Okay.........I have searched the forums, and can't find any information regarding this particular issue, then again maybe I haven't used the right words, but give me a chance here, and please help if you know anything about the problem I am having.

I have taken out my Dance radio and swapped in a VW RCD510. Great, works well..........but when the ignition is switched off and the key pulled, the unit stays on. I have to turn it off manually. When I start the car, I have to turn the unit on, BUT if I turn it on before starting, then when I start it, as normal all power goes as the starter engages.

Second issue is that the unit switches off automatically after an hour, all I have to do is turn it back on, but thats odd. I can't understand the issue here because the connections are all the same as the Dance radio, and that operated like any other radio, on/off with the ignition.

So, can anyone point me in the right direction to resolve this, is it a CanBus issue? Is it a [problem with the wiring?

My car is a late 2007 Roomster 2 level 2 trim.

I would be really appreative if someone could help, please don't just leave me wondering :(

Thanks

It certainly sounds like a CAN issue. The signal for turning the radio on and off is carried on CAN. Theres a wire from the ignition switch into the front body controller, which then sends it out on CAN. The signal is on when you switch on the ignition, goes off when you remove the key.

So, either the CAN signals are incompatible between the roomy and the RCD510 (not every VAG car is exactly the same) or not connected, or by an odd co-incidence the signal (known as 86s) is no longer being sent. It may be worth checking fuse 19 under the steering wheel just in case.

I seem to recall Johnny5ive telling me the Roomster was part CAN, which may be the problem. It may mean the wiring needs some kind of modification for the HU to work properly (or at least switch on/off as it should). It may also lead to your battery getting drained.

If your Roomster isn't fully CAN, then it sounds like the permanent and switched lives are the wrong way round.

What car did it come out of?

Although it physically fits, the unit is a unit for the Golf V/VI platform.

That means for the CAN 2.0.

Roomster has (as based on the Polo platform) only the CAN 1.6.

There is however an adapter to transform the CAN 1.6 to 2.0.

Kufatec and others are selling it at around 100Euros, here in Germany.

Once had a RNS510 in a Roomster, but failed to get it totally working (means, navigation didnt work as it should be and for that price it was a too expensive piece of radio...)

It did go on and off with the ignition though. But I had the adapter installed.

To implement the adapter, you will have to cut CAN wiring and solder the adapter in. (the wires of the adapter).

http://www.kufatec.de/shop/en/product?info=952

I guess it depends what you mean by 'fully CAN'. My late 2007 Roomster has comfort CAN to the dance radio. There is no switched live in the plug, only permanent live. The switching on and off is done via CAN. I'm sure of this having spent this afternoon getting a switched live to the aftermarket radio I'm fitting. That's why I know which fuse it is. That said, the circuit diagrams show a wiring version that does have the switched live, it's just that my UK version isn't wired that way.

Regarding 1.6 and 2.0, I believe these are versions of the transport protocol on CAN, that is TP1.6 and TP2.0. This is just part of the difference between different platforms but the result is the same: just because they both use CAN doesn't mean it will just work. The adaptor is probably what you will need to make it work, but that's something I'll be digging into later. A member on here Tech1e seems to have a pretty good handle on retrofitting other versions of VAG radios, so may be worth asking him.

Well thanks for this, lots of info The unit is brand new, so never been installed as far as I know. But I will say this.........I got it from Ebay, from what appears to be a reputable seller. It arrived in a VAG box, instruction book, obviously brand new........but with no code. I asked repeatedly for the code but no response. As luck would have it, I found someone who worked at VW who obtained the code based on the serial No. and I got it working.

The part I don't quite understand is that the Dance switched on and off with the ignition, so if that was controlled by the CAN then why not this one? I am not a technophobe, more tech advanced than many and have retro fitted many after market radio's and other electronic devices into cars etc, and one thing I was going to look at was the 'switched live' solution, but noticed neither of these radio's appear to have a line for it. So I need to get hold of a schematic, I guess a Haynes will be the easiest source, not necessarily the best but hey ho.

Oh and yes it is a very late 2007, January 2008 in fact. I have seen a fix for the lack of a switched live that wires a fuse between two place on a fuse board under the bonnet, but I can't find that. It was on a Passat, so maybe the Roomster doesn't have one, just under the dash.

Thanks for all the info, I will get to the bottom of this I'm sure and it will be good for anyone else who needs the information.

Having a look at the Kufatec http://www.kufatec.d...roduct?info=952 ......... well to me ot looks like a relay thats switching on and off instead of the ignition doing it. For that price, I really don't think I will be spending out that amount on something that looks like 5 pounds worth.

I know nothing about the implementation of CAN as used in VW group cars, but I do know that there are several different 'languages' that are in use -I'm sure I read somewhere that on some of the VW head units there is a setup menu to determine what language the head unit uses to communicate with the car. I don't know if that's of any use -perhaps someone with a more in depth knowledge will be able to help.

It might look as a relais, but isnt. As said it has to be wired to the can bus wires.

After installing this part, the RNS510 did everything it should do as a radio/cd player.

It was just the navigation part that missed a bit of information of the car.

You can also get this part of a VAG dealer, just dont know the part number and the kufatec link is just an example.

And yes I did the transformation in the Roomster (my 2008) myself, from a dance to the RNS510.

And the radio units dont switch off and on by a live wire, but are controlled over the CAN bus.

Thanks magic62,, its probably controlled by the CAN sending a momentary pulse to a logic circuit onboard the radio. Thats probably what the CAN H and CAN L is..........H will be to switch on, L to switch it off. Bit like manually pressing the switch on the front.

The 'fuse fix' I was on about can be found >here< but the board doesn't appear to be present in my Roomie :(

No, CAN is way more complex than a few pulses.

It's effectively a cars version of the internet. The two wires are like the ethernet cable connecting the computers together.

The computers (like instrument pack, radio, gateway, front and rear body controllers) send out messages that tell the other computers important things, like how fast the car is going, whether the lights are on, whether the key is in and the ignition is on and loads of other things.

Different manufacturers use different languages, even though the way the messages are sent in the same way over two wires, CAN Hi and CAN Lo. Hi and Lo refer only to the voltages on the two wires.

Now while VAG use broadly the same language, there are different dialects between different platforms. So for example the information about the ignition switch status might be sent in a different message between different platforms, so the new radio might be wanting one message, where the car is sending it on another. Even if the message is basically the same, there can be subtle differences in the way the messages are implemented that mean one platforms bits don't work on another.

I don't know if this is the problem, but it could be.

Regarding the fuse fix. This is to give a supply for a non CAN radio. The wire isn't even there in my 2007 roomy plug, so I had to run it from the wire that comes from fuse 19. However your RCD510 doesn't have the input, it needs the information on CAN.

Crushed Ice, you'll need the CAN adapter on your pre facelift Fabia. Without it a number of functions may not work as intended. Switching on and off is just one of them, things such as GALA and the light illumination are also sent over the can databus.

At a Basic level, your car is talking to the headunit in a language it does not understand.

CAN is a computer data bus, which links all the ECU's together. A single pair of wires is used to carry lots of data, saves a lot of additional wiring and therefore has a cost and weight saving.

Well, I have come to the conclusion that it probably can be 'fixed' by the CAN adaptor, and once again, thanks for all the help and suggestions. However, there is no evidence of any current drain when the radio and ignition is off, and the adaptor is way overpriced, and I can easily live with pushing the on off switch manually. Sellers who ask stupid prices must expect to be considered rip off merchants, after all, if the adaptor had been a reasonable price I would have gone for it. I am very technical and aware of the cost of electronic components, and this product, 129 Euro's, no thanks.....................

I'm facing the same issues you had in getting an RCD 510 unit to work with my 2009 roomster.
the unit does not switch off with the car, it switches of by itself every 30 minutes and i'm not getting the song and radio information of the dashboard screen like my dance used to do.

i was hoping you can answer a couple of questions

1-were you able to connect the radio antenna? the antenna plug was different from the one i had on the dance and i think a adapter is needed.
2-did you face any battery drain with the radio antenna connected? i understand that the radio antenna is powered and maybe that is the reason some guys face battery drain with the radio.
3-did you try configuring the radio via vcds? i read somewhere that the car needs this to correctly identify the radio. check this link on VCDS,
http://wiki.ross-tech.com/wiki/index.php/Skoda_Radio_Navigation_System_(Columbus)#Coding


thanks in advance for your help.