Faulty Navigation system

[suffolk yokel]

Recently bought a used L200 Animal Double cab, for general use and to pull horses around in a trailer. It's ideal for this use and everything works fine except the Navigation screen on the information system. It's the early system with separate CD/Radio, Audio amplifier, Navigation system DVD and an infra red remote controller for the sat-nav.
All the information screens work as described in the user manual, except that when the navigation screen is selected I get a blue screen with nothing on it. (Fixed screen - not slide in and out)
The dealer that supplied the car tried to fix the sat-nav but after exchanging the DVD, CD player and the batteries in the remote gave up and we agreed on a simple stand-alone sat nav unit as compensation.
I used to work in IT and system electronics and want to restore the original system but I'm having difficulty getting any support information. The local Mitsubishi dealer is full of scare stories of massive cost and parts unavailability but I suspect that if I knew exactly what to buy I could get it going. It's only a computer, display and a few bits and pieces after all. Can anyone here help?
To get me going: where would I expect to find the remote control receiver and should it be plugged into the DVDROM?- I don't seem to have one.
If I need a replacement does anyone have a spare to sell?
Also, are there any technical manuals for the system (MP8100 model) I have the user manual and the in-dash display user manual but can't find any technical information such as system wiring charts. I've downloaded a Mitsubishi General Manual but it doesn't include details of official aftermarket options. Is it on the workshop manual CD (which I'll be purchasing soon)?
It'll make a nice project to keep me quiet for a while.

[marvin]

hi there
i have a similar problem with my remote ( RE-MP 8000 )
the screen on my sat nav  , which is fitted on an 2008 Raging Bull  , if that makes any difference !!
says 'agree' in a red box on the front screen if i touch the screen and agree it takes me to the next screen which also has a red box with 'agree' in it , if i touch this it takes me back to the 1st screen and so on !!
I've been on another site that say's use the remote to press ok and there you go , but unfortunatly it does'nt do anything !!!!
so am going to 1st get my remote checked (tomorrow hopefully ) to see if we can say yay or nay to it's operation !
there is a 'new' one on e bay from china (all the buttons are marked in chinese though ) for £59.99 but i'm not convinced that that will cure my sat nav ...
 what if it just enables an old system that need's updating anyway ?
i've just bought the vehicle cheap because the headgasket has failed , it's already had a new radiator & radiator for the air con fitted & the guy was not prepared to spend any more on the vehicle !!!
so am not sure how long the sat nav has had this fault -------- could it just be that when the battery is disconnected ( which i don't know if it has been ) that you need to go through a certain number of hoop's to re-install the sat nav , as you would with the radio
i no this was long winded and not of much use as yet but i will keep you posted as to any developments at my end ----- i hope you will reciprocate  !!!
Marvin

[suffolk yokel]

Hello Marvin, thanks for the reply.

I've manged to find out a lot about Mitsubishi remotes of this era and they seem to derive from the infra-red stems they use to control their air conditioning systems. They use infra-red because it bounces off walls and is less directional than visible or UV systems, plus it doesn't set off ultrasonic alarms.

The only way to find out if a remote control is sending the correct commands is to first know what the codes are and then monitor the output of a receiver, but you can tell if the remote is alive and kicking by using the camera on a mobile phone - they have some response to infra red but it's not very good. Set your phone up as a camera, point the lens at the red window on the end of the remote and go into a darkened room. Press any button on th e remote and you should see the LED behind the red window "light up". Probably wont see it flashing because the repeat rate is too fast but if it lights when you press a button it means that the processor in the remote is reading the keypad, decoding the particular key and switching the LED on and off. Useful check that the batteries are ok.

I've seen the website selling replacement remotes, they seem to sell generic items reprogrammed to match the codes used in the original. They also publish a chart of the various commands against the buttons pushed, I may be able to use this to decipher the codes when I get my remote working into the system.

AS you already have a system that appears to be in a similar state to mine, have you found the remote receiver? According to the handbook I have it identifies the system as an MP81000 with a display unit, an audio unit, a navigation unit (under the passenger seat) a remote control, disc, GPS antenna and a remote control receiver. I can't find the receiver on my car and can't diagnose any problems till I have a complete system. Is this the same as your system or do you have the MP8000 unit that has a combined in-dash monitor, display and (I presume) an integrated remote control reciever.

If we have the same system, where is your remote control receiver (small black cube on the end of a cable) and where does it plug in? I have a spare socket on the DVD-Navigation unit under the seat which I suspect is where it plugs in but no sign of a small black box anywhere in the car. I've seen postings on american websites from 2014 that mention the receiver which is why I'm looking for one.

Maybe we can work on this together?

[marvin]

hi suffolk yokel
sounds like a plan !!!
unfortunatly i start my holidays tomorrow evening but will let u no about the hand controller as soon as i no in the morning !!!
i've located the 'black box' is it behind the dash at your left knee level ?? there is a small grill there & it was mentioned in an internet search that the other half was doing !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
nothing happens in my truck that is why i'm gonna get my hand controller checked !
i also have located some electrical eqt under the passenger seat -- what is this it has the rear heater tubes over the top of it & is appprox 6" x 6" x 2" ? should this open with the remote ??
Marvin

[marvin]

hi there
well i took my hand held remote to the man and we tested it on a special unit thingy !!
every button gave a signal but all looked the same ie every 1 gave 1 solid pulse ---- so it works but i'm not convinced as a tv remote we had gave many 'pulses' out !!!!!!
see u in a fortnite
Marvin

[suffolk yokel]

Hello again Marvin, just read your two replies.

My wife has the L200 out at the moment so can't go looking for the remote receiver. Will have a look later but in my vehicle a previous owner has had a rear view camera fitted to the back bumber and a monitor lying loose in front of the gearstick on the centre console. The wiring for the monitor and camera has been fed under the carpet and console moulding on the passenger side and I think thats when the remote receiver may have been disturbed. I'll let you know later.

The box under the passenger seat in my vehicle is the Navigation DVDROM where the sat nav disc goes. Mine has a label on it that says MZ313040 and MP8000 and another label that says Mitsubishi Navigation Unit. When I insert the data CD it spins up to speed and you can hear the mechanism inside loading the disc but its waiting for a command from somewhere to get going. Also plugged into this is the GPS receiver and a cable to the display in the dashboard. Mine has one connector free with nothing plugged in (small round connector on back towards centre of car when installed) which is where I'm guessing the remote receiver plugs. If you get into the space behind the seat you can see the slot that the CD goes into.

This all implies that the navigation unit is a standalone computer that just feeds display information to the main display on the dash. I don't know what format the display information is, my guess is something like VGA but I'll know when I can get something out of it. When you deal with professional equipment like this you can get all sorts of information out of the manufacturer but it looks as if Mitsubishi do not want to support these early systems.

With regards to the remote, they do not emit coded pulses of light, they emit pulses at 32kHz, 34kHz or 36kHz, within which the real codes are hidden. only the receiver knows what "carrier" frequency is being used. That way the remote is unaffected by other "foreign" remotes or flashes of sunlight. This could make the light emitted from one button pressed look much the same as that from any other.

Can't help any more with this until I find out if I've got a disconnected receiver or no receiver at all. Should know more tomorrow.

[suffolk yokel]

Update in case anyone else is following this:
Looked behind the small grille as suggested by Marvin, found a small black box but it's not the receiver for the remote as it has an air pipe (20mm diameter) and a three wire loom plugged into it. Spent a jolly hour last night wading through the General Manual I have (full of repair procedures for things that don't go wrong and very confusing circuit diagrams - about 500 pages) only to find that its the cabin temperature sensor for the automatic air conditioning. Seems to suck air in through the grille so that the temperature sensor can check the cabin temperature and tell the aircon whether to heat or chill the main air from the blower.
Still no remote receiver so going to a local dealer to find out what it'll cost to buy a replacement.

[marvin]

hi there Yokel !!!
https://www.satnavishop.co.uk still away but bin looking at a site that sells update discs , have you seen it
just thort it may solve our problem
£29.99 for the disc seems to have good reports !!!!
Marvin

[suffolk yokel]

Hello Marvin,

The dealer who sold me the car thought changing the disc might solve the problem but in my case it didn't. He also swapped the disc drive with no result. I've either got a hardware problem (eg remote control not working) or a system software problem (no picture of any kind on the display).
I've looked at the site you've found and they are selling data discs, in other words a disc with all the street maps on it in a Mitsubishi format. The disc is very unlikely to have the navigation unit software on it as that is proprietary information that Mitsubishi will not release. I've contacted Mitsubishi through my local main dealer and they no longer support this sat-nav system; you can't buy new spares for it and they won't help with fault finding. ( One good thing that came out of the trip to the dealer was that I found there was an outstanding recall on my car to have the drivers airbag updated, it's being done on Monday free of charge so I'll not condemn Mitsubishi support too much).
If you do go ahead with purchasing the disc, contact the website first and get an assurance from them that there's a chance it will have more than just the street map data on it. If it doesn't contain any operating software it's not going to help get the system going.
However - some companies include a time limit on their software to get you to buy a new update - it's how software companies get their profit (eg Wndows 3 through to Windows 10, built-in obsolescence), so maybe there's a "key" on the new disc that will get the system going again for a few years? the only way to find out is to ask before you spend any money.
I've still got my own peculiar problem in that I don't have a remote control receiver to get any commands into the system to turn it on, Mitsubishi either don't have any or will not sell me one. Still messing around in the garage with some electronics to solve this. I'll keep you posted.

[marvin]

Hello SY (suffolk yokel)
no more to add unfortunately , good holiday tho !!!

my L200 is in my garage with a lot of stuff removed from the engine - am about to pull the head off ,but can't get to the bolt's !!!!!

so i won't be 'messing about' as my significant other calls it with the sat nav problem as such , but a long time with the battery removed (9days or so )  makes no difference to the sat nav , i thort it may have had a back up battery as such , but no joy on reconnection , just the same !!!

so will carry on with the 'mechanical stuff ' then we'll see what we will see !!

speak soon

Marvin

[suffolk yokel]

Hello Marvin,
Having a holiday sounds like a good idea, I've had to put the L200 on hold while I repair storm drains and finish painting the house. As long as it's mobile and running OK I'm not too worried about the sat-nav. I did get a small integrated circuit from an electronic component supplier and rig it up as a test circuit for the remote controller - I can now press buttons on the remote and look at the code patterns on an oscilloscope so I know the controller works but I still can't find a remote control receiver for the truck. I did track down a scrap dealer selling a complete system from an old L200 on Ebay. Unfortunately he wants over £400 for it and isn't going to split it up into components, but he's published a picture on ebay that just about shows a receiver and it's cable, so now I know what it looks like. It's a rounded cube with a shiny surface, about 2 cms across. It has a thin black cable coming out of it about 3mm in diameter with a three pole 3.5mm jack plug on the end. So now I need to take all the bendy, fragile bits of plastic off the dash, get access to the back of the display and look for somewhere to plug a small jack plug in (or it might be somewhere on the back of the DVD unit under the seat).

Have you any tips on removing the centre console from around the gearstick and handbrake? I'll have to shift that sometime to check the wiring and most of the clips and catches are very fragile, I'd like to disturb it as little as possible.