated firmware: https://t3ddftw.s3.us-east-2.amazona...s_1_1_16_5.hex

I sourced it from here https://github.com/tedsalmon/BlueBus/issues/43 . Ted posted it about two hours ago. Is that the hex file i would 'right click, then save link as' and then update my BlueBus unit with that Hex file?

Yes, that is a firmware file. Be careful though; while that version may be perfectly fine, Ted may be making some changes to assist with tracking down an issue. Ted usually responds quick, you could email him (support email address listed on bluebus.dev web site), or he may respond here.

If Ted suggests that version is good enough for everyone and is not an interim release to help track down a problem, then I will also upgrade. I think my firmware is at 1.1.14 right now.

[Thresher]

Thanks for the response! So then do I just right click, save link as? Then that hex file is the one I update onto the BlueBus unit?

Good idea on permanently installing a usb cable. Will that cause any issues/pull extra load with a cable always plugged in?

Yes, just save to file system. The bootloader utility will use that to update a BlueBus that has been connected.

The cable is fine to leave attached. Just attach a USB cable and leave it there. It will be fine. Just forward of the left rear compartment panel is a panel that has some air vents in it. Route the cable through there.

I believe it is just a USB 2.0 connector on the BlueBus, so no need for a USB 3 cable. I ended up using a USB cable I had for an old BlackBerry phone. Here is my setup:

20201108_205703b.jpg

[Ghettobird52]

Yes, that is a firmware file. Be careful though; while that version may be perfectly fine, Ted may be making some changes to assist with tracking down an issue. Ted usually responds quick, you could email him (support email address listed on bluebus.dev web site), or he may respond here.

If Ted suggests that version is good enough for everyone and is not an interim release to help track down a problem, then I will also upgrade. I think my firmware is at 1.1.14 right now.

Very true. I will wait off until he responds.

Yes, just save to file system. The bootloader utility will use that to update a BlueBus that has been connected.

The cable is fine to leave attached. Just attach a USB cable and leave it there. It will be fine. Just forward of the left rear compartment panel is a panel that has some air vents in it. Route the cable through there.

I believe it is just a USB 2.0 connector on the BlueBus, so no need for a USB 3 cable. I ended up using a USB cable I had for an old BlackBerry phone. Here is my setup:

20201108_205703b.jpg

Ok sweet sounds good. Nice I like how you got that! How long of a cable was it that you used? I'm thinking like 32-36"?

[Thresher]

Nice I like how you got that! How long of a cable was it that you used? I'm thinking like 32-36"?

It is fairly short; probably between 2 and 3 feet would be my guess. Definitely not a 6 foot cable. The cable comes out the top air vent, and the excess cable is tucked back into the middle air vent. I let the USB-A connector just hang there. Groceries or whatever else I bring home from HD or Lowes never bothers it.

[Ghettobird52]

It is fairly short; probably between 2 and 3 feet would be my guess. Definitely not a 6 foot cable. The cable comes out the top air vent, and the excess cable is tucked back into the middle air vent. I let the USB-A connector just hang there. Groceries or whatever else I bring home from HD or Lowes never bothers it.

Got it, thanks!

Well Ted is responding on his Github but not here.... Also I think Ted is trying to make it hard to upgrade the firmware. the e46 m3 fellas are asking for the same thing and he just doesnt respond...

https://nam3forum.com/forums/forum/m...olution/page36

Also, no one responds from the bluebus dev email. Ive tried multiple times over the past 6 months.

[archieafroz]

Got it, thanks!

Well Ted is responding on his Github but not here.... Also I think Ted is trying to make it hard to upgrade the firmware. the e46 m3 fellas are asking for the same thing and he just doesnt respond...

https://nam3forum.com/forums/forum/m...olution/page36

Also, no one responds from the bluebus dev email. Ive tried multiple times over the past 6 months.

I understand your frustration but I believe and have read it previously that it's a one man operation. He usually responds pretty quickly from what I have seen in the past. Give him sometime. He will definitely get back to this thread.

Archie