As the VehicleLink team has been hard at work on some large features for both the August and September updates we figured this would be a great time for our first Feature Preview! Feature Previews aim to give our users an idea of what the VehicleLink team has in the pipeline for upcoming content as well as to provide our users with some information to ensure they can hit the ground running on release day for said features. Without further delay let’s run down our first major feature: GM Instrument Cluster Conversion.
Starting with GM vehicles released in the 2019 Model Year, GM has switched to a new instrument cluster platform that primarily employs a Spansion microcontroller with no external non-volatile memory for storing configuration data for the instrument cluster, such as an EEPROM. Instead many of the newly introduced modules rely on data contained within the Spansion microcontroller, which is protected by reading of the data contained within it. This added security measure has prevented a proper conversion of instrument clusters to US specifications. That is of course until now.
We’ve managed to find a way to convert many instrument clusters from a Canadian Top Speed(260 KMH/260 MPH or 200KMH/200MPH) to a US Top Speed(160 KMH/160 MPH or 140KMH/140MPH), allowing our users to have a final product that is much closer to a factory US instrument cluster than ever before. We’ve so far found this method can be used on the following vehicles:
2019-2023 Cadillac XT4(Opt Code UHS Only)
2020-2023 Cadillac XT5(Opt Code UHS Only)
2019-2023 Cadillac XT6(Opt Code UHS Only)
2019-2022 Chevrolet Silverado 1500(Opt Code UHS Only)
2020-2023 Chevrolet Silverado 2500(Opt Code UHS Only)
2020-2023 Chevrolet Silverado 3500(Opt Code UHS Only)
2019-2022 GMC Sierra 1500(Opt Code UHS Only)
2020-2023 GMC Sierra 2500(Opt Code UHS Only)
2020-2023 GMC Sierra 3500(Opt Code UHS Only)One issue currently exists with some of the vehicles in question however, and that issue is that there is no possible aftermarket overlay that can be made to work with any of the non-Cadillac vehicles at this time. As a result of such we have not added support for the Chevrolet Silverados or GMC Sierras at this time. We will add those as an aftermarket solution becomes available. For the time being however we have added this functionality to the above listed Cadillac models. The good folks at Kelowna Instruments have been working hard to ensure that an aftermarket part is produced in time for the release of our August 2023 Update so that our users can hit the ground running with this new feature.
We’re currently looking into other potential applications for this technology to see if it may apply to other instrument clusters offered in these vehicles with Opt Code UDC and Opt Code UDD. However we currently do not have a timeline for release of any feature of that sort. We’ve produced a brief FAQ to try to answer many of the questions you may have regarding this feature.
FAQ
Q: When will this feature release?
A: This feature will release as part of the VehicleLink August 2023 Update. There is currently no fixed date for release as we are working to ensure as smooth of an experience as possible for this feature. We will let you know closer to August when you can expect the update to go live. It will require a VehicleLink full license to use it.
Q: Will the overlays for the Cadillacs look like the picture above?
A: I’ll be honest, at the time of writing this article the overlays are actually not finished being manufactured. So we opted to use a stock photo of a Cadillac UHS instrument cluster. As a result the Cadillac overlays are not going to look exactly like the above photo.
Q: Can’t we just use OEM Overlays for the Silverados and Sierras until an aftermarket solution is created?
A: Unfortunately this is not that simple. Due to the nature of the conversion method being used an OEM or factory US 140MPH overlay will not have accurate telemetry.
Q: Will this also perform the conversion of the PARK indicator in the display screen for the Cadillacs in question?
A: VehicleLink has already had that feature for quite some time. So yes!
Q: When can we expect to see support extended to converting the Silverados and Sierras?
A: We don’t currently have a timeframe for that, however rest assured that we’re working with our partners to create a high quality solution to this problem that we hope to release in the coming future. The only reason we chose to launch this feature before parts are available for the Silverados and Sierras is because we thought the pros of being able to perform a higher quality conversion on the Cadillacs greatly outweighed the cons of having to wait for the Silverados/Sierras.
Q: When can we expect this feature to be extended to the UDC and UDD clusters?
A: We hope to have more on this in the coming month or two.
Q: What about older GM vehicles with V850E2 Microcontrollers?
A: Those will not be covered by this feature at this time, however you bet we’re going to be looking into some of those as well.
Q: What about Global B vehicles with clusters that look the same such as the Cadillac CT4 and CT5? Can we use this technique to convert those?
A: Unfortunately no. The Global B platform shares very little with the Global A platform other than the appearance of select instrument clusters. The CT4 and CT5 are going to be a whole different animal all together.
Q: Can I perform this conversion process in the car?
A: Yes you can perform this conversion process in the car. But you’re going to have to remove the instrument cluster to complete it anyways. We always recommend performing any sort of programming with either a Battery Support Unit in the vehicle, or on a safe bench environment with a stable power supply. Failure to ensure you’ve got a stable power supply might result in a dead module.
Q: Is this all that’s coming in the August 2023 Update? You hyped this up to us and we didn’t feel like this was that exciting.
A: This is definitely going to be the largest component of the August 2023 Update, however we will be adding some other smaller features that we’ll detail when we release our changelog for the August 2023 Update.
Q: What’s coming in September?
A: We’ll talk about that in August! All I can say right now is that the large feature for September is NOT conversion related.