Microphone wiring when retrofitting NBT Evo ID6 to F22/F30 w/ ENTRYNAV + TCB

boldorider4 · 03-22-2023, 07:14 AM

Hi all!

I have one more doubt that kind of bugs me.

I see multiple videos on YouTube of people retrofitting an NBT Evo unit + VIN-matched ATM to an F30 (2012-2013) with a factory CIC unit. The CIC unit also connects to a so-called "Combobox" (not sure whether this is the same as a TCB unit).

These retrofits pose following challenges:

1) both emergency and normal microphones are connected to the Combobox, which in turn connects to CIC HU, which means that in order to successfully retrofit the NBT+ATM, the mic needs to be wired to the ATM instead of the Combobox, which creates a lot of retrofitting problems.
2) in order to use the same wiring the stock F30 came with, many cables need to rewired/extended e.b., 20-pin connector from Combobox to ATM wiring, quad-lock from CIC to NBT wiring.

Now, I'm planning to retrofit an NBT Evo ID6 WITHOUT an ATM module to my 2015 F22, which comes with an ENTRYNAV (hardware equivalent to NBT NON-Evo) + TCB_NAV.

1) will the mic already be wired to the NBT Evo head unit without having to pass through the ATM module (which I'm not planning on getting)? Is this achieved with a regular quad lock retrofit harness?
2) do I even need a quad lock retrofit harness for connecting the NBT Evo to the car like the ENTRYNAV?

Thanks a lot!

boldorider4 · 05-10-2023, 05:47 PM

This issue was resolved.

About the two microphones (emergency and main), I found out the following:

As long as your HU is either NBT (non-Evo!) or ENTRYNAV, you'll have the main microphone already wired to the HU exactly like in the NBTevo or ENTRYNAV_2 (which are the same generation of HU)
The emergency microphone is a bit more problematic: since the emergency microphone will end up getting routed to the connectivity unit (NBT or ENTRYNAV will have a TCB unit, whereas NBTevo and ENTRYNAV_2 will have an ATM module), if you don't retrofit a VIN-matched ATM module to your car to match the pairing with an NBTevo, you'll end up not only with non-working ConnectedDrive features (no internet connectivity) but also you'll get an error in the HU ECU saying that the emergency microphone line is broken. This may be due to the fact that the energency microphone is routed differently between NBT non-Evo and NBTevo units (see detailed video on YT from Nicholas Gorkes) or the fact that the NBTevo unit is not finding an ATM module, because a pre-existing TCB is still fitted in the car.

Point 2. was at least my case, but for me it was fine losing the emergency microphone, as I came to terms with not having connectivity (which in my ENTRYNAV HU was used only for Real-Time Traffic, which is a paid service, and for the pretty useless Teleservices, which are used to send email notifications about due service).

As far as I'm concerned this subject is resolved!

rlesko · 12-27-2023, 10:16 PM

Did you ever figure out the wiring part of #2?

boldorider4 · 01-07-2024, 07:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rlesko

Did you ever figure out the wiring part of #2?

No, I have not, simply because I chose to retrofit an NBTevo without an ATM module, thus losing connectivity and emergency mic.

The wiring however is supposed to end up in a connector that is already present at the backend of the car. Basically this connector (which plugs into the TCB i.e. the legacy connectivity module) needs to be repinned into a new connector (connector retrofit kits are widely available or at least schematics are for an easy DIY) that will plug into the ATM-module. I suspect that the emergency mic is wired to that connector.

So you will have to tear down the LH driver side of the car to wire the ATM to the NBTevo, but not for the purpose of rewiring the emergency mic, because such a mic is already wired to the backend. You'll do that to connect the ATM to the NBTevo through an OABR connector (which will also carry the mic data). This OABR is not present at all on the pre-LCI ENTRYNAV or older NBT units.

Don't take my word for it though, there are plenty of tutorials of people retrofitting an NBTevo+ATM successfully to a pre-LCI vehicle with ENTRYNAV/NBT+TCB. They will also sort out the emergency mic issue.

This video I think covers it all. It's an F30 but the wiring and units involved are the same as F22.

rlesko · 01-07-2024, 09:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by boldorider4

No, I have not, simply because I chose to retrofit an NBTevo without an ATM module, thus losing connectivity and emergency mic.

The wiring however is supposed to end up in a connector that is already present at the backend of the car. Basically this connector (which plugs into the TCB i.e. the legacy connectivity module) needs to be repinned into a new connector (connector retrofit kits are widely available or at least schematics are for an easy DIY) that will plug into the ATM-module. I suspect that the emergency mic is wired to that connector.

So you will have to tear down the LH driver side of the car to wire the ATM to the NBTevo, but not for the purpose of rewiring the emergency mic, because such a mic is already wired to the backend. You'll do that to connect the ATM to the NBTevo through an OABR connector (which will also carry the mic data). This OABR is not present at all on the pre-LCI ENTRYNAV or older NBT units.

Don't take my word for it though, there are plenty of tutorials of people retrofitting an NBTevo+ATM successfully to a pre-LCI vehicle with ENTRYNAV/NBT+TCB. They will also sort out the emergency mic issue.

This video I think covers it all. It's an F30 but the wiring and units involved are the same as F22.

I did watch that video many times actually, lol.

I ended up just purchasing a plug and play harness from an eBay vendor since I retrofitted ATM as well. By coding in the enhanced bluetooth, I am missing microphone #2 which throws a silent error only visible in ISTA, but nevertheless I do plan to wire that up. It appears as though it goes to pins 18 and 19 on quadlock harness.

Betosan · 02-05-2024, 07:13 PM

I to have an issue with the mic on my car, just can't get it to work is there anyone out there that can give me an idea how to make this work. I have the ID6 NBT Evo retrofitted on my 335i-e92 2008 it works fine but the Mic just does not work. According to the instruction I had to reroute the wire for the Mic directedly to the back of the unit it does not work. I have sent this to techs and tested this unit on other card and apparently the Mic work on the unit just not my car. I have also tested different wires. ANYHELP?

03-22-2023, 07:14 AM	#1
boldorider4 Private 18 Rep 87 Posts Drives: BMW 220i F22 Join Date: Mar 2023 Location: Berlin, Germany iTrader: (0)	Microphone wiring when retrofitting NBT Evo ID6 to F22/F30 w/ ENTRYNAV + TCB Hi all! I have one more doubt that kind of bugs me. I see multiple videos on YouTube of people retrofitting an NBT Evo unit + VIN-matched ATM to an F30 (2012-2013) with a factory CIC unit. The CIC unit also connects to a so-called "Combobox" (not sure whether this is the same as a TCB unit). These retrofits pose following challenges: 1) both emergency and normal microphones are connected to the Combobox, which in turn connects to CIC HU, which means that in order to successfully retrofit the NBT+ATM, the mic needs to be wired to the ATM instead of the Combobox, which creates a lot of retrofitting problems. 2) in order to use the same wiring the stock F30 came with, many cables need to rewired/extended e.b., 20-pin connector from Combobox to ATM wiring, quad-lock from CIC to NBT wiring. Now, I'm planning to retrofit an NBT Evo ID6 WITHOUT an ATM module to my 2015 F22, which comes with an ENTRYNAV (hardware equivalent to NBT NON-Evo) + TCB_NAV. 1) will the mic already be wired to the NBT Evo head unit without having to pass through the ATM module (which I'm not planning on getting)? Is this achieved with a regular quad lock retrofit harness? 2) do I even need a quad lock retrofit harness for connecting the NBT Evo to the car like the ENTRYNAV? Thanks a lot!
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05-10-2023, 05:47 PM	#2
boldorider4 Private 18 Rep 87 Posts Drives: BMW 220i F22 Join Date: Mar 2023 Location: Berlin, Germany iTrader: (0)	This issue was resolved. About the two microphones (emergency and main), I found out the following: As long as your HU is either NBT (non-Evo!) or ENTRYNAV, you'll have the main microphone already wired to the HU exactly like in the NBTevo or ENTRYNAV_2 (which are the same generation of HU) The emergency microphone is a bit more problematic: since the emergency microphone will end up getting routed to the connectivity unit (NBT or ENTRYNAV will have a TCB unit, whereas NBTevo and ENTRYNAV_2 will have an ATM module), if you don't retrofit a VIN-matched ATM module to your car to match the pairing with an NBTevo, you'll end up not only with non-working ConnectedDrive features (no internet connectivity) but also you'll get an error in the HU ECU saying that the emergency microphone line is broken. This may be due to the fact that the energency microphone is routed differently between NBT non-Evo and NBTevo units (see detailed video on YT from Nicholas Gorkes) or the fact that the NBTevo unit is not finding an ATM module, because a pre-existing TCB is still fitted in the car. Point 2. was at least my case, but for me it was fine losing the emergency microphone, as I came to terms with not having connectivity (which in my ENTRYNAV HU was used only for Real-Time Traffic, which is a paid service, and for the pretty useless Teleservices, which are used to send email notifications about due service). As far as I'm concerned this subject is resolved! Last edited by boldorider4; 05-11-2023 at 02:21 AM..
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12-27-2023, 10:16 PM	#3
rlesko Captain 302 Rep 604 Posts Drives: F30 335i Join Date: Jan 2023 Location: New England iTrader: (1) Garage List 2012 335i [0.00]	Did you ever figure out the wiring part of #2?
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02-05-2024, 07:13 PM	#6
Betosan Registered 0 Rep 3 Posts Drives: 2008 335i coupe Join Date: Nov 2016 Location: San Diego iTrader: (0) Garage List 2008 BMW 335i [0.00]	I to have an issue with the mic on my car, just can't get it to work is there anyone out there that can give me an idea how to make this work. I have the ID6 NBT Evo retrofitted on my 335i-e92 2008 it works fine but the Mic just does not work. According to the instruction I had to reroute the wire for the Mic directedly to the back of the unit it does not work. I have sent this to techs and tested this unit on other card and apparently the Mic work on the unit just not my car. I have also tested different wires. ANYHELP?
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