Retrofitting radio controlled clock

[notorious]

We now understand how radio controlled clock synch procedure works. It was tested on my cluster from Audi 2002 D2 FL, software version D39 (your software can work differently).

This is what I calculated with a bit of trial and error:

* Cluster will make a synch sessions with DCF77 at 3am, 4am and 5am every day.
* Synch attempt will only start when ignition is off and cluster displays went to sleep mode by timeout.
* Each synch session lasts about 10-11 minutes. Cluster switches on receiver power only for the length of the synch session. Receiver power stays off all other time. Because it takes 1 full minute to get date and time information from DCF77 transmitter there are 9 or 10 opportunities/attempts to receive full good signal during each synch session.
* During synch session once the good signal is received, say from 2nd attempt, the synch session is prematurely terminated, cluster switches off receiver power, switches itself to radio controlled clock mode, displays antenna symbol, displays correct date and time and makes no further synch sessions during this day.
* If all synch sessions at 3am, 4am and 5am ended with failure cluster makes additional synch sessions after each trip. Definition of trip from cluster point of view: ignition goes on, then cluster receives some speed signal, ignition goes off, key is removed and cluster displays go to sleep mode by timeout. Immediately after that synch session starts.
* If all synch sessions ended with failure for the last 3 days cluster goes back to normal quartz clock mode.
* If cluster's power is switched off (remove fuse number 4 from yellow bank for couple of seconds and put it back) the cluster will forget radio controlled mode and will also forget about time shift from CET time to UK time.


Now, with all this in mind, we have a **quick** procedure to test how well your receiver is working in it's current location:

- If cluster is already in radio controlled clock mode remove fuse number 4 from yellow bank for couple of seconds and put it back. This will save waiting 3 days



- You will see something like 0:00 and 1.1.1999 depending on version of your cluster software.



- Switch ignition on, press Menu button on centre console and set time to 2:59am.



- Switch off ignition. Wait for cluster displays go to sleep mode by timeout. At '3:00am', with displays in off position, the synch session starts.

- You can now press 'Check' button on cluster (or open driver door) if you want to to return displays back on to keep tracking of progress. If receiver catches good signal (usually by about 3:03-3:04am) you will see CET time and date on your cluster:



(picture was taken 18:09 UK time. Time shift can be adjusted in Menu by changing hours figure. Time shift can be from +11 to -11 hours. In radio controlled mode cluster doesn't allow to set minutes and date. In future if cluster goes back to quartz clock mode after 3 days of no signal it will still remember the specified time shift and after next successful synch session it will take that into account when it goes back to radio controlled mode)

- If after 12 minutes of waiting the clock still shows 3:11am and 1.1.1999 that means synch session was unsuccessful, all attempts failed and it can mean many things: your car is parked in rubbish reception area or location of receiver in car is not optimal or receiver itself is rubbish.

So, now it takes only up to 12minutes to definitively know if sync works. This quickly allows to scan many places in car to find optimal location for receiver.

My target is to find receiver and location of receiver that synchs from 1st attempt.

Hope it makes sense

...To be continued...

[notorious]

Some of my experiments.

Because I'm not satisfied with quality of reception where I live
I've just extended receiver's loom by about 7 meters and tried
the 12-minute test procedure described above.


1. I decided to put receiver somewhere outside the car -- on a tree!



I thought this will provide best reception.
But 12-minute test failed and clock didn't synch.
Poor reception area or rubbish receiver?


2. Well, I moved receiver on column of my garage:



And it synched from 1st or 2nd attempt. At '3:04am' time my cluster switched to radio controlled mode.

I have no idea why it didn't work on tree and why it worked on the garage door column ...


3. I moved receiver under rear parcel shelf.
'3am' synch test failed, but I left car for another 4-5 hours
and it successfully synched during 4am or 5am synch sessions.

Don't know why... Just some facts of life.

I think I'd want industrial grade antenna,
not the cheap version used in this receiver module.
I appreciate I can have challenging reception condition where I live.

...To be continued...

[HPsauce]

Just to note that I've plugged in my antenna this morning, it was very easy to do.
I gained access by removing the drivers knee panel, which needs a trim tool, T25 torx and 8mm socket.

1. Prise off the curved plastic trim immediately below the steering cowl, just held by 2 clips.
2. This exposes a couple of screw heads (mine were T25) holding the knee panel, remove these.
3. Remove the 3 screws in recesses in the panel - bottom left and right and in the top right of the storage recess. Mix of T25 and 8mm on my car.

The panel drops down (OBD cable is connected!) and even my big arthritic hands could easily reach the socket on the back of the instruments to plug the receiver lead in.

It looks like this panel has been off before as the screw in the storage recess wasn't actually doing anything - just jammed into a clip that wasn't clipped anywhere and where it should go seemed to have been broken off. Probably removed incompetently before.
So I'm going to have a more careful look and see how it can be fitted better, none of the fixings were actually done up properly.

I'll get the laptop out later and do the coding then "await developments".

[notorious]

HP, The only thing that can be damaged are the clip's threads. Basically, where the bolts/screws go. Clips are available from audi and cost pennies. Just order some. The are used everywhere in car. Bolts/screws are also orderable and cost pennies.

You can now use cluster's adaptation channel 19 to switch on lower bit to make cluster aware of the receiver and then drive for some time without knee panel testing reception with procedure I provided. If you're happy with reception where car stays during night you're fine.

Because reception in my area is more challenging and/or my example of receiver can be a bit 'badly tuned' this is going to be a slow burner project for me.

I realised that if I open receiver case the antenna is separate-able from small electronic module that demodulates signal and converts it to electric pulses that go to cluster for further software processing. It is possible to change antenna to significantly more powerful one without cluster knowing of what I did. I want to try to do that, so it'll take some time.

[HPsauce]

Originally Posted by notorious

You can now use cluster's adaptation channel 19 to switch on lower bit to make cluster aware of the receiver and then drive for some time without knee panel testing reception with procedure I provided. If you're happy with reception where car stays during night you're fine.

Thanks, I just had a look with VCDS and channel 19 is currently set to 30000. Does that mean I set it to 30001?

I just had a look where the clips fit and only 3 of the 5 will be reuseable on my car, sadly. The two by the steering cowl and bottom right near the bonnet release. The other two were not secured anyway.

The other two clips should go onto plastic mounting bits of trim, but these have been broken off (not by me!) so there is nowhere for the metal clips to slide over. Fixing them is going to be tricky, so I'll live with it as it is for now.
Both of the unsecured screws are jammed into the metal clips, so I think someone probably used a power tool on them, got them cross-threaded and so rotated and ripped the clips through the plastic mountings, throwing away the plastic bits that presumably fell out.

[notorious]

Originally Posted by HPsauce

I just had a look with VCDS and channel 19 is currently set to 30000. Does that mean I set it to 30001?

Yes, this is correct. 30001 is what you need.

[notorious]

BTW, the 30000 stuff configures behaviour or your needles/dials:

[notorious]

HP, after you change adaptation channel to make cluster aware of clock receiver pay attention if you remove receiver from cluster for this or that reason.

If during synch session (see above when and how it happens) cluster won't see the receiver it will throw an error. Nothing major, but error will need to be deleted.

[HPsauce]

Thanks for all that info.

[notorious]

>> I think someone probably used a power tool on them,
>> got them cross-threaded and so rotated and ripped the clips through
>> the plastic mountings, throwing away the plastic bits that presumably fell out.

I'd pay a lot catching him doing this. Will kill him on the spot without hesitation.