Nanocom Evo 2 has landed

[PaulP38a]

Got home today to be greeted by a shiny black box from Cyprus containing a new Nanocom Evo 2 and a programmer to upgrade the Nanocom 1.
http://hardrange.com/gallery1/d/1238-2/IMG-20110718-00012.jpg


Impressed at the smaller size of the unit compared to the Evo and much nicer finish.
http://hardrange.com/gallery1/d/1253-2/IMG-20110718-00018.jpg
http://hardrange.com/gallery1/d/1256-2/IMG-20110718-00019.jpg

More impressed at the extra items in Discovery II menu.
http://hardrange.com/gallery1/d/1266-1/IMG-20110718-00024.jpg
http://hardrange.com/gallery1/d/1268-1/IMG-20110718-00025.jpg


Motronic = V8
Auto Gearbox
Airbag


Navigating the menus feels a bit faster on the Evo 2 and the touch screen is more responsive.

Now to get my activation codes and find a Disco II to test it out on... anyone in/near Canberra is welcome to come over and have a play.

So why did I buy it? I have it on good authority that the P38 Rangie version is not far away :cool:


Cheers
Paul.

[999]

Looks good, wonder when they will release the upgrade software for the Evo v.1.

[LOVEMYRANGIE]

Hmmm, there might be an Evo1 in the Markets section soon....

Looks like it might actually fit somewhere now!


Using Capitals, the difference between helping your Uncle Jack off a horse or helping your uncle jack off a horse...

[PaulP38a]

Using Capitals, the difference between helping your Uncle Jack off a horse or helping your uncle jack off a horse...

had to re-read my post a couple of times to make sure there were no references to Jacks or horses :p

We P38 owners are a little disadvantaged when it comes to spare dash space compared to our Disco and Defender brothers, however I think I found a good spot for mounting the Evo 2 when the P38 module is available. I may even upgrade the mounting hardware to something more durable than orange blu-tack ;)
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/

It measures approx 110 x 85 x 20mm and weighs less than 200g without cables.

Cheers, Paul.

[BBS Guy]

Hiya Paul

Well that certainly let the cat out of the Bag ;)

I promised that the wait would be well worth it and i guess now everyone can see for themselves, i was not fibbing :)

After what seems like forever, We are indeed just about starting shipping the first of these revised hardware Evolutions to the many waiting customers in a first come first served fashion.


Navigating the menus feels a bit faster on the Evo 2 and the touch screen is more responsive.

Well noticed, yes it is indeed also faster and more responsive, it should also handle SD cards better and support SDHC ones too.
But this is not due to any hardware change, it's due to a huge amount of software improvements that have also been made along with adding coverage of the three extra systems.

The same BBSV1.0 software update will be freely released to existing Evolution owners very soon.

Regards in vehicle mounting (carefully not capitalized Mounting there :eek:)
I noted that many like to mount these in their vehicles, so although there is a large flat rear surface ideal for self adhesive Velcro, i especially designed in a 3 mm wide groove in the curved top and bottom surfaces so that clip in style brackets could easily be fabricated :cool:

[Xtreme]

Looks good. I like the reduced size and the mounting options.

Are all the cable sockets and SD slot on the one end and do we have a price yet?

Maybe another group buy once all the backorders have been satisfied?

[LOVEMYRANGIE]

had to re-read my post a couple of times to make sure there were no references to Jacks or horses :p

We P38 owners are a little disadvantaged when it comes to spare dash space compared to our Disco and Defender brothers, however I think I found a good spot for mounting the Evo 2 when the P38 module is available. I may even upgrade the mounting hardware to something more durable than orange blu-tack ;)
http://hardrange.com/gallery1/d/1272-2/IMG-20110719-00026.jpg

It measures approx 110 x 85 x 20mm and weighs less than 200g without cables.

Cheers, Paul.

What about in the void above the headunit or does the screen stay out most if the time??



Using Capitals, the difference between helping your Uncle Jack off a horse or helping your uncle jack off a horse...

[twr7cx]

But this is not due to any hardware change, it's due to a huge amount of software improvements that have also been made along with adding coverage of the three extra systems.

The same BBSV1.0 software update will be freely released to existing Evolution owners very soon.

So for those of us Evo 1 owners, we will be able to update our units software and then it will be equally as capable as an Evo 2 unit (just physically larger with a duller screen)?

[BBS Guy]

Xtreme:

do we have a price yet?

From the several PM's and E-mails i have also received, it seems many are incorrectly thinking this "Nanocom 2" is a totally new system, which will have an increased / different price, different part numbers and so on from our Web shop etc.

Hopefully i can clear this up.
While it is physically a vast improvement Hardware wise and is being released already loaded with the latest and much improved Evolution software, BBSV1.0, both of which obviously cost quite a lot to develop, we are absorbing all costs and not charging any extra for the newer hardware version over what the previous version cost. So you already have the price.

Anyone who has ordered a Nanocom Evolution from our web shop since we stopped shipping the last of the previous hardware version in late February, has simply been added to a growing Que knowing we are working on a revised hardware version that might take to time. We are now just starting to ship to those waiting on a first come first served basis.

It will take a few weeks just for us to get through the Que of back orders as it stands, but of course since the news and pictures of what we have achieved have become public, the Que has quickly started to get even longer.


Are all the cable sockets and SD slot on the one end
One end contains the 15 Way OBDII connector, the 12V DC socket and a hole to allow the beep sounds to be more audible. The other contains the USB socket and the SD card slot.

This is a very clean and simplistic arrangement, but some more familiar with the original Nanocom Evolution will possibly note that the large RJ45 connector provided for possible future expansion and the 2 pin header for Trip input connectivity (for which the Evolution version of the software is not yet written) seem to be missing. Sadly these two additional connectors were just too bulky and difficult to implement. For the limited usage they may have for most users and that it would otherwise ruin the clean and simplistic connectivity, I decided not to add these as regular external connections.

However i also did not want to produce a hardware revision that had less connectivity or future expansion possibility than its predecessor, even if it might never be used by most customers.

Therefore if you remove the 4 screws securing the SD Card end Plate you will find a hidden standard .1 inch pitch type 10 Pin header of the same sort used for the Trip input connection on the previous hardware version.

A standard and commonly available block connector can be fitted to this and the end plate refitted with the ribbon cable exiting between the extrusion and end plate at the rear, or the plate can be cut out to allow connectivity as preferred.

In addition i have also connected the Trip input pin to a previously unused pin on the 15 Way D connector for the OBDII, allowing connectivity this way also on this revision.

twr7cx:
Yes, that is of course exactly what i meant.
Shortly there will be a free 2.06 upgrade for the Nanocom ones and a free BBSV1.0 Upgrade for all Evolution owners, and all instructions for installation in both cases
These will be available to everyone equally from the Nanocom.it web site using your existing log in details to the restricted area.

Don't worry, absolutely no body will be left behind or feel left out of the across the board improvements BBS is currently introducing and will continue to do so.

Dunno about this duller screen mention though, it's exactly the same
It is adjustable though which might explain why they look different in some of Paul's pictures. He also has different backgrounds selected.

Hope this helps clear things up

[twr7cx]

Thanks Colin, well done on the good work.

[4runnernomore]

If you have a Nanacom, is it necessary to run a engine monitering system like Madmans or Engine saver?

[peter5111]

YES
The Evo only reports what the ECU is seeing.

Therefore it can not measure EGT, CHT, Gearbox temps, low coolant etc.

Regards,
Pete

[Pinelli]

Maybe another group buy once all the backorders have been satisfied?

I'll be in that.

[dswatts]

Dam, put my order in last week. Should have figured a group buy would be heppening soon:mad:

[peter5111]

Always keen to see what group buying power can achieve, but I don't think there is a lot of margin for BBS to shave off. :(
-=edit=-
The BBS sliding scale of discount for group buys is (and as far as I know always has been) publicly advertised on their website.
- 1 to 4 Units = 0% discount
- 5 to 9 Units = 10% discount
- 10 to 19 Units = 20% discount
- 20+ Units = 22.5% discount

To roll some numbers around, 10 units @ 300 Euro
Less 20% is 2400 Euro (3350 AUD) in a single shipment. This WILL attract duty going through customs which is (I believe) +10% on the total value INCLUDING the shipping costs. Stab in the the dark on shipping costs of $150. + the GST.
Gives a unit price of 385 AUD. Then you have the courier charges to get it from the importer to your door.
Ends up being ~390 - 400 AUD and a few weeks (at best)
Vs 418AUD (at current exchange rate) for the unit DHL'd to your doorstep in 3 -5 days.
-=edit=-

Personally I would be happy to pay the extra to have a Nano in a couple of weeks rather than the several weeks a group buy is sure to take. Even with production ramping up it sounds like the backlog keeps getting bigger, so the sooner you get in the sooner you get your shiny new Evo2

I am actually considering getting an Evo2 to replace my Evo1 (funny to think of the Evo 1 as an old model :) ) I am impressed with the new packaging format. It should be easier to find a permanent home for the Evo2

Pete

[bell1975]

Based on the slots/grooves cut into the top and bottom of the Evo 2's case I think one of these (http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Car-Windscreen-Mount-Garmin-Nuvi-265WT-270-275-200W-/280703702567?pt=AU_GPS_Accessories&hash=item415b3e9627)should allow for good mounting options - maybe on the RHS of the dash binacle. I'm guessing the older and larger Evo would have been a tight fit in there but the new one may just fit without having to be on too large an angle.

How many sleeps til my Evo 2 arrives I wonder...I'm very keen to see what codes are lurking within the ECU. And fiddle with the Auto transmission settings.

EDIT: I started looking at these mounting setups in more detail. It appears that the one I linked to above will not fit the Evo 2. I'll keep looking into it and post back.

[LOVEMYRANGIE]

I'm curious to see what the auto trans option is capable of......


Using Capitals, the difference between helping your Uncle Jack off a horse or helping your uncle jack off a horse...

[OffTrack]

I'm curious to see what the auto trans option is capable of......

That is pretty easy to answer:

http://blackbox-solutions.com/shop/help/SM030.html

As far as I can see from the nanocom one 2.06 beta firmware the autobox module covers everything on the above page. The coverage should be consistent across the nanocom range

[BBS Guy]

@ Offtrack
Spot on again chap.
The origional Nanocom software was developed by reverse engineering and monitoring either our own equipment or a later copy of it and then making a copy of that. Sadly as it is with any copy, it is not quite as good and exact as the original. Therfore some more difficult features are lost as well as some understanding and a good degree of relieability,

However BBS develops it's software first hand by direct on real ECU development and our up to 16 years experience means we are second to none in respect of how well we know and understand these systems and we have long since debugged the requirements to diagnostically communicate them to absolute perfection.

Being that the Nanocom is now our product rather than a competitor, we now freely lend and apply that valuable knowledge to aid in it's development and improvement. So it does naturally now have all the capability of our systems and the same communication reliability.

@bel1975
What a great find and my thanks for linking everyone to it.
If you get one and it works well, do let us all know.
Perhaps a piccie :)

TBH, when i drew up the design for the case Extrusion, i had so much else on my plate with the main Board re design etc, i really did not have much time to even think about mounting options and it was a bit of a bold and forward thinking move to not just cover the sides completely with cooling fins but leave a larger grooove in the middle that was at best a hope that someone would somehow be able to find a way to use it creatively.
If you have found a way with this item, i salute you.

@Peter5111
Also spot on chap.
It's not rocket science to appreciate that when we announced our take over of Nanocom, although many trusted us and put in orders, many were skeptical of our capability and true intent and elected to just sit back and see what the result would be before placing an order with us.
This is understandable as the economic times we live in means money is tight for eveyone and you have to be sure of any expense or investment.

However, quite clearly we been good to our word and have obviously invested shed loads on not only the software for Nanocom One and EVO, but also in re designing and improving the nanocom Evo hardware.

Therfore the orders being added to the waiting list is indeed currently growing faster than ever.

Worst still is that the current Cyprus crisis means we are are experiencing Power cuts of up to 5 hours per day which is naturally seriously hampering production.

In truth it's going to be months before we can supply bulk or discounted Nanocom Evolution 2's

[djam1]

Colin
If I put in an order when would I be likely to get the new unit??

Duane

[BBS Guy]

Duane
That's a fair question, but under the circumstances, one i cannot answer exactly or with any degree of certainty.

My best guess would be about a month, give or take a couple of weeks, as we are doing our very best to speed up the process.

[PaulP38a]

I started looking at these mounting setups in more detail. It appears that the one I linked to above will not fit the Evo 2. I'll keep looking into it and post back.

Here is a more accurate measurement to let you determine a better fitting mount.

108mm wide (+5mm for connector), 20mm deep, 85mm high.

Gap at centre fins top and bottom is 3.5mm and 1mm deep.

Please share with the rest of us if you find something to suit.

Cheers, Paul.

[bell1975]

Here is a more accurate measurement to let you determine a better fitting mount.

108mm wide (+5mm for connector), 20mm deep, 85mm high.

Gap at centre fins top and bottom is 3.5mm and 1mm deep.

Please share with the rest of us if you find something to suit.

Cheers, Paul.

I had a poke about on the Garmin site last night to assess whether one of their units is similarly sized to the Evo 2.

This is what I found:

Garmin 1490T (https://buy.garmin.com/shop/shop.do?cID=134&pID=36082) - external dimensions are (most critically) Height = 86mm
The others in the 14xx range are the same dimensions also.

So this (http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=370364651274&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT) cradle *might* fit the Evo 2. Or available in Australia from a few places - Prestige (http://www.prestigecom.net.au/index.php'main_page=product_info&cPath=428&products_id=2341) is one.

The crux of it will be the spacing on the lugs at the top and bottom of the cradle. If they are a close match to the groove on the Evo's case I think it should provide a great fit. I still haven't gone to the car and measured the gap on the RHS of the instruments to see if the Evo will fit there. That is where I'd be hoping to mount mine.

There are many, many different 'suction mount GPS cradles' out there in ebay-land. Here's 1 (http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=140578120399&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT). And another (http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=110492729200&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT) style.

There are also other Garmin ones that have the same type of groove-lug mounting system but they mate up with GPS units that have more curved bodies and this means that they possibly won't fit as well as the one for the 14xx series as they appear more of a match to the Evo 2's square casing. Like this (http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=280703702567&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT). And for 3 bucks it's probably worth trying out...but think of the carbon miles as it flies across from Kong Kong in it's own plane...yeah right.

Anyway, it's possible someone who is getting an Evo 2 in the next few weeks will also have a Garmin 14xx series and they can test this out. Hopefully they'll have read this thread and can post back what they find.

I'm happy enough to buy one from the guys at Prestige as I'm also looking at a UHF (tax man was kind this year - a generous amount of LR dollars to spend. If only I'd made a recording of my wife saying "You can spend yours on whatever you like". She may want to retract her statement when she sees how much more than her I'm getting!).

So, completely OT - is the Icom IC-400 Pro a significantly better unit than either of the two best offerings from GME (3440 or 3540) or Uniden (7760)? Yes, I will do a bit of searching later but someone might have a quick link to a review or comparison that helped them decide the same question. Cheers.

[drifter]

Hey Paul

If you are still looking for a Disco2 in Canberra to check it out on...

I won't be at the August meet (I am off work crook at the moment) but we can probably work something out.

you probably still have my email (merchandise at that special land rover club)

John

[PaulP38a]

Hi John
Not sure if I'm going to get to the LRC ACT meeting on Monday night yet either, due to family committments... is that the "special" LR club you meant? What do you mean by "special"? :p

By all means give me a call or drop me a PM and come on over to check out the Evo 2. Another one of our member came over for a play the other night and it was an interesting learning experience for us both.

Still wanting to play with a V8 too.

Cheers, Paul.

[bell1975]

I had a chance to look at the Garmin nuvi 1490T mounting bracket on the weekend as referenced in an earlier post.

The photos show that it is not the perfect fit that was hoped for.

It does hold the Evolution 2 in place pretty well but it may not stand up to the sort of vibrations that a badly corrugated road will induce into the vehicle.

Given that my Dad was reluctant to let me take to his mounting bracket with the Dremel I couldn't check whether it can be made to fit more securely. What is it with fathers and their possessions eh? No Dad, I never took all those spanners and screwdrivers out of your toolboxes when I was a kid...it was your other son.

I do think that this bracket could be made to fit the Evolution 2 better by filing down the small lugs that protrude at the top and bottom. If they were made "sharper" and came to a point as opposed to being rounded they would slot into the thinner ribs/channels on the case of the unit. You could actually take away a fair bit of the the material as the tightness of the overall fit would mean that even a small lug would still engage very well.

One of the pictures shows that both of the lugs can't be engaged at the same time - the tolerance in the sizing is too small. So I started looking at alternatives.

The tried, tested and respected RAM Mount is the pick of the bunch for me.

I bought one of these (http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=200649116751) and will see how it goes. Based on specs alone it looks like it will be perfect. I may have to experiment with the suction cup mounting pad location given that there's a dashmat in the way though - I'd rather not cut a hole in it but it might be easiest.

And the price is about right too. There are no doubt cheaper knock-off RAM copies available but I haven't really attempted to compare with this.

As it happens my Evolution 2 needs to go back to BBS for repair so until I receive both this bracket and the Evo back I won't be able to report what the score is.

[bell1975]

These two images (apologies for the camera phone quality) show the RAM mount installed.

It seems very sturdy aside from the suction cup mount developing some 'slop' when the windscreen gets hot. The droop that develops is easily solved by making sure that the base of the whole thing is touching the dash so it can't drop any further. This model of mount is metal and reasonably weighty. They may do a plastic version that would weigh less I imagine.

All that would improve the setup now might be if the Nanocom could have its display rotated 180° - this way that monster connector would be exiting the unit behind the instruments and be out of sight.

The arms that grip the Nanocom are interchangeable so if you had a phone or GPS that was roughly the same dimensions it could be swapped very easily.

So, in summary, this setup should work for you if you want to mount the unit on the LHS of the instruments. If you were going to try for a placement up higher on the screen I'd say it would stick out too much to be practical.

Questions, comments?

[BBS Guy]

Hmmn 180 degrees, now that might just be do-able as it maintains the aspect ratio. I will have to paw over the code to consider how and if it might easily be possible to do this. But i do like a challenge :)

Otherwise you could get an IDC type male and female which are very low profile and with a bit of ribbon make a little extention adaptor to put the big plug behind the unit ;)

[discoberry]

Hello,

I have a '99 D2 V8.
Can someone please confirm for me that the Nanocom EVO can do exactly the same as the faultmate, except that you have to navigate through a 3.5" touch screen rather than a PC? (or the LCD on faultmate extreme)
I read the specs for both and the menu/options etc listed are the same.
Except that the faultmate has the explorer software for PC.
Does the vehicle explorer software allow the faultmate units to actually do more than the nanocom, or is it just maybe easier being on a PC?

And the nanocom will work on any same type vehicle, no extra license.
What about adding a different vehicle type....just an unlock code?
Then would that unit work on two different types of vehicles?

Thanks.

[OffTrack]

Faultmate is a more capable device than the nanocom.

[PaulP38a]

Discoberry - I haven't seen a side by side comparison of the features between the Nanocom and the FaultMate so cannot confirm your request. I'm not sure that even Blackbox have this information in a customer-friendly format, and if they do they have not shared it with their distributors as far as I know.

This is a large part of the reason why Hard Range is not distributing Nanocoms yet, as I cannot answer such questions with confidence.

The touch screen on the Nanocom is nice, but obviously cannot hold as much info as a PC/laptop display. When I get my grubby mits on the P38 module for the Nanocom I will revisit this assumption.

Nanocom licensing is pretty simple as you have already figured. The Disco 2 V8 needs the NCOM15 Motronics V8 EMS unlock code and the NCOM13 Disco 2 systems (excl EMS) unlock code. Both are included in the NCOM04 package advertised on the BBS site. To add coverage for Disco 2 TD5 EMS you would simply purchase the NCOM11 unlock code. To add the Defender Puma you would purchase NCOM12 and NCOM14. That's all.

The Nanocom is not locked to a vehicle VIN, just the model and EMS you have purchased unlock codes for.

By comparison, most people think of the FaultMate MSV-2 as a single VIN device. It can be licenced as single-vehicle and/or multi-vehicle, although multi-vehicle licences are more expensive. For example, my MSV-2 has a single-vehicle licence for my 1999 P38 (licence purchased with the hardware) and a single-vehicle licence for my 2001 TD4 Freelander (added later). Subsequently, I have added multi-vehicle P38 licences for selected ECU's/modules as I need them for my other P38 and to help out mates.

Cheers, Paul.