COMAND - A New User's View

[kkrazykool]

PCMCIA and SD cards - No files found error

Nope, did'nt make any difference. I think its the PCMCIA card. I tried a 2GB card that I have here too - and that just resulted in the "No Media Card" being displayed as well.

Interestingly though, I forgot that I left the USB key in the Media Interface. Went back to try the FAT32 formatted SD card and found that the mp3's on the USB key were working.

I guess it takes a while for COMAND to index whats on the USB key. I'll try a few GB and see how that works.

So you may have inadvertently fixed it :bannana:

I was really interested in getting this working so I go on amazon and order the Sony Vaio Memory Card Adaptor (VGP-MCA10) for about £12 thinking I've saved a bundle on the maplin price. I use Micro SD cards in my son's DS and my blackberry so ordered an 8GB micro SDHC card.

SD or micro SD cards upto 2GB work on most laptops or card readers but SDHC (high capacity) ones only work with more recent readers and laptops. Anyway I got the same error that the merc would not read the music off and also discovered the this pcmcia card reader does not support SDHC cards at all. I tried the same reader with my son's 1GB microSD (you need the SD card adaptor to put the microSD card in) and it worked but not with the SDHC card.

So went back to amazon and found the Lindy 46 in 1 PCMCIA memory card reader for £26 and hey presto it worked with 8GB! That pcmcia works with SDHC but then tried it with another 8GB microSDHC card and it didn't - need to play around with it to find out why though.

Anyway the moral of the story is to ensure that the PCMCIA memory card reader supports SDHC not just SD cards.

Hope that helps!

 

[Stratman]

anything like this available for the W203 ???

Possibly. If I can get hold of MY09 comand units from the CLC then yes!!!!

Would that include the pre-facelift W203 (already fitted with one of your finest COMAND 2 devices)?

 

[Alfie]

Would that include the pre-facelift W203 (already fitted with one of your finest COMAND 2 devices)?

Possibly if you are prepared for some major switch pack/trim changes?

 

[Stratman]

Possibly if you are prepared for some major switch pack/trim changes?

Thanks, but no thanks

 

[Alfie]

Thanks, but no thanks

Somewhat off topic but are you still playing that Fender?

Wish i'd taken a peek at that when i had the chance

 

[Stratman]

Oh yes!

 

[st13phil]

That looks really nice...

 

[Alfie]

It appears to have its own bed of velvet!

 

[johny5_uk]

I think the command unit can be lowered in price by not sticking unnecessary formats onboard. Why have PCMCIA/SD, Music Register (4gb) and 6 cd autochanger.
Ok the autochanger is useful for DVD's but you can purchase an ipod cheaply now and have at least 60/80gb onboard and if they let you play movies from the ipod then the autochanger wouldnt be required either.

Is there any benefit from using the music register? I figure they found a spare 4gb on the satnav HDD and slapped a named service on it making out you are getting something special.

 

[ex brid youth]

Comand APS - PCMCIA

I have recently purchased new C Class (SE Exec) with Comand APS (Aux port inly in glove compartment, no USB)

Regarding the PCMCIA slot Mercedes have advised me it only takes 2GB Compact Flash (or SD) cards. Comand APS manual says the system accepts 16 bit only cards (which appear to be max 2GB from my research on www)

Has anyone had any succes with cards greater then 2GB (ie 32 bit) for playing MP3. I would like to go to ideally 16GB or 32GB compact flash) If so I would appreciate info on what card to order + adapter.

 

[Alfie]

I have recently purchased new C Class (SE Exec) with Comand APS (Aux port inly in glove compartment, no USB)

Regarding the PCMCIA slot Mercedes have advised me it only takes 2GB Compact Flash (or SD) cards. Comand APS manual says the system accepts 16 bit only cards (which appear to be max 2GB from my research on www)

Has anyone had any succes with cards greater then 2GB (ie 32 bit) for playing MP3. I would like to go to ideally 16GB or 32GB compact flash) If so I would appreciate info on what card to order + adapter.

Your dealer can apply a firmware update which should allow much bigger SD cards. This is certainly true for MY09 cars with NTG 2.5. Its worth checking with the dealeer that the comand system has had all the latest firmware updates applied. If they get a bit evasive just say that the AUX volume is too low. This is one of the recognised bug fixes and should kick them into sorting it for you.

 

[ex brid youth]

Thanks Alfie

I have the AUX low volume problem and just discovered under Audio AUX menu that as well as options for selecting Aux and Sound setting I have an additional option (not in manual screenshot - page 155) for VOLUME which defaults to STANDARD and can be set to BOOST which improves sound output using AUX.

So I'm thinking it looks like I have the latest firmware for the bigger PC media cards - great if you might be able to confirm as I have car booked in to check firware tomorrow but maybe I can cancel.

 

[markjay]

anything like this available for the W203 ???

Possibly. If I can get hold of MY09 comand units from the CLC then yes!!!!

Well mine was well worth waiting for!

 

[markjay]

I have recently purchased new C Class (SE Exec) with Comand APS (Aux port inly in glove compartment, no USB)

Regarding the PCMCIA slot Mercedes have advised me it only takes 2GB Compact Flash (or SD) cards. Comand APS manual says the system accepts 16 bit only cards (which appear to be max 2GB from my research on www)

Has anyone had any succes with cards greater then 2GB (ie 32 bit) for playing MP3. I would like to go to ideally 16GB or 32GB compact flash) If so I would appreciate info on what card to order + adapter.

Your dealer can apply a firmware update which should allow much bigger SD cards. This is certainly true for MY09 cars with NTG 2.5. Its worth checking with the dealeer that the comand system has had all the latest firmware updates applied. If they get a bit evasive just say that the AUX volume is too low. This is one of the recognised bug fixes and should kick them into sorting it for you.

I have the MY09 NTG2.5 retrofitted by Alfie and Richard, the manual that came in the box said max capacity of SD card is 2gb, Richard said to give it a go anyway so I stuck a 4gb card in the slot and it worked just fine. I don't have a higher capacity SD card but I assume these would actually work... but then a fresh COMAND install from Alfie and Richard will have the latest everything (firmware, maps, etc...).

 

[markjay]

One other thing... when comparing COMAND to my trusty old TomTom, the COMAND instructions are far superior to the extent that you could drive based on the voice instructions only. If you really feel unsure, then a quick glance at the arrow navigation in the instrument panel is far more helpful than the actual map display.

However.... the way I would describe it is that TomTom was made by computer people, COMAND by automotive engineers...

The TomTom, as you would expect form any piece of software these days, is extremely flexible and configurable. You can choose the voice - in fact you can even download voice packs with dozens of alternative voices, including John Cleese and the Queen ('when one arrives at the junction, one must turn right'... I kid you not). You could change the elevation angle of the 'Bird's Eye view', the day colours and the night colours, update the software and download maps from the Internet.

On COMAND, you can't do any of these - in fact, you can't even rename a Destination after you stored it in memory! I don't quite get it - it's only software, a few more programmer hours and presto this is done. I should know, I started my IT career as software programmer....

Perhaps asking for skins (or skinz, as they are now called...) download for COMAND is a bit too much, but a USB port to connect an Internet-enabled laptop to for direct downloads? Or just for quick programming of Destinations?

In summary the COMAND is better where it counts - hard core navigation. But I am puzzled at how arcane the whole thing is - again, it is only software! It could/should have been much much better.


And it should really have a touch screen....

 

[markjay]

Re-reading my last post... well I was too harsh with COMAND. It is an excellent system which I enjoy immensely, and the navigation feature is superb, better than any portable SatNav I've seen.

I guess I am just puzzled why MB did not make it more 'computery'? Perhaps a customers focus group ran by the market research people concluded that the average S-Class driver is a middle-aged male that will be put-off by overly configurable software controls... who knows. Whatever the reason, I am puzzled but not really bothered - changing the voices on the TomTom was nice, but ultimately a gimmick and I very quickly reverted back to the default voice (she is called Jane).

So my advice - go for it

 

[MOCAŠ]

Markjay, based on my experience of the original COMAND unit in my 2004 SLK, I'd concur with your assessment in most repects, but did you really mean to describe it as arcane? Some of its controls are a little unintuitive, perhaps even cumbersome, but calling it arcane seems a bit extreme.

The thing I love to hate about the navigation narration (naviration?) is the way it tells me to "take the third exit on the left" at a roundabout, when it means turn right. OK, I know that technically every turn off a roundabout is a left-hand turn, but I still find the phrase amusing...

 

[markjay]

MOCAŠ, when I said arcane... I meant that the user interface reminds me of software from the early days of Windows 3.1... since then we have come to accept (with computers) that everything is flexibale and configurable. As said, on second perhaps too much so... how many featured of Microsoft Word do you actually use?

But on balance I think COMAND is great and would install it again.

 

[st13phil]

In summary the COMAND is better where it counts - hard core navigation. But I am puzzled at how arcane the whole thing is - again, it is only software! It could/should have been much much better.

As I said in my first post when I started this thread:

The infuriating thing is that it would be so easy to fix the bad bits and make it a truly superb all round solution befitting its price tag.

While I agree that some of the navigation capabilities of COMAND are excellent, for the reasons mentioned in my original post (inability to define multiple via points / route shaping points and inability to store routes) I don't think that it's nearly as good as it should be at the task of navigation either.

 

[Alfie]

I have the AUX low volume problem and just discovered under Audio AUX menu that as well as options for selecting Aux and Sound setting I have an additional option (not in manual screenshot - page 155) for VOLUME which defaults to STANDARD and can be set to BOOST which improves sound output using AUX.

So I'm thinking it looks like I have the latest firmware for the bigger PC media cards - great if you might be able to confirm as I have car booked in to check firware tomorrow but maybe I can cancel.

Sorry, only just seen this. What did the dealer say?