Model S HW 2.0 to HW 3.0 Upgrades? (Not HW2.5 or Model 3 upgrades to HW3)

[selfbp]

This might be the first time I see someone claim that a service tech has done an MCU1->MCU2 retrofit. AP2.5->AP3.0 (with MCU2 at this time) have been reported quite a bit.

He was a rather clever service tech. Really nice guy. He was here for a door control module wiring issue that he had and was super familiar with the diagrams and was showing me a quick run down of a few things. I don’t see Tesla offering the MCU2 upgrade as a common option rather than a special case situation until they engineer an easier swap. A simple harness adapter would fix the pin swap issue.
But the real thing here is why don’t they just offer an MCU upgrade rather than a MCU2 retrofit. Because obviously as Elon has stated MCU2 doesn’t play nice with MCU1 cars. If people are wanting to pay 1-2k for the upgrade, just sell a modified MCU 1 board (less likely) or better yet new MCU 3 that is a little faster than MCU2 and light years faster than MCU1.
But making people want to upgrade the entire vehicle instead of a part will always be a piece of the business I guess.

 

[BigD0g]

And yes, definitely know the IC has to be swapped and had heard a few pinouts had to be changed.

No pin out changes on MCU1 if you have AP2.0, if you pre AP2.0 then you have pin out changes.

 

[tyson]

Nice! That's even better.

 

[croman]

No pin out changes on MCU1 if you have AP2.0, if you pre AP2.0 then you have pin out changes.

Ap2 have MCU1.1 which requires burying the 5gz antenna when upgrading and new IC is my understanding.

 

[BigD0g]

Ap2 have MCU1.1 which requires burying the 5gz antenna when upgrading and new IC is my understanding.

yes, you need a new tuner but that’s the only new wire, you don’t need a complete new wiring harness or swapping of any pins which has been alluded to here

 

[BigD0g]

I’d like to be clear, there are a multitude of new parts required, but I’m speaking only to the wiring harness which is not required to be swapped.

 

[verygreen]

Very Green is a smart man, but my service tech who has done several MCU1 to MCU2 swaps (in Verygreen’s mobile service region might I add) has informed me there was a harness or two that had to be repinned and a couple other odd procedures completed for full a swap, and it also needed the driving display changed.

that's only for pre-ap2 cars. plug and play on ap2+ cars for mcu2.

 

[Ludalicious]

yes, you need a new tuner but that’s the only new wire, you don’t need a complete new wiring harness or swapping of any pins which has been alluded to here

That would make sense as HW2.0 vehicles do not have Sirius capability.

 

[verygreen]

That would make sense as HW2.0 vehicles do not have Sirius capability.

that was a function of premium audio, not hw2.0 or other autopilot, was not it? (also something to do with glass roof on the S?)

 

[Dutchie]

I don't understand that HW4 story. If FSD with a Robotaxi network can be accomplished with HW3, what is the added benefit of yet another, better chip?

 

[ucmndd]

I don't understand that HW4 story. If FSD with a Robotaxi network can be accomplished with HW3, what is the added benefit of yet another, better chip?

Higher efficiency / lower power consumption is the easiest and most obvious answer. The HW3 computer uses a whole lot of juice, as anyone who has ever used Sentry mode has surely noticed.

 

[brkaus]

I don't understand that HW4 story. If FSD with a Robotaxi network can be accomplished with HW3, what is the added benefit of yet another, better chip?

thats a bit like saying a good driver wouldn’t benefit from driving school.

 

[MYB_S90D]

That would make sense as HW2.0 vehicles do not have Sirius capability.

My early 2017 S90D M (with premium audio) with AP2 and MCU1 has SiriuxXM and it works fine.

 

[MorrisonHiker]

My early 2017 S90D M (with premium audio) with AP2 and MCU1 has SiriuxXM and it works fine.

My AP2 S100D has it as well.

 

[UNSTPBL]

that's only for pre-ap2 cars. plug and play on ap2+ cars for mcu2.

So this means that with the MCU2 swap us with HW2.0 could actually get HW3.0.

It’s a cost issue then as it would be a significant cost to swap everyone to MCU2 that paid for FSD.

 

[bob_p]

To clarify a few points above:

MCU1 and MCU2 support SiriusXM - the only vehicles that don't support SiriusXM are the earlier configurations of S without a sunroof - which Tesla fixed before going with the all-glass roof.

MCU1 has AM/FM/HD radio/XM - MCU2 has FM/HD radio/XM, dropping AM radio.

The reason why Sentry mode takes so much power is that the MCU2 processor must stay awake while parked, consuming more energy than without Sentry mode when the processor can go asleep. If Sentry is a useful feature, would expect to see an MCU3 at some point that would come up with an alternate implementation of Sentry mode that could operate on less power. If the AP processor (HW2 or HW3) is doing anything in Sentry mode, it's probably not much - possibly passing the video from the cameras to the MCU2 and detecting an intrusion.

 

[viper2ko]

To clarify a few points above:

MCU1 and MCU2 support SiriusXM - the only vehicles that don't support SiriusXM are the earlier configurations of S without a sunroof - which Tesla fixed before going with the all-glass roof.

MCU1 has AM/FM/HD radio/XM - MCU2 has FM/HD radio/XM, dropping AM radio.

The reason why Sentry mode takes so much power is that the MCU2 processor must stay awake while parked, consuming more energy than without Sentry mode when the processor can go asleep. If Sentry is a useful feature, would expect to see an MCU3 at some point that would come up with an alternate implementation of Sentry mode that could operate on less power. If the AP processor (HW2 or HW3) is doing anything in Sentry mode, it's probably not much - possibly passing the video from the cameras to the MCU2 and detecting an intrusion.

Do you have to have premium audio to get xm

 

[ucmndd]

The reason why Sentry mode takes so much power is that the MCU2 processor must stay awake while parked, consuming more energy than without Sentry mode when the processor can go asleep. If Sentry is a useful feature, would expect to see an MCU3 at some point that would come up with an alternate implementation of Sentry mode that could operate on less power. If the AP processor (HW2 or HW3) is doing anything in Sentry mode, it's probably not much - possibly passing the video from the cameras to the MCU2 and detecting an intrusion.

This is simply not true. The APE computer is doing almost all the work for sentry mode (and responsible for most of the power consumption).

 

[agtdDelirium]

So this means that with the MCU2 swap us with HW2.0 could actually get HW3.0.

It’s a cost issue then as it would be a significant cost to swap everyone to MCU2 that paid for FSD.

Cost is still less than what I paid for FSD 3 years ago on an interest free loan.

 

[verygreen]

So this means that with the MCU2 swap us with HW2.0 could actually get HW3.0.

mcu type has no relation to autopilot type