Installing Comma.ai / OpenPilot (BlueCruise alternative)

[leehinde]

So, this isn’t the same as Tesla’s FSD? It’s just a different BlueCruise?

https://www.comma.ai/openpilot

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[AjzRide]

So, this isn’t the same as Tesla’s FSD? It’s just a different BlueCruise?

OpenPilot is equivalent to Tesla FSD, but on the Ford models it is still in development and is more equivalent to BlueCruise (without being limited to interstate only) at the moment. In the future it should be equivalent to FSD for Ford.

 

[AjzRide]

It took a 10 foot USB-C cable to reach the drivers footwell in my F150, so I suspect you may need 15-20 to reach the trunk of the MME. Probably daisy chain two extension cables:

https://www.amazon.com/UseBean-Exte...b+c+gen+2+extension+cable,aps,141&sr=8-3&th=1

 

[yellowsmileyface]

It took a 10 foot USB-C cable to reach the drivers footwell in my F150, so I suspect you may need 15-20 to reach the trunk of the MME. Probably daisy chain two extension cables:

https://www.amazon.com/UseBean-Extension-L-Shape-Extender-Nintendo/dp/B0C3CNF849/ref=sr_1_3?crid=3QVBSGUY6X1FW&keywords=10'+USB+C+gen+2+extension+cable&qid=1694905175&sprefix=10'+usb+c+gen+2+extension+cable,aps,141&sr=8-3&th=1

Thank you! I will try to make some time tomorrow or Monday hopefully to read up. I purchased the original 10ft cable posted in the OP but will look at getting the extension.

 

[Neil4Real]

Wouldn't hurt to keep this thread open for others in the future. I just got mine today as well, already got the F150 up and running and took my first drive. You can message me on discord (same username) and I can answer most questions you would have.

First impressions?!

 

[AjzRide]

First impressions?!

My first impression is that it's a huge step up from BlueCruise 1.0. So far I have only run it in latitude mode (steering only) so it is basically doing what BC does, only better. It works on any road, not just limited access highways. It doesn't hug the right line, it doesn't fight as hard when I want to take over, it doesn't ping pong as much, and it doesn't cancel randomly for no reason every 3 minutes. It doesn't get confused by merge lanes and exit lanes on the interstate, and it even worked in my neighborhood where there are no lane markings.

It is a little jerky, meaning it works the wheel quite a bit to stay centered, but that is a tuning issue and will hopefully be worked out pretty soon. Today I am going to try letting it work the gas and brake and see how that is.

 

[Mach-Lee]

My first impression is that it's a huge step up from BlueCruise 1.0. So far I have only run it in latitude mode (steering only) so it is basically doing what BC does, only better. It works on any road, not just limited access highways. It doesn't hug the right line, it doesn't fight as hard when I want to take over, it doesn't ping pong as much, and it doesn't cancel randomly for no reason every 3 minutes. It doesn't get confused by merge lanes and exit lanes on the interstate, and it even worked in my neighborhood where there are no lane markings.

It is a little jerky, meaning it works the wheel quite a bit to stay centered, but that is a tuning issue and will hopefully be worked out pretty soon. Today I am going to try letting it work the gas and brake and see how that is.

Are there any adjustments you can make to fine tune the steering inputs?

 

[AjzRide]

Are there any adjustments you can make to fine tune the steering inputs?

Yes there are. The difficult part is finding good stretches of road to do your tuning on . The good news is once anyone gets good tuning parameters, they will be a fit for every matching vehicle.

 

[Mach-Lee]

Yes there are. The difficult part is finding good stretches of road to do your tuning on . The good news is once anyone gets good tuning parameters, they will be a fit for every matching vehicle.

Cool. Glad to see there's an alternative if Ford can't ever get BlueCruise 1.3 released, or for people that don't want to pay their ridiculous fees for it.

Does the system access the radar data from the vehicle or is it self-contained vision only?

And just to clarify the installation requirements:

1. Install a mirror harness tap to provide power
2. Install an RJ45 cable to the OBD port
3. Install a USB cable to the IPMA?

What does the USB cable to the IPMA do/tap into?

 

[AjzRide]

The tap into the IPMA is the heart of the system. It intercepts the steering wheel commands from the IPMA and replaces them with the OpenPilot calculated commands.

 

[StarlightMystic]

I purchased a Comma 3x for my Mach-E - it was shipped and will arrive this week. I will let everyone know how it goes. The #ford channel in Comma's Discord has some basic info. Someone shared the below installer file.

Installer file: https://installer.comma.ai/commaai/mach-e

 

[zelkito]

Wowww, this sounds really interesting guys!!

Could any of you list some of the steps/pictures for the setup if possible? I may bite the bullet if it doesn't prove to be too complicated!

 

[AjzRide]

I’m not sure if we have a completed install here on the forum yet, there is one on discord I am aware of. Here is a video of my F150 install. The steps would be the same, except the IPMA is in the trunk instead of under the dash. That means longer cables and more effort to route them to the back. I installed a dashcam in the Mach E and routed the rear camera wires to the back and it wasn’t difficult, only took about 30 minutes.

 

[AjzRide]

I finally got some footage of OpenPilot running on the a FD-CAN/Sync 4.0 system. This was my F150 but the MME should behave the same way.

 

[Mach-Lee]

I’m not sure if we have a completed install here on the forum yet, there is one on discord I am aware of. Here is a video of my F150 install. The steps would be the same, except the IPMA is in the trunk instead of under the dash. That means longer cables and more effort to route them to the back. I installed a dashcam in the Mach E and routed the rear camera wires to the back and it wasn’t difficult, only took about 30 minutes.

So looks like we'll need to run two cables to the back, one Cat5 from the OBD port to the IPMA harness, and one USB cable from the IPMA to the windshield for the head unit.

I finally got some footage of OpenPilot running on the a FD-CAN/Sync 4.0 system. This was my F150 but the MME should behave the same way.

Wow, you have quite a bit of tire noise and wheel vibration on the freeway. Might want to get tires checked. I was most impressed that it moved over for merging traffic (unless you were initiating the lane changes). I also see the "notchiness" in the steering wheel. It should be inputting finer steering steps IMO (like every 1º instead of every 5º). Not sure if that's a limitation with how it interfaces or not. BlueCruise has very fine angle adjustments that are probably arcminute precision.

My BlueCruise does okay with a single center stripe and a curb. I think the single center stripe has to be really clear, and it has to feel like there is enough space to not come close to a curb on the other rside or it disengages. Your lanes seem narrower and more challenging on the city streets. OpenPilot did a good job with the guidance (I wouldn't expect it to work in that construction zone, that's extra credit).

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