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heinzboehmer's 2002 Topaz 6MT Coupe

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  • heinzboehmer
    replied
    Originally posted by t3ddftw View Post
    1. I honestly need to do more work to dial in the microphone quality. Interestingly the G-series Mic (84108794736) is a plug and play replacement in terms of wiring, and it performs pretty well on calls while at speed (using a 7dB Mic Gain value). The only problem is it doesn't directly slot in place, so I need to design an adapter plate.
    Any pics of the G series mic? More than happy to help out with the design/testing for this if you need extra hands. Also recently bought a 3D scanner if you need any scans of the part or chassis

    Originally posted by t3ddftw View Post
    2. Yes, I am working on this, but it would be for factory Nav cars. At this time, the hardware WAS done, but then Texas Instruments EOL'd a part of the BOM. I need to rework this part of the circuit and then lay out the PCB once and for all.

    I did, however, recently come upon some screens that could be used to replace the really crappy 16:9 TFT, so maybeeeeeeeeee I could start selling 16:9 retrofit kits with upgraded screens, Carplay / AA, Bluetooth, etc.
    Have you seen this effort? https://nam3forum.com/forums/forum/m...onnected-drive

    There is some iDrive screen out of a Mini that packages nicely in the dash with a custom bezel. I helped YoitsTmac print out a prototype of the bezel, but looks like I didn't take any pictures of it with the screen installed. Maybe he'll chime in with some.

    Don't know if that screen will be easier or harder to interface with, but it might be nice to base the product around HW that was mass manufactured by BMW (and can be scavenged out of any junkyard), instead of something that could get EOL'd in the future.

    Originally posted by t3ddftw View Post
    My boss at my day job is all over us to embrace the slop and I can't bring myself to use it for anything other than debugging or writing one-time-use scripts that I know I will never need to debug. Yuck.
    Oh man, same. I've found some success using these technologies for what they're good for, which is processing large amounts of data. Distilling down docs, trying to make sense of convoluted code paths, that kinda thing.

    Think more people should treat them as tools instead of full on engineering replacements.

    Originally posted by t3ddftw View Post
    Do you have access to the Gauge.S source code? Sorek and I spoke about forwarding Gauge.S values to the BlueBus by emulating factory diagnostics. Essentially, the Gauge.S would send a D-Bus packet to a module on the I-Bus (such as Japanese Nav; 0xBB) and that packet would contain data for the BlueBus to be able to display to the user.
    I don't have access, no I've tried asking for it, but have gotten nowhere.

    My plan is similar. I'm pretty sure I can use it to send arbitrary D Bus frames, so emulating the diagnostics is doable in theory.

    Functionality isn't super well documented, but there's some mention of the extended D Bus stuff here: https://github.com/handmade0octopus/...ig#fundatajson

    I've managed to get brake pressure data from the MK60 like this:

    Code:
    {
      "funData": [
        {
          "name": "Kline req 2",
          "frequency": 2, // every 0.5 seconds
          "values8": ["0xB8", "0x29", "0xF1", "0x02", "0x21", "0x06", "0x45"], // MK60
          "expr": [
            "obtainKline('Kline req 2', 0x11)" // KWP protocol
          ]
        }
      ]
    }
    It seems like the approach could be extended to just spit out data on the bus. We'll see.

    Leave a comment:


  • Bry5on
    replied
    High res factory nav replacement would be so choice. If you get there, I may pick up the effort to pack the head unit internals behind the screen to avoid the full nav harness run to the trunk. That is, if the iDrive retrofit effort stalls.
    Last edited by Bry5on; 04-12-2026, 06:58 AM.

    Leave a comment:


  • George Hill
    replied
    Originally posted by t3ddftw View Post
    That project is so stalled right now. I think I am going to take a couple days off work and just strip it to a bare shell so I can finally get the ball rolling. Your CF roof is sitting in my basement still
    I feel that, such is life sometimes.


    Originally posted by t3ddftw View Post
    1. I honestly need to do more work to dial in the microphone quality. Interestingly the G-series Mic (84108794736) is a plug and play replacement in terms of wiring, and it performs pretty well on calls while at speed (using a 7dB Mic Gain value). The only problem is it doesn't directly slot in place, so I need to design an adapter plate.
    I'll track one of these down and try it out.


    Originally posted by t3ddftw View Post
    2. Yes, I am working on this, but it would be for factory Nav cars. At this time, the hardware WAS done, but then Texas Instruments EOL'd a part of the BOM. I need to rework this part of the circuit and then lay out the PCB once and for all.

    I did, however, recently come upon some screens that could be used to replace the really crappy 16:9 TFT, so maybeeeeeeeeee I could start selling 16:9 retrofit kits with upgraded screens, Carplay / AA, Bluetooth, etc.
    I'm game!

    Leave a comment:


  • t3ddftw
    replied
    Originally posted by heinzboehmer View Post
    Feature works great and t3ddftw's codebase is a breath of fresh air compared to some of the stuff I get to interact with on a day to day basis. I've said it before and I'll say it again, the BlueBus is by far the most polished product I've ever installed on my car. Love it.
    Thanks for the kind words, Heinz! Software is my background, so that has helped with the code quality, haha. I really do need to sit down and break out a lot of these huge files (handler(s) / ibus.c) into their own files, though, because they are absolutely unwieldy,


    Originally posted by oceansize View Post
    One man, maybe two man, show. As you well know the less people that touch a codebase the better, and more consistent, its going to be (well in most cases).
    One Man, but I have had contributions to the code! I am a bit of an ass about it as I will accept the code, but then refactor it until it follows the same paradigms as the rest of the code base before merging it in.

    Originally posted by George Hill View Post
    ​
    And he's a true enthusiast who is building a full conversion M3 touring. 😎
    That project is so stalled right now. I think I am going to take a couple days off work and just strip it to a bare shell so I can finally get the ball rolling. Your CF roof is sitting in my basement still

    Originally posted by George Hill View Post

    Totally fair. The BlueBus has (2) limitations IMO, and neither of those are Ted's fault.
    1. The factory mic is just not great, so phone calls just aren't as good as aftermarket systems (even with aftermarket mics in the factory location).
    2. CarPlay/Android Auto, if you need/want that feature you have no option but to look at something else, but I thought I recalled seeing him post that he is working on a CP option?
    1. I honestly need to do more work to dial in the microphone quality. Interestingly the G-series Mic (84108794736) is a plug and play replacement in terms of wiring, and it performs pretty well on calls while at speed (using a 7dB Mic Gain value). The only problem is it doesn't directly slot in place, so I need to design an adapter plate.

    2. Yes, I am working on this, but it would be for factory Nav cars. At this time, the hardware WAS done, but then Texas Instruments EOL'd a part of the BOM. I need to rework this part of the circuit and then lay out the PCB once and for all.

    I did, however, recently come upon some screens that could be used to replace the really crappy 16:9 TFT, so maybeeeeeeeeee I could start selling 16:9 retrofit kits with upgraded screens, Carplay / AA, Bluetooth, etc.

    Originally posted by oceansize View Post
    Now, Claude is all over me now days and I can't get that bastard to shut up
    My boss at my day job is all over us to embrace the slop and I can't bring myself to use it for anything other than debugging or writing one-time-use scripts that I know I will never need to debug. Yuck.
    I have toyed around with the idea (which was suggested to me by someone else) of having Claude write unit tests for the BlueBus firmware.. Certainly some tests will be better than none.
    ​
    Originally posted by heinzboehmer View Post
    T
    Anyway, the real question is what to do with this newfound capability. I'm thinking that displaying the current gear might be a good starting point. My Gauge.S already calculates that, so just need to figure out how to get the info from it to the BlueBus and should be good to go.
    Do you have access to the Gauge.S source code? Sorek and I spoke about forwarding Gauge.S values to the BlueBus by emulating factory diagnostics. Essentially, the Gauge.S would send a D-Bus packet to a module on the I-Bus (such as Japanese Nav; 0xBB) and that packet would contain data for the BlueBus to be able to display to the user. I haven't had the time to make this materialize though

    Thanks!
    -Ted
    Last edited by t3ddftw; 04-11-2026, 08:16 PM.

    Leave a comment:


  • heinzboehmer
    replied
    Originally posted by karter16 View Post
    My apologies - I somehow managed to completely miss this and thought it was just the files shared in the Google Drive.
    Oh, the link was a very recent silent addition

    Was always intending on sharing, but didn't want to do so before landing on a final design. Figured it would be easy for people to make copies of it and end up referencing an out of date file.

    Leave a comment:


  • karter16
    replied
    Originally posted by heinzboehmer View Post
    CAD is linked in the doc if you're curious and want to poke around with the design.
    My apologies - I somehow managed to completely miss this and thought it was just the files shared in the Google Drive.

    Leave a comment:


  • heinzboehmer
    replied
    Originally posted by karter16 View Post

    Need you to upload the files for the 3D printed brackets first 😉

    Haha seriously though, really trying to wrap up a few things before I embark on this. Can't wait though!


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
    Right, ha.

    I'll do that this weekend.

    CAD is linked in the doc if you're curious and want to poke around with the design.

    Leave a comment:


  • karter16
    replied
    Originally posted by heinzboehmer View Post

    Dooo it
    Need you to upload the files for the 3D printed brackets first 😉

    Haha seriously though, really trying to wrap up a few things before I embark on this. Can't wait though!


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

    Leave a comment:


  • heinzboehmer
    replied
    Originally posted by karter16 View Post
    You're both making me want to quit finishing my current projects and jump straight to this one haha.
    Dooo it

    Leave a comment:


  • karter16
    replied
    Originally posted by Bry5on View Post
    It’s wild how much the chassis feel changes. Not having the front bracing makes the car feel like it’s on way softer springs to me. Probably the easiest way I can think of communicating the change. It’s ’pleasant’ to tool around in the stock car but ‘fun’ to tool around in the stiffened car.
    Originally posted by heinzboehmer View Post
    Crazy isn't it?

    That's a good comparison. No bracing almost makes the car feel more "relaxed".
    You're both making me want to quit finishing my current projects and jump straight to this one haha.

    Leave a comment:


  • heinzboehmer
    replied
    Crazy isn't it?

    That's a good comparison. No bracing almost makes the car feel more "relaxed".

    Leave a comment:


  • Bry5on
    replied
    It’s wild how much the chassis feel changes. Not having the front bracing makes the car feel like it’s on way softer springs to me. Probably the easiest way I can think of communicating the change. It’s ’pleasant’ to tool around in the stock car but ‘fun’ to tool around in the stiffened car.

    Leave a comment:


  • heinzboehmer
    replied
    Also, nice, managed to finish the two remaining operations without breaking the mill again:

    Click image for larger version

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    Also, took the unbraced M3 down to the machine shop and I'm very surprised at how much I didn't hate it. I was expecting it to feel almost disgusting in the hands, but not at all. It does feel floppy and there is a very obvious amount of grip missing when driving it hard, but it felt fine.

    The loss of rigidity is fairly noticeable during normal driving as well, especially with the amount of extra steering input it needs to handle things like fast sweeping turns on the highway. The amount I usually give it felt like 20% too little.

    Also, rather amusingly, I found myself instinctively leaning sideways in my seat to counter the lateral loads I'm used to. I had no idea this was something that I did, but it became very obvious after taking some fast on ramps and finding myself overshooting the lean. Guess my brain was expecting more grip, but the chassis never caught up

    All in all, definitely prefer the braced car, but it's comforting to have confirmed that all these changes simply augment that special E46 feel and don't flat out replace it with something else.
    ​

    Leave a comment:


  • heinzboehmer
    replied
    Originally posted by Obioban View Post
    Miles/kilometers? 10 miles= 16km

    Cluster may expected kilometers and show your units (miles)
    Huh, that's an interesting theory. Should be easy to test out by swapping units back and forth. Will report back.

    Leave a comment:


  • Obioban
    replied
    Miles/kilometers? 10 miles= 16km

    Cluster may expected kilometers and show your units (miles)

    Leave a comment:

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