My Run-In with the JDM McIntosh radio

"My Run-In with the JDM McIntosh radio"

 

I happen to work for an audio company. Which one is not important... but I get to play with a lot of OEM and aftermarket goodies. Anyhow, yesterday this little bugger arrived and it looked like it might fit - so I pulled my dash apart and had at it. Mechanically, it fits mounting is no issue - I tried it. Screws match up and everything. BONUS!

 

Radio-wise it is functional. Everything powers up, and operates fine with exception made to the FM tuner since Japan uses different frequencies than the USSA does. I do believe that the freq's can be changed though since this unit has a "world tuner".

 

Onto the crappy part.

 

The HVAC. I can live with "mirror imaged" controls, but when you plug in the connector, nothing happens. Basically there are 5 connections to the USDM radio. An Antenna, a ground pin, a big white audio connector, and two small black 8-pin connectors (assuming that these are for HVAC). The JDM McIntosh radio takes everything that the USDM car has plug-wise, except for ONE of the 8Pin black plugs. I am assuming it is for the HVAC.

 

Anyone know where I can get the pinout for:

a) the USDM car-side plugs (namely the two black 8 pins)

b) the JDM pin out on the HVAC portion (the plug is on the bottom half of the unit unlike the USDM where the plugs are ALL up top radio side). I am assuming Calsonic makes it since it is badged Kenwood (funny, Kenwood/Calsonic making the control head on the HVAC and Clarion making the McIntosh radio parts... what an odd state of affairs!)

 

I am confident I can make this headunit work in a USDM vehicle, but I need to get these pinouts in order to do it. This is of course assuming that the HVAC module in the vehicles are running the same data bus as the JDM vehicle.

Why do I want to do this? Couple of reasons. #1 is for the iPod interface. The Clarion iPod box works flawless with this JDM head. #2 is looks. Just look at how dang hot it is! So much nicer finish than the USDM part.

So, stay tuned... if anyone can get me pinouts, I have car and I have part and I have electronics lab, and I am willing to "try it".

 

I did search for about 3 hours yesterday for the pinouts, but to no avail. Just in case someone wants to say "did you try the search button?"

Anyhow - if I get the pinouts and get it running, I can do a full write up on how to do it... I have no idea what it would cost to do, I am guessing these heads are not cheap - but just being able to "do it" would be pretty dang cool.

 

-Drew

as someone who works in the biz, I'd hope you know that Clarion owns McIntosh. That happened some ten years ago.

Clarion no more own McIntosh

 

Happened December of 04 I do beleive. Clarion fully owned them previously as you stated, but then they seperated. Clarion maintains some of their OEM accounts for them still, and supplies some internal parts and mechanisms (even fully built radios to the McIntosh spec in some cases) to them - but they are actually fully seperated entites business-wise.

 

But the fact that you know there was/is a Clarion-McIntosh connection in the first place is good!! How did you happen to know that? PM if you don't feel like broadcasting too much on the forums.

 

Cheers Subaru Brethern,

Drew

well, ok then! I used to work at a McIntosh dealer, but prior to the split.

Cool stuff! I have never been much on the retail side, but plenty on the OEM side. I think it'd be fun to work at an aftermarket dealer, but the OEM side has it's advantages.

 

Yea, some of the ProAudio line in the older Clarion amps were of interesting build.... very interesting design as compared to the McIntosh, yes, very interesting. The new Clarion amps... not so much. But certain PA series amps from years past had some ROCK solid build going on.... anyway...

 

good to have more audio-heads here!

the proper term is 'tweakers'

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm, McIntosh HU. :drool:

I would love to get that radio! Subscribed..........................................

Anyone know where I can get the pinout for:

a) the USDM car-side plugs (namely the two black 8 pins)

b) the JDM pin out on the HVAC portion (the plug is on the bottom half of the unit unlike the USDM where the plugs are ALL up top radio side). I am assuming Calsonic makes it since it is badged Kenwood (funny, Kenwood/Calsonic making the control head on the HVAC and Clarion making the McIntosh radio parts... what an odd state of affairs!)

 

For the USDM electrical check out the vacation picts: http://www.legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php?t=6216&highlight=vacation+pictures

It's an 05 (06 is the same) but I've verified that everything except the accessory plug (steering wheel controls, VDC sub, new AUX in) is wired identically to the new 07 HU.

 

On the JDM side I don't think anyone has been able to get the tech manuals/wiring diagrams for them yet, however people have tried to get the single zone AC to work w/o any luck.

http://www.legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php?t=19191

 

TDC appears to be working on the new dual zone double din plate so they might have the wiring diagram (they've got a new JDM connection). It'd be more applicable to yours since it's dual zone.

http://www.legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php?t=46539

 

Good luck!

I've looked into the US wiring a little, but haven't yet gotten around to scoping the wires.

 

On one 8-pin black connector (Connecter i85), it looks like a single wire interface. Pin #8 goes to the body integrated unit. It's probably a low voltage signal to turn on rear defroster, but again, I'm not sure. Rear defrost is the only related device connected to the BIU.

 

Then, the other connector (i88) has 2 wires (pin7, pin3) which go to the auto AC control module. I'm guessing these are a low-speed serial pair, not CAN since from the wiring diagrams, they don't appear to be twisted, just discrete wires.

 

My best guess is that one is Tx to send button presses/ encoder pulses to the AC control module, and the other is an Rx to receive display updates from the module.

 

i85 pin8 is a Green wire (Green? Grey?

i88 pin7 is a White wire.

i88 pin3 is a White wire with Black stripe.

 

Hope that helps.

 

Hopefully I can get some probes for the scope I picked up yesterday and start looking at these signals.

Guess I can just give you the full pinout...

 

i85 -

pin3 - Violet Wire / White Stripe - Sat controls

pin4 - Red Wire - Subwoofer

pin6 - White Wire - Subwoofer

pin7 - Orange Wire / White stripe - Sat controls

pin8 - Green Wire - Body integrated unit

 

i88 -

pin1 - Green wire / Orange stripe - Ignition power

pin3 - White wire / Black stripe - Auto AC Control Module

pin5 - Black wire/ Yellow stripe - Ground

pin7 - White wire - Auto AC Control Module

I think the FM range is different for JDM radios. You can only go as high as 92 or 93 Mhz.

is the US hazard button on the wrong side?

 

Ed

is the US hazard button on the wrong side?

 

Ed

 

that mounts via the back. We can relocate that easily.

 

is this really JDM or is it in another market (or both)?

Guessing from the Mini Disc player, I'd bet it's JDM. I don't know any other country that loves their mini-discs as much as Japan.

Guessing from the Mini Disc player, I'd bet it's JDM. I don't know any other country that loves their mini-discs as much as Japan.

tru dat

I'm looking through the wiring diagrams. They look like LHD and RHD are different. It looks doable.

http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r69/mickeyd2005/untitled5.jpg

http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r69/mickeyd2005/untitled4.jpg

http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r69/mickeyd2005/untitled3.jpg

Thank you to everyone who is responding on this thread. Sorry that the "hampster fell off the wheel" on my side, but the one and only sample I have to work on is now installed in a display and is being shipped out west for "show season", and CES. When it gets back here in the spring I will be playing with this more...

 

I just wanted to let everyone know the situation so you weren't wonder WTH happened on my end.

 

Still trying to get another sample to play with though... if I can get one before the other one gets back I will start into this trasnplant sooner. Stay tuned!

 

Cheers,

Drew

hey drew whos booth will the head unit be in at ces?

hey drew whos booth will the head unit be in at ces?

 

it is going to be in the Clarion OEM booth. OEM booth Used to be "invite only" for OEM people, not sure if it is that way this year or not.... stop by and check'r out and let me know - I won't be making the trip out to the Vegas this year

yeah we will see if i get to see it or not i work in car audio for a major retailer so i have a lot of connections

The keystrokes to switch the radio between European and US modes are listed at:

http://forum.liberty.asn.au/viewtopic.php?p=4305

I'd assume the JDM is the same as our Australian models, which have the seperate amp under the passenger seat.

You can see it in the wiring diagram mickeyd2005 posted above.

In the last Outback offered with the McIntosh stereo, Subaru had a seperate McIntosh amplifier under the passenger seat.

 

Does that JDM model use a seperate amp too, or is it integrated into the head unit?

 

it is in the head I would assume, when I plugged it in the radio portions worked. It was the HVAC that was goofy.

 

I can't wait to get that bugger back here so I can play with it some more. With the schematics that are posted I am thinking that we should be able to "do this".

I'm looking through the wiring diagrams. They look like LHD and RHD are different. It looks doable.

 

 

 

I am a bit confused here... the HVAC schematic you are showing is from the RHD McIntosh unit, right?

 

Do you have the one for our USDM radio also? I am just looking at the possibility of making an "adapter box" that will take the signals from the McIntosh unit and get them on the correct wires for the US vehicle's circuits. If we have both schematics - and assuming that the HVAC "brain" operates the same [parameters, software and bus type] on both the JDM and USDM vehicles then there is no reason we can't do this.