[AudiA4B6US]

OK, before you read on the usual disclaimer: Everything you do to your RNS-E is at your own risk. The following may cause more questions than providing answers and it can definitely brake your RNS-E and render it unusable. But if you are brave and have some skills in this area, it may give you some ideas on what's possible.

So, I have this Euro RNS-E and got the 2005_1 DVD to see how to get the US patch working after powertony confirmed that the current patch doesn't work anymore. Before I do so I think I give the US DVD another try and see what's possible in regards to loading the US software onto the Euro device.

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I take my US DVD and copy the following files to my hard disk:
- 00.VNS
- A2220109.MOT
- INDEX.TXT
- LDM.BIN
- LOADING.KWI

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I then take a look at the new Euro DVD, especially the version information in the files mentioned above. Assuming that the Euro device will look for an Euro update CD/DVD I thought it should be possible to modify the US files to look like the Euro update files and make the Euro RNS-E load that "software update".

Well, said, done and indeed the Euro RNS-E did a software update and came back with this:

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I accepted the warning and put in my US DVD and no surprise, it was detected and accepted as Navigation DVD.

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Even the radio works now in "US" mode, showing FM, AM and Satelite Radio

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I thought great, now let's see if we can get it back to be a Euro device but even after trying a couple of different values using the same process as shown above the RNS-E would not detect a software update and load the Euro software. Damn :twisted: , while it's nice to have a real US unit now, that's not where I wanted to get. Since it was time for dinner I stopped for a couple of hours and came back this morning to give the Euro DVD another try.

I don't know what I did or why but somehow the Euro RNS-E still running the US software accepted the Euro 2005_1 DVD as software update and loaded the Euro software.

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The 0330 Euro software has some new features, one being the clock shown at the bottom. Anyway, I said, ok let's go back to the US software and put in the CD I used earlier and which worked fine. But it didn't work anymore, not after a reboot, not after a while without power. So I let it sit and got some lunch and when I came back I saw this:

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Somehow it found the software update after a while and loaded the US software. But whatever I tried this afternoon, I couldn't get it to load the Euro software again.

What this confirms is that the RNS-E hardware is the same in both regions and that the whole funtionality is only software controlled (incl. radio frequencies, sat radio and most likely TMC/TP which I couldn't test).

If you want to give it a try as well and maybe get more consistant results, here are the strings I changed in the files taken from the US DVD:

INDEX.TXT:
SOFIDX:0330
NAVVER:V220059E
AUDVER:A2210126

00.VNS:
V22000 059E

LDM.BIN:
V220045A

LOADING.KWI:
V220
045A
LDR V220045A
APL V220057B
FNT V220055A
OS V220059D

I used UltraEdit32 to search for V222 in 00.VNS, LDM.BIN and LOADING.KWI and then set the values listed above.

Since I don't have a Euro RNS-E right now, I can't really test if the US DVD can be patched to work with the Euro 0330 software. But since the DVD has now an electronic signature, it may not be possible anymore to use a patched DVD. Maybe I give it another try in a couple of days...

And again the warning, if you do it wrong you may break your RNS-E but if you do it right you may end up having a real US device.

Good luck...

 

[Stoodo]

You are a King among Men! And you potentially made my US version worth several hundred dollar less.

 

[AudiA4B6US]

You are a King among Men! And you potentially made my US version worth several hundred dollar less.

Sorry, but mine as well

 

[Stoodo]

This does give hope to losing the US Nag screen.

 

[dvsail]

Great work!! Very insteresting stuff.
Now if someone can figure out how to get rid of that 'protection from lawyer message' we'd have the best of both worlds. :?

Btw, when you read the part# on your navi screen after the US conversion, will it give you a US part #?

 

[mbrooks]

I am running a Euro version RNS E with a patched US DVD map, software version 0100. Are you saying by making the changes you indicated in the new US Navteq map DVD, you were able to change the machine to US spec? Why would you want to change it back to the Euro version? I am in Minnesota and would love to do what you did. I would drive to Chicago to have it done!

 

[Stoodo]

Why would you want to change it back to the Euro version?

To know if and how it can be done.

 

[AudiA4B6US]

There are several people in Europe who have US spec cars and therefore US spec RNS-E. It would be nice if they could do the same to the US unit because that's what they need and want.

And Stoodo is right, to confirm if and how it can be done...

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[PROXUS]

Now it doesn't really matter if you want to buy US or EU unit. 8)


Do you think that new US DVD will update converted EU»US unit?
From what I understand it should right?

 

[AudiA4B6US]

Now it doesn't really matter if you want to buy US or EU unit. 8)


Do you think that new US DVD will update converted EU»US unit?
From what I understand it should right?

Maybe. I got inconsistant results with the 2005_1/0330 Euro DVD and I'm not sure what to expect from the next US DVD. But it looks like it would be possible if Audi just wanted it to happen.

 

[bjarne]

This really looks like a great breakthrough, thanks AudiA4B6US

I will probably give this a try, but I have some questions.

I notice that some of the changes seem to have the EU software version in it (330), so any suggestion on what the changes should be, if I have the following configuration?

4B0 035 192P with SW 0100
Modified US DVD running in the uint
I have the original US DVD
I do NOT have the EU DVD

 

[AudiA4B6US]

This really looks like a great breakthrough, thanks AudiA4B6US

I will probably give this a try, but I have some questions.

I notice that some of the changes seem to have the EU software version in it (330), so any suggestion on what the changes should be, if I have the following configuration?

4B0 035 192P with SW 0100
Modified US DVD running in the uint
I have the original US DVD 2005_1
I do NOT have the EU DVD

The values shown above are from the Euro 2005_1/0330 DVD. You don't need this DVD, all you need is the US DVD (whatever version will work but AFAIK there is only one version, this version 1A shown in the picture). The trick is to modify the files from the US DVD to make them look like they are files from the Euro DVD so that the Euro RNS-E takes them as update. The pictures showing the 0330 Euro software are only to confirm it was loaded and what has changed. I wish I could really reproduce this back and forth but there is something which makes it not work all the time.

 

[bjarne]

Fantastic !!!!

It looks like I now have a "US" version 4B0 035 192 P

And it works with the unmodified US DVD. AM stations have 10 kHz spacing, and of course, I have the annoying warning message.

I need to go out and navigate now

 

[AudiA4B6US]

Fantastic !!!!

It looks like I now have a "US" version 4B0 035 192 P

And it works with the unmodified US 2005_1 DVD. AM stations have 10 kHz spacing, and of course, I have the annoying warning message.

I need to go out and navigate now

Good to see that it works on the 4B0 unit as well. And happy navigating without missing streets :lol:

 

[Stoodo]

This also makes me think that the "F" version I purchased means very little now.

 

[AudiA4B6US]

This also makes me think that the "F" version I purchased means very little now.

Well, you got at least the 0040 software nobody else has...

 

[HX_Guy]

Wow very very nice! Now only if I had a dual layer DVD burner and the knowledge of how to burn the modified navigation disk.

The warning messege is something that is making me want to stay with the EU unit as well as the fact that the unit does not shut off when you turn the engine off, I hated that with the Symphony II.

However, the fact that the navigation doesn't get the North and South right is a reason to change.

What to do...what to do...

 

[bjarne]

Wow very very nice! Now only if I had a dual layer DVD burner and the knowledge of how to burn the modified navigation disk.

The warning messege is something that is making me want to stay with the EU unit as well as the fact that the unit does not shut off when you turn the engine off, I hated that with the Symphony II.

However, the fact that the navigation doesn't get the North and South right is a reason to change.

What to do...what to do...

You don't need a dual layer burner to do this update, the update files work fine off a standard CD-R. Of course, you will need the unmodified US DVD to navigate.

I think I will get used to the warning message, I have it on my BMW already. I am also used to have to push the buttons to get it into map mode, when I am not navigating.

I was surprised when I shut the engine off, that the unit turned off. I did not know that this is how the US version works. I did like the unit on until I removed the key, but it is not a big deal for me.

 

[AudiA4B6US]

The shutting off with ignition and not with removing the key if much less annoying with the RNS-E as it was with the Symphony because the RNS-E doesn't really turn off and when you push the power button it's immediately back on. The warning message, oh well, eventually someone will figure out how to run that off. And bjarne is right, all the files are less than 16MB and fit easily on a CD-R.

 

[wingnut1122]

regional map displays

I noticed that when you select the region (eg midwest, north east, mid atlantic) there is a corresponding map. Is this feature specific to the US units? I don't see this with the euro unit using the patched DVD.