RNS-510 columbus restart or reboot repeatedly !

[Supurbia]

I haven't read this all fully but I will add this,

 

When you get this on media players it's normally the flash HDD aka SSD is dying and the data required to instruct the unit has been effectively wiped in bad sectors,

 

If you can flash the FW it might work but I doubt it, sounds like new unit time to me,

 

For those who suffer this you can for about £400 sort out a non genuine quality system, I used to have a Sony Mirrorlink DVD DD unit, that cost £300 and the facia and iso were about another £50 iirc, the unit looked OEM in my Passat and was customisable to match the dash etc, a new Columbus is £1500.

[Noddy90]

Can anyone definitively confirm if I will or won't lose steering wheel controls, and if I do is there an easy fix to get them back?

 

 

 

No, you won't* lose steering wheel controls.  That's the exact upgrade I did two years ago with no problems whatsoever.

 

* The only things that are certain in life are death and taxes.

[adamal]

Even if you do there is a fix but I dont think you need to worry if you have downloaded the correct firmware...

[KBPhoto]

When you get this on media players it's normally the flash HDD aka SSD is dying and the data required to instruct the unit has been effectively wiped in bad sectors

The Columbus has a standard HD not a SSD, but if it really is that which has gone (which I doubt) then it is possible to change it for another or an SSD of larger capacity (if you wish).

http://www.vwwatercooled.com.au/forums/f78/rns-510-hdd-replacement-ssd-swap-diy-60984.html

[Supurbia]

The Columbus has a standard HD not a SSD, but if it really is that which has gone (which I doubt) then it is possible to change it for another or an SSD of larger capacity (if you wish).

http://www.vwwatercooled.com.au/forums/f78/rns-510-hdd-replacement-ssd-swap-diy-60984.html

 

 

It's the same effect, if the boot sector is gone nothing will happen, it's possible though that a FW flash will write to healthy parts of the drive and restore function,

 

That SSD upgrade, well worth it imo, I had a 2.5 ext drive hanging off my Sony unit through USB, with a 500GB Seagate drive it was ok, with a 64GB OCZ SSD it was instant,

 

The how 2 says it needs to be FW flashed for a new drive so I'm assuming the O/S is installed to the drive rather than a ram chip.

[Deltabeta]

Re adamal's reply, the obvious question is how do I know if I have the right firmware? Given my unit (3T0 035 680, H11, 1104) I downloaded the file under "Firmware 4020 for older units in Europe with HDD ratios 60/35/5" on the rnsfirmware.com site. Can anyone tell me if this is the right one?

[adamal]

I'd say that is the correct one. Just be prepared to reinstall maps (and any music you have).

 

To be absolutely sure, check the radio HW number on the label or (in the secret menu if possible) - it should be 0004, which indicates a revision B.

 

Adam

[Deltabeta]

Mmmmm....on the sticker on the top of the unit it says HW: H11  (from reading the posts I don't think you can access the secret menu with the firmware I have (1104) ). I'm taking it to the dealer tomorrow so hopefully after that I'll know whether or not I need to progress with this option. I need it sorted quickly though as I'm driving to Germany in two weeks time so will need some in car entertainment for that!

[adamal]

Thats a different HW number (its confusing!).  I thought the "radio HW" number would be on there too but I maybe wrong.  I still think it is 99% likely to be the right firmware.

 

Adam

[Noddy90]

Mmmmm....on the sticker on the top of the unit it says HW: H11  (from reading the posts I don't think you can access the secret menu with the firmware I have (1104) ). I'm taking it to the dealer tomorrow so hopefully after that I'll know whether or not I need to progress with this option. I need it sorted quickly though as I'm driving to Germany in two weeks time so will need some in car entertainment for that!

 

That's exactly what my 2009 unit said.  You have the green light to do the upgrade, as I did.

[klinwart]

Try these they solved my problem, excellent.

http://rns510repairserviceuk.com/

,

[tupperware12300]

see my post of todays date with the same proplem

[Deltabeta]

Just a quick update: I took the Superb to the garage and they tried to upgrade the firmware (using their disc) but the unit wouldn't read the disc, so they are replacing the unit for free (without prompting!) as I've only had the car 2 months. Will hopefully arrive before I go on holiday next week!

[Superb170]

This thread has been around for a while so at least I know I'm not alone with the reboot problem.  I'm getting a combination of issues - where the unit is one (radio) but the screen is responsive (and the steering controls too but not always), or the whole unit shuts down unexpectedly and reboots a few times.  Also the phone might work but the radio is unresponsive etc etc.  I had an incident recently where I tried to end a call but the unit has frozen during the call and my handset was showing the call as ended however it was still active through the BT.  I had to pull over, restart the engine and eventually the call ended!  Sometimes when I switch radio stations the head unit is displaying the new selection but the previous station continues to play.

 

These issues have been replicated a few times now but I don't intend playing around with it too much as its a FL and obviously under warranty so (once again  ) I'll be going back to the dealer - this car could probably find its own way back now !! 

[neil1922]

I know this is an old thread but I came across it whilst researching how to try and repair the fault in my own car - the Columbus RNS 510 continuously trying to reboot and not succeeding!

I did everything suggested and tried suggestions on U-tube etc all with no gain.

Eventually after trying Skoda dealers who wanted fortunes just to put a diagnostic tool on the car without trying to repair it - I came across Tomas @ rnsrepairserviceuk.com

cost £90 - the company is in Northampton!

Genuinely decent person and excellent service.

I spent a long time trying to sort it out myself and if you find yourself with the same problem I would suggest that this may be the answer and would save time and trouble!

Others wanted £120 to do the same thing including from abroad

neil1922

[mayskoda]

Hi Guys, I know this is quite and old thread but any help is really appreciated. I have Skoda Octavia Elegance 2009 with Columbus unit and it went into the boot loop. I tried resetting the device. using the top 4 keys but that didn't helped.

 

I am now looking to update the firmware but not sure how to open the unit and refer to the hardware information.Can someone please send me a link which gives info about opening the Columbus, that will really help. Also, which firmware version will work with my unit and from where I can get the maps ?

 

[Rustynuts]

Morning. I see another has started to do this, it's been quite common recently.

Why are you trying to open the unit? There's nothing in there which will tell you what software etc. you have so I'd stay out until you need to be in. Software and maps versions are accessible by two means and both need VCDS (Dealer emulated diagnostic software). Either turn on the diagnostic menu on the Columbus so that you can get into the version information settings to see what you have, or run an autoscan and the details will be listed in ther. If you don't have VCDS then maybe someone local hall do it for you.

 

However, you don't really need to know what you have to  update the software, just need to know what unit you have. Does it have a Microphone button on the top right or a small speaker & letter i?

[mayskoda]

Please ignore

Edited 23 July, 2017 by mayskoda

[mayskoda]

1 hour ago, Rustynuts said:

Morning. I see another has started to do this, it's been quite common recently.

Why are you trying to open the unit? There's nothing in there which will tell you what software etc. you have so I'd stay out until you need to be in. Software and maps versions are accessible by two means and both need VCDS (Dealer emulated diagnostic software). Either turn on the diagnostic menu on the Columbus so that you can get into the version information settings to see what you have, or run an autoscan and the details will be listed in ther. If you don't have VCDS then maybe someone local hall do it for you.

 

However, you don't really need to know what you have to  update the software, just need to know what unit you have. Does it have a Microphone button on the top right or a small speaker & letter i?

Morning,

Thanks for the response. I was looking to open the unit to find out the correct revision number of hardware. The unit has a small speaker & letter i.

The device is stuck on the boot logo and even the audio doesn't works. So, I am not sure if I would be able to play VCD. Could you please let me know which image I need to burn on VCD to access the version?

[Rustynuts]

The hardware will be on the data label on the top of the unit. No need to open it up. Or do you mean you need to remove the unit from the dash?

 

Anyway, it's not vital to the fix to know what you have, the fact that it's an old version (LCD type indicated by the speaker & i button) means that it's as I suspected. A lot of the older ones like yours are failing at the moment as they get older. It's possible to repair in some cases with a software fix, but if that fails then hardware fixes are pretty hard as there are no spares available anymore other than second hand units which might just fail in the same way next week.

I'll message you with some possibilities.

[mayskoda]

1 minute ago, Rustynuts said:

The hardware will be on the data label on the top of the unit. No need to open it up. Or do you mean you need to remove the unit from the dash?

 

Anyway, it's not vital to the fix to know what you have, the fact that it's an old version (LCD type indicated by the speaker & i button) means that it's as I suspected. A lot of the older ones like yours are failing at the moment as they get older. It's possible to repair in some cases with a software fix, but if that fails then hardware fixes are pretty hard as there are no spares available anymore other than second hand units which might just fail in the same way next week.

I'll message you with some possibilities.

Sorry it was my bad. Yes, you're right I wanted to remove it from Dash to check the data label.

 

Thanks

[nt786]

Help please. Hi guys, my Columbus started with the reboot loop a couple of days ago.  It wasn't bringing up anything on the display, just a flicker follwed by a reboot and a battery drain. I tied the restart buttons, even the SWL buttons wasn't bringing up anything. I ordered a recovery CD from eBay which is supposed to install factory firmware, I also managed to pick up an 80GB IDE drive and replaced the 32GB one thanks to a very comprehensive guide on an Australian forum. Once I replaced the HDD, the SWL buttons were bringing up a black screen with red banners at the top and bottom asking for a SWL disc.

 

The SWL disc came today and at forst it looked okay, the green bar loaded and it went to a black screen that said "SWL initialisation in progress ........ Please wait".

 

It doesnt move past this screen, instead, it just reboots and goes back to this screen.  I tried to burn a SWL.iso from my-gti.com, but that was doing the exact same thing. Can someone please help?

 

 

Thanks in advance

[mushroomnr]

I have got the same problem, stuck in the loop with SWL initialisation in progress....wondering what I can do with that ? Is it time for new unit or something can be done ? I managed to get two swl disk and when force to rebut with 3 buttons it shows updating but after finish still the same problem. I have two SWL drives with software as below

#CD:P 0 0 4 . 9 0 0 . 2 0 1
#DATE:2010-03-01

#Project: VWRNS
#Author: RoNe
#Steckbrief: C_NAR_9.442_t925 C3/C4C/C6

#CommentStart:
This is a SWL CD for VW delivery.

 

and second

 

#CD:P 0 0 5 . 3 3 4 . 3 0 1
#DATE:2011-06-09

#Project: VWRNS
#Author: RoNe
#Steckbrief: C_EU_10.344_t191 C3/C4A/C5C/C6/C10

#CommentStart:
This is an unofficial SWL Recovery CD by josi. Use it at your own risk.

 

Wondering if someone can help with that ? Superb 2014. 

[mushroomnr]

Anybody know where I can find 6270 or 6276 firmware ?

[mushroomnr]

So ignore my previous messages

I have found solution with all up to date files instructions as well. Have a look below

https://www.drive2.com/l/465526077448520463/

 

If someone struggling with Russian google would translate for you.