Hi again,
Here is a compilation of some technical information I have been able to obtain from Sean. I tried to cover some features that (at least in my opinion) would be most interesting. There are also some pics of the unit he sent me ...
1. What is the model number of this unit?
- Model number is E46-RN502
2. What are the hardware characteristics (CPU type and frequency, how much RAM is installed, etc.)?
- CPU: 1GHZ Dual-Core A8 chipset RAM: DDRII 512MB ROM: 4GB(external SD 32G maximum)
3. Are the all steering wheel controls programmable (I have 6 keys on my steering wheel) and will the unit respond to the "R/T" and "Voice icon" button on my steering wheel?
- Steering wheel Controls I Cannot say that ALL Are But I Know they are on the MG R's , They are there, they are programmable but I Don't know if there are any that will not program. Sorry.
4. Does the unit remember present mode (radio / dvd / nav) when the car key is turned off?
- Yes it will retain its memory.
5. Does this model support both front and rear camera, or is there support only for a single camera? Can the front/rear camera be accessed by the Android side of the unit?
- Re1: It has Only Android , No WinCE , So in answer to your camera questions , yes. Furthermore the DVR Camera is controlled by the touchscreen and records and plays on the head unit.
- Re2: It supports Our DVR Camera and Supports rear camera as well. Front cam can be displayed at all times, the back camera can used and can record. The DVR unit stores the images on its own 4Gb SD card (I have put a 32Gb card in mine)
6. Can the bluetooth be accessed by the Android side of the unit?
- Regarding Bluetooth, the same , It is Pure Android.
7. Is it possible to run OBD2 diagnostic software such as "Torque" (android app) on the unit and if so, is the connection established via internal CAN bus, or possibly over the bluetooth?
- Re1: We tried to access an External Bluetooth and we are not able to. We could not get torque via Bluetooth to work. We are planning to see if we can via USB.
- Re2: I cannot speak as to when the Update for the Bluetooth will come. All I currently have is basically WE ARE AWARE AND WE ARE WORKING ON IT.
- Re3: I have asked one of our customers to dig deeper into the Torque, he had it working well on the WinCE unit So I Will get back to you on that Subject. He is a torque man too.
- Re4: Regarding TORQUE , I forgot ! LOL Yes you can display Torque on the screen via MirrorLink (well I can on my Samsung Note 2 don't forget the cell phone needs to be MirrorLink compatable.
8. Is there any support for the tire pressure monitoring (TPMS) and if so, how is this supported?
- TPMS We supply Steelmate and yes it is displayable to the head unit. There is a really good one now with Wireless external sensors.
http://www.75andzt.com/index.php?route=product/product&path=65_78&product_id=102
9. Same question would apply to the PDC system connection (a small yet rather convenient feature of latest Dynavin units). Will the unit in the near future be able support PDC system of any kind (OEM or afterarket)? Is it being worked on?
-Re 1: PDC I Do not know and will have to talk to the systems Engineer on that , and he is not back until next week. Sorry.
10. Besides two dedicated camera inputs, you say that there is additional RCA video input that can for example be used for the TPMS?
- Yes , You Have Camera and AUX inputs Separate.
11. Volume control - there is much talk in the forums describing very unpleasant volume boost on some units when for example switching from FM to MP3. Is this glitch present with this unit?
- No problem with volume jumps that I am aware of. And I am very aware ! LOL
12. Do you provide software updates for this unit and if so, can you briefly describe the software update method? Also, which Android version is installed on the unit?
- We possess the firmware and will provide firmware updates if they come available but in reality , with the mirrorlink, Which is the BIGGEST feature off this unit , as phones upgrade the head unit upgrades.
13. Is this unit rooted?
- NO ROOTING period !
14. Do you accept the PayPal?
- We prefer bank transfer but will accept paypal. There will be a cost for paypal.
15. How long does the warranty last?
- Warranty is one year , but I am interested in customer satisfaction and reputation more so than sticking to a warranty . I Will always do the right and logical thing. this you will be able to verify with many of our ZTand75 customers.
16. Would the unit be shipped from Canada, China or the EU (I live in Croatia/EU)?
- We would send it to you from the UK , taxes and VAT Are Paid to the UK. So no taxes .
17. How "strong" is the screen brightness during the daylight and is it possible to adjust the brightness or even turn off the screen?
- Re1: Screen brightness is an issue with all head Units. The AntiGlare features basically don't work in strong sunlight regardless of what sellers may say. I would have to say its as good as most.
- Re 2: yes , You will see in the manual about the Brightness adjustments and you can darken the screen , It also has Auto Dimming on mine when I switch on the unit only the SRC button was illuminated, when I switched on the side/ head units the unit dimmed down and the phone answer and end button and all the other buttons become illuminated [11:50:52] Tony Fry: and the screen dimmed down
18. Is the touch screen capacitive and if so, does it support multi touch?
- The screen is somewhere between Capacitive and resistive ! Its odd , It reacts and operates like Capacitive , Except for the pinch open and pinch close (Zooming) We were not sure what to call it to be honest !
19. How would you describe responsiveness of the screen? Is the 512 MB of ram sufficient for a sooth unit operation?
Screen responsiveness is excellent. you can see that in the videos actually
20. Is it possible to install some sort of BMW skin for the unit?
- We can load Custom Skins. the Start up Logos are there. I have a graphics Designer on contract, I could even do each personalized for a little tip to the GD !
21. Is the WiFi and/or 3G modem integrated? If not, can you provide it?
- We supply with a Wifi Dongle.
22. My concern is with the antenna/usb/iPod connectors which possible might have to be with 90° angle in order to fit the unit properly. Nevertheless, please check if the cables that come with the unit fit the E46 and if they are even pin to pin - compatible
- See Photo below I really think that because the Ports are Not FLUSH to the face of the rear of the unit that they angle fittings etc will not be needed.
23. How many USB ports are available (I presume only the front one can be used for mirrorlink)?
- Regarding the USB There is front and back USB . Once the Mirrorlink is Done It does not have to be connected anymore , It connects Wirelessly.
24. The microphone is installed near the DVD tray?
-There is Both a REAR Mic and a front Mic, The front Built in is at the Top near the eject button
25. Regarding Cameras, In my understanding of your head unit, both front/rear cameras have analog RCA outputs. The front camera is accessible from the Android all the time (just like smartphone camera), it has it's own recording system (DVR) integrated within the camera chassis which constantly records while driving on it's own micro SD card. The rear camera is accessible only in reverse gear mode and does not record (nor it needs to). While in reverse mode, the rear camera overlays distance marks. Is this correct?
- Yes You are Correct again but allow me to expand. The DVR Camera will interface with the head Unit touchscreen, It will also allow live playback to the head unit and you can record from it to the head units internal memory. They are designed specifically for our head units.
26. The Wi-fi works with the dongle you provide (possibly some 3G modem dongles work as well), but any other external Wi-fi / Bluetooth dongle will not work. Is this correct?
- We have only used Wifi to date and have not tried 3G so far so I couldn't say for sure. And yes, we have not been able to get the secondary dongle to work.
27. Regarding Torque (or similar Android app):
Torque via mirrorlink is very convenient feature for in the near future when the unit eventually becomes obsolete. However, I truly would like the torque app to execute on the unit independently from the smart phone (my smart phone is HTC sensation - i think it doesn't support mirrorlink anyway). Any connection to the OBD will work for me (regardless if its bluetooth, usb/can converter or existing CAN interface from the head unit).
- I do understand your concerns but I feel that this will change with an update , I cannot say when that will be but the factory is very aware of this bug on the Bluetooth . Its good to know that the mirrorlink can get us around these issues . But once the ability of the unit is changed to allow other Bluetooth devices to be found, It will become a Non Issue. We will continue to seek a a Direct on solution.
Hope this information will be helpful.
Best regards,
Tomislav