guruerror

Hello folks...I haven't been on the forum in a very long time. I originally had an AVIC Z2 in my truck which I swapped out to give the carpc route a try; I was looking for a more flexible system with more connectivity and media options: Internet, Hulu, YouTube, etc.

It was a nice, little diversion/hobby, but the signs on the wall indicate that the carpc niche is now slowly closing as the headunit manufacturers are starting to integrate their equipment more and more with our smartphones. They've basically caught-up to what I was originally trying to achieve with the carpc in the first place (with a lot less wires and headache). FINALLY!

Taking all of this into consideration, I figure it's time to stop being my own IT-support and treat myself to a more turnkey solution. The Z140BH and this Advanced App Mode is what's really been getting my attention as of late. I just can't wait to get my hand on that unit...

See ya around.

Can anyone confirm whether AppMode can be used to direct content to the 'video out' (second screen, zone, etc.) on the AVIC?

The amp resolved the issue.

Thank you very much Xartni!

Okay...after a little research I ordered an amp. I went with an XO Vision AMP-7X.

I'll be putting the unit in tomorrow and will post results afterwards.

Hopefully this will resolve the issue 'cause it was a real pain in the ass to rebuild that damn sunvisor.

I had a similar issue with my 05 H2. My problem was defintely the data bus interface, but I discovered this only after spending days of looking for 'ground loops' and trying to isolate the various components to detect the offending piece.

In the end I had to find a happy medium on the gain setting...that sweet spot where the radio still pumps the Bose speakers and I can still hear the OnStar, but could only detect the engine noise if I got down close to the speaker with no music playing.

When I tried to adjust the noise completely out the unit wasn't pushing the output enough for the Bose and I could barely hear OnStar and the door chime.

Do you know what kind of interface they installed? I used a Metra GMOS-04 (recommended by Cruthfield). I know that unit worked in the 07 Vettes, but maybe not 08. Regardless, you may be able to find a happy medium...hopefully, good luck.

You know what...I'll give it a try. I'll post back with my results.

Thanks.

But I'm not connecting 'multiple' displays to the Z2.

I have one 9.2 inch display connected directly to the AVIC's 'Rear Display' out. I would think the signal coming from the AVIC would be plenty strong to support video on a single display.

I also do not suspect the length of the composite cable would be contributing to signal loss since it is a rather short run...from the AVIC, up the passenger-side A-pillar, and into the sunvisor. The cable that came with the LCD makes the run perfectly and I had no need to extend it.

Okay tested my 'power draw' theory this afternoon...I connected the sunvisor LCD directly the battery terminals with a pair of jumper cables.

No luck. The screen still blacks-out intermittently during DVD playback (while the Z2 displays the video just fine.).

As mentioned in my earlier post the black-outs are not random and my testing today confirms that the external LCD will go black (for a second) when there is a flash or explosion in the video being watched...any scene where the image has a high volume of bright white (ie. camera flashes, explosions, space battle scenes with a lot of laser effects...basically anything that my son likes to watch while on a trip).

I was able to test two alternate panels as well; first, I had another panel (exactly the same as the unit that I installed), the spare unit exhibited the same problem when connected, so the unit itself is not defective.

Secondly, I tested a flat-panel from my house (15" Sharp, Aquos powered by AC). This unit also flashed briefly at the same scenes, however it was able to recover quicker than the sunvisor display (only black for a fraction of a second...where the sunvisor unit takes about a full second to resume display.)

So...I've ruled out:

1. DVD jitter

2. Power/ground-issue

3. Defective unit

I'm at a loss for what I'm missing...

Is there any way to adjust the signal properties of the Rear Display out on the Z2? It almost seems like these bright scenes are just a bit outside the external LCDs scanning range or something.

I'm drawing at straws at this point...

I've installed a 9.2 inch LCD panel in the passenger sunvisor of my H2. The unit is connected the my Z2 as the "Rear Display".

During DVD playback (whether in Mirror or DVD mode) the image on the sunvisor panel will occasionally go black for a second or two then pop back on. The image on the Z2 itself plays flawlessly and does not exhibit these black-outs.

One thing I've noticed today is that the black-outs are not random...they always occur at the same spot during playback. In other words, if a black-out occurs during a building explosion in a movie and I rewind the scene and play it again the black-out happens at the exact same spot in the film.

I'm going to continue work on troubleshooting this problem tomorrow, but thought I'd post tonight to see if anyone had input that may aid my efforts.

I'm leaning toward it being a 'power draw issue.' The panel's power and ground are jumpered directly off the Z2's power and ground. I'm thinking that perhaps the panel is not receiving the power necessary to handle some portions of the video image...or something...dunno.

Some things that may be worth mentioning are:

1. The problem occurs whether the vehicle is in motion, or setting still...engine running or engine off.

2. The 'blue' background that is displayed on the sunvisor when no input is detected NEVER blacks out.

I figured that sorta ruled out loose wiring or DVD jitter.

Any contructive input you guys can give me would be GREATLY appreciated.

Thanks!

I've checked both items you mentioned...they did not help.

The only two items that I can think may be causing the issue:

1. The connector (or a pin in the connector) on the back of the AVIC is loose. Maybe the ground for the Video In got pulled during the cable run. Once I find an alternate composite source to test I should be able to determine this.

2. It's some kind of 'ground issue'...how did you power your XBOX? I modded a carpc power supply so I could go DC to DC and jumped power and ground off of an accessory plug in the rear cargo area.

Hello.

I'm preparing to install an XBOX in my H2 with an AVIC-Z2.

I did an initial test connection yesterday using the XBOX's composite video cable to the Aux Video In on the back of the AVIC. The picture is VERY dark and VERY wavy at times.

Has anyone experienced similar issues using the Aux Video In on this unit...and if so, do you have suggestions on how to get the signal displaying properly.

NOTE: After connecting the XBOX to the AVIC and seeing the poor picture quality, I disconnected it and hooked the XBOX up to flat panel TV in my shop (using the exact same cables)...the image was clear on the flat panel. So that rules out any cable length/signal quality issues.

I haven't been able to test another video source yet...I don't have anything else in my house with composite out...that's my next troubleshooting step.

Any advise or direction would be greatly appreciated.

Okay...I think I've found these images.

I downloaded the latest firmware update and found what appear to be 'archive' files of some sort at the following location in the firmware archive file: Z2 firmware update\AVICZ1_HD1\APL\Menu

All the files are RFF and IMG files...if you open them in Notepad and scroll to the bottom you can find what appears to be a list of the files that the archive contains. The files MAY be the button images as a lot of them are BMP and GIF images...and there are A LOT them listed.

Now we just need to figure out how to open/extract RFF and IMG files.

NOTE: these IMG files are not compatible with MagicISO, UltraISO, etc., they appear to be a different type of IMG image.

Okay...I've unlocked the HD from my Z2 with 'high hopes' of being able to alter the appearence of the images used for all the interface buttons (play, pause, shuffle, etc.) to give them a cleaner look and get away from the bluish coloring.

To my dismay I am unable to find these images on any of the partitions...

Someone, somewhere please tell me they are just in some weird format and not part of the OS that is on the firmware.

I'm pretty handy in Photoshop...so I'd be willing to help folks design new buttons if we can figure out where they are and what format they are in.

Thanks in advance.

Has anyone tried imaging an unlocked hard drive to a solid-state flash drive like the Samsung 32GB IDE flash disk?

Given that one of the largest complaints regarding the Z-series is the delayed boot time a solid state hard drive may pep the unit up a bit.

I have access to a couple of these solid-state devices and am tempted to give it a whirl, but thought I'd post to get other's input...in the event that someone else has had the same thought.

Is it possible to use a factory GPS antenna with the Z series? My knowledge of GPS antennas is very limited, so I thought I'd post to get feedback from someone more knowledgeable.

I replaced my factory TNR800 in my Hummer with a Z2 and would have loved to use the factory installed GPS antenna. The plugs were different (obviously...one square, one round), but I was tempted to cut an splice the Pioneer end on my factory cable at the time of installation, but didn't...I decided to seek feedback here first.

Any input anyone may have would be appreciated.

Thanks.

I believe the recommendation to use the 'mute wire' was included to ensure that you have a solid connection to ground on the corner pin...and trust me, you need a 'solid connection'

The four corner pins have no metal connectors inside the plug. By pulling an un-used wire from another pin and inserting it in the corner location you get a nice solid connection for grounding.