BrianJ Posted May 8, 2021 Author Report Share Posted May 8, 2021 25 minutes ago, RickLS7 said: That's expensive, this company offer a fixed price for half of that: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/184782376141?hash=item2b05e34ccd:g:NKMAAOSweqNgOkx- Lots out there. Anybody got a Porsche Baxter? Not very confidence inspiring....... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrianJ Posted May 8, 2021 Author Report Share Posted May 8, 2021 44 minutes ago, iborguk said: Or for half of that (no proof it's working mind) https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/284210965621 This whole PCM 3.1 specification area is a minefield. This one looks nothing like mine, back or front. Probably out of a 987. Even on 981, there are so many options - DAB, Sports Chrono, etc that getting an exact match is unlikely. Then there’s all the other Porsche models that PCM3.1 has been in too, with their options. Very tricky unless you (and ideally the seller) know what you are doing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iborguk Posted May 8, 2021 Report Share Posted May 8, 2021 (edited) 19 minutes ago, BrianJ said: This whole PCM 3.1 specification area is a minefield. This one looks nothing like mine, back or front. Probably out of a 987. Even on 981, there are so many options - DAB, Sports Chrono, etc that getting an exact match is unlikely. Then there’s all the other Porsche models that PCM3.1 has been in too, with their options. Very tricky unless you (and ideally the seller) know what you are doing. Says it's out of a 981 Cayman, it's possible the logic board would be the same. I get why you've gone your chosen route and it's in their hands now. If mine I would have been tempted to try the HDD replacement first, but it's your car etc. Good luck with getting it sorted. Edited May 8, 2021 by iborguk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RickLS7 Posted May 8, 2021 Report Share Posted May 8, 2021 If your logic board is replaced, you will need someone to enable the functions when the unit is back in the car. That's almost certainly an OPC. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrianJ Posted May 8, 2021 Author Report Share Posted May 8, 2021 6 minutes ago, iborguk said: If mine I would have been tempted to try the HDD replacement first, but it's your car etc. Yes, it was very tempting. But I have several reasons why I needed a one hit fix rather than a possibly self-induced multi-stage cockup. My suspicion is that you are right. We’ll see. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iborguk Posted May 8, 2021 Report Share Posted May 8, 2021 (edited) 11 minutes ago, BrianJ said: Yes, it was very tempting. But I have several reasons why I needed a one hit fix rather than a possibly self-induced multi-stage cockup. My suspicion is that you are right. We’ll see. Yup fair do's. As per @RickLS7 if the logic board is replaced suspect it will need recoding to the car with a PIWIS. I think it's more likely HDD or a joint/chip on the board which is sorted, guesswork on my part mind. Be interested to hear how it's remediated. Edited May 8, 2021 by iborguk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daz05 Posted May 8, 2021 Report Share Posted May 8, 2021 1 hour ago, RickLS7 said: Bargain. It would be if it was the right one for his car. 😂 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iborguk Posted May 8, 2021 Report Share Posted May 8, 2021 3 minutes ago, daz05 said: It would be if it was the right one for his car. 😂 We need a friendly DIYer to get hands on with some of the PCM variants to see what’s common in the internals. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daz05 Posted May 8, 2021 Report Share Posted May 8, 2021 30 minutes ago, iborguk said: Yup fair do's. As per @RickLS7 if the logic board is replaced suspect it will need recoding to the car with a PIWIS. I think it's more likely HDD or a joint/chip on the board which is sorted, guesswork on my part mind. Be interested to hear how it's remediated. I had a portable HDD and it went on the blink and I thought I had lost all my data. Phoned around and got quotes of £400 ish to repair and restore. Before committing I searched YouTube and sure enough some guy had a video up where he dabbed a hot solder iron where the connector sits. Thought why not.... 10 mins later I had all my data and it still works today 😂. Trying that on the pcm may be another matter mind ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daz05 Posted May 8, 2021 Report Share Posted May 8, 2021 Just now, iborguk said: We need a friendly DIYer to get hands on with some of the PCM variants to see what’s common in the internals. Had mine out the other week. The nav utilises the HDD so I suspect the non nav units don't have one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iborguk Posted May 8, 2021 Report Share Posted May 8, 2021 (edited) 4 minutes ago, daz05 said: I had a portable HDD and it went on the blink and I thought I had lost all my data. Phoned around and got quotes of £400 ish to repair and restore. Before committing I searched YouTube and sure enough some guy had a video up where he dabbed a hot solder iron where the connector sits. Thought why not.... 10 mins later I had all my data and it still works today 😂. Trying that on the pcm may be another matter mind ! I think the drive clone isn’t too much harder. It’s the surgery to get it out and then stick into into a drive caddy to clone the drive with a copy of CloneZilla. Of course it’s all perspective as I have form for doing that kind of thing but I get it you’re not familiar with the process it would be more daunting (like asking me to do something mechanical on these cars !) Edited May 8, 2021 by iborguk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iborguk Posted May 8, 2021 Report Share Posted May 8, 2021 (edited) 12 minutes ago, daz05 said: Had mine out the other week. The nav utilises the HDD so I suspect the non nav units don't have one. Yeah very likely , the commonality on the board(s) across variants would be interesting to know e.g is it a common mainboard with maybe some peripheral board variations depending on the options installed. Edited May 8, 2021 by iborguk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul P Posted May 8, 2021 Report Share Posted May 8, 2021 13 minutes ago, daz05 said: Had mine out the other week. The nav utilises the HDD so I suspect the non nav units don't have one. doesn’t the 981 have a “jukebox” function where you can copy tunes to it. That would use HDD wouldn’t it ? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrianJ Posted May 8, 2021 Author Report Share Posted May 8, 2021 2 minutes ago, Paul P said: doesn’t the 981 have a “jukebox” function where you can copy tunes to it. That would use HDD wouldn’t it ? Yes, mine does (or did) 😱 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iborguk Posted May 8, 2021 Report Share Posted May 8, 2021 4 minutes ago, Paul P said: doesn’t the 981 have a “jukebox” function where you can copy tunes to it. That would use HDD wouldn’t it ? Good point. Well argued 😀 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iborguk Posted May 8, 2021 Report Share Posted May 8, 2021 Just now, iborguk said: Good point. Well argued 😀 Again some tear downs of variations needed to demystify things re the design. You’d like to think it’s modular , which would save time and expense in manufacture but who knows without sight of opening up a few of differing options… Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daz05 Posted May 8, 2021 Report Share Posted May 8, 2021 3 hours ago, Paul P said: doesn’t the 981 have a “jukebox” function where you can copy tunes to it. That would use HDD wouldn’t it ? PCMs for cars built after Nov 2012 had jukebox and yes that feature also utilises the HDD, the 981 standard CDR units don't have an HDD so no jukebox or nav in those. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Driyage Posted May 11, 2021 Report Share Posted May 11, 2021 Bit late… but I replaced my hdd with a ssd when I had the pcm out to fit CarPlay. Used clonezilla to clone it and have the original safely stored away Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Menoporsche Posted May 12, 2021 Report Share Posted May 12, 2021 To me it would seem sensible to replace the old tech of HDD with the new tech of SSD while in there. But what do I know, I'm more histrionics than electronics. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrianJ Posted May 18, 2021 Author Report Share Posted May 18, 2021 (edited) Just to conclude on this from my perspective, I received the PCM back from Cartronics today. Not possible to inspect the interior because all the covers have Cartronics own "don't tamper with this or you void the warranty" labels over them. However, it took about 5 mins to reinstall the PCM in the car and it all appears to work. Before I sent it to them it had V4.52 of the system software, which a couple of years ago when updating the maps my OPC told me was the latest that would run on that unit, even though V4.76 was available. It now has V4.76 on it and although hard to tell until I drive to somewhere with some recent road improvements or POI changes, the maps look a bit different to me. All the integration with the rest of the Porsche instruments appears to work fine. So my conclusion is that without a forensic inspection, the system board and system software have been changed and the maps replaced with the latest version. Expensive but desired result and they seem to know what they are doing. And as they promised, no coding required by OPC. Edited May 18, 2021 by BrianJ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daz05 Posted May 18, 2021 Report Share Posted May 18, 2021 56 minutes ago, BrianJ said: Just to conclude on this from my perspective, I received the PCM back from Cartronics today. Not possible to inspect the interior because all the covers have Cartronics own "don't tamper with this or you void the warranty" labels over them. However, it took about 5 mins to reinstall the PCM in the car and it all appears to work. Before I sent it to them it had V4.52 of the system software, which a couple of years ago when updating the maps my OPC told me was the latest that would run on that unit, even though V4.76 was available. It now has V4.76 on it and although hard to tell until I drive to somewhere with some recent road improvements or POI changes, the maps look a bit different to me. All the integration with the rest of the Porsche instruments appears to work fine. So my conclusion is that without a forensic inspection, the system board and system software have been changed and the maps replaced with the latest version. Expensive but desired result and they seem to know what they are doing. And as they promised, no coding required by OPC. Brian was the original HDD tamper seal on the top of the unit covered up as well then? All that matters is that it works and you are back out on the road! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrianJ Posted May 18, 2021 Author Report Share Posted May 18, 2021 32 minutes ago, daz05 said: Brian was the original HDD tamper seal on the top of the unit covered up as well then? All that matters is that it works and you are back out on the road! Yes it was. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daz05 Posted May 18, 2021 Report Share Posted May 18, 2021 4 hours ago, BrianJ said: Yes it was. So most likely had the HDD out then as we expected. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrianJ Posted May 19, 2021 Author Report Share Posted May 19, 2021 Just for a laugh, while it was out, I counted the number of contacts on the back of my PCM3.1 that would be reconnected via the various plugs. It was 77. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spook Posted May 25, 2021 Report Share Posted May 25, 2021 Just a warning that the HDD replacement with SSD upgrade cannot be done in early 981s like my 2012 Boxster S. Like most things in my life I found this out the hard way, when I removed and opened my PCM unit today with a view to doing the upgrade. I quickly saw that the interface on the OEM Toshiba HDD was completely incompatible with the Samsung SSD I intended to replace it with (for the techies on here, the Samsung SSD is SATA, the Toshiba is old-fashioned ATA). The label on the Toshiba stated it was 40GB, with a build date of 20 February 2012. It therefore appears that only the later PCM 3.1 units with the 100GB HDD can be replaced with SSD, so those contemplating what is a very sensible preventative maintenance upgrade first need to check whether their PCM 3.1 has Jukebox. If it hasn't, it simply can't be done. For me it's now just a case of waiting for my lovely old-fashioned Toshiba HDD to fail, as all mechanical HDDs eventually do. Then it's a full PCM replacement unit required. Lucky me 😬 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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