VXOC Astra-J/GTC

So, i have this insignia cluster, up level display. 

and i have a clone tech2,  

tried to add the insignia cluster to my car and i guess predictably it refuses with a hardware mismatch.

i altered the eeprom to have my cars vin number and security code.. i couldnt figure out whdere the mileage is stored in the eeprom dump... so i left that bit alone... this was enough to allow me to do a 'program' session on the BCM which removed the mileage lock out that i'd triggered on the insignisas ipc, and it shows the mileage of my car now.. so auto updates the real mileage from the bcm i guess.... 

but annoyingly it has 2 check things on start up (due to things my car dosent have.... park assist and sommat else) 

and i get the airbag warning light and check engine light on all the time.. due to the ipc coming from a crashed car i presume, and due to the hardware mismatch i cant perform a program/settings update on the ipc.

Is there any way to get the insignia's cluster to work with my meriva?  something else ot fudge in the eeprom settings? 

the insignias cluster is my play about cluster, cost me next to nothing, but i'd like to figure it out if i can... also, this means that if i get a uk astra J uplevel cluster, i'll have the same issue of a hardware mismatch trying to marry it to the meriva. 


yes i do have a kph meriva cluster... but i screwed that up de-soldering the eeprom before my hot air unit arrived, and constant messing has resulted in loosing too many tracks on the pcb to save it i think... i deffo would never trust it in the car if i do manage to trace and fix all the tracks that have gone.... so i'll likely never know if i can change it to a uk mph version... and finding a mph up level meriva B cdti ipc is impossible,

No point in updating the mileage on the cluster as it takes it from the BCM once the VIN is matched up anyways.
If your check engine light remains try clearing the DTCs using GDS2, or try figuring out what DTC causes the MIL.

Since you can program the EEPROM, yes it is possible to get rid of the nag screens. Which ones exactly do you want to get rid of? There's a few bits in the EEPROM that you can patch to 0 to disable certain screens. I don't have an exact mapping for it but if you send me your EEPROM I'll give it a shot.

the MIL and airbag lights are only on the insignia (and kph meriva) cluster... when i put my original cluster back in, those lights are not lit... i believe in a crash those lights are like triggered to stay on in the ipc untill it gets the code saying the airbags and that lot have been replaced... which with a mismatched part DTC.. i cant comunicate with it to clear them... i'm making this up as i go along here

i did try going into my SDM and reset it, and still got the lights on the crashed clusters.

not that it matters.. but being a meriva i can't use GDS2, so i'm using the tech2 in pass thru mode, using globaltis 32b SPS to program things.

The eeprom dump from the insignia cluster is on my netbook.... and i cant access that right now, but i can get the dump tomorrow,
i think i get 2 nag screens, one for service airbag, and service park assist, i have a feeling the air bag one wont be so easy to fix.... i guess the identifier code is in the MCU.. the bit that tells the car it's not from a meriva.

Oh, Tech2 can't do GDS? That's a shame :(

I use SPS via the tech2 J2534 thing... it's slow but seems to allow programming... untill it moans of the hardware mismatch...  but i'd imagine even GDS2 would do that  (GDS2 dosent cover the Meriva B untill after the 2015 model year anyway, mines a 2011)

atatched are 3 dumps of the insignias eeprom, its a 24C16 eeprom, 

The original one is what i dumped off it before i changed anything... BUT i'd been driving around with the ipc in my car, and that had the odometer lock triggered, 

I then altered the eeprom data, to have my chassis number and security code, that's all i changed, i then did a program of the BCM, which removed the odometer lock, and the mileage showed then.. but still the 2 nag screens and airbag and engine light on. 

I then tried to program the IPC, and it refused due to hardware mismatch, but i have just poped the eeprom off the board, read it and it's different again.... thats the dump with 'something not right' 

the security code seems to be missing.... 

i have for now put my original ipc back in the car, and that is bringing up a DTC for imobilizer mismatch, but the car starts and runs fine, i tried to divorce it to add it again, but it failed saying security code not right... so i will have to take that ipc appart and read the eeprom again, to see if that too is missing the security code like the insignias one is.... 

Should i be able to give it a new security code with tech2?

Security code is only checked when programming and the hardware identifier doesn't match what the SPS database lists as what should be in the car. So no biggie if that's wrong.
I'm going to try mapping specific EEPROM bits to specific screens. I know it's possible and where the offsets are but I haven't figured out precisely which bit maps to which functionality.

I did try mounting the eeprom from the KPH speedo i have on wires to a dip socket, and soldered the eeprom to an adapter to plug it in... with the wires coming out the speedo housing.... but the tracks keep lifting on that pcb and it's dead now (my fault, i was impatient and tried to de-solder the eeprom with a soldering iron rather than hot air.. and overheated things a little)
But i wanted to try and see if i could set it to a uk mph one.

the insignia speedo is better in that the eeprom is on the back, so no need to pull the needles and dial face off each time... so i might mount that eeprom on a socket so i can program it easilly.

but really i want to be able to do a tech2 programming session, then read the eeprom to see what's changed, but cant do that with the insignias ipc.... unless... i use the chassis number from the insignia to get the tech2 to talk to it.

I think you can do SPS programming on it if you enter the donor VIN in the SPS menu.
But SPS will never let you program the Insignia cluster with Meriva options unfortunately. However, getting the EEPROM setup correctly will help.

For my test cluster I soldered 8 wires in parallel to a dip-soic adapter like this

With simple header pins it now fits into the programmers' ZIF socket perfectly.

Just done this: 

[attachment=969]

Soldered an 8 pin dip socket on to the eeprom pads.. just had to adjust the pins a little to get them to fit nicely. 

shame the other IPC's have the eeprom on the front, 

Wont be able to have a play till after the weekend,  going to the GF's place and having a look at her sisters ford fuckus that's failed it's mot for abs light being on... hope i can get the cheapie elm327 dongle to read the abs ecu on it.... and i imagine fords are not one of the cars that a tech2 can read with a different card.

Done mine like this

That's how i tried to do it on the KPH ipc, but i lost more tracks on the pcb in the process and totally killed it. got another ipc on order, i have the hot air station to get the eeprom off this one without dammaging the pcb now,


oh, and going way ot now... just discovered i can use the Tech2 in the J2534 pass thru mode with Forscan (thats scAn not skIn lol) software to talk to fords... shitty elm327 wouldnt talk to it.

How do you lose tracks though? The memory stays on the board. I just soldered the wires to the chip legs.

i tried de-soldering the eeprom using a cheap non temperature controlled soldering iron and lifting it from the board... it was covered in blue glue to keep it stuck to the board, i havent managed to get an eeprom dump using the clip on jobbie yet... even off the vectra's ipc which didnt have any blue glue over the chips.

But in the process in the process i overheated a pcb track... i managed to fix that... but stupidly took the eeprom off the pcb a second time to fit a socket on wires, even tho i used hot air to get the eeprom off, i used the soldering iron (my temp controlled one this time.. as i had to get it out of storage) but i lost another track in the process.

---

I have new soldering tools to hopefully ensure i don't screw up again when i get another IPC,

Got the hot air rework station... and some kapton tape (to put around surface mount led's to stop them burning when de-soldering with hot air)

My temperature controlled solder / de-solder station (vacuum desolder gun, for through hole stuff only)

and some hot chopsticks.. tweezer like double soldering irons for taking led's and similar parts off the board, they work brilliantly for removing most led's... except the side mount ones.. still not 100% decided if to use the kapton tape and hot air, or a wide tip on the soldering iron for them.

Heat up the surrounding area from a distance for a bit first, then move in on what you want to remove with the hot air. Both temp and airflow can be on max. This is the best way, might wanna get a good idea of the processon youtube.

Cheers,
i was using 400 degrees heat, and about half way on air flow with a 4mm nozzle, and waving it around the legs of components in a circle.

after i decided there was no salvaging the kph speedo, i decided to harvest the components off it.

how on earth should i have got the 5 legged TOP style unit off (top left) it has 4 heatsink/ground pads under it holding it on the board, i broke it trying to desolder the legs first, then noticed the board was bubbling when trying to heat it to get the body off the board... i guess heat from the other side of the board?

You need a hot-air station with serious output for those kinds of components. The problem is heat dissipation, but if you heat up the surroundings the dissipation gets much lower and youl'l be able to remove the chip. Alternative is using a preheater to get the whole board at (say) 100°C. But still, it requires a lot of heat to remove any kind of BGA style package.

Sorry to jump on a old thread but today I changed my ipc with the full display like photo attached as the one I had was basic I wrote my vin and pin in eprom so now ipc display mileage working ok but 3 things I would like to sort is parking assist and washer level none are fitted to my car so shows as faults when checking the 3rd is the Imobolizer fault code as I read above someone had had same issue

So is there any way to edit the varient configuration to remove parking assist and washer sensor

Thanks

Park assist has to be done with MDI I believe.

I would fit washer sensor or bridge the wires for that.

I have Sig IPC and don't bother about immobilizer code, all work fine