10 minutes ago, Mike_Wazawski said:

This is what annoys me with modern kit. There's no one with half a brain asking "What if....."

This is what happens when testing is done by the same person who wrote the code - any error they make in reading and interpreting the specification isn't found until customers/users get upset.

 

Bring back Chinese Wall testing by independent test teams...

When the car costs 25,000 quid, you don't expect to have to suffer because the programmers don't have the software tested properly.
I had my own testers who, preferably, had never used my kit before and they got NO manual, just to see how intuitive the kit was.
If I had tested this update, I'd have spotted this gaff in seconds... as I did.
I must have an update you guys don't have as you all seem happy with your updates, to date.

How do we light a fire under skoda about this ??

Edited 3 August, 20187 yr by Mike_Wazawski
spelling errors

You could always try reverting to the previous maps version which you backed up before installing the new version.

I COULD, "Rustynuts", but, unfortunately,  the MAPS are not the issue.
What has happened is that, a software update of the system has somehow occurred that has changed the way post codes are used, and the old maps will make no difference as I assume, there is no "Revert to previous firmware" as this would require storage in the hardware as the original SD card can have no knowledge of what is about to happen in the future.
No, unless something strange has happened to my and ONLY my sat nav, this is an issue that needs skoda to hold their hands up and fix the problem in my opinion.

2 minutes ago, Mike_Wazawski said:

I COULD, "Rustynuts", but, unfortunately,  the MAPS are not the issue.

No, unless something strange has happened to my and ONLY my sat nav, this is an issue that needs skoda to hold their hands up and fix the problem in my opinion.

The maps ARE the issue, it appears the new map version stores the postcodes without spaces so with the updated maps that's how postcodes have to be entered.

 

Skoda clearly didn't do enough testing to work out that they needed to include code that accepts stored "old format" postcodes including a space - easy enough to do just by removing any whitespace characters when matching with the map data.

12 minutes ago, Mike_Wazawski said:

I COULD, "Rustynuts", but, unfortunately,  the MAPS are not the issue.
What has happened is that, a software update of the system has somehow occurred that has changed the way post codes are used, and the old maps will make no difference as I assume, there is no "Revert to previous firmware" as this would require storage in the hardware as the original SD card can have no knowledge of what is about to happen in the future.
No, unless something strange has happened to my and ONLY my sat nav, this is an issue that needs skoda to hold their hands up and fix the problem in my opinion.

Is this an assumption or have you tried reverting to the previous maps?

 

I doubt you've managed to miraculously update the unit software while changing the maps version on the SD card...

Thanks "SWboy".
The post codes are not stored on the card. How can they be?
The post codes can ONLY be stored within the body of the unit and the firmware update,  that decodes the post codes has been changed yet no attempt to 'normalise' any existing codes to the new format has taken place, simple emphasises the ineptitude of the update authors.
Using the old map database will not cure anything.

I take your point Rustynuts but if after a MAP up-date, the operating system decides that spaces are not required, the option to add a space is removed, and the entering a destination process has subtly changed, then yes... it would appear that the map update includes a crafty firmware update.

When I have the time, I can restore the old maps just to prove to me and thee that a software update has been piggy backed on the map update but that still doesn't fix the problem.
The software, once tweaked, cannot be untweaked because the code to do that cannot exist on the original card unless the entire operating system code is stored in a hidden partition on the card, so it IS worth a try.....

Well, that's interesting.
Reverting to the old maps has indeed fixed the post code issue so, what can I deduce from this?
Let me run this up the pole and see who agrees with me.
1) There is, I suggest, some or all of the operating software on the original SD card. (else the original MAPS has a software folder).

I suspect this is in 00/cfg
2) A MAP update DOES include a crafty software update that overwrites some part of the software within the unit.. or.... it might be a change of configuration rather than a operating system tweak.

The question I need to ask and try out, is whether JUST copying over, say, the map database in 00/sds will be satisfactory in an attempt to avoid post code misery.

 

I note that there is an address configuration XML file in maps\00\cfg\mapcfg\SKODA\input.

The ORIGINAL SD card ONLY contains data in the sds (maps) and sds folders.

 

As I am only interested in the map data, I shall (because I like proper answers) just copy the updated maps over and hope that there is not an internal checksum done on the data and see if I can update just the maps without the 'software'.

 

watch this space.

5 minutes ago, Mike_Wazawski said:

Reverting to the old maps has indeed fixed the post code issue

What I said...

 

The postcodes you have stored are compared with the postcodes embedded in the map data, so if the map data doesn't include spaces and your stored postcodes do then they don't match.

QED.

 

There is NO software on the map SD - try looking through the several thousand files on the SD card (I have when I had nothing better to do). The software is stored in non-volatile memory in the sat nav main unit.

OK SWboy, I am getting frustrated and losing my sense of humour. Not with you but the whole process.
e)
I am using the original SD card data BUT I have only overwritten the map data in maps/00/sds and that seems to have given my post code entry WITH spaces back.

There may not be any executable code on the SD card but the new map SD data contains configuration XML files that are not present in the original.
Considering the cycle time of making small changes to the card, I will rest knowing that I have updated maps (apart from the new layout on the A14/M6) and I will let the subject rest.

A really painful experience. No wonder my main dealer won't touch sat nav updates.
Best wishes and thanks for the chat.
 

I have found that when I update the maps, the stored "home address" is lost (it just says it can't navigate to the address), but the stored favourites should be OK.  There is definitely a lack of testing and thought in the system.

Thanks "trundlenut". I was becoming convinced I was jinxed.
You would think that skoda would perhaps use chosen customers for some testing.
I get several requests a week to review products on Amazon (if I want the free stuff), but large corporates are so arrogant in their assumptions that they and only they can 'know' anything.
As the sat nav is completely under skoda control, they should be able to guarantee performance as the user, unlike windows, say, cannot install other 'bits' to mess with the system.

 

My system is still not right following sight of the full update, even reverting to the original card.
I am now using the supplied SD card but with new map data (not the root folder maps).

One location 3 miles away has been replaced by another location 15 miles away, with the same road name "School lane" with wildly different post codes. How does that work ?

This was a "Store current location" entry.
So I now have a sat nav with many many addresses that I am now not 100% sure they point to the right location in space. Good job I don't drive abroad.

My sister in law's address tells me to "Check address" (This was a post code entry), but the post code is now not accepted as the last character is not shown in the display. I need to enter a "J" but it's greyed out.

Why me...

 

I COULD use the target option to point to the location on the map but, for some reason, when I use that feature, the cross hairs start somewhere in Scotland and zooming in on a location from orbit over the UK is not easy.

Am I reading this correctly? You're now using the genuine Skoda SD card, with a mixture of old mapping software and new maps data?

yes, "rustynuts". That's how I see it.

Following a full update, I found changes to the way post codes are handled following, I assumed, changes made via the new configuration XML files in the update.
I may be wrong in this..I have been wrong before..

The forced changes effectively removed most of my locations entered by postcode to I could no longer navigate to them, seeing "Check Address" on the screen.
Entering the post again, without the separating space (Following the update, the option to include spaces was removed also), restored the location to one that could be navigated to.

Reverting to the original maps once again, rejected that address and I had to enter a space again.

So, I restored the original card data and simply overwrote the map data from the update to the SD card.

The mapping data appears to be only located in the path maps/00/sds

 

Without intimate knowledge of how the data interacts, I cannot be 100% certain the changes are valid because there is the possibility that the map on the SD card is loaded into the sat nav as required and the system is clever enough to spot an issue and NOT load the 'new' map data but stupid enough not to tell me it's using an old stored version.

Important details such as this are clearly not available to me but having a system think it's in one state when it's in another is not an unknown experience for me.

The routes I have checked on screen seem fine but there are no new road layouts en route so I can't be sure the 'new' mapos have stuck.
I hope I would find a map version on screen somewhere but my actions may well have not copied a file, located elsewhere, that offers this, so I would still be uncertain of the map version even if I saw it on screen. It all depends how "Embedded" the version data is. like the images of the album cover in the media player; the jpg is embedded in the MP3 file.

 

I am 100% certain that an old location 3 miles away has indeed been replaced by one 15 miles distant that share the same road name but wildly different post codes.

I note, however, some post codes I used to be able to enter do not seem valid any longer as I mentioned in an earlier post.

 

I remain suspicious of the system and until a "qualified" skoda person tells me otherwise, I will still have doubts.
I will point out that a "qualified" skoda mechanic (at my dealership) told me with a straight face that bump starting a car turns the engine over backwards and when I told him he was blatantly wrong, he got quite aggressive with me. The service manager, overhearing the exchange just walked away, so that gives you an idea of my regard for technicians as opposed to qualified "Engineers", a title I am happy to have earned for myself.

Edited 4 August, 20187 yr by Mike_Wazawski
missing word

So you've overwritten parts of the original software and maps with some data (maps) from the new download? And you're wondering why it's not working as it should.

3 hours ago, Mike_Wazawski said:

yes, "rustynuts". That's how I see it.

Following a full update, I found changes to the way post codes are handled following, I assumed, changes made via the new configuration XML files in the update.
I may be wrong in this..I have been wrong before..

The forced changes effectively removed most of my locations entered by postcode to I could no longer navigate to them, seeing "Check Address" on the screen.
Entering the post again, without the separating space (Following the update, the option to include spaces was removed also), restored the location to one that could be navigated to.

Reverting to the original maps once again, rejected that address and I had to enter a space again.

So, I restored the original card data and simply overwrote the map data from the update to the SD card.

The mapping data appears to be only located in the path maps/00/sds

 

Without intimate knowledge of how the data interacts, I cannot be 100% certain the changes are valid because there is the possibility that the map on the SD card is loaded into the sat nav as required and the system is clever enough to spot an issue and NOT load the 'new' map data but stupid enough not to tell me it's using an old stored version.

Important details such as this are clearly not available to me but having a system think it's in one state when it's in another is not an unknown experience for me.

The routes I have checked on screen seem fine but there are no new road layouts en route so I can't be sure the 'new' mapos have stuck.
I hope I would find a map version on screen somewhere but my actions may well have not copied a file, located elsewhere, that offers this, so I would still be uncertain of the map version even if I saw it on screen. It all depends how "Embedded" the version data is. like the images of the album cover in the media player; the jpg is embedded in the MP3 file.

 

I am 100% certain that an old location 3 miles away has indeed been replaced by one 15 miles distant that share the same road name but wildly different post codes.

I note, however, some post codes I used to be able to enter do not seem valid any longer as I mentioned in an earlier post.

 

I remain suspicious of the system and until a "qualified" skoda person tells me otherwise, I will still have doubts.
I will point out that a "qualified" skoda mechanic (at my dealership) told me with a straight face that bump starting a car turns the engine over backwards and when I told him he was blatantly wrong, he got quite aggressive with me. The service manager, overhearing the exchange just walked away, so that gives you an idea of my regard for technicians as opposed to qualified "Engineers", a title I am happy to have earned for myself.

The engine will only turn over backwards if you bump start it in reverse 

 

On 02/08/2018 at 20:28, BOD20 said:

 

Oh, and not so much of the "young", please, lol.

 

I used to program in Pascal and C++ from the eighties onwards so we're maybe not so far apart in years !! But yes, it's not as intuitive as it could be

 

 

On 03/08/2018 at 10:45, SWBoy said:

That definitely makes you "young" - I used to program ICL1900 series mainframes in ALGOL 60, ALGOL 68R, FORTRAN and COBOL using punched cards in the early and mid 1970's - before moving onto assembly language and C in the late 1970's.

 

I'm a member of the OF Programmer's Club too!

 

Taught VS Basic on an IBM370 mainframe (that we used to connect to using a telephone handset and an acoustic coupler) in a felt-lined wooden box) running under a system called MUSIC.  Programs were submitted on punched cards and batch processed overnight.  One missing or misplaced card and the lot was thrown out!  Never dropped a stack of cards though - always a danger.

 

Later graduated onto Fortran G4 and then Cobol.

 

Ended up using Basic again (another dialect) on a DEC PDP11 minicomputer.

 

Remember updating to punched paper tape and a teletype.

 

Ahh ... those were the days!

 

Zaph

Loads of people have updated with no problem but the OP was negative about doing it before he started and eventually had issues he now blames Skoda. Maps is a common VAG platform across all brands.

Seems like issues of his own making?

Just because Skoda have done something a different way than you think it should be done doesn't not make it wrong. 

I knew this had disaster written all over it when ayou had to be persuaded to copy the existing map data yet wanted to use your  mirror image software and not just drag and drop.

 

On 02/08/2018 at 19:49, BOD20 said:

If, and only if, you have an Amundsen MIB2 Satnav, with a 14.8 GByte SD Card, then the procedure to update it with the 2018/2019 maps is as follows - 

 

Download link   http://infotainment-cdn.skoda-auto.com/base/maps/STD2_1030_EU1_201819.zip  

 

This is a big file - almost 13 GBytes in size.

 

 

1.    Download the latest map data from the link above  (note that this may take an hour or more to complete, depending on your broadband speed)
 

2.    Unzip (right-click on file and select "Extract All" ) the downloaded file to a new folder on your PC. This may take 15-30 minutes. After unzipping the folder should contain a “maps” folder and a TXT document with “md5sum.txt” in the filename.
 

3.    Connect the SD card to the computer
 

4.    For peace of mind, copy the entire contents of the SD card to another new folder (e.g. “OldMaps) on your PC
 

5.    Slide the small lock tab on the SD card to the “unlock” position to enable writing to the card
 

6.    On the PC, right-click the SD card icon and select “Format”
 

7.    Format the card using “FAT32” and the default “4096 bytes” allocation unit size
 

8.    Now copy the new satnav data from the folder at Step 2 (i.e. copy the “maps” folder and the “md5sum.txt” file) to the newly formatted SD card. This can take another 20-30 minutes to complete.
 

9.    Once complete, when you open the SD card on the PC you should see only a “maps” folder and the “……md5sum.txt” file.
 

10.  Remove the SD card from the PC and slide the lock tab to lock the card.
 

11.  Put the SD card back into the Amundsen unit and switch on.

 

 

You don't need to do anything on the Satnav itself. It will start up then load the new data automatically from the SD Card.

 

Followed the instructions, and have to say this was the easiest map update I’ve done, coming from BMW, Mercedes & Volvo...

 

The car took a few more seconds ‘checking navigation data’, but once started, it was fine and my home & stored addresses are all still saved. The longest processes were downloading the maps, then copying to the SD card.

 

Cheers,

 

Nick

Edited 5 August, 20187 yr by Cubbington

Another consideration ...

 

Having just updated the maps to the 2018/19 version I am STILL finding that some postcodes are not recognised.

 

For example, yesterday I wanted to go to LE12 8AG - and the system reported that it couldn't find the location.

 

I then tried 4 Woodhouse Lane, Quorn and the unit was happy.

 

I was aiming for Quorn Station on the Great Central Railway (for the 50th Anniversary Weekend of the end of BR Mainline steam in 1968) - see http://www.gcrailway.co.uk/

 

Would folks mind trying the above postcode in their units to see if they get the same result and reporting back?

 

Thanks in advance,

 

Zaph

Just entered LE12 8AG into my Columbus unit. It still accepts the space in between the numbers in the postcode and found the street Forest Road. Also, it finds the postcode just as well if you choose to omit the space between the two halves of the postcode.

 

Not much help with the Amundsen unit though.

2 minutes ago, Rustynuts said:

Just entered LE12 8AG into my Columbus unit. It still accepts the space in between the numbers in the postcode and found the street Forest Road. Also, it finds the postcode just as well if you choose to omit the space between the two halves of the postcode.

 

Not much help with the Amundsen unit though.

 

Thanks for trying Rusty.

 

Interesting that it said 'Forest Road'.   It should be Woodhouse Road (my post of a few mins ago said Woodhouse Lane).

 

BTW The Post Office doesn't list Quorn Station (which is why the Sat Nav can't find it?).  It does list 'Station House' but the postcode is LE12 8AJ, not LE12 8AG as stated by the GCR on their website!

 

Will try LE12 8AJ tomorrow and see what my Amundsen cones up with!

 

Thanks once again for trying that out for me.

 

Zaph 

13 minutes ago, ZaphodB said:

Another consideration ...

 

Having just updated the maps to the 2018/19 version I am STILL finding that some postcodes are not recognised.

 

For example, yesterday I wanted to go to LE12 8AG - and the system reported that it couldn't find the location.

 

Would folks mind trying the above postcode in their units to see if they get the same result and reporting back?

 

Thanks in advance,

 

Zaph

Just tried LE12 8AG in my unit, noting that I can NOT enter the post code WITHOUT the space and it accepts it meaning that I am offer the last "G" as an option.

I have noted today, that the little plan view of the car that selects the vehicle as the focus (if you scroll away from the car location), has been removed by the update; you now have to toggle the compass option to perform the same function.

That's a neat trick for "just" a map update.

 

I CAN confirm the new maps (using the old SD card) actually work as a local route that used to ask me to turn into a farmers access to a ploughed field. has been resolved.

 

I do find the "mine's OK so you must be at fault" attitude found here reminiscent of some work I did at Microsoft in Reading UK.
At all costs, deny the issue, claim the user is in error and the problem will go away.
So sad. It reduces the value of such forums.

 

Clearly, no one here has knowledge of what an XML file is and what it does and how these are used to affect the system.
And for completeness, unless those who update successfully report to this forum, or directly to KevC_Derby, the comment " Loads of people have updated with no problem " is fatuous as I can see many many posts with similar sat nav misery across the VAG group.

What we need is a Skoda Engineer (A member of the IEEE not just his/her job title), comment with some system intimate details explaining why some updates work and why some clearly don't.
It's too easy to blame the user. Trust me. Microsoft's corporate policy is to never admit an issue until it's resolved. I know, I am a MSCE, and a member of the IEEE, I also use my real name, not a pseudonym like most forum trolls.

 

Thanks Mike.

 

Will try my unit again with LE12 8AG both with and without spaces.  I'm pretty sure I tried it WITH a space yesterday in the new 2018/19 map.  Maybe that was the problem.

 

Will report back my findings tomorrow.

 

Ciao,

 

Zaph