Human Machine Interface Alteration

Human Machine Interface or head unit is now becoming a standard feature among all vehicles. Users heavily rely on head units to interact with their vehicles.

I have done several alterations on GM ChevyLink and Ford Sync 3 includes retrofit Apple Carplay, and Android Auto, and more vehicle virtual control features.

Ford + Alexa

The Ford Sync 3 support Alexa as an audio source. Ford + Alexa needs to work tether with a mobile device in order to be functional.

Upon my daily use and testing. Alexa can be activated by pressing the button on the screen without keeping the phone app running. However, if I want to use the wake word function, the Ford + Alexa app on my phone needs to be on the screen all the time.

The reason for this behavior according to my testing, the wake word is captured by the microphone on the mobile phone rather than the vehicle microphone.

I have also tested several questions on Alexa in my vehicle such as “What’s the weather like today” What’s the distance between A & B”, etc. All the functions are performing as expected. Even on highways when there are excessive road noise and other environmental noises. Alexa can capture voice and accurately respond to questions.

When asking for directions to the nearest location such as a gas station, Alexa is able to list out the closest location around my vehicle. Alexa will only read out the top three selections from the list. When I press the location I want to go to, Alexa will directly send the location to my default map app. Since I do not have Ford factory navigation on my head unit, I cannot test if Alexa can port location information directly to factory navigation.

Upon testing with different music services, both Amazon Music and Tidal can be called out and play music. Both Amazon Music can recognize artist names, album names, and song names. I also tried saying song names in German and Spanish, Alexa can recognize these two languages and play the song I am referring to.

However, there are some connection problems with Tidal, sometimes if the signal is not good, Alexa can recognize the song name but it cannot playback the music I asked to play.

For Spotify and Apple Music, both services cannot function with Alexa on my vehicle. For Spotify, Alexa responded with “Vehicle is not supported with this service” For Apple Music, whenever I asked for playing music through Apple Music, Alexa will route the command to be playback via Tidal.

During music playback, whenever I call out Alexa, the volume of the music will be dial down. If Alexa does not receive any command, the music will return back to the previous volume setting and continue.

Music playback experience with Alexa is very useful and easy, But it might be a problem for other users. Because I have several different music subscription services so I can pick and choose where I want to listen to my music, but for users who only have Spotify or Apple Music, it might be frustrating. I do think listening to music through Amazon Music has the best experience.

Comparing Alexa to the Ford stock voice command system, Alexa is way better than the stock system. In my opinion, on my vehicle, the Ford stock voice command is unusable. The Ford stock voice command will cut off in midway and shut off when talking. Despite the great benefit of using Alexa on the vehicle, the steering wheel control on my vehicle cannot be used to activate Alexa.

Ford Sync 3 Head Unit Upgrade

The purpose of this project is to improve usability, improve driving safety and improve the overall user experience of the Ford Sync 3 system. This alteration includes adding virtual climate control and driving assist virtual toggles.

Virtual climate control is a function present on selected Lincoln models, the virtual climate control will tie directly with the physical climate control panel and sync the actions with the panel.

I used Forscan and ELM 327 cable to gain access to the programming of the vehicle modules. In order to enable this function.

Forscan is a vehicle programming software for Ford and Mazda vehicles. The advantage of this software is the CANbus data will be breakdown into sections, allowing users to access the desire codes easily.

There are two ways to do the programming in Forscan, ASBuilt format, and Configuration format. The Configuration format will label the functions the user wants to change, it is added by the Forscan team. However, there are some functions that are not included because some of the functions are not yet been figured out.

For programming with the ASBuilt format, the user needs to acquire a spreadsheet for all the functions correlated to the desired function want to change.

The Bronco Sport is a new vehicle, that first came out in 2021, there are no available spreadsheets online that can be used. So, while I am working on the programming, I am actively creating a spreadsheet with other car owners to establish a reliable spreadsheet.

Upon research and testing, to enable Virtual Climate Control, the function is tied to APIM 7D0 - 01 - 01 and 7D0 - 01 - 02.

I changed APIM 7D0 - 01 - 01 xxxx - xxx3 - xxxx and 7D0 - 01 - 02 xxxx - x2xx - xxxx. After the system restart and DTC clearance, the virtual climate control appears on the home screen.

Upon some further programming, I also managed to switch to Lincoln head unit UI and all the functions are working.

Result

The physical climate control unit is at the bottom of the center dash, when the vehicle is in motion, the driver needs to move away their sight from the road to see the climate control panel to confirm the changes. Virtual climate control gives the driver an eye-level visualization of the current cabin temperature.

The virtual climate control panel works in sync with the physical panel. Upon testing, there are no delays when operating.

GM Vehicle HMI Upgrade & Backup Camera Upgrade

This modification’s intent is to add Apple Carplay, Android Auto, Lossless audio playback, Blueray, and a wide-angle backup camera to my vehicle.

My vehicle is a 2014 model, so the Human Machine Interface (HMI) is GEN 2.0. This HMI does not support the Apple Carplay and Android Auto functions. The 2016 model Silverado uses GEN 2.5 HMI, which supports Apple Carplay and Android Auto functions and other functions.

I salvaged a GEN 2.5 HMI module from a 2016 Chevrolet Tahoe and a DVD player module from a 2016 GMC Yukon in the junk yard. I sent the HMI to an online service to unlock the module and add my vehicle’s VIN to the module.

When I got back to the module, I took apart my dash and replaced the current GEN2.0 module with the new GEN 2.5 module. Since all the parts are GM OEM parts from top trim vehicles, no fitment issue was found during the installation. I also tapped in the audio output wire on the green harness connected to the HMI and connected it to a line-out converter. The line-out converter will drop down the high out to line level and add RCA plugs for future additional subwoofer installation on my existing Bose sound system.

The new GEN 2.5 HMI can play lossless audio in WAV format from a USB drive, but it does not support other formats such as FLAC, AAC, and DSF.

The new GEN 2.5 HMI unit does support Apple Carplay, but the original USB ports on my vehicle do not. When I plug in my iPhone to the vehicle through the current USB ports, the system will only accept it as an iPod device.

Upon research, my original USB plug does not have full bandwidth to the HMI, so the vehicle cannot recognize my phone and activate Carplay. So I replaced my stock USB module with GM 13519224 Audio Player and USB Receptacle and GM 84075164 USB Port with Remote Receptacle.

After the replacement, the Apple Car play works as intended.

As shown below

I took apart the locking mechanism of the truck bed gate to gain access to the camera below the release lever. I took apart the old camera module to get the original mounting bracket for the camera because the fitment of the upgraded camera module bracket is not accurate.

The camera lens diameter is also not perfect for the factory outlet. I replaced the bracket and used rubber grommets and silicone sealant to increase the diameter of the camera lens.

The camera can only work after the modification and installation while the vehicle is in reverse. The camera cannot wake up while the vehicle is in Drive, Neutral, and Park. Upon research, the reason for this problem is that the vehicle will cut off the camera’s power when the vehicle is not in reverse. However, I do have the option on the vehicle interface to check to back camera.

So I bought a set of GM 6-pin male and female plugs and built a tapping harness between the camera and the back control panel. My self-made harness has all the wires parallel to the original one except the power delivery, which is permanently wired up together. That means the camera will always be on when the car starts, so it can be called out without being in reverse.

Result

While there is tool limitation on the consumer side of the modification, such as high level programming tools for HMI units that can fully unlock the manufacturer’s restrictions, I am able to complete the upgrade while adding several features for future upgrades. I am able to test the wired and wireless Carplay. Both methods are performing well and are stable. The upgraded Blueray player can play regular Blueray disks without any problem. The upgraded camera and harness are performing well without any dropouts or cutouts after the installation to the current. There has been no water damage or corrosion on the parts since the installation