Bypass AVIC-Z2

[dimaj]

If I am not mistaken, there's a thread on how to get to the service window.

 

What you have to do is:

 

1. When +Battery and ACC are ON, push RESET and EJECT buttons simultaneously.

2. Release RESET button only.

3. When “password entry screen†is displayed, release EJECT button.

4. Enter the password.

5. When the password has been entered, press [ENTER] key (that's a 'T' button)

6. If the correct password has been entered, the test mode menu will be displayed.

* The password entry screen, as the one used in the previous model, is no longer displayed.

<< Password for the service >>

The password is [ (up)] [ (up)] [ (down)] [ (down)] [ENTER].

If 8 digits or more are entered and [ENTER] key is pressed, it will be treated as a password error.

 

Hope this helps!

 

dimaj

[rjedlich]

dimaj: That is pretty much verbatim from the AVIC-N3 Service Manual (except for the T equated to Enter) ... Problem is, how would one perform up/down inputs for password entry? I will experiment when I get home - perhaps up is top region of touchscreen...

 

In my haste I posted earlier about region code edit. I was wrong (problem with skim reading 350 pages). It will display the region code. The service screens are mostly test / diagnostic oriented. That said, the needle is somewhere in that haystack.

 

I believe with the service guide we can get a jump start on much of this. In the N3 service guide it does describe a bunch of configuration file names residing in "SRAM". That said, I am going to work with the assumption that the N3 and Z2 share much of the basic code framework - therefore, much of what's in the N3 guide should have a parallel in the Z2.

 

Tonight I will put the pdf up on my server so others here can read for ideas...

 

Cheers

[dimaj]

dimaj: That is pretty much verbatim from the AVIC-N3 Service Manual (except for the T equated to Enter) ... Problem is, how would one perform up/down inputs for password entry? I will experiment when I get home - perhaps up is top region of touchscreen...

 

In my haste I posted earlier about region code edit. I was wrong (problem with skim reading 350 pages). It will display the region code. The service screens are mostly test / diagnostic oriented. That said, the needle is somewhere in that haystack.

 

I believe with the service guide we can get a jump start on much of this. In the N3 service guide it does describe a bunch of configuration file names residing in "SRAM". That said, I am going to work with the assumption that the N3 and Z2 share much of the basic code framework - therefore, much of what's in the N3 guide should have a parallel in the Z2.

 

Tonight I will put the pdf up on my server so others here can read for ideas...

 

Cheers

 

if I am not mistaken Up = P. Up and Down = P.Down (those are the rightmost up/down keys)

I was able to get in before w/out any problems. The only problem was I didn't know what to look for in all those selections

[8AxleEd]

Be mindful that if you try to make it look like the European version by changing the region setting or something, that you need to ground the brake wire. At least that is what the European Z2 user said he had to do in order to bypass it.

 

Are you going to try to do the illumination grounding as well?

[mdyod]

i just wanted to Ditto What eramos70 stated!

[rjedlich]

No go on grounding illumination. I didn't test combinations - right now I still have brake grounded, vss connected, and the gps connected. So with that config and grounding the Illumination produced no results (reboot etc). Didnt have time to test getting into system screens - will try that tomorrow (tonight went into overtime running my Escalade factory rear dvd into the avic z2 - works well, but I either need additional shielding on video or a video booster cause signal split is poor...)

 

Cheers

[ducatiboy]

Grounding the illumination wire should not have an effect. If I remember correctly, that has a pull down normally and without any thing connected to that wire, it's normally pulled to ground. So when you turn on the headlights you apply 12V to that wire and it goes high. I think it's normal state with nothing connected at all is ground so adding ground to that wire should produce no results. But please explore any option like this, but if it doesn't work, don't kill yourself over not getting results.

[8AxleEd]

Grounding the illumination wire should not have an effect. If I remember correctly, that has a pull down normally and without any thing connected to that wire, it's normally pulled to ground. So when you turn on the headlights you apply 12V to that wire and it goes high. I think it's normal state with nothing connected at all is ground so adding ground to that wire should produce no results. But please explore any option like this, but if it doesn't work, don't kill yourself over not getting results.

 

Eh? I'm a bit confused here. The illumination is connected to the headlight switch? I thought it was connected to that dimmer that adjusts the brightness of the dashboard, so when the dash is set to be dimer or brighter, the Z2 controls also get dimmer or brighter. I guess the difference is that being connected to the headlight switch is just two states. I thought this one was either a pulse width modulation, or a DC level. Please understand that I don't actually have an AVIC-Z2 yet and have not installed one - I made this assumption because the steering wheel controls output the illumination/dimmer as a signal to the headunit.

[rjedlich]

8axled: I actually made that same exact assumption when first doing my install (mind you, don't work on car electronics much). Then I realized the factory GM Illumination is a binary. The configuration of Z2 allows for 2 states - night (Hi+) and day (Lo-) with corresponding color setup...

 

Thanks Ducatiboy, I couldn't put that advanced string of thought together myself. I figured its hot (+12) or null (no charge / no ground). So in my mind I figured there could be 3 states: +12, -12, Zero... (Hi, Lo, Null) Guess I gotta brush upon my engineering textbooks Poor wire harness now has many crimp connector patches Time for a breadbox back there...

 

Cheers

[SPORK]

I don't know if anyone has tried this yet, but has anyone tried to load the avic z1 bluetooth update disk into the z2. It updated the bypass for the pre July z1 units maybe it will do the same for the z2. (sorry if this was already mentioned but just throwing some ideas out)

[ducatiboy]

Eh? I'm a bit confused here. The illumination is connected to the headlight switch? I thought it was connected to that dimmer that adjusts the brightness of the dashboard, so when the dash is set to be dimer or brighter, the Z2 controls also get dimmer or brighter. I guess the difference is that being connected to the headlight switch is just two states. I thought this one was either a pulse width modulation, or a DC level. Please understand that I don't actually have an AVIC-Z2 yet and have not installed one - I made this assumption because the steering wheel controls output the illumination/dimmer as a signal to the headunit.

 

 

8axled: I actually made that same exact assumption when first doing my install (mind you, don't work on car electronics much). Then I realized the factory GM Illumination is a binary. The configuration of Z2 allows for 2 states - night (Hi+) and day (Lo-) with corresponding color setup...

 

rjedlich, is right. The Z2 and Z1 only have 2 different states. Night and Day. And it watches the illumination wire. This wire can function in 3 different ways.

 

1. 0V day (lights are off) and 12V night (lights are on) - depending on where you tap in, there is a wire that functions like this in every car.

 

2. 0V day (lights are off) and variable DC voltage night (lights are on and this is the dimmer/brightness of the interior) - not very common any more, the circuitry for this to drive the interior bulbs is large, and energy wasting (you get a lot of heat from something like this).

 

3. 0V day (lights are off) and an Pulse width modulation Night - when you turn on the headlights, the interior lights are dimmed by turning them on and off 1000 times per second, the longer they are on vs off the brighter they will appear and the time this takes is too quick for humans to perceive a flicker.

 

I know the Avic Z will work off 1 or 3. I never tried 2. I would not assume it would work. My circuit I made for the Z1's would work off any of these, but I don't know the internal of the Z2 to know if it would react to a DC voltage level lower than 12V. Which is why they say to hook it to ILLUMINATION not DIMMER.

 

Thanks Ducatiboy, I couldn't put that advanced string of thought together myself. I figured its hot (+12) or null (no charge / no ground). So in my mind I figured there could be 3 states: +12, -12, Zero... (Hi, Lo, Null) Guess I gotta brush upon my engineering textbooks Poor wire harness now has many crimp connector patches Time for a breadbox back there...

 

No problem, they usually take a resistor and pull the input wire to a known state they want. high +12V or low/ground (0V). Then the wire you hook this to would have 2 states, high and low. If the input wire is normally pulled low (in the case of the illumination wire, notice that if you don't even hook that wire up it assumes day mode/lights off/wire at 0V) and you hook it to something that's normally low/ground/0v it won't change anything. In the case of the ILL wire, you have to apply voltage to it (maybe +12, maybe it would work off of something lower, I never tried) to get the Avic Z to see the change and do something.

 

 

I don't know if anyone has tried this yet, but has anyone tried to load the avic z1 bluetooth update disk into the z2. It updated the bypass for the pre July z1 units maybe it will do the same for the z2. (sorry if this was already mentioned but just throwing some ideas out)

 

Yah, I think it has. I don't think it will take the update. The update is for the Z1. We have tried taking those files and loading it manually and the Z2 won't boot. If you take every single file from the Z1 and put it into the Z2 and over write all the files, it will turn into a Z1 and be bypassed like a Z1. But it seems to have checks for "appropriate files" upon boot or they changed the software so that the files that called upon boot which were from the Z1 are missing a function call or something which causes a failure. I'm still believing there is a file in there some where we can change to enable the bypass.

[apitzu]

Hey guys I was at a local car audio store today and they told me they were able to bypass on the z2 by using "the PTR-7 a universal trigger piece." I'm not sure if they just didn't know what they were talking about or this was something that wasn't an option. Sorry if this has already been mentioned or if I am totally off base on what you're trying to do.

 

Here is a link to the item they were showing me: http://www.discountcarstereo.com/detail.aspx?ID=596

[05Stang-GT]

You could use those for the early Z1's...won't work for the Z2

[rjedlich]

Damn illumination wire... Somehow when I was testing "grounding" the ILL I must have grounded the vehicle side of ILL, thereby blowing the fuse DOH. Last night driving home from Mothers house I realized I had no dash lights. Ugh, fixed it late last night trying to hunt down the offending fuse! Back to drawing board on bypass ideas...

[rjedlich]

Just ordered a Z2 service guide, though the item is stated as backordered... Hopefully I will get that soon - guess will see... Until I get that, I am stymied...