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DIY E46 Media Centre: MP3, videos, Digital Radio, Digital TV?

654710 Views 2073 Replies 164 Participants Last post by  harryberlin
[PIBUS] DIY E46/E39 Media Centre: MP3, videos, Digital Radio, Digital TV?

So I bought me one of those Raspberry Pi boards for $25 (actually more like $40 in Australia after shipping/gst etc) and hooked the video-out to my car. It works :)

It won't be easy, but potentially you could do lots of things with this, without ripping out your factory equipment:
1. MP3s with album art, playing from SDCard or USB
2. Videos off USB storage
3. Digital Radio
4. Digital TV? (antenna will be a problem)

Stay tuned, an interface to the headunit buttons is the next step. Information dumped at: http://pibus.info

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The problem is not the pi.

I designed my own pcb which is kocated in tv module housing.

It sends hdmi out to a touchscreen in bordmonitor.

It switches between 3 sources (oem pic from nav, pic from pi if present, pic from rearcam if reverse gear selected).

It is designed to work with and without a pi. If a pi is present the shutdown is simple with petes pibus.

But how to manage shutdown if pi is not present. How to tell the used TI1501 ibus ic to go to sleep mode and cut off pin8.

Thought about consumer shutdown (16 minutes after closing doors this line goes to 0V) but that means to pull an extra wire.

It was better to use a logic which can interprete whether ibus is active or not.

Aerial power cable might also be an option, but if you turn of radio, will this go to 0V while still ignituon is on? If so, then all the rest won't work anymore.
Hi, I'm trying to do the same, I have replaced the original screen with the display and touch screen you suggested and as it's for a Rover 75 I had room to add an extra box to put the driver in. It will save me some messing about if you could tell me how you got the power for the driver.
Thanks

Geoff
Hi, I'm trying to do the same, I have replaced the original screen with the display and touch screen you suggested and as it's for a Rover 75 I had room to add an extra box to put the driver in. It will save me some messing about if you could tell me how you got the power for the driver.
Thanks

Geoff
Hi Geoff, I'm working on something similar too. I'm planning on taking all required power from the existing monitor wiring by linking from the monitors connector board internally. I'm actually working on integrating all the electronics into the monitor housing. I'll be loosing the cassette player to make room, but the kit I have all fits neatly inside.
Have you managed to find a 12v supply that is activated by the i-bus or are you using pibus to switch the permanent live feed from the bordmonitor connector?
Have you managed to find a 12v supply that is activated by the i-bus or are you using pibus to switch the permanent live feed from the bordmonitor connector?
Hi Geoff, Neither really, I'm not sure an i-Bus activated 12v is needed. I'm just taking 12v from the white (pin 8) and blue (pin 7) monitor connectors. It's a 12v Terminal 30 supply, so its on all the time. My screen replacement is simply mimicking the factory unit only in a higher resolution. I wanted it plug and play to keep it as stock as possible, apart from loosing the cassette player. As well as power, all my video feeds are taken from the connector board. An RGsB converter is used to convert the video signals to VGA for my new screen. I've spent countless hours reverse engineering and developing my knowledge base of these old systems, so I haven't had time to finish it yet, but I know it will work in the car fine. That and life getting in the way :)
Hi Geoff, Neither really, I'm not sure an i-Bus activated 12v is needed. I'm just taking 12v from the white (pin 8) and blue (pin 7) monitor connectors. It's a 12v Terminal 30 supply, so its on all the time. My screen replacement is simply mimicking the factory unit only in a higher resolution. I wanted it plug and play to keep it as stock as possible, apart from loosing the cassette player. As well as power, all my video feeds are taken from the connector board. An RGsB converter is used to convert the video signals to VGA for my new screen. I've spent countless hours reverse engineering and developing my knowledge base of these old systems, so I haven't had time to finish it yet, but I know it will work in the car fine. That and life getting in the way :)
If you're keeping it permanently on does it drain the battery or does it have a standby mode and is that similar to the original system? Which RGsB converter are you using, as I was going to use the Pi with a TV dongle and the HDMI input on my monitor I was going to convert the signal from the Nav with separate sync at the TV module and run in a VGA cable to the monitor. I like your solution better.
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If you're keeping it permanently on does it drain the battery or does it have a standby mode and is that similar to the original system? Which RGsB converter are you using, as I was going to use the Pi with a TV dongle and the HDMI input on my monitor I was going to convert the signal from the Nav with separate sync at the TV module and run in a VGA cable to the monitor. I like your solution better.
Ok, so when you open your car door the BMW logo should be displayed on the screen. This action is the cars electrical system waking up, it's just like standby on a regular TV. I haven't actually tested it yet but the same thing should happen by "splicing into" that system for the new monitor control electronics. So no extra power should be drawn from the battery. The RGsB converter I'm using is custom, based on one I found in the net. It uses an LM1881 sync separator to strip the sync signal from the Green signal, the result is VGA compatible video. Any RGsB to VGA converter should work, I just like putting my stamp on it.
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Anybody still running the PIBUS or updated their software etc?
Anybody still running the PIBUS or updated their software etc?
Still running it on RPi3. Running libreelec 9
Still running it on RPi3. Running libreelec 9
Running any custom skins etc mate?
Just running one of the default kodi skins. Haven’t bothered to edit the font size so a bit small. Might have a go post operation. Will be laid up for a couple months and won’t be able to drive.
Hello,

I would like to use pibus without navigation unit. I have standart stereo setup. I am planning to get an 16:9 on board monitor. Do I need to have bm54 unit as well?

Regards,
Mehmet
Hello,

I would like to use pibus without navigation unit. I have standart stereo setup. I am planning to get an 16:9 on board monitor. Do I need to have bm54 unit as well?

Regards,
Mehmet
Bm53 or bm54 and a tv tuner module 2.0. TV tuners seem cheap from eBay UK.
Bm53 or bm54 and a tv tuner module 2.0. TV tuners seem cheap from eBay UK.
Hello

Why tv tuners are needed?
Hello

Why tv tuners are needed?
It gives both reversing camera and video aux composite video inputs.

pibus uses the reverse camera input.

Have a look here
Depends on what you are trying to do. The TV module outputs RGsB to the bordmonitor, the NAV module outputs RGB S to the TV module.

If you want to use the aftermarket RGB to HDMI converter and use the TV module RGsB signal, you'd have to split the sync from the Green line with an extra stripper.

I use the signal from NAV module, so there is no need for extra syncstripper as the NAV outputs the sync signal.

The new board also includes the RGB to HDMI converter, where I use the signal from NAV.
Hello Vitalic,

Is it possible to send RGB signal directly from Pi to Board monitor without using the tuner or nav module?
Can someone please take a look on his pibus board and tell me the value of R4?
Experts - has anyone used a device running Android device and the Resler interface to provide connectivity to the OE steering wheel controls? Sorry,n ot a Chinese/Dynavin/Avint h/u and without Android Auto

I know this is possible on RPi, but I can't find any code that would let an Android computer talk to the SW controls.

Development of Odroid for cars is becoming more plug and play by the day. The missing link is Resler to Android computers
Guys hello new in the club ... i would like to install the pi in my e46 but never had enough time does anyone have any detailed schematics of pibus board to start with? Please @vitalic help me just for the start i am good with both hardware and programming i just need some initial info. Thank you
Which info exactly do you need? You allready got a pibus board from pete or what do you plan?
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