Introduction

Maps Tool is a small utility that will help you prepare the Volkswagen® navigation maps to be copied from SD Card to the RNS-510® unit

Table of Content

What Maps Tool can do?

  1. Prepare maps to be copied from SD Card to your RNS-510® unit
  2. Compress maps to fit a single layer DVD (note that some maps are too large to fit a single layer DVD even after compressing them)

System Requirements

 Top

Supported maps versions

Simple usage

 Top
  1. Check you have the correct java version installed by typing java -version in a console window
  2. Start the tool, select a valid maps ISO file
  3. Select destination folder
  4. Select operation (Prepare for SD Card or Compress)
  5. Press Build button, wait for the build to finish and then check the destination folder

Short History

 Top

Some RNS-510® units have trouble copying the maps from DVD to internal HDD, most of the time because of the improper DVD disc (bad quality, incorrect burning speed, etc) or because the internal optical unit is dirty and has trouble accessing the disc. In such cases, with some basic technical knowledge, the RNS-510® unit can be tricked to copy the maps from SD Card.

Prepare maps to be copied from SD Card

 Top

To copy the maps from SD Card to RNS-510® unit, you need the following:

Copy V13 - CD_8348 - Western Europe maps from SD Card to RNS-510® unit (example)

On your computer
  1. Start Maps Tool v2.1.3, select a valid maps ISO (in the Maps Info tab you can check the selected maps details). In this step we assume that the selected file name is CD_8348.iso (can be any name, just an example)
  2. Select Prepare maps to be copied from SD Card radio button
  3. Select destination folder. You can select directly the SD Card. In this case, please note that the build process might take longer, depending on the SD Card speed.
  4. Press Build button and wait for the build process to finish.
  5. When the build is complete, you will find in the destination the following folders and files:
    1. MAPS (folder)
    2. MAPSDVD (folder)
    3. test.mp3 (file)
    4. sd_to_hdd_fw.iso (file)
    5. help.html (file)
  6. Copy the [1], [2] and [3] folders and files to the SD Card (only if at previous step 2 you have select other folder then the SD Card as the destination)
  7. Insert a blank DVD+R and burn the sd_to_hdd_fw.iso ISO using the slowest burn speed available (2x recommended) and Track-at-Once method
On the RNS-510® unit of your car (engine is OFF, key is NOT in ignition)
  1. Power on the unit and insert the SD Card into it. Make sure you can hear the short test.mp3 played (that means the SD Card is OK)
  2. Restart the unit in Software Upgrade Mode by pressing SETUP + EJECT + MIC (INFO) buttons
  3. Wait 20 seconds and insert the firmware DVD burned one previous step 7 (sd_to_hdd_fw.iso) into the RNS-510® unit
  4. The unit will restart and will display a message about the upgrade/copy process. Confirm upgrade and wait.
  5. The unit will start to copy the maps from SD Card to the HDD. Usually this takes ~30 min. The copy process displays 31% complete all the time, so don't panic, just wait ~30 min
  6. When the copy is complete, the unit will restart and display a success message. After that, it will eject the firmware DVD and the new maps will be available on your unit

If something goes wrong, see Troubleshooting section of this Help

Compress maps to fit a Single Layer DVD

 Top

If you want to copy the maps from DVD, but your dual layer DVD is not recognized by your RNS-510® unit, you can try to compress the maps to fit into a single layer DVD. Note that this feature is experimental and is only recommended as a temporary solution. In reality, it does not actually compress the maps, but rather removes some optional resources (POI resources, TMC) to fit the maps data on a single layer DVD. This can be accomplished (or not) depending of the original maps size.

WARNING! After compression you will not be able to use the POIs anymore (original or custom, even if you restore them) and if you select Maximum Compression from POI/TMC Resources section in Preferences dialog you will not be able to use the TMC function of your RNS-510®

To compress the maps, Maps Tool does the following:

  1. POIs resources are removed from the ISO
  2. SPEECH resources are removed from the ISO
  3. If you select Maximum Compression from POI/TMC Resources section (default is on) in Preferences dialog, the TMC resources are also removed making TMC function unavailable

This will produce a smaller ISO that will (eventually) fit a single layer DVD

Here are the necessary steps to compress the V13 - CD_8350 - Eastern Europe maps (example):

  1. Start Maps Tool v2.1.3, select a valid maps ISO (in the Maps Info tab you can check the selected maps details). In this step we assume that the selected file name is CD_8350.iso (can be any name, just an example)
  2. Select destination folder
  3. Select Compress maps to fit a Single Layer DVD radio button
  4. Press Build button and wait for the build process to finish.

When the build is complete, you will find in the destination the following files:

  1. cd_8350_small.iso (file)
  2. help.html (file)

Burn the cd_8350_small.iso ISO to a single layer DVD+R using the slowest speed possible (2x recommended) and install the maps into your unit, normal way

Install custom POIs from SD Card

 Top

Prepare

  1. Create folder PersonalPOI in the root of your SD Card
  2. Copy your xxx.db3 database to that folder (can be any name, must be a valid POI DB3 file)

Install

  1. Insert SD Card into RNS-510® unit
  2. Hardware button: Setup
  3. Screen button: Navigation -> (Personal POI) -> Import
  4. Select POI-database
  5. Screen button: Import database -> OK

Show on map

  1. Hardware button: MAP -> Extras -> Select Points Of Interest -> Personal POI -> Personal POI -> choose categories: Speed, Redlight, Section begin, Section end

Show POI's Details

  1. Touch POI icon on the map

Troubleshooting

 Top

Please use high quality DVD+R for sd_to_hdd_fw.iso ISO (or for any other ISO used into RNS-510® unit) – The RNS-510® does not cope very well with CDs or DVD-RW

The new maps (ex.: versions v10, v11, v12, v13 for Europe) require 3 partitions on the RNS-510® unit HDD. Make sure your unit has firmware version 39xx or higher installed.

  1. Error: Software Download – Source activated, searching for SWL image. – (1) Restart the unit and retry the copy process. (2) If the unit does not start or displays errors or the same message again, use the RNS-510 – Software Recovery CD then try the Maps Tool again.
  2. Error: Software Loading error (xxxx) – (1) Use a good quality DVD+R (avoid CD or RW media) and burn it at slowest speeds possible (1x or 2x) using Track-at-Once method. Activate the verification of the disc after burn. (2) Restart the unit and retry the copy process. (3) If the unit does not start or displays errors, use the RNS-510 – Software Recovery CD then try the Maps Tool again.
  3. Error: The unit is stuck at 31% for too long (more than 30 minutes) – (1) Restart the unit and retry the copy process. Make sure that your car battery is fully charged. (2) Use the RNS-510 – Software Recovery CD then try the Maps Tool again.
  4. Error: Copy from SD Card is complete with no error messages but no maps are available – (1) When copying from SD Card, sometimes the unit has trouble copying all the files. To fix this, when the RNS-510® unit restarts and displays the ‘Please Insert the Navigation DVD’ message, insert the original (dual layer) maps DVD disc into the unit as suggested and leave it in there for max 5 min. The unit will copy the missing files (should not take more than 2 minutes) and will inform you that you can safely remove the DVD when done. (2) Reinstall exactly the same firmware that you have on your RNS-510® unit.

Other Resources

 Top

1) Navigation maps are too large and will not fit a single layer DVD disc after compress ↩

Maps Tool v2.1.3, copyright © 2014-2016 christian-jeanin.ro