[zainexe]

Hi all,

Please let me preface this with the fact that I'm a total newbie when it comes to coding and retrofitting so if I say something stupid, please bear with me.

I have a March 2011 F10 Pre-LCI which has a CIC system. So recently I bought this Android head unit for my F10 which came with a reversing camera. I thought that I'd wire it up in the car before ripping my interior apart only for it to not work. This ended up being a good idea as it didn't work! I wired the camera exactly like this video. As you can see, the connections all go into the "new" wiring harness that connects from the CIC system into the new Android unit.

However, when I put the car into reverse, literally nothing changed. Parking sensors firing off and was as if I hadn't done anything. I thought maybe the feature needed to be coded in so I did some Googling and found that I'd need to add in 3AG via E-Sys.

Here's where my first issue lies. I added 3AG in correctly as per a tutorial I found online. However, my next step was VO coding the related stuff into the ECU. I believe that I first tried PDC, HU_CHAMP, KOMBI, CAS, and a few other ones that were common on other threads that related to this rear view camera retrofit. I checked the reverse and I now had the options for Rear view camera, brightness, parking aid lines, and everything else - but they are all greyed out and nothing worked when I clicked it. I wish I took a picture of all the ECUs I had but I remember having 20.

Then I thought screw it and just coded the whole ECU. I got no error messages in E-Sys but I got a few warning messages on my dash which cleared after a restart. This didn't change anything and my rear view camera still doesn't work. I have read online and have read people talking about a "TRSVC" ECU on E-Sys. I did not have this ECU on E-Sys. Do I need this module to have a rear view camera? I read on another thread regarding E9x that PDC should be enough to retrofit the camera but I'm not sure at all.

If this TRSVC module is required, how I would I wire this in tandem with my Android head unit??

Also, I'm not sure if this is an issue with the coding or my actual wiring of the rear view camera. I double checked my wiring and it follows the aforementioned video.

Here is a video that shows where I am at the moment.

Any advice would be thoroughly appreciated and apologies once again if my terminology is off/doesn't make sense.

Thank you in advance

[M3nt4l]

The TRSVC module won’t be required as your not having the reversing camera on the original CIC unit.

For some reason I can’t see the links you have put in the thread.

[zainexe]

Originally Posted by M3nt4l

The TRSVC module won’t be required as your not having the reversing camera on the original CIC unit.

For some reason I can’t see the links you have put in the thread.

Hi, thank you for your response.

These are each of the links:

The android head unit - https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4001...24fe1802nWb1fn

The wiring of camera video -

My video of what happens when I put it into reverse -

So, since the camera is connecting to the android head unit, i shouldn't need the TRSVC module? With how it looks in my current set up, would it suggest an issue with my wiring or my coding?

[M3nt4l]

Hello,

Can you select the source manually on the android unit for the reverse camera?

[zainexe]

Originally Posted by M3nt4l

Hello,

Can you select the source manually on the android unit for the reverse camera?

Hi mate,

I have made a video of the options I can find regarding the options of the rear camera - not sure if this is correct but I have tried fiddling with these and nothing changed.

[M3nt4l]

Only thing I can think is that there is no power to the camera

[zainexe]

Originally Posted by M3nt4l

Only thing I can think is that there is no power to the camera

Hi mate, thank you for your input!

I have got the camera finally working. I bought a multimeter (which is arriving tomorrow ) as I was sure it was a power related issue but I spent the day fiddling with the unit's settings and it seems to finally have worked. My wiring was fine following the previous video I mentioned.

I was confused as to how this camera works with the CIC unit but you were absolutely 100% correct in saying that it does NOT link with the OEM system. I am not sure if adding 3AG was even necessary. I may remove it via E-Sys and see if it makes any difference (if I get time).

It seems like it works through the Android head unit via some sort of emulator. The whole animation and screen is separate from the CIC PDC system - I expected the camera to show up through that but since it's actually being connected to the Android head unit, it is working through that. In retrospect, it seems obvious. But in the head unit's reviews, I recall someone saying something regarding an OEM camera so I guess I subconsciously (wrongly!) assumed that the rear camera would work through the original CIC PDC. I was messing with settings with the camera disconnected looking for a box with a black image to show up - but of course it was never going to work through the CIC!

As soon as reverse gear is engaged, the CIC PDC screen flashes up for a split second, followed by a black screen for a split second, followed by the rear view camera emulator. Looks a bit like this:



I'm going to get this installed properly when the weather permits and I will drop in with an update. My only current gripes are that the flashing screens might get a little annoying, the emulator shows an F20, and the CIC PDC is more accurate than the Android emulated one - but I can live with that. I will mess around in the settings further and see what I can get.

As for the current settings which have allowed me to see the rear view camera, I suspect that they're dependent on the head unit but in "BackCar Settings" I have set:
Original = OFF
BackCar Mirror = OFF
BackCar Trace = OFF
360 CVBS = OFF
Swerve auto 360 = OFF
Auto front camera = OFF
Backcar Mute = OFF
Fast Reversing = OFF

Also, in the "Factory settings" hidden by a passcode provided by the supplier, the following settings have been applied:
Driving Video = ON
BackCar = Normal

For now, that seems to work. I'm not sure what exactly got it to work but I'll mess around with them later and see what actually stops it from showing up. I'll see if I can get the implementation as seamless as possible but for now I'm very happy that it's all working.