Gotway Nikola Annoying bluetooth sound

[Electric Dreams]

I'm about less than 10 days away from recieving my new wheel. 

However one thing I'm not looking forward to is turning on the wheel and the annoying bluetooth media playback sound starts at full volume. 

Is there a way to get rid of it?

Perhaps I can develop a seperate switch to turn on the media playback and not have it always automatically turn on when i turn the wheel on. 

[chrisjunlee]

Nope. You can do the speaker mod to made it less harsh.

But yes, it's LOUD, everyone at work and through 3 walls loud. I'm thinking of disconnecting the speakers entirely, it's that bad for me.

[Diana]

Yep, pretty close to disconnecting my speakers as well. But hoping Gotway will hear our pleas and just change it on the firmware or something. 

Chris, you received your Nikola? Loved following your wheelog for the MCM5 and 16x--thinking of doing something similar with the Nik+? I don't know why it's just as thrilling as reading about someone talk about their wheel as me riding that same wheel, but curious what you think. I started out thinking I'd upgrade to an MCM5 and somehow got a Tesla and then a Nikola within 2 months of each other.

[houseofjob]

17 hours ago, Diana said:

Yep, pretty close to disconnecting my speakers as well.

17 hours ago, chrisjunlee said:

But yes, it's LOUD, everyone at work and through 3 walls loud. I'm thinking of disconnecting the speakers entirely, it's that bad for me.

 

@Jack Frost my BT speaker module was fried trying to do the @Dzlchef speaker mod (didn't disconnect the right power), but the good by-product is I only hear the typical alarm, 1 beep, no fancy boot-up sound (also I don't really use BT speakers anyways), so this isn't actually a bad suggestion Chris/Diana. 

 

17 hours ago, Diana said:

I started out thinking I'd upgrade to an MCM5 and somehow got a Tesla and then a Nikola within 2 months of each other.

Edited August 22, 2019 by houseofjob

[chrisjunlee]

30 minutes ago, Diana said:

Yep, pretty close to disconnecting my speakers as well. But hoping Gotway will hear our pleas and just change it on the firmware or something. 

Chris, you received your Nikola? Loved following your wheelog for the MCM5 and 16x--thinking of doing something similar with the Nik+? I don't know why it's just as thrilling as reading about someone talk about their wheel as me riding that same wheel, but curious what you think. I started out thinking I'd upgrade to an MCM5 and somehow got a Tesla and then a Nikola within 2 months of each other.

Aww, thank you! Glad you enjoy reading them. I'll start one for the Nikola for sure now

[Marty Backe]

30 minutes ago, Diana said:

Yep, pretty close to disconnecting my speakers as well. But hoping Gotway will hear our pleas and just change it on the firmware or something. 

Chris, you received your Nikola? Loved following your wheelog for the MCM5 and 16x--thinking of doing something similar with the Nik+? I don't know why it's just as thrilling as reading about someone talk about their wheel as me riding that same wheel, but curious what you think. I started out thinking I'd upgrade to an MCM5 and somehow got a Tesla and then a Nikola within 2 months of each other.

Gotway buys these speaker modules and installs them. There is no firmware to update (and if there was, Gotway doesn't believe in allowing the customer to update firmware).

I do use the speakers periodically and they do kick-butt for pumping out the volume. With the speaker mod the startup tone is bearable. YMMV.

[chrisjunlee]

54 minutes ago, Marty Backe said:

Gotway buys these speaker modules and installs them. There is no firmware to update (and if there was, Gotway doesn't believe in allowing the customer to update firmware).

I do use the speakers periodically and they do kick-butt for pumping out the volume. With the speaker mod the startup tone is bearable. YMMV.

I was actually wondering about this! So the startup tone is strictly from the speaker module receiving power? 

If that's the case, it makes reverse engineering and modifying so much easier.

[chrisjunlee]

To give you an idea of how the sound affects me: on the 16X I would be rolling out of work by now. Since I have the Nikola today, I'm going to need to put in an extra hour or two before I can roll out >_>

[Marty Backe]

1 minute ago, chrisjunlee said:

I was actually wondering about this! So the startup tone is strictly from the speaker module receiving power? 

If that's the case, it makes reverse engineering and modifying so much easier.

Yes. I know of at least one person who added a solid-state relay delay, that disengages the speakers for a few seconds after power is applied.

[chrisjunlee]

2 minutes ago, Marty Backe said:

Yes. I know of at least one person who added a solid-state relay delay, that disengages the speakers for a few seconds after power is applied.

Excellent, a timed relay was my first pass lazy idea :D

If I can get a hold of the module itself, I can spearhead the reverse engineering. The most optimistic, simple outcome would be the module having a JTAG interface and a well known audio controller that's not fuse locked. This is something I can do at my skill level, and I know where to ask if I get stuck. 

Next level would be building an audio module from the ground up - that's out of my comfort zone at the moment XD

[houseofjob]

3 minutes ago, chrisjunlee said:

Excellent, a timed relay was my first pass lazy idea

If I can get a hold of the module itself, I can spearhead the reverse engineering. The most optimistic, simple outcome would be the module having a JTAG interface and a well known audio controller that's not fuse locked. This is something I can do at my skill level, and I know where to ask if I get stuck. 

Next level would be building an audio module from the ground up - that's out of my comfort zone at the moment XD

Oh nice, I might bug you if you succeed.

Also, really wanna do 2.1 sub system with something like this board, if possible:

https://www.parts-express.com/tpa3110d2-21-channel-bluetooth-41-digital-amplifier-board-2-x-15w-30w-with-volume-control--320-644#lblProductDetails

[Adel]

32 minutes ago, Marty Backe said:

Yes. I know of at least one person who added a solid-state relay delay, that disengages the speakers for a few seconds after power is applied.

Does a relay require constant power connection?

Edited August 22, 2019 by Adel

[neurokinetik]

34 minutes ago, Marty Backe said:

Yes. I know of at least one person who added a solid-state relay delay, that disengages the speakers for a few seconds after power is applied.

That is IMO the best solution, as it allows the speakers to still be used while getting rid of the startup sound.

[chrisjunlee]

41 minutes ago, Adel said:

Does a relay require constant power connection?

Nope. Not sure how to do a timed relay from scratch, but it's basically a switch controlled by power.

Here's an example of a ready made one: https://www.amazon.com/Delay-Relay-Board-Switch-Module/dp/B00VFUG3KK

You just splice it into the audio module Vcc+ wire. Very straightforward 

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Edit: If going the relay route, I would get this: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32843278699.html

Compact, 5 second delay, cheap at $3.90 !

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Edit 2: The only downside to the 12V one above - it's relatively bulky since it's meant for high current automotive use. Which means you'll need to foam tack it down. I could dig into a more specialized smaller, lower voltage component for our use case, but I'm thinking it would be more expensive due to it not being as a common commodity. I'll dig into it a bit more tonight.

Edited August 22, 2019 by chrisjunlee

[chrisjunlee]

Do we know the driving voltage of the speaker board? What's Vmax? 

[Marty Backe]

15 minutes ago, chrisjunlee said:

Do we know the driving voltage of the speaker board? What's Vmax? 

The speaker module is supplied with two power supplies

• 5-volts for the Bluetooth module
• 100-volts (or 84-volts) which supplies power to the audio hardware. This is from a direct tap off the battery connection to the control board.

If I were building this I'd be tempted to design a simple 555 based timer circuit (powered by the 5-volts input) that would engage a normally-closed relay (thus creating an open circuit) that the hot voltage would pass through.

Edited August 22, 2019 by Marty Backe

[Marty Backe]

56 minutes ago, Adel said:

Does a relay require constant power connection?

No. You use a normally closed relay, that when activated, breaks the circuit. The relay can be driven by a MOSFET controlled by something like a 555-timer.

[FreeRide]

I'm sure you can even find a suitable relay that a 555 can drive directly. 

Edited August 22, 2019 by FreeRide

[Blank]

Saw a picture where someone put a switch to turn the speakers on and off, would it be possible to just use one of these switches and wire it up near the handle?

[chrisjunlee]

1 hour ago, Blank said:

Saw a picture where someone put a switch to turn the speakers on and off, would it be possible to just use one of these switches and wire it up near the handle?

Yes. As simpler as it looks, it's more work than a relay, believe it or not, and it has downsides:

• you need to cut a hole through the case = more work. It sucks cutting through fiberglass reinforced plastic. 
• reliability: those mechanical switches have a shorter MTBF than solid state relays. I think it's in the thousands of activations vs millions for a solid state relay
• reliability: the switch is yet another ingress point for water, dust, deer

"Relay" is just a term for a switch triggered by electricity. Don't let fancy terms like 'single pole single throw solid state relay' scare you. 

Although it would be fun to have a fancy LED switch like this:

Edited August 22, 2019 by chrisjunlee

[Ben Kim]

5 hours ago, chrisjunlee said:

Excellent, a timed relay was my first pass lazy idea

If I can get a hold of the module itself, I can spearhead the reverse engineering. The most optimistic, simple outcome would be the module having a JTAG interface and a well known audio controller that's not fuse locked. This is something I can do at my skill level, and I know where to ask if I get stuck. 

Next level would be building an audio module from the ground up - that's out of my comfort zone at the moment XD

I hope it's as simple as you make it seem.  If you succeed, please do post a DIY with a parts source!  That sound is borderline embarrassing.

[Blank]

42 minutes ago, chrisjunlee said:

Yes. As simpler as it looks, it's more work than a relay, believe it or not, and it has downsides:

• you need to cut a hole through the case = more work. It sucks cutting through fiberglass reinforced plastic. 
• reliability: those mechanical switches have a shorter MTBF than solid state relays. I think it's in the thousands of activations vs millions for a solid state relay
• reliability: the switch is yet another ingress point for water, dust, deer

"Relay" is just a term for a switch triggered by electricity. Don't let fancy terms like 'single pole single throw solid state relay' scare you. 

Although it would be fun to have a fancy LED switch like this:

So going the relay route, would it just be a matter of hooking up a relay between the speaker and audio board using the 5V line? I hope its easier than it sounds since I'm a novice at this sort of DIY

[redfoxdude]

Oh, fun ideas!! I may make this modification to my incoming Nikola, too. Especially if I can find the parts laying around at work, ha.

EDIT: Hmm, from the teardowns, it looks like the Bluetooth module is the KRC-86B board, using a CSR8630 chip. I'll have to look around and see if there may be a way to turn off the startup sound without a separate relay circuit...

EDIT2: Bingo, the KRC-86B's "NC" pins are actually SPI bus pins for programming. The plot thickens... Found this thing to use common USB FTDI as the SPI programmer, too. 

EDIT3: I think the CSR8630 uses 1.8V logic, so beware using a 5V programmer. I need to look further into that. I'm hoping I can just use a 1.8V FTDI I have, but I may need an additional supply of 3.3V or 5V to power the board, lol.

9 hours ago, Blank said:

So going the relay route, would it just be a matter of hooking up a relay between the speaker and audio board using the 5V line? I hope its easier than it sounds since I'm a novice at this sort of DIY

That, and you would need a simple circuit to control it, such as a time delay circuit using a 555 timer. I can understand how it sounds complicated, but it's really not too bad!

Edited August 22, 2019 by redfoxdude
Added logic level note

[mrelwood]

 

1 hour ago, Blank said:

So going the relay route, would it just be a matter of hooking up a relay between the speaker and audio board using the 5V line?

Optimally, yes.

Quote

I hope its easier than it sounds since I'm a novice at this sort of DIY

Even if one would make a DIY breadboard with a 555 controlled relay, there would not be many components required. If you have patience to follow instructions precisely, it shouldn't be a problem.

 

Edit: This $2.50 relay board could be used as is for the purpose:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/DC-5V-12V-NE555-0-25s-Timer-Delay-Relay-Switch-Module-Adjustable-On-Off-for-Car-/252456160636

Edited August 22, 2019 by mrelwood

[chrisjunlee]

2 hours ago, redfoxdude said:

Oh, fun ideas!! I may make this modification to my incoming Nikola, too. Especially if I can find the parts laying around at work, ha.

EDIT: Hmm, from the teardowns, it looks like the Bluetooth module is the KRC-86B board, using a CSR8630 chip. I'll have to look around and see if there may be a way to turn off the startup sound without a separate relay circuit...

EDIT2: Bingo, the KRC-86B's "NC" pins are actually SPI bus pins for programming. The plot thickens... Found this thing to use common USB FTDI as the SPI programmer, too. 

That, and you would need a simple circuit to control it, such as a time delay circuit using a 555 timer. I can understand how it sounds complicated, but it's really not too bad!

omg, yes!!! You’ve jumped us so many steps ahead on this. This is half the battle already 😍

Edited August 22, 2019 by chrisjunlee