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 Mik-Box 100 Retrofit for a MY2001 M-Class
A guide to upgrading your OEM phone in a W163 | Published on Monday, January 10th, 2005 by paulhdick |
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[img]http://www.benzworld.org/gallery/pics/127463255719200544928PM.jpg[/img]
The following are some basic instructions on how to upgrade/retrofit the [b]MikBox 100[/b] into a 2001 ML-320. These instructions should be similar for all 2000+ W163s with a D2B fiber optic MCS. I already had the fully integrated OEM V60i phone in my ML (and 2001 C-320). These instructions are primarily for the MikBox/phone upgrade but there is enough info here with the help of some additional phone installation info on my website to do this upgrade/retrofit from scratch.
[b]The obvious disclaimer:[/b]
Don’t attempt this unless you are comfortable working on your own vehicle. I take no responsibility for the accuracy or compatibility of this document with your vehicle. You can make a huge and costly mess of your vehicle if you don’t have the proper tools or experience. If you are unsure of anything presented here it is probably better left for someone with more experience and sill level to do it for you.
I have been living with three Mercedes V60i TDMA phones that we use in our two Mercedes for some time now. I wanted to upgrade our phones to something a little more “modern” (camera, web access, Bluetooth, etc) and was hoping the US release of the MHI interface would provide a potential retrofit path. Typical of Mercedes, the new V600 and V710 phones are Mercedes specific ($500 ea) that only work with the MOST optical network (but of course!). There is another solution I will review at the end of this text, but the MikBox makes a lot of sense for my upgrade path since I already have the OEM phone integration.
I have been testing various versions of Micha’s MikBox for over a year now and he has come along ways from his first prototypes. It’s not perfect, but it’s pretty close, and as anal as I am about the function of my Mercedes Telematics, that’s got to be good. I think I was Micha’s best tester/info provider and worst critic at the same time!! Anyway, the goal with this project is to maintain the fully functional interface of the Mercedes OEM system with a standard Motorola P2K phone as pictured here.
[img]http://www.benzworld.org/gallery/pics/127463255719200545025PM.jpg[/img]
My upgrade is being used with several Motorola V551’s and a V600 we have in the family. I used a hang-up cup/cradle as pictured above in my ML (and C). This particular hang-up cup is compatible with the V300, V400, V500 series, and V600 phones from Motorola. I also kept the stock Mercedes antenna system. A fully functional integration using the MikBox does not require all of this. All you really need is the MikBox (and phone cable he also sells), the ML specific phone harness, and a Mercedes PSE. I went for it all ……. For reference both my Mercedes have the OEM phone systems with Voice Control, CD Changers, and Navigation.
[b]Tools required:[/b]
Torx T10 driver
Wire cutters/strippers
Screwdrivers, pliers, etc.
Soldering iron and solder
Various drill bits
[b]Parts required:[/b]
MixBox 100
Mini-RF female adapter
Mini RF coax cable
Electrical tape, heatshrink tubing, and a heat gun
Motorola Hang-up cup specific to the V551 and V600 phones
[b]Here we go:[/b]
First off, you should familiarize yourself with the Phone Install Bulletin for your particular model and model year Mercedes. They are located on my website at, http://home.earthlink.net/~phdwebsite/" target=new>Paul’s MB Info Website. If you select the [b]Integrated Phones[/b] page you will see where to access them. You should also review the Tech Pub I did for my ML here, http://www.benzworld.org/publications/pub.asp?id=143" target=new>V60i Integrated Cell Phone Install.
I am not going into a lot of detail in this tech pub. Additional details for the install is located in the above links. There is also some info on my website on a page dedicated to the MikBox install for my ML-320 and some info for my C-320. You should familiarize yourself with the install instructions Micha provides with the MikBox. You can download it from his website at [url]http://www.mikbox.com/[/url]. It is located on the “support” page.
The integration of the MikBox into the ML is a little different than other Mercedes vehicles. Most others have a “Y” type cable the MixBox gets installed onto, but the ML’s phone integration cable is completely different. For the ML, Micha recommends using a short DB25 parallel cable between the PSE and MixBox which is probably the easiest way to do the install. The MikBox can then be installed underneath the radio after rerouting the DB-25 connector into that area. I don’t think there is enough room to use the adapter cable and install the MixBox on the passenger under-dash panel the PSE normally mounts to.
For my install, I had a few extra older model PSEs around at the time so I disassembled and cut the end off of one and installed the MixBox PCB assembly into it using the DB-25 plate the OEM cables normally mounts to. The two pictures below show what it looked like before installation onto the PSE. This is the PSE end:
[img]http://www.benzworld.org/gallery/pics/127463255719200545201PM.jpg[/img]
And this is the cable end:
[img]http://www.benzworld.org/gallery/pics/127463255719200545513PM.jpg[/img]
I then connected the two as shown here with only the force of the pins and connectors holding them together:
[img]http://www.benzworld.org/gallery/pics/127463255719200545640PM.jpg[/img]
I then drilled two additional holes into the underside dash panel the PSE mounts to that match the holes in the MikBox/PSE end as shown here:
[img]http://www.benzworld.org/gallery/pics/127463255719200545753PM.jpg[/img]
I wrapped some electrical tape around the perimeter of the two boxes two keep the MikBox sealed from the environment, and mounted both to the dash panel so all is secure and tight as shown here:
[img]http://www.benzworld.org/gallery/pics/127463255719200545906PM.jpg[/img]
There is just enough room between the cable connector, shown mounted to the MixBox, and the firewall to get the panel back in place, but it is a very tight fit. No worry about any of this stuff coming loose:
[img]http://www.benzworld.org/gallery/pics/127463255719200550205PM.jpg[/img]
I then reinstalled the panel back in place and set to work on the new cradle/hang-up cup.
Micha sells a phone cable that allows you to connect your standard Motorola phone to the RJ-45 connector that is normally part of the OEM pre-wired harness in your Mercedes. I used that cable with a Motorola Hang-up cup as shown below:
[img]http://www.benzworld.org/gallery/pics/127463255719200550323PM.jpg[/img]
You can buy the hang-up cup online directly from Motorola if you so wish, but this step is unnecessary as you can just connect the cable to the harness and phone and it will work immediately. I like the idea of having a secure place to mount the phone a la the OEM system, so I opted for the Motorola part. It is part of their Pro-Install Car Kit but they also sell them separately. You can see it here, http://commerce.motorola.com/cgi-bin/ncommerce3/ProductDisplay?prrfnbr=253409&prmenbr=126&accessories_cgrfnbr=22&zipcode=&phoneID=&search_string=29,238320,24,238596,26,27,240974,28,25&type=253242" target=new>Motorola Replacement Hang-up Cup. It has a very nice ejector button on the side and actually looks and works better than the standard Mercedes V60 cradle/holder. The hang-up cup has an antenna coax wire as part of the assembly but it is too short to be used for the ML (and possibly other Mercedes models) so I added about 12 inches of coax to it with two splices. I soldered the connections and used heatshrink tubing for insulation and support strength. I then covered the entire (MikBox) phone cable, already show connected, and antenna coax with some split cable jacketing for extra protection. The completed assembly with phone mounted looks like this:
[img]http://www.benzworld.org/gallery/pics/127463255719200550523PM.jpg[/img]
A word of caution … If you plan on using the Motorola hang-up cup without the OEM antenna hardware/connection, you may have a signal strength problem. I noticed I lost almost all signal strength with any of the V551 or V600 phones mounted in the cup without the antenna coax connected to the internal hardware. Something about the connection being made to the back of the phone shuts down the ability for the phones antenna to work properly??. I suspect if you take apart the cup and remove the entire antenna contacting pin, it will work fine without the antenna hardware.
Also, the antenna coax located on the hang-up cup has male threads, which is standard on all the Motorola holders. Mercedes, in their attempt to make everything different (and difficult), uses a female thread connection, so the mating pre-wired connection in the vehicle is the wrong gender, male. I used a female to female adapter you can buy from any good electrical supply store, or I think Micha will sell you one with the MixBox if you need it.
After removing the old Mercedes OEM cradle/holder, I routed the cable through the exiting hole from my previous phone install as shown here:
[img]http://www.benzworld.org/gallery/pics/127463255719200550624PM.jpg[/img]
I attached the hang-up cup using the upper hole that attached the original cradle, as shown in this view:
[img]http://www.benzworld.org/gallery/pics/127463255719200551005PM.jpg[/img]
I then secured the cable in place with a small cable clamp in the same location as the original cable as shown here:
[img]http://www.benzworld.org/gallery/pics/127463255719200550849PM.jpg[/img]
I connected the Antenna and RJ connector wires to the preinstalled harness in the center console, and then reinstalled the storage box. Everything works just fine thank you!!! The MikBox takes an additional five to ten seconds to establish connection with the PSE than an OEM system, but once that connection is established, the first 100 entries of the phonebook load to the head unit and you are able to use the hands-free phone system just like a stock OEM system.
What do you loose with the MikBox integration??:
With the hang-up cup, I lose the “Privacy Mode” capability of a stock OEM system, but I never used that anyway. Mercedes has since discontinued “Privacy Mode” with the new MHI system for some 2004 and most 2005 vehicles so I guess it wasn’t that popular anyway. If you want it, just don’t use the hang-up cup. While connected just to the phone cable, you can still talk in privacy mode with the flip open.
Also, the phone will not power down or up again when you turn the ignition on and off, respectively, like with the OEM system. Micha does not like the way the Mercedes integration powers down the phone and thinks it is bad for the phone in the long run. He said he will look at a fix for this in the future, but it is not that important to me.
Lastly, if you regularly install your phone into the cradle on an OEM system while in call, you need to remember there is a longer delay (maybe 5 seconds) before you can start talking hands-free to the person on the other end again through the vehicles sound system. I rarely do this so it is not an inconvenience for me.
Other than the above issues, everything else normally part of the OEM integration works. Voice dialing, dash display, phone book download, editing (if supported in your MB), SMS, etc., all work just like an OEM integration.
The only other upgrade path I know of today that allows you to use non-Mercedes phones is the UHI hardware being sold and installed by Steve Krabbenborg of MBenzNL fame. This is the European version of the MHI system but allows use of several different non-Mercedes phones from Motorola, Nokia, and I think Sony as well. It is OEM and allows complete hands-free integration like the new MHI US version, but is also a little more pricey. I don’t think they have a version of it yet for the ML but that should be coming soon. Both solutions are very good but I opted for the MikBox integration as I already had OEM hardware and it allows me to use a wider variety of Motorola phones. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to contact me. And, make sure you visit my website …
Paul
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