nkosi

Wireless CarPlay?

As I stated I am still testing in lab environment since I am still waiting for some parts (XM tuner, custom install parts) to come in before I rip the car apart (BMW X5).

 

I plugged it in and using an FM antenna rigged from a Home theater receiver antenna. I didnt think it was going to work but I was surprised.

 

Anyway as for the HD tuner I was a little dissappointed in a few items. First is the freq/station does not appear in the list of presets even after storing them. Regular AM and FM shows them on the preset list. I hope the sound quality substantially higher otherwise I will go back to not using the HD tuner. IF HD is plugged in the AM/FM is disabled.

 

Second is the unit will disable the AM and FM options in the AV source screen. HD radio is in the second screen so an additional touch is needed. I wish pioneer removed the AM and FM options from the screen if the HD radio is detected. I tried antenna splitter but the options are still disabled.

 

I have not tested sound quality since I am currently still using spare home theater speakers.

fe342185: What year BMW X5 do you have? I would like to install my f90bt in a 2007 BMW X5, but I don't see how I can do it. No space for a double DIN unit.

I sensed some demand for a forum for the DNX units, so I created one here: http://www.kenwoodforums.com

 

I'm not trying to detract from avic411 at all--this site is amazing, and will always continue to be the leader for avic information. But I've seen several posts about the lack of a forum for the kenwoods, so I thought I'd throw one up. It's pretty basic for now, but as the user base grows, I'll customize it more.

 

As an aside, I still haven't received my DNX9140, but I will post a review on here when I get it.

 

Dave

Dodgeboy,

Let me be the first to thank you Great idea !! Look forward to your post and reviews.

Thanks for the post. Very informative. Have you been able to find a sight/forum dedicated to the Kenwood DNX? That would be the cherry on top, to have a user community as good as the AVIC community.

Yea, over the next hour I will be recording two vids, one for audio source voice recognition and the second will be the nav voice recognition features. I hope to get them uploaded tonight but they take a while to upload, stay tuned, I will post the links as soon as Im done. Also, there does seem to be some minor bugs with the unit and I will be pointing them out in the vids. Nothing to real bad though, certainly not as bad as the F series pre 2.0.

Stop teasing us

can you plz post your youtube link and intsall pics and review? I been searching EVERYWHERE fora review :@

 

This thing is expensive.. $1799 USD.... thats like 2k CDN.. my god.

Amazon.com currently has it listed for $1,447.

http://www.amazon.com/Kenwood-Excelon-D ... 260&sr=8-1

Just picked up my unit today. Had a chance to play with it in the store and it is AWESOME. The voice recognition works very well. I will be posting a detailed review as soon as I get it installed and will also be posting videos as well. Stay tuned.

Please share your pictures and installation experience as soon as you can. Thank you. Also can you tell us which store you were able to play around with it? I wouldn't mind checking it out as well.

So far, not a single issue. GPS works great, IPhone control is excellent.

 

Tranfserred contacts, no problem

 

AM reception, is OK, FM is great

 

CD is great

 

Bootup time is about 20 seconds

 

I heard people complaining about the voice control, but so far this one has been perfect, especially on IPod. It will actually understand "play album Billboard hot 100 singles of 1998". so far, almost NO misinterpretations - bulletproof.

Sometimes I suspect, pioneer is contributing to this forum.

The f90bt is not worth getting. As soon as the Kenwood DNX9140 comes out I'm going to scrape up the funds and pick me up one. The unit is amazing.

 

the f90bt had a lot of potential and initially I thought I made the right choice. I would soon live to regret that decision.

 

F90 can be has for $550 now and DNx9140 will be $1500+

 

I do think that a piece of equipment should do what it states in can do, but for a $1,000 difference, you can't really compare the two, apples and oranges.

Bopper,

You need to check your numbers, the MSRP for AVIC F90BT is $1200, while the Kenwood DNX9140 is listed at $2000. A price difference of $800. When the Kenwood's actual price settles to a lower level just like the Pioneer has, then the real price difference will be much lower. Although, I suspect it will never drop to as low as the F90BT has. This is because the Kenwood won't have to stoop to giving away their product.

The f90bt is not worth getting. As soon as the Kenwood DNX9140 comes out I'm going to scrape up the funds and pick me up one. The unit is amazing.

 

the f90bt had a lot of potential and initially I thought I made the right choice. I would soon live to regret that decision.

 

 

F90 can be has for $550 now and DNx9140 will be $1500+

I know how much the F90BT cost because I own one, but excuse me if I miss your point. Are you suggesting that the F90BT is worth getting because it is cheaper?

My real question to you is, which would you rather have, something that is cheaper but doesn't work (aka brick), or something that works but cost more? The answer for me is a simple one.

I just installed the F90BT in a 2004 Lincoln Navigator with XM Radio (GEX-P920XM) and HD Radio (GEX-P10HD). Has anyone figured out how to show the station name, frequency, or anything in the preset list? Pioneer claims it is not compatible with thin head-end, but the station data appears on the detail screen, just not on the preset list.

Second question, is there any way to expand the phone contacts download beyond 400?

 

Otherwise, very happy so far!

The preset labels you speak of are non existent. Call pioneer about this one and you will get a nonsensical answer as to why it technologically can't be accomplished. I think whoever they have doing their software engineering is amateurish at best, brain dead at worst.

The f90bt is not worth getting. As soon as the Kenwood DNX9140 comes out I'm going to scrape up the funds and pick me up one. The unit is amazing.

the f90bt had a lot of potential and initially I thought I made the right choice. I would soon live to regret that decision.

This is not a fair comparison at all, apples to apples please!!!

lol !!

Well do you think that Pioneer will have something out this spring to rival the new Kenwood?

Has anyone checked out the spec's of Kenwood's new HU? It's scheduled to come out in May '09. The spec's makes me salivate I currently have the F90BT, but I'm very disappointed in it. It has everything the F90BT has but more (e.g Dolby 5.1) and unlike the F90BT I bet it will work out the box without the need for tremendous hacking. Not saying I don't enjoy hacking, I just don't enjoy hacking to make advertised features work The MSRP is a bit on the pricey side ($2000), but so was the F90BT when it was first announced.

General Features

• 2DIN 6.98†Wide VGA TFT Active Matrix Display with Reverse Tilt™ Mechanism

• Built-in Advanced Garmin® Navigation With USA, Canada, PR, Alaska, Hawaii Mapping

• Built-In Bluetooth by Parrot®

• Advanced Speech Recognition

• MSN Direct / TMC Traffic Ready

• Built-In 5.1 DSP With Digital Time Alignment & 13-Band Parametric EQ

• 24-Bit Digital-To-Analog Converter

• DVD-Video / DiVX Playback

• iPhone/iPod Audio Video USB Direct Control With Alphabet Search

• Multi-Language GUI Menu

• Variable Colour Illumination

• Selectable Wallpapers & Customizable Backgrounds

• SAT Ready (Requires CA-SR20V + Sirius SC-C1 Tuner or KCA-XM100V + XM Mini Tuner)

• HD Radio Ready

• Triple 5.0 Volt Pre-outs

• 2 x USB Inputs, 2 x AV Inputs, 1 x Rear Camera Input, 1 x AV Output,

• 2 x External Switches For Relay Control Outputs for garage doors, lighting, trunk, etc.

• Firmware upgradeable for latest firmware versions)

• 2-Year Warranty

Wide VGA Monitor

The flagship DNX9140 features a high-quality touchscreen Wide VGA monitor featuring over 1.152 million pixels. With outstanding brightness, response time and improved viewing angle, this monitor is sure to impress any viewer! Features include:

• Three Selectable Wallpapers

• Customizable Backgrounds (Up to three by USB upload)

• Multi-Language GUI Menu

Built-In Advanced Navigation - Guidance by Garmin®

This integrated advanced navi system guides you everywhere with ease and is beautifully displayed on a large 6.98†screen. All functions are intuitively controlled by touchscreen menus and voice guidance works over the vehicle’s speaker system. There is no need to swap map discs since it comes with a built-in full-memory Garmin Navigation board that features maps of Canada, continental USA, Hawaii and Alaska. New navigation functions include:

• Roadside Assistance

• Phone Number Search / Call (Using BT)

• Brand Icon

• Gas Mileage Analysis

• Vehicle Maintenance

• Mileage Tracker

Built-In Bluetooth - Powered by Parrot®

The built-in Bluetooth hands-free system enables easy, safe cellular phone communications from the car. Features include:

• High-quality noise cancelling microphone

• Register Up To 5 Bluetooth phones

• Holds up to 1000 phone numbers per registered phone

• Supports Auto Phonebook Download

• Supports A2DP Wireless Music Streaming

• Supports Voice Recognition Dialing

• Supports incoming/outgoing short-message service (SMS)

• Not all features work on all phones

• Bluetooth firmware upgradeable (go to www.kenwood.com/cs/ce for latest firmware version)

iPhone/iPod Audio Video USB Direct Control

Kenwood Multimedia receivers connect seamlessly with most iPods and the new iPhone 3G featuring audio video playback via a KCA-iP301V iPod Audio Video USB Direct Cable. Features include:

• Alphabet Search

• Supports Album Art

• Supports Audio & Video Content Including Content Purchased From iTunes With DRM

• Supports Up To 12Mbps transfer speeds

• Powers and Charges Compatible iPhone/iPods

• Compatible models include:

• iPhone 3G

• Touch

• iPod Classic

• iPod Video (5th/6th Gen)

• iPod Nano (1st/2nd/3rd Gen)

• Must update iPhone/iPod using iTunes for the latest Apple firmware

Advanced Speech Recognition (Voice Control)

Only available on the flagship Excelon DNX9140 receiver, Voice Control gives you hands-free control over most your system by using only your voice! Voice Control supports six languages (English, French, German, Dutch, Spanish & Italian) and can perform the following detailed functions:

• Source Selection

• Basic Operation For Each Source

• Volume Adjustment

• iPod / USB / DVD Source Content Selection

• Sirius / XM Source Channel Search

Reverse Tiltâ„¢ Mechanism

Depending on the vehicle, in-car monitors are installed in a variety of heights and angles, and this sometimes results in reduced visibility due to reflected glare from sunlight. Kenwood’s solution is the exclusive Reverse Tilt™ mechanism: in addition to the traditional tilt mechanism that allows the bottom of the monitor to be tilted forward over 5 positions, Reverse Tilt™ also allows the top of the monitor to tilt forward to eliminate reflected glare.

Built-In Sirius Satellite Protocol

Kenwood Multimedia products offer more value by including a Sirius SSP interface. By simply adding a Kenwood CA-SR20V adapter cable, you can connect a Sirius SC-C1C tuner or a SC-VDOC1 car dock cradle for your portable Sirius tuner.

As an example here is a link to a battery holder I purchased from Radio Shack.

Battery Holder

http://www.radioshack.com/product/index ... Id=2062251

Interesting site, but not very useful. I would need to order 1200 of some of these parts to place an order.

 

Any chance of getting some simple pictures of the batteries, battery holder, diodes, capacitor, etc? That would make it super easy to put this thing together.

 

If somebody can get me a good working parts list I'll build one on a bench and make a video or picture How-to for the site.

 

 

Steve

This site is pretty useful for ordering electronic components. You can order them in any quantity. The larger the quantity the better the discount. Just be careful not to order any component that is not stocked as the delivery time could take as long as 5 weeks.

www.newark.com

If you don't want to order online then you can walk into your neighborhood Radio Shack and pick up all necessary components or similar.

I have a Leisure Battery fitted in my van and would like to be able to turn my F900bt on while I'm stationary and without the key in the ignition..

This is mainly so I don't drain the starter battery. Plus if I camp over night in it and watch a movie etc.

 

Is there any way I could wire the leisure Battery to it with a switch so that I could turn it on any time??

I know this would be easy if I just wanted it wired to the Leisure Battery, but I still require it to be wired as is. (Coming on and off with the ignition)

 

Cheers... Digs.

I would use a relay and a switch that you can then use to manually switch between the 2 power source.

if you're not concerned with the power surge that may occur during cranking, why not just change the acc line? instead of using the acc wire in the stock harness, just run a line to the vehicles ignition line? ign remains powered while cranking..

 

I tried this myself at one point but found out that the +12V constant also experience a dip during cranking.

 

if your voltage is dipping that low during crank, you might want to get your electrical system checked.. starters draw a fair amount of current, but it shouldn't be enough to dip things that low unless you've got a bad cell or two in your battery.

The allowable voltage range for the Pioneer is 10.8V to 15.1V. Considering I have a 12V battery that only allows me a drop of 1.2V during cranking, quite tight. I think the problem is this tight tolerance not the electrical system in my car. If it is the electrical system in my car then it is highly contagious since several members in this forum are also reporting this problem.

Nonetheless, I've resolved this issue with the circuitry posted in this thread. My comments were only intended to be helpful to the starter of this thread not to start this debate all over again.

Joe's circuit looks very interesting, but I think the voltage drop caused by a Schottkydiode still is about 0,4-0,5V and that would result in some watts of heat when the F900BT needs some power. I also don't like the idea of having a additional battery located somewhere under the instrument panel. - It can cause a shortage or run out, two things that are not very funny in a car.

 

@paQ: I think a lot of new cars (especially the ones with a CAN BUS or something similar) here in Europe switch off the headlights during the engine start, my Opel Corsa does this too.

 

I think I have to measure the permanent voltage at the F900BT during the engine start, but maybe it is also affected by switching off the power.

It is not necessary to locate the battery under the instrument panel. I chose to locate it under the Door sill. This made it easily accessible in the event I needed to perform any future service.

Regarding the issue of the battery "running out", this circuit uses a NiCD rechargeable battery that is charged only when the car is running. So it is pretty maintenance free.

Finally the issue of short circuit can be easily over come by placing an inline fuse in the positive of the NiCD battery. In fact for safety I highly recommend this addition.

Finally I'd like to add that Joe's circuit works pretty well. I implemented it and have not had any trouble with it to date.

I considered using a Capacitor before using Joe's solution but realized that the size of the capacitor would be too large as to be feasible solution.

I think this is a car-related issue.

My car does not interrupt the battery power during starting. (SAAB)

All functions (headlamps / radio included) continue functioning.

The starter on my car, and I suspect most cars, causes the battery voltage to dip during the cranking process. The voltage then recovers once the alternator kicks in. It is during this dipping that the voltage falls to an unacceptable level for the HU.

if you're not concerned with the power surge that may occur during cranking, why not just change the acc line? instead of using the acc wire in the stock harness, just run a line to the vehicles ignition line? ign remains powered while cranking..

I tried this myself at one point but found out that the +12V constant also experience a dip during cranking.

I've done this, but a capacitor is not enough. I had to add a NiCd battery pack. Some transistors were also required. Another member on here has done the same mod and reported that it worked well for them too.

I'm one of those members that Joe shared his solution with, and as Joe said it worked out great for me. Picked up all the parts from Radio Shack.

Since it's Joe's solution I'll leave him to post the details.

Hi,

 

i will buy an f500 and crack it for IGO( and my country map. Please suggest me an SD card for this unit. Brand, type, and capacity

 

thank you

I have this unit. It is a 32GB unit costing $87 USD.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001PED7HS

Hey I didnt read thru this entire thread so I dont know if its been said already, but I asked my parents, who both have programming degrees and they told me that the top number possible in an 8 bit system is 255, not 256. I just tried this in the hack and went 60 miles an hour with no messages and all features availiable so I guess that they are right. I hope this is helpful, since I know I didnt want to have a top speed of around 80MPH

 

~RossGo

Interestingly enough I used 256 and that also worked.

For some reason my XM drops connection when driving under bridges (short overpasses on the highway), and even some road signs and sometimes even when there is nothing over my car. Do i maybe have a bad antenna, or is there some sort of diagnostics screen on the avic for XM? This is really bothersome and a bit ridiculous IMO. I could understand sitting under a bridge or in a garage, but when there is nothing around me? c'mon.

Can you share with us where you have the XM antenna mounted? I find the lower the antenna is to the ground, the greater likelihood there is for signal loss.

As a test perhaps you should attach your antenna to the roof of the car and see if your problem goes away. If it does then you know what your problem is.

Regarding diagnostic screen for the XM radio. I'm afraid I haven't seen one.