Direct control of Sound Processor for Microntek Head Units based on RK3066/RK3188 processors.
HuiFei, KGL, KLD, JY, and similar, generally discussed here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/android-auto/mtcb-android-head-unit-general
WARNING! The hardware modification described in this topic, while being simple enough, still requires you to have at least average soldering skills and appropriate soldering iron that allows soldering of very small SMD components. Sample of suitable soldering iron is shown on the photo:
Also, you will need a multimeter, any cheap one with buzzer will be sufficient.
There is an excellent post by @JEMShoe, a must read: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=63661855&postcount=39
The goal of the modification
Microntek Car Head Units based on RK3066 / RK3188 processors have so called Sound Processor IC made by ROHM, the BD37xxxx family.
This sound processor has the following functions:
- Three-band parametric equalizer with adjustments of gain in range -20dB – +20dB, frequency and Q-factor of the filter in each band.
- Configurable loudness module with gain in range from 0dB to +20dB, and adjustment of filter frequency and the level of high frequencies suppression.
- Setting of subwoofer output, including selection of signal source, cut-off frequency, phase, and gain.
For more detailed technical information please refer to the datasheet: View attachment 3520723
In stock implementation, this IC is controlled by another 8051-based controller (called MCU) which controls all the onboard hardware, such as display, hardware buttons, BT module, video switch, etc. The way it controls the Sound Processor IC is very limited and in some aspects wrong:
- Instead of 3-band parametric equalizer, we have a 9-band graphical one, with strange logic – each of three groups of three bands controls a single hardware band, averaging their values; and the adjustments range is only +-10dB.
- Loudness compensation does not use a built-in hardware circuit, but just adds some bass and treble, which is a way not the same.
- Subwoofer output is fixed and cannot be configured.
The MTC Sound module allows for direct control of all the built-in function the Sound Processor directly from Android, overcoming limitations of stock implementation, and allowing to tune the sound quality to the best, with only minor hardware modifications.
Besides of that, in stock implementation, equalizer presets apply to any input, be it System, Radio, DVD etc. My experience tells me that it is desirable to have a separate equalizer settings per input. The Radio sounds differently than Media Player or DVD, so it needs to be adjusted differently.
In addition, a Preamp value that can be found in Factory settings was pulled for live adjustment. It is needed to equalize the volume of different inputs.
The software part
The software can be installed without hardware modification, but it will not work. It can be used for evaluation, though, to see how it looks like and what settings it has.
Make sure you have a rooted device, the Xposed framework installed, and you have some file manager that allows for file manipulations in system folders. I recommend the "Root Explorer".
Find the files mentioned below in this archive: View attachment system-files.zip
1. Copy libjnidispatch.so to /system/lib and set permissions to 644.
2. Check if you have files i2c-0 .. i2c-4 under /dev directory. If they exist (typical for RK3188) skip step 3 and proceed to 4; if they don't exist (typical for RK3066) proceed to step 3.
3. Copy i2c-dev.ko to /system/lib/modules and set permissions to 644.
4. Download MTC Sound plugin from the Xposed repository (http://repo.xposed.info/module/com.sevenfloor.mtcsound) and install it. It will appear in modules in Xposed Installer, enable it there and reboot.
5. After reboot, go to Xposed Installer, and check its Log. Watch for line "The Sound Control Status is:" (see below for possible statuses).
The software brings the new Equalizer which will replace the stock one, and also it will be launched by hardware EQ button (if your unit has one).
The statuses that can be displayed in the Xposed log:
- No patch detected – either module is not active in Xposed, or device was not rebooted after activation.
- mcu,No device driver i2c-dev – you have device which requires i2c-dev.ko driver, and you forgot to copy it where needed or set permissions (see step 3 above).
- mcu,Exception com/sevenfloor/mtcsound/I2cBus$CLib – you forgot to copy libjnidispatch.so or set permissions.
- No access to /dev/i2c-?; <some additional info> - despite existence of driver, failed to access i2c bus programmatically. Normally should never happen, but if happened, contact me for further investigation.
- mcu,Error in write() 11 (no response from i2c slave) – programmatic access to i2c bus works well, but Sound Processor does not respond. Need to check soldering. Maybe there's no contact where is has to be, or you shortened something, or you messed with the wires making them wrong way around.
- mcu,Error in write() 110 (no response from i2c slave) – same as above.
- i2c,Channel x (x is a number) – everything is good, enjoy your sound.
Note
Starting from version 1.9.0, due to massive re-implementation of initialization logic, the statuses mostly change their texts.
But they still have the same meaning as above, thus can be understood easily.
Additionally, initialization steps are logged in details to system log with tag 'mtcsound' (viewed with apps like CatLog).
The hardware part
Please see the circuit diagram above.
Basically what we need to do is to re-route the I2C control bus of Sound Processor from the MCU to the Android Board.
Find a 28-pin IC marked BD37<whatever>. It has a key - small dot or circle near the 1st pin. Pins are counted from that key dot, counter-clockwise.
So that find pins 25 and 26, and using a multimeter, trace resistors connected to these pins, somewhere around the chip.
Unsolder these resistors - this way you'll break connection to the MCU that needs to be broken.
Keep the resistors, or throw them away if you plan to use new ones (e.g. bigger, easier to manipulate - not only SMD resistors may be used but also those with wired pins).
Now find a 28-pin IC marked WM8731S, and with multimeter, trace resistors connected to its pins 24 and 23. The same rule for pin counting applies.
Don't unsolder these resistors. Solder wires to their opposite ends.
Other ends of wires solder to the resistors that you unsoldered (or to others you had for replacement), and opposite pins of the resistors solder to the pads that are connected to the BD37xxx chip.
So that you will have the following traces:
WM8731S pin 24 - resistor - wire - resistor - BD37xxx pin 25
WM8731S pin 23 - resistor - wire - resistor - BD37xxx pin 26
After soldering, carefully check the circuit with the multimeter.
WARNING! Later in this thread, users who already done the mod share their experience, photos, drawings, etc.
When doing the mod yourself, ALWAYS read this my post and refer to the diagram above.
Use pictures from others to get an idea where the components are located, but think yourself, don't blind-follow others work.
Mini-FAQ
Q: So will the sound be much better after this modification, is it worthly at all?
A: It will not make your hardware parts like amplifier and other audio circuits any better. But it will allow you to fine tune the sound to the best that can be achieved with all the features of the Sound Processor, which is not available in the stock. Many people say they get "incredible sound". I would say that I managed to tune mine to be "much better"
Q. Would your software be useful without the HW modification part?
A. No. In future, such a possibility might become available. Other developer works on MCU patch, and when/if he finish his work, I will update my software to work thru his modified MCU, so that without a HW mod. As I see the picture, it will take not less than a couple of months.
Q. Please help me with the HW modification for my device XXX / YYY / ZZZ
A. I'm not familiar with other devices than mine, and, unfortunately, I've got not very helpful pictures of my work. So if you can't follow above instructions yourself, then please wait for more experienced users with units like yours, when they do modifications and share their photos.
Q. I've done the HW mod, and the software gives me the status "i2c,Channel x", which indicates success. I have sound from the Radio, but not from the Android / Media player. What's wrong?
A. Some people reported an issue with the resistors at the WM8731S chip. They're fragile and can be easily fried/broken when soldering wires to them. The WM8731S chip is the Audio Codec for Android and with broken I2C control circuit you'll get no sound from Android. Please check with the multimeter and replace one or both that are broken. Use 1 kOhm resistors suitable by size.
Q. I've got the status as follows: mcu,No access to /dev/i2c-?; su exit code 1
A. Have you installed the SuperSU or one of similar super user managers? SuperSU has the option to allow SU during boot - just enable it and reboot.
Q. Why the feature X doesn't work exactly as it worked in stock unit, or doesn't work at all? When will you fix it?
A. As the MCU does not control the Sound Processor anymore, I had to re-implement many stock features in my software from a scratch. Example is the GPS application sound switch/mix. There are some other stock features that were not implemented -- either they are impossible to implemented, or I was not aware of their existence, or I just don't want to implement them because consider them not important. Anyways, ask for a specific feature in this thread, and at least I'll answer, whether it will be implemented and how soon.
Q. You said that some features are impossible to implement. What these features are?
A. Anything related to Sound control by the MCU alone, before Android gets loaded, for sure. Not sure what this may include, maybe something related to parking sensors beeps? Did this ever existed in stock? Other features except that also may appear impossible to implement or too hard to ever try to do that.
Q. Where on your Equalizer are the sound presets like Pop/Jazz/Rock? And why my hardware EQ button which was switching these presets earlier, now just executes the Equalizer app?
A. This is a good example of a feature that I consider unimportant and will never implement. These presets are nothing than a marketing bu11$41t and have nothing in common with a quality sound. Period.
Xposed Repository link
http://repo.xposed.info/module/com.sevenfloor.mtcsound
Links to how-to posts by users who have already made the mod.
KLD by @dazza007
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=63520630
JY by @JEMShoe
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=63712823
JY-UQ128 by @JrFaust
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=65587419
KGL by @Tutti-frutti:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=64460726
---
My other work:
- Xposed Volume Bar: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=3246360
HuiFei, KGL, KLD, JY, and similar, generally discussed here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/android-auto/mtcb-android-head-unit-general
WARNING! The hardware modification described in this topic, while being simple enough, still requires you to have at least average soldering skills and appropriate soldering iron that allows soldering of very small SMD components. Sample of suitable soldering iron is shown on the photo:
Also, you will need a multimeter, any cheap one with buzzer will be sufficient.
There is an excellent post by @JEMShoe, a must read: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=63661855&postcount=39
The goal of the modification
Microntek Car Head Units based on RK3066 / RK3188 processors have so called Sound Processor IC made by ROHM, the BD37xxxx family.
This sound processor has the following functions:
- Three-band parametric equalizer with adjustments of gain in range -20dB – +20dB, frequency and Q-factor of the filter in each band.
- Configurable loudness module with gain in range from 0dB to +20dB, and adjustment of filter frequency and the level of high frequencies suppression.
- Setting of subwoofer output, including selection of signal source, cut-off frequency, phase, and gain.
For more detailed technical information please refer to the datasheet: View attachment 3520723
In stock implementation, this IC is controlled by another 8051-based controller (called MCU) which controls all the onboard hardware, such as display, hardware buttons, BT module, video switch, etc. The way it controls the Sound Processor IC is very limited and in some aspects wrong:
- Instead of 3-band parametric equalizer, we have a 9-band graphical one, with strange logic – each of three groups of three bands controls a single hardware band, averaging their values; and the adjustments range is only +-10dB.
- Loudness compensation does not use a built-in hardware circuit, but just adds some bass and treble, which is a way not the same.
- Subwoofer output is fixed and cannot be configured.
The MTC Sound module allows for direct control of all the built-in function the Sound Processor directly from Android, overcoming limitations of stock implementation, and allowing to tune the sound quality to the best, with only minor hardware modifications.
Besides of that, in stock implementation, equalizer presets apply to any input, be it System, Radio, DVD etc. My experience tells me that it is desirable to have a separate equalizer settings per input. The Radio sounds differently than Media Player or DVD, so it needs to be adjusted differently.
In addition, a Preamp value that can be found in Factory settings was pulled for live adjustment. It is needed to equalize the volume of different inputs.
The software part
The software can be installed without hardware modification, but it will not work. It can be used for evaluation, though, to see how it looks like and what settings it has.
Make sure you have a rooted device, the Xposed framework installed, and you have some file manager that allows for file manipulations in system folders. I recommend the "Root Explorer".
Find the files mentioned below in this archive: View attachment system-files.zip
1. Copy libjnidispatch.so to /system/lib and set permissions to 644.
2. Check if you have files i2c-0 .. i2c-4 under /dev directory. If they exist (typical for RK3188) skip step 3 and proceed to 4; if they don't exist (typical for RK3066) proceed to step 3.
3. Copy i2c-dev.ko to /system/lib/modules and set permissions to 644.
4. Download MTC Sound plugin from the Xposed repository (http://repo.xposed.info/module/com.sevenfloor.mtcsound) and install it. It will appear in modules in Xposed Installer, enable it there and reboot.
5. After reboot, go to Xposed Installer, and check its Log. Watch for line "The Sound Control Status is:" (see below for possible statuses).
The software brings the new Equalizer which will replace the stock one, and also it will be launched by hardware EQ button (if your unit has one).
The statuses that can be displayed in the Xposed log:
- No patch detected – either module is not active in Xposed, or device was not rebooted after activation.
- mcu,No device driver i2c-dev – you have device which requires i2c-dev.ko driver, and you forgot to copy it where needed or set permissions (see step 3 above).
- mcu,Exception com/sevenfloor/mtcsound/I2cBus$CLib – you forgot to copy libjnidispatch.so or set permissions.
- No access to /dev/i2c-?; <some additional info> - despite existence of driver, failed to access i2c bus programmatically. Normally should never happen, but if happened, contact me for further investigation.
- mcu,Error in write() 11 (no response from i2c slave) – programmatic access to i2c bus works well, but Sound Processor does not respond. Need to check soldering. Maybe there's no contact where is has to be, or you shortened something, or you messed with the wires making them wrong way around.
- mcu,Error in write() 110 (no response from i2c slave) – same as above.
- i2c,Channel x (x is a number) – everything is good, enjoy your sound.
Note
Starting from version 1.9.0, due to massive re-implementation of initialization logic, the statuses mostly change their texts.
But they still have the same meaning as above, thus can be understood easily.
Additionally, initialization steps are logged in details to system log with tag 'mtcsound' (viewed with apps like CatLog).
The hardware part
Please see the circuit diagram above.
Basically what we need to do is to re-route the I2C control bus of Sound Processor from the MCU to the Android Board.
Find a 28-pin IC marked BD37<whatever>. It has a key - small dot or circle near the 1st pin. Pins are counted from that key dot, counter-clockwise.
So that find pins 25 and 26, and using a multimeter, trace resistors connected to these pins, somewhere around the chip.
Unsolder these resistors - this way you'll break connection to the MCU that needs to be broken.
Keep the resistors, or throw them away if you plan to use new ones (e.g. bigger, easier to manipulate - not only SMD resistors may be used but also those with wired pins).
Now find a 28-pin IC marked WM8731S, and with multimeter, trace resistors connected to its pins 24 and 23. The same rule for pin counting applies.
Don't unsolder these resistors. Solder wires to their opposite ends.
Other ends of wires solder to the resistors that you unsoldered (or to others you had for replacement), and opposite pins of the resistors solder to the pads that are connected to the BD37xxx chip.
So that you will have the following traces:
WM8731S pin 24 - resistor - wire - resistor - BD37xxx pin 25
WM8731S pin 23 - resistor - wire - resistor - BD37xxx pin 26
After soldering, carefully check the circuit with the multimeter.
WARNING! Later in this thread, users who already done the mod share their experience, photos, drawings, etc.
When doing the mod yourself, ALWAYS read this my post and refer to the diagram above.
Use pictures from others to get an idea where the components are located, but think yourself, don't blind-follow others work.
Mini-FAQ
Q: So will the sound be much better after this modification, is it worthly at all?
A: It will not make your hardware parts like amplifier and other audio circuits any better. But it will allow you to fine tune the sound to the best that can be achieved with all the features of the Sound Processor, which is not available in the stock. Many people say they get "incredible sound". I would say that I managed to tune mine to be "much better"
Q. Would your software be useful without the HW modification part?
A. No. In future, such a possibility might become available. Other developer works on MCU patch, and when/if he finish his work, I will update my software to work thru his modified MCU, so that without a HW mod. As I see the picture, it will take not less than a couple of months.
Q. Please help me with the HW modification for my device XXX / YYY / ZZZ
A. I'm not familiar with other devices than mine, and, unfortunately, I've got not very helpful pictures of my work. So if you can't follow above instructions yourself, then please wait for more experienced users with units like yours, when they do modifications and share their photos.
Q. I've done the HW mod, and the software gives me the status "i2c,Channel x", which indicates success. I have sound from the Radio, but not from the Android / Media player. What's wrong?
A. Some people reported an issue with the resistors at the WM8731S chip. They're fragile and can be easily fried/broken when soldering wires to them. The WM8731S chip is the Audio Codec for Android and with broken I2C control circuit you'll get no sound from Android. Please check with the multimeter and replace one or both that are broken. Use 1 kOhm resistors suitable by size.
Q. I've got the status as follows: mcu,No access to /dev/i2c-?; su exit code 1
A. Have you installed the SuperSU or one of similar super user managers? SuperSU has the option to allow SU during boot - just enable it and reboot.
Q. Why the feature X doesn't work exactly as it worked in stock unit, or doesn't work at all? When will you fix it?
A. As the MCU does not control the Sound Processor anymore, I had to re-implement many stock features in my software from a scratch. Example is the GPS application sound switch/mix. There are some other stock features that were not implemented -- either they are impossible to implemented, or I was not aware of their existence, or I just don't want to implement them because consider them not important. Anyways, ask for a specific feature in this thread, and at least I'll answer, whether it will be implemented and how soon.
Q. You said that some features are impossible to implement. What these features are?
A. Anything related to Sound control by the MCU alone, before Android gets loaded, for sure. Not sure what this may include, maybe something related to parking sensors beeps? Did this ever existed in stock? Other features except that also may appear impossible to implement or too hard to ever try to do that.
Q. Where on your Equalizer are the sound presets like Pop/Jazz/Rock? And why my hardware EQ button which was switching these presets earlier, now just executes the Equalizer app?
A. This is a good example of a feature that I consider unimportant and will never implement. These presets are nothing than a marketing bu11$41t and have nothing in common with a quality sound. Period.
Xposed Repository link
http://repo.xposed.info/module/com.sevenfloor.mtcsound
Links to how-to posts by users who have already made the mod.
KLD by @dazza007
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=63520630
JY by @JEMShoe
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=63712823
JY-UQ128 by @JrFaust
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=65587419
KGL by @Tutti-frutti:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=64460726
---
My other work:
- Xposed Volume Bar: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=3246360
Last edited:
