Hi Folks, Firstly I know I have been very stupid. Please don't make me feel worse than I already do. I have read through this board and after feeling like I was about to give in trying to fix my Chinese GPS I have a bit of hope. I bought the unit as working from ebay and decided (stupidly) to flash Mio Pocket after a guy on a car forum sung its praises. I initially meant to run from the sd to test but I accidentally clicked install and it did its thing then froze on reboot. After rebooting it was just stuck on the screen saying Welcome to Navigation. I have measured my screen, it seems to be 6.5" measured diagonally
I found a chinese site and have tried all the firmware on there, it all seems to restore my original GPS side of the software but the screen is the wrong resolution and too low on the screen. I can just about calibrate it by poking my nail down the bezel for the lower calibration points but then when I select the navigation source selection screen I cant see the files as they are off to the left (off screen) I tried using the remote to no avail. I have also tried the 117_nav_en.exe floating around on the internet which again seems to be the right software but the wrong resolution. My problem is that I bought the unit off ebay and I don't know the brand or model number to contact support. Neither does the seller unfortunately (it was used)
The unit is for a Skoda / VW it has GPS, BT, TV Tuner, 2 x sd slots (one for nav one for media) and an iphone input on the front. It has the car door open indicator pictures etc and the non ce side of things is still working fine.
I am reasonably confident that the firmware I have tried so far is for bigger screens than my 6.5" and hopefully if I can find a firmware version for this size I should be ok.
I have included an image of how it currently looks
I really hope someone can help me
Thanks for reading
Hi All,
I received my new unit VL 131N2 (Intel 2GB 9 Inch VW unit) for VW Passat 2012 B7 Kombiwagen and few preliminary thoughts on it if it helps others :
Ordering Process and unpacking :
Placing the order was a breeze and got a 7% discount on the unit totalling to 303 Euro from Germany warehouse. Unit was shipped next day and was at my door step in 2 days.
Unit was shipped with relevant cables as outlined and nothing was damaged or broken. Good packaging !! There were 2 radio cables and i have no idea why. Anyways in short everything went good.
Installation :
To replace the unit with my existing RNS310 unit took hardly 10 minutes after i studied the cables and connected them. However routing the 2 USB cables to Glove box took more than 2 hours as i struggled
to route it via small ducts in my Passat. My hands were swollen trying to reach the cable via those small openings ! In the end i used a kitchen utensil with hook in the end to pull the cable
Another difficulty i found was tucking away all those cables behind the head unit ! Due to the additional CAN bus and GPS cable etc, i had to literally push the cables with force since there wasnt much room
behind the head unit holder and the cables were stiff. All in all , i was satisfied with the fit and finish of the unit. It is worth the money !!
Initial Impression :
For 300 euro chinese unit, i have to admit it is built solid and the casing is very sturdy. The cables are strong enough and seems robust. The screen is glossy and seems responsive enough. However not close to
the sensitivity of an actual nexus tablet or anything but good enough for a car head unit. The very first boot was just few seconds and subsequent boots are also fast (since it is in standby mode).
I was shipped the unit with December firmware and home screen looks untidy. I will do the firmware upgrade and replace the home screen with " Car launcher Pro " which seems very nice.
Google Play service crashed couple of times when i was trying to open Google maps, i think i will also update the play services. Now for some Pro's and Con's :
Pros :
Solid build , 9 inch real estate , responsive enough screen , fast installation , perfect fit (mine was VW specific unit) , fast launch of apps , no lag between apps, plenty of memory to have both Navi and music
simultaneously, 128GB USB drive support, Sound quality seems on par with OEM, Steering wheel control support
Cons :
Screen color calibration is awful !! The whites are so white that it looks washed out when i load Google maps or applications with light UI --> Any fix for this ? Searched the forum but couldn't find anything. Can i use " Screen Calibrators " from play store ? Do i need to be rooted ?
Park Assist Sensor support --> The front and rear sensors are supported but the " visualization " of CAN bus data is ****ty. The image only appears if there is actual obstacle else it goes back to home screen even if the reverse gear is engaged. The visualization keeps popping up whenever there is CAN bus data and this is extremely annoying. Will inform Joying about this and hope they fix it by retaining the image as long as reverse gear is engaged
Delays and design of on screen information --> The color of the Climatronic , Door open information information is bad. It is orange and looks ugly with overlay. Wish there was an option to change it to Black
The information takes some seconds (2-3) to appear on screen which is not good. Anyways hope the new firmware has fixed at least some issues.
Things yet to check :
Bluetooth call quality, Software tweaks viz. replace music app with poweramp, rooting , Home screen change etc etc.
Anyways hope this post helps in case somebody is purchasing this unit for VW Passat and thanks to this forum which gave me lot of information about these Chinese units
Here are some pictures for reference..
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Hi,
nice review,
I also bought this unit, I'm not sure but I think you can change colors in settings (not the Android settings, it's the joying settings app, I can't remember the name at the moment)
I agree with the terrible can-Bus information visualization, so I disabled it (root necessary)
At last I can say, if you buy this item from Germany, you can get it on ebay for about 280€ via price request (maybe cheaper?)
So I bought -what I believe- is this Android Head Unit over a month back (Apparently I can't post links yet, but if you search Amazon for "Car Stereo Touch Screen Bluetooth GPS DVD Double Din In Dash Sat Navigation Vehicle Head Unit for VW Volkswagen Jetta Golf Passat Tiguan T5 VW Skoda Seat Hands Free Call Free Map Backup Camera" the result is the item that I got. ) It worked fine once I got it installed, then about a week ago it started having issues (Screen would freeze, buttons unresponsive, and would stay like this until car had been off for some time. Still switched to backup camera on reverse.) I tried to go into settings and do a factory reset to see if that would fix the issue, but now it's stuck with a black screen and the word "Erasing". It still seems to be doing something because overnight the next time I come out the screen is on and it says, "Recovery 7.1.1 :failed to mount /cache (invalid argument)" I've tried several different button pressing methods to try and get to the recovery screen, but it just keeps coming back to the "Erasing" screen regardless of whether I use the Reset button or the Power button (held). I have a couple pictures of settings from the "Droid Info" app (because I couldn't find anything helpful in the settings themselves) that I took before I started having problems with it. So I'm looking for some help regarding getting it into recovery and/or finding out what I'm doing wrong.
Brand is confusing, roundabout on Amazon I found "Malanzs", but it looks exactly like and has the same Manufacturer # as the TMOTEC brand (DS02P051S01C0) and a lot of the pictures of the Malanzs one look like they photoshopped them from the TMOTEC pictures.
One of the things I was trying to find on my pictures but I don't have is the MCU version (apparently this is important for where I will get the most help with my post)
Any help is appreciated, thanks for your time.
I can't help get it working (it sounds defective), personally I'd return it to Amazon quick !
MrGubby said:
I can't help get it working (it sounds defective), personally I'd return it to Amazon quick !
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the response, I'm in communication with the seller to try and get it returned, but as it's been longer than a month, it's outside of Amazon's return period. I was just hoping to possibly find a solution here.
im not sure the region in which u live ...
but sounds like it possibly overheated ...
and something fried,
ive a px3 rockchip 7.1 hizpo (for ford fusion/f150/exploders)
had it bout idk 8 months, put in some nice sundown 12's in my trunk w/a 40k orion amp and between that and summer in full swing early, im drawling alot of heat, and the same things happenin to mine...
seems over 96 degrees the unit just shats on it self...
the heads still on but android system(ui) crashes...
imma try these few idears while i wait for my px5 upgrade to get here from ebay...
other then this fabricating trick,
im outta suggestions... ive tried everything to get it too
function correctly, even sit in a ice box ova ac just to keep it cool...
anyways ...
these were for px5 but hw as i understand is same under the hood...
:good:
https://youtu.be/k4HYcKsszsg
https://youtu.be/C-s2FN3VeAc
had my joying sofia for a couple of years now and it has started playing up in the last couple of months
first problem was the screen becoming non responsive, fixed by following the soldering video
second problem was the gps fix getting REALLY screwed up when using any sat nav app, I put it down to overheating issues so had to switch the unit off and use my phone instead. not ideal
most recent issue has started over last 10 days or so - when the car is switched off and the keys removed the unit display stays on for approx 5 - 10 mins. It has no response and cannot be used, no presses do anything and there is no sound but the display is still "live"
I must admit i'm not impressed with the joying but it seems to be the best of a bad bunch where android head units are concerned as it has the greater community support
can anybody help?
Firstly, which Intel Sofia model & software version is it ?
Have you fitted larger heatsinks & fan for the main processing module ? This is especially important where the unit is mounted directly in front of the car heater.
For the shutdown, re-check the Joying sleep mode settings.
I had a Joying Sofia unit in my car till a few days ago. It started to slowly die after doing quite fine for over 2 years. Before it really gets on my nerves, I took it out and replaced it temporarily with a Coika PX5 unit. Seems that yours also slowly wants to make itself redundant...
It is absolutely normal that the unit remains on for another 5 minutes after removing the key. Yes, there is no audio output, and the screen cannot be touched. But one can fully use the unit from remote, e.g. via TeamViewer. This is how I noticed.
What it usually does however: turn off the display so the user does not see the Android screen anymore. This is no more working with your unit.
I do not know a specific solution for your problem.
I would try reflashing the unit, both MCU and Android. You will end up with a fresh unit however, because all of the Joying sw updates always wiped away all user data.
pwood999 said:
Firstly, which Intel Sofia model & software version is it ?
Have you fitted larger heatsinks & fan for the main processing module ? This is especially important where the unit is mounted directly in front of the car heater.
For the shutdown, re-check the Joying sleep mode settings.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
realzoulou said:
I had a Joying Sofia unit in my car till a few days ago. It started to slowly die after doing quite fine for over 2 years. Before it really gets on my nerves, I took it out and replaced it temporarily with a Coika PX5 unit. Seems that yours also slowly wants to make itself redundant...
It is absolutely normal that the unit remains on for another 5 minutes after removing the key. Yes, there is no audio output, and the screen cannot be touched. But one can fully use the unit from remote, e.g. via TeamViewer. This is how I noticed.
What it usually does however: turn off the display so the user does not see the Android screen anymore. This is no more working with your unit.
I do not know a specific solution for your problem.
I would try reflashing the unit, both MCU and Android. You will end up with a fresh unit however, because all of the Joying sw updates always wiped away all user data.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
to clarify -
my unit is the JY-UL124N, purchased from german warehouse 14/03/17
for the last 2 years my joying has "gone to sleep" on the immediate removal of the keys, not only in my current vehicle but also in my previous one so I do not believe it has anything to do with sleep settings. The same problem occurs when I choose "switch off" from the pulldown menu
I do not intend to try and fit heatsinks/fans - I am of the opinion that should this unit need them then surely joying should have fitted them in the first place?
I do not believe it is "absolutely normal" for the display to stay on for 5 - 10 minutes when the keys are removed/switch off is chosen, it has never done it in 2 years of ownership, has only started to do it within the last 10 days and does not do it every time
I have reflashed the unit several times, both MCU and android. same problem
to be quite honest, this unit has never really done it for me anyway - after having read the countless problems other users have suffered/endured over the last couple of years I suppose I should count myself lucky that my unit has been relatively trouble free and the problems have only recently started to manifest themselves. In my own personal opinion joying have foisted a substandard unit on the public and then sat back while we all became unpaid beta testers for them - look at all the hard work surfer63 and others have done? for free as well I might add. I should have kept my parrot asteroid smart as it was a superb unit but then parrot dropped support for it and its apps with no prior warning hence my move across to joying
I cannot put up with this thing anymore, I have never liked the music player and radio tuner interfaces anyway - they are far too "busy" and distracting. The FM tuner does not work properly. The sound is poor. The bluetooth handsfree is terrible in that people cannot hear me properly during a phone conversation. The unit is and always has been incredibly slow and laggy. The music player has a really irritating problem in that it will always play the next track alphabetically, NOT the next track of the album I am listening to. The music player also cuts off the first second or two of every track it plays.
Please everybody be aware that I do not intend to turn this into a thread knocking joying, I am just voicing my opinion that after 2 years of ownership I have not been impressed with this thing so to that end this afternoon I bought a new alpine iLX-702D. I have had many alpine units in the past and know them to be quality reliable units. And the FM tuner RDS/AF will work, properly
Hello, I hope this is the right place, I keep finding this forum every time I search trying to trouble shoot my issues. Long story short, I had been eyeing these head units for my Q5 to add CarPlay, a local installer recommended the same model, and I thought great, so I ordered it and they installed it. I am however having 3 issues, and while the seller has been helpful, they are on a completely different time zone and it’s not progressing well unfortunately. The installer can’t find anything wrong. Little did I know what I was getting into, and I can’t find a manual or even a specific model number to search on.
My Car:
2013 Audi Q5 MMI (3g, gps nav, etc built in, AMI port in glove box, but everything else is in the center console under the screen)
Unit I installed as recommended by installer:
Android 10.0 Head Unit for Audi Q5 2009-2017 Car GPS Navi Stereo Radio 4G BT RDS 732910618142 | eBay
Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Android 10.0 Head Unit for Audi Q5 2009-2017 Car GPS Navi Stereo Radio 4G BT RDS at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!
www.ebay.com
My 3 issues:
1) My OEM backup camera does not show video. The radar sensors work. When I put the car into reverse the unit changes to backup mode, but the video image is black. There are multiple backup camera options in the software, I have tried them all. The after market selections at least give me the radar visual and lane lines, but still no video feed. The OEM option only shows me a black screen with a picture of a Q5 on the right.
2) The audio from the head unit is not coming through the car stereo. None of the center console controls work. The right 2 control buttons around the knob are both always flashing slowly. Only Radio works and can be controlled by steering wheel. My phone seems to be synced to car‘s original Bluetooth, and audio takes over when I get a call.
3) My airbag light in the dash is on. I am certain this is because the bezel they sent me only has the hazard light switch.
The unit otherwise is getting better and better as I learn to use it and CarPlay, which I ultimately bought it for, is working well too. My wife and I though are really struggling without the backup camera, and I fear I’ll be ripping the whole thing out and putting the original unit back in if I can’t fix that.
I have pictures of everything inside and out I can share. I’ll add them later as I can. But since this forum keeps coming up in my searches, I thought I would get a conversation started and see if anyone could help me. Really appreciate any assistance in advance. At this point I’ve become versed in taking the car apart and can get behind the entire vertical stack in the center and have confirmed what I can. I’m pretty handy with software as well.
(At the very least to start, a picture of my backup camera options in the software, I’ve tried them all)
jcapxda said:
Hello, I hope this is the right place, I keep finding this forum every time I search trying to trouble shoot my issues. Long story short, I had been eyeing these head units for my Q5 to add CarPlay, a local installer recommended the same model, and I thought great, so I ordered it and they installed it. I am however having 3 issues, and while the seller has been helpful, they are on a completely different time zone and it’s not progressing well unfortunately. The installer can’t find anything wrong. Little did I know what I was getting into, and I can’t find a manual or even a specific model number to search on.
My Car:
2013 Audi Q5 MMI (3g, gps nav, etc built in, AMI port in glove box, but everything else is in the center console under the screen)
Unit I installed as recommended by installer:
Android 10.0 Head Unit for Audi Q5 2009-2017 Car GPS Navi Stereo Radio 4G BT RDS 732910618142 | eBay
Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Android 10.0 Head Unit for Audi Q5 2009-2017 Car GPS Navi Stereo Radio 4G BT RDS at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!
www.ebay.com
My 3 issues:
1) My OEM backup camera does not show video. The radar sensors work. When I put the car into reverse the unit changes to backup mode, but the video image is black. There are multiple backup camera options in the software, I have tried them all. The after market selections at least give me the radar visual and lane lines, but still no video feed. The OEM option only shows me a black screen with a picture of a Q5 on the right.
2) The audio from the head unit is not coming through the car stereo. None of the center console controls work. The right 2 control buttons around the knob are both always flashing slowly. Only Radio works and can be controlled by steering wheel. My phone seems to be synced to car‘s original Bluetooth, and audio takes over when I get a call.
3) My airbag light in the dash is on. I am certain this is because the bezel they sent me only has the hazard light switch.
The unit otherwise is getting better and better as I learn to use it and CarPlay, which I ultimately bought it for, is working well too. My wife and I though are really struggling without the backup camera, and I fear I’ll be ripping the whole thing out and putting the original unit back in if I can’t fix that.
I have pictures of everything inside and out I can share. I’ll add them later as I can. But since this forum keeps coming up in my searches, I thought I would get a conversation started and see if anyone could help me. Really appreciate any assistance in advance. At this point I’ve become versed in taking the car apart and can get behind the entire vertical stack in the center and have confirmed what I can. I’m pretty handy with software as well.
(At the very least to start, a picture of my backup camera options in the software, I’ve tried them all)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry to say, issue 1 and 3 are quite sure installation issues.
For the first one: Quite clear and could be measured: The backup camera has no power. There should be a connector for the power feed. --> instructions.
Third one: They removed the connector for the airbag, while checking the unit with ignition on. Can be reset at the dealer or by someone who has the right tooling.
Second one: Look into the settings of the unit and check the settings for the CAN box. 2 possibilities here: You got the wrong CAN box or the setting is not set to external amplifier.
@rigattoni thank you
rigattoni said:
Sorry to say, issue 1 and 3 are quite sure installation issues.
For the first one: Quite clear and could be measured: The backup camera has no power. There should be a connector for the power feed. --> instructions.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well installation issues, at this point I think I can fix (famous last words). Getting parts / seems to be harder with communication challenges. (was instructions supposed to be a link?)
I pulled things out last night, I didn't find the RCA yellow video in I expected (there are 2 but they both seemed to be for aftermarket and are disconnected. There wasn't the obvious yellow <-> yellow rca adapters I see everyone else have with the power feed to the reverse lights. I'm assuming it's (in theory) feeding in through the primary adapter (block of plugs) going in to the back of the Android unit. I was able to account for all other connectins.
rigattoni said:
Third one: They removed the connector for the airbag, while checking the unit with ignition on. Can be reset at the dealer or by someone who has the right tooling.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They reset it, it keeps coming back on. My original had a light, this bezel doesn't. As I understand there is likely some resisitance that's supposed to be here ...
rigattoni said:
Second one: Look into the settings of the unit and check the settings for the CAN box. 2 possibilities here: You got the wrong CAN box or the setting is not set to external amplifier.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, I will check settings. There's a "key settings" and offers 4 & 8. It's the only major configuration section I don't understand. But I think I've tried both. Will look again.
jcapxda said:
Well installation issues, at this point I think I can fix (famous last words). Getting parts / seems to be harder with communication challenges. (was instructions supposed to be a link?)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No link, the seller should at least provide some installation instruction with the unit.
As I don´t know the unit and don´t know what has been provided with the unit itself, I am not able to help.
Your backup camera should have a video output which needs to get connected with the head unit. Where to put, needs to get from the seller. If he is not able... send this crap back.
The same for the airbag error message... If the seller is not able to give clear instruction... send the crap back.
Seller finally agreed they didn't send me all the right cables. Specifically they mentioned I need an AMI cable, but also the LVDS plug (in the photo above, in the top left) ... should have an adapter. Which I've specifically asked them about a few times in pictures, but as I suspected it, it can't just be unplugged and needs an adapter to plug into the rest. So... those are on their way, we'll see. I suspect the OEM backup cam video comes in via that cable based on my research and wiring diagrams, but again, we'll see.
jcapxda said:
Seller finally agreed they didn't send me all the right cables. Specifically they mentioned I need an AMI cable, but also the LVDS plug (in the photo above, in the top left) ... should have an adapter. Which I've specifically asked them about a few times in pictures, but as I suspected it, it can't just be unplugged and needs an adapter to plug into the rest. So... those are on their way, we'll see. I suspect the OEM backup cam video comes in via that cable based on my research and wiring diagrams, but again, we'll see.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good to know.
Did they give you a guide how to fix the airbag issue?
Just to let you know: In case of an accident, the airbags can be activated or not without control. This is a severe security issue, you should take care of.
The AMI cable just provides audio and is normally used for external audio sources like iPod, IPhone and such things. May be they use it to get the head unit speaking to your OEM amplifier. I don´t know your unit and the specs. At least Audi is not that easy with these kind of units.
Well, predictably, nothing's easy.
They sent me a splitter cable for the airbag (passenger occupancy light) and hazard button. (but there's only one input to split into ....
LVDS cable was missing, so that connects the LVDS feed -> back of android. I do finally have some sight to the OEM UI, but only briefly, and I can't interact with it with any buttons. The backup camera will come on but only briefly, and only the first time. After that it cuts to OEM nav, and then only for a second.
AMI adapter (straightforard) would in theory help audi, but I suspect the priori issue with the oem system and lack of mmi buttons working is somehow blocking control / and thus "aux" audio.
However, at the least, I was able to remove the OEM occupancy / hazazrd button, and attach it to the splitter they gave me. Tucked it into the dash (meaning I can't... see the light but for now fine) and cleared the Air bag code. And yes, air bag stays off. Finally. So that's better.
I'm awaiting their reply on all the rest. Driving me crazy. Based on searches, I'm starting to wonder if this is programmed for the wrong baud rate? I only vaguely know these terms, but have stumbled across similar symptoms of people retrofitting MMI 3G+ and issues witht the controls not working, flashing red lights.
jcapxda said:
Well, predictably, nothing's easy.
They sent me a splitter cable for the airbag (passenger occupancy light) and hazard button. (but there's only one input to split into ....
LVDS cable was missing, so that connects the LVDS feed -> back of android. I do finally have some sight to the OEM UI, but only briefly, and I can't interact with it with any buttons. The backup camera will come on but only briefly, and only the first time. After that it cuts to OEM nav, and then only for a second.
AMI adapter (straightforard) would in theory help audi, but I suspect the priori issue with the oem system and lack of mmi buttons working is somehow blocking control / and thus "aux" audio.
However, at the least, I was able to remove the OEM occupancy / hazazrd button, and attach it to the splitter they gave me. Tucked it into the dash (meaning I can't... see the light but for now fine) and cleared the Air bag code. And yes, air bag stays off. Finally. So that's better.
I'm awaiting their reply on all the rest. Driving me crazy. Based on searches, I'm starting to wonder if this is programmed for the wrong baud rate? I only vaguely know these terms, but have stumbled across similar symptoms of people retrofitting MMI 3G+ and issues witht the controls not working, flashing red lights.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hello where did you put the splitter into?
1 goes to the original cable
1 goes to the new framepanel (without the air bag light)
and where goes the third cable?
Please help thx