Just a quick update - after buying a hopelessly-overpriced Lightning plug-to-dock connector adapter ($50, genuine), I've plugged my iPhone 5 into the iPod connector. The head unit loads the track list faster than it does from the iPod, plus, when you tap a track name, it actually plays that track and not some other track from the list!

So it's faster and more reliable, and actually one of the best options for selecting tracks. The track list scrolls fairly well - all that's missing is a search facility. The iPhone doesn't have control while connected - it simply says 'Accessory connected'. BUT if I unplug the iPhone and then search/start a track in the music player - then connect the iPhone - that track carries on and the info appears on the head unit display.

Again, compared to the other options, quite good... for example, mounting an iPad in the car to store the music costs more, especially with the cost of a head unit as well. Though, I still don't have steering wheel controls.

I bought a Lightning dock online (Apple, bizarrely, don't sell one) - and I've mounted it under the armrest. I think that was the best place to fit it - the front of the console has too many odd shapes and there wasn't enough space under the (useless) ashtray. While the console was loosened, it was a good time to tighten the handbrake cable a bit (the lever didn't go down properly) but I've probably overcooked it, as now the lever is tough to pull

-Alex

Hello,

I need Can_bus_protocol.dll file.

Because my device model ANS810.

ANS810 for VW, Seat, Skoda.

I need Can_bus_protocol.dll file. Because steering wheel buttons not working.

Can you help me?

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?....114052585403175.18814.114047815403652&type=1

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10200895918658925

Ive been toying with the idea of swapping out the old.connect.nav unit. After reading the helpful and ecxellent review here im tempted to get one.
However i would love to make my own custom unit somehow.

Hi Alex, great review. I'm in the UK and was contemplating changing my standard unit in the 1.4 active sports for a dvd unit.
Your Chinese aftermarket unit looks aesthetically pleasing, but the glitches have left me really confused. Would it be advisable to get a decent sony/pioneer double din unit and compromise on the looks?
Lastly can you watch a movie, and does the system support apps?

Hello Alex...
First of all, excuse me for my poor english...I am from Brazil...hehe
I have an Stilo Abarth and also have this chinese unit.
I faced all issues that you related, but in the end...It´s a great unit.
the steering wheel control problem that we have, can be solved...I know a guy..who knows a guy..hehehe...that has and IR adaptor easy to configure and have the controls back. I saw it working
But...it´s little expansive about US$ 200.
If we buy more pieces we can get discount one it.
Are you in? I could send to you...

Gonna resurrect this thread!

I'm having the reverse cam problem with a chinese unit i bought for my bravo...

tried cutting the purple wire as AlexGS suggested but it didn't work... so i'm guessing the wiring is different

how much does this go for?

Stilettos: I don't know current pricing, I paid the equivalent of about £300 today.

I have to say, this unit has proved very reliable. The navigation is fast and very clear, the iPod player is good (although not perfect, it allows selection of playlists and tracks properly these days; we've been using it with an iPod Classic that we leave in the car). We figured out that if you have Shuffle enabled on the unit AND enabled on the iPod, then you can't select any tracks; you just get random results when you tap the screen. You need to turn shuffle OFF on the iPod before plugging into the unit The radio, with its RDS features, has been fine too. We've never used any of the other features.

Today was the first big problem I'd had with the unit - the navigation software would not run - and I'm happy to report that I was able to fix it

A few months ago (ok, maybe a year ago) I managed to update the map to a 2015 map, which was a huge improvement as we have many new roads that weren't on the 2008 map that it came with. I simply searched for 'igo8 nz map' and managed to download one, illegally or otherwise, then 'swapped out' the map files on the microSD card (by placing it in an adaptor and into my PC laptop), and this worked perfectly.

Then a week ago, and just after listing the Stilo for sale, the navigation stopped working with a message "Please set GPS file path". As you can imagine, it wasn't simply a matter of doing that. The system could no longer "see" the storage card - it would only browse to the Nandflash (internal memory) which is empty (with no clear way to copy anything to it).

A quick Internet search showed that I was not the first with this problem. Some folks had corrupted cards, others had broken ribbon cables. Some found only certain SD cards would work, such as "new ones". Odd, because the other microSD card reader slot reads the same card, but that slot is connected to the 'supermarket-quality DVD player' and is therefore useless; the WinCE operating system can't see it.

Anyway, I tried a new 8GB card, an old 8GB card, a really old 512MB card, and the original 4GB card, and the system didn't read any of them

Next I took it apart - it's horrible to take apart, very approximate construction with badly-fitting and delicate ribbon cables etc. I tried cleaning connections and swapping the bent-looking (broken?) ribbon cables around. (Does anyone remember the Sinclair Spectrum keyboard? But I digress :lol No difference but I spent hours trying, each time having to refit it to the car.

Eventually I decided to try resoldering the card reader PCBs to the front panel PCB. These have a very weak design where the tracks meet at 90 degrees and rely on solder to bridge a small gap. See picture below. There was no solder on the back of the card reader PCB, even though there could have been - I added some and that made the assembly much stronger.

Finally the storage card reappeared to the WinCE system and I was able to set the GPS file path unfortunately the screen was now over-bright and flickering :bang: but after another complete disassemble and reassemble, that was fixed too.

Somehow after the nine hours of stuffing around, I found the ten minutes of patience required to create an 800x480 .bmp (in Microsoft Paint) and put that on the card too - it's now the startup screen, so it finally has the correct logo and not the red FIAT logo that the Chinese provided that had been the most satisfying part of my day...

Cheers for reading and best wishes to anyone who might find this useful.
-Alex

oonline said:

Gonna resurrect this thread!

I'm having the reverse cam problem with a chinese unit i bought for my bravo...

tried cutting the purple wire as AlexGS suggested but it didn't work... so i'm guessing the wiring is different

Click to expand...

Have a look on the top of the unit for a sticker that describes all the pin assignments - hopefully there is a wire labelled 'reverse' or 'back up' which you can disconnect from the CAN bus decoder and consider attaching to the reverse light wiring. I always thought of doing the latter so that I could fit a camera - but I never got around to it (and it would have probably meant drilling a hole in the bumper).

-Alex

vinashabk said:

Hi Alex, great review. I'm in the UK and was contemplating changing my standard unit in the 1.4 active sports for a dvd unit.
Your Chinese aftermarket unit looks aesthetically pleasing, but the glitches have left me really confused. Would it be advisable to get a decent sony/pioneer double din unit and compromise on the looks?
Lastly can you watch a movie, and does the system support apps?

Click to expand...

My comments in https://www.fiatforum.com/stilo/318...ial-stilo-dvd-gps-stereo-china.html?p=3177155 (further back in this thread) still hold true

Real-world experience has proved this to work very well for the three things you actually want - radio, playing music off an iPod with a pleasant and reliable interface, and navigation (which is excellent). Put in a DVD and it will play that fine, too (only done that once to pass the time when caught in a closed-road situation).

All the other features (playing music off SD, USB, etc, photo slideshow, eBook reader) are pretty poor and we've never actually used or needed them. My partner has been the main driver of the Stilo on trips of several hours per week, and it really has worked out well. Tomorrow, our Stilo is likely to be sold - we will miss it. I think we just want it to go out on a high note.

I wonder if you still have a Stilo yourself?

-Alex

Interesting read, you obviously put a lot of time into this! Shame there are limited options for head units, mine has the original radio/cd player but replacement mountings to get a double din unit in there look hideous.