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RNS-D to RNS-E Conversion for Audi B6 S4 A4

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  • RNS-D to RNS-E Conversion for Audi B6 S4 A4

    Thanks to PaulMac for sourcing the crucial part of a multimedia project on the B6 - a 2007 RNS-E head unit in tidy condition... that will enable things like Bluetooth integration and an AUX audio port in the fullness of time, but I have other trickery in mind as well.

    The research I have done to date told me that the conversion loom from Kufatec wasn't going to be 100% 'plug and play' - the CAN wires need to be spliced into another plug on the loom fitted in factory with RNS-D - everything else was fine though.

    The thing that none of the how to guides tell you is that the TV/VIDEO connectors on RNS-D and RNS-E are very different. It's an 11-pin DIN plug on the RNS-D and a 26-pin AMP connector on RNS-E... that will be the next thing to sort I suppose.

    All will be documented here as I go along - as and when other parts come together.

    I couldn't trust any of the on-line guides for to the point of actually cutting wires so I pored over the wiring diagrams for a couple hours. If I ever find a digital TV tuner to replace the obsolete analog one then I will need to re-connectorise it as well.
    Paul Nugent
    Webmaster http://S2central.net
    Administrator http://S2forum.com

    1994 S2 Coupe ABY - aka Project Lazarus
    2001 A6 allroad 2.5TDi - family tank
    2003 S4 Avant 4.2 V8 - daily burble

    Purveyor of HomeFries and Exclusive agent for Samco hose kits (S2/RS2)

    There are only 10 kinds of people that understand binary - those that do, and those that don't

  • #2
    A bizarre and insightful update to this one... when I first plugged in the RNS-E head unit it powered up straight away and did not ask for a PIN code - quite odd I thought but I drove home delighted with the new purchase as centre for a media project on the blue bus.

    Got home - showed it to my son who thought the moving screen was just the best thing ever... then I set to recoding it on VCDS to accept the factory CD changer (knowing they communicate directly and nothing to do with CANbus) - it refused to play CDs from that. I unplugged the radio to check some cabling... plugged it back in again and it asked me for a PIN code - like WTF !!!!!

    So I have the hack software on a disc but didn't want to risk bricking the unit... A polite call to the local Audi stealership and the lovely girl tells me they can recover the PIN code after a quick security check to prove its my car and I have to take it in... they want 60 quid for the pleasure as it supposedly takes their computer an hour to crunch the number. I figure whatever - better that route than using some dodgy hack service on eBay or my schlocky disc.

    Into Audi a couple days ago and its clear to see why the new car prices are so high - even the gents toilet would put most airline business lounges to shame, but I digress - they got me the code and gave the car a nice quick wash n vac for free. Part of me is convinced they were only so nice to me as I have it on a 2013/2014 number plate - it was on an English private plate when I bought it so it got imported to NI on a fresh plate which gets a few strange looks.
    Paul Nugent
    Webmaster http://S2central.net
    Administrator http://S2forum.com

    1994 S2 Coupe ABY - aka Project Lazarus
    2001 A6 allroad 2.5TDi - family tank
    2003 S4 Avant 4.2 V8 - daily burble

    Purveyor of HomeFries and Exclusive agent for Samco hose kits (S2/RS2)

    There are only 10 kinds of people that understand binary - those that do, and those that don't

    Comment


    • #3
      So I have my unlocked RNS-E ready to go... I almost forgot... before I took it into Audi the only thing that bugged me about it was the imperfect looking screen - it has some kind of anti-glare coating which looks pure pants after people have poked at it or tried to clean it with the wrong stuff. After a bit of research, I decided to remove the coating with a good LCD screen cleaner - takes a bit of care and gentle elbow grease but the result was bleeding fantastic - looks like a new screen now.

      Apparently there are good quality protective screen covers (like for phones) available but I haven't looked into those yet.
      Attached Files
      Paul Nugent
      Webmaster http://S2central.net
      Administrator http://S2forum.com

      1994 S2 Coupe ABY - aka Project Lazarus
      2001 A6 allroad 2.5TDi - family tank
      2003 S4 Avant 4.2 V8 - daily burble

      Purveyor of HomeFries and Exclusive agent for Samco hose kits (S2/RS2)

      There are only 10 kinds of people that understand binary - those that do, and those that don't

      Comment


      • #4
        Onto the techno bit... I have spent LOTS of hours looking at various other Audi forums and checked with my own factory data and schematics for an MY03 B6 S4 - I am not the first to attempt this by any stretch but I do have a unique twist planned for the end.

        I am also in the minority with a factory fitted TV tuner which is almost useless as it is analog and will not pickup anything since DSO, but it was good to start from this point as it simplifies by OEM+ plans and allows me to independently test some other aspects.

        Step 1 is wiring it up - I too the easy route with an RNS-D to RNS-E conversion loom from Kufatec - they aren't cheap but they are much better respected than the many schlonky sources on eBay etc... this comes with the big quad lock plug and a couple of RF connectors that are designed for plug n play upgrade.

        I checked every pin on the Kufatec loom just to double check everything aligned with schematics and stickers on the two radios...

        The BOSE pin is correctly pulled to 0V on the Kufatec adapter for my application
        The correct positions for Telephone integration are kept open - I need to add those later.
        The pin for integration with the alarm is absent, but easily added later.

        The MOST important aspect about this conversion is that the CANbus wires for the RNS-E unit are left loose as bare wires to connect to the vehicle on a different connector. This is where you have to start doing your homework and properly understand WTF is going on......
        Paul Nugent
        Webmaster http://S2central.net
        Administrator http://S2forum.com

        1994 S2 Coupe ABY - aka Project Lazarus
        2001 A6 allroad 2.5TDi - family tank
        2003 S4 Avant 4.2 V8 - daily burble

        Purveyor of HomeFries and Exclusive agent for Samco hose kits (S2/RS2)

        There are only 10 kinds of people that understand binary - those that do, and those that don't

        Comment


        • #5
          The RNS-D system integrates with the CANBus on the B6 S4 using a CAN translator / gateway device that also serves as a receiver for the Traffic Messaging Channel (aka TMC) which is received as low speed real-time data over FM radio across the UK & EU.

          This device is often called the 'TMC' and appears as R94 on the Audi schematics. This device translates the Bosch version of CANBus protocol used by the RNS-D unit (and the analog TV tuner) into the Audi protocol that is used on the INFOTAINMENT bus... this is how navigation instructions get displayed on the instrument cluster (or the DIS for short).

          The RNS-E unit integrates directly onto the INFOtainment bus - but of course those pins don't exist at the back of a factory RNS-D installation. Safe in the knowledge that the TMC capability is actually incorporated in the RNS-E unit there is an easy fix - delete the TMC device..........
          Paul Nugent
          Webmaster http://S2central.net
          Administrator http://S2forum.com

          1994 S2 Coupe ABY - aka Project Lazarus
          2001 A6 allroad 2.5TDi - family tank
          2003 S4 Avant 4.2 V8 - daily burble

          Purveyor of HomeFries and Exclusive agent for Samco hose kits (S2/RS2)

          There are only 10 kinds of people that understand binary - those that do, and those that don't

          Comment


          • #6
            The TMC device (R94) lives behind the trim panel above the TV tuner in the boot area of the B6 Avant - I haven't actually got to it yet, but here is what has to be done...

            - unplug the 12-pin power/data plug from R94
            - unplug the RF connectors from R94 and connect them together (as a convenient male/female pair allegedly)
            - splice the two CAN bus connections together

            Then its a simple matter of connecting the RNS-E CANbus wires to those presented in the 26-pin connector that was used by the RNS-D radio... that plug can actually be chopped off as its not needed any longer. I will add photos when I get there !

            This effectively bridges the old NAVIGATION CANbus wires onto the INFOtainment CANbus, but before we get to that there are some other challenges............
            Paul Nugent
            Webmaster http://S2central.net
            Administrator http://S2forum.com

            1994 S2 Coupe ABY - aka Project Lazarus
            2001 A6 allroad 2.5TDi - family tank
            2003 S4 Avant 4.2 V8 - daily burble

            Purveyor of HomeFries and Exclusive agent for Samco hose kits (S2/RS2)

            There are only 10 kinds of people that understand binary - those that do, and those that don't

            Comment


            • #7
              reading up some more on the differences of RNS-D and RNS-E I discover some bumps in the road -

              - the CD changer used with RNS-D does not work with RNS-E... this explains the behaviour I had on day one... luckily on eBay the compatible ones (8E0 035 111D or 8E0 057 111D) are easy enough found for small money.

              - the old analog TV tuner I had hoped to keep for a while to use its two auxiliary video inputs is also incompatible with RNS-E... there is another analog variant available but pointless getting that one as it won't work with DVB-T inputs... I am trying to source the later hybrid tuner (8J0 919 148B or C) but these aren't so cheap of course as they are in high demand.

              - the other wrinkle with regards the TV tuner is that the video wiring is very different on RNS-D versus RNS-E... The D has a 10-pin DIN connector carrying RGB & sync from the tuner, while the RNS-E uses a 32-pin AMP connector - I need to chop off the DIN plug and create the correct wiring for the AMP plug.
              Paul Nugent
              Webmaster http://S2central.net
              Administrator http://S2forum.com

              1994 S2 Coupe ABY - aka Project Lazarus
              2001 A6 allroad 2.5TDi - family tank
              2003 S4 Avant 4.2 V8 - daily burble

              Purveyor of HomeFries and Exclusive agent for Samco hose kits (S2/RS2)

              There are only 10 kinds of people that understand binary - those that do, and those that don't

              Comment


              • #8
                One nice trick with the later RNS-E units like mine is support for AUX audio input on that 32-pin plug - I plan to use the OEM connector for that and place it somewhere handy - it can also be used with an expensive Audi Media Interface (AMI) from the likes of Kufatec but I don't plan to go down that road - even though it offers up track information to the display.
                Paul Nugent
                Webmaster http://S2central.net
                Administrator http://S2forum.com

                1994 S2 Coupe ABY - aka Project Lazarus
                2001 A6 allroad 2.5TDi - family tank
                2003 S4 Avant 4.2 V8 - daily burble

                Purveyor of HomeFries and Exclusive agent for Samco hose kits (S2/RS2)

                There are only 10 kinds of people that understand binary - those that do, and those that don't

                Comment


                • #9
                  Attached is the pinouts that I made for RNS-D and RNS-E comparison. Bear in mind i have BOSE factory fitted and the old analog TV tuner is in play here. Also included is a summary of the CAN bus pins that I have mapped out on the B6 so far. Obviously the NAVbus will merge into the INFObus when the graft is complete.
                  Attached Files
                  Paul Nugent
                  Webmaster http://S2central.net
                  Administrator http://S2forum.com

                  1994 S2 Coupe ABY - aka Project Lazarus
                  2001 A6 allroad 2.5TDi - family tank
                  2003 S4 Avant 4.2 V8 - daily burble

                  Purveyor of HomeFries and Exclusive agent for Samco hose kits (S2/RS2)

                  There are only 10 kinds of people that understand binary - those that do, and those that don't

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    If anyone cares... here is a run down for the next part of the RNS-E retrofit on my B6 S4... This stage deletes the now redundant TMC unit and bridge the Navigation & Infotainment CAN busses together.

                    The first thing to do (while your hands are clean etc) is to remove the rear seat side bolster on the left.

                    - 17mm spanner removes the upper locking bolt for the side bolster (measure the length to simplify refitting)

                    - Remove the rear seat bench by pulling firmly up on each side to release the clips - they are effing tight and you might be unlucky and break one clip like I did... care required not to lift up immediately in case you have short wires clamped in for seat heaters etc. You just need the seat moved forward enough to access a bolt below, the whole thing doesn't need removed.

                    - Now you can just about see an 8mm bolt that secures the bottom of the bolster - remove that and the bolster slides down and out of the way of the trim panel... go easy here with the airbag wiring - you don't actually need to unplug anything as the cables are long enough for what we need to do.
                    Attached Files
                    Paul Nugent
                    Webmaster http://S2central.net
                    Administrator http://S2forum.com

                    1994 S2 Coupe ABY - aka Project Lazarus
                    2001 A6 allroad 2.5TDi - family tank
                    2003 S4 Avant 4.2 V8 - daily burble

                    Purveyor of HomeFries and Exclusive agent for Samco hose kits (S2/RS2)

                    There are only 10 kinds of people that understand binary - those that do, and those that don't

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Pardon the filth under the rear seats - disgusting previous owner - this is 1st time I have had the rear bench out !
                      Attached Files
                      Paul Nugent
                      Webmaster http://S2central.net
                      Administrator http://S2forum.com

                      1994 S2 Coupe ABY - aka Project Lazarus
                      2001 A6 allroad 2.5TDi - family tank
                      2003 S4 Avant 4.2 V8 - daily burble

                      Purveyor of HomeFries and Exclusive agent for Samco hose kits (S2/RS2)

                      There are only 10 kinds of people that understand binary - those that do, and those that don't

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Next...

                        - Remove the four TX20 screws that hold the lock carrier trim onto the rear panel
                        Attached Files
                        Paul Nugent
                        Webmaster http://S2central.net
                        Administrator http://S2forum.com

                        1994 S2 Coupe ABY - aka Project Lazarus
                        2001 A6 allroad 2.5TDi - family tank
                        2003 S4 Avant 4.2 V8 - daily burble

                        Purveyor of HomeFries and Exclusive agent for Samco hose kits (S2/RS2)

                        There are only 10 kinds of people that understand binary - those that do, and those that don't

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          - Then remove the four TX30 screws holding on the two luggage clips on the left side
                          Attached Files
                          Paul Nugent
                          Webmaster http://S2central.net
                          Administrator http://S2forum.com

                          1994 S2 Coupe ABY - aka Project Lazarus
                          2001 A6 allroad 2.5TDi - family tank
                          2003 S4 Avant 4.2 V8 - daily burble

                          Purveyor of HomeFries and Exclusive agent for Samco hose kits (S2/RS2)

                          There are only 10 kinds of people that understand binary - those that do, and those that don't

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            - And back to the TX20 screwdriver for the last screw at the top corner of the trim panel
                            Attached Files
                            Paul Nugent
                            Webmaster http://S2central.net
                            Administrator http://S2forum.com

                            1994 S2 Coupe ABY - aka Project Lazarus
                            2001 A6 allroad 2.5TDi - family tank
                            2003 S4 Avant 4.2 V8 - daily burble

                            Purveyor of HomeFries and Exclusive agent for Samco hose kits (S2/RS2)

                            There are only 10 kinds of people that understand binary - those that do, and those that don't

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              OK, so now you need to be brave...

                              - Tease the trim panel above the door seal

                              - The only thing holding it in now is some sturdy spring clips, so you just need to pull it firmly away from the window... I found it best to pull with a hand in the area where the Tuner and TMC live as you can get a good grip in there for a proper pull

                              - Be careful here as it would be easy to break a clip or damage the delicate aerial wires coming off the window
                              Attached Files
                              Paul Nugent
                              Webmaster http://S2central.net
                              Administrator http://S2forum.com

                              1994 S2 Coupe ABY - aka Project Lazarus
                              2001 A6 allroad 2.5TDi - family tank
                              2003 S4 Avant 4.2 V8 - daily burble

                              Purveyor of HomeFries and Exclusive agent for Samco hose kits (S2/RS2)

                              There are only 10 kinds of people that understand binary - those that do, and those that don't

                              Comment

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