Hey guys,

I'm a p plater, currently with no job and i really don't wanna spend anymore cash on the magna if i can help it so to start with, no i don't wanna buy a new head unit haha.
I'm just wonderinf if it's possible to solder an auxillary jack (i would put it in the glovebox so i could hide an mp3 player) onto the wiring harness or some kind of input into the back of a cd player. I've got a pioneer, not sure on the number (can find out if needed) but yeah, just curious as i can wire up stuff easy enough, just don't wanna spend too much more money.
Worst comes to worst i'll stick to cd's just wonderinf if this is possible and if so how.
cheers folks

~twiggy~

Yes if you have stacker input... Will find a link for you. Alternatively the adapter is around $40-$80 depending where you buy it

i don't have a stacker, will go check the model number of my H/U though so you can let me know stuff. Also, how does the adapter work, just a plug in thing with a headphone jack style thing?

i don't have a stacker, will go check the model number of my H/U though so you can let me know stuff. Also, how does the adapter work, just a plug in thing with a headphone jack style thing?
You dont need a stacker as such, Just knowledge on weather or not it has an Input for one

Just checked, it's a pioneer DEH-2850-MP
Hope that helps, and hopefully i can do this :p

Yes just require an input for one...

As some of you may or may not know any Pioneer headunit with a Pbus Disk Changer can have an auxiliary input an adapter bought from Pioneer (CD-RB10 or CD-RB20). However unfortunately the cheaper of the two already retails for $79.00 and basically it consists of a Pbus connector that has wires running to two RCA plugs (I have the schematic for the CD-RB20 if anyone wants it). So being the cheap bastard that I am, I decided to add my own. The pinout has been well documented on the internet at a number of places. Below is a walkthrough of how I did it and some pointers that I learned on the way. My headunit is a DEH-4350 and I’m not sure if this can be applied to other Pioneer models (I assume it can but don’t want to make any promises.

The easiest way to add auxiliary input would to be get a Pbus connector and use that to connect to the pins of the pbus connector. However, I haven’t been able to find a place that sells these and changer cables are quite expensive.

(IMG:http://home.swiftdsl.com.au/~sunnydale/CAA/pbus.jpg)

Above is the pinout for the connector

Before we start just the usual disclaimer, I’m not responsible if you stuff up your stereo and it will most likely void your warranty blah blah blah. You should be able to attempt this mod if you have some decent soldering skills. I would recommend working on an antistatic surface (an antistatic bag works fine) and grounding yourself (eg by touching a non-painted bit of a computer case). Take off the detachable face if you have one and the trim ring.

All directions are taken with the stereo upright and with the back facing towards you.

Step 1
Remove the top cover, there are no screws holding this down and if you lift at the correct places it should just pop off. There are some catches underneath the front of the face and so you should lift from the rear of the stereo. You should get something looking like the picture below

(IMG:http://home.swiftdsl.com.au/~sunnydale/CAA/10.jpg)

Step 2
I probably should have ejected the CD that was in the deck but forgot too. You will need to unscrew 4 screws to remove the CD part of the deck (circles in picture above). Don’t forget the top left screw, which is down the hole. Now slowly lift up the CD mechanism and disconnect the ribbon cable from the bottom. Remember the orientation of it.

(IMG:http://home.swiftdsl.com.au/~sunnydale/CAA/11.jpg)

Right Side

(IMG:http://home.swiftdsl.com.au/~sunnydale/CAA/12.jpg)

Left Side

Step 3
Next you need to remove the front face of the deck. There are two black screws on the side of the deck, each marked with an arrow (pink circles above). Then to remove the face you will need to unclip 4 clips. Start with the two clips circled in red above. Push a screwdriver through the slot to unclip them. Then there are two easily visible clips on the bottom to unclip and the face should pull out. Be careful as the face is attached to the PCB at the bottom by a connector. You will need to push on the back of the face around the connector so it will easily come out and you won’t damage it.

(IMG:http://home.swiftdsl.com.au/~sunnydale/CAA/13.jpg)

Step 4
You should now have something looking like the picture above, minus the face at the front (the pictures I took of it without the face all turned out blurry). There are 3 little metal tabs (purple circles) that are twisted to keep the PCB attached to the frame. Twist these tabs with a pair of pliers so that are straight and will fit through the hole in the PCB. The middle tab is obscured by the ribbon cable in the picture above. Also unscrew the silver screw in the bottom left hand corner circled in red.

Step 5
Next there are 5 brass coloured screws to unscrew. 2 are located on the right side (red circles below, ignore the pink circle) and 3 are located on the back (red circles below). Be careful not to mix them up, as the screws on the back are longer than the side ones. The screws that you need to unscrew are all marked with an arrow on the frame. I think the left screw is where the red circle is on the back but can’t quite remember and forgot to take a picture…

(IMG:http://home.swiftdsl.com.au/~sunnydale/CAA/14.jpg)
(IMG:http://home.swiftdsl.com.au/~sunnydale/CAA/15.jpg)

Step 6
You should then be able to lift out the PCB from the metal frame and flip it over. Located in the bottom left corner where the pbus connector is on the back should be the picture below.

(IMG:http://home.swiftdsl.com.au/~sunnydale/CAA/auxin.jpg)

As you can see each of the solder points is actually labelled with its function (click on the picture to enlarge it). I’ll leave you to decide what you will solder to those points. I bought a RCA extension lead and cut it up, with the cable that I got this wasn’t the greatest option. This is because the ground connector ran around the signal lead and didn’t actually have a separate insulation. This made it hard to insulate the ground connectors and solder it without it touching anything else (I ended up using electrical tape to insulate it). I would recommend just using individual 4 wires and then connecting them to a female RCA connector. Of course depending on your application you could go straight to a headphone jack if you wished.

The cable for the aux will run out the bottom, there is a slight gap between the PCB and the frame. I placed a bit of card (arrow below) where the cable exited the frame to give it a tighter fit and secure it so as not to put any strain on the solder connections.

(IMG:http://home.swiftdsl.com.au/~sunnydale/CAA/16.jpg)

If you’ve come this far without stuffing up I’m sure you’ll be able to reassemble your headunit. Just remember to twist the 3 metal clips and be careful with the top left screw on the CD mechanism as you put it through the hole it has a tendency to go everywhere except into the screw hole…

To enjoy your new auxiliary input, turn the headunit off and hold down the function button. When the menu comes up keep pressing the function button until you come to the AUX input option and turn it on. You can even rename the title of the Aux input using the title in function.

Have fun and feel free to ask any questions. Please post to tell us how you went if you decide to try it.

I'm not sure if you can still use a stacker when you use this option, if anyone knows please let me know.

(IMG:http://home.swiftdsl.com.au/~sunnydale/CAA/17.jpg)

Pics dont work, but you get the hint

Linked at http://www.mobileelectronics.com.au/forums/index.php?showtopic=40759

Just checked, it's a pioneer DEH-2850-MP
Hope that helps, and hopefully i can do this :p
2850 Doesn't have stacker. Surprised it doesn't have Aux actually, the 2950 does, didn't know it was an "upgrade" of sorts over the previous model. The only other cheap way really is a FM Transmitter, but its not the most fantastic of audio quality.

gahhhhhhh
this sucks :(
any other options that you guys know of?
and if i'm stuck with fm transmitter, are there any reccomendations?

gahhhhhhh
this sucks :(
any other options that you guys know of?
and if i'm stuck with fm transmitter, are there any reccomendations?
Get a decent one, the eBay $15 ones are ****, I've got one, pretty much never used it because the quality is lame. Decent brand name one will set you back $70 or so, might as well buy a cheap brand name deck with Aux in.

ah screw that, didn't wanna buy a new deck cuz i don't wanna spend anymore...although it looks like it's the only option, spose i'll just stick to cd's
thanks for the help guys, if anyone has any other ideas lemme know
cheers

~twiggy~

buy someones stock TE / TF headunit. $30? put up a wtb, these have an aux in in the front.

i like mine atm, was just interested in getting my mp3 player to go through it somehow.
Might see if i can buy a cheapo fm transmitter and see if i can improve it a bit (dad's an electronics engineer so i'm sure he'll be able to pull it apart n make it better with the millions of bits he's got lying around)
Cheers for the help folks

~twiggy~

entry level JVC KD-G245 has Aux-in, and only RRP for $119....

There's a pioneer one on the forums here for sale with aux for 80 bucks, just really don't wanna spend anymore money on ma car tbh :p
It sounds awesome to me as is so this was only going to be an extra goody for me if it'd cost nothing by soldering something onto wires haha.
Cheers,
~twiggy~