Breaking open the WD6050
I just spent the last few hours opening the WD6050 apart (
Pictures here). Before I get started I want to say that I put it all back together and it works perfectly again. I also want to note that I am a software guys, not hardware, but the story ends well. I had three goals today: Check functioning of the rear view camera, open up the unit and takes notes & pictures, install the SMA bend for the GPS antenna.
Rear-view camera: I wanted to figure out how the read-view camera feature worked before considering installing one. My digital camera (Canon SD750) has an video out feature and so, could easily be used as a temporary video source. I started by pulling the unit out of the car and connecting my digital camera to the rear camera input of the device. The unit detected the presence of the video signal and activated the "Camera" feature in the main menu. When I turned on the video source, it did not automatically switch to the rear-view camera, so having a permanent video source is ok. I then started the car and placed it in reverse and yes, the unit changed to the rear-view camera. Going back to park and it switched back to the previous selected source. All as expected. I question if you can power the camera from the rear white lights because the camera would turn on after the rear gear is engaged and may not work. With this unit, I would likely want the rear camera powered all the time when the car is running. It is nice be able to select the rear-camera regardless of the gear position, but have it show up automatically when in rear.
Breaking the device open: I then took the device home and started pulling it apart. Taking pictures and notes as I went along. There are 7 boards in this unit: Main, Display, Tuner, GPS, DVD, SD slots and CAN-BUS decoder.
- The main board also contains the AM/FM tuner in addition to connectors to all the other boards. It clearly has flash parts, power supply, etc. It has 3 free connectors.
- The display board is in the front and seems to control buttons, display, touch screen, etc.
- The tuner board is built to handle 3 types of tuners. I have the north American version, but it had markings for DMB-TH and DVB-T tuner components. Only one of the 3 tuners can be installed at any given time.
- GPS board is small and just connects between the GPS antenna and the main board. Looks like off the shelf board.
- DVD disk reader is as expected, also off the shelf component.
- SD card slots is the simplest board. Just the two slots and a single connector to the main board.
- Finally, the CAN-BUS decoder, located completely under the device, it's the hardest to get to and the most disappointing. In this picture, it's the blue board on the right. It seems to be a very simple board that converts CAN-BUS into a very simple signaling connector (Batt, Acc, Break, Light, Back, Key, Bus-, Bus+). There is likely no way this board would be able to handle anything more complex than detecting the rear gear is engaged. It's almost certain that this unit will need another CAN-BUS decoder if it wants to do anything more.
The main board has 3 free connectors labeled CON8 (5 pins), CON3 (5 pins) and CON1 (2 pins). Because of the location of CON1, I suspect it's just a connector to power the optional fan. I will have to research the remaining 2 connectors, they are located at the right place, near the central processing unit and internal beeper (yes, the unit has a beeper). Access to CON5 and CON8 does not require opening the full device. You can see and reach them by removing the front only. I will scan and post my diagrams in the next few days and see if I can find anything interesting about these connectors. I could not find any removable flash parts. The spare connectors may be JTAG or something.
I saw the built-in microphone. I did not change it, but it does seem very possible. You do have to know what you are doing. Certainly not for everyone. You do not need to open the main unit to hack the microphone, only the front needs to be opened. Still, there is a lot of care that needs to be taken to separate the display board from the display itself. The power, touch and display connectors need to be removed and reconnected very carefully.
Lastly, I added the GPS SMA bend and it's a good thing. The normal antenna connector does have to bend quite a bit.
I posted most of the pictures of today's activities. When I reinstalled the unit, I turned the key and the unit stayed off... I was VERY worried for 10 seconds because it always turned on automatically then I turn the key. I then pushed the volume button in and it turned on. Just a little scare for a while.
Ylian
