Found a useful site here: Global Panel Exchange Center - Panelook.com which lets you search by different parameters and lists the available LCD panels that meet those criteria.

This search:
7.0 inch LCD Panel List (23 models) - Panelook.com
shows all the 7 inch 1280x800 panels along with case dimensions and active areas - we can see that none of the panels seem like they'll fit. So perhaps your idea of replacing the existing touch controller with a membrane and matrix emulator is the only way to make this high resolution screen fit.

The 800x480 panels look more viable as a simpler swap with the existing panel, which would still be an improvement on the OEM screen. Perhaps this resolution would be adequate taking into account viewing distance from the screen anyway. I think I will do some experiments!

EDIT: Found this IPS panel which is 1024x600 here http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/HDMI-VGA-2...MAAOSwo6lWLtZV which according to the spec on Panelook here: http://www.panelook.com/modeldetail.php?id=11979 looks like it would fit?!


Ben

 

Hi Venelin, I've done a bit of experimentation myself now with the concept of swapping the LCD panel out (and have a thread over on our UK Forums here: Hacking the Jaguar touchscreen head unit for the XJ X350, S-Type and X-Type).

Thanks again for the info on the firmware modification to the video driver board, I shall be uploading your firmware onto my board!

Anyway I was thinking a little further ahead about the audio side of such an upgrade, for example if a Raspberry PI or Android system is used to send a video feed to the LCD panel then audio is also going to be required, either for navigation apps or media playback such as Spotify etc.

Obviously I'm aware of your excellent D2B Bluetooth streaming module that emulates the CD changer - I was wondering if a variant of this could be possible that works in a similar way to the audio feed from the OEM nav system rather than the CD changer? By this I mean the way that the OEM nav can interrupt whatever is currently playing through the audio system, and thus allow the external Android system etc to give audible navigation instructions without having the audio input to be constantly selected?

What do you think?!

Ben

 

Hi Ben,

Great thread. I can contribute some of my findings. I don't have a screen with TV, so it would be good to compare pictures.

There are 3 main bards in the assembly. Power - on the bottom. An interface board with the main CPU and the LCD controller board with the high voltage converter for the CCFL backlight. I was thinking of replacing the LCD controller board together with the screen.

On the CPU board there is a video "on screen display" chip and a video switch. I suspect the OSD chip is what generates the display diagnostic signals. The ODC ship has a video switch build-in and the switch in the board divert the signal from the nav; the diagnostic signal or the signal from the TV tuner to the LCD controller board. I had the pins for the video on the LCD connector, but it seems I have lost them.

On the LCD controlled board there is a IC from Sharp which has another video switch. I'm not sure if that one is used. Maybe it is for the TV if the TV signal is not RGBS.

The power to the LCD controller comes from the 2 pin red and black connector in the middle, not from the flat cable. The power is switched on/off from the CPU controller.

On the touch controller board the one with the LED array, there are two 5 pin flat cable connectors. The one on the right is power the pins from left to right are (GND, GND, 8V, 12V, 5V). The connector on the right is for data communication (Reset, Clock, Receive-Data, Send-Data, Interrupt).

 

Thanks Venelin any extra info is very helpful, thanks for this. I'll take some additional photos including the TV/Teletext boards and post them in my thread, it sounds like this is an extra board that isn't on the units without TV, as I have one horizontally mounted board (the power board from your info), and 3 vertically mounted boards giving me 4 boards (plus the teletext board).

If the board closest to the LCD is just the LCD controller board then hopefully this can be dispensed with altogether which would give space to mount the replacement video driver board neatly inside the enclosure.


I've ordered one of the PCB800099 controllers that you've used - had a brief look at your github project but not yet tried to run the software. Am I right in thinking that I need one of these: EZ-USB FX2LP CY7C68013A USB Development Core Board Logic Analyzer EEPROM #1181 | eBay to interface my programming PC to the video driver, then using your tool I can load your modified firmware on to the board? Do you have a link to the firmware that I might download?

Many thanks,
Ben

 

That gizmo is the one I use. The programming protocol is i2c, so you can use anything else with a little adaptation.

The RTD2662 uses the same pins for i2c and serial communication. I have a little USB rs 232 adapter I use for debugging the firmware.

 

Thanks, I shall get one so that I can program my board. I've added some pictures of the TV board of the head unit on my thread too if you'd like to see it.

Thanks,
Ben

 

Any updates on this?