my thoughts exactly

So: I have the service manual with electronic parts, etc - but I cannot really tell if there's any difference.

Is someone more knowledgeable to take a look?

P.S. I have an F900BT unit from US.

So: I have the service manual with electronic parts, etc - but I cannot really tell if there's any difference.

Is someone more knowledgeable to take a look?

 

P.S. I have an F900BT unit from US.

As I just posted in another thread (viewtopic.php?f=34&t=20996&p=155709#p155709) I've been looking through the service manual, and there doesn't seem to be any difference in the tuners. The service manual uses RDS/TMC/MSN Direct fairly interchangeably, so it seems it might be the same bits inside. The manual doesn't contain any schematics or block diagram of the Navigation board, which is where the TMC/RDS/MSND receiver lives, so without looking under the little cans on the board, it's hard to tell what they're using.

The only thing I could image is that they just leave out the specific components on the US version/board, also explaining in part the price difference....

You'd have to open up a US version to check....

I just checked the service manual for the Z3 / HD3 , and there they actually specify 2 different circuits for the Z3 and HD3.

Busses are the same, but number of connections used are different between the 2 versions.

I could image that they use differently programmed microcontrolers for the 2 versions....

Probably the same applies for the F-series....

I just checked the service manual of the F900 F90, and there is a (hardware) difference between the European and US versions of the unit.

The AV (Audio/Video) unit is different. For those with the manual, on page 24 you can see that the European and US versions use a diferent microcontroller....

So, it is not going to be possible to simply add RDS/TMC by means of a software update.....

Ah. Wasn't aware of the different versions of the actual unit and service manual. Looks like it'd be a bit harder than suspected, guys.

TMC and RDS could very well be.

It is the FM synth we are trying to get to run on different increments.

I still do can't believe that it is impossible to have on US models.

FM is FM. Within a frequency range you can take signals in (in the set increments)

Furthermore US models can have RDS signals when the HD tuner is connected.

TMC and RDS could very well be.

It is the FM synth we are trying to get to run on different increments.

I still do can't believe that it is impossible to have on US models.

FM is FM. Within a frequency range you can take signals in (in the set increments)

 

Furthermore US models can have RDS signals when the HD tuner is connected.

Tuner is controlled by the microcontroler I mentioned, so different increments is not going to happen

Re. RDS with HD tuner, of course that works because you do not use the internal tuner but an external tuner....

Right. Well the FM tuner would most likely work fine. The TMC/RDS/MSN chip is actually on the Navi board, which is separate from the AV board, where the FM tuner lives. The AV board contains the FM tuner and an amplifier for the TMC/RDS/MSN, which is then sent up to the Navi board with a coaxial cable.

Right. Well the FM tuner would most likely work fine. The TMC/RDS/MSN chip is actually on the Navi board, which is separate from the AV board, where the FM tuner lives. The AV board contains the FM tuner and an amplifier for the TMC/RDS/MSN, which is then sent up to the Navi board with a coaxial cable.

Yes, but the whole business is controlled by a microcontroller (IC610), which is different for the 2 versions....

(different embedded ROM programs)

Ohhh.. I didn't see the two different part numbers listed for it. Possible there's different roms in there or something, then..

Ohhh.. I didn't see the two different part numbers listed for it. Possible there's different roms in there or something, then..

Yep, you can also see it on page 136.... It's probably a microcontroller,with different embedded ROM programs in the US and EU versions...

Right. Well the FM tuner would most likely work fine. The TMC/RDS/MSN chip is actually on the Navi board, which is separate from the AV board, where the FM tuner lives. The AV board contains the FM tuner and an amplifier for the TMC/RDS/MSN, which is then sent up to the Navi board with a coaxial cable.

B.t.w., just for info, again looking at the service manual, the Navi board is probably also different between the EU and US versions, see page 117 and 187....

So to summarise, there are a number of distinct hardware differences between the US and EU versions.....

Yeah, if there are too many differences between the two, it'd most likely be too difficult to convert between the two versions..