brentil

In this thread you can find the current details I’ve been able to collect about the Bosch NG HMI (Next Generation Human Machine Interface) used in the MY14 & MY15 with the HMI 2.0 along with the MY16 with the HMI 2.5 devices.

• HMI versions and specification.
• Firmware versions and specifications.

Primary resources of information.

• FCC ID Search (Bosch = YBN) – https://apps.fcc.gov/oetcf/eas/repor...ericSearch.cfm
• HIS Teardown of HMI 1.1 - http://electronics360.globalspec.com...1-hmi-teardown
• Bosch OSS (Open Source Software) - http://oss.bosch-cm.com/gm.html

With any device deep dive the FCC documents are typically a treasure trove of internal device images. Unfortunately the older devices (HMI 1.0, 1.1, & 2.0) have fairly low resolution images so it’s hard to tell specifics of parts on some items. Luckily the HIS Teardown of the HMI 1.1 sheds light on every single chip inside of it which can be compared to the 1.0 & 2.0 designs to see what’s changed or not. Having done other device deep dives you quickly learn that any software project that uses Open Source Software and makes modifications to those components are required to post them publicly. I found the Bosch OSS section specific to GM and started downloading their packages. Amazingly this page also lists the firmware versions by model year making it very easy to link them to the correct HMI version and compare them to what’s installed on our cars.

From comparing the source files I was able to find that the MY16 & MY17 firmware made significant jumps forward in terms of actual Linux kernels going from a rather old 2.6.34 to a much more modern 3.8.13 for the MY16 firmware which got me digging into what had changed to need the software update. As seen in the specifications below the HMI 2.0 device was based off of a rather lethargic/archaic/aged set of hardware designed “to the specifics” but as we all know ran like junk. The newer HMI 2.5 however updates nearly all the components of the system bringing it in line with modern cell phones in terms of processing power.

Reviewing the HMI 2.0 specifications there’s no wonder GM decided to remove the original decision they had made to allow external application development and also internal app development. The system was likely already stressed running the basics as is. I had actually signed up for one of those accounts when they announced it but we all know how that went…

• CPU – The system went from a circa 2002 CPU running at 400MHz (Renesas uPD35003-LN6) to a very modern ARM Cortex-A9 running at 800MHz (Freescale/NXP i.MX6DL). The Cortex-A9 is the same architecture as used in the Samsung Galaxy S3 and Note 2 and Apple iPhone 4S and iPad 3rd Gen devices. This will provide a much more responsive experience as well as providing more power for future revisions.
• Memory – The new system now uses 4 individual 2 GB DDR3 memory chips where the old system used a single 4 GB DDR3 memory chip resulting in twice as much space and 6x as much bandwidth. While the newer memory chips are being run at a slower speed by the i.MX6DL CPU (800MHz versus the Renesas at 1066MHz) the data bus is now 64bits wide instead of a single 8bit bus of the older system allowing 6x data transition per transfer cycle.
• Bluetooth/WiFi – Between our HMI 2.0 and 2.5 versions nothing new has changed but of note both modules support WiFi, WiFi direct, and Soft APs. This means they are physically capable of doing direct communications between the phone and radio without the need of the USB cable. However, both Apple and Google do not support that yet with Apple Car Play/Android Auto.
• GPS – I wasn’t able to find the specifications of the HMI 2.0 MAX2769 regarding channels. However since the chip is from 2006/2007 it’s very likely to be 12 or fewer channels. While you only need 4 satellites for a 3D fix if you ever lose one of them you lose the fix. The newer system has 32 channels split across the various technologies which 12 of them alone will typically be for USA used GPS technology (the way the tech works there are 24 satellites but you can only ever see 12 at any given time since the other 12 are on the other side of the earth from you). This means it can simultaneously lock and read the data from all 12 satellites you can see making 3D fix faster and more resilient. Also if you drive into an urban area where buildings block from various directions it will be more resilient as well.

Revisions

1. 2015.12.28 – Initial Release

brentil

HMI 1.0

• FCC Details - https://apps.fcc.gov/oetcf/eas/repor...id=YBN-NG10HMI
• CPU – FCC documents unclear but appears identical in design to HMI 1.1
• Memory – FCC documents unclear but appears identical in design to HMI 1.1
• Storage – FCC documents unclear but appears identical in design to HMI 1.1
• BT – v2.1 (CSR ????) [3 Mbps]
• WiFi – 802.11 b/g/n (CSR 6026)
• GPS – FCC documents unclear but appears identical in design to HMI 1.1
• Vehicles – Only used in first generation Cadillac XTS, ATS, SRX
• Firmware - SW 12.2Sxxx
• Notes – WiFi was not tested in FCC validation but hardware exists

HMI 1.1

• FCC Details - https://apps.fcc.gov/oetcf/eas/repor...id=YBN-NG11HMI
• Teardown Article - http://electronics360.globalspec.com...1-hmi-teardown
• CPU – Tri-Core 400 MHz ARM11 (Renesas uPD35003-LN6) [ARMv6 circa 2002]
• Memory – 1 x 4 GB DDR3-1333 (MT41J512M8RA-15E) [Runs at 1066 MHz with a 8bit bus = 1,064 MB/s]
• Storage – 32 GB Flash (Micron N2M400JDB341A)
• BT – v3.0 (CSR BC63B239A05) [24 Mbps]
• WiFi –802.11 b/g/n (CSR 6026)
• GPS – 6~12 Channels (Maxim MAX2769 circa 2006)
• Vehicles – MY13 Cadillac XTS, ATS, SRX and Chevy Impala
• Firmware - SW 12.5Exxx
• Notes – WiFi was tested in this FCC testing

HMI 2.0

• FCC Details - https://apps.fcc.gov/oetcf/eas/repor...id=YBN-NG20HMI
• CPU – FCC documents unclear but appears identical in design to HMI 1.1
• Memory – FCC documents unclear but appears identical in design to HMI 1.1
• Storage – FCC documents unclear but appears identical in design to HMI 1.1
• BT – v4.1 (CSR 8311) [24 Mbps]
• WiFi –802.11 b/g/n (CSR 6031) [adds Wi-Fi Direct & AP]
• GPS – FCC documents unclear but appears identical in design to HMI 1.1
• Vehicles – Any MY14 & MY15 GM car with 7” or 8” screens
• Corvette Firmware
  • MY14 - SW 12.6N185 (latest as of 2015.12.28) [Linux kernel 2.6.34 from 2010]
  • MY15 - SW 14.0F105 (latest as of 2015.12.28) [Linux kernel 2.6.34 from 2010]
• Notes – WiFi tested by FCC and has the ability to do WiFi Direct & AP which would allow users to tether their phone via WiFi or do device mirroring wirelessly.

HMI 2.5

• FCC Details - https://apps.fcc.gov/oetcf/eas/repor...id=YBN-NG25HMI
• CPU – Dual-Core 800 MHz ARM Cortex-A9 (Freescale/NXP i.MX6DL) [ARMv7-A circa 2012]
• Memory – 4 x 2 GB DDR3-1600 MHz (Micron MT41K128M16JT-125 AIT) [runs at 800 MHz with a 64bit bus = 6,400 MB/s]
• Storage – ???? (Micron flash but markings are not clear)
• BT – v4.1 (CSR 8311) [24 Mbps]
• WiFi –802.11 b/g/n (CSR 6030) [adds Wi-Fi Direct]
• GPS – 32 channel (ST STA8088GA) [Faster 1st lock and better urban signal]
• Vehicles – MY16 Corvette
• Corvette Firmware
  • MY16 - SW 15.1A052 (latest as of 2015.12.28) [Linux kernel 3.8.13 from 2013]
  • MY17 - SW 15.1B005 (latest as of 2015.12.28) [Linux kernel 3.14.51 from Aug 2015]
• Notes – This version is a drastic change of the design layout moving to a modern ARM based core design. The Cortex-A9 is equivalent design wise to the Samsung Exynos 4 (Galaxy S3 and Note 2) or Apple A5/A5x (iPhone 4S and iPad 3rd Gen) found in smartphones.
• Notes - WiFi tested by FCC and has the ability to do WiFi Direct & AP which would allow users to tether their phone via WiFi or do device mirroring wirelessly.

Revisions

• 2015.12.28 - Initial Posting

brentil

• MY14
  • SW 12.6N185 (latest as of 2015.12.28) [Linux kernel 2.6.34 from 2010]
  • SW 12.6N155
  • SW 12.6N146.3
  • SW 12.6N106 to 12.6N109
  • SW 12.6N096 to 12.6N098
  • SW 12.6N057.2
• MY15
  • SW 14.0F105 (latest as of 2015.12.28) [Linux kernel 2.6.34 from 2010]
  • SW 14.1F013
• MY16
  • SW 15.2B033 (latest as of 2016.03.29) [Linux kernel 3.14.51 from Aug 2015]
  • SW 15.1A052 [Linux kernel 3.8.13 from 2013]
  • SW 15.1A044
  • SW 15.1A025
• MY17
  • SW 16.4B012 (latest as of 2017.08.09)
  • SW 16.3B020
  • SW 16.2B018.3.2
  • SW 16.2B018.3
  • SW 16.1B027
  • SW 15.1B005 [Linux kernel 3.14.51 from Aug 2015]
• MY18
  • SW 17.1B012 (latest as of 2017.08.09)

Revisions

• 2015.12.28 - Initial Posting
• 2016.03.29 - New MY16 firmware SW 15.2B033
• 2016.04.19 - New MY17 firmware SW 16.1B027 and MY16 SW 15.2B033 details
• 2016.08.23 - New MY17 firmware SW 16.2B018.3 details
• 2017.02.20 - New MY17 firmware SW 16.3B020 and 16.2B018.3.2 details
• 2017.08.09 - New MY18 firmware SW 17.1B012 & new MY17 firmware SW 16.4B012

Note - Some of these revisions may be for other GM vehicles but from what others have posted and I've seen of my own radio a bunch of these do apply to our revisions.

You can get the Firmware/Software (SW) version of your system by pressing the POWER+HOME+MENU buttons at the same time while in accessory mode or the car is running. You don't have to hold them for long, just pushing them all at once and letting go will trigger the menu.





POWER+HOME+MENU then loading the HMI page shows the current SW version of your system. As seen above highlighted from my car it shows it's running 12.6N185.

Rooster OG

That's an awesome amount of information, thanks for doing all the work! As the average Joe Corvette user, there isn't anything I can do with it, but it's nice to know my 2016 is at least sporting fairly modern architecture.

wingrunr21

This is great information!

Have you seen any information/specifications for the various connectors? I've figured out what most of the connectors actually do but no real details on pin outs/voltages/etc.

brentil

For that information you'll need to either tap each line and monitor what they do or find the reference documents for the chipset driving that feature. The chipsets should all follow standard protocols for the devices sourced.

wingrunr21

Found the pin outs in the service manuals. Have to continue researching as some of the pins are just "serial data". But yes, probably have to hook a scope up to monitor them.

brentil

Of note there is now a new MY16 firmware SW 15.2B033 which appears to share a version # similar to the MY17 B code but also is a version # bump to 15.2 from 15.1.

Previous MY16 Version = SW 15.1A052
New MY16 version = SW 15.2B033

I'm downloading the source code to look for changes.

jfinkow

This may be the android auto update (new inclusion) that I've read about. The very latest firmware should have Android auto and Apple carplay. Thank you for all your postings and info!

brentil

I've got the source code on my machine now but got stuck in conferences all week so I'll get a chance to dig into it at the end of the week. Unfortunately those parts are typically not in the OSS dumps but there sometimes are release notes or includes that hint at things.

QKSLVRZ

Well done Brent!
My C6 Nav system stinks, hoping that with the new system in the C7 they made improvements.
Linux OSS core, though the 800Mhz Arm might be slower than the 900 Mhz Arm processor in my Raspberry Pi 2B, it does support more memory
I need to see if it has my street in it (my C6 doesn't).

wingrunr21

Looking forward to what you find out.

brentil

Two new items added to the information at the top.

• New - MY17 SW 16.1B027
  • It appears a new major version has been released for MY17 hardware in the form of the SW 16.x branch. I'm downloading it now to see what changes are in the OSS code.

• Details - MY16 SW 15.2B033
  • Comparing the code from the older MY16 15.1 to the newer 15.2 versions I see they've updated it to be what the MY17 was before this new 16.x drop. Not a lot I can gleam from the source but the kernel has gone from Linux kernel 3.8.13 from 2013 to 3.14.51 from 2015. While none of the Android code was present there were references now in the OSS license document to being compliant with Android BOOT & SYSTEM code which would likely indicate Android Auto support is built in or coming.

brentil

I finally got a chance to review the new MY17 SW 16.1B027 code drop.

While it has a major number change from 15.x to 16.x the kernel source is nearly identical. There may be changes not in the OSS that are major but not at the base level. In terms of what's in the OSS this is primarily a bug fix release. It's primarily all hotfix code from Freescale for the CPU related to USB access. It appears the previous release had issues communicating with certain USB devices.

corvettesteve77

The released source code does definitely not look "buildable" to me. I.e. it can't be downloaded, compiled, and installed on an HMI module (basically making it mostly worthless, at the moment)

Has anyone had any luck talking to an HMI module outside of the car? Does anybody have the pinout of the connectors? Found a serial console? Or is there some sort of console over CAN?

Maybe read the filesystem off the device? Figured out the format of the files on USB for an update? Does anyone have an update USB stick that we could analyze?

brentil

• New - MY17 SW 16.2B018.3
  • Two new updates since my last check. SW 16.2B018 & SW 16.2B018.3
  • Appears to be a minor version update from 16.1 to 16.2 software versions
  • Linux Kernel is the same identical version as the previous 15.1B005 & 16.1B027 releases
  • Bluetooth bugfixes
  • Video capture bugfixes
  • A new GM device with 2 GB of memory versus 1 GB now

Since this is just the OSS code nothing is contained here about the application specific changes to the GM interface running on top of this.

X25

I already have a MY16 unit, which should have the upgraded hardware; is there a way to upgrade firmware ourselves?

brentil

From everything that's been said firmware is keyed to the VIN of your car so unless you have the tool that can do that then very likely no. There's also no publicly available source to download the firmware from too.

geniom

you can explain what is the pin and how is possible to connect to this?
Thanks

geniom

Hi, my name is Mauro and i come from Italy.
In europe and italy i'm an expert in car Opel/Vauxhall and i have maked some change in my car and in car of other user of italian and european forum.
mow i trie to modify my HMI my15 in corvette hmi,
i have programmed and work but continuosly reboot and ask the firmware from USB.
i have USB for hmi european but not for the hmi USA.


Can you help me to find where i can download the correct FW MY15 - SW 14.0F105 (latest as of 2015.12.28) [Linux kernel 2.6.34 from 2010]
with navigation.


Thanks


Mauro