TCU Conversion NA to EU esim to sim

[dav.hovhannisyan]

Hi everyone,

I bought a North American (NA) 2021 Mustang Mach-E Premium and imported it to Armenia.

As expected, the original TCU eSIM doesn't work here, so I converted the TCU to use a physical SIM card by disconnecting the onboard eSIM and soldering an external SIM card adapter. I followed this guide for the hardware conversion:
https://www.mustang7g.com/forums/threads/tcu-conversion-na-to-eu.175871/

Now I'm trying to get the TCU connected to the internet and make FordPass work.

What additional steps are required after the hardware conversion? Do I need to:

• Configure APN settings?
• Reprogram or reconfigure the TCU (FDRS/FORScan)?
• Perform any region conversion or module initialization?
• Do anything else after installing the physical SIM?

The car is currently in Armenia, but I don't think the location itself matters. Armenia uses the same LTE/mobile frequency bands as Europe, so if someone has successfully done this conversion anywhere in Europe, the same solution should work here as well.

If anyone has successfully completed this on a North American Mach-E outside North America, I'd really appreciate your advice.

Thanks in advance!

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[chariotquant]

Watching because it is interesting to see how ppl modify the TCU on these cars

 

[NY_Cade69]

Is the SIM active on a network in your area?

 

[dav.hovhannisyan]

Is the SIM active on a network in your area?

Yes. I'm using a local Armenian SIM card, and it's active and working correctly. If I insert the same SIM into a mobile phone, it registers on the network without any issues.

When the SIM is installed in the Mach-E's TCU, however, the car never gets a cellular signal (no antenna bars).

I also contacted my mobile operator's technical support. They told me they can see the SIM attempting to register from a Telit LL94 modem (if I remember the model correctly), which suggests the modem is at least being detected by the network. From their side, they don't see any issue with the SIM card or the mobile service.

 

[NY_Cade69]

Yes. I'm using a local Armenian SIM card, and it's active and working correctly. If I insert the same SIM into a mobile phone, it registers on the network without any issues.

When the SIM is installed in the Mach-E's TCU, however, the car never gets a cellular signal (no antenna bars).

I also contacted my mobile operator's technical support. They told me they can see the SIM attempting to register from a Telit LL94 modem (if I remember the model correctly), which suggests the modem is at least being detected by the network. From their side, they don't see any issue with the SIM card or the mobile service.

Possibly something along these lines:
First, you probably need an EU based TCU, then, this:

Restricted APNs and IMEIs: The car's firmware and modem drivers are programmed with an approved Access Point Name (APN) and authorized International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) ranges. The system rejects connection attempts from any unauthorized network.

Note that Ford in the US uses AT&T for its systems. Also that a 2021 US Mach-E will want a 4G-LTE SIM, nat a 5G.

 

[rugedraw]

Change the country code in the TCU to Armenia. On this line:

754-10-01

Your config will read 5553 14.

Change 5553 to 414D, write the change and then reboot the TCU. See if that gets connectivity working.

 

[rugedraw]

Wait, you will also need to go here and change it from NA (North America) to RW (rest of world) or possibly EU (european union). I'm not 100% sure what Ford uses here for your market.

Some APN config changes may be needed, too. I am not sure what is correct in your country. I would get the VIN of a vehicle in Armenia that was built for your market, pull the ab data from it and look at how the TCU is set up in these areas and manually reconfigure the one you put in to match the Armenian vehicle.

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