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Newbies EU/UK F900 guide to upgrade, Testmode & more!


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Hello,

 

I have owned the AVIC-F900BT for little over 1 month and although found this forum very useful, found the clarity of the instructions given too poor for new users of the Europe / UK region. I hope you find the below easy to follow to get your European / UK AVIC-F900BT up-to-date and install two very common modifications.

 

I am not in any way responsible for any damage to your AVIC during or after following the steps below. They have been provided in good faith that you are competent enough to follow instructions correctly and I have had no issues with my own AVIC thus far.

 

This is what you are going to achieve by following the instructions below:

 

* Getting into the Windows CE operating system using "Testmode" for older and newer firmware versions;

 

* Updating your firmware to the latest Europe / UK version, 2.009000;

 

* Removing the "beep" sound (every time you touch the screen outside of the Navigator / Map function);

 

* Adding a quick 'cancel route' function when you press the compass in the Map function.

 

 

Before you begin, check what firmware version your AVIC is currently running. To do this, press the MENU hardware button, then press 'Settings' at the bottom right corner of the display followed by pressing 'System Settings'. In this screen press 'About' or the last square option that appears in the list.

 

Testmode

This word has been widely adopted by AVIC owners to describe the process in getting onto the Windows CE operating system that runs in the background during normal AVIC operation; all of the AVIC features and displays run over the top of the operating system.

 

1.

To get into Testmode you will need a blank SD card that is formatted in the FAT file system with a capacity of at least 64MB. The files needed for Testmode are different depending on the firmware version you're on; the two versions I've tested with successful results are described below. You'll also need a stylus to interact with Windows CE once you're in as the resolution is very high and the buttons very small.

 

Firmware version 1.900000 (might work on earlier versions too) - download Testmode version 2.0 here.

 

Users of version 2.0 will need to change the line "Area: UC" to "Area: EW" in the file named "MapDBInfo.txt" in the following path of the above download: \MiTACAP\APL2\iGo\content

 

Firmware version 2.009000 - download Testmode version 2.3 here.

 

2.

For users of Testmode version 2.0 you must copy both the folders "MiTACAP" and "Testmode" to the root of your blank SD card (don't create any other files or folders!).

 

For users of Testmode version 2.3 you only need to copy the one folder "testmode" to the root of your blank SD card (don't create any other files or folders!).

 

3.

Get into your vehicle, insert the SD card into the front of your AVIC before turning on the ignition.

Your splash screen will appear, then flicker off as if it was rebooting and appear again for about 30 seconds.

The next screen you'll see is your Windows CE desktop, complete with a 'Start menu' and 'taskbar' running along the foot of the screen!

 

Note: Using Testmode version 2.0 you are likely to be shown a Windows dialogue box in front of the desktop. Simply use your stylus to press the X to exit the box and get to the desktop.

 

Updating EU firmware to latest official version

 

The official latest version of your AVIC firmware for Europe / UK is 2.009000 and can be downloaded from the official Pioneer website here.

View update release notes and other information direct from Pioneer here.

 

1.

You will need a blank SD card that is formatted in the FAT file system with a capacity of at least 256MB.

 

2.

Extract all files and folders from the ZIP file of the 2.009000 update. You should only find a folder named "LPUE080".

 

3.

Copy that single folder "LPUE080" to the root of your blank SD card.

 

4.

Take the SD card with you into your vehicle, insert the SD card into the slot on the front of the AVIC unit and start your engine (updating can take a while and you don't want to flatten your battery!).

 

5.

The update screen doesn't look great but it does tell you the progress - give it time and do not cut power to the AVIC during the update as you'll probably damage the installation and have a non-functioning

brick'd unit!

 

6.

When you're told the update has successfully completed, follow the instructions or turn off your engine.

 

7.

Remove the SD card and start the ignition - wait for the system to finish starting up and notice everything is working fine (phew!).

 

You can check that you're now using version 2.009000 the same way you checked at the start of this article.

 

Removing the "beep"

 

Most owners of the AVIC system would say how annoying the beep is everytime you touch the screen. It was the first thing I searched the menus for but to my horror found you could only toggle it off in the Navigator / Map areas!

 

This is how you get rid of the "beep" sounds throughout the AVIC interface.

 

1.

Download the sample silent WAV file from here.

 

2.

Create four copies of this file and rename them as follows:

PSG1Hi.wav

PSG1Low.wav

PSG2Hi.wav

PSG2Low.wav

 

You should now have four files with different names but play a silent sound in your computer's media player.

 

3.

Copy these files to a blank SD card (a 64MB one will suffice) but make sure you still have another SD card with a valid Testmode installation as described above.

 

4.

Get into your vehicle, slot the Testmode SD card into the front of the AVIC system and switch on the ignition.

 

5.

After booting into Windows CE, replace the Testmode SD card with the other one holding your wav sound files. Use your stylus to open the 'My Computer' area and open the 'SD Card' area to view the wav sound files.

 

6.

Copy all four of the files and paste them to the following directory on your 'Flash Disk':

\DATA\SOUNDS

Note: Before you paste the silent wav sound files, you may want to backup the original files. These are the ones that play the "beep".

 

7.

Remove the SD card and turn the ignition off then back on again. Let the AVIC system's interface finish loading up and press the screen - no more horrible beeps! :D

 

Adding a quick 'cancel route' function

In the Navigator / Map function you will see a compass vertically central on the right-hand side of the display. Pressing it appears to do nothing.

When you want to cancel a route that you've previously set, you have to go through far too many screens and confirmations before it cancels - a pain while you're trying to concentrate on driving!

 

Wouldn't it be nice to press the compass and after just one confirmation dialogue box your current route would be cancelled? Follow these steps and you can!

 

WARNING! You really are going to be messing with the guts of your AVIC system now. It would be wise to make a full backup of your system by copying the folder you're going to modify to a blank SD card before you begin.

 

1.

Get into your vehicle, slot the Testmode SD card into the front of the AVIC system and switch on the ignition.

 

2.

Use Windows Explorer to browse the 'Flash Disk' and the following folder:

..\APL2\iGo

 

3.

Copy the whole ZIP folder named "data.zip" to a SD card with at least 10MB of free space.

 

4.

Back on your PC, extract the contents of the "data.zip" file to another folder for you to work from.

 

5.

Find the folder "ui_pioneer" and open it. Then go to the following folder:

..\800_480\ui

 

6.

Take a copy of the file named "navigatemap_800_480.ui" and paste it to another location where you can work from.

 

7.

On the file you've just pasted right-click and open with Notepad.

 

8.

Use the 'Find' function in Notepad to find the following line of code:

aviccompass1.jpg

 

9.

Put a ";" (without the quotes) at the front of the above indicated line of code. This means that the line will be kept but ignored.

 

10.

Next, copy bitman's code on the very next line under this ignored line as illustrated below.

 

This is the code you need to copy:

 

 

aviccompass2.jpg

 

11.

Save the file ensuring it is named "navigatemap_800_480.ui".

 

12.

Copy this file into the folder where you got the original:

..\ui_pioneer\800_480\ui

 

You can overwrite the existing file as you have already made a backup copy haven't you?!

 

13.

Now you need to reverse the process of extracting the "data.zip" contents. Simply compress all of the folders you extracted from step 4 making sure you name the compressed folder "data.zip".

 

14.

Copy this compressed folder to your SD card and take with you to your vehicle.

 

15.

Slot the Testmode SD card into the front of the AVIC system and switch on the ignition.

 

16.

After Windows CE has completed loading up and you're looking at the desktop, remove the Testmode SD card and replace with the SD card with your modified "data.zip" file.

 

17.

Copy the "data.zip" file from your SD card and paste in the following location on your 'Flash Disk':

..\APL2\iGo

 

You can overwrite the existing file as you have already made a backup copy haven't you?! 8)

 

18.

Exit the Explorer back to the desktop, remove your SD card and restart the system (ignition off then on again).

 

YOU'RE DONE!

 

 

==============

Thanks to dericn and FourG for uploading the Testmode files.

Thanks to Stephanie for the information on disabling the "beep" sounds and uploading the sample WAV file.

Thanks to bitman for the information on setting a quick 'cancel route' function.

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Hi, well i opened a topic to ask if there are members who upgradeded their maps and firmware on the F700BT but havent got any usefull replies. think i will just buy the update.... Its all expensive enough but the outdated card are driving me mad.....

 

nice post thouhg, im sure lost of f900 owners will find it usefull

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  • 7 months later...
Tried the route delete portion. Everything seemed fine except it would never get past the System Startup Please wait message. I noticed the Data.zip file I recreated was 11+Megs vs. the original at 5+Megs. Replaced with the backup data.zip (5Meg) I made and all is good again. Could it be my zip program?

 

Either your ZIP program, or you have zipped something wrong. New DATA/ZIP's folder structure should look exactly like the original.

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