DAB retrofit ntg 4.5 comand online DIY-DONE IT

[CabrioChap]

You cant just 'code' the DAB module into the correct place. Its a physical ring order you need to get right. It really doesnt matter that much as the devices all work its just the error thats flagged up on the MOST ring thats all. That said I have once seen a car where the DAB didnt work properly until it was in the right place on the ring but generally it does work.

Ah, I didn't realise that MOST was only physical, I thought the fibre was just the transport and each module could be coded to have a logical address.

I think the factory location for the DAB tuner is in the boot under the spare wheel for the W207 Cabriolet I have, but as the wiring loom isn't in place, it made it easier for me to cable under the front footwell. I ran the fibre directly into the back of the Head Unit.

It was only when I removed the metal plate under the footwell carpet that I found a MOST connector there that I could have connected to.. hey ho.

I'm using the DAB screen antenna that came with the Dension DAB unit, I wasn't sure whether to amplify the antenna or not. I've decided to keep the +12v attached to the antenna for now.

I did buy the Mercedes FM DAB antenna module, thinking I could just replace one of the modules under the A-pillar trim and use the windscreen antenna, but that turned out not to be the case.

 

[dariod]

I use 15£ magnetic areal on top of car from ebay with no amplifier and it works very well. Very rare loose signal...


Anyway so is there way to get 'clean' install of this unit ? Any advice anybody ?

 

[Scrote]

Well done Dariod on your nice DIY. I don't know the answer to your question but I will try and find out from a customer of mine who works at MB, next time he needs a favour from me... I am about to try the same, but I have seen several dab units on ebay claiming to be for 212 but with different part numbers... A1669003407 or A1669003602 , silver case like yours or A2048706496 in a black box , all within my budget but I'm stuck already as don't want to buy the wrong one for my ntg4 audio20 6 disc car. unless they are all interchangeable? Doubt it.
Can I ask about the cage fitted on your box, did you remove that when fitting into the large cage in passenger footwell or does it stay? any photos of that?
Cheers

 

[gIzzE]

When I did this install I bought a harness from davidsauto on eBay for £100. Made it plug and play.
Didn't use a cage, just sat the dab module behind the existing one in the footwell.

 

[dariod]

Well done Dariod on your nice DIY. I don't know the answer to your question but I will try and find out from a customer of mine who works at MB, next time he needs a favour from me... I am about to try the same, but I have seen several dab units on ebay claiming to be for 212 but with different part numbers... A1669003407 or A1669003602 , silver case like yours or A2048706496 in a black box , all within my budget but I'm stuck already as don't want to buy the wrong one for my ntg4 audio20 6 disc car. unless they are all interchangeable? Doubt it.
Can I ask about the cage fitted on your box, did you remove that when fitting into the large cage in passenger footwell or does it stay? any photos of that?
Cheers

Hello. Thanks.
not sure about interchangeability of DAB units. sorry. I have done research a while ago when done this install, do not remember everything....
DAB unit came with bracket number A2125452740 so I assume it was salvaged from w212
https://www.braun-teile-shop.de/aut...2740-mercedes-e-klasse-w212-elegance/a-15609/
I removed it and still got it as not needed and takes less space without it.
not sure if it helps

 

[Alfie]

Well done Dariod on your nice DIY. I don't know the answer to your question but I will try and find out from a customer of mine who works at MB, next time he needs a favour from me... I am about to try the same, but I have seen several dab units on ebay claiming to be for 212 but with different part numbers... A1669003407 or A1669003602 , silver case like yours or A2048706496 in a black box , all within my budget but I'm stuck already as don't want to buy the wrong one for my ntg4 audio20 6 disc car. unless they are all interchangeable? Doubt it.
Can I ask about the cage fitted on your box, did you remove that when fitting into the large cage in passenger footwell or does it stay? any photos of that?
Cheers

They are not interchangeable.

Any A166 part number will be NTG 4.5 and these will not work in any NTG 4 W207, W212, W204 car. NTG 5 is different again and only works in NTG5 cars.

An NTG4 car must have an NTG 4 DAB module. The NTG 2.5 DAB module also works with NTG4.

 

[Scrote]

Cheers, not to hijack the thread or wind up the sponsors but this is what I have found so far, any help welcomed, the1st pic is my passenger footwell cage, looks like a space I can put my module?

and for anyone trying this, there is a convenient male into female MOST connection at the bottom left of the footwell opening, 2nd pic

If I unplug this I keep radio and amp but lose multimedia interface, now I have no MOST fibre in the rear left of the car so I assume the mmc module is under the passenger floor somewhere... but I would take off from the convenient point in the footwell anyway...

 

[Scrote]

It's a minefield, even with a204 part numbers I have seen A204 8706496 and a204 8705490 which both claim to fit...

 

[moog999]

I'm confused, and depressed.

Just got my s212 350cdi and it only has (I think) the audio 20 system. Single CD slot with the smaller nav screen.

I really want DAB and also BT streaming but I can't justify huge amounts of money given I can still access it using the aux in jack of the multimedia cable and my mobile.

If someone could link up the correct part number for the DAB tuner module and which cables are required that would be smashing. It's obviously not that simple though.

Is the denison option really that ****e? Surely it can't take 30s to switch channels???

 

[Scrote]

If the single slot loads a 6 disc changer you want the same as me... tba.. if it's not the 6-disc changer according to what I read in several places you are out of luck as no MOST loop on that version..
speaking of delay changing channels I notice that most of the a166 part number (no good to me) DAB modules state 'doppel tuner', obviously dual tuner so I guess superior when it comes to changing channels or moving between areas??

 

[markjay]

Am I correct in thinking that both DAB and Bluetooth are limited to 128 kbps? And that the only way to get 320 kbps music on COMAND is via the USB or SD-card?

 

[Alfie]

I'm confused, and depressed.

Just got my s212 350cdi and it only has (I think) the audio 20 system. Single CD slot with the smaller nav screen.

I really want DAB and also BT streaming but I can't justify huge amounts of money given I can still access it using the aux in jack of the multimedia cable and my mobile.

If someone could link up the correct part number for the DAB tuner module and which cables are required that would be smashing. It's obviously not that simple though.

Is the denison option really that ****e? Surely it can't take 30s to switch channels???

The single CD Audio-20 will not support factory DAB.

The Dension USB DAB can take around 17 seconds to switch channels. This is because it is emulating a USB device with MP3 files. The buffering is controlled by the head unit which reads the file in and at some point is expecting to see an end of file marker which will never come from an audio stream as opposed to a file. I think with some experimentation of config files the Dension can be made to change channels in around 10 seconds but this will depend on the actual head unit.

 

[Alfie]

Am I correct in thinking that both DAB and Bluetooth are limited to 128 kbps? And that the only way to get 320 kbps music on COMAND is via the USB or SD-card?

Yes I believe that is true at present. Largely because the BBC are broadcasting in 128KBps. Others broadcasters are using a lower bandwidth!

The best sound reproduction is from CD.

 

[gIzzE]

I don't think it matters where it goes physically, you can move where it goes on the most ring by changing which way the most connecters go in and out if you have used MOST doublers to connect the optical.
You can see the most order in the engineer menu on comand.

 

[dariod]

Yes I believe that is true at present. Largely because the BBC are broadcasting in 128KBps. Others broadcasters are using a lower bandwidth!

UK Digital Radio Bitrates
UK Digital Radio Bitrates ? Astra 2 Sat

DAB Ensembles WorldWide | UK National & Regional

DAB Ensembles WorldWide | UK Local & Minimuxes

http://www.ukdigitalradio.com/coverage/currenttransmitters/details.asp?id=3

 

[gIzzE]

Cheers, not to hijack the thread or wind up the sponsors but this is what I have found so far, any help welcomed, the1st pic is my passenger footwell cage, looks like a space I can put my module?

and for anyone trying this, there is a convenient male into female MOST connection at the bottom left of the footwell opening, 2nd pic

If I unplug this I keep radio and amp but lose multimedia interface, now I have no MOST fibre in the rear left of the car so I assume the mmc module is under the passenger floor somewhere... but I would take off from the convenient point in the footwell anyway...

Is that going into a most loop?
Is it just a spare?

If so just plug your dab unit into that and it will work and bring you MOST RING back and all devices on it. By unplugging it you have just broken the optical ring.

You will obviously need power for the dab unit too, off the back of the radio is the best option.

 

[Scrote]

Is that going into a most loop?
Is it just a spare?

If so just plug your dab unit into that and it will work and bring you MOST RING back and all devices on it. By unplugging it you have just broken the optical ring.

You will obviously need power for the dab unit too, off the back of the radio is the best option.

Just had a look, no it's not just a loop, it becomes a blue/orange pair and goes off towards rear of car as in attached pic

most pair small.jpg

however by the rear door it is missing (see pic)

rear no most pair small.jpg

so I assume it branches off by the seat and goes to a module under the back of the passenger seat from what I can tell.

Now I assume you are aware the fibre optic ends can be easily popped out of the plugs, very modular...
so without moving the unit from the footwell, we can have it effectively 'in front' of the 'rear seat module' or after it in the MOST loop just by rearranging the fibres in the plugs i.e positioning it in the outbound optical or the return optical fibre.
If I pop one of my fibres out of that male plug, it's long enough to reach where I will be putting my DAB module so I reckon I only need a male plug and a sub 1 metre fibre back to the plug that now has the missing fibre and I'm sorted fibre optically, but the plug on the DAB module looks to be a special one with the 3 wires incorporated or is that also modular and has a normal MOST plug in with an additional piece of plastic for the electrical wires? (I can't tell from the pics)
and anybody know where I can get the required electrical connector (is it called quadlock then or is that generic?)
Thanks

 

[Scrote]

I don't think it matters where it goes physically, you can move where it goes on the most ring by changing which way the most connecters go in and out if you have used MOST doublers to connect the optical.

Sorry, didn't see this reply before I wrote a similar thing.

 

[garycat]

Yes I believe that is true at present. Largely because the BBC are broadcasting in 128KBps. Others broadcasters are using a lower bandwidth!

The best sound reproduction is from CD.

Yes I was very disappointed to see that Planet Rock broadcast in 64Kbps Mono

DAB is supposed to be the future of radio.

 

[gIzzE]

I tend to buy my parts from BMW...

RealOEM.com - Online BMW Parts Catalog

Not sure if there is an online catalogue for Merc parts?