Is it possible on a 2021 F56 Cooper, using Bimmercode, to recode the Daytime Running Lights to use the front fog lights instead of the Angel Eye headlight rings?

 

You can recode the fogs to be able to be used without headlights, then just leave the fogs on all the time.
Auto headlights will go on when dark.

 

Thx for the suggested work-around. However, I’d still like a cleaner solution than having to turn the fog lights on each time I start the car.

I don’t see it in the “simpleton’s options”. I assume if it exists for the Cooper that it is buried in the Expert Mode capabilities, likely in the LightMapping options.

 

@TVPostSound - Can you help with details of how to enable the fog lights to be used without headlights or parking lights?

[optional extra:- the system would remember that the fog lights were on when the car was turned off and so come back on when the car is restarted without me having to remember to turn them on.]

 

It's likely possible to get the front fogs to come on as part of the DRLs -- I programmed the rear fogs to do this (among other things) on my 2017 F56S. I'll do some digging.

Though it might in theory be possible to have this happen *without* the angel eyes on, and it might in theory be possible to get the car to "remember last state" across startup/shutdown, I don't know how to do either. I did a lot of digging into how to control angel eye on/off and wound up chasing my tail -- but I'm not professionally trained on the MINI system innards so there's a ton I don't know.

 

Excellent. Thx.

The reason for wanting fogs as DRL's is that I don't like the look of "angel eyes only" in the daytime... so I don't currently use the DRL's, and consequently feel unsafe.

I see that in the simpleton's part of the Bimmercode website for the R56 they call out changing the DRL's over to the fogs (see https://bimmercode.app/cars/r56/ "Daytime Running Light">"Daytime Running Lights Fog Lights"). At that point they say: "Please note that “Daytime running light used lights” has to be set to “Additional lights only”"; this implies to me that it is possible (at least for an R56... I have an F56) to turn off the angel-eyes-as-DRL's and have only the "additional lights" (ie. fog lights) become the DRL's.

All help gratefully accepted...

 

Yeah, I think it's possible, I just couldn't find "the way" to control the angel eyes directly on my F56... which would obviously be a prerequisite to controlling them with specific regard to use/non-use as DRLs. I'm aware of parameters that can control angel eye brightness in DRL vs non-DRL context, but that was pretty much the beginning and end of my knowledge. Net, the system can almost certainly do it, just a question of figuring out how to tell it to. I kind of like the angel eyes as DRLs so I had no motivation to figure out how to further hack them, lol

 

@Mcburwell question - are your fog lights LED or filament bulbs? Can make a difference for some bits of coding, so just figured I'd ask.

 

My fog lights are LEDs.

If only someone with an R56 could test out the way to swap DRL's to fog lights using the simpleton method at https://bimmercode.app/cars/r56/ they could tell us which variable are changed to achieve that. There could be some similarity in structure between the R56 and F56 code which could help us.

 

I have an R55, which is basically an R56, and have my DRLs activated to use the upper fog light (parking light) as DRL. However, I think the biggest difference is the R56/55 does not have the headlight LED halo ring like the F56 does. Therefore, I would expect the coding to be different. Maybe if you can figure out how to code the fog light as DRL, then disconnect the LED halo ring wiring to disable the halo as DRL? Just thinking out loud...

More thinking... The headlight halo is damn bright on the newer F56 cars. That is what I would want from a DRL, anything to increase the visibility. Also, you could have every light illuminated on the front of the car, and it would all look the same from the drivers seat....

 

Thx Nik.

What were the changes needed (via Bimmercode, yes?) in your R55 to get the fog lights to replace the DRL's? Any chance of a few screenshots to show how you did it? I acknowledge that that would be a bunch of hassle, but ask just-in-case...

 

Unfortunately R and F are completely different beasts.
The F is pretty much a BMW derivation based on the BMW X models.

 

Ugh. So no structural similarities in the F56/R56 code then.

On another topic, you had said earlier in this thread that I might simply change the F56 code so that the fog lights could be turned on (with the fog light switch) whether or not the head/parking lights were on. Did you actually do that in the past? Any clues as to where in the code to look to do that? I am warming on your idea of just activating the fog lights (alone) when I want DRL-mimicing functionality.

 

Does the look matter if you're inside the car where you can't see them?

 

The DRL (and non-DRL) brightness of the angel eyes can be adjusted with Bimmercode on the F56. IIRC, you don't even have to enter Expert mode to do that. I played with the brightness levels on mine (ultimately set them back to how I found them, but was still a helpful exercise).




Yeah I was thinking same.

I used Bimmercode to allow fog lights with high beams on and with parking lights on. Observed behavior, just for technical reference:

- if my headlight switch is set to auto, the fog light switch will turn on the fog lights, the headlights, and the running lights/parking lights.
- If my headlight switch is set to off, the fog light switch has no effect.
- If my headlight switch is set to parking lights, the fog light switch will turn on the fog lights and the angel eyes.
- If my headlight switch is set to on, the fog light switch will turn on the fog lights.



All that said, I think I know at least one way, in Expert mode in Bimmercode, to make the fog lights come on as part of the DRL light set -- I'll look into it a bit later today.

I don't know how to remove the angel eyes from DRL use (though I still suspect there is a way). In fact, in theory, if you could identify in the code where the angel eyes get specified as a DRL output device, you might be able to swap the front fogs into that spot, in place of the angel eyes. But I burned a lot of time looking for that angel eyes-as-DRL control point, and couldn't find it.

 

@cjv2 - Many thx for that info and your continued interest in wrestling with this with me.

I, too, have already set the fog lights to work with high beams and parking lights. I confirm the same behavior as you in the various light switch settings. Sadly items in the simpleton's Bimmercode section don't give us insight into how to do something in Expert Mode :-(

I scrolled through all the available variables in the Body Domain Controller's Lighting mapping, then went inside to Google the German for "Daytime Running Lights" and "fog lights" (they are Tagfahrlicht and Nebellichter). Armed with that info I will later today see if I can identify variables with those German words (or abbreviation of them) in the list and report back (though I'm guessing you are ahead of me on that).

There is surely a pony in this somewhere.

 

Not so random guess, and what I'm going to test. Use at your own risk...

1. Document existing settings of all MAPPING_TAGFAHRL_1_V_L_* (meaning document everything prefixed by "MAPPING_TAGFAHRL_1_V_L_"). In my case all of these are under the BDC and 3062 LceLampMapping1.
2. Confirm that MAPPING_TAGFAHRL_1_V_L_OUTPUT is currently set to off / 0x00. If it is not, then this parameter is in use for something else that you may break, so you should STOP and come back & tell us what value is there.
3. Presuming that item 2 confirms, change the value of MAPPING_TAGFAHRL_1_V_L_OUTPUT to 0x0B (0x0B = nsw_l = left fog light).
4. Save changes and test.
5. If test is successful, continue. If test is not successful, change MAPPING_TAGFAHRL_1_V_L_OUTPUT back to its original value and STOP HERE.
6. Document existing settings of all MAPPING_TAGFAHRL_1_V_R_* (meaning document everything prefixed by "MAPPING_TAGFAHRL_1_V_R_"). These are under the BDC and 3062 LceLampMapping1 (they may run over into 3063 LceLampMapping2, but not sure yet).
7. Confirm that MAPPING_TAGFAHRL_1_V_R_OUTPUT is currently set to off / 0x00.
8. Presuming that item 7 confirms, change the value of MAPPING_TAGFAHRL_1_V_R_OUTPUT to 0x0C (0x0C = nsw_r = right fog light).
9. Save changes and test.
10. If test is successful, all done. If test is not successful, change MAPPING_TAGFAHRL_1_V_L_OUTPUT and MAPPING_TAGFAHRL_1_V_R_OUTPUT back to their original values.

If I am correct, this will cause the front fogs to come on with the DRLs. How that will play with regular use of fogs is very much TBD, but my experiments in this other thread suggest that fog activation by switch will take precedence over any other use of the fog lamp output device.

P.S. I did some of the German-translating exercise and device/parameter identifying dive while working in that other thread. Many thanks to others who plowed parts of that road before me. I have a not small pile of this documented in my own records now

 

Yup, MAPPING_TAGFAHRL_1_V_L_OUTPUT is indeed set to 0x00 on my F56. I wonder what this variable is for, since it is "off" but the other two suggested options are tfl_l 0x03 (left daytime running light) and tms_leuchtring_l 0x30 (left light ring). If this variable directed the system as to which light to use for DRL functionality, I would have expected one of the other "angel eye" options (= tfl or leuchtring) to be selected, not 0x00.

I have not tried forcing 0x0B yet. I'll await your findings on that.

 

Yeah, what this variable is for is an interesting question, I noted the same things you did back when I was doing research -- it is "off" but the other 2 options are left DRL and left angel eye (light ring). You may find this thread over in the MiniF56 forum of interest, it helped me a lot.

Short & sweet, I just tried MAPPING_TAGFAHRL_1_V_L_OUTPUT (and its right-hand counterpart), no dice. I also tried MAPPING_TAGFAHRL_2_V_L_OUTPUT (and its right-hand counterpart), no dice.

Given our questions about these values being off in the first place, I'm not fully surprised.

That said, the way I got my rear fogs to fire up as DRLs was to change MAPPING_TAGFAHRL_1_H_L_OUTPUT from off (0x00) to the left rear fog (0x1C), and MAPPING_TAGFAHRL_1_H_R_OUTPUT from off (0x00) to the right rear fog (0x1D).

Some of this goes back to my Q about your front fogs being LEDs. Mine are LEDs as well. But my rear fogs -- and probably your rear fog as well -- are filament bulbs.

The working theory I had about all this weirdness when I was doing my original research was that the LEDs have some separate control elements involved. This makes sense -- voltage control for LED and filament call for different things. And... I never successfully identified those control elements (meaning which params or sections of params) other than being clear that tagfarlicht aka TAGFAHRL clearly covers some, but not all, of the DRL puzzle. I almost wonder if these values are for control of filament bulbs, and if we did the same thing with filament fogs that it would have worked. Dunno. Guessing here. There is clearly more to find and understand.

Back to scratching my head.

BTW here are my non-tweaked values for MAPPING_TAGFAHRL_1_V_L_OUTPUT and MAPPING_TAGFAHRL_2_V_L_OUTPUT, for your reference.

3062 LceLampMapping1 MAPPING_TAGFAHRL_1_V_L_OUTPUT off 0x00 <-- options tfl_l 0x03, tms_leuchtring_l 0x30
3062 LceLampMapping1 MAPPING_TAGFAHRL_1_V_L_PARTOF off 0x00 <-- options FLB_UEA 0x03, DWA_PM 0x0C
3062 LceLampMapping1 MAPPING_TAGFAHRL_1_V_L_FUNCTION tagfahrlicht 0x04
3062 LceLampMapping1 MAPPING_TAGFAHRL_1_V_L_PRIORITY priority_1 0x01
3062 LceLampMapping1 MAPPING_TAGFAHRL_1_V_L_PWM_1_STANDARD 100% 0x64 <-- options 11.5V 0x73, 12.0V 0x78, 12.2V 0x7A, 12.4V 0x7C, 13.0V 0x82, 13.7V 0x89, 100% 0x64
3062 LceLampMapping1 MAPPING_TAGFAHRL_1_V_L_PWM_2 pwm_1 0x08 <-- options pwm_1 0x08, pwm_2 0x0C
3062 LceLampMapping1 MAPPING_TAGFAHRL_1_V_L_PWM_3 pwm_1 0x00
3062 LceLampMapping1 MAPPING_TAGFAHRL_1_V_L_PWM_4 pwm_1 0x00
3062 LceLampMapping1 MAPPING_TAGFAHRL_1_V_L_PWM_5 pwm_1 0x00
3062 LceLampMapping1 MAPPING_TAGFAHRL_1_V_L_FIXED_PWM fixed 0x01 <-- options pwm 0x00
3062 LceLampMapping1 MAPPING_TAGFAHRL_1_V_L_OFF_MODE off 0x00 <-- options subjacent_pwm 0x01
3062 LceLampMapping1 MAPPING_TAGFAHRL_1_V_L_IGR_RELEVANT not_active 0x00 <-- options active 0x01
3062 LceLampMapping1 MAPPING_TAGFAHRL_1_V_L_DEPENDENCY_FUNC off 0x00 <-- options function_1 0x06
3062 LceLampMapping1 MAPPING_TAGFAHRL_1_V_L_DEPENDENCY_PWM level_nr 0x02
3062 LceLampMapping1 MAPPING_TAGFAHRL_1_V_L_SPARE_OUTPUT spare_channel_1 0x00
3062 LceLampMapping1 MAPPING_TAGFAHRL_1_V_L_SPARE_PWM initwert 0x00
3062 LceLampMapping1 MAPPING_TAGFAHRL_1_V_L_DIMMED not_active 0x00 <-- options active 0x01
3062 LceLampMapping1 MAPPING_TAGFAHRL_1_V_L_DISABLE_OUTPUT initwert 0x00
------DONE, DUPLICATE IN R-------
3063 LceLampMapping2 MAPPING_TAGFAHRL_2_V_L_OUTPUT off 0x00 <-- options tms_design_l 0x34
3063 LceLampMapping2 MAPPING_TAGFAHRL_2_V_L_PARTOF initwert 0x00
3063 LceLampMapping2 MAPPING_TAGFAHRL_2_V_L_FUNCTION tagfahrlicht 0x04
3063 LceLampMapping2 MAPPING_TAGFAHRL_2_V_L_PRIORITY priority_1 0x01 <-- options priority_2 0x02
3063 LceLampMapping2 MAPPING_TAGFAHRL_2_V_L_PWM_1_STANDARD 100% 0x64
3063 LceLampMapping2 MAPPING_TAGFAHRL_2_V_L_PWM_2 pwm_1 0x00
3063 LceLampMapping2 MAPPING_TAGFAHRL_2_V_L_PWM_3 pwm_1 0x00
3063 LceLampMapping2 MAPPING_TAGFAHRL_2_V_L_PWM_4 pwm_1 0x00
3063 LceLampMapping2 MAPPING_TAGFAHRL_2_V_L_PWM_5 pwm_1 0x00
3063 LceLampMapping2 MAPPING_TAGFAHRL_2_V_L_FIXED_PWM fixed 0x01 <-- options pwm 0x00
3063 LceLampMapping2 MAPPING_TAGFAHRL_2_V_L_OFF_MODE off 0x00 <-- options subjacent_pwm 0x01
3063 LceLampMapping2 MAPPING_TAGFAHRL_2_V_L_IGR_RELEVANT not_active 0x00 <-- options active 0x01
3063 LceLampMapping2 MAPPING_TAGFAHRL_2_V_L_DEPENDENCY_FUNC function_1 0x00
3063 LceLampMapping2 MAPPING_TAGFAHRL_2_V_L_DEPENDENCY_PWM level_nr 0x00
3063 LceLampMapping2 MAPPING_TAGFAHRL_2_V_L_SPARE_OUTPUT spare_channel_1 0x00
3063 LceLampMapping2 MAPPING_TAGFAHRL_2_V_L_SPARE_PWM initwert 0x00
3063 LceLampMapping2 MAPPING_TAGFAHRL_2_V_L_DIMMED not_active 0x00 <-- options active 0x01
3063 LceLampMapping2 MAPPING_TAGFAHRL_2_V_L_DISABLE_OUTPUT tms_leuchtring_l 0x30
------DONE, DUPLICATE IN R-------

 

Helpful.

I would assume the filament/LED choices overlap the PWM variables (pulse width modulation - a way to change DC voltages). I would expect changing the PWM values away from "standard" is the way to dim the DRL's (which we know is possible through the simpleton mode of Bimmercode), perhaps enabled with the *DIMMED* variable.

Removing the PWM variables leaves just these to play with the connection logic (only left variables listed):
3062 LceLampMapping1 MAPPING_TAGFAHRL_1_V_L_OUTPUT off 0x00 <-- options tfl_l 0x03, tms_leuchtring_l 0x30
3062 LceLampMapping1 MAPPING_TAGFAHRL_1_V_L_PARTOF off 0x00 <-- options FLB_UEA 0x03, DWA_PM 0x0C
3062 LceLampMapping1 MAPPING_TAGFAHRL_1_V_L_FUNCTION tagfahrlicht 0x04
3062 LceLampMapping1 MAPPING_TAGFAHRL_1_V_L_PRIORITY priority_1 0x01
3062 LceLampMapping1 MAPPING_TAGFAHRL_1_V_L_IGR_RELEVANT not_active 0x00 <-- options active 0x01
3062 LceLampMapping1 MAPPING_TAGFAHRL_1_V_L_DEPENDENCY_FUNC off 0x00 <-- options function_1 0x06
3062 LceLampMapping1 MAPPING_TAGFAHRL_1_V_L_SPARE_OUTPUT spare_channel_1 0x00
3062 LceLampMapping1 MAPPING_TAGFAHRL_1_V_L_DIMMED not_active 0x00 <-- options active 0x01
3062 LceLampMapping1 MAPPING_TAGFAHRL_1_V_L_DISABLE_OUTPUT initwert 0x00

It's a long shot, but perhaps one could turn off the angel eye DRL by dimming it to zero (set *DIMMED* to 0x01, *PWM_1* to 0x00) and enable the fog lights using the spare output by setting *SPARE_OUTLET* to 0x0B (= nsw_l) and *SPARE_PWM* to 0x64 (as per options on *PWM_1_STANDARD*). Perhaps *DISABLE_OUTPUT* would also need to be set to 0x01 if it enables the spare output (just guessing from its position in the variables list). Whadyathink?

 

Handful of thoughts.

Position in variable list -- I don't know that the position indicates anything in particular. Not saying it doesn't, but haven't seen any evidence that it does.

SPARE_OUTPUT -- I tried leveraging that in my poking around last year, and didn't get anywhere. Not so much failure of your specific idea as I found it just didn't do whatever I thought I expected it to do, so I'm curious as to whether you have ever fiddled with a SPARE_OUTPUT parameter and/or whether you've got some reading on what it does and how.

DISABLE_OUTPUT -- at this point you probably know more about that param than I do, but I'm guessing that setting it to 0x01 would disable output to the primary OUTPUT device (example, the device specified in hex for MAPPING_TAGFAHRL_1_V_L_OUTPUT or equivalent).

Disabling Angel Eyes by setting its power level to 0 -- that makes sense. Trouble is, we don't know what parameter actually turns the angel eyes on in the first place. Bimmercode's demo mode, which is clearly based on a not-MINI, would suggest that the appropriate parameter is A MAPPING_TAGFARHL_V_L (and V_R) -- the OUTPUT for those is in fact set to tms_leuchtring_l (0x30) and tms_leuchtring_r (0x31). But on the MINI F56, the parallel OUTPUT variables are set to 0x00 and yet angel eyes are clearly in operation as DRLs. Commence head scratching exercise. If you can locate the controlling angel eyes parameter though, yeah, you could turn it off / disable it / replace it with a fog / whatever the parameters allow you to finagle.

 

An alternative approach: enabling fog-lights-in-DRL not through the TAGFAHRL mappings but through the fog light mappings (*NEBELSCHW*?). On the BMW analogous site bimmerpost.com there is a thread for including the fog lights in the welcome light function; for that they change the value of MAPPING_NEBELSCHW_L_PART_OF to 0x80 (points to welcome light function). I wonder if we might analogously use a different pointer (what number though?) to point to the DRL function?

 

Actually, re DISABLE_OUTPUT, I just noticed this combo in my earlier post. Again, these are untweaked values:

3063 LceLampMapping2 MAPPING_TAGFAHRL_2_V_L_OUTPUT off 0x00
3063 LceLampMapping2 MAPPING_TAGFAHRL_2_V_L_DISABLE_OUTPUT tms_leuchtring_l 0x30

If I read this correctly, firing up whatever fires up TAGFARHL_2 would disable the left angel eye. Applying a little bit of logic since these are untweaked values, the DISABLE probably wouldn't be set this way if the OUTPUT itself was also the angel eye. Hmmmm. I may have a way to test this but have to think about it a bit.

But if I'm right about this logic -- maybe changing MAPPING_NEBELSCHW_L_DISABLE_OUTPUT from 0x00 to 0x30 (tms_leuchtring_l) and MAPPING_NEBELSCHW_R_DISABLE_OUTPUT from 0x00 to 0x31 (tms_leuchtring_r) would turn off the angel eyes when the you activate the front fog lights. It's a thought.

 

If we could find the equivalent variable to BMW's MAPPING_NEBELSCHW_L_PART_OF we might try setting it to 0x04, as suggested by your above listed line "3062 LceLampMapping1 MAPPING_TAGFAHRL_1_V_L_FUNCTION tagfahrlicht 0x04". Perhaps 0x04 is the DRL function.

 

Definitely a good working theory.
0x04 is definitely the DRL function. So yeah, maybe if you change the F56's MAPPING_NEBELSCHW_L_PART_OF and MAPPING_NEBELSCHW_R_PART_OF from 0x00 (their untweaked values - I documented these as existing on my F56) to 0x04, they might pop on with the DRLs. I haven't experimented with the use of PART_OF for DRLs but I can tell you from scrutinizing my own F56 0x04 is splattered all over the place as a DRL function.

I don't know if the DRL function works the same way as the Welcome Lights function in terms of including things in it, but again, it's a good working theory, especially given that DRL, like Welcome Lights, is a logical thing rather than a physical thing.

This specific post by CmdrBond over at MiniF56 also lists hex 04 as a DRL function ID - look for "IDs functions (hex)".