Colour screen mod for cluster

[Tj 0785]

@syncro Have you got a photo of the white clocks showing all the red lighting on the rest of the controls? Debating whether or not the white clocks would do my OCD in or not...

Instead of swapping the leds to red would it not be possible to put the red plastic sheet over them like in that oem look boost gauge mod that’s on here somewhere so it lights up red

 

[warren9022]

Instead of swapping the leds to red would it not be possible to put the red plastic sheet over them like in that oem look boost gauge mod that’s on here somewhere so it lights up red

I was thinking the same but the more I think about the white clocks the more I like it, still plenty of red in there to tie in with everything else and in the daylight will still look identical.

 

[<tuffty/>]

white numerics and red needles matches the color MFA nicely... its the same setup as the modern VAGs too...

I have the same setup in the A2 and find it easier on the eyes... well... my crap old ones at least

<tuffty/>

 

[S3AMJ]

There was me looking into changing the LEDS to match the ColorMFA. The A6 cluster is white?! Winner winner.


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[<tuffty/>]

A6 lighting...

...vs S3 lighting...

<tuffty/>

 

[S3AMJ]

The white lighting looks much more refreshed, I think the ColourMFA suits it better than the original lights. Like you mentioned, there’s enough red in there to keep it all tied in.


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[<tuffty/>]

Expecting the bits to allow me to build a test harness in the next couple of days... will do some testing of the S3 foils... see what they look like

<tuffty/>

 

[<tuffty/>]

You know you are an 8L S3 owner when you pay someone in Australia you have never met a lot of money for something made by crazy russians that you are not likely to see for 1 or 2 months...

Still... cheaper than the next lens I want to buy

<tuffty/>

 

[IPG]

Instead of swapping the leds to red would it not be possible to put the red plastic sheet over them like in that oem look boost gauge mod that’s on here somewhere so it lights up red

Either way looks good - you’ll be looking more at the colorMFA anyway

You’ll forget about the numbers

 

[IPG]

You know you are an 8L S3 owner when you pay someone in Australia you have never met a lot of money for something made by crazy russians that you are not likely to see for 1 or 2 months...

Still... cheaper than the next lens I want to buy

<tuffty/>

Hahaha

The things you do for the mod bug

 

[warren9022]

Anybody got a wiring diagram for the cluster? Got the bits on order to build a test rig but as yet haven't got a clue where to wire anything to

 

[IPG]

You know you are an 8L S3 owner when you pay someone in Australia you have never met a lot of money for something made by crazy russians that you are not likely to see for 1 or 2 months...

Still... cheaper than the next lens I want to buy

<tuffty/>

Hahaha

The things you do for the mod bug

Anybody got a wiring diagram for the cluster? Got the bits on order to build a test rig but as yet haven't got a clue where to wire anything to

Check link on my signature again. The pin out for all 3 plugs are there

 

[warren9022]

Hahaha

The things you do for the mod bug



Check link on my signature again. The pin out for all 3 plugs are there

Is this what you mean?

Is it just Ignition, +12v, Ground and K-line? So 4 cables in total?

 

[IPG]

No there’s an excel looking picture with colours blue grey green... you’re looking in the right post though. lol

 

[warren9022]

No there’s an excel looking picture with colours blue grey green... you’re looking in the right post though. lol

Got it, thanks Ian. Any info on what pin is what on the OBD connector?!

Was I right about the 4 cables or is there more that need connecting?

 

[<tuffty/>]

<tuffty/>

 

[warren9022]

View attachment 170314

<tuffty/>

Thanks @<tuffty/>

So.....GREEN PLUG:
K-line from pin 7 on the OBD connector to pin 28 on the connector (the only connection required).

BLUE PLUG:
Live from the transformer to Ignition and +12v (pins 23 & 1), ground from the transformer to pin 24.

Do I also have to run a second live and earth to the OBD connector?

 

[<tuffty/>]

Do I also have to run a second live and earth to the OBD connector?

Wouldn't hurt

In other news... some good, some not so good

I recoded and flashed the A6 dash today with a modded EEPROM binary... added the rev counter foil from the S3 clocks and also use the S3's white needle... the S3 foils are grey rather than black and the white needles suit the whole thing plus its what the S3 came with so thought I would try it...

Was concerned that the white needle would look a little washy but...

...its as red as the red needle...

Happy with that... the hacked code clearly worked too as the immo light stopped flashing

Thought I would check the RPM's on the tablet and thats when it started going a bit wobbly.... Ignitron said one thing, rev counter said another so doubler checked in VCDS...

Ar5e!...

I know the coding is correct...
http://wiki.ross-tech.com/wiki/index.php/Audi_A3_(8L)_Instrument_Cluster

• ??xxx: Options (MY 2000 >)
  • +00 = Manual Transmission 02C/02J/02M OR Automatic Transmission 01M
  • +01 = 2nd Fuel Tank Characteristic (All-Wheel Drive)
  • +02 = Seatbelt Warning
  • +04 = Manual Transmission 02M OR Automatic Transmission 09A
  • +08 = Manual Transmission 02K
• xx?xx: Country (< MY 1999)
  • 0 = Germany
  • 1 = Rest of World (RoW)
  • 2 = USA
  • 3 = Canada
  • 4 = Great Britain
  • 5 = Japan
  • 6 = Arabien States
  • 7 = Australia
• xx?xx: Country (MY 2000 >)
  • 0 = Germany
  • 1 = Rest of World (RoW - Left Hand Steering)
  • 2 = USA
  • 3 = Canada
  • 4 = Great Britain (Right Hand Steering)
  • 5 = Japan (Left Hand Steering)
  • 6 = Arabien States
  • 7 = Australia
  • 8 = Rest of World (RoW - Right Hand Steering)
  • 9 = Japan (Right Hand Steering)
• xxx?x: Engine I
  • 4 = 4-Zylinder
• xxxx?: Engine II
  • 0 = Diesel Engine
  • 2 = Gasoline Engine
  • 4 = Turbo Gasoline Engine

So the 01444 of my S3 dash was used...

Disappointing...

@syncro is there any other adaption or coding I need to do?

@IanPG what would happen if I flash the S3 eeprom in seeing as they are the same file size?

<tuffty/>

 

[IPG]

Got it, thanks Ian. Any info on what pin is what on the OBD connector?!

Was I right about the 4 cables or is there more that need connecting?

You are correct - join all those points from the blue and green plugs to the OBD. You also need a 12v source (spare battery or like the Brick that I use)

Wouldn't hurt

In other news... some good, some not so good

I recoded and flashed the A6 dash today with a modded EEPROM binary... added the rev counter foil from the S3 clocks and also use the S3's white needle... the S3 foils are grey rather than black and the white needles suit the whole thing plus its what the S3 came with so thought I would try it...
View attachment 170320

Was concerned that the white needle would look a little washy but...
View attachment 170321

...its as red as the red needle...

Happy with that... the hacked code clearly worked too as the immo light stopped flashing

Thought I would check the RPM's on the tablet and thats when it started going a bit wobbly.... Ignitron said one thing, rev counter said another so doubler checked in VCDS...
View attachment 170322

View attachment 170323

Ar5e!...

I know the coding is correct...
http://wiki.ross-tech.com/wiki/index.php/Audi_A3_(8L)_Instrument_Cluster

• ??xxx: Options (MY 2000 >)
  • +00 = Manual Transmission 02C/02J/02M OR Automatic Transmission 01M
  • +01 = 2nd Fuel Tank Characteristic (All-Wheel Drive)
  • +02 = Seatbelt Warning
  • +04 = Manual Transmission 02M OR Automatic Transmission 09A
  • +08 = Manual Transmission 02K
• xx?xx: Country (< MY 1999)
  • 0 = Germany
  • 1 = Rest of World (RoW)
  • 2 = USA
  • 3 = Canada
  • 4 = Great Britain
  • 5 = Japan
  • 6 = Arabien States
  • 7 = Australia
• xx?xx: Country (MY 2000 >)
  • 0 = Germany
  • 1 = Rest of World (RoW - Left Hand Steering)
  • 2 = USA
  • 3 = Canada
  • 4 = Great Britain (Right Hand Steering)
  • 5 = Japan (Left Hand Steering)
  • 6 = Arabien States
  • 7 = Australia
  • 8 = Rest of World (RoW - Right Hand Steering)
  • 9 = Japan (Right Hand Steering)
• xxx?x: Engine I
  • 4 = 4-Zylinder
• xxxx?: Engine II
  • 0 = Diesel Engine
  • 2 = Gasoline Engine
  • 4 = Turbo Gasoline Engine

So the 01444 of my S3 dash was used...

Disappointing...

@syncro is there any other adaption or coding I need to do?

@IanPG what would happen if I flash the S3 eeprom in seeing as they are the same file size?

<tuffty/>

just try it and see what output you get. You can always just flash it back.

Looks good by the way!

 

[Tj 0785]

Would it have anything to do with that your a6 clocks rev counter only goes up to 5 instead of 7 ?
My a6 clocks go up to why’s yours different

 

[<tuffty/>]

I'll give it a go... I coded it prior to flashing to 01444 (same as the S3) and after flashing it reset so clearly the coding is in the eeprom file... so... as the files are the same size physically I am hoping the code should just flash if not then maybe there is something else between the derv and petrol dashes beside simple coding...

<tuffty/>

 

[S3AMJ]

You guys using VCDS to record and flash the EEPROM Binary? I’m assuming it’s in the instrument section of VCDS.


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[<tuffty/>]

View attachment 170325 Would it have anything to do with that your a6 clocks rev counter only goes up to 5 instead of 7 ?
My a6 clocks go up to why’s yours different

Same range of movement... It will be a coding thing or more likely a firmware thing... It's essentially stepper motor control so code will be adding a factor in somewhere

Will flash the s3 code in... The immo part work, same amount of data so stands a chance

Failing that I guess I will need to source something else... Shame as it looks awesome with the white numerals

<tuffty/>

 

[warren9022]

@<tuffty/> What about if I emailed you my original A6 Petrol EEPROM and you just change the coding in the last section with your S3 details?

 

[<tuffty/>]

@<tuffty/> What about if I emailed you my original A6 Petrol EEPROM and you just change the coding in the last section with your S3 details?

Worth a punt... Be nice if it just worked with the S3 file tbh... Will try both... Be nice to know either way ...

<tuffty/>

 

[warren9022]

Worth a punt... Be nice if it just worked with the S3 file tbh... Will try both... Be nice to know either way ...

<tuffty/>

PM me your email address and I’ll send it over

 

[syncro]

You can choose fuel type and number of cylinders in the coding as far as I remember

With the original s3 cluster and my Diesel engine conversion the rev needle would only reach 5ish on the petrol scale if I tried to red line it

With the a6 tdi clocks it will still reach 5 but on the tdi scale this is in the 7 position of the petrol scale

 

[S3AMJ]

Right I’ve caught up now, sorry came in Mid thread.... so ordered my clocks, just need to download the VAG EEPROM program, plug in car, copy original cluster eeprom and then plug in A6 cluster, flash eeprom and upload the original cluster eeprom. That’s it on that part? Then it’s a case of getting hold on the ColorMFA and wiring it in? It sounds simple, but I’m sure this is above my capabilities


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[warren9022]

Yeah that’s about it in a nutshell.

 

[<tuffty/>]

Ok... flashed in the file from warrens petrol cluster and rpm's all seem to be ok now... this suggests that there is more to the code (to be expected tbh) than just the immo stuff...

Interestingly the coding on the A6 dash is similar to the S3...

But on the S3 coding the first two digits are:
+01 = 2nd Fuel Tank Characteristic (All-Wheel Drive)

and not larger fuel tank... does make me wonder if the rest of the binary from the S3 should be used to allow the functionality of the fuel gauge to work as intended

Sorta tempted to flash the S3 binary in now... I guess worse case is I brick the dash...

<tuffty/>

 

[warren9022]

Ok... flashed in the file from warrens petrol cluster and rpm's all seem to be ok now... this suggests that there is more to the code (to be expected tbh) than just the immo stuff...

Interestingly the coding on the A6 dash is similar to the S3...
View attachment 170338

But on the S3 coding the first two digits are:
+01 = 2nd Fuel Tank Characteristic (All-Wheel Drive)

and not larger fuel tank... does make me wonder if the rest of the binary from the S3 should be used to allow the functionality of the fuel gauge to work as intended

Sorta tempted to flash the S3 binary in now... I guess worse case is I brick the dash...

<tuffty/>

I couldn’t quite get my head round the fuel tank situation either to be honest, I was kind of expecting the same coding options as for a normal S3 cluster after it had been flashed...

Would it really matter though? The fuel sender works on a float switch (correct me if I’m wrong) so common sense would say full will always be full and empty would always be empty surely?!

Does your fuel gauge sit at the same level between clusters or is there a difference?

 

[Tj 0785]

I couldn’t quite get my head round the fuel tank situation either to be honest, I was kind of expecting the same coding options as for a normal S3 cluster after it had been flashed...

Would it really matter though? The fuel sender works on a float switch (correct me if I’m wrong) so common sense would say full will always be full and empty would always be empty surely?!

Does your fuel gauge sit at the same level between clusters or is there a difference?

I think fuel range will be effected but you can’t trist that any way

 

[<tuffty/>]

Ok... have done a little testing... I used my Ignitron software rather than VCDS as it was easier but you can use VCDS to check... note that this is reported fuel level out of the dash so what the dash thinks fuel level is based on coding etc

First up... fuel level with original S3 dash

Fuel level with A6 dash flashed with S3 eeprom

Fuel level with A6 dash flashed with Warrens petrol file

Same file recoded for larger fuel tank to see what the affect was

Checked the adaption channels...

I tested the A6 dash flashed with Warrens petrol dash file and its possible to alter the adpations to bring the reported fuel level back to what it should be

For reference here is what the original S3 dash comes up with...

Note it dropped a tad to 39L from 40L as I had been running the engine in between so must have been on the edge of 39/40L before

So... flashing Warrens file in required me to re-code to a 4 cyl as it is coded as a 6cyl... the rev counter reported accurately on both the S3 file and the A6 petrol file... the derv file in mine didn't...

Other things to note... using the S3 file worked but the DIS reported the boot was open all the time even though it wasn't

I verified it wasn't an issue with the boot by plugging the original S3 cluster back in... all fine... it was then that I noticed that the ESP light would not illuminate on any file in the A6 cluster but illuminates on startup on the original S3 cluster... I haven't done an output test as yet but I will later to see if it even illuminates... there is an LED in the right hole though

This is no biggy for me as I have disabled ESP but a little unsure on the fuel level issue... the quattro cluster seems to have specific mention to the split tank setup where the A6 doesn't... not really sure on that one or what would result in an acceptable level of configuration for it to work...

I can live with the ESP not showing... I can live with a few workarounds on coding... the fuel level is a concern... as while I can seem to adapt it to a corrected level what will that show on empty and full?

I will have to do some more tests when I get nearer to an empty tank and again when I fill up...

<tuffty/>

 

[<tuffty/>]

Also just found this...
https://www.audizine.com/forum/show...Audi-A6-clusters-and-the-compatibility-issues

I think off the back of the testing so far I could run with Warrens petrol file, code as 00444, tweak the tank adaptions and it 'should' do the job... but... I did check the fault codes and appears Warrens dash is from an auto as there was a fault code relating to no comms to the gearbox...

I had a quick look about but unsure of where the coding for this is (assuming it can be coded out)

The other thing I really would like to double check is the pin outs... I want to be sure they are wired correctly... while it does 'work' the issue over the boot open indicator makes me wonder if there is a pinning difference.

@IanPG so you have the pinning details for the S3 cluster at all? the link above shows the A6 pinning so I can cross reference... interestingly the color MFA instructions have A3/A4 separate from A6... not looked as yet but I do wonder if this was due to the pin being a little differently assigned.

<tuffty/>

 

[S3AMJ]

I’m trying to decode the part numbers to see which is Auto and which is Manual.

The clocks I’ve bought are -
4B0 920 981 KX

The last letters are the only difference with us in the UK, I believe J is diesel and K is petrol. Weather the X on mine signifies it’s a Manual, not sure.

981 - MPH
933 - KPH


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[Tj 0785]

Does anyone else think living with the rnse time being out would be easier to live with. This is as simple as it seems

 

[<tuffty/>]

I’m trying to decode the part numbers to see which is Auto and which is Manual.

The clocks I’ve bought are -
4B0 920 981 KX

The last letters are the only difference with us in the UK, I believe J is diesel and K is petrol. Weather the X on mine signifies it’s a Manual, not sure.

981 - MPH
933 - KPH


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Read the eeprom out and send it to me

<tuffty/>

 

[S3AMJ]

Read the eeprom out and send it to me

<tuffty/>

You’ll have to wait mate, sorry I might go to visit the car this weekend. The clocks will be delivered to me tomorrow though. Soon as I can read the EEPROM I’ll send it over. By the way, where did you download your VAG EEPROM reprogrammer from? I downloaded the 1.19v but the only thing I can find is the uninstall?! :/


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[<tuffty/>]

Does anyone else think living with the rnse time being out would be easier to live with. This is as simple as it seems

tbh I am less fussed about the timeout but more liking the colour match and as a dash to chop about keeping the S3 as the backup

These things are doable its just a case of finding the hidden idiosyncrasies...

I suspect for most people it maybe a step too far but I have a feeling that if I can verify the pinning between A3/A6 clusters then I can use the S3 file in the A6 cluster and happy days

<tuffty/>

 

[warren9022]

Also just found this...
https://www.audizine.com/forum/show...Audi-A6-clusters-and-the-compatibility-issues

I think off the back of the testing so far I could run with Warrens petrol file, code as 00444, tweak the tank adaptions and it 'should' do the job... but... I did check the fault codes and appears Warrens dash is from an auto as there was a fault code relating to no comms to the gearbox...

I had a quick look about but unsure of where the coding for this is (assuming it can be coded out)

The other thing I really would like to double check is the pin outs... I want to be sure they are wired correctly... while it does 'work' the issue over the boot open indicator makes me wonder if there is a pinning difference.

@IanPG so you have the pinning details for the S3 cluster at all? the link above shows the A6 pinning so I can cross reference... interestingly the color MFA instructions have A3/A4 separate from A6... not looked as yet but I do wonder if this was due to the pin being a little differently assigned.

<tuffty/>

Cluster is indeed from an automatic, I thought I'd be able to code it to a manual but looks like it's not quite as easy as that....

This is the S3 pin out details that Ian pointed me towards, might be of use

If you compare this to the A6 one you linked there is indeed quite a few differences (including Pin 6, Green plug that is not assigned on the A6 but is for the tailgate boot lid on the S3 which is why your boot is showing as constantly open). Begs the question though as to why @syncro doesn't have this problem?

I am considering just getting my donor S3 clocks ColorMFA'd as it's a lot of time and money to get it done for it to potentially not work as it should!!