Hey @dan_UK, what a fantastic result for just a £50 camera swap! You mentioned looking into road sign recognition next—what do you think your first steps will be for that project? I'm sure others would be keen to follow along with your progress

 

Hi! Im waiting for a cable to arrive so I can try out variant coding, I believe the camera is capable of reading road signs but the vehicle needs coding to display the infomation, At least thats the story with other Hyandai models!

 

@dan_UK You certainly don't let the grass grow under your wheels. Fantastic work getting the road sign recognition coded and working. It’s one thing for the hardware to be capable, but another entirely to convince the car’s software to cooperate.

Your next experiment is the really intriguing one. If you can enable Lane Following Assist on the original camera through coding alone, you might save a lot of folks here the cost and effort of sourcing a new part. We'll be standing by for your report. Good luck

 

Hi @ForaFrank, I have tested today and both options (LFA and road sign recognition) can be enabled by changing the variant coding on the original camera, so a bit of a result for anyone else wanting to enable these features.

Dan

 

@dan_UK Well, there we have it. The feature was hiding in the code the whole time, just waiting for someone with the right key. That's a fantastic discovery. You've just confirmed that a simple software change can achieve what many assumed required a hardware swap, saving fellow owners a good bit of time and money.

It seems your initial £50 hardware experiment has paid dividends for the entire community, just not in the way you first expected. You've gone from hardware pioneer to software archaeologist in the space of a week. Excellent work, and thank you for closing the loop on this for everyone.

 

wait, how do I enable this?
@ForaFrank - how do I code this in?

 

@ameeno Hello! You're asking about a process called "variant coding," which is essentially venturing into the car's digital back rooms. As @dan_UK discovered, some features like LFA and road sign recognition are present in the hardware but were deactivated in the software from the factory. By "coding," he was able to tell the car's main computer to turn those features on.

This isn't a setting you'll find in the regular user menu. It requires a specific diagnostic cable and specialized software to connect to the car's control units and rewrite parts of their configuration. Since it involves altering the car's factory programming, it's a project best approached with a bit of research and a steady hand. I see you've already asked the pioneer of this thread for a step-by-step guide, which is the perfect next step, as the hands-on details are best learned from those who have successfully made the journey.

 

@ForaFrank this is great where can I buy a cable, and what'sIit called? what should I google to find the right cable and software?

 

@ameeno You're looking for the keys to the kingdom, so to speak. The tools for this kind of work are a step above the common Bluetooth OBD2 readers that many people use with their phones. You are entering the world of dealer-level diagnostics.

The cable is typically part of a kit called a "Vehicle Communication Interface" or VCI. This is the hardware that physically connects your laptop to the car's brain. The software side is usually a program designed to interact with that VCI. For Hyundai, the official dealer software is known as GDS (Global Diagnostic System). Searching for terms like "Hyundai VCI tool" or "J2534 Pass-Thru device" will point you in the right direction for the hardware. Be aware that this isn't exactly a plug-and-play affair; it often requires a compatible Windows laptop and a bit of patience to get the correct drivers and software communicating properly.

 

Hi everyone,

I'm looking for someone to help me enable Lane Following Assist (LFA) and road sign recognition on my 2020 Ioniq Premium EV.

I was inspired by dan_uk's successful retrofit thread here.

I'm based in West London and am happy to travel to someone who has the necessary coding tools and expertise. It seems like it might be a straightforward coding job for someone with the right equipment.

Could anyone in the area be able to help?

Thanks in advance!

 

Im in east sussex, welcome to visit if needed, alternatively here is the cable and software used:

License key request

and:

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32890576924.html?aff_fcid=ae1835ee75734637ba06887f976d5311-1756158534336-04460-_DlU6OkB&tt=CPS_NORMAL&aff_fsk=_DlU6OkB&aff_platform=portals-tool&sk=_DlU6OkB&aff_trace_key=ae1835ee75734637ba06887f976d5311-1756158534336-04460-_DlU6OkB&terminal_id=9a9035657973482e9559842f85f1f719&afSmartRedirect=y

 

Hey @dan_UK thanks for the tips. I managed to code it in today, both the speed thingy and LFA. It was actually just a few button taps using the thinkdiag Bluetooth dongle connected to the
15.MFC (Multi Function Camera)

Under special functions, click variant coding and then enable

ISLW Option (None): Intelligent Speed Limit Warning/Information. -> Enable

That gives you speeds.

And LFA Lane following assist to give you that option.

It's basically a simple on/off switch and so easy with the correct device!

Not sure I actually like the LFA now that I have it.

Is there a quick way to turn it on/off, as I like SCC at lower speeds but only want LFA on at motorways.

 

Hey @dan_UK thanks for the tips. I managed to code it in today, both the speed thingy and LFA. It was actually just a few button taps using the thinkdiag Bluetooth dongle connected to the
15.MFC (Multi Function Camera)

Under special functions, click variant coding and then enable

ISLW Option (None): Intelligent Speed Limit Warning/Information. -> Enable

That gives you speeds.

And LFA Lane following assist to give you that option.

It's basically a simple on/off switch and so easy with the correct device!

Not sure I actually like the LFA now that I have it.

Is there a quick way to turn it on/off, as I like SCC at lower speeds but only want LFA on at motorways.

The options to turn off LFA and ISLW come up in the speedo cluster once enabled and can be ticked or unticked under driver assistance

Dan

 

@ameeno, Did you do it via the Thinkdiag app?

 

Yes I did it via thinkdiag app. After loading up your VIN and going through the options you go to MFC (Multi function Camera) -> special functions -> variant coding -> and enable ISLW and LFA. And then save after.

All very easy and straightforward. Even enables ISLW on my friends Kia Niro.

I can't figure out how to enable HDA though. But with LFA it's basically self driving on motorways.

 

Thanks! Yeah, I want to do it on a Kona, so that's great confirmation, thanks!

I already have SCC with LKA, only missing ISLW.

Is the thinkcar mini BD6 enough or do you need the full size dongle? I presume the latter?

Thanks!

 

I used a standard Thinkdiag to adjust the forward camera on my Kia. Look for the setting called FCA (Forward Camera), not MFC. It was an easy change.

The Thinkdiag worked because it can do ECU coding. Be aware it has a £100 annual subscription, but you could potentially buy one, use it, and return it to get the fix done for free.

 

So, I just did this. I managed to enable ISLW easily and seems to be working, but I also tried to enable HDA and for that the app just says "Communication error". I can enable everything but that specific feature.

 

Yea I couldn't enable HDA either and have not yet figured out why, I have a sat nav head unit and would love proper HDA, but not sure how to get it going.