MicroHacker Forum

You know this, the Ford Focus version of the FX (e.g. 8M5T-18K931-xx) differs from the Ford Mondeo one (e.g. 8S7T-18K931-xx) in that way, that button illumination is different. Where the Focus uses a 12V signal going into Pin 14 of Block A from the Quadlock connector, Mondeo uses just CAN-Messages.

So when you put a Focus FX into an Mondeo, everything works like a charm, because the Focus FX also handles the CAN-messages to drive the illumination.

But if you do it the other way, a Mondeo FX into an Focus, the button illumination goes off as soon as you turn on the ignition. Don't know why it is this way, because Bosch could also had made Mondeo FX compatible with illu-signal, as it does for the CAN-messages of Focus FX.

So for now it is not possible to use a device "brandet" for Mondeo in an Focus. But what if we just swap the firmware? Did you ever tried this? Hopefully the firmware is smart enough to detect somehow how it should behave. Maybe by the Ford Partnumber, or by some other flag put somewhere...

First try was a fail Flashed an Focus FX firmware (8M5T..) onto a board of an Mondeo FX and Pin 14 does not do anything, like as the Mondeo FX firmware was in place. So there must be a hardware difference in both, which makes the pin work on the Focus FX and not on the Mondeo FX.

I'm lucky to have enough of these FX (i really don't know how much i own, but it must be twenty or so... and the boards i choose, Mondeo FX and Focus FX, are both of the same type: "1278D04".

First i checked the Board-ID (you know, the little resistor-array near the Flash-chip, which tells the software which hardware it's running on), but they are absolutely equal. Then i inspect the boards to may find parts missing on the other side, but they seem equal too.

After i flashed the 8S7T (Mondeo FX) Firmware to the Focus FX device, the light-control via Pin 14 is gone! So with the Mondeo-Firmware on the board, it behaves like a native Mondeo FX device. When programming the Focus FX firmware back onto the board, i could control light via Pin 14 again.

So it seems to be a combination of hardware (mainboard) and software (mainboard firmware) which makes this feature.

i have such issue right now, focus MCA in mondeo prefacelift works well but when put to mk4.5 facelift the illumination is off. mk4 seems to have pin 14 occupied in quadlock, though 4.5 don't.

Right. The Focus version seems to only act on behalf of the quadlock ILLU signal (PWM signal, directly from the light-switch), whereas in Mondeo versions it can use the CAN-message AND/OR the quadlock ILLU signal. This is the same for NX and FX and maybe also simple radios like Sony or 6000CD.

I never found where this is choosen. It is not reladed to the firmware in the OMAP flash, because i changed this completely. Also not in the EEPROM (swapped it) nor in any other electric part on the board (compared them all). The only part else in play here is the radio-processor (V850). It also got some firmware.

One way of getting this could be to swap the V850 between an Mondeo and Focus radio and see if the behaviour also swaps.

The UCDS guys have a special function in their tool to switch radio between Focus and Mondeo. But i never tested this and from the photo they put in there it may only work on Sony radios.

There is more advanced setup in focus 2 tab in ucds, i will test it and report what will happen. also in forscan there is ACM config for the mca, where one can choose monde/focus etc but there it is set to mondeo.

UCDS is only for Sony. I used it many times for firmware update and some for Mondeo / Focus swap.

On FX I remember of doing the swap only by flashing the 509 sector (where the PIN is) and then a firmware flash.

I don't think the difference is in the firmware only. A few posts above i stated that i tried to swap firmwares between a Focus and Mondeo model of FX, an the light-behaviour partially also swapped, but on partially. So i guess the other half is in the V850 radio-processor.

I never cheked ForScan here, maybe give that a try!

yes, i tried with ucds on focus 2 tab (left side, which is same as in the forscan), didn't work at all, changes to focus or mondeo but illumination still not there, what are my options? hardwire it from 12v for constant full bright or there is ill pin somewhere on light switch like in mk4?

I once built a CAN to PWM converter using an Arduino and some external parts. It picks up the illu-value from the MM-CAN bus and creates an accordingly PWM signal for the radio.