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Dynavin Frequently Asked Questions....READ First

121K views 139 replies 63 participants last post by  Foriata 
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
DYNAVIN FAQ

If you dont see your question here, post it and ill answer it and add it to the FAQ.


Preinstall


1: Whats the deal with all these V numbers?
Totally made up names to differentiate the various revisions that Dynavin has made to the E46 units. Versions 1-3 are basically the same, just some minor changes to circuitry and buttons, the V4s got rubber knobs and the V5 got new hardware and a new orange colored user interface to go with the new rubber knobs.

2: What AC control relocation kit do I need?
Look at the buttons....if they are all housed in the same button housing you need the "single row button" part. If you can see seams between the buttons or you have a single button with a "blank" filling in the rest of the are you need a "individual row button" part.
Multiple forum sponsors including myself carry them.

3: I have OEM Nav....what do I need to get to install a Dynavin?
If you have OEM Navigation your cars radio is actualy in the trunk! Because of this you will need to purchase the "5M Fakra Harness" that will extend all of the wiring from the radio in the trunk to the dynavin in your dash. The Fakra comes with an antenna extension and an extension for the steering wheel controls as well.

If you have an E39 with nav you will also need the OEM dash bracket from a non nav car for the dynavin to mount to. Part #51457037713. You can get this part from your dealer, ebay, Tischer BMW etc....


4: Will my steering wheel buttons still work?
Yes. Plug and play.


5: Will the E46 Dynavin work with my HK system?
Yes. Plug and play.


6: Will the E39 Dynavin work with my DSP system?
No, the DSP is a propriatory integrated system, the display on the dashboard is just a control unit and display, the amp, radio and all its functions are actually housed in the trunk. Because of its closed nature you cannot remove a part of the system and expect it to still operate. Because of this there are two options available. Option 1 is to relocate the dash mounted parts of the system to the trunk and/or glove compartment, info about how to do this can be found here:http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1553862

The second option is to bypass the factory amp altogether and install an aftermarket amp. This option is desirable if you want to upgrade your sound at the same time that you upgrade your head unit.


7: Can I watch TV on the Dynavin?
There is a television tuner available but it is a separate accessory. At this point there is only a tuner available for DVB-T markets (Europe and Australia primarily) A US ATSC tuner is expected around the end of 2010.


8: Do I need anything else?
You might want USB extensions so that you can easily access the USB plugs on the back of the unit once it is installed. There is a mini usb plug on the front that is tied internaly to one of the rear USBs and can be used to play music files and apply firmware updates but most people dont want a cord hanging off the dashboard and prefer to either use flush panel mount usbs or run the extensions to the glovebox. The dynavin also has an auxiliary audio video input, there are a number of cables that can be used with the aux in and which cord you might use depends on what you want to connect. The ipod video cord is the most common as it allows video to be played (the dynavins built in ipod cord is audio only)


9: Where can I get these cables?
From me of course....:D:D:D.....but any car audio shop should have the parts on the shelf.


10: How do I buy a Dynavin?
There are a few forum sponsors that sell them and of course I do too. See here: http://directory.e46fanatics.com/siteSponsor.php?&action=viewsitesponsor&SpCId=214 You can also contact dynavin directly and ask them where to buy....BEWARE OF SCAMMERS!!! Buy from reputable sources only.


Install

11: What do these labels mean on the USBs and which ones should I use?
The dynavin has 2 systems running inside it, a radio/DVD/USB player and a Windows based small computer used to run the GPS system. So the "radio board" is connected to the "DVD USB" and the "windows board" is connected to the "GPS USB."

The DVD USB is used to play music/videos/pictures off a USB flash drive and is one of the selectable sources for the dynavins regular player interface. It is also used to update the firmware.

The GPS USB is used to connect to the windows board for things like the Wifi or 3G modem or the windows media player embedded in the windows menus.


12: Do I need to ground the "park" wire to make video work while the car is in motion?
No, the V5 has a setting in the radio menu called "brake," Turn it off. The V1-4 will need to have the "park" wire grounded, just tap it into the black wire on the dynavin harness or ground the wire directly to the chassis of the dyanivin using an existing screw.


13: What are these boxes with all the white/grey/green/purple wires hanging out?
The Line Output Converters, they reduce the output of the Dynavin to better match the factory amplifier, reducing and eliminating unwanted noise, if your car has an amp in the back corner of the trunk you should use them. All US cars have the amp, euro and asian cars can come either way. Installing them is easy, they go inline in the factory harness, just unplug all the bullet connectors in the factory harness and plug the LOCs into their corresponding color coded wires.


14: I hear lots of weird noises, static, beeps, etc...
See above.


15: My Steering wheel controls dont work!
The steering wheel interface (black box with a plug on one side and a "headphone" jack coming out of the other) should be plugged into the pigtail plug on the dynavin labled IR IN....NOT the plug on the back of the unit...that plug is for the bluetooth mic.

Take note here since everyone seems to mess this part up

The steering wheel control harness connects to the end of this cable...........



NOT here...........





16: What is the best place to put the bluetooth mic?
Every install seems to be different but the general consensus seems to be that the built in mic works better than the external mic, I encourage you to experiment and see what works best in your car.


17: Will the Dynavin work with a backup camera?
Absolutely, there are many cameras available online as well as from some of the dynavin dealers. The dynavin has a dedicated plug for the camera and a wire that is tied in with the camera power wire so that when the backup camera is activated by the reverse lights, the dynavin will automatically switch to the backup cam.


Useage


18: The screens gives me a warning message when I try to watch a DVD or video?
One the V1-V4 you will need to ground the parking brake wire, on the V5 just go into the radio menu and turn off the setting labled "Brake"

19: Why is the time always wrong on the radio screen?
If you have RDS turned on, the Dynavin will get its time settings from the radio station you are listening to. If the radio station is broadcasting inaccurate RDS time data....your clock will be wrong on your dyanvin! Turn off RDS in the settings menu or call your local radio station and tell them to fix their RDS time settings!

20: Where is the setting to make the time 12 hour instead of 24? There is no setting, thats just the way it is.


21: Whats with all the different menus?
The Dynavin has two systems running in parallel. One system runs the radio, DVD/CD, ipod. USB etc.... The second system is running windows and is used to run the Nav program that is located on the SD card....this can be confusing initially as there are three separate menus, one for the radio etc... functions, one for the windows functions, and one for the navigation program functions. Once you spend some time with the unit and understand how it works you will better understand the different menus and how to use them.


22: Does the Dynavin have internet access?
It certaily can! Dynavin offers their 3G modem that can be plugged into one of the USB ports and when loaded with a data sim card allows access to the internet through a number of available browsers. There are also some "hacks" available from a third party to enable wifi tethering to a smartphone. http://forum.e46fanatics.com/showthread.php?t=794137


23: What is the best way to use the ipod control?
Until Dynavin adds a "back" button to the ipod interface, using the touch screen controls can be a bit fidley. Dynavin has managed to enable steering wheel control with the latest firmware so that you can actually control the ipod completely via the steering wheel buttons, this works well enough, use the up and down buttons to move the cursor, the RT button to go back, and a long press of the talk button to select. However I find that the remote control is by far the easiest way to control the ipod while driving. Just use the arrow buttons and the "root" button on the lower part of the remote to move the cursor, skip pages, make selections and go back in the menus



Nav


24: What are all these other programs I keep hearing about?
The Dynavin will run any number of navigation programs, they just have to be placed on an SD card and if they are comaptible the dynavin will run them. It comes with iGo8 but iGo Primo is proving to be very popular, search the forums for details.


25: Everytime I touch the screen, the music comes from back speakers only.
Go into the windows menu (the one with the lowrider car) go to setup, go to volume, set "keystroke" to "non"
Then start the nav program, go to menu, go to settings, go to sounds, turn key sounds off and turn up the volume controls.


26: When I press the Nav button everything is in the wrong language or even "boxes"....
Do this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZSkCepIYHIs



27: My Dynavin says "navigation software not found"
Do this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kf47a8mfXYo



28: I can see the Navigation program but its in italian/chinese/etc...!
Do this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uviyO06455g


29: I did the above settings but every time I turn it off the Dynavin looses its memory!
For reasons I dont completely understand the dynavins sometimes dont hold their memory on the windows settings when new. This usually only lasts a day or two and then it will hold the settings. As far as I can tell there may be some kind of battery backup that needs to charge for a day or two in order for the memory to hold.


Firmware updates

30: How do I get the firmware update for my V5
Contact your dealer....

31: Can I update my V1-4 to make it look like a V5?
No, the V5 has completely different hardware and firmware. The newer firmware is not compatible with the older hardware.


Useful Links Thanks to forum member "thejames" for compiling all of these links to all of the known Dynavin info out there on the web, great job James!


Installation into a car with 16:9 OEM Nav
http://lemalife.wordpress.com/2010/...head-unit-in-an-e46-2005-m3-w-oem-navigation/
DICE Install Guide (Trim removal/Cable Routing)
http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/showthread.php?t=151481
Centre Console Removal/Adding a 12v
http://www.pbase.com/jeffwong/centerconsole
Jeff's Dynavin FAQ Thread
http://forum.e46fanatics.com/showthread.php?t=803437
Jeff's Dynavin Thread 1 (inc. Install)
http://forum.e46fanatics.com/showthread.php?t=754606
Jeff's Dynavin Thread 2 (inc. Install)
http://forum.e46fanatics.com/showthread.php?t=793437
Dynavin Manual
http://www.dynavin.com/download/bmw_manual_e.pdf
e46fanatics Reverse Camera Install Info
http://forum.e46fanatics.com/showthread.php?t=794963
iGo Maps
http://www.igo-maps.info/
diMka Skin Homepage
http://www.igo8mods.com/dimka.htm
WinCE Hacks
http://www.flydigital.ro/wince/
iGO 8.3
http://dynavin.freeforums.org/nav-n-go-igo-v8-3-x-t15.html
iGO 8.3 User Manual
http://navngo.com/content/language/eng/dl/UM/iGO8_R3_PDA_UserManual_UK.pdf
iGO 8.0 User Manual
http://navngo.com/content/language/eng/dl/UM/iGO8_UserManual_English_US.pdf
e46fanatics iGO Primo Tweaks/Systxt thread
http://forum.e46fanatics.com/showthread.php?t=797457
Wolf NCU for Dynavin
http://dynavin.freeforums.org/wolf-ncu-for-dynavin-devices-aio-t81-50.html

Forums:
http://dynavin.freeforums.org/
http://forum.e46fanatics.com/forumdisplay.php?f=22
http://fixmygps.net/forum/index.php
http://gpsunderground.com/forum/forum.php
http://www.mobilepassion.org/index.php
http://www.ipmart-forum.com/forumdisplay.php?f=388
http://www.austech.info/gps/[/quote]



:D
 
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2
#103 ·
Dynavin

This is an incredible link, I will definitely order the stereo next week. Thanks so much for the info now my Bimmer will be complete in the interior. It will compliment my carbon fiber trim (all around) and aluminum pedals.:clap::thumbsup:
 
#104 ·
Thx so much

I'm so excited about the info, I will definitely have a rear camera installed as well during the installation, great idea. I can't wait to hear my Ipod without any challenges....Can't wait to get it done. Good luck and thx again.:thumbup:
 
#105 ·
Hey guys - I'm in the process of upgrading my OEM business CD stereo to a Dynavin clone and cannot get it to work. I have an OEM iPod interface that was installed by the BMW dealership at the time i purchased the car in 2004 when brand new. I noticed that the main stereo harness has been modified to accommodate the OEM iPod interface. Have you guys come across this and can you recommend a workaround?
 
#107 ·
Just got the E46 Android version, lots of questions

Hi all,

Fantastic site, and loads of info on the Dynavin, I have spent 3 nights reading, and got my new unit today, it was installed by a shop so I didn't get a chance to see it out of the box.

1. When I am viewing the radio, a battery icon appears next to the clock, just wondering what this is, it has been getting progressively lower so not sure if I am about to lose some functionality?

2. When clicking the Navi button and going into the Android part of the system, I am getting a warning stating that Gmail has stopped unexpectedly, the same (At least very similar) warning is also produced when I attempt to use voice seatch in Google navigation.

3. The volume is very loud (Even on the lowest setting) in Android, for example, when I use satnav (Co-pilot or Google navigation), I can turn down the volume usign the settings that are reached by a button at the top of the screen, but the lowest volume is still very high.

4. This is very possibly a silly question, but I didn't install the unit so didn't see everything. People have been talking about a 2GB SD card (IS this SD or MicroSD) that needs to be used to upgrade the firmware, where does this actually go in the Dynavin unit, is it at the back of the unit (In which case I need to pull the unit away from the dashboard) or one of the 2 available slots at the front.

5. What is the maximum size of Micro SD card that can be used in both of the front slots, I have a couple of 64GB cards and neither of them are working.

6. The operating system membory looks like it is a few hundred megabytes (When I go into the settings and look at memory), is it possible to increase the size of this so that more apps can be installed, or would I use Apps2SD to move them to one of the front of unit MicroSD cards

Thanks all for any help, I promise that I have spent hours and hours on the site searching and have picked up lots of helpful tips already, but am really stuck on the questions above.

Cheers
 
#108 ·
Hi all,

Fantastic site, and loads of info on the Dynavin, I have spent 3 nights reading, and got my new unit today, it was installed by a shop so I didn't get a chance to see it out of the box.

1. When I am viewing the radio, a battery icon appears next to the clock, just wondering what this is, it has been getting progressively lower so not sure if I am about to lose some functionality?

2. When clicking the Navi button and going into the Android part of the system, I am getting a warning stating that Gmail has stopped unexpectedly, the same (At least very similar) warning is also produced when I attempt to use voice seatch in Google navigation.

3. The volume is very loud (Even on the lowest setting) in Android, for example, when I use satnav (Co-pilot or Google navigation), I can turn down the volume usign the settings that are reached by a button at the top of the screen, but the lowest volume is still very high.

4. This is very possibly a silly question, but I didn't install the unit so didn't see everything. People have been talking about a 2GB SD card (IS this SD or MicroSD) that needs to be used to upgrade the firmware, where does this actually go in the Dynavin unit, is it at the back of the unit (In which case I need to pull the unit away from the dashboard) or one of the 2 available slots at the front.

5. What is the maximum size of Micro SD card that can be used in both of the front slots, I have a couple of 64GB cards and neither of them are working.

6. The operating system membory looks like it is a few hundred megabytes (When I go into the settings and look at memory), is it possible to increase the size of this so that more apps can be installed, or would I use Apps2SD to move them to one of the front of unit MicroSD cards

Thanks all for any help, I promise that I have spent hours and hours on the site searching and have picked up lots of helpful tips already, but am really stuck on the questions above.

Cheers

I have only had mine for about a week, but I've run into and fixed/answered all of these things. (With a little help from this forum)

1) That should be the battery status on your cell phone. I'm assuming you are using the bluetooth feature.

2) This was happening to me too on a number of apps. Once I put an SD card in for the Android side and moved some apps to the SD card that stopped happening. Why, I am not sure, but it seems to have corrected the issue.

3) This was driving me nuts until Jeff helped me with it. Go into the settings menu on the radio side (not the android side) and go into "System" and change the option for navi sound. Go back over to the android side and set the volume at about 2/3 volume. Now you can just use the volume knob to set volume for Android. Works great.

4) The card to reflash firmware would go into the front left side MicroSD slot.

5) I'm not sure what the max is, but I've used an 8GB and a 32GB with no problems. You do need to format the cards so the unit can see them.

6) You can't upgrade the memory. Unfortunately is a little limited. Move everything you can to the SD card.

Hope thats helpful.
 
#110 · (Edited)
Sorry, another question.. My touch screen appears to be very erratic, for example, when I enter text it frequently types the same letter twice, and most frustratingly of all, when I scroll up and down in the Android system (e.g albums in Winamp or email or news), it is practically impossible (either using your finger or the included stylus). Invariably the act of moving your finger up and down the screen either selects the area that you are sitting on so for example will play a song that you don't want to play, or either move the screen up and down so fast that you have no chance of selecting the area that you want to.

To be honest the touch screen is the worst I have ever used in any device, it is practically impossible to use.

Just wondering if this has been noticed by other users as I am thinking that I either have a duff unit or this is something that I just have to put up with, it's such a shame, it has so much potential, but if you are driving and want to change track or album it wouldn't be possible (or at least not safe).


Thanks all
 
#112 ·
First, use your fingernail, not your fingertip, then make sure you take the protective plastic off the screen. THEN calibrate the screen, there is a hardware calibration in the radio menu, go to the radio settings, go to DISPLAY, the press the upper right of the screen and follow the onscreen prompts. THEN go to android, go into the settings menu and find the touchscreen calibration and follow the prompts.

Hi all, first post so bare with me. Firstly thanks to everyone who has posted, it's all been very helpful. My problem is the following.
The radio side works fine, my problem is the 'navi' side. When I select the Navi button the unit goes to what looks like a web page with a lot of menus. All these menus are in Chinese or Taiwanese! Can this be changed? Also, why am I not brought to the GPS screen as seen on YouTube, ie the screen with three menus, 'navigate' 'setup', and one other I forget. I have connected a broadband dongle to the GPS USB but it doesn't seem to open automatically, and since all the menus are in Chinese.....well you see my problem.
Thanks in advance
Sounds like the unit is modded to me.....no idea what you are looking at there but you should contact your seller to find out what you have.
 
#111 ·
Hi all, first post so bare with me. Firstly thanks to everyone who has posted, it's all been very helpful. My problem is the following.
The radio side works fine, my problem is the 'navi' side. When I select the Navi button the unit goes to what looks like a web page with a lot of menus. All these menus are in Chinese or Taiwanese! Can this be changed? Also, why am I not brought to the GPS screen as seen on YouTube, ie the screen with three menus, 'navigate' 'setup', and one other I forget. I have connected a broadband dongle to the GPS USB but it doesn't seem to open automatically, and since all the menus are in Chinese.....well you see my problem.
Thanks in advance
 
#113 ·
I have the D99 Android and....

How can I change or upgrade the graphics software? The current one looks cheap.... I appreciate the help, thx
 
#117 · (Edited)
Sup Guys,

Hope you fella's can help me as I've contributed mostly to the m3 forum with all the smg problems. This time around I have finished installing the Dynavin WinCE v5, and im amazed at how well the sound is, gui interface matches oem look & feel, and how farely simple it was to install.

Here are some pics :







The main reason I bought the dynavin was because I was sick and tired of how poor the DICE is for the e46, before my audi I had the dension usa one on my other m3, and I didn't have so many problems... so I made the switch.

I'm almost done with school in software engineering, and was exited to help fellow members with hacks, tweaks, custom themes, and even implement sounds with or after gestures. But inorder to start analzying the code, and figuring out how everything works, I need to get MY system working and trying without touching it for a while.

My issue is with igo8. When I start the navi regardless if i go through menu or hit the navi button I get stuck on this screen.


I checked my MicroSD card and it has the following as root.
1.an empty backup folder
2.a folder named igo8
3.another file which I can't remember now but I think the type was nni, something I haven't seen before.


my issue is, all the custom igo maps downloads are outdated, not available, dead links, and I just spend time reading and reading and reading with no solutions posted on my problem. I've tried searching freeze navigation dynavin, load crash igo8, blah blah blah. I know its not a dynavin issue, im pretty sure someway somehow either the ini file where ever it is got corrupt, or the I have access the .exe file but don't know how to launch winCE.

Please HELP!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UeQVQjinblI&feature=youtu.be
 
#118 ·
worked on this via PM and email, looks like the unit got damaged in shipping as the seller says it worked fine when it shipped out (no reason to doubt him)....sometimes that kind of thing happens with second/third hand goods....good luck, hope you get it worked out.
 
#119 · (Edited)
Hi folks, I have the older Dynavin V5. Is there a way to set the default TV TYPE to 16:9? Every time I set it to 16:9, when I turn off and turn on again, it reverts to 4:3PS. I wish to have it set to 16:9 as default but I can't seem to get it to stay after a power cycle!! Thanks for any advice anybody can offer.

 
#123 · (Edited)
My contact info is on our website.

Im a busy guy and we provide customer support to our customers, so I have VERY limited time to deal with people who buy from our competitors, ebay, second-hand, etc....

EMAIL me whatever you cant figure out and ill try to help when I get some free time.
 
#125 ·
I'm sorry I didn't purchased it with you I didn't do any research before purchasing it :( but I got that faka harness but I think I'm missing one more thing cause I got the factory navi but my installer is trying to install it saying I'm missing a harness is there a harness that connects to that faka harness ?
 
#127 ·
Yes, call whoever you got it from, tell them you have an E46 with nav, and that you need the flat pin adapter in order to use the extension harness.
 
#130 ·
Its on our website, just go to the accessories page.

And one more thing what software does dynavin run on ? oS ?
The nav (like most) is WinCE. The radio itself is proprietary. Its a car stereo and has car stereo software, not really an OS like the android stuff out there.
 
#131 ·
Anybody having problems getting an Ipod to connect? Was working fine, I have done an update so that could be the problem hence asking if anyone else has experienced this, it says it's connecting then a yellow triangle comes up if i press pay on the Ipod it will kick in on the unit
 
#132 · (Edited)
I bought a second hand unit and installed it this past weekend. Only real issue is that I presumed that the small harness that was clipped into the main plug on the OEM side of things is what needed to come unclipped and connect to the box marked CANBUS Interface, but the connectors are different. Is there a missing harness or something, or does this plug not go there?

As it is, my steering wheel controls function and I get the limited amount of OBC info displayed that I was expecting from this thread, so what functionality does that big box provide?

Thanks for any help, I've got to pull it back out when my rear view camera arrives and I'd like to be able to button it all up in one go at that time.
 
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