TV Free for PC on RNS-E

Shall we start?

Ich wuerde gerne einen PC an den Video Eingang des Audi Navigation Plus RNS-E anschliessen. Ich bin gerade dabei eine funktionieren Grafikkarte zu suchen, die auch den RGB Eingang richtig ansteuern kann. Danach wird aber das Problem auftauchen, dass der Video Eingang ab 5km/h abgeschaltet wird, was die Benutzung des PC etwas erschwert. In VAG-COM gibt es eine Funktion 'Security Access' deren Code ich inzwischen heraus gefunden habe. However, I don't know how to activate the unlocking feature afterwards.

If anyone else is working on this topic, maybe we can exchange ideas. Since I live in the US, there might be differences between the European and North American versions of the RNS-E software, but that just makes it more interesting.

Regards,
Dirk.

Hi, I just bought an A3 8P and I want to install an RNS E unit and then integrate my car PC from my old car into it. I know that there's a hardware module required to unlock it, which addresses the CAN bus speed issue or blocks it. However, I suspect that it might also be possible to disable it through software. Therefore, I'm also interested in knowing more about this.

The hardware modules I've seen so far all have the disadvantage that the speed signal is completely filtered out, which makes the navigation very inaccurate. If there were a module that didn't have this drawback, it would be an acceptable option. Otherwise, there are several providers in Germany who can unlock the RNS-E via OBD/VAG-COM. So, it is possible, but the question is how...

GPS-based navigation systems are designed to determine the position solely through GPS, and therefore query the GPS data much more frequently. If the RNS-E system does not receive a speed signal, it becomes very inaccurate, and the position is only updated every 1-5 minutes. Therefore, it's not really a viable option.

'When the speed signal is present, the pointer on the navigation device moves approximately every 1-2 seconds, regardless of how fast you are driving. If the signal is missing, it is updated much less frequently, roughly every 1-5 minutes, and this is independent of the speed.'

The speed signal should be re-enabled when using the auto-navigation feature. This way, there shouldn't be any issues with the original navigation system. However, once you turn it on and it runs in the background, you can connect a PC and use navigation software with a separate GPS mouse. These programs are now almost as good, if not better, than the built-in navigation systems.

Okay, so I retrofitted the RNS-E system in my A3 8L. Initially, I did it without the speed signal. The navigation took a little while to get started, but then it updated the position using GPS alone, and the update frequency was about every 1-2 seconds, just like it would have been with the speed signal.
Now I've also got the speed signal working, and I've already encoded the wheel size. The only thing I've noticed is that before, when using GPS, the navigation system would sometimes jump between two streets that were very close together. Now it doesn't do that anymore.

As far as I know, there are only two ways to exceed the TV-Free speed limit of over 5 km/h. Either you can trick the navigation system into thinking you're not moving, which has the disadvantage of poor or no navigation, or you can unlock the navigation by increasing the speed limit (the default is 5 km/h). Unfortunately, if you do this through the diagnostic interface, you need a login code that nobody will provide. This would allow anyone to unlock it themselves. Alternatively, there are companies online that offer this unlocking service. I found one company on their website that offers it for €100. The box used to trick the system isn't cheaper either, and unlocking via diagnostics doesn't have any drawbacks when using the navigation.

If anyone knows more about this, I've managed to find the security access code for the Euro 0100 software through trial and error. This should also work for other software versions, but it may take up to three weeks. This is the only number that VAG-COM accepts in this field. Unfortunately, even with this code, it's not possible to set channel 005 to 255. So, there are probably still other prerequisites that I am not yet aware of.

If anyone has had their device unlocked and owns a VAG-COM interface, I would be happy to contribute to the unlocking costs if they could provide me with some details about their unlocked device. This way, we might be able to figure out how the unlocking process works. For example, I would be interested in a complete listing of all values for channels in control module 37/56 so that we can compare what has been changed.

I don't think you can do much with the channels themselves. It would be more interesting to have the EEPROM content of an unlocked navigation system. So, read out the EEPROM, then unlock it, read it out again, and compare the two dumps. If a value in channel 5 must be 255, then somewhere you will need to change a value from FF. However, I haven't had time to read out the navigation system yet. I also don't know which EEPROM is used in the RNS-E so far, but I don't think it will be a problem; after all, it's not the first device I've read out (just the first navigation system).'Has anyone perhaps taken apart the navigation system before and can tell me which type of EEPROM is used?'

Tell me what the EEPROM might be, and I'll tell you what's written on it:

I sent you the link to the images via private message. I couldn't find a quick way to upload them here.
What I suspected, I have marked.

The chip on the top side, labeled C1, is marked as follows:
3793-7
0505
344

On the bottom sheet, in cell C4:
LVDS1
4 AM.
C9E7

The two connectors described in section B2 are 14-pin and labeled as follows:
VHC
T04A
507
and
VHC
T08A
505

Regards,
Dirk.

Okay, so none of the options mentioned are an EEPROM. But I've now opened up my navigation device. On the back of the device, there's a circuit board. The EEPROM chip, specifically the 9346, is located on that board. I'm going to try reading it out. I'll let you know if I find anything else.

Unfortunately, I haven't had any success while trying to read the data .

'First of all, I got my hopes up too soon. The designation '9346' unfortunately doesn't refer to the EEPROM '93c46'. I then disassembled my navigation system further and found the EEPROM '24c16'. Reading it hasn't worked flawlessly so far. I'm also not sure if there's anything useful on it, as I found the names of radio stations there.'

If anyone has had their device unlocked and owns a VAG-COM interface, I would be happy to contribute to the unlocking costs if they could provide me with some details about their unlocked device. This way, we might be able to figure out how the unlocking process works. For example, I would be interested in a complete listing of all values for channels in control module 37/56 so that we can compare what has been changed.

Hi,

I've also been able to access it for a while now through a software unlock.
I'm interested. I think your idea is really great!
The prices for unlocking devices are also decreasing; previously, they were around €250, but now, near me (in Stuttgart), they're around €70-€80.
Wer würde sich außer mir an einer solchen Aktion beteiligen??
If we have enough people, it's worth trying even for just a few euros, right? And then we can figure out how to unlock/access the navigation system for those who want it.

Regards,
Christoph.

Hello everyone, I will definitely have my RNS-E unlocked for the A6 within the next month. I don't think reading the data from control units 37/56 will reveal anything new. It would be more important to document the unlocking process.

Best regards, MiniDisc.