Working on CO_VP2

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Working on CO_VP2

Hiddenvision

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Hello Fiat lovers,
Firstly thanks for allowing me to register.


Not 100% sure where to post this so the Mods can move or remove this as required.


I have been asked to look at a Fiat250 VP2 DAB NAV head unit.
Seems stuck on a Peugeot Splash screen and does little else.
It has come from a Fiat, but not 100% sure what model.

I have had a good read around and seen some firmware files and other info but not found any info on fixing this type of issue.

I have had a probe around and found a couple of debug outputs.
One for SPI bus and another more general but not tried to talk back to the radio yet. See attached files for Radio boots.

So I am wondering if there is any info on a console connection out there.
Or perhaps someone has some other tips to shake some life into this radio.
Perhaps even a NAND dump so I can try and reflash that way if it comes to it.


I have made a USB cable and tried to connect a thumb drive with flash files but nothing prompted on the display and it would seem that the power out of the socket is not active at this point, it could be my wiring or just that the radio has not got to that stage of booting yet, who knows such things.!


Obviously I do not have the vehicle with me so hard to check things in its native environment but I figure it should come on enough if only to tell me I need a code or something. I do have access to the car but it is miles away so not an easy option at this stage.


I will continue to probe around and see what I can discover.


So just some basic questions.
Can the radio normally be powered on the bench?
Does anyone know the correct pinouts of the USB socket?
Is the radio stuck on the boot logo a recognised and fixable issue?


Attached is two files of a single boot until the radio turned off.
 

Attachments

  • RadioBoot.pdf
    1.5 MB · Views: 116
  • RadioBoot_SPI.pdf
    422.5 KB · Views: 105
Welcome to the forum :)

It would help to know what vehicle it came from, but if I had to guess (given the PSA connection) it's likely to be a Ducato/Boxer/Relay.
Depending on what generation, it may need a CANBUS connection to fully boot, so perhaps that's where the issue lies? I'm not an in-car entertainment specialist by any stretch, just basing this off of what I've read on here over the last 12 years :p
 
Hey Ek,
You are right it was a 66 plate Boxer.
I just noticed the reg number written on the lid so looked it up.


Well I could simulate the can bus, but I think it never worked in the van either so not sure it is that, unless the bus in the van has gone wonky too.


As normal I never get the full story from customers but I think it may need a visit to the vehicle so I can get a clearer picture I guess.


I did a repair on an older continental unit from a VW a while back and that powered up fine and I was able to update and control the unit without a car but times may have changed.

Someone on the forum must have worked on one of these on the bench, No?


Cheers for the reply either way, it gives another angle to look for.
 
Even though the Ducato is one of a joint venture with PSA, I would still expect a Fiat radio to show a Fiat intro screen.

Here's a thought.
It came from a Peugeot. But why for sale? Original vehicle written off, or unit broken, but for sale anyway.
Fiat owner bought it as an upgrade, for either the DAB or the Nav. Being Peugeot originated, it might not accept the Fiat canbus, even with the correct code.

As you say, owner will not tell full story, but still expect you to fix. I would have expected it to fire up on the bench though, so I'm still guessing it is broken, before this owner bought it.
 
Hi Bill,
No the radio is original fit, not used or 2nd hand.
I suspect that one of the mechanics has tried to do an update with incorrect information and screwed it, but that is just a guess. Normally things are faulty as a result of jet washing or other madness but no water in this unit, but that does not rule out other things IN the vehicle having gotten a soaking. Although they do not do it as often as they used to.

It is an annoying unit when in bits so it is all back together now and I shall take a trip to try it in the vehicle and see what happens.

At the same time I can do a bit of snooping on the can bus and capture some of the messages so I can, if required, try and fool it a little if it gets back on the bench. I can also check the USB wiring and see if I have the data pair reversed. Doubt I will ever see another unit but nice to discover things just in case.

Is there anyone in North London with the right software to plug in and do anything while the radio is in the vehicle?

Hv.
 
Hi Bill,
No the radio is original fit, not used or 2nd hand.
I suspect that one of the mechanics has tried to do an update with incorrect information and screwed it, but that is just a guess.
Is there anyone in North London with the right software to plug in and do anything while the radio is in the vehicle?
Hv.


Do you mean to reboot the CANBUS

or the units ?
 
Do you mean to reboot the CANBUS

or the units ?



Hi Varesecrazy,
Well I guess either.
I have loads of OBD software but never anything for Italian makes.


However I now understand that it is not a Fiat Boxer but a Peugeot Boxer.
Shows how much I need to understand what I am working on.
So the Boot logo is correct I guess given the make of the car.

On discussing with the customer I find the van is quite new for them and they do not know if the unit was ever working so accurate history is hard to find. They buy and sell vehicles so do not always check everything. I still suspect that it was a firmware update fail so perhaps when it is back in the vehicle I can just try and insert USB stick and see what happens.

Hv.
 
Hi Chris,
Cheers for those links,
Thank (insert religious idol) for google translate.

But I read all of the 734 posts (74 pages) and did not find anyone with the same issue. But did see one that said the radio recovered from blank screen just by having the update stick in the slot.

So I guess I need to find out exactly where the Van is and take a trip to view it in person. Don't like doing mobile work as I always forget to take something but seems like it is the last option on the list.




Hv.


https://www.fiatforum.com/500l/455993-uconnect-5-firmware-update-13-00-74-00-a-4.html?p=4532246

https://forum.clubalfa.it/threads/uconnect-5-aggiornamento-software-firmware.113860/page-3



Theres people talking about software update for the units on here
Perhaps ask if they know about any sort of recovery system for the units
 
Well, no good news.
I popped down to try the unit in the van and it did exactly the same. (not much)


Still found that the USB socket did not have 5v power.
Tried to connect a thumb drive and also an iPhone.
So that may be an underlying issue that is stopping the radio booting.
Power is controlled by a smart IC that does all the charge management for iPhone /smartphones although that seems to be getting the correct signals internally.


So I will have another look tonight and then I think it is replacement radio time.


Anyone have one want to sell for a fair price.??
Perhaps even just a working Main board as the front panel/display seems to be working.


Any advice on if a Fiat or other make of unit will drop in to the slot and work .? Guessing it will need the lock code and perhaps some OBD work to keep the car happy with a new device but I am in the dark with that side of things.


Hv.
 
Last edited:
As my friend had sold the van it was decided to simply replace the head unit to keep the new customer happy. I still have the faulty unit and will no doubt keep looking at it from time to time.

Thanks for all the help offered.
Hv.
 
Just to finalise this thread, I finally repaired the unit that was stuck on the boot logo. Managed to read the firmware from a working unit and flashed it into the duff one. Followed with a normal update the radio is now in a van and working peachy. Now I have another unit that the DAB is failing.

Just to also confirm that the radios DO need communication on the CAN bus to fully boot although without CAN they will normally prompt with "Code Error -- Please wait". To get past that screen you need to inject CAN messages or connect to a vehicle. So I am back on the trail of researching the CAN bus so I can get this unit fully powered on the bench.

Anyway, that wraps it up for that original unit, with luck won't see it again.

If anyone has this problem of radio not booting I can assist in fixing now I have the tools.

If anyone has further info on getting these VP2 units to fully boot out of a vehicle I need to talk to you.

Hv.
 
Just to finalise this thread, I finally repaired the unit that was stuck on the boot logo. Managed to read the firmware from a working unit and flashed it into the duff one. Followed with a normal update the radio is now in a van and working peachy. Now I have another unit that the DAB is failing.

Just to also confirm that the radios DO need communication on the CAN bus to fully boot although without CAN they will normally prompt with "Code Error -- Please wait". To get past that screen you need to inject CAN messages or connect to a vehicle. So I am back on the trail of researching the CAN bus so I can get this unit fully powered on the bench.

Anyway, that wraps it up for that original unit, with luck won't see it again.

If anyone has this problem of radio not booting I can assist in fixing now I have the tools.

If anyone has further info on getting these VP2 units to fully boot out of a vehicle I need to talk to you.

Hv.
Hello HV
I have the same "stuck on boot logo" issue as many others. It is an Alfa Romeo Giulietta from 2014. I think, but can't confirm yet, that it is a VP2 with the NAND flash corrupted or degraded. I can replace the flash, and I have the supposed firmwares for the system, but... It is necessary to have a dump to write to the new flash and after flash the updated firmware? I can try to read the original flash, but there are some post that says that there are bad blocks to remove prior to use the dump, etc... Any thoughts?
 
Hello HV
I have the same "stuck on boot logo" issue as many others. It is an Alfa Romeo Giulietta from 2014. I think, but can't confirm yet, that it is a VP2 with the NAND flash corrupted or degraded. I can replace the flash, and I have the supposed firmwares for the system, but... It is necessary to have a dump to write to the new flash and after flash the updated firmware? I can try to read the original flash, but there are some post that says that there are bad blocks to remove prior to use the dump, etc... Any thoughts?
Yes, if you are lucky you can simply reprogram the original NAND chip with fresh firmware file and then reflash the unit via USB once working but the NAND chips suffer from bad blocks and if the firmware image rests in a bad area then quite often the unit will freeze before loading. Just so you know even BRAND NEW Nand memory can have bad blocks. Reflashing via USB with a working unit will study the bad block table and write firmware to suit most of the time but you need a working radio first. I have not seen enough radios to excite me to looking further at the option of hacking the official bootloader and reprogramming the Nand onboard with bad block detection.
 
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