Installation guide for activating RS Engine Data and Shift Lights on Virtual Cockpit

Kondax

Kondax

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I have attached example videos at the bottom of the post.

Introduction
For those of you interested it is now possible to activate the RS4/5 Engine Data display alongside the RS Shift Lights on your Virtual Cockpit.

This isn't applicable for RS models as they obviously come with it as standard.

Prerequisites
There are two requirements for activating the displays:
  • Rainbow module from Ali Express
  • Virtual Cockpit on firmware >= 0379 (please contact @DJAlix if you require your VC to be updated)
You can purchase the rainbow module from AliExpress. There's currently three active listings, either one works absolutely fine:
You can also purchase the item from Yaode Chen on Facebook.

There is one key difference between this module and the OEM functionality on RS cars: if you have a soft limiter delete the shift indicators in Park / Neutral will appear early. Other than that it seems to be working fine from my testing.

Wiring Guide
Installation of the rainbow module takes about 5 minutes and is "plug and play". No splicing is required. If you don't feel comfortable performing the installation or would rather have the module installed professionally, please contact @DJAlix.
  1. Remove the rear bench from the vehicle by unclipping the isofix anchors and pulling the bench upwards.
  2. Locate the CANBus plug in the centre module and unplug it. You can then remove the connector from the plug to access the wiring pin box.
  3. Plug in the wires from the racebox module using the following guide. If any of the pins already have a wire in them, remove the stock wire and plug it into the racebox matching the corresponding wire colour. The wires you plug into the pin box will not necessarily match the colour of the stock wires you unplug.
    • The orange and green wire plugs into Pin 13
    • The red and blue wire plugs into Pin 18
    • The orange and black wire plugs into Pin 31
    • The brown wire plugs into Pin 54

  4. After successfully installing the module, replace the rear bench and and reinstall the isofix anchors.
Coding the module
You can either use VCDS or a mobile coding solution such as OBD11. Both long coding and adaption is required for a complete installation.

If you wish to display the shift indicators you must enable an RS display on your Virtual Cockpit. This is a limitation of the Virtual Cockpit software however @DJAlix is working on a solution that he might be able to offer to prevent this.

If you only want the Engine Data to be displayed you do not need to enable the RS display.

The method for coding in the Engine Data and activating the RS display changes based on your coding method (VCDS or OBD11). You can retrieve the appropriate Long Coding and Adaptions list from the end of the following video. Again, if you don't feel comfortable coding the module in or would rather have the module installed professionally, please contact @DJAlix.

Coding will vary slightly based on the vehicle you're using but it's fairly simple to figure it out. I have attached the video that contains the general instructions below at the correct timestamp.



Example Videos
Engine Data: https://i.imgur.com/BfavcI3.mp4
Shift Lights (example in park): https://i.imgur.com/yLvqS2Q.mp4

If you have any queries or doubts feel free to post them below and I'll try get back to you on them.

 
Last edited:
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What a great post! A tad galling for the RS owners ;)

TX.

Sent from my BBB100-2 using Tapatalk
 
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Very interesting, shame you have to have the RS display showing that would trigger my OCD a bit :tearsofjoy: but I’m sure there’s many that would happily put up with that to get the flashing shift lights it is a very cool feature having driven an RS3 with it before.
 
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From what I've seen there's also a special rs view in the mmi to see the temperature of the key systems engineer gearbox Quattro and sport diff does this enable that function too?
 
audi upgrades
Richn83 said:
From what I've seen there's also a special rs view in the mmi to see the temperature of the key systems engineer gearbox Quattro and sport diff does this enable that function too?
Click to expand...
Not that I'm aware of.
 
Does anyone know if these rainbow module's will work on a Q8? And where do you have to plug it in on them? Is this something that would be user installable? Let me know if you do please!
 
dolmstead39 said:
Does anyone know if these rainbow module's will work on a Q8? And where do you have to plug it in on them? Is this something that would be user installable? Let me know if you do please!
Click to expand...
This will indeed work on a Q8 but I don't have the wiring diagram. I recommend contacting @DJAlix, he'll have access to the appropriate diagrams and should be able to install it for you.
 
dolmstead39 said:
Does anyone know if these rainbow module's will work on a Q8? And where do you have to plug it in on them? Is this something that would be user installable? Let me know if you do please!
Click to expand...
The box is not that hard to install to be honest, but locating the can gateway can be. On a Q8, if like the q7 then it’s under the front passenger seat and takes some work to access. The box then connects to power, earth and the drive train CAN.
 
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Kondax said:
I have attached example videos at the bottom of the post.

Introduction
For those of you interested it is now possible to activate the RS4/5 Engine Data display alongside the RS Shift Lights on your Virtual Cockpit.

This isn't applicable for RS models as they obviously come with it as standard.

Prerequisites
There are two requirements for activating the displays:
  • Rainbow module from Ali Express
  • Virtual Cockpit on firmware >= 0379 (please contact @DJAlix if you require your VC to be updated)
You can purchase the rainbow module from AliExpress. There's currently three active listings, either one works absolutely fine:
You can also purchase the item from Yaode Chen on Facebook.

There is one key difference between this module and the OEM functionality on RS cars: if you have a soft limiter delete the shift indicators in Park / Neutral will appear early. Other than that it seems to be working fine from my testing.

Wiring Guide
Installation of the rainbow module takes about 5 minutes and is "plug and play". No splicing is required. If you don't feel comfortable performing the installation or would rather have the module installed professionally, please contact @DJAlix.
  1. Remove the rear bench from the vehicle by unclipping the isofix anchors and pulling the bench upwards.
  2. Locate the CANBus plug in the centre module and unplug it. You can then remove the connector from the plug to access the wiring pin box.
  3. Plug in the wires from the racebox module using the following guide. If any of the pins already have a wire in them, remove the stock wire and plug it into the racebox matching the corresponding wire colour. The wires you plug into the pin box will not necessarily match the colour of the stock wires you unplug.
    • The orange and green wire plugs into Pin 13
    • The red and blue wire plugs into Pin 18
    • The orange and black wire plugs into Pin 31
    • The brown wire plugs into Pin 54

  4. After successfully installing the module, replace the rear bench and and reinstall the isofix anchors.
Coding the module
You can either use VCDS or a mobile coding solution such as OBD11. Both long coding and adaption is required for a complete installation.

If you wish to display the shift indicators you must enable an RS display on your Virtual Cockpit. This is a limitation of the Virtual Cockpit software however @DJAlix is working on a solution that he might be able to offer to prevent this.

If you only want the Engine Data to be displayed you do not need to enable the RS display.

The method for coding in the Engine Data and activating the RS display changes based on your coding method (VCDS or OBD11). You can retrieve the appropriate Long Coding and Adaptions list from the end of the following video. Again, if you don't feel comfortable coding the module in or would rather have the module installed professionally, please contact @DJAlix.

Coding will vary slightly based on the vehicle you're using but it's fairly simple to figure it out. I have attached the video that contains the general instructions below at the correct timestamp.



Example Videos
Engine Data: https://i.imgur.com/BfavcI3.mp4
Shift Lights (example in park): https://i.imgur.com/yLvqS2Q.mp4

If you have any queries or doubts feel free to post them below and I'll try get back to you on them.

Click to expand...


This sounds awesome!

For some reason your YouTube link seem to take me to an unavailable video.

Can the S4/RS4 sport view in the VC be coded without the engine data stats?

I assume this would work on any non S4/RS4 B9 A4?

Cheers


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
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Exx-on said:
This sounds awesome!

For some reason your YouTube link seem to take me to an unavailable video.

Can the S4/RS4 sport view in the VC be coded without the engine data stats?

I assume this would work on any non S4/RS4 B9 A4?

Cheers


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
You can if you patch the firmware but it is not an easy process at all.

It does work on all vehicles with a virtual cockpit.
 
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Is there a guide for this anywhere or is it more of a, get it done at a VAG specialist type situation?

Patching firmware sounds like an easy way for someone who doesn’t know what they’re really doing to brick their car!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
This is cool!
Would the boost gauge work on the bottom right?
Also if you don't have the tpms sensors can that part of the display be changed to view something else instead?
 
Exx-on said:
Is there a guide for this anywhere or is it more of a, get it done at a VAG specialist type situation?

Patching firmware sounds like an easy way for someone who doesn’t know what they’re really doing to brick their car!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
There aren't any guides available - I'm not sure if VAG specialists even know how to do it. I don't have any instructions myself.
 
Kiltedcamel said:
This is cool!
Would the boost gauge work on the bottom right?
Also if you don't have the tpms sensors can that part of the display be changed to view something else instead?
Click to expand...
I have an S4 so the boost guage works. If you don't have sports display I assume you won't have a boost guage. Same for the TPMS portion of the screen.
 
DJAlix said:
The box is not that hard to install to be honest, but locating the can gateway can be. On a Q8, if like the q7 then it’s under the front passenger seat and takes some work to access. The box then connects to power, earth and the drive train CAN.
Click to expand...
is that the only can gateway I can connect the module to in a Q7? it is difficult to get to it under the front seat! ... my retrofitted TPMS for example was connected to the 360 degree can bus module in the luggage compartment.
 
sylvaniapal said:
is that the only can gateway I can connect the module to in a Q7? it is difficult to get to it under the front seat! ... my retrofitted TPMS for example was connected to the 360 degree can bus module in the luggage compartment.
Click to expand...
Your vehicle only has one CAN gateway, but it has multiple CAN networks. Your 360 camera would be connected to the Extended CAN bus but the module you are looking to install needs to go to the Drive Drain network I believe. Might be possible to pick this up else where in the vehicle, suggest sourcing some wiring diagrams or seeking professional assistance.
 
Should the standard S4 B9 have tire pressure gauges or is this apart of the RS4 screen?
 
Is it right that only the newest version that costs 200+ has g meter enabled?
 
I have a question - what does Rainbow Meter or Rainbow Meter Pro do on an A4 B9 (which does not have a sport display)? Is it useless? Does it enable the Sport Display? @Kondax
 
I have a 2019 S3, with virtual cockpit and am looking at these modules on aliexpress, which they vary in price for basically the same thing. One seller says that the A3/S3/TT mqb models, the g meter will not work with them. I really wanted the gmeter to be also working with the torque/power and shift lights.

1648097502237


It is basically saying for a S3, I need the alternate box which is this one below.
1648097586080


Everything on aliexpress is hard to sometimes make sense of, so just wanting to know if anyone has installed one of these on their S3's and had all g meter. power/torque and shift lights working successfully. Thank you
 
Kondax said:
I have attached example videos at the bottom of the post.

Introduction
For those of you interested it is now possible to activate the RS4/5 Engine Data display alongside the RS Shift Lights on your Virtual Cockpit.

This isn't applicable for RS models as they obviously come with it as standard.

Prerequisites
There are two requirements for activating the displays:
  • Rainbow module from Ali Express
  • Virtual Cockpit on firmware >= 0379 (please contact @DJAlix if you require your VC to be updated)
You can purchase the rainbow module from AliExpress. There's currently three active listings, either one works absolutely fine:
You can also purchase the item from Yaode Chen on Facebook.

There is one key difference between this module and the OEM functionality on RS cars: if you have a soft limiter delete the shift indicators in Park / Neutral will appear early. Other than that it seems to be working fine from my testing.

Wiring Guide
Installation of the rainbow module takes about 5 minutes and is "plug and play". No splicing is required. If you don't feel comfortable performing the installation or would rather have the module installed professionally, please contact @DJAlix.
  1. Remove the rear bench from the vehicle by unclipping the isofix anchors and pulling the bench upwards.
  2. Locate the CANBus plug in the centre module and unplug it. You can then remove the connector from the plug to access the wiring pin box.
  3. Plug in the wires from the racebox module using the following guide. If any of the pins already have a wire in them, remove the stock wire and plug it into the racebox matching the corresponding wire colour. The wires you plug into the pin box will not necessarily match the colour of the stock wires you unplug.
    • The orange and green wire plugs into Pin 13
    • The red and blue wire plugs into Pin 18
    • The orange and black wire plugs into Pin 31
    • The brown wire plugs into Pin 54

  4. After successfully installing the module, replace the rear bench and and reinstall the isofix anchors.
Coding the module
You can either use VCDS or a mobile coding solution such as OBD11. Both long coding and adaption is required for a complete installation.

If you wish to display the shift indicators you must enable an RS display on your Virtual Cockpit. This is a limitation of the Virtual Cockpit software however @DJAlix is working on a solution that he might be able to offer to prevent this.

If you only want the Engine Data to be displayed you do not need to enable the RS display.

The method for coding in the Engine Data and activating the RS display changes based on your coding method (VCDS or OBD11). You can retrieve the appropriate Long Coding and Adaptions list from the end of the following video. Again, if you don't feel comfortable coding the module in or would rather have the module installed professionally, please contact @DJAlix.

Coding will vary slightly based on the vehicle you're using but it's fairly simple to figure it out. I have attached the video that contains the general instructions below at the correct timestamp.



Example Videos
Engine Data:
Shift Lights (example in park):

If you have any queries or doubts feel free to post them below and I'll try get back to you on them.

Click to expand...

Hello people
I need your help pls!
Maybe someone can help with my issue
I install this rainbow box pro on my Audi sq7 2020 and i ask seller before ordering if is that good one for my car and he confirm and told me to order that one
Box never worked or showed anything
And when i connect on my gateway connector it won't work and i leave car overnight like that and next day when i try to start my car it won't start
And seller told me it looks like gateway module is different and he told me to swap some wires but rainbow box still not working
I have vc working and check all fuses and all wires on gateway module and everything looks good to me
Then i disconnect rainbow box and return all wires on gateway module connector how it was originally but car still won't start
And i still don't have communication on obd and can't read faults
I bought today another gateway module to try if i can get communication on obd but still nothing
I have ignition power and everything seems good but car still won't crank
I tried to disconnect everything and reset everything and battery is on charger and still no obd connection and no engine cranking
Does anyone has same issue or something like this after installing this rainbow box??
I don't know what to check or to try more :(
 
Vojarajkovic said:
Hello people
I need your help pls!
Maybe someone can help with my issue
I install this rainbow box pro on my Audi sq7 2020 and i ask seller before ordering if is that good one for my car and he confirm and told me to order that one
Box never worked or showed anything
And when i connect on my gateway connector it won't work and i leave car overnight like that and next day when i try to start my car it won't start
And seller told me it looks like gateway module is different and he told me to swap some wires but rainbow box still not working
I have vc working and check all fuses and all wires on gateway module and everything looks good to me
Then i disconnect rainbow box and return all wires on gateway module connector how it was originally but car still won't start
And i still don't have communication on obd and can't read faults
I bought today another gateway module to try if i can get communication on obd but still nothing
I have ignition power and everything seems good but car still won't crank
I tried to disconnect everything and reset everything and battery is on charger and still no obd connection and no engine cranking
Does anyone has same issue or something like this after installing this rainbow box??
I don't know what to check or to try more :(
Click to expand...
@DJAlix
 
@DJAlix Hi.
I have unlocked Instrument cluster fited in my A8 which allows me to code any 3 of choise themes on my instrument cluster. I have coded RS layout on it and it works as it should. It shows turbo boost and g meter as well. Now i needed engine data and upshift indicator, so installed rainbow module, but i does not work. Nor upshift indicator nor engine data. My instrument cluster:
173F0529 A28B 4800 B89F 286A45213A3F

As i understood, i need newer software, could you please help me on that? Or is it impossible?
 
Last edited:
hi, thanks in advance for the support, I have an audi tt mk3, I purchased the module but I don't know where to connect it. I have already enabled the menus with obd11
 
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