Plug n Play Aux-in mod for 2005 6cd radios

I did the install last night. Everything went well except for the fact I did not have the stereo plug seated all the way into the board. I realized this after putting the radio back together and had to remove all the thousands of screws to get back at it. I knew it was the plug when I hooked the power up to the radio and my xm was only playing through the driver’s side speakers. I could have kicked myself. I was wishing the little board had a longer ribbon cable at the moment because I could have simply solved my troubles by just removing the back cover of the radio and pulling the board out to access the stereo plug. It was my fault though and made me a pro at dismantling the complex panels of the radio.

 

That said the sound coming from my XM is superb now. It now sounds like my factory xm in my previous car and I am once again happy listening to it. Those FM Mods. are crap! Jazzy, the boards are constructed very nicely and I thank you for creating this for us. It truly has made my daily commute much more pleasant and I can not thank you enough for this technology.

 

That Jazzy, such a great guy!!

 

 

Oh and for those having issues with the ground wire attached to the bracket. Do you have the factory sub installed? When I added the aux-in mod last night I also installed my sub and it required me to attach a ground wire to one of the brackets screws on the passenger side of the radio. If that is it I can’t understand why some of you are having problems removing it. Could be the dealers over tightening it.

 

 

The install took me about 2 hours. That also includes adding the oem sub, a new aux power point for my xm, routing the wires and xm into the cubby and a second radio disassembly to properly seat the stereo plug to the aux-board.

 

 

For those without this and using FM mod. devices. Go ahead and spend a few bucks and give up a few hours of your time for this aux-in. The sound is worth it!

Here's what I tried initially:

 

1) hardwired to both pos and neg of cig lighter (I soldered them to the cigarette lighter) - noise.

 

2) hardwired positive to cigarette lighter (soldered), ground to chassis (bolt over the transmission, metal on metal) - noise

 

3) put my cig charger back together the way it was - noise

That sucks. I'm afraid I don't know what else to suggest except to get an audio ground loop isolator like the one Centerpunch pointed out. I guess there's no reason for anyone else to try hardwiring their plugs. I dunno why mine doesn't have any noise then. Wierd.

With power plugged in, everything works great, I am also using the aux in for my PDA with GPS, so music is playing, and when my GPS wants to tell me to turn, the music momentarily cuts off, GPS speaks, and then music comes back on!! That was an added feature, don't even know why that happens.

 

Thanks

The music from what cuts off, your PDA? That's pretty handy!

So your using your PDA as an MP3 player right? This is what I planned on doing along with GPS and was hoping that it would mute like this. Nice!

 

 

 

With power plugged in, everything works great, I am also using the aux in for my PDA with GPS, so music is playing, and when my GPS wants to tell me to turn, the music momentarily cuts off, GPS speaks, and then music comes back on!! That was an added feature, don't even know why that happens.

 

Thanks

Here's an 1/8" jack ground loop isolator from crutchfield. It would save you from using a bunch of additional adapters anyway.

 

http://www.crutchfield.com/S-2zHfprbKImd/cgi-bin/ProdView.asp?g=181150&I=127SNI135&search=ground+loop

I wish I knew what was different about our setup though & how to properly eliminate the ground loop. My radio didn't have that extra ground wire, but I do have the factory sub...? You could try using different grounding points all day for your power, but ground loops are one of those aggrivating things where you may never figure out the source unfortunately and $10-20 is a fair price to pay for something that will likely come in handy for years to come. I may pick one up for my notebook actually because I know the cigarette charger for that causes noise too.

Actually, I'm using my XM for music, and my PDA for GPS. So what is actually happening is my XM input is being cut off momentarily to hear what my lady-friend GPS is saying, and then comes back on....

 

No connection between PDA and XM, only the stereo patch cables which plug into a Y which plugs into my new aux in board.

 

As far as the ground loop thing, I'll figure it out, thanks for the input.

Here's an 1/8" jack ground loop isolator from crutchfield. It would save you from using a bunch of additional adapters anyway.

 

http://www.crutchfield.com/S-2zHfprbKImd/cgi-bin/ProdView.asp?g=181150&I=127SNI135&search=ground+loop

I wish I knew what was different about our setup though & how to properly eliminate the ground loop. My radio didn't have that extra ground wire, but I do have the factory sub...? You could try using different grounding points all day for your power, but ground loops are one of those aggrivating things where you may never figure out the source unfortunately and $10-20 is a fair price to pay for something that will likely come in handy for years to come. I may pick one up for my notebook actually because I know the cigarette charger for that causes noise too.

 

Ouch, pricey!! And I would need two of them to be safe. I'd rather figure out what's inside that little box and make one myself. One of the engineers here is also a car stereo guru, I'll ask him.

Ouch, pricey!! And I would need two of them to be safe. I'd rather figure out what's inside that little box and make one myself. One of the engineers here is also a car stereo guru, I'll ask him.

I think it's a kind of transformer...not much chance of making that yourself. If you want to go on the uber cheap, there's always this:

 

http://www.electronicgiant.net/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=65_262&products_id=4772

 

I think metra makes a ground loop isolator you can find on ebay for $2-5 too. You should be ok with just one between the radio & your audio components though. I think if you use two you'll isolate your GPS from your XM and it won't draw the audio lines down to "speak" anymore. ...could be wrong..

Even better news. I am reluctant to use my PDA as an MP3 Player as memory is a premium unless you spend a bunch of money for like a 4GB CF/SD card. Do you really think its muting or is the signal from the PDA just louder than the XM signal? Either way.. Ill have sirius and PDA running, and as long as it does what you say it does.. Im golden!

 

Actually, I'm using my XM for music, and my PDA for GPS. So what is actually happening is my XM input is being cut off momentarily to hear what my lady-friend GPS is saying, and then comes back on....

 

No connection between PDA and XM, only the stereo patch cables which plug into a Y which plugs into my new aux in board.

 

As far as the ground loop thing, I'll figure it out, thanks for the input.

I bet what's happening is that the audio lines for the PDA have a much stronger "pull" than his XM for whatever reason (probably the XM is protected by high impedance because of it's intended use in car-audio and the PDA has very little impedance because it's simply intended to be used with headphones). So, 0 ohms between the two, whenever the pda decides to speak, it sucks all the audio power from the XM and sends whatever audio signal it wants to the headunit. It's a freak combination of impedances...not impossible to reproduce, but with different pda's & xm units, anything could happen.

I think it's a kind of transformer...not much chance of making that yourself. If you want to go on the uber cheap, there's always this:

 

http://www.electronicgiant.net/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=65_262&products_id=4772

 

I think metra makes a ground loop isolator you can find on ebay for $2-5 too. You should be ok with just one between the radio & your audio components though. I think if you use two you'll isolate your GPS from your XM and it won't draw the audio lines down to "speak" anymore. ...could be wrong..

 

True Dat, I would only need one. That makes it a lot better. I'll stop crying now...

Can anyone else confirm that Right and Left are switched on the board?

 

If so, I want to modify my cable.

Oh-oh. I think I might have that problem too. I noticed that ground wire too back when I installed my FM modulator, but I was able to work around it. I tried removing it then and remember that the screw wouldn't budge.

 

I'm not sure why some vehicles have it and others don't.

 

Ken

 

 

It's from the factory sub, that's the ground point.

 

Craig

Here's an 1/8" jack ground loop isolator from crutchfield. It would save you from using a bunch of additional adapters anyway.

 

http://www.crutchfield.com/S-2zHfprbKImd/cgi-bin/ProdView.asp?g=181150&I=127SNI135&search=ground+loop

I wish I knew what was different about our setup though & how to properly eliminate the ground loop. My radio didn't have that extra ground wire, but I do have the factory sub...? You could try using different grounding points all day for your power, but ground loops are one of those aggrivating things where you may never figure out the source unfortunately and $10-20 is a fair price to pay for something that will likely come in handy for years to come. I may pick one up for my notebook actually because I know the cigarette charger for that causes noise too.

 

 

If you're charging/powering a portable aux. device while also connecting it to the radio, that almost guarantees a ground loop problem. There really is no sane way around it. I would suggest a ground loop isolator be a recommended part of the install.

 

I have run into the same problem over the years with a variety of FM-mod and other aux-in hacks. The GLI almost always solves the problem.

 

Craig

Can anyone else confirm that Right and Left are switched on the board?

 

If so, I want to modify my cable.

 

 

Those of you considering a ground loop isolator -- most of these use RCA jacks, so you could easily swap L / R when putting the GLI in, to take care of this potential problem. When I did my own line in hack a couple months ago, I guessed at L/R and got it wrong. Was able to correct it just by swapping plugs at the GLI.

 

Craig

Added a more specific warning / recommendation for ground loops & GLI's on the main post. I also wouldn't be suprised if I guessed wrong on R/L, but have yet to see if anyone else can confirm this. After work I can whip out my laptop and check / verify if no one else has by then..

 

By the way, everyone else's order has shipped so now I have 2 or 3 in stock for future orders (I'll probably make a few more this weekend).

FYI, I just brought my laptop out to my car and can confirm that the L/R channels are reversed. Doesn't really matter to me as I'm only really using my iPod and it's always center balanced.

just got the email confirmation, but i have no idea how long it will take to HOUSTON

stupid hurricane argg

i so hope it doesnt get lost in the mail

Does Ipod have a reverse channel option? I know that my old Creative Jukebox does, which is why I don't think its that important.

just got the email confirmation, but i have no idea how long it will take to HOUSTON

stupid hurricane argg

i so hope it doesnt get lost in the mail

Ah crap Project...that's my bad...I should have asked first. I wasn't even thinking about that bitch Rita. If it gets lost (likely on hold until further notice) or you're relocating for awhile and you want me to send another one somewhere else I will, just keep us updated & good luck w/the storm.

thank man, looks like the hurricane is comming tonight ill keep ya posted

Just installed the Aux-in this afternoon. All I can say is AWESOME! Clean, CD-quality sound flowing through my Legacy GT. No noise, no FM limited dynamic range, no ground loop.

 

Just a few comments from the installation:

 

I managed to get that over torqued screw with the subwoofer ground off the bracket. It took several tries and I nearly stripped the screw, but I managed to get it out. For those who might have the same problem, I found that removing all the screws except the problematic one and then rocking the bracket around that screw helped.

 

I was worried about leaving the board floating, but after putting it all together, I felt that between the tension of the ribbon cable and the mini-stereo jack, there was enough strain relief.

 

I covered the front of the headunit with painter's tape to prevent scratches. That made it a lot easier to work with since I could turn the HU on it's face to access the rear screws.

 

A 6' mini headphone jack cord was enough to route all the way from the headunit to the center storage console under the armrest.

 

Following Craig's advice, I applied medical cloth tape to the plastic parts on the center console to minimize rubbing and squeaking.

 

Ken

I covered the front of the headunit with painter's tape to prevent scratches. That made it a lot easier to work with since I could turn the HU on it's face to access the rear screws.

 

A 6' mini headphone jack cord was enough to route all the way from the headunit to the center storage console under the armrest.

 

Following Craig's advice, I applied medical cloth tape to the plastic parts on the center console to minimize rubbing and squeaking.

 

Ken

 

Ken,

 

Did you set it up so the iPod is being charged? How did you bring the mini-jack up through the storage console, drill through the bottom of the console?

 

Thanks,

Francis

Yes, I have my iPod connected to a Belkin Auto Kit which is plugged into the 12V outlet in the storage cubby. I simply drilled a hole through the bottom of the cubby, cut a hole in the carpet and ran the mini-jack cable up to the Auto Kit. I also zip-tied the cable to existing cables under the center console box.

 

I prefer this set up because it allows me to store both the iPod, Auto Kit and cables out of sight in the cubby.

 

Ken

I'm pretty slow and idiotic about installs, and this one was painless! Only problem I had was getting the radio out - I didn't remove the correct screws. Then after 15 minutes I figured that out, and voila!

 

Oh the other problem I had was that I didn't connect it properly, but the instructions stated how to debug it and the second time, it worked. First time, I didn't plug the cable in all the way. The CD changer was silent when I plugged the white connector in - it should shuffle like crazy if done right.

 

I have the aux in into the cupholders and use a cheap ipod cupholder holder. That way, the passenger (wife or myself) can see what is playing without having to fish out the ipod. Also, it is easy for me to skip to the next song, etc, since it is right behind the gear lever.

 

Awesome job all the way around.

 

And did I mention it sounds great?

 

Albert

Would you guys please post pictures on how do you use this wonderful device?

Where do you lay the cable or where do you place your mp3 player.

many thanks to all of you!