Intravee installation problems

[Dave***t]

I'm trying to connect my brand new intravee unit to my MG ZT with hi-line stereo, using an ipod and a KCA-420i.

I have everything connected properly, but the intravee doesn't show up when cycling through sources using the 'mode' button.

Well, it does briefly - the display flashes 'CD 1' a few times, ie the display I was expecting to see before having changed the UI to 5 - but just for a fraction of a second at a time.  Then the display behaves as if it can't see a device at all (which in this case means it shows the nav/tv menu).

Turning the radio off then back on again precipitates 2 flashes of the same CD 1 screen, then as above.

When I try to run the downloader tool and reboot the intravee, it says intravee not responding - check cable?  Same thing happened when I tried to run the emulator to change the UI.  But when I press buttons on the stereo or steering wheel controls, unreadable text appears in the utility window.  So there's definitely a working connection of some kind between the intravee and the computer.

And the strangest thing - when I plug an ipod in that's already playing something, the sound comes through the speakers and the steering wheel controls work to change tracks etc.  The screen remains the same, and the same gobbledegook appears on the downloader util window if I have it running at the time, but the sound comes out of the speakers.

So given that the intravee is receiving power (no sound comes out with the bus plug disconnected), and apparently connected properly, what on earth is wrong?

[Intravee Support]

The display issue sounds like the Intravee is in the wrong UI, but UI6 (the default) should be visible on the Rover Hi-Line.  Do you have a MK II or MK III Hi-Line system?  What does the version number in the top right corner of the Rover main menu setting menu say?

You should not get gobbledegook in the downloader console window, you should get legible text unless some of the diagnostic settings are on. It maybe that your COM port does not like the high speed that the Intravee uses (115,000 Baud).  Try going to Device Manager, double click the COM port, click the 'Port Settings' tab, then the 'Advanced' button.  Move both the sliders as far to the left as they will go.  Does that make a difference?

[Dave***t]

It's a mark 3 nav system, though having tried and failed to find the setup menu you mention I'm not entirely sure how to get the version number to appear on the display.

I've set the com port on my computer to 115200, and moved the sliders to the left in the advanced options (and ok'd the changes) and everything's exactly the same.  And example o the text that appears - ©ÙU\1é²drRròs©.~©rjr.jnÊÖ* (that's from pressing the mode button on the stereo).  Things like 'intravee not responding' are legible, it's just what appears when I press the mode button or next track button that's illegible.

Anything else I can try?

[Intravee Support]

On the monitor press the menu key.

In the bottom left should be a menu option that says 'Settings' or something similar.  Select it.  Top right should be a version number, probably "3-1/31" for a Rover Mk 3.

What type of COM port is it that you are using, build in or USB/Serial adapter?

Some USB serial drivers have some other options, what tabs do you have in the device manager properties dialog?

[Dave***t]

I still can't seem to find the version number, having played around a fair bit.  The set function in the menu screen just brings up things like language and miles/km choices, with no info in the corners of the screen.  None of the other options on the menu screen have anything relevant on them.  But the unit is definitely a mark 3, as identified by the appearance of the nav unit itself in the boot.

The COM port is a USB-serial adapter, and is set to COM7 (which I've also changed the downloader util com port to match).  The tabs are General, port settings, driver and details.  The port settings include bits/sec (set to 115200), data bits (set to , Parity (set to none), stop bits (set to 1) and flow control (set to none).  I'm using windows 7 64 bit.

Having disconnected the whole lot and re-connected the CD changer, that works fine FWIW.

I may have to give up shortly and resume tomorrow.  Thanks for your help so far!

[Intravee Support]

Might sound like a silly question, but do you have a TV module and does the main menu have the GPS Navigation option?

Are the drivers for your USB/Serial adapter designed for 64 bit Windows 7?

[Dave***t]

Haha, no, I can see very well why it's a worthwhile question!  But yes, I do have TV and GPS and everything.  The closest thing I can find, having checked through the service menus, is a SW version 1.8, but that's not the hardware version of the system.  The hardware is absolutely, definitely a mark 3 - it looks like this http://www.the75andztclub.co.uk/forum/imagehosting/9584609674a3410e.jpg

And NOT like this - http://www.the75andztclub.co.uk/forum/imagehosting/958460974b58aed0.jpg which is the mark 2.

The drivers I was using for the USB/serial cable were supposed to work ok with 64bit w7, but still I've found some updated drivers that apparently people who've had problems with other drivers and w7/64 have used to solve their problems, but still it's the same.  Windows recognises the device and says it's working properly, and there don't appear to be any issues with it as far as I can tell from device manager.

Still stumped...

[Intravee Support]

We need to get the Intravee talking to the PC, so lets concentrate on that.

You can check if the serial port is working by creating a loop back, anything transmitted should be received.  This can be done without the Intravee connected, so it's a pure test of the serial port.

The serial port connector is a 9 pin D, with 5 pins on the top row and 4 pins on the bottom.

The pins are numbered 1-5 on the top row from left to right looking into the D connector.

If you connect pins 2 and 3, which can be done with a flat bladed screwdriver, you should get anything type type in the downloader window echoed back to you.  If you still get garbage then there is definitely something wrong with the serial port.

[Dave***t]

OK, tried that, and whatever I type does indeed show up in the downloader util window.  So the serial port appears to be working...

[Intravee Support]

The only times we've seen that combination, garbage from the IV, correct text from a loop back, has been where the serial port drivers can't process the high baud rate that the Intravee uses correctly.  When typing the effective data rate is very low and the drivers can handle it.  When the Intravee tries to output at a higher rate, with no pauses between the data bytes, the drivers can't cope and you get garbage.

Of course there always exists the possibility that the Intravee is faulty, but the factory tests use the serial port so that type of problem should be spotted immediately and we've not had any other instances of this type of fault.

We'll investigate further and try and find some further options.  Where abouts are you based?

[Dave***t]

Hmm, I see.  The settings in device manager allow me to set the port speed up as far as 128000, and the drivers are a couple of years old at most, so it seems unlikely to be a speed issue, but I suppose you never know.

If it makes any difference, the adapter shows up as a 'Prolific' device, and the drivers are (now that I've updated them) Prolific's own.

Any options you can find would be appreciated.  I'm in Birmingham.

[Dave***t]

Update - I've tried the process using another (Vista) laptop.  Same things happened.  Since the cable has been demonstrated to be working, and others have used prolific chipset cables with Vista without issues, I'm getting pretty frustrated.

[Intravee Support]

We've seen one USB/Serial adapter that did not work under Vista, even though it had the correct drivers, but did work with Windows XP.  We'd not expect a new device to have such problems though.

Without a PC connection it's pretty much impossible to determine why the Intravee is not working on your system as it should.  One option would be to ship you a USB/Serial device that we know works under 64 bit Windows 7.

[Dave***t]

Well, I do have one more thing to try before shipping anything - I've bought a serial-serial cable and found a computer with a serial port, so with any luck it'll be comparatively straight forward to establish what's going on.

Will give it a go after 4 and report back.

[Intravee Support]

OK, thanks for your persistence with this problem.