How to put your car in Active Mode

[Power6]

****You no longer need to manually put the car in "Active Mode" with the release of OrBit v0.3.1**** 
Most functions (code reading and clearing etc.) can be done in any mode. For flashing and functions that require Active mode, OrBit will switch the car mode
For PHEV and EV most models, OrBit controls the battery contactors when needed as well
See here for release notes and download latest OrBit version here
****You can still put the car in Active Mode manually if you like, it will not cause any problem. The instructions below are for reference on how to do that****


How to get into Active Mode depends on if your car has the start knob (ICE/PHEV) or no start knob (EV):

ICE/PHEV:
Sit in the car, have fob within range
Turn the start knob once quick with foot off brake to accessory mode
Turn and hold the start knob for 5-10 secs, foot off brake, until you see the dash light up, hear some noises under the hood etc.

EV:
Have the remote fob with you, sit inside th car and close the door
On the fob, press LOCK then UNLOCK
Press on the brake pedal and hold
Press the hazard flasher button twice, i.e. ON then OFF

**For issues with T8 vehicles "mode not correct for programming" see the post below**

[Power6]

It was discovered last week, that there can be some times where the PHEV T8 vehicles, will not be in the correct state for programming. It can cause a painful problem if the car is flashed when the battery contactors are in the "closed" state, the contactors could get stuck and require Volvo service to fix it. It has been a problem only for the "pre 2020" T8 models and not a common issue, but all hybrid vehicles with high voltage battery could potentially be affected.

Due to that issue, to make sure OrBit can never be the cause of a problem with the high voltage battery, I updated OrBit to 0.1.52 (as of Feb 11 '23) with the safety checks for the battery contactors state. As a result of that update, you may see OrBit won't flash due to "mode not correct" with PHEV and EV cars. I am currently working on the major update to OrBit which will include control of the car mode so you no longer need to put any car in "Active" manually, as well as to open the contactors automatically on PHEV and EV cars. As you may see, this is needed since it is not "easy" for you to make sure the car is in the mode where the contactors are open and safe for programming. There is still a bit of work to do, as the volunteers for testing the preview may already know ;-)

In the meantime, a user has done some testing to manually get the "pre-2020" T8 in the right state for flashing, which is the model that seems to be the one that gives trouble with the safety check failing. You can try this and see if it works for you

• Sit in the car, with the remote key fob in your hand.
  
• Lock the car, while you sit in it, with the remote key fob button.
  
• Then turn and hold the start knob for 5-10 sec for "Active" mode
  
• Try to flash with OrBit and see if the "check" passes to be able to flash
  

Feel free to respond here if you are affected and if you are able to get around the issue by getting the car in the correct state.

When the OrBit update is released I will update this thread and posts and we can forget all about having to fiddle with the car before flashing ;-)

[TweakeNL]

Probably also the T6 twin-engines are affected. (Downtuned T8)

As for the Orbit updates, does it prompt for updates while starting Orbit, does it automatically update, or do we need to install the latest version every time?

[Partridge]

Probably also the T6 twin-engines are affected. (Downtuned T8)

As for the Orbit updates, does it prompt for updates while starting Orbit, does it automatically update, or do we need to install the latest version every time?

I didn’t even know such a beast existed!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Power6]

That's probably true, the "twin-engine T6" is likely the same as the pre-2020 T8 essentally. I don't know that we have any of those among OrBit users yet, they seem pretty rare.

I've just posted the release notes and link for released update to OrBit, v0.3.1 in the releases forum. Previous versions will not prompt you to update, but with this update automatic notification is added for new version when you start OrBit, so once you are on the new 0.3.1 version, going forward you will be notified an update is available. You can download and update if you choose, for now I will leave it as an option so you can cancel past the message to start the existing version.

[Amphicar770]

Is the procedure same for Polestar?  I've been trying the dance of lock, unlock, brake, hazard on, hazard off to no avail?  Do you leave brake pedal depressed after the whole process (I have not tried that yet)?

[R1maS]

Is the procedure same for Polestar?  I've been trying the dance of lock, unlock, brake, hazard on, hazard off to no avail?  Do you leave brake pedal depressed after the whole process (I have not tried that yet)?

As far I remember, Lock, unlock, brake press/release, hazard x2 (I may be wrong, but looks like x2)

[Power6]

The "EV" process applies to Polestar as well as Volvo.

I believe the process is you "press and hold" the brake pedal, you continue to hold it pressed while you tap the hazard button x2, essentially turn them ON then OFF, then the car should go to Active mode.

[A-P]

That's correct - just a quick tip: if your vehicle does not have an ignition switch, I've found that it's sometimes necessary to exit the vehicle and lock it before getting back in and attempting the sequence R1maS / Power6 mentioned.