How to bypass Avic-n2, works

This did not work for me i have the Avic N1 with N2 soft upgrade

as you know i got the instructions for the bypass

The Real AVIC Bypass

Disclaimer: You purchased the information, not the results of the information, if you are not comfortable with electronics then do not continue, there are no refunds and I am not responsible with what you do with this information

Background: What people do not know is that the AVIC-N2/D1 is the same in every country, although in every country other then the US you can watch DVD’s and use all of your Navigation features. A question my electronics shop asked ourselves was, if the hardware is the same, the software is the same they what is the AVIC missing to keep you from being able to use all of its features. Other bypass’s make you use 3-6 switches and relays and opening up the brain to the unit or cutting the GPS wire.

Solution: All that’s needed is one wire….The difference between all the units in the other country is they have a wire connecting two different processors and this is how you do it.

AVIC- N2: On the Dash unit not the Brain underneath the unit is a small silver sticker, peel this back. There are two contacts with the label "R197" or label "F197" there should be two soldier points loop a wire between those two points AND DONE!!!! Everything bypassed, THE REAL WAY TO DO IT.

AVIC-D1: Find an extra Pioneer wire harness, and pull one of the wires out.  Or, if you do not use the A.ANT lead, pull that out of the harness.  In the AVIC-D1 harness, there is one open spot on the connector (next to the ground wire). Put the wire into the open spot on the connector, connect the other side to ground, then re-connect the plug to the AVIC-D1. Also, you must ground the Parking Brake wire (or connect to a toggle switch if you feel the need).

Before you continue please read:

Your warranty will be voided unless you keep this mod very clean so you can undo it and they will never even notice that you did it, our Pioneer rep actually is the person who filled me in on this information. Also, Use 26 Gauge (or something close) and this is very important: DO NOT DROP SOLDIER, if you look carefully, there are traces around these two points that absolutely cannot be contacted. It was hard for me to do because these points were so small and that the wire was so thin. It is best to use a soldering iron that has a super fine tip and heats up better then most…if you feel uncomfortable with this process then take it to a electronics or computer repair shop and they could do it for you in 5 minutes and for around $5 bucks….be very careful, b/c if you touch these traces I do not know what will happen or want to know what will happen...this is like most mods, it’s a very simple mod (the easiest type you can find) although like anything a lot is at stake and could go wrong, please, if you do not feel comfortable doing this then DON’T, spending an extra $5 is worth it to get it done right…

Hi,

Does anyone have a good digital camera who can photograph the r197 points under the sticker? Can someone also photograph where the sticker lies on the HU? It might help us all visualize it, if we choose to do it.

I just got my new Avic N2 for testing the 197 pin jumper. IT WORKS !

To expand upon the other posts and also to add comments to my previous warnings about dripping solder. Here is the poop.

The silver sticker is located on the underside of the display unit. It is about 3/4 inch long and  1/2 wide. This silver sticer covers an access hole 1/2 inch long, 1/4 inch wide. The sticker comes off with a single sided blade. When the hole is exposed you will see a tiny R197 and below it two silver pins. The pins do not stick up very far and are not easy to solder wires onto.

Here is what the problems are.

The 197 pins are actually isolated in a metal box or circuit board, which is painted so that it will not conduct electricity. The pins are surrounded by wax to insulate them from the box or circuit board. If you touch the pins too long with a solder iron you will melt the wax and ruin the possibility of soldering anything to the pins. If you solder sloppy you will short out the pins to the box, and the radio will stop working. In order to fix the  sloppy soldering and make the radio work, you have to scrape all around the pins with an exacto knife to make sure that no solder remains between the pins and the surrounding metal plate or circuit board.. The radio will work after you remove the excess solder, however, your bypass plans will be ruined, the pins will melt and will also be covered with wax. I learned a lesson with this one. However, I just received a new unit for my motorhome and decided to try again, but decided not to use solder. Here is what I did to make it work without solder.

I found a tiny screw with a  flat head. The screw was about as wide as the screws that hold the display unit in the dash sleeve, but much longer. I cut the screw down with a pair of  diag. plyers and stuck the flat part to a piece of clear packing tape. I then took the tape and covered the hole, with the long end of the screw inside the hole, making sure the screw touched both 197 pins. Since the tape is clear you can make sure you got the screw to touch both pins. You have to make sure that the tape lays flat and that the screw is cut to the perfect length, otherwise the bulge in the tape will not allows the radio to slide back into the sleeve.

I did this tonight and whammo, the bypass worked, I watched TV while driving around the neighboring streets, also tried a DVD video. Just to expand the test, I also tried the navigation and everything was unlocked while driving.  So, I have to take back my warnings, this bypass method works perfectly and doesn't effect the navigation gyro or accuracy of the GPS.

The tiny screw deal was just a quick and dirty method of trying the bypass, I'm sure with experimentation we can find other ways of jumping those pins together without dropping solder or taping screws to packing tape. In the next few days I'm going to experiment with making some kind of silicone plug with a piece of wire sticking out in order to jump the two pins together. (did I spell silicone right?) That way I can just  put the plug into the hole and tape over it.

Anyhow, newbie post or whatever, jumping the R197 pins does work, it is really the best and most simple method, it doesn't need relays and switches to work, however, the brake wire still has to be grounded.

Now I can sleep and dream about silicone plugs and jumper wires.

This is an update to my own previous posting.

This is a summary and my opinion of the bypass solutions:

The various switch installations These methods work, but involve intalling variations of additional relays or toggle switches. These methods enable the watching of DVDs while in motion, howver, in some variations, the video is patched through the backup camera port. A disclaimer appears on the screen and entering navigation data while moving is questionable.

The dripping solder method using the R197 pins covered by silver tape on the bottom side of the display unit:

This method is the absolute best method, it really does open up the use of the unit without restriction or disclaimers on the screen. The dowside is your ability to solder a jumper between two tiny pins that can only be accessed through a factory access hole in the bottom of the unit. The pins are surrounded by wax which will melt when hot. If the wax melts too much, the pins will be covered and you will not be able to solder. I know, I tried it the first time and failed.

Using some other device to jump the 197 pins:

After the first failure at soldering, I got a new radio and tried using a less permanent method, a screw attached to packing tape. I attached it to tape so that it would be held in place in the access hole and would not fall inside the radio. This method worked, but, I scrapped the idea because it was too much trouble and the screw could come loose. I decided to re-visit the solder method, and devise a better way than dripping the molten solder.

The latest new and improved 197 solder method which almost anyone can do:

1. Uncover the access hole by removing the silver tape on the underside of the display unit. You will see R197 printed over two tiny pins.

2. Put some rubbing alcohol on a small piece of paper towel, wrap it around a small screw driver, and clean the 197 pins so excess wax will be removed.

3. Cut a small piece of sanding paper and using the screw driver rub it over the pins so the solder will have a better chance of sticking.

4. Take some thin electrical wire, must be a size smaller than number 18, strip the insulation back 1/16 inch, and prepare the stripped end by adding solder.

5. Use a soldering iron that has a pointed end. I ground mine down on a grinder to make sure it would easily fit into the access hole and still enable me to see.

6. Holding the wire in your left hand, place the soldered end between the two 197 pins, insert the soldering iron and carefully heat the end of the wire like you are soldering it to the pins. Three things will happen. You will solder the wire to the pins, which is fine. Some solder will drip off and short the pins, which is fine. Or, you will fail, nothing will be harmed if you don't melt the wax. Very little solder is needed. If the wire sticks to the pins, fine, clip the wire off and make sure no bare ends touch the case.

I took my time using method six, the unit now allows unrestricted use.

In all cases I grounded the emergency brake wire, don't know if I had to, but, did it anyway.

You may be violating state law by messing with the radio and watching DVDs while driving. Do this at your own risk.

If you don't know how to solder, or fail at jumping the 197 pins, and you screw  up your radio, welcome to the club. That is what testing is all about. If you don't want to take the chance, don't touch the radio. Enjoy it in the stock configuration. This is my last post...until somone figures out something better. My other two Avics are now modified, mission accomplished. I can now watch music videos while stuck in CA traffic, rolling along at ten miles per hour.