AliExpress 996 PCCM Style Head Unit

Anyone tried one of these units they look good for the money and can support Bose too https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005005800874162.html?srcSns=sns_Copy&spreadType=socialShare&bizType=ProductDetail&social_params=21234103731&aff_fcid=beb6687ff02b4e74a4d06113fe91f168-1698959668542-07157-_mNhzTNS&tt=MG&aff_fsk=_mNhzTNS&aff_platform=default&sk=_mNhzTNS&aff_trace_key=beb6687ff02b4e74a4d06113fe91f168-1698959668542-07157-_mNhzTNS&shareId=21234103731&businessType=ProductDetail&platform=AE&terminal_id=58f78cc395504bfa84031d6576bd974f&afSmartRedirect=y&gatewayAdapt=4itemAdapt

Wow I looked at that link sceptically but to my surprise it looks really good and I’m tempted!

I’ve ordered one, waiting for it to arrive. Note that the price is for one of the base spec units. If you want a higher performance one plus the canbus adapter, the MOST interface etc then they’re about £300

I have seen pictures of a couple of people who installed it on 996 Facebook groups, it does look good for the money for sure. Some complain about not quite perfect fit (and some don't...perhaps it's down to location on the console and installation.) but they all seem to agree that for the money it's unbeatable.

I have a PCCM+ fitted in my car and I've never been able to solve the "white noise/over-amplification issue", I'm really interested to read some reviews of this. I don't see it mentioned, but does anyone know if it has TPM built in like some of the 997 aliexpress headunits?

Looks like it could be a better fit in a 996.2 with cup holders as it’s not fitting straight in that 996.1/boxster

I can't comment on this specific unit but have a similar one in my 997 and they're unbeatable for the money, mine cost me £203 including the BOSE wiring loom. I only have the one with the smaller memory as my indi said that if you run everything from your phone which I do then the memory of the unit is irrelevant. I have to say that I have no issues and use DAB and WAZE etc with the same efficiency as my 2021 BMW daily.

Mine has just arrived. Lots of cables, no instructions, not even badly translated ones. It's going to be fun trying to work out how it all connects!

Did they sting you for tax import duty etc?

I received mine last week, also without instructions, but contacted the seller and they sent me the attached. Haven't had a chance to install it yet. Will welcome any advice! There's another thread discussing this unit here: Infotainment system Hiya, Just bought my old Turbo back. Looking at what out there to upgrade the stereo? I heard Porsche have done a upgrade for the 996...Any experience with this and others. Looking for Android compatibility and ok with the standard speakers?? Cheers Dan 911uk.com No additional duty to pay - just followed the instructions on Aliexpress re. shipping method.

Thanks, I’ll check your instructions as I assume they’re 99% the same. No import tax here either and it arrived in under 10 days which was surprising

The rear panel on the instructions looks slightly different to the unit I received, but same connector types, so hopefully should all be OK

I have the original 2003 PCM 2.0. Somebody added a 'Mobridge' Bluetooth in 2010, which works great with my modern android phone - for voice Integration phone calling. The nav is colour but with 2016 CD based maps (the most recent available) it's pretty shocking by modern standards! Traffic levels are manual and involve looking out of the window. Weather forecasting is similar, head out the window for a look. Amazingly, the PCM 2.0 has a type of 'millennium bug'. It thinks we are in 2004. You can't change this as it synchs automatically over GPS. The designers of the PCM 2.0 clearly didn't anticipate that I'd be driving around with it 20 years later. Sadly Porsche have stopped issuing map updates and PCM updates to fix these issues. They'd rather I fork out 1400 quid for PCCM.

I received mine last week, I've not really opened the box up properly, im waiting for my local indy to have some time to fit it. I started the other thread

this should be interesting staying tuned to understand if it's the real deal

The 987/997 version is getting some good feedback too on the Boxa forum. From £200 to £500 ish depending on spec and extras. https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256804867302302.html?fbclid=IwAR08nYrnDa6ORbniVjLwb8z-mX-7nkB3oiSuYrE2ueAOliae-Ssovobx7xY&gatewayAdapt=glo2usa https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256804922986664.html?fbclid=IwAR1Y0rkbxt6ejaC5XZyh9KnxYU53JbrqWju9wI9EE_Ot8FFsay1z6Ggcfs0&gatewayAdapt=glo2usa For most the lower memory/ spec versions should be all you need linked to a phone. its gotta worth a punt.. Interesting that no import duties/tax due though ?

On these head units from Ali Express is the recommendation to go for the highest RAM version? I guess this means the unit will run a bit quicker.

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I’ve taken the plunge and ordered the ‘one up from base spec’ one which has 4GB ram and a better CPU. My thinking being, if it’s coming all the way from China I’d be annoying if I’d ordered the cheapest one and it was sluggish. So for the sake of an extra £30 I figured it was worth it. With the Bose adapter it was about £270. It should arrive next week, I’ll report back once I’ve had a chance to fit and use it.

I’m running into problems with mine. I can’t get the current Alpine unit out, let alone get the new one in! I pulled the entire cage out and still couldn’t get it out with the removal keys I’ve got. I’m going to call for professional help tomorrow, not just to remove it but also see if they can do the install. I don’t think the current setup uses the Bose kit properly (no bass, all the sound from the front only), hopefully the fibre optics are ok. I’ll keep the thread posted.

Also ordered on 11.11 for a little extra discount, wonder when it will arrive! Going in a MY04 with PCM and poverty hifi (no bose or amps, no door speakers etc)

Anybody know if they do an Apple car play version for an Apple phone? I can only see Android. Thanks

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dont they have a pic with the carplay logo ? i assume they all have it as the tech is a big seller

Most/all of the units I’ve seen for sale have CarPlay despite being based on an Android device.. it’s not one or the other, the Android device does both Android Auto and CarPlay. Check out this video at 22:40 to see it in action: My unit arrived this week, it took 13 days to arrive despite going through Spain to be more import tax-friendly. I’ll be fitting it soon and that video is a big help to understand the installation process as the unit comes with no instructions and LOTS of wires/adapters! Hope it helps any others DIYing it

Just out of interest did you have any import duties etc to pay ?

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Nope £0

There’s a mahoosive thread on Rennlist which chronicles the development of the 3 versions of this PCM.. Cheap Android Head Unit Review! - Rennlist - Porsche Discussion Forums 997 Forum - Cheap Android Head Unit Review! - The Porsche 911 is the epitome of timeless; I'd say it's one of very few cars that's truly remained the same since it's inception decades ago. With each iteration brings subtle changes, and unfortunately the 997 fell prey to mid 2000's technology -... rennlist.com from what I can gather one of the posters liased with one of the Ali express sellers to develop the aesthetics from a mk 1 into a mk 2 and mk 3 version with particular regard to the colour match on the front plate/ surround and the Porsche style buttons. This seller has a couple of versions with more up to date snapdragon chips which are a bit more pricey.. https://www.aliexpress.us/item/1005005109301416.html?fbclid=IwAR1Y0rkbxt6ejaC5XZyh9KnxYU53JbrqWju9wI9EE_Ot8FFsay1z6Ggcfs0&gatewayAdapt=4itemAdapt#nav-review Then it appears some other sellers pinched the faceplate and buttons but put much older chips in to come in at a much lower price point. https://www.aliexpress.us/item/1005005065936807.html?fbclid=IwAR1yUG7oOaIWK7RVnzpjUCpSA9z45wCnxEu5uIjSvABmXlNzovym6VrLIzw_aem_AWMo0d9N2EjzOndZwFYXS_5EKX7hon1XxcS9fNml0wFNvpwIdmu2hIs4e1TSRUxROMY&gatewayAdapt=4itemAdapt i suppose it depends on whether you just want a cheap OEM look peice of kit that you can use via your phone with android auto/carplay etc or one with more processing speed that you can upload all the apps onto and use in a more integrated fashion ? It would be interesting to see how the cheaper older tech units are in real life as I suspect even the new Porsche £1600 PCM is based on older chipsets?

Just wondering did anyone not hardwire in the cables at the back? I’ve got it working but I’d rather not splice the cables unless I have to. I’m right in thinking the only benefit of it is that it’ll work without the key in it?

Mine went in the car today with a local mobile fitter. Early signs aren't great, the fitment is poor. There are gaps around all 4 sides and where the installer mounted it, its held in by 2 bolts so it pivots up and down as well as slightly side to side. I'm going to pull it out later and have a proper look to see how I can fix that. I think it needs to go back further into the console which will help. The installer said there was no fibre optic system in mine even with it being a Gen2 C4S. I thought all Gen2 Bose were the MOST systems? Something definitely isn't quite right as the volume gains massively for small steps up in the volume dial. There's also no apparent connection to the Bose subwoofer. I wonder if its wired incorrectly (he probably just went off of where the old Alpine unit was) as that had the same problem. I've seen on Rennlist that if you have the wrong output from the HU connected to the input to the amp you actually have amplified signals going to the amp rather than pre-amp signals. Any thoughts on that. And finally, while my car has a reverse camera, it was an Alpine specific camera so it couldn't be reused . I've ordered one from eBay to install, at least I can use the existing wire to pull the new one through.

My unit arrived and regarding fitment, it definitely hasn’t been plug-and-play for me. I have a 996.2 C4S with the original single DIN MDR32 unit. After disassembly ( this video was a help here) and cutting out space to fit a double DIN sized unit with a Dremel , it was obvious that the new unit would not fit securely on its own. The old single DIN unit was deeper and was supported by resting on the metal bracket at the back. The newer Android units are shallower and don’t reach it. Also there’s too much play in the plastic surround. So, I ordered a standard double din cage ( Link ) and set about securing it. This is where it got very Blue Peter. I drilled some holes in the black plastic trim, I then bolted the spare metal brackets it came with the cage to it, and bolted that to the cage. I also cut up the spare plastic fascia that came with the kit and glued it on the inside of the black plastic trim, so that the cage has a lip to fit into. I’ll attach some photos which should explain it better. The result is the cage is now very secure, with no movement at all. I’m sure if you already have a double din unit, or a taller PCM unit, this work would be unnecessary. But a word of warning to those of you with single din units, you’ll probably need to do a similar DIY job. I doubt that even the specialised Porsche double din upgrade kits like this one would be suitable, because it comes with an integrated fascia, which the Android units don't need (as on the Android units the fascia is integrated unlike a standard double din unit).

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I have a 2001 C4S with Bose speakers and subwoofer. I’ve found I have no fibre optic cable in mine either. I’ve since done some research and this came on cars 2003 onwards. Which is annoying, having ordered the additional MOST box. You know if you have the fibre optic system if behind the head unit you have two orange cables going into a single black plug. @RobPC - I’m no stereo expert, but regarding your volume issue it sounds like your signal is getting double amplified

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It sounds like your fitment problems are the same as mine. I've got a spare double DIN cage left over from the Alpine unit that I can use like you have. Do you have any pics of the end result? This weekend's jobs now include pulling everything out, running a new reverse camera wire and seeing if I can fix the unit in place. Then I can actually start to play around with the unit itself. On that subject, is there a way for the system to automatically start Android Auto (or CarPlay) when a phone is connected? A short experiment with mine showed me that you had to tap the relevant app to get it to kick off.

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Afraid not, I've plugged all the wires in and whilst the unit turns on, and can connect via bluetooth, I can't get any sound out of it. Still working on that before I finish up the install. I'm looking at the wiring as something probably just needs to be wired differently. One thing I've noticed is my yellow block plug C1 (the one that slots into the green and blue blocks) only has one wire going into it. I previously had a bluetooth module fitted which might have changed that. As you have a similar age car with Bose without MOST, it would be really useful if you could take a photo of your yellow plug when it's next out, thanks!

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Of course. I might start wrestling with it this evening if it's not too cold in the garage

I thought these units were designed around at the 997/987 cars with quite a bit of collaboration from one of the rennlist forum members to tweak the aesthetics for the 997/987 cars and not the 996/986 cars? The ali express resellers have obviously jumped on it but the images I’ve seen when this HU has been used on a 996/986 it seems to not sit quite right in proportion to the surround? If I understand it a 996/986 specific version is due in 2024 ?

@RobPC actually don't worry about the photo, I got it working! I found I hadn't connected the two blue 'amp' cables together, so I guess there was no power going to the Bose amp Now I'm in the same boat as you- my speakers are working, but the volume is very loud. I suspect we need to connect the head unit line-out to the Bose input, rather than the amp L+R speaker outputs. I'm still looking into how to achieve that. This Rennlist post suggests there's a 'loudness' setting in the software which might be worth a try first.

Glad you got it working. It's been too cold to get out there and work is now getting in the way. From what I remember, the ISO plug is amplified output, the output with the RCA cables is the unamplified output that needs to go to the amp. The Rennlist thread has the outputs.

I've just tried that loudness setting and it's worked a treat. I've set it down from the default of 120 to 40 and it's at much more sane volumes now. I'm glad that didn't require a rewire after all! And the audio quality is great, it's better than my old unit

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Interesting, I'll give that a go. It's too cold in the garage tonight. I won't be able to feel my fingers after 30 seconds and I need to get the unit in the cage properly first. What else have you discovered? I'd like it to automatically launch Android Auto when my phone connects if possible.

Quite a good review here.

Mine is now in properly. I put a double DIN cage in and after some fiddling it's now fitting as well as it will get. I've dropped the Loudness and volume adjustment is much better. After playing around with the settings I can get Android Auto to start automatically too. What I've still not got is any bass. The Bose sub woofer isn't doing anything. The fitter reused the Alpine ISO lead, rather than using the one that came with the unit and that didn't have any bass either. Any suggestions? Does the Bose amp (2002 unit, non MOST) expect a dedicated sub signal?

@RobPC glad the loudness setting worked for you too. The Bose subwoofer is working in mine. On the head unit input side I have the 'standard' green, blue, yellow, brown and black wiring blocks that fit into my stock MDR32 unit. And on the audio outputs I only have the red and white L+R phono plugs connected. And that's enough to make the subwoofer work for me. So perhaps your wiring was altered somewhere for your previous Alpine install?

I've finished my install, before and after photos below. Here's some notes on the install: Overall with the double din cage fitted (see my previous notes on this above) I'm happy with the fitment. At the top of the unit there is a slight 'lip' which protrudes a few mm. You can see it below the drinks holder. It doesn't look too bad but it's the only thing that isn't perfect. I installed one of the USB cables into the cubby hole where I put my phone. To do this I had to drill a hole through the back of the rubber and plastic. It's not perfectly neat and it's something I will tidy up in the future. I might get a different USB socket which I can inset into the plastic. From there i'll run a coiled USB cable to my phone. For the AC relocation you need a new piece of plastic trim to go around the AC unit. Porsche make one, the code is 9965523390001C and it only costs £6.84. The non-genuine copies sold on Ebay sell for £32 so don't get caught out! £32 for a piece of copied plastic.. the Porsche tax is real The GPS module can be fitted on the dashboard behind the windscreen, next to the alarm light. On the 996 there is actually a dedicated space for it, the official PCCM unit uses this same location. Here is a guide I found on this. I didn't bother fitting the supplied 4G antenna since I'm not using a SIM card with my unit.. only my phone. I'm guessing the phone can't use an antenna for better signal if fitted? Fitting it looked a faff, I've seen other people route the cable from the head unit through the hole to the engine bay and place it underneath the plastic cowl at the base of the windscreen exterior next to the wipers. The back of the unit is a real spaghetti junction of cables! When I was happy with the install I zip-tied all the loose cables and wrapped them in bubble wrap.. my 996 can't cope with any additional rattles, it has enough already

Two issues I'm still having: I can't get CarPlay to work. I goto the Car Link 2.0 app and it connects to the phone and says "Verification approved" and nothing else happens. Other Android-based units appear to have the same issue ( link ), it's to do with iOS 16/17. I've contacted the seller to see if they have any fix for this. Until it's fixed, I can play music through the general Bluetooth Music app but it's not the same. Half of the appeal of these units the CarPlay functionality. The unit only has FM/AM radio.. not DAB! This is something I overlooked when ordering, I just assumed that all modern units have DAB. I see that some sellers upsell an additional box to support DAB. I've also contacted my seller about this.

For DAB, a possible alternative is to use a radio streaming app instead, either on your phone once you get that working, or via a 4G hotspot to your phone with the app installed on the head unit. Its not as convenient as DAB and clearly needs a data signal but is probably your only alternative.

Looks great Nightshade! As I remember, when I tried to relocate my AC system to the lower console, it would’t fit as the slot was different on the lower two slots than the upper two. How’d you get around that?

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A lot of the android head units have an optional usb dab adapter you plug in the back to add dab.

@JTT mine fit without issue or modification. The AC unit is smaller than a standard din size, it just needed unclipping from the plastic surround

I've been contemplating head unit options. The problem is a really want to retain the OEM head unit as I have the sport button (manual car) and even though I do not used the additional PCM 3-0 functionaity the sport option gives I do not want to lose it either. I have therefore been keeping my eyes out for a Mister12v PCM add on unit (fakes a TV interface) 2nd hand as in no rush but stumbled on an alternative Joyauto unit which I managed to pick up for £72 in an eBay auction. The disadvantage of this solution is that Carplay is Wifi but Android Auto is not (you have to plug in). I've got nothing to lose at that price and will treat it as an experiment for a few hours next summer when the car is out of storage.

You can get a wireless AA adapter, there are loads on eBay, Amazon etc. Plug into the usb port and then you just connect your phone to it and you’re away.

Having used mine for a while, there's two things to sort. One is the fit in the cage. It needs some fettling as it's not quite flush with the dash. The other thing is the lack of proper microphone. When I call someone the quality is basically unusable. What are you all running and more importantly, how is it wired in?

just wondering if there are any more opinions/conclusions on these. They seem to fit in with the aesthetic of the car much nicer than an aftermarket...and for 1300 odd quid cheaper lol.

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1. Fitment requires some ingenuity, its not a straight swap even when replacing a double din pcm, but you can get it to fit securely with some extra packing etc. 2. Its easy to purchase a grey coloured unit when you wanted black, when using aliexpress on your phone. 3. It does work well for apple carplay wirelessly so far, and no sound issues when replacing a basic non amplified system.

Check in on the microphone, who’s using what? I can try a USB one but any thoughts are appreciated

Hi, maybe a stupid question. Is Bose version with fibre optic/ CANBUS as detailed on these Ali express ads the one to order/ I have pcm2 double din with Bose 2003 996.2

Also any idea if they support dab

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996 stereo upgrade keeping factory Bose optical Hi all, I've been trying to upgrade my factory PCM2.0 since it had a little short and died, but so far I'm still pulling my hair out after hours of trying to get it to work. i have a 2004 996 C4S cab. I have a Pioneer DAB130 double din unit... 911uk.com

@roofdown - it is a good question as I was confused about this, and I believe others have been too - PCM2 needs the fibre optic unit as it has MOST. I was under the misapprehension that all Gen 2 996s specced with Bose, also had MOST, but this is not the case i.e. my 2002 C4S has Bose, but has a PCM 1 so doesn't have the fibre optic connection. Summary from the Adrian Streather 996 book: Two primary PCM display systems can be found in a 996: PCM/1 pre-model year 2002 version without MOST PCM/2 model year 2002-2005 version with the MOST data It then goes on to say about late model year 996's with PCM 2.1 etc. I mistakenly bought the MOST adapter with mine (still not fitted the unit yet, hopefully will in the next month). Hope that helps

I’ve just fitted mine. Worked through most of the problems, but only one I’d like to improve is the level of bass. I’d like to turn it down. The Bose sub was alway loud even on the pcm1 but I think this will get too much.

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pictures of the finished product ? how plug and play was it or wasn't it ?

I have also ordered a DAB module as they apparently don't come with that function otherwise. I very nearly went for the OEM. The car is so nice, but after 8 years ownership I keep threatening to change it to a 991 so didn't want to go mad

Fitted the unit, actually slightly easier than expected. Ran switched power from fuse box in footwell. Mic on top of dash behind wheel. GPS under dash above air vents. Connected to Most ( I have the fibre optics ) had to solder a couple of wires to connect power/ ground and switched. Sound quality on calls via CarPlay decent. Unit is loud, equaliser works well. Not 100% convinced that the Bose subwoofer is working. Sub settings in head unit don't seem to do anything, but equaliser does. Anyone know if there is a setting somewhere to sort the sub? Sorted to display lighting colours, in the android menus

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I have Bose but without the Most, and my sub worked out of the box. I do remember reading somewhere though that the sub's volume can only be set via the original Porsche unit, so it's current volume will depend on whatever you left it on before the upgrade. Separately, did you get the DAB unit connecting and working?

I thought I'd give a follow-up to my own install (previously documented in this thread above) with my feedback I've now had a chance to use it a bit more. Hope it helps others deciding which of the plethora of options to order. Overall I'm still happy with the sound quality and the unit's performance. I bought the 4GB RAM model and haven't found the unit slow in any way for what I use it for- Spotify and Google Maps through CarPlay. Don't expect the unit to come with DAB radio unless you order the additional module. I ordered my unit from the "COOROAD" seller but if I was ordering again I'd order from the "Owtowsin" seller (no affiliation). The reason for this is reading the Rennlist post , the Owtowsin seller is the original seller that collaborated with a Rennlist member to get the first units made. Apparently all other sellers' units use the same fascia but inferior head units, software DSP instead of a hardware one, etc. Plus the graphics and interface has been tweaked on the Owtowsin unit. Again, no affiliation just passing on what I've gleamed from the Rennlist post. I initially had some connectivity issues with my Apple iPhone with CarPlay. When I went to the Car Link 2.0 app and tried to connect to the phone it would say "Verification approved" and then not connect. This would happen 90% of the time and randomly only a handful of times connect ok. I did some research and found users of other Android head units facing the same problem when the iPhone has iOS 16 or 17 installed. The problem was so bad and frustrating that I nearly decided to ditch the unit, but luckily I found a solution using the iPhone's settings - here's the fix for it . Now CarPlay connects seamlessly every time and it's a dream.

Hi, TI cannot say re DAB as the adapter has not arrived yet. The seller forgot to ship it and it is on the way soon. As far as I know this connects to one of the USB inputs and then an app for DAB is needed. I am hoping I don't need a further arial. I will report when I have it. Ref my query re possible lack of bass, maybe, I do need to remove the new unit, reconnect the old unit and crank the volume to then get the sub to work. Zero issue with wireless CarPlay, Car Link 2 loads after a couple of seconds. I was unclear as I have Fibre and as fas I can see there is no separate subwoofer wiring.

Further investigation needed, after fiddling with the settings there is plenty of bass on some inputs, I am working out if I needed to alter the maximum levels on the old unit first

I have my unit wired to come on when ignition is live, so it will turn off as soon as you stop the engine. But there is a setting in the unit where you can program a small delay of a few minutes, a nice feature

There's me all pleased with the unit, now I cannot get the button display lighting to work. Was sorted. LED's light up when the unit is turned on briefly. Must be a setting I have done. Anyone else worked this out please let me know.

Hi all, My unit is now installed, and so far I'm really pleased with it. I can't take any credit for the installation which was thanks to Lee and Sam at Octane Garage ( https://www.octanegarage.co.uk ). Their experience installing several PCCM+ units helped despite the lack of proper instructions with this unit! I asked them about how 'plug and play' it was, and the general feeling was that it wasn't too bad, but worth noting a modification was required to the existing double DIN cage (the Aliexpress unit was replacing my PCM 1 unit). I'm really happy with the resulting fitment - the guys at Octane have done a great job. Everything is working well - radio, subwoofer and Bose amp. The in-built navigation is surprisingly good, however I'll mainly be using CarPlay - Google Maps, Waze etc. I had the same issue as Nightshade regarding CarPlay connectivity initially, but using their link and a reboot of the unit, that resolved itself. My other findings are also similar to Nightshade - the 4GB RAM unit is plenty quick enough, and is a vast improvement over the OEM unit we have in our 2016 VW. My unit was ordered from Sadocom ( https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005005800874162.html ) and specced as follows: - 4GB RAM - 64GB ROM - Wireless CarPlay/Android Auto - 4G LTE - BOSE fiber optic box (this wasn't needed as per my earlier post, so would have saved ~£70) Thanks to everyone who has posted on this thread (and related threads) as it helped guide me on this purchase, which is such a good upgrade in my opinion. Thanks to Sadocom who have been very quick to respond over WhatsApp when needed. And a big thank you again to the guys at Octane. Cheers!

I’ve got the exact spec in silver/grey for my 987 on the way from the same seller.. I’m confident fitting it is within my capabilities so I’m going to give it a go This thread is quite enlightening on all the functionality and customisation you can do with the android platform. Outstanding Tech Contribution! - DIY on installing an... www.planet-9.com Did you get hit for any import duties etc etc.

Thanks for that link - that's really useful - good to see some more of the options available. The menus are extensive, so will take some time to navigate through! No import duties - and that seems to be generally the case from other posts. All the best with your install

Where did you buy the storage pocket that replaces the PCM1 navigation CD? Also, do you feel like the 2GB version might have been enough for just Carplay use?

The shelf was from my local OPC (Tonbridge) - part number 9965522530101C . It was £40+VAT back in 2022. I couldn't say for sure re. the 4GB vs 2GB, I suspect the 2GB version would be OK, but as it's a relatively small uplift in price, I would err toward the 4GB. Hopefully someone else may be able to chip in if they bought the 2GB with their experience...

i want to see installed and operational pictures ! @roofdown @mullerice er

Will show some photos. Waiting on DAB module promised.It fits very neatly, good colour match

I’m interested to hear how the screen glare is on this unit? I’ve tried a couple of other units and all had bad screen glare, making them very hard to use in all but ideal conditions.

@911UK - here are a few more pics, showing the homescreen, the radio tuner, and Apple CarPlay (BBC Sounds app running). Four different launchers are built in to provide different homescreen styles, and I think more can be downloaded. The radio sounds good - the tuning is less intuitive, as you can see there are lots of icons and not a lot of text, but the Planet9 link that @HMG66 provided above helps identify what all the icons do. I'm really pleased with how it's fitted - as @Nightshade mentioned, there's a small lip under the drinks holder, but it is a couple of mm, and it's not particularly noticeable. @JTT - not been sunny enough to comment re. glare. The screen itself is very bright, so should hold its own in sunlight. It's not a matte screen though, so may suffer from reflections in direct sunlight? A screen protector could fix this if it was a concern, but I suspect it will be fine. Will update the post if I feel differently! Keen to hear how @roofdown gets on with the DAB module, but to be honest, DAB signal is quite patchy where I live, so am happy enough with FM radio, BBC Sounds, podcasts etc

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Just out of interest where did you mount your FM antenna? I too will be interested to know how the DAB module works out ? My purchase is still in transit but i am considering adding one of these ? I’m thinking this would provide a boosted FM signal ( without using the supplied FM antennae) as well as the DAB signal which would be accessed by adding a DAB app onto the head unit.. https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0C2VCTJXR?starsLeft=1&ref_=cm_sw_r_cso_cp_apin_dp_M0WZXNRRB0QZA8XRFXCR

FM antenna is mounted in the driver's side A-pillar

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Was very bright here yesterday, but didn’t have any issues with screen glare when out and about

I would be all over one of these if it could work with DAB+ and a decent UI for it.

Mine has suddenly started pumping out sounds really loudly, volume is either off or flipping loud. Any suggestions? Google Maps is also crashing I’m thinking of switching to a single din, amp up front and doing the GT3 console delete to give me some leg room.

Thanks Mullerice

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That's a shame - I assume you've tried rebooting it. Worth sending the seller a message, they seem quite responsive on WhatsApp .

I've had to reset my unit as a few apps were not happy. Now I'm back to having the volume either off or very loud. I've been through the menus and can only find toggles for Loud and for Amp Off/On, neither of which do anything. Bizarrely the equaliser app has stopped displaying anything now too. Can anyone remind me where I can change the Loudness to bring it down?

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It might vary from unit to unit, but for some it’s in: Settings > Sound > Power Conditioning > Loudness

Thought I’d share a small improvement I made to mine- a custom boot image and a faded background using the Porsche logo

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Unfortunately I now just have a slider from 0 to 800 and something. 0 makes it slightly quieter, 800+ makes it louder. Either way it's still too loud. The equaliser app is booked too. Might try yet another factory reset

As soon as the DAB module arrives I will report back!

What about messaging the chap who was active on here and pedalling them in the first place?

Looks like this was the member

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Thank goodness for that! Mine is finally booked in with Lee. Looking at the other issues, I'm glad I didn't attempt myself.

Is there something to be said for sticking with the original unit and enjoying the radio and CD's?

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Exactly why I have kept with mine, though I do have a 997.2. I will wait and see if Porsche release a PCCM+ for the 997.2. It is also advantageous having the route guidance in the dash binnacle which you lose with aftermarket units. You pays your money and take your choice

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That's a fair point; the screen was faulty on my PCM1 and for the cost of repair it seemed worth a punt on the Aliexpress unit. I've kept my PCM1 (and the original NAV unit) though

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The CD player in my C4S cab is almost unusable as it just skips on every bump and pothole, that being said the car is so loud anyway with induction, exhaust, engine, tyre roar, soft top wind noise that having a top quality audio set up would be wasted anyway I think. So I'm just sticking with the original radio.

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Well you guys convinced me to give it a shot, I just bought an Otowsin unit the other day. I'm eagerly waiting its delivery. In my case, a good Rennline phone mount + hardware to create a switched USB port + magsafe 17mm mount amounted to around 125€, and at that price all I got was a phone mount which required me to grind a chunk of material off the original side panels (a new one being 60€). The PCCM+ replica & OEM storage cubby to replace the navigation CD player are around 320€, and they give me a screen for navigation, some storage, and music input. Let the man math do its thing and it makes perfect sense.

I’ve got mine fitted but it’s got a strange problem. It works fine until you start driving. As soon as it detects movement the sound stops. Everything else works (SatNag, Waze,)and the music tracks are still showing the time advancing. As soon as I stop at lights the sound comes back on until I move again. I can’t find anything in the menus that might be causing this. Anyone had the same problem? Also I don’t have a factory reset code for mine. Any clues what it might be. I’m guessing they are all the same.

Can someone please confirm how many USB ports this has on the back of it? I'm thinking about adding a USB DAB+ adapter and would also like to connect my phone to it via USB, so would ideally need two, although at a push I guess I could use a hub/switch with one. Thanks!

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I suspect you will need a DAB+ aerial, you certainly do with the more common brands (Sony, Pioneer, etc). These come with them:

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They have at least two USB ports. What do you mean by a DAB+ adapter? Once a suitable DAB+ aerial set up has been installed,would you not install a DAB+ app onto the head unit via the android App Store to access?

I think we're just mixing up our terms - the picture I posted above shows the aeria in the top part, this has a standard DAB aerial connector on it (not USB). The bottom part with the USB plug is the adapter - it converts the standard aerial to a USB plug. You need both plus a DAB+ app to convert the head unit to receive DAB+, I believe. However, if you can find a DAB+ app for your phone, you can just use your phone to to play DAB+ and then play that through the headunit using CarPlay or Android Auto, I believe.

I’ve been watching this with interest and at the moment I’m not convinced it’s a great swap for my Continental unit which looks OEM, it has Dab, phone, and Spotify and maps all via Bluetooth and works seamlessly. Shame as I had high hopes but seems to have too many teething problems.

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Hi @RobPC - I know you've said you might go down a single-DIN/GT3 console delete route, but I was contacted by the seller on Aliexpress (Sadocom Official Store) and I mentioned your issue re. loudness. He said it would be worth you contacting them as they have some possible solutions for any owners with amplifiers that are having issues. Might be worth a punt...?

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Thanks, I dropped them a line and the response via chat was not very useful, sadly. However, I’ve got plans

Just finished installing mine. Was a bit of PITA as no instructions anywhere, but I ended up figuring it out. On an early car like mine, the harness was 95% P&P. All that was needed was to splice the illumination signal as the provided adapter doesn't carry over that function (grey blue wire on PCM1 black connector wired to orange Owtosin harness wire). Fitting it definitely requires a bit of creativity as the unit won't sit correctly in the PCM1 cage, I had to use some shims to support it properly. All works fine, I just wish the volume wasn't so loud (1/30 is already quite loud when at a standstill w/ engine off). Settings seem to be limited on the lower end units, the buttons for example can't be customized. But radio works, carplay works and that's all I ask for. I'm in for about 330€ (unit, cubby, odds and ends), and at that price point it's great.

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Looks fantastic, great job!

If you can get to the Equaliser app and adjust the Loudness settings you light be able to turn the volume down. I had this and that was the solution.

I’ve just finished mine and the volume is fine. I set the original Porsche unit to 80% prior to fitting and it’s fairly quiet up to 15 but around 20 is just right, 25 is full on road trip with the top down loud and 30 (full volume) is slightly too drive by gangsta loud. I have Bose which means I’ve lost any adjustment on the rear speakers behind my head (Boxster987) but the built in equaliser does seem to slightly affect things but not like the original unit. The rear speakers are fairly quiet now so maybe I should have set the bias more to the rear prior to taking the old unit out? Overall in car play mode it’s very good though.

nice one

Can you download a DAB app directly onto the head unit?

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That’s what’s the seller advised but there is no such app

1

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I’m confused ..nothing unusual in that What are you trying to achieve here? DAB software that you can add directly to the head unit and use via your new DAB aerial ? Android head units do not come with pre loaded with propriety DAB installed. As opposed to a DAB app that you can add to the head unit of which there are many ? I’m sure YI Uk now this anyway but your android head unit is a very customisable piece of hardware. Using apps in the Google Play store you can add a DAB+ app to get DAB on your head unit and you can either use a USB dongle or a DAB aerial booster to provide the signal. The most popular one seems to be the DAB z app which is constantly being updated. This forum is a font of knowledge for everything android. DAB-Z v2.x - USB DAB/DAB+ app (official support thread) Last updated: 2024-04-20 Get DAB-Z on Google Play Release notes of currently active release on Google Play: 2.0.232 Release notes of currently active BETA on Google Play: 2.0.232 If you want to become beta user, subscribe in Google Play or open... xdaforums.com Lots of vids on you tube too.

I played with mine a bit and added a nice boot up screen

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Looks a lot better than standard, where’s the settings for that?

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That’s look the mutts nuts. I’m looking to do this too. Any tips ?

No settings for that, it's all custom If your unit has a 7862 CPU I sell an install-and-forget pack that includes removal of bloatware, this boot animation and the ability to open Carplay/Android Auto with one of the physical buttons.

Dont you mean share the knowledge for the good of the community that is 911 forum. Sell !! Thats not how we roll on this forum.

I haven’t tried this but there’s a lot of videos around searching “Android Porsche head unit change boot screen” If I get a chance later I’ll try and look at it

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You're right. I was offering a shortcut as I fought with this for a while but knowledge should be shared. For the boot animation, follow the official Google instructions: https://android.googlesource.com/platform/frameworks/base/+/master/cmds/bootanimation/FORMAT.md For the rest of stuff I was mentioning, this is a good starting point: https://xdaforums.com/f/fyt-android-head-units.12445/ You'll need to replace the kernel, remove the bloatware, create a custom app that enables launching Carlink from one of the physical buttons and update all the other apps to the latest version, together with installing a new launcher and configuring it (I use Nova Launcher with custom icons).

Hey all, just FYI I've decided to switch out a double DIN set up for a single DIN solution so my AliExpress unit will be for sale soon. I'll get it up in the For Sale section shortly.

Hi all. New user and new 996 owner.. Having read this thread.....I would greatly appreciate a little advice/info please. I have purchased the double din aliexpress unit..... I need to move the AC to the lowest position, but am confused as to part number for the trim/surround. I also wish to remove the cd holder and replace with a storage tray. If anyone could assist with part numbers...and a supplier in the UK. I would be massively grateful. Basically, the trim for the lowest slot for ac and the tray for the lowest but one. Car is an 02 c4 in Rainforest green. Photo attached. I love it! any helo or pointers gratefully recieved.

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I believe it's this one: https://www.design911.co.uk/p/control-switch-cover-porsche-986-boxster---996/ And it's surprisingly cheap for a Porsche part! Worth giving them a call to double check. They have all the parts diagrams with part numbers on that site for furture reference.

Many thanks

Upper storage tray (to replace the CD storage) 996-552-253-01 AC surround for lower slot 9965523390001C

You might also need other parts to fit the radio, you'll find out when you remove the current single din...

Out of interest, why not replace the cd tray with the air con controls?

To be honest, I didn't think of that. Would make more sense to remove the cd holder, and move the ac to the third slot and retain the bottom cubby as is!

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The only issue might be that the AC surround doesn't fit the 3rd slot... maybe You'll find out pretty quickly!

Many thanks as for this

Sorry to be that guy as I know there’s heaps of links around but which seller are people using for these? From what I can tell it’s between sadocom and owtosin? Is there any real difference between the two?

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Have sent you a message mate, would be interested

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Who knows mate - Aliexpress is a bit like the wild west, shops opening up and closing down all the time, probably because they're selling things they shouldn't!

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For what it's worth, owtosin have been around for some time - I've never heard of sadocom before...

I ordered from Sadocom. Never used the site before, set up an account on the app, I've had fantastic, fast responses to any questions, and numerous notifications regarding order being placed/packaged & now dispatched. So far, faultless.....

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Owtosin is "helped" in their product developments by an active Rennlist member (myw). Their units are said to be somewhat superior to others, though I haven't seen another so I can't personally tell. Here's the link I used: https://fr.aliexpress.com/item/1005006223071167.html?spm=a2g0o.productlist.main.5.1e122Hh52Hh5ge&algo_pvid=6b2aafcc-a0fe-4aae-8c10-bdbb020efa6b&algo_exp_id=6b2aafcc-a0fe-4aae-8c10-bdbb020efa6b-2&pdp_npi=4@dis!EUR!601.01!300.50!!!4598.40!2299.20!@211b600417157843093938073e690a!12000036350313228!sea!FR!0!AB&curPageLogUid=JzRW7vOIycvf&utparam-url=scene:search|query_from: They sometimes have sales where you can get an extra 5-10% off. Dispatch is quite slow (a week), but delivery was very fast (8-9 days). Didn't have to pay any customs but then again I'm not in the UK. Their support is so-so but myw can help with some questions.

Now that people have had them a while, how are they performing? Are they flakey, need resets, lose settings etc, or do they work how you hope they will - flawlessly?

My Sadocom unit works fairly well- but not perfectly. Sometimes it won’t connect my iPhone to CarPlay via Bluetooth. I thought I’d found a fix/workaround for it (which I posted before in this thread) but it still doesn’t work 100% of the time. When it doesn’t connect I either restart the unit or connect via a cable. Which isn’t the end of the world, but is a bit annoying when you just want to jump in the car and drive. Maybe the Owtosin unit doesn’t have these connection problems, I don’t know. Aside from that, I’m happy with it. It sounds better than the original unit, when connected CarPlay works great and the Google Maps app is super useful when navigating. I don’t find much of an issue with sun glare on the screen, only really when I have my sunroof open and it’s very bright out.

I can report similar experiences to Nightshade. My unit also needs a reboot for CarPlay to work - I don't know if there's some confusion with my phone still being connected to home WiFi etc. Honestly though, it's so quick to reboot, it doesn't bother me. Mine is a non-sunroof car, so haven't had any issues with glare. Several months in, I'd still say this one of the best value upgrades I could have made to the car.

Thanks for the feedback. Seems like it's close, but not perfect. I'm not sure I can be bothered going the expense and hassle to fit something that's just going to annoy me. I already have a double din unit with wired carplay, so not much of an upgrade overall.

I used sadocom. Couldn’t really fault them in terms of communication although the first unit they sent had an unresponsive screen. The 2nd unit was fine. One thing I would say is if your intention is to mainly use CarPlay or android auto then there’s not much point in paying extra for the higher spec units. It’s pretty fast and responsive anyway and everything just works better on CarPlay.. It’s a bit of a faff to get everything set up but there’s plenty of online resources out there…. bang for buck you can’t really complain. One thing I haven’t had had time to figure out is this. I’ve set up car play so it auto connects..that’s fine..we get 4g or 5g but if I want to use any apps from the unit itself I can’t seem to get it to use tether to my phone for an internet connection? There must be some setting in the unit or on my phone that needs tweaking ?

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Same with the Owtosin. Sometimes it won't connect and it's hard to know why. Having both wired & wireless Carplay helps, generally at least one of them works. Fitting one is a bit of a faff, you need time to understand how they fit, their settings, etc. But compared to a PCCM+, I think it's worth the time, especially considering those aren't perfect either. Once in CarPlay, they work just fine. I've had CarPlay crash once one a roadtrip but it was just a matter of a quick reset. Got the base model and while it's not super-reactive, it's fast enough and similar to the CarPlay Sony HU I have in my other car.

Can anyone send a link to the Ali express item they bought for a 987 boxster (2005 in my case) so I pick the best latest one? And I have bise speakers side doors and rear, how do I know if I need the added component related to these? Thanks all

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If you take your existing head unit out, if there are two orange cables that look like the one to the right in this picture, then you need the Most adapter: https://www.design911.co.uk/p/porsche-most-aux-adapter-connects2-ctvpo001/

This is the one I bought. I have exactly the same model and year of car. https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005005065936807.html?spm=a2g0o.order_list.order_list_main.5.79501802x5FnI9 It’s relatively easy to fit. The only thing I would advise is to get the 3D printed side rails that replace the ones that come with the unit as they are poor..I have the link to that somewhere if you can’t find it online? It’s pennies to get printed. Also 3 wires to splice the BOSE MOST ADAPTER..2 into the supplied loom and one to the green wire on the car loom that goes to the ignition so the unit is not live once the ignition is turned off. With the right connectors it’s a doddle and totally reversible without cutting into the OEM loom. Oher than that it’s plug and play although there’s a fair amount of faffage trying to get everything set up just as you like it. Loads of online resources if you search for “Porsche 987/997 chinese android head unit forum”

That's brilliant thanks so much for this info all. So some questions before I dip in 1 what ram / rom and core chip did you go for and would you go lower! Higher 2. So from above worth taking out unit before purchase to check for orange wires (which I assume go to bose amp? Am I not guaranteed to have (but I have read some saying they didn't need purchase. 3. Apologies I may be really naive on this, but what physically do you need to do with the 3 wires? And do I need buy connectors? 4. Sorry what's the OEM LOOM 5. Do you have link for 3d Rails incase I pick the wrong site - then assume just find your nearest local 3d printer and reaplace the ones that come with unit 5. Does the unit come with a mic for phone use and can you easily / smartly place that somewhere? Pretty sure my current set up doesn't have or maybe it does, never used the outdated sim card set up personally. 6. Same for radio aerial easily placed or use existing 7. Same for GPS easily fitted placed or use existing 8. And lastly is there a video that's the very best of them all to see a decent install Thanks for your time on this

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This part is like more than the unit itself, assume you. Can buy the bose amp accesory with the android Radio that's alot cheaper in assume? But more fiddly and less plug and play? Thanks

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And is the android auto, wireless?

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Yes it’s wireless. You don’t need to go mad on the spec. Anything above 4GBRAM/64GB MEMORY is unnecessary as most people just run it in CarPlay or android auto mode which means it’s mirroring you phone. You could well do with 2/32gb. It’s still responsive. If you’ve got BOSE which you seem to have you need to purchase the spec you want that includes the MOST adaptor. It’s pretty much plug and play except for the 3 wires that splice into the MOST adaptor into the supplied loom ..2 into the head unit loom and 1 into the cars loom(green) It’s not difficult. If I can do it anyone can believe me..

The 3D rails zip file. You can get these printed online for less than a tenner. Search online or on Etsy.

The microphone is stuck on the steering wheel hub. It’s small and discreet. The GPS antennae and the radio antennae pull through the bulkhead rubber bung just behind the battery. Sited either side of the wiper mechanism. Just pull the bung put a slit in with a Stanley knife to thread the wires through. No need to remove the battery on a RHD car.

Personally I found these good for splicing in the 3 wires if you not good at old school cut and soldering. They are totally reversible to so you are not actually severing the green wire (see video) on OEM loom (car side) Those cheap blue plastic ones you see are crap and never seem to get a good connection. https://www.amazon.co.uk/CTRICALVER-Connectors-Electrical-Connection-Wire-Stripping/dp/B0CQLRKRVM/ref=sr_1_11_sspa?crid=NKMAHWW7SW3E&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.hWf4kVw1BocRtKV6w-v_R1jDoxybu8qqyAmIczr-l-DYiqq_VVzQmtZYhXjrguhqovmvKzs4ekZQ5tif3eRbltgWjMZeVr2J3crEKi1G9_rzW6Pver4dSpJIkQoOPFruXMqa85UviNLbhErzZPT-E24RL9tUZ5d0LiVq--fjcGfqfZXpFLH_q8Vs-d2ng5xcCmflmfuPtsgEMBaio1yJE_I15xmFXrYMIt5xjjxwJldvXOI6HoN1oH05Ss3qP7VM4ezqhzu9_rmeb1lOQW1bVxKjiWkrypAnocPWkNO0AOg.seNKezA_u6qNYvvdbYMYvrsaNmlbz3910OAdxr4a-00&dib_tag=se&keywords=car+wire+connectors&qid=1716658124&sprefix=Car+wire+conn%2Caps%2C131&sr=8-11-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9tdGY&psc=1

Mine arrived Tuesday, went for Sadocom unit. Everything looks great! And it seems the guys have already wired the Bose adapter into the harness which is handy so hopefully (famous last words) it’s plug and play! Will update once in the car.

Well, mine has arrived.... And not a single company is interested or willing to install it! I don't have the confidence to do so..I deeply distrust electrics at the best of times. Dies anyone have any suggestions or a reputable installer near Dundee.... If not, I reckon I'll be selling it. Not helped by the fact I work overseas so have very little free time to sort it.

You really can do it. It really isn’t that difficult. There’s so much help on various forums and on here and on you tube if you get stuck.

Honestly, me even touching it would lead to a chain of events that would ultimately result in the evacuation of most of Scotland. Mechanicals...happy enough....electrics.....not a chance.

Quick question The harness I need to use has a long red power cable that goes directly into the back of the head unit itself, Is there a nearby switched 12v source I can tap into? My cigarette lighter is constant, which powers up fine just I know I’ll forget to turn it off and drain the battery

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This one post has just saved my afternoon of headaches hahaha

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On my 2005 987 Boxster with Bose the switched live was the very thin green wire shown on this picture. I tapped into it and tested it as switched off with a voltmeter. It’s all shown on the video about 10 post back at about 18 mins to 21mins.

Just spent the afternoon fitting one I ordered from Sadocom. Whist it fitted Ok - only complication being splicing the three wires from the MOST unit, and altering the double-DIN cage so it fitted - it seems to have no power to it. I tried reversing it and reconnecting my CDR23 which fired up fine, however there’s no life from the new Sadocom unit. I’ve messaged him to see if he has any advice, but wondered if anyone else had the same issue or suggestions? Think I may need to go see an installer and see if they can help….

There seems to be an issue with aftermarket headunits and the 996.2 centre console - they come with that lip that protrudes at the top which doesn't sit flush with the cup holder. That cup holder face (with the cup printed on it) does slide off, so a 3D printed curved cover is possible, but it's weird to have to fit a curved part to match a curve on the headunit fascia that shouldn't be there!

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You'll never get a good finished out of a 3d printed part, unless you spend an unreasonable time on it. Can you adjust the HU up by a couple millimeters?

Yeah I think it’s designed for the 996.1 or 997 but TBH it’s not too bad looking on a 996.2. And stills looks more factory than a Pioneer/Kenwood etc

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Absolute nonsense. I've been 3d printing for 5 years, you can get sub milimeter accuracy on printed parts right off the printer in a couple of hours. I wish people wouldn't post absolute statements about subjects they know nothing about.

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And how expensive is that printer / how much time should one expect to spend on drawing the part ?

Did anyone manage to get DAB working on their unit yet?

...

I have the no sound issue on my install, can anyone please advise what I'm doing wrong? 2002 non MOST 996 Turbo with Bose.

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Both irrelevant. You said you'd never get good enough quality out of a 3d printed part, which is absolute nonsense. I could knock you one up in a day on home enthusiasts kit that you can pick up for around £700. The issue isn't the ability - it's making a new curved part simply to fit a curve that shouldn't be there in the first place

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Two things I think. 1) in the first photo just under the ‘Key 1’ label there’s a cable end that has a clear rubber connector. That should have a corresponding connector to plug into. 2) In photos 2+3 in the top left corner there’s a white connector that needs to plug into the back of the unit into the white socket. There should only be one socket it can slot into.

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Very helpful - thank you! So the blue cable with the rubber sleeve over the bullet connector needs to find its pair - I couldn't see one that was obvious, but I'll take a look. Could it be the blue cable with the "AMP" label that has no connector on it and is just cut and hanging there? I'll have a go at slotting home that plug on the white cable into the back of the HU too.

I suspect I will then have the "too loud" issue from the speaker feed from the head unit being amplified and going into the car's BOSE amplifier. I think I've found the solution, I need to find a 20 pin white plug that goes into the white socket you can see in photos 2 and 3 above and 2 below and then splice those speaker outs into the main loom to the car in place of the ones from the power plug. Hopefully wiring diagrams make it clearer:

Does anyone have a spare 20 pin white plug RCA cable (shown in second picture above) that they're not using with their head unit that I could buy from them? Amazon sell them, but it'll take 2 weeks to deliver. Edit: Think I've found one with next day delivery! https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0C49NKHND/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 And male RCA plugs with pig tails to make splicing back into the power harness easier... Amazon.co.uk

So it will end up looking a bit like this (minus the canbus decoder box on the top right);

You seem to be going down a rabbit hole here. Unless it’s very different on the 986/996 compared to the 987/997 you shouldn’t need to cutting and splicing anything other than the Bose connection. Can you clarify what your exact problem is? 1.You say no power ? 2.Then mention no sound? Surely 1 is a prerequisite for 2 before assuming your going to have a no sound issue. It should be fairly plug and play other than the Bose splice. Have you read the rennlist thread ? 996 Stereo Upgrades in Here - Rennlist - Porsche Discussion Forums 996 Forum - 996 Stereo Upgrades in Here - Hello 996 owners and the like :D. I am looking to upgrade my head unit and perhaps my amp/speakers. I was hoping we could get a thread going with pictures of your stereo systems and details of your setup. I would like to integrate digital music into the... rennlist.com

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Thanks - I have no sound, which I'm assuming is a problem with the amp power on signal not being connected. This is problem 1. Problem 2 is that the previous owner of my unit and others with the same unit have reported that the volume is incredibly loud even at the lowest setting, this is likely because the standard connector for the headunit out uses amplified signals for the speakers that are then being fed into the car's amplifier. My post above sets out how to get the non-amplified speaker signals out of the head unit and splice them into the standard harness. I have read loads of posts talking about all sorts of different things on this head unit. The one you linked is talking about MOST equipped cars, mine is a 2002 996T with Non-MOST, so it's not relevant.

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My car is also non-Most Bose, so our setups should be fairly similar. I didn’t have to do any splicing like you’ve done with the RCA connectors, apart from one cable in the yellow block if I remember correctly, for the switched power. Yes my signal was loud initially, but I just turned down the loudness setting on the unit and it hasn’t been an issue since. Yes I think that’s it. If you want I’ll take my head unit out and take some photos of my cable setup.

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That's very kind of you to offer, let's see how I get on with the hooking up of the amp cables first then I might take you up on the offer!

just curious if anyone knows how/where to turn the units lights on? everything all wired in working great just cant seem to find the button or setting on the Sadacom unit to illuminate the buttons.

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Depends on if you have CANBUS I think - if you do, it should send the illumination signal. If not, it's typically an orange wire in both the head unit and prosche loom. From what I've read elsewhere - pin 17 on the android head unit 20 pin plug seems to be the right one. You can see that my loom has a loose orange wire on it hanging to the bottom right of the picture, My guess would be to use that one (if you don't have CANBUS).

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OK, so hooked up the blue wires and the sound now works - very loudly!! I've been through as many of the settings as I can find turning down the volume etc, but it's still too loud even on level 1. Interestingly my standard Equalizer app just goes to a blank screen. I've installed an aftermarket one, but changes the volume via that does nothing. I guess it's a rewire job.

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Could you please take a picture of the screen where you found the loudness setting? I've switched the "loud" button off in the settings, but it made no difference. I also don't seem to have a functioning equalise app on my head unit?

I’m not currently with the car, but note I have is that it’s found here: Setting > Sound > Power Conditioning

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Thanks, I've tried that. No improvement.

Ok I seem to remember that the Bose amp’s volume is only controllable via the original head unit. So you might want to try plugging it back in, turn the volume down, then retry with the new unit

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In the hidden menu (somewhere in settings, sorry can’t remember of the top my head, code was possibly earlier in this thread) there is the option of on/off/vehicle i think, the vehicle doesn’t work with my my04 canbus car so i have it on all the time, you cant see it in the day light

I’ve installed my SADOCOM headunit and am really pleased. My car is a ‘03 UK spec, Bose / MOST equipped car and It sounds great, much better than the CDR23 it replaced and the service via WhatsApp with the seller was excellent. However, I had a few issues installing and hope I can help others avoid: 1. Fitting: My previous unit was a single DIN so I used a Connect2 dash kit to replace the CD Holder. This worked well, however given the SADOCOM unit has a front bezel I had to cut down the cage and remove the front. As the new cage was plastic this was easy and like others I simply screwed the head unit into the side - would definitely recommend getting a plastic cage as opposed to metal one. 2. The MOST adaptor (blue one) supplied with the head unit has three wires - see picture below. The yellow & black wires are easily connected to their equivalents on the harness as pictured. However I really struggled with the Red ACC cable which needs a switched power supply. Browsing the net suggested finding the phone connector beneath the centre console, but after a few hours taking the car apart / googling I eventually realised this is only applicable to US spec cars. Instead, I ran a cable down to the fuse box and used the unused heated seat fuse - see picture where you’ll see the two new connections - top one being the switched supply to the MOST adaptor, and lower one being the power supply for the head unit (long red cable on the supplied harness). Otherwise, whilst it took a while - I’m a bit of an amateur - I’m chuffed.

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Hmmm, that's going to be tricky - my car was 18 years old when I bought it from a dealer, it came with the original PCM but without the radio security code, so I had to remove the unit and have since junked it as I could never get it to work. I guess if I get a second hand head unit, that may allow me to control the amp volume? Does anyone know if any of the 996s came with non-Most Bose and a single din unit (I guess they will be cheaper to source)?

OK, so have completed the rewiring and the sound is still far too loud! I've previously had an aftermarket Kenwood in there and the sound was absolutely fine, so I've no idea what the problem is?

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Yep mine did. I still have it, so if it helps I live in Surrey and you’re welcome come and plug my old unit into your car to lower the volume, to save you buying one. Although, the fact that your old Kenwood unit didn’t have the same volume issues suggest the new unit is doing some additional amplification that your old one wasn’t. It’s been a while since I’ve looked at the unit’s output diagram, but do you have the option of connecting to line outs instead of amplified outs?

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Thanks, I may take you up on your offer! I rewired the harness to take the line out signals from the head unit, but it's still just as loud.

Why can the gain of the amp not be turned down?

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Because the OEM amp reportedly can only be controlled by the OEM head unit. Some of the Android headunits lack the ability to attenuate the line/speaker out levels, including mine, by the looks of it. The solution could be a 4 channel line out converter - essentially an electronic box that either automatically or manually reduces the strength of the signal to that expected of a pre-amp line out. I've got a few to try over the next week or so and will report back my findings.

I just had a look at my old 997 amp and it's the same, no gain control on the amp. Good luck finding the solution, I hope it works out for you.

Bizarrely I was told to turn the volume up to 3/4 of full prior to removing the original head unit. 05 987 with Bose. The volume is fine on mine from 0 -30 before it gets too loud. ..the equaliser has a few built in settings that are useful but other than that it doesn’t seem to do much!

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I think the amp gain is a bit of a red herring, at least in my case. I previously had a double din Kenwood unit installed which I removed to install the android unit. The volume and equaliser on the Kenwood unit worked perfectly with no special splicing or adapter. So I don't see why it shouldn't work witht the android unit.

Just got the Sadocom unit for my 997.2. The Bose unit was already spliced in when I received it. Just a few questions before starting installing it. Firstly is there any splicing or other connections I need to make other than just plugging in the various plugs? Secondly, do I need to use the supplied antennas? Can I not just plug in the existing antennas for gps and radio? Many thanks in anticipation…

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My experience is with 996 so may be different, but a switched live is required thats not currently there and your existing gps may be the wrong gender/type, but other than that should be good to go.

I'm just in the process of installing an Owtosin version in my newly acquired 2002 turbo with Bose. It doesn't have MOST like others have mentioned and the info seems fairly limited to these units in terms of wiring from what i've found online. Like youngsyr i also immediately had the issue of it being far too loud even on volume #1 and even with playing with the equalizer and other settings i could not get this low enough. The current units don't appear to have the option to adjust the "loudness" amplification down unfortunately. I have still got some RCA plugs on order as was going to try the same route of feeding only from the RCA outs but i also ordered this box from incartec which has sorted the volume issues for me at least. The box has adjusters for the 4 speaker outputs so you can turn up/down accordingly, i've still had to turn mine nearly all the way down to get it right but good to know that on minimum it did pretty much completely stop the sound even with the radio cranked up, suspect these are simple resistance pots wired inline. Porsche 986/996 PCM1 BOSE Car audio radio amplifier integration ISO interface Porsche 986/996 PCM1 BOSE Car audio radio amplifier integration ISO interface. Connect in line on the speaker ISO cables and the interface converts the audio from high to low level to enable the BOSE amplifier to work. incartec.co.uk On the 2002 non MOST bose cars the amp is still fed from the normal amplified speaker output wires, not via the additional plug that has the amp power on (yellow connector) and other CD changer wires. I also came across the below page which shows you you can separate the sub feed which will then allow you to control the sub volume independently by running a separate RCA lead and splicing into the amp dedicated to the sub (under the upper right hand plastic in the frunk area). I'll wire this in soon and report back if this also fixes the issues of the sub being overpowering. The wire colours all appear to match up with what i have on my car so hopefully this will be a nice easy fix. 996 Bose Subwoofer Retention for '01 - '02 Only – Car Audio Innovations '01 - '02 996 vehicles that are bose equipped have a factory subwoofer that is powered by a secondary amplifier. This secondary amplifier is mounted to the primary amplifier in the trunk. When adding an aftermarket radio to these vehicles and keeping the factory speakers and amplifiers in place... cai-store.com I've also retained the stock GPS antenna by just using a SMA/SMB adapter. Certainly looks like it may help with the spaghetti junction of all the wires to fit in behind the dash once i finally finish putting it all back together properly. Hopefully this might help others who encounter the same issues.

Have also now just got my RCA pigtails and confirmed wiring these direct into the RCA outputs also work just fine. I will probably keep the setup using RCA's so if the conversion box is of interest to anybody facing issues let me know, especially if local to Gatwick

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Great info smighall, thanks! With the ISO box- isn't this just the same as a line out converter? I tried two different versions of these on my headunit and they both allowed me to reduce the volume significantly, but at the cost of a lot of noise in the signal and no ability to control the volume via the head unit?

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You have RCA outputs on your headunit? My version doesn't. Requires a harness to plug into the white plug (20 pin) which then provides pigtails. I tried this route too and the volume problem was still present. I think my headunit is faulty - it has several other problems too.

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Yes mine came with all sorts of additional connectors to expand out for various inputs / outputs. The iso box seemed to work perfectly well but I can't say I used it for any long period of time to heavily test it. Where about s are you based? Happy to try different options if you're reasonably local before I button everything back up.

That's a kind offer, but unfortunately I'm over in Essex and I'm done with trying to get my headunit to work - I've spent a good % of its value on additional parts plus a lot of time trying to get it to work with no joy.

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Sorry if this is a silly question bit what is the MOST ?

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Not a silly question - I had to look up what it stands for! "MOST ( Media Oriented System Transport ) is an optical bus which connects most all telematics in MY03 onwards Porsches" It's essentially a fibre optic canbus that links all the cars computers together so they can talk to (and check on) each other.

Quotes source post: 2696510

Thanks for this, I had wondered if an adapter would allow the factory fakra plug GPS to work with this headunit, I’ll add it to my todo list I’ve managed to partially damage mine, i wanted to install a microphone in the stock location, ordered a generic 3.5mm microphone which wedged perfectly in the plastic plug on the dash, removed binnacle and routed the cable to the centre console, plugged into the loom adapter labelled mic and went to plug it in to the back of the headunit. Now, i either shorted it or got it the small white plug the wrong way round on the back of the headunit ( i should have removed it completely for better access, idiot!) but there was a pop and some acrid smoke from the unit! The unit was off but ignition was still on. Quickly dismantled and removed microphone and binned it, tried the headunit and it still works!! Only issue I’ve found is the usb has stopped charging so probably the psu for that, back to using the ciggy lighter charger next to it. A bit of a lucky break there.

Quotes source post: 2696568

Cheers. So it’s the Bose box that comes with the head unit?

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No, it's much more than that. It's an "upgrade" to the way ALL of the car's computers talk to each other - and there are a lot of computers on even a 2003 car. Prior to fibre optic systems on the cars, the computers had very little inter-connection. After fibre optic was brought in, they were heavily interconnected, to the extent that taking one computer (say the airbag ECU) out of the system could ***** up many other seemingly unrelated systems. The head unit is one of those computers, but you now have to think about it as part of a complete system, rather than just a standalone item.

I just finished installing a Sadocom unit. Was pretty easy to do so. I have one thing do, behind the steering wheel on the display it says radio off, is that always the case now?

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To answer myself, Sadocom got back to me that it’s normal an€ that the canbus module is not capable to control the display. At least I know that I havent’t done something wrong.

As I'm only at home for about 4 weeks a year...and was unable to find an installer locally....my Sadocom unit will be up for sale shortly. Top spec with MOST....which I didn't know if I needed, but it made sense given my logistics/time at home and having everything to hand. Slightly miffed but I have neither the time nor the wherewithal to install it myself. Will be looking at continental single din instead.

I’ve got a Continental single din unit that I might sell, it’s got dab, Bluetooth phone etc plus the important Porsche sticker over the Continental badge very OEM, it’s only a few months old, I bought PCCM Apple CarPlay single din unit.

Just been told by sadocom that i need to supply the unit with a 12v acc supply. Thinking i will buy a fuse with cable coming off it and run to to the back of the unit. Is there any other way of doing this?

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Would be much easier to T off of the 12V acc already going to the head unit? Not sure why you would need a separate 12V acc to the head unit anyway - it already has one in the harness?

Yes it would. Just not sure which cable this is. Can you help? It looks like the red wire going in to the canbus unit in the attached picture is not switched. So which cable should i attach the cambus unit to?

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Hi,can you tell me what you used to get the power from the fuse box? Many thanks.

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Just to complete this particular thread, I did as Sadocom suggested and ran a new wire from the fuse box to the red wire that was going into the canbus unit. Used fuse slot number c1 which is only live when the ignition is on. So hopefully this will stop the unit draining the battery. Running the cable was pretty easy around the footwell and into the back of the console. The new cable needs to be connected to the wiring harness going into the back of the unit, not the canbus box. Pretty pleased with the result.

Newbie, just joining in. I have also gone down this route versus Porsche's own offering. Thanks to all the posters the install was fairly pain free. I also installed a DAB dongle running to an aerial under the front bumper. ( this took longer than stuffing the head unit and its special noodle dish into the dash! ) The first attempt didnt work as the dongle and aerial must have been faulty. I now have DAB but only in strong signal areas. So only on the top of Devon hills. Would altering /using the original aerial provide a better signal. The cars with factory DAB have very little drop out here.

Can anyone assist with mine from experience please? I have a 2001 C4 but it is a 996.2 car. It does not have BOSE it does not have fibre optics but it also has no speaker cables in the ISO plugs, just the one power plug! Now i have managed to plug everything in (the blue amp power wire, can box and AV for front left and right) and i have sound through the front speakers. I however have no sound through the back speakers and am not sure how to get them working. The car has option 490 which is some kind of stereo upgrade. I think it must be sending the sounds down one of the small connectors to an amp somewhere. I have ordered a PCM2 surround cage for my dash to get it all fitted nicely but the sadocom unit powers up and works really well, very impressed so far just need to get it fine tuned and all in the dash properly! Thanks.

[Image-only or quote-only post; no author-written text.] https://911uk.com/data/attachments/104/104117-e43c2deee3a5b3f676ef5fbb819fb740.jpg?hash=5Dwt7uOls_ https://911uk.com/data/attachments/104/104118-fdac553c53e99aa437ee3d827573f448.jpg?hash=_axVPFPpmq

Very strange, does your car have speakers in the door cards? Ultimately you just need to replicate your oem outputs on the android harness. Can you find a pin out diagram for your oem head unit?

For those with intermittent car play connection issues, from reading online it seems that the issue can be caused by either or both your phone and your head unit ignoring the wireless WiFi connection in favour of your home/office/etc saved wifi network. A workaround is to turn off auto connection on your head unit and phone and manually switch on the connection once you're out of range of your saved network. Or you can turn off the connection to your saved network on both units at home and then manually select the headunits hotspot on your phone.

Finally, if anyone has a non-bose harness going spare, I'll happily give you £20 for it! It has a sticker saying CH-9013 on it. Plug into car's harness looks like the attached...

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I might- DM’d

Quotes source post: 2699378

Possibly. I would try installing a powered DAB+ aerial on the inside of the upper passenger window. Running the cable for it under the dash to the bottom of the passenger A pillar is pretty easy and it's even easier to pull off the a pillar cover and run the aerial cable up behind it to the top of the windscreen. To install properly you should scrape off a bit of the (hidden) paint on the windscreen frame and ground the aerial there, which is a bit tricky, but then you should have pretty decent signal. You can just about make out mine here, which gets dozens of stations...

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Thanks. It has got some kind of upgraded Amped system in it. Not BOSE. Has option 490 which seems to mean different things depending on the year. I have managed to sort it by buying one of these. Porsche 996 Amplified Active ISO Radio Stereo harness adapter wiring connector | eBay Description: ThisAudi/Porsche Radio ISO Harness will allow the installation of a new or used aftermarket stereo into yourAudi/PorscheVehicle. You will also require the new or used aftermarket headunit harness adaptor which comes with your aftermarket stereo. This Radio ISO Harness will convert... www.ebay.co.uk To complete my install I also bought these. Porsche 996 & 986 Boxster PCM2 Frame & Centre Dash Panel Black 2003>2005 | eBay Mobile Description Summary. www.ebay.co.uk Thankfully all in okay and working. I modified the loom slightly and didn't use the power cable. It just has a blue wire coming off which is for an ignition. I just soldered this into the sadocom loom. Really happy with it. Many thanks to @996forrest for sending me the unit.

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Hi I’ll be interested in the Continental unit if it’s forsale. Thanks Mike

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When you wired up the 12v switched supply to the Canbus (red wire lead), did you have success with the unit turning off with the ignition?

Just completed my install and a few remaining issues, but nearly there. Relocating the HVAC was the biggest pain. It didn’t come with a microphone - not sure which is best to order? I’ve ordered one from Amazon and it was the wrong size so, whoops. Not sure how to splice the wiring to have the LEDs on the face turn on. Spoke to Sadocom who said - use the original harness as the canbus decoder isn’t working for you. This works, but what am I losing by not wiring the canbus decoder in? I assume auto dimming display & LEDs switching on at a minimum? Any other themes about? The three included are not great. Other than that, the last time I did this was fitting an ATOTO S8 into an Audi TT, and I think the quality of this unit is better.

I fitted one to my 997.2 about six months ago. Fantastic for the price. The only issue i had was that i had to run a wire from the fuse board to the unit which i was not expecting to have to do. Lots of info on the various porsche forums on how to fit.

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Hi. Yes, that sorted it.

The button lighting can be changed in the settings. A bit of experimentation you'll get the colour right, they seem to illuminate by different ways; on all the time, via time, car input. In my case I've not had much luck getting the car to turn them on. has anyone had any success with DAB reception without using a window mount aerial?

I have the button illumination on the time, you can hardly tell they’re on in the daylight anyway. Had no luck with auto e.g when lights are on.

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I think it's highly unlikely you'll get any DAB reception without an additional antenna. It's not too onerous to install or visible once installed though. I ran mine behind the dash to passenger side, up the passenger A pillar and then onto the screen at the top left hand corner. Don't notice it now.

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That needs additional wiring, at least it did on mine. The nice thing is it also triggers night mode in CarPlay. Very easy to do, I have detailed it on this topic, I think.

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Hi, I’m having the same issue - my Sadocom unit works great - but I don’t have any illumination on the buttons. Can you point me to where you detailed this?

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It's post #105 on this topic, though my unit was an Owtosin and not a Sadocom. Still, gives you the right source for the illumination, you just need to figure out where the Sadocom needs that signal.

Zero affiliation (I have an alert set up for a 997 PCCM+) but figured some of you may be very interested in this 996 PCCM+ Pardon our interruption...

Morning All, I am about to press go on the AliExpress headunit but would like to check if I need anything in addition...? I have a 2002 996.2 C4 Cabriolet with PCM fitted. I have option code 490 (Harman not bose) I will be running the applications from my phone (waze / Music) so I guessing a lower spec model will be OK? I have read through all 16 pages and THANK YOU for such a detailed forum thread, I just want to ensure that I order everything correctly WRT connectors, trim etc.

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If it did lag, how much would it bother you? I went for their top spec unit based on it being a fraction of PCCM+, and I’m glad I did because it runs quite smoothly. Still not the smoothest CarPlay implementation I’ve seen but I’m glad I got it. I ask because for some people, animation smoothness really doesn’t matter and they just want basic functionality.

Getting there, now just got to make it all flush. After relocating the HVAC to the bottom section I can’t seem to push it in far enough to make it level with the cubby. Anyone reached this stage before and know the problem?

It will go but you may find you have to remove the lower console to use a trim tool from the rear to help it home. (I've been watching videos on relocating the HVAC for a gt3 delete and vice versa and this is how someone else covered it)

take off the side panels, remove the cubby and then try to fit it. You should be able to look behind the HVAC controller and see what's blocking it.

Thanks, sorted it. Also, my external mic had to be enabled via the secret menu in settings, and my password was 126. If anyone else is struggling with their mic.

For those with the DAB aerial - what does the DAB application look like in these and how well does it work?

Which link / unit are you all buying? Will I need any additional items for a 996.2 2002 with option code 490 (non Bose and I think non MOST) Thank you

Quotes source post: 2711109

I tapped the Sadocom Illumination wire into the thin wire on the cigarette lighter (for the illum ring). Works exactly as it should, turn on side/headlights and the Sadocom buttons illuminate and the screen dims (both in carplay night mode and on the unit UI itself). Also managed to set a good yellow/orange colour for the buttons so looks very stock.

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I followed WilmslowSi’s advice and that works on my MY04 996.2 too. My headunit loom has the orange illumination wire only going into the canbus decoder plug, so i cut it from that plug and connected to the ciggy lighter wire as stated. The earlier post of finding the illumination wire on the original harness to the pcm headunit, doesn’t apply to my 996.2 as its not present and i guess its all handled by canbus, but the sadocomm replacement canbus decoder appears to do naff all when connected in my car, hence tapping into the ciggy lighter illumination.

I didn’t need to rewire anything, just turned on LEDs in the factory secret menu I mentioned.

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Yes I am not sure what the Canbus decoder is doing. My Sadocom doesn't synch time or outside temperature with the instrument panel which is what I had been expecting it to do as a minimum. I was going to look at the pin wiring into the Porsche car-side multi connector to make sure it was going to Can Hi/Lo pins and not something else random (had heard it can sometimes be wired to the line out pins?!) but not got around to it yet.

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The LED’s are only half the story, the screen has the capability to dim and also switch graphics between day/night displays when the headlights are switched on. One wire splice fixes it all, so why not use full capability?

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I too found various pin out diagrams showing different connections for the yellow plug (it has a C reference maybe C1?) From what i could decipher it depends on the audio options, it may be canbus or amp/sub optional connections, its not clear and maybe will never work. It’s got enough standard matching functionality now, with quite solid carplay for me, to not worry about doing any further research into it. Thanks again for the info on the illumination

So does anyone know if the Gray/grey versions of these match the silvery/grey 987 console? The Silver units look too light compared to the climate unit below! Primary concern before ordering one of these! Debating risking it, or buying a black one and then respraying the climate and other panels black to match! Also, I've read the entire thread, but still can't determine which unit I should be looking at, brand, spec, capacity, chip etc!! So many out there I don't have a clue one from the other! non Bose, but SPP w/Amp etc. Many thanks

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I think most are lighter/more silver - plenty of photos about showing the match. BUT owtowsin store advertise both a silver and an “iron grey” which may be a better match? Certainly looks it from their listing. I’m too indecisive to buy until I can see what DAB looks like in person on one as I’m torn between this and PCCM+ but if you do get one let me know if this is better as I’m curious too.

They are close but not a perfect match. These pictures make it look slightly worse than in the flesh. Definitely a bit lighter..the problem is no matter who you order from spec wise the silver trim is the same. For a couple of hundred quid it’s a big improvement. No need to go mad on spec..just use it for CarPlay and the Apps

Thanks. Hence my original question to see if the "Iron Gray" ones are a better match than the silver ones most people have pictures of on forums etc. It certainly looks like they've done this colour to address this issue, but without seeing it properly it could be too dark! lol. I've debated trying to get a 987.2 climate module to work in a 987.1 but heard it's impossible, or I thought spray the climate and unit below that black, so i could order the black one instead! Can DAB be added to these units if you buy a different antenna? I really like keeping things original/OEM, like the CDR-24 from a looks point of view, but it's just awful with an FM transmitter, too much interference and hiss etc. I'd love the idea of a porsche PCCM+ however, the cost is absolutely ridiculous, it's not even wireless carplay!! But at least the colour matches!

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I would say the iron grey would be the safer bet.

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Yes, you need the antenna and the DAB usb unit: I just found this on AliExpress: ￡3.42 | The Extra Cost Optional Products Link For OWTOSIN Android Radio Multimedia GPS Navigation 2din TPMS DVR USB Voice Camera...... https://a.aliexpress.com/_EJHIFZO Hopefully that’s a direct link but you just need to select the option. It’s probably available elsewhere too Its important that the aerial is installed vertically - found out the hard way as I installed the same aerial horizontally in my defender. They’re polarised apparently.

Like most AliExpress android head units, the microphone quality for calls isn’t great. Has anyone taken steps to address this or found a smart solution? I’m pleased with it otherwise.

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Thanks for the advice! I’ll take a look and see if I can do the same … do you happen to recall what colour the illumination wire is?

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Just looked on my phone and fortunately I'd taken a pic. Its quite obvious when you get to the back of the cigrarette lighter as the illumination wire is much thinner than the two used for the heating coil. Looks to be blue/black stripe from this pic but you will know it when you see it.

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Thanks for the help. Just connected the ILL cable to the feed from the cigarette lighter, and it’s working perfectly.

TL;DR - Apple CarPlay drops the mic audio in some cases during calls. Not sure how to fix. This afternoon I took the whole unit apart and disconnect the internal microphone, as I had thought it was conflicting with my external microphone. On Apple CarPlay calls, everyone I spoke to was very upset that the mic audio would disconnect after every 3 or 4 words. I went back to call someone and they reported the same issue even after disconnection. When I call using the default radio software, they don't report any such issue - so I've narrowed it down to CarPlay and I'm one internal mic down which I'm not bothered about. If anyone else has experienced the same and has a fix, it would be great to know. I thought the build quality internally was pretty good, for what it's worth - on my Sadocom unit. Next I'll be doing some more research on why CarPlay might be causing this issue and also experimenting with a few other external mics.

After a year of pretty much perfect use, I noticed today it has lost its sound. I rebooted it and it all works perfectly but no sound at all. Has anyone had this happen before? Any suggestions on how to fix it? Only slight variable is it has been cold. Phone mic works (they can hear me but I can’t hear them).

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Do you have Bose/external amp? Could be power to the amp, either fuse or iffy +12v remote switch on etc?

Thanks, it’s got BOSE. I’ll take the unit out and check the connections. I did read somewhere about a similar issue where a low battery causes it. Given it’s been cold and haven’t used the car much this might also have something to do with it. The fix is disconnecting the battery for 5 mins so will try that as well.

Apologies for bringing up this thread again. I'm liking it in general Lack of fader isn't a deal breaker compared to it's functionality. For some reason temperature at zero all the time is making me Dreyfus. Has anyone managed to get the canbus to work on these units?

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Not yet but its on my list to investigate. I have suspicions that the loom is not wired properly so the CAN high/low connections may be going to the wrong pins on the loom, based on seeing what the original pin layout was on the PCM2.0 I'm hoping its a case of popping out 2 of the pins from one of the blocks and putting them back in the right locations to connect with CAN high and CAN low.... we shall see...

Thanks for responding. I'll try and keep the tic under control for now.

It's been a while since I looked at my unit (currently sitting in my shed), but from memory there is a menu item where you can alter the CANBUS settings - you may need to enter the hidden settings menu to find it. This may help with exploring the CANBUS options.

Does the 997 version work with dash integration?

I installed my headunit today in a 03 996 with BOSE/MOST. Works quite well. Did anyone here tried to use the OEM mic? I have Microphone + & ground in the green plug (car-side). So connecting these to a 3,5 jack could work?

Just fitted an amluc 3070A with 360 cams to my 03 turbo. My sound system is running from a Hertz HDP5, so I used front, rear and sub pre-outs. Initial impressions are promising, currently have: Hertz 3" mids and tweeters in dash Twin 6.5" Jehnert Door Builds Audison APX4 coax in rear cards Twin 8" Hertz subs in sealed box on shelf For rear pre amp I depinned the aux in adapters and repinned to rear pre amp on canbus plug, works great. I bought TPMS, DAB+, ADAS cam and added a 3 way USB splitter, everything just works. I'll have a look at getting the side cams into the wing mirrors, but I think they will go in. Wiring was very simple, reverse wire was already in my connector, so just hooked everything up. Reused GPS with fakra to SMA Aerial to dual fakra diversity SIM works fine Best thing is it works with my syvecs Bluetooth Module so I can see a ton of info over canbus, even change maps and TC with the HU. Very pleased so far. Just need to run all the new cam wires.

I ordered one of these yesterday from Sadocom. I was shopping around on AliExpress/Temu for cheap bits for the car as there's always some silly stuff worth buying (LED interior lights, seatbelt buckle felt covers) and came across the PCCM+ clone. Finding so much positive feedback both here and on rennlist definitively helped me make up my mind.

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From what I can gather, pccm+ is an older cpu running android 8. In this instance you aren't getting what you pay for from porsche.

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Trust me being very new to Porsche ownership I am flabbergasted at what people are paying large sums for, £1.5k for a mediocre head unit that is not even wireless. And don't get me started on labour costs from some garages, I heard a very good joke yesterday from a well-known Sussex specialist, £189+VAT / hour of labour for normal mechanic work. Only way to stay sane is to do your research, both in terms of parts and in terms of garages.

Running the 360 cams. Front very easy Rear, not difficult Mirrors we're hardest getting through the grommet it's really thick, had to drill it. Unfortunately porsche use connectors at the junctions, so can't run a wire all the way through the grommet. Of I did it again, I would just pierce the bellow close to where it exits from the connector. My system is LOUD. Crikey, it's got some poke, now the bermester in our Mercedes sounds rubbish, so I've all of a sudden become an audiophile and I need to get some bass into that car. Going to take a while to setup the 360 cams.

Looks great - is there an app on the headunit that can use all those cameras or is it a separate app that you have to download and install?

sim996 That's quite the system install there. Any chance of a bit more info on repinning the canbus side of your install. Also what car info is now being picked up by the head unit. Thanks in advance.

I'm thinking about potentially getting some new speakers to fit along the PCCM+ clone which I'll receive next week. Problem is, I've never been one to care about sound quality in a car. Is there a set of speakers I can spend no more than £200 on that fit in the existing slots and give a noticeably better sound quality?

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The short answer is "not really" and depending on which speaker option you have in the car it can range from having to modify a few of the speaker enclosures to having to rerun wires and swap out door cards. Easiest upgrade is to swap out the dash panel speakers and rear seat speakers for a decent set of 2 ways. Copied from an earlier thread:

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Check out SCR Distribution they have complete custom fit solutions no mods no soldering upgrade kits.

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Software is on the head unit, everything works, but the cameras aren't setup yet, which I need to play about with. I've had to buy the calibration mats. But you can scroll through the cams ok. You can also set them to come on with indicators etc Front cam is routed and tested, but the front arch liner is all cracked so I've ordered a new one. Just fixing my rennsport grills too so I'll have it all back together soon. Mounted the TPMS now, so wheels can go back on. If anyone takes a wing mirror off, there's a screw that's very easy to lose, so waiting for that too, along with new trim grommets. The vehicle info is coming via the syvecs Bluetooth and app, I haven't had much time with it yet, but there is plenty of data. My Traction Control is all remapped too.

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This is the unit I bought: https://a.aliexpress.com/_EIhCIww there is a few pin outs of the various plugs, one is an 8 position canbus plug, but only comes wired for canbus at position 1 and 2. so I depinned two RCA connectors that were being used for Aux In Left and Right, and repinned to 5 and 6 for Aux Out Rear Left and Right (i left the earth in position as it was shared and the wire was long enough). This will then give control at the headunit for the rear speakers

Hi sim996 i've reread your earlier post prior to having a look. You mentioned changes previously done, Will the pin changes work with the standard Bose install of the Aliexpress clone.

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No idea about bose. I have a bose car, but it's all been ripped out. Crossovers are next to the spare wheel, there seems to be a fair few original wires there.

Minor update on my progress: There's now a series of videos from Rennvision on the setup and installation of these: This helps with wiring issues, some of which members here have encountered (e.g. ILL wire, blue AMP cable etc.) I had also not ordered a cage for the unit, I've now gone ahead and bought this: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/17298720...teid=0&campid=&customid=&toolid=10001&mkevt=1 . There's two sellers selling the same black metal cage in 103mm with two pairs of shims and some screws. Hoping this will provide enough flexibility in terms of positioning to get the unit flush, snug, and hopefully avoid the "lip" between the HU and the cup holders. I've measured the height of the unit and it is exactly 100mm, 103mm should be OK but I wouldn't get the 110mm cages.

After an afternoon and evening with lots of swearing, I've dremeled out the fascia so the cage fits, but more interestingly ripped out: i) about 30ft of random cables left in by previous lazy installers. ii) an archaic Pioneer CD bluetooth unit hidden to the left of the glovebox. iii) a tracker from 20 or so years ago sat right next to the Hi-Fi amplifier and was probably draining the battery. I also managed the AC relocation, I found it very easy despite some people struggling with routing the cables. If it helps anyone, you can try unscrewing the Ac vent in the middle (two phillips, one on each side) and dropping the glovebox (it is actually very easy, 7 easy screws). I'm trying to fit the GPS antenna in the oem location, there was a grey metal plate in front of the alarm, is that removable? I couldn't see a way to remove it so the antenna sits more recessed and there's space to route the wire. If I were to redo the fascia trimming, I'd use a junior hacksaw or even better tin snips. Too messy with a dremel.

I have a 2000 996.1 with the PCM 1 double din head unit and sat nav. Don't have BOSE (no door speakers) and no amp in the front by the spare, so assume i don't have the MOST setup either, but do have the CDC-3 changer. So my massive assu option is that it 'should' be straight forward to fit a double din headunit as I would like to fit a reversing camera and more modern connectivjty. But before I start ordering stuff, I would welcome some confirmation from others that I am looking at the right kit. For the headunit, its a generic Chinese thing like this: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/36564881...teid=0&campid=&customid=&toolid=10001&mkevt=1 QcHN9JeFGXVsVfaMrmxVqujGbJ874%2F52NjkkNpDC6AsosA717fxhHBvyDBsHOosNERTYUmqrLMoWXVD%2FT6%2Ff3R4HAbQfI2cexA43tcu4bpDlIItTvG4tqfWh%2Bs%2B%2FjXHemu77tbCxY3BctOFFGhazTkLnQM%2BlQ8jY4%2F6q5bRxxOXyM3nOBsNjLuDSyNDi7GXW9oTaKEjtaa6S9iJYoaHUwJL2CNm75Xj21W7pX2aPfdZgKH1nW8%3D%7Ctkp%3ABk9SR9LS067tZQ I think i also need a cage to hold it in place and a fasica? This seems to do the job https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/17111862...teid=0&campid=&customid=&toolid=10001&mkevt=1 Am I missing anything? I'd like to avoid having it in pieces to find I'm missing a vital part Thanks in advance for any guidance and tips you can provide

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No, you need a PCCM+ clone from AliExpress, one seller often mentioned is Sadocom. There are multiple options, with the most important being the processor and the RAM. You don't need a fascia, but you do need either a cage or the 3D printed rails that have been posted here and on rennlist. 0% reason to pay Porsche tax on a generic double din cage, I bought the exact same one you linked for 1/3 the price.

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yep I hv exactly the same one for a year now , the connection in the morning was unstable but after connecting to the wifi and possibly an auto upgrade, the only thing is the installation could only cater for the front 4 speakers, rear has no sound. any solution for this ?

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Mine says AUDIO OFF too Wortl

Ive recently fitted the unit and getting used yo it. Anyone fitted the headunit and still use the rear parking sensors? I'm getting no beeps. I assumed it would automatically run through the canbus.

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not being able to have this through Canbus was an issue on earlier models, unless they never had this or there is another way ?

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After staring at the head unit in my home office for nearly two months, I'm happy to share I completed the installation two days ago. The main roadblock was placing the GPS antenna in the OEM location, because my OCD would not let me put it elsewhere, like below the front cowl. To go down this painful road: 1. Remove A-pillar trim (takes 5 minutes) from left side. 2. Carefully but firmly start pulling the left windscreen vent trim. 3. Pop off alarm cover 4. Undo the two recessed T20 on the side facing the cabin. 5. Lift up the vent trim and you should be able to remove the plastic piece with the metal plate where the GPS antenna is to be mounted. All the above is necessary to be able to route the antenna cable towards the front, inside the slot that's built into the plate, and under it. 6. Maybe does not apply to every GPS antenna, but mine was smaller than the width of the plate, I stupidly aligned it on the left edge and afterwards realised I should have centered it so the alarm cover can be clipped down tighter (because it has an edge bevel). 7. To reinstall is a PITA, the plate base has two teeth at the back and a tab on the right. Just because you can screw in the screws does not mean it's positioned right. To get the vent trim to clip back into place force is required, perhaps even tapping with a rubber mallet wrapped in microfiber. But hey at least the audio volume sounds right from the get go! Next step, tinkering with the FYT head unit software and making custom boot animations.

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Couldn't you just reuse it? Works fine on mine. I reused as many original items as i could, including double destiny aerial and the appropriate converter plugs as required.

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My car was not specced with a PCCM and the previous head unit I ripped out had the GPS antenna mounted in a hideous location on top of the dashboard by the passenger's side A pillar. I also read somewhere it can be tricky reusing GPS antennas because while looking like the same the internal chip might be different/incompatible.

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Good to know, when i get back I'll thoroughly check the signals. My DBA antenna had a sticky back so I stuck it to the metal part of the dash by the speaker. So long as they are out of sight.

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I put the 4G antenna there, it's an excellent spot. It's under the metal of the dash however so not sure if the GPS would receive a good signal (GPS signal comes straight from the sky, radio/4G signals come at an angle and bounce off myriads of things so not a problem for those).

A couple of important problems with this unit: - SIM dongle does not work. SIM is stuck showing as empty. Using the SIM slot on the device PCB is infeasible. On checking pinout continuity, there's two wires on the connector end connecting to the same SIM pin, while one SIM pin is not connected to anything. I've ordered a new 20 pin SIM+RCA connector from Amazon to see if this fixes it. - There's speaker buzz (ground loop noise) when I turn the light switch on. I removed the ILL wire so not an issue there, it's somehow a bad ground somewhere, and it's certainly the HU (noise goes away if it's disconnected from the amp). Anyone faced anything similar? A bit miffed as I had to take everything out of the dash to investigate

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Bumping this up - I still need the above harness. If anyone has one going spare, I'd happily buy it from you!

Got this one of its any use. You can depin and repin quite easily.

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Thanks, I think may have found the actual one I need but I'll let you know if not.

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SIM dongle is fine, have continuity all the way to the PCB pins and unit doesn't recognise a card in slot 1 either. So annoying! I'll flash a different OS in an attempt to fix it (the one it ships with leaves a lot to be desired anyway). To save anyone reading this in future some time reading the XDA forum, valid and maintained options at the time of writing are: - Dudu OS - PeaceOS Ideally I want to end up with a unit: - with a launcher that fits the style and age of the car (nothing too colourful or looking like a £50 android phone from 2015) - Porscha font system-wide - Custom boot logo and animation - Responsive OS

Anyone had any luck updating the loading screen, icon styles and screen layouts on their head unit? I've managed to change the background images to a more Porsche focussed one, but it still boots up with a big "Android" logo (which I think can be changed), the button surrounds are coloured against my new black background and their are shortcuts (Nav, music) on the home screen that I want to delete, but don't seem to be able to? Going to try to do it following this video: Using this logo file in the compressed folder called "PORSCHE800" (this site wouldn't allow me to upload just the single bmp file, so had to upload a compressed folder with all logos in)...

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Loading screen -> easy to do, my Sadocom shipped with a Porsche crest boot logo, however. Boot animation -> you can do it a couple of ways, most hassle-free is to go to XDA and find the lsecxx file for your chipset so you can flash the animation. To create the animation you can make a gif out of the mp4 and then use https://boot-animation-factory.en.lo4d.com/windows to make the zip. Other option is to root the unit then install a magisk module that directly makes a bootanimation out of an mp4 file. Home screen -> You can try a different launcher like Nova and different icon packs. If you root the unit you can do more of course but it's a bit more involved. I'm still playing around with it, I'll upload some pictures here once I'm happy with the final result

Anyone actually flashed their unit with an edited config file? Essentially I want to get a Torque OBD2 reader and Racebox GPS timing device working with my (FYT 8581) head unit over bluetooth, but these head units have the Bluetooth restricted as standard. I understand a possible solution is as follows: " Q28: Bluetooth: Connect other devices and issues with that. Differences between "uis7862/uis8581 and newer US7862 S . (credits to @gordgelin) The "older" T'eyes CC3, Joyings and Mekedes come with an internal BT chip and an RealTek Bluetooth chip. In the config.txt they are respectively mentioned as sys.fyt.bluetooth_type=0 and sys.fyt.bluetooth_type=1, where sys.fyt.bluetooth_type=1 is always the default. value 0 gives you more possibilities, but perhaps at the cost of fewer "higher"BLE functions. The new uis7862S models come with a Qualcomm BT chip and have the sys.fyt.bluetooth_type=7 inside the config.txt. You can change this to 0 to connect more peripherals, but loose audio HD streaming." So essentially edit config file from "...type=1" to "...type=0". Seems simple enough, but how do you actually do it?!

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I don't know if that will do what you want it to do, it might force the unit to use the internal BT chip which is likely crap. Did you already try to pair to the OBD2 and couldn't or are you going by what you read on xda forums? To flash the config, first take a backup using the backup script from XDA. This will give you a number of files including the config.txt . Modify the bluetooth type line inside it and put it along with the allappupdate.bin and a lsecxxx update file on a usb stick. If you need a new-ish lsec update file (you'll know if you get a relevant error with an older one) you can get one from the latest DuduOS release (just the lsec update file). If you've customised the unit to your liking remove twipe_all from the txt file to prevent factory reset. Then you insert the usb stick and it will automatically flash the firmware. Take another backup after to confirm the bluetooth type actually changed. If it didn't you will need to flash the entire kernel not just the firmware.

Great, thanks. Yes, I have tried to connect them. Racebox works perfectly with my phone and the app installed perfectly on the head unit. However whenever I try to connect the Racebox to the head unit it tells me to give the app bluetooth permissions, which the head unit doesn't allow me to do (no option within settings -> permissions for bluetooth). Tried to connect the head unit to the racebox via a bluetooth app and it won't even find the racebox. As I understand it, the head unit manufacturer deliberately limits which hardware the additional bluetooth chip can connect to, going back to the standard android bluetooth chip can allow you to connect to more peripherals.

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Actually, you might not even need the allappupdate.bin, just the lsecupdate file (this specifies that the usb stick contains something flashable) and the config.txt. But you still should take a backup as it's very likely something goes wrong eventually and you have to reset if you start modding the firmware. I've had to do it a number of times

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Hi @JKD27 Where and how do you access the hidden menu ? Nothing to do with Factory Settings menu ? Kind regards

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Did you ever work this problem out!? Mine is installed and works fine until you start driving, then randomly switches sound off (unit still working fine) just no sound until you stop moving, then after about 5 seconds the sound comes back on

Has anyone fitted one of the Chinese units to a 997.2 with Bose? I know it needs a fibre optic box, the Chinese sellers state that on cars with Bose even with the box only the front speakers will work.

Hi all, Newbie question: Ali Express head units - is there a goto brand or seller, for example Sadocom, Owtosin? Sadocom seem to have sold the most, though I'd expect it to be in 1000's opposed to a couple of hundred. It's for an '03 996 to replace what I believe is a PCM 2 (early nav with CD). Any links greatly appreciated, must have wireless CarPlay. Thanks, Lee.

@Lee969 topic merged, based on previous user experiences

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Hi Lee, I have a Sadocom unit which I’m still having issues with, specifically around Apple CarPlay connectivity, which requires me to reboot it every 1-2 drives. I therefore wouldn’t recommend it, I’d l go with a Owtosin unit next time.

Hi Lee, I have a Sadocom unit. 7862 chip w/ 12gb ram and 256gb internal storage. Works a treat in my 02 cab. Install was plug and play-no need to modify car harness. Wireless Android auto or Apple carplay. I bought the pccm+ facia for $80usd although the 1 din is easily modified. Also used a generic 2xdin cage. Altogether, cost was about $525usd and easily worth it.

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Great feedback, thank you!

I'm finding my unit sometimes needs telling to search for phone connectivity, no biggy but still. Any one found a way to get temperature to display correctly or not show at all?

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I'm installing one of the 7870 AliExpress units in my 996, currently have a heater controls and single din Pioneer (wired directly, no most). I know I have to modify the opening to get rid of the single din divider but do I still need the double din cage in my case? Or is there a 996 3d printed rail I can print instead?

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Really like your home screen setup Willie - how did you get it on there?

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The pics with nav map split screen are android auto. The other is the Agama ui available at Google play store. Both have +/-. Android auto is easist but less customizable.

Hello I have installed one of these into my 996.2 and functionally it’s great. But I bought a universal double din cage for it and it doesn’t really work. The head unit is loose and will try and escape at the bottom over time. Does anyone have recommendations to get it to fit probably in the dash ?

Sorry to ask such a basic question but do these fit flush in an early 996 with no cupholder underneath the top vents? If so, is it a straight fit or do I need any fettling? Sorry to be a luddite, AliExpress seems to list them as 2002 onwards.

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I think they may fit better in a .1 but will let others chime in. On my .2 there is a small 2-3mm lip where the Sadocom unit sticks out beyond the bottom of the cupholder, so perhaps the casing was actually designed to fit the .1 but 'also fits' the .2

Hello Porsche enthusiasts, I would like to fit a PCCM+ clone in my 2003 Boxster and have a few questions: Which unit should I choose – the one with 4/64 GB of storage or the one with 6/128 GB? Which processor is recommendet? I would like to use Android navigation, the phone and DAB+ radio; I don’t need a camera or TV. Which supplier would you recommend? Are there any differences between the devices? Many thanks for your help. Claus-Peter from Bavaria

Even though I don't care about multimedia in a flat 6 boxer, my wife does, and you know how it is gents.. so, I don't see myself spending 1.900 EUR for a new PCM 2 from Porsche, and I found (I hope) a decent replacement - Carplay Android 14 Car Multimedia Player 12GB GPS Navigation Bluetooth Radio For Porsche 911 996 986 Boxster Carrera 1998-2006 - https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005009365473456.html?channel=twinner Does anyone has experience with them? I am looking at the 8581 4GB 64GB Bose model. Thank you for all the advices. Cheers!

@zriha and @Hobiell added to the main aliexpress thread, they all work as intended, higher spec the better

Thank you so much @911UK !

Evening folks, my Ali express one just arrived. I have removed the pccm2 from my 2003 996.2. And I have a couple of questions. It came with 2 harnesses - one has a can bus decoder and one not. Which one did you use? Also the non canbus one has a long red cable. I presume I run this to the cigarette lighter? It Boeing look like it's going to stay in there well? What did you do to keep it in the dash? Thanks, Simon

Bit of an update. I got the unit working last night - I had to de pin one of the connections so that the unit got power when the ignition is on. My car does not have BOSE but it does have a fibre optic connection (two orange wires) so I presume I might need the MOST fibre optic adaptor box? I currently have no sound... It's got something in the frunk (amplifier I presume) that has been messed about with in the past as there are lots of cables present (they appear to run behind the rear seats so I am presuming it had a sub woofer back there once?

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You need a din cage for it to fit properly Long red cable is for backup camera Harness depends on fibre optic presence or not

Thanks Dovoda, I think I need a MOST fibre optic cable to make the sound work properly. I have ordered a cage - just trying to understand exactly what converter box I need. I have the unit working on both harnesses now after a bit of de pinning so will stick with the can bus Harness. Nothing is ever straight forward.

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Hi, I had a Kenwood professionally installed recently, I did not go the Ali way, though had done with my GTS Pan. I have the same set up, no Bose but Amp in frunk and x10 speakers. this is what he installed to make everything work and sound etc, you lose fade though. https://incartec.co.uk/product/MOST...IhYB0b7XQ70iaKq0NH9Eq_Aikr-idw5SXnMO4loJc7ke9

Have you seen this? should answer most questions. For non optic cars there is no depinning required, if anything you can add a pin to have the LEDs come on when turning on the lights. Just a theory but the sound issue could be the blue amp trigger

Thanks both, I've ordered the separate decoder for the audio. See how it goes when it arrives.