Coding Anti-Dazzle and Variable Light Distribution

[mojo]

Do any of these instances involve cars with rear lighting that extends right across the width of the car? I ask, because there is some evidence (in the UK) that the KAFAS system on the i3 doesn't cope too well with that type of vehicle.

 

[SSi3]

Do any of these instances involve cars with rear lighting that extends right across the width of the car? I ask, because there is some evidence (in the UK) that the KAFAS system on the i3 doesn't cope too well with that type of vehicle.

Not in my test drives... I was behind regular 2 taillight vehicles... was even behind a semi truck-trailer with all its tail/marker lights on, my car still didn't see it

 

[Jenss4/i3s]

Do any of these instances involve cars with rear lighting that extends right across the width of the car? I ask, because there is some evidence (in the UK) that the KAFAS system on the i3 doesn't cope too well with that type of vehicle.

Same experience as SSi3. When directly behind cars at close range my car will turn on all the segments blinding the car in front of me.

 

[tongsli]

I guess we've collectively given up on this? There are still folks out there who will do the coding remotely as I had suggested a long time ago early in this thread. Like the Traffic Jam assist coding. Maybe premium retrofit knows how to perform the changes?

 

[Jenss4/i3s]

I guess we've collectively given up on this? There are still folks out there who will do the coding remotely as I had suggested a long time ago early in this thread. Like the Traffic Jam assist coding. Maybe premium retrofit knows how to perform the changes?

Looking into the programming for other models I guess there's a shop in California, I don't remember the name of, that might be able to do it. They work with a shop in Germany that can get the proper codes from BMW based on the car's VIN. Unless someone else has made progress I've given up as I'm not equipped for the level of programming that's needed.

 

[alohart]

I'm not clear about the differences between the behavior of European i3 headlights and U.S. headlights after the values of 3 Body Domain Controller parameters were changed. Some U.S. i3 drivers who have made regular coding changes feel that their headlights are dazzling approaching drivers. I know that European headlights in general have a sharper top cutoff than U.S. headlights which no coding, FDL included, could likely change. That is likely due to hardware differences. Parts numbers for U.S. and European i3 headlights could be compared to determine whether hardware differences exist.

Early on, I read on another forum that the only noticeable effect of VDL coding was to change the values of 3 Body Domain Controller parameters. I have no way to determine whether this is true. In the meantime, I changed the values of these 3 Body Domain Controller parameters on the 2021 U.S. i3 that we recently acquired. I drive so little at night on dark roads that I haven't determined whether the headlights are working as I had hoped they would.

 

[Jenss4/i3s]

I'm not clear about the differences between the behavior of European i3 headlights and U.S. headlights after the values of 3 Body Domain Controller parameters were changed. Some U.S. i3 drivers who have made regular coding changes feel that their headlights are dazzling approaching drivers. I know that European headlights in general have a sharper top cutoff than U.S. headlights which no coding, FDL included, could likely change. That is likely due to hardware differences. Parts numbers for U.S. and European i3 headlights could be compared to determine whether hardware differences exist.

Early on, I read on another forum that the only noticeable effect of VDL coding was to change the values of 3 Body Domain Controller parameters. I have no way to determine whether this is true. In the meantime, I changed the values of these 3 Body Domain Controller parameters on the 2021 U.S. i3 that we recently acquired. I drive so little at night on dark roads that I haven't determined whether the headlights are working as I had hoped they would.

After many nights driving my car with the programming to the body domain controller and having friends drive at me or ahead of me while talking to me on the phone it would appear there is more programming needed for full functionality. As I have said previously all the car is doing is putting one light to low beam while the other stays high. If you watch the road signs on the oncoming lane you can see this happening. The signs and trees will get dimmer but not go dark. Oncoming traffic is still getting the high output of the passenger side light. Friends that have driven in front of me have described it as winking. If they are straight in front the car will turn on both high beams no matter how close you are. There is no beam splitting happening just on and off of high and low for each side.

It is possible USDM lights don't have the segments but I haven't found any proof of that.

 

[alohart]

After many nights driving my car with the programming to the body domain controller and having friends drive at me or ahead of me while talking to me on the phone it would appear there is more programming needed for full functionality. As I have said previously all the car is doing is putting one light to low beam while the other stays high. If you watch the road signs on the oncoming lane you can see this happening. The signs and trees will get dimmer but not go dark. Oncoming traffic is still getting the high output of the passenger side light. Friends that have driven in front of me have described it as winking. If they are straight in front the car will turn on both high beams no matter how close you are. There is no beam splitting happening just on and off of high and low for each side.

In my limited experience after changing the values of the 3 Body Domain Controller parameters, I "think" that I have seen the leftmost LED high-beam segments turn off to prevent oncoming drivers from being dazzled. I've never had an oncoming driver flash his high beams at me. However, you've certainly done much more comprehensive testing than I have.

Because of the results that you've reported, I will restore these 3 Body Domain Controller parameters to their original values before I sell our 2019 i3. I'll leave these changes in effect on our 2021 i3 until I notice that the headlight behavior is dazzling oncoming drivers.

It is possible USDM lights don't have the segments but I haven't found any proof of that.

It doesn't seem to make sense for U.S. i3's to have options 5AP Decoding Anti-Glare High-Beam Assistant and 8S4 Decoding, Variable Light Distribution if their headlights didn't have individual LED segments that could be turned on and off independently.

 

[tongsli]

I am inclined to believe the hardware is not the issue. Every bmw coding forum and everything I have contributed to this massive thread says the VO file must be changed in order to enable and add the specific coding items to add these features. it's the same for all other BMW coding features people want to add ex post facto.

Even the Traffic Jam Assist needs remote coding if you are following that thread. There wouldn't be at least two firms offering their services to enable the 5AP and 8S4 remote coding if you could just use Bimmercode to make the changes. It would have already made it out across the internet and it has not. Every 2019 or greater I3 owner with Bimmercode would be posting about it.

I'm like Art, I rarely drive at night and unlike him, I don't live in paradise but in the mean streets of Baltimore City. There is so much ambient light here, I'd have to drive 30 minutes to find darkness. So like TJA which I would never use, I am not motivated to make this modification to my vehicle although I think it's cool and would be neat to have. I do not use windows computers although I do have the obdII dongle and I do not have the software to perform.

I'd rather have HK stereo . Somebody will have this done sooner or later, there must be folks who paid for it but they're just not on this forum.

Lito

 

[tongsli]

I came across this PDF while looking for something else altogether. Hope it helps someone

 

[SSi3]

I came across this PDF while looking for something else altogether. Hope it helps someone

Nice thanks! Now I just need to find someone with ESYS :/

 

[alohart]

Nice thanks! Now I just need to find someone with ESYS :/

Thanks! Now I need to install appropriate versions of E-Sys and its data file to be able to use this info. E-Sys might be more challenging to install than ISTA. What E-Sys and data file versions would be required to code a 2021 i3?

 

[kd7iwp]

I haven't gotten around to this yet even though I now have the car in my hands. I've downloaded ~400GB of data files and am hoping I can get Esys running soon to play around with this over Christmas. Had to increase the storage on the ol' laptop I use for automotive tinkering.

 

[alohart]

I haven't gotten around to this yet even though I now have the car in my hands. I've downloaded ~400GB of data files and am hoping I can get Esys running soon to play around with this over Christmas. Had to increase the storage on the ol' laptop I use for automotive tinkering.

"Light" versions, ~3 GB, of these very large data files can be installed with E-Sys. Apparently, they support most things that BMW owners want to change. However, coding anti-dazzle and variable light distribution might require the full data file because this apparently requires VO (Vehicle Order) coding which BimmerCode doesn't support.

I used BimmerCode to change a few parameter values that some have asserted enables anti-dazzle and variable light distribution. I can definitely see that something very different is occurring at night, but I don't know whether this is the correct behavior or even whether U.S. headlights have a sharp enough top cut-off to avoid dazzling on-coming drivers and drivers ahead.

My old 128 GB Intel MacBook doesn't have enough disk space for the installation of the full data file that I believe is shared by ISTA and E-Sys. I examined the compressed data file's contents and could see many directories for BMW models other than the i3. I could decompress this data file ignoring those directories for other BMW models to reduce the disk space required by the installed data files. However, there are many other directories with names not obviously related to any BMW model, so these would probably have to be installed. I have no idea how much space could be saved by not installing directories intended for BMW models other than the i3 or whether such an installation would function correctly.

 

[SSi3]

https://www.theautopian.com/the-riv...ecial-headlight-technology-and-it-is-amazing/

 

[alohart]

https://www.theautopian.com/the-riv...ecial-headlight-technology-and-it-is-amazing/

Thanks for the URL! Great description of LED matrix headlights.

Unfortunately, a comment by a 2023 BMW M3 owner listed additional BDC parameter value changes necessary to enable anti-dazzle and variable light distribution without E-Sys VO coding which means that I'll probably try making these changes with BimmerCode I'm pretty happy with the results of the changes that I've already made, but maybe I've missed something.

 

[Mustrum Ridcully]

I came across this PDF while looking for something else altogether. Hope it helps someone

What, pray tell, does coding for this get you
Satellite Radio / Enhanced Bluetooth
HU_NBT … or HU_ENTRY & CMB_MEDIA

It is as seen on the last page of this PDF. For some odd reason, selecting copy from that PDF and attempting to paste puts several carriage returns between each word.

The

most

popular

VO_Coding

changes

require

coding

to

the

following

ECUs

Dazzle

LEDs:



FEM_BODY

&

KAFAS2

….

Or



FEM_BODY

&

FLA3

Satellite

Radio

/

Enhanced

Bluetooth:

HU_NBT

…

or

HU_ENTRY

&

CMB_MEDIA

 

[alohart]

What, pray tell, does coding for this get you
Satellite Radio / Enhanced Bluetooth

VO (Vehicle Order) coding changes enable options whose hardware was installed but not enabled by software. All U.S. i3's included a 1-year subscription to Sirius satellite radio, but satellite radio had to be enabled for Sirius to be received which is was in U.S. i3's. However, it might not have been enable in other markets, so VO coding could enable it. Note that BimmerCode is unable to do VO coding; BMW's E-Sys software is required, only pirated copies of which are available to most of us. Installation and configuration seem challenging.

I don't know how Enhanced Bluetooth differs from "standard" Bluetooth and whether all U.S. i3's have Enhanced Bluetooth enabled. However, if not, VO coding could do so.

 

[SSi3]

Thanks for the URL! Great description of LED matrix headlights.

Unfortunately, a comment by a 2023 BMW M3 owner listed additional BDC parameter value changes necessary to enable anti-dazzle and variable light distribution without E-Sys VO coding which means that I'll probably try making these changes with BimmerCode I'm pretty happy with the results of the changes that I've already made, but maybe I've missed something.

I spotted those M3 coding parameters in the comments too... i'm going to give them all a try on my car at some point.

 

[alohart]

I spotted those M3 coding parameters in the comments too... i'm going to give them all a try on my car at some point.

Another option might be to ask one of our European brothers or sisters to report the values of several BDC coding parameters that seem to be involved with Anti-Dazzle and VLD. A problem with that would be that we might not know all of the parameters involved.