Most modern car radios are equipped with an AUX output, which allows you to connect a smartphone to them and listen to audio files from mobile device through the car stereo speakers. In cases where there is no AUX output on the radio, the car owner can independently equip it.
What is an AUX output and why is it needed
AUX output is an input for an audio source. In Russia, it is often called a linear output, foreign manufacturers label it with the inscription AUX-OUT, on some devices you can also find the outdated designation CD-OUT. The AUX output belongs to the RCA jack standards, so you can connect tulip plugs to it.
AUX output - a connector through which you can transmit an audio signal to an external audio amplifier built into the radio. When connecting external device, which can be an MP3 player, tablet or smartphone, sound playback occurs through the speakers of the radio.
Almost all modern electronic devices that reproduce sound, along with a USB port, are also equipped with an AUX output. These include computers, televisions, music centers, etc. Car radios are no exception, but older cassette or CD players usually do not have such a connector. This does not mean that the owner of a car with such a radio will not be able to connect an MP3 player or his smartphone to it and enjoy music, audio books or other sound files.
Necessary materials and tools
To connect the AUX output to the radio, you will need a wire and a plug. You can buy them at a radio supply store, but the easiest way is to borrow a wire with a plug already connected from old headphones. The wire should not be damaged, so in addition to visual inspection, it will not be superfluous to check it with a multimeter.
In addition to a wire with a plug and a multimeter, you will also need to equip the radio with an AUX output:
- flat and Phillips screwdrivers;
- low-power soldering iron with soldering kit (solder, flux and magnifying glass);
- insulating tape and heat shrink tube;
- a set of standard keys for removing the radio;
- if necessary - a set of heads for small screwdrivers (if the radio is attached with screws).
Preparation
Before equipping the radio with an AUX output, it is necessary to dismantle it from the front panel of the car. Factory-installed factory radios are usually attached to the brackets with self-tapping screws or screws. Also, the radio can be fixed using latches or side clamps.
The dismantling of the radio is carried out in the following sequence.
- First you need to remove the plastic decorative plate around the perimeter of the radio. It is fastened with latches; to remove the plate, you can pry it off with a flat screwdriver or a knife and carefully remove it.
- After removing the lining, you need to remove the radio from the brackets. It is best to use a set of regular keys for pressing the latches for this. The keys must be inserted into the connectors and use them to bend the latches. After the latches are released, holding the radio by the protruding parts, remove it from the niche.
- If the radio is fixed in the panel niche with screws or self-tapping screws, then a screwdriver is required for dismantling. It is advisable to use a magnetic screwdriver so that the unscrewed screws or self-tapping screws are not lost.
- After the radio is dismantled, you need to disconnect its motherboard from the player. To do this, press the plastic latches with a screwdriver and unscrew the bolts securing the front panel of the radio to the side walls. Then you need to remove the back and side covers of the device, disconnect the cables and remove the player.
AUX connection instructions
After the motherboard of the radio is dismantled, you can start equipping it with its AUX output. At this stage, the car owner will need a soldering iron, a soldering kit and a little knowledge of radio electronics.
- On motherboard it is necessary to find points marked RCH (right channel) and LCH (left channel). These points are the stereo output channels from the player to the board.
- You need to solder the wires from the headphones to the points of the channels, having previously removed the insulation from them with a knife. Green solder should be soldered to the left channel, red - to the right. The common wire must be grounded by soldering to the board case (or to the GND point). Since the wires are thin, you will need a low-power soldering iron with a thin tip, as well as a soldering magnifier.
- Soldered wires must be additionally insulated with heat shrink tubing.
- Then you need to remove the soldered wires from the radio housing to the front panel of the car. To do this, you can drill a hole in the side wall of the radio. A wire outlet with a plug already connected can be installed in the ashtray.
- After that, you need to assemble the radio in the reverse order.
After equipping the radio with an AUX output, it is necessary to check its performance. Turn on the radio first to check if the speakers are working properly, then check the cassette or CD player.
Then, through the AUX-out, you should connect an MP3 player or smartphone and select any song. On the radio, you need to select the playback mode "Cassette" or "CD-disk". When connecting the AUX output, the signal from the player must be muffled by the signal from an external device.
Equipping the radio with an AUX output is not the only way to connect a smartphone or player to the car radio. Alternatively, you can use an AUX-Bluetooth adapter. Its advantages are the absence of wires in the cabin and advanced options for controlling the radio using voice control or buttons on the device itself. The downside is the cost of the adapter and the need to recharge it.
Today we will talk about ways to connect a mobile phone, iPhone and other devices to the car radio. Such popular methods as USB, Bluetooth, AUX and others will be considered.
Music in the car interior is one of the most common means of increasing comfort. Now, probably, you will not meet a car that does not even have a pair of speakers.
All car manufacturers this moment their models are equipped with standard audio systems, or at least they carry out audio preparation, giving the car owner himself the choice of installing a radio. And everything seems to be simple - installed on the car necessary equipment, if it did not come with the car and enjoy the music.
But there is one problem in this - technologies are constantly improving, music carriers are changing. For example, just 15 years ago, radios that read CDs were the most modern, but now they are hopelessly outdated and have given way to devices capable of reading music files from various kinds of memory cards and other media, one of which is a mobile phone or smartphone.
And if the radio tape recorder for the car was purchased separately and installed independently, then you can still periodically change it to a more modern model that can read music from different media, then this will not work with regular audio systems.
But there is always the opportunity to connect the same smartphone or other media file media and enjoy your favorite music. We will talk about this further.
Now many ways have been invented to connect a mobile phone to a car radio. In this case, the latter acts only as a sound amplifier.
In general, such a connection is very convenient and allows you to listen to your favorite music, which every music lover has on a smartphone, even on an old car cassette recorder, without making any structural changes to the radio.
Below we will consider what are the most popular methods used to connect a mobile phone or the same MP-3 player to an audio system. All of them are different and depend mainly on the design features of the radio tape recorders themselves.
We connect via USB.
So, one of the most common methods is to use a USB connector. No modern radio is no longer available without a standard USB output on the panel.
This output allows you to use a regular computer flash card as a music carrier. But you can easily connect a mobile phone to it through a connection cable to a computer.
Such a cord has a standard USB plug at one end, and an output for connecting to a smartphone on the other.
Simple radios are not able to integrate with the phone, and in this case, the latter acts only as a carrier of information, that is, as a regular flash drive.
To play music, just connect the cord to your smartphone and to the output of the radio, and then in the phone settings in the "USB connection" item, select "Data transfer", after which the radio will be able to read all the music files. In this case, the management of music files will be carried out only from the radio.
More modern radios integrate with the phone, allowing you to control music from both devices. At the same time, it is possible to launch applications on a smartphone, for example, some kind of special player, and in this case it will act as a regular amplifier.
Connecting via a USB cable is quite convenient, it allows you to manage files directly from the radio, besides, many smartphones are recharged with this connection, although not as fast as from a regular one. charger. And yet it turns out a double benefit - and the music sounds, and the phone at least does not discharge from it.
And the disadvantage of such a connection is the presence of the cord itself, which will have to be stretched to the location of the phone. And if the cord is short, you will have to disconnect the cord every time you make a call.
via AUX.
The second method of connecting a smartphone to a car stereo is through the AUX output.
This is perhaps one of the very first ways to connect the radio with third-party media. Such outputs were still available on auto cassette players, allowing you to connect other devices to them.
Such an output on the radio panel is nothing more than a regular 3.5 mm round jack, which is used on phones to connect headphones. So, on sale you can freely buy a cord, at the ends of which 3.5 mm plugs are installed.
And connecting such a cord is quite simple - we insert the plugs into the smartphone and radio, and you can listen to music. But with this connection, you will have to use the phone player, and control the music through it too.
In this case, the radio tape recorder acts only as an amplifier, and it will only be possible to adjust the volume level with it.
This is perhaps the easiest way to connect two devices. Its disadvantages are the presence of a cord, the inconvenience of control, since you will have to reach for the phone to switch the track, as well as the inevitable discharge of the battery.
Via Bluetooth.
One of the most recent methods of connecting a radio and a smartphone to each other is to use wireless communication bluetooth.
It should be noted that not all car playback devices support this method, it is available for the most part only for touchscreen multimedia systems.
Since the connection is wireless, no cords are needed. It is enough to turn on Bluetooth on your smartphone and multimedia system, and then pair them.
In this case, full integration between devices occurs, after which the smartphone can be put down and not touched again. File management will be carried out by the radio.
Bluetooth is one of the most convenient ways to connect your phone to your car player. At the same time, the radio tape recorder will be able not only to read music, but also video files.
Many models are also capable of acting as an intercom - when you call the phone, you can receive a call and negotiate through the radio, while the driver does not need to reach for the phone and hold it near his ear.
The disadvantage of Bluetooth is that not all radios support this connection, in addition, car devices may not connect to some phone models.
When playing large files, “hanging” is possible, but it all depends on the Bluetooth modules in the devices. And, of course, such a connection will also consume the phone's battery.
Transmitters
The last way is to use all kinds of transmitters, or, simply speaking, transmitters. Their types - a large number of and below we will consider only a couple of them.
FM transmitter for mobile phones.
An interesting representative of such devices is the FM transmitter. The essence of his work is very simple - he receives data from the phone, converts them into FM waves, and the radio receiver of the car radio receives them.
In fact, everything looks like this: the transmitter - small device, which plugs into the 3.5 mm jack of the phone.
The player is turned on on the smartphone, and a wave is set on the transmitter for data transmission.
It remains only to turn on the radio on the autoplayer and find the selected FM wave so that music from the phone sounds from the car's speakers.
An interesting fact is that some models mobile phones equipped with built-in FM transmitters, but there are not many of them.
Such a connection is convenient in that no wires are particularly needed, except for the cord for recharging the transmitter. It can generally work with any radio without any additional outputs (USB, AUX), the main thing is that it be equipped with a radio receiver.
The disadvantages of the transmitter include poor sound quality (radio interference is heard), especially if the device is cheap. At the same time, music control is carried out only from a smartphone.
There are also conventional FM transmitters (modulators) with which you can directly listen to music in a USB drive.
Often they are confused with the devices described above.
Bluetooth transmitter.
Another type of such device is a Bluetooth transmitter.
To connect it, you will need an AUX output on the radio, since the transmitter is connected to it. And then everything is simple, the player turns on on the smartphone and the music is transferred to the Bluetooth headset, which is the transmitter.
Some models of such devices even allow you to negotiate; for this, they have microphones in their design. But since their reception quality is usually poor, it is not recommended to use transmitters for conversations.
The sound transmission of Bluetooth devices is higher than that of FM transmitters, but they also drain the phone's battery faster. In addition, music control is again carried out only from the phone, and the radio tape recorder must be equipped with an AUX output.
In order not to discharge the phone, you can purchase a special tee in the cigarette lighter with a connector for recharging the phone.
Emulators
Finally, consider another type of device that can be used with car radios - emulators.
It is worth noting here that the emulator is intended to be used removable media on stock audio systems.
To make it clearer, on many cars, for example, the same Toyota Corolla of the early 2000s, systems were installed that read music only from CDs, while they have no other outputs (AUX, USB).
In this case, it remains only to either use an FM transmitter, or install an emulator that will become a universal tool.
The fact is that this device usually has USB and AUX outputs, allowing you to listen to music both from flash drives and connect a smartphone or MP-3 player to it.
Now directly on the very connection of the emulator to head unit auto. For example, take the already mentioned Toyota Corolla.
There are no outputs on the front panel of the player, but there is an Iso output on the back for connecting an external changer, and this will be used.
The emulator comes with a cord, on one end of which there is an Iso plug, and on the other - for connecting the emulator.
Therefore, in order to make the connection, you will have to remove the radio and connect the cord to it. After that, it remains only to bring the second end of the wire to a convenient place and connect it to the emulator.
If a computer flash drive is used, then the music will be controlled from the radio. If you connect your phone via a USB cable, you can also switch music files from the auto player, since the smartphone will work in the “Data transfer” mode. But when using the AUX-out, you will have to do everything from the phone.
In general, there are a large number of ways to connect a phone to a car radio. But it is better to choose one of them, which will distract the driver from the traffic situation to a lesser extent.
Basically there are three simple methods to make a Line-in connector to your car radio.
1. If your car radio is standard, it is quite possible that it has a built-in AUX input.
To connect AUX (Line-in) - an external sound source, you will need to find the wiring connector for connecting a standard car radio.
Using the Mitsubishi colt head unit as an example, you can find three contacts on the car radio connector that are responsible for the incoming signal to the right and left channels.
All you need to unscrew the car radio and solder the wires to these contacts accordingly.
In order to make sure that these are exactly the wires that are needed - you can turn on the car radio and individually touch each of them with your finger. Having made the radio louder, you will hear a characteristic buzz in the speakers of the right or left channel (depending on which channel wire you touch). Don't be afraid to get electrocuted. The whole circuit is powered by a low voltage of 12 volts - which cannot penetrate the resistance of your skin. But also remember that you do everything at your own peril and risk, and the background signal from your fingers can damage the amplifier.
Subsequently, you can solder to the wires either tulip-type connectors to connect different devices using adapters. Or you can directly solder a headphone jack that can be connected to any portable device.
2. You can open the car radio and try to find on its diagram the marks responsible for wiring the Line-in input.
Often they are marked like this:
Line GND - common minus of the line input,
Line-L or L-in - input of the left channel of the line input (positive contact)
Line-R or R-in - right channel input of the line input
To check if you have identified the contacts correctly, you can do it all by touching them with your finger. You should still hear noise in the right or left speakers of the radio.
Often these contacts are present on printed circuit boards and a tulip-type connector is simply not soldered to them, because it is the presence of this connector that is an option when choosing a buyer different models the same car radio.
It is to these contacts that you can solder wires and, accordingly, make connectors for the line input.
3. Can find entrances sound signal directly at the amplifier chip inside the car radio.
First, let's understand the essence of the process. The signal from your CD or radio module (let's call them sources) in your radio goes to the amplifier and external outputs. All of the above are separate modules (devices) inside the radio.
All these devices are often connected together and soldered to a common printed circuit board, however, the essence of the processes occurring between them does not change.
It also happens that the amplifier is placed on a separate board (by a separate module) and all sound sources are connected to it, as well as power. A separate amplifier block is usually a pledge good quality, since it is not affected by power decoupling general scheme, as well as unnecessary interference from other devices.
Understanding what an amplifier looks like is very simple. Usually it is bolted to a radiator (large metal box) on the rear plane of the radio, often with fins for greater heat dissipation. Sometimes the amplifier chip is also placed on the side panel of the radio.
The main thing to remember is that the amplifier microcircuit is usually one of the largest and needs serious heat dissipation, that is, it must be screwed to a large radiator. The radiator, in turn, must stick out to give off heat.
If you found your amplifier chip inside the radio, you need to read its model and just find technical information(datasheet) on it on the Internet.
Let's look at a specific example of searching for an amplifier chip on the example of an Alpine CDE-9841 car radio
Usually, the amplifier is marked on the diagram as - AMP, POWER AMP (in our rare case, POWER IC). Often on the diagrams you can find this chip by common features. Often, such microcircuits have four outputs for speakers and four inputs for an audio signal. (naturally, if the car radio is four-channel and if all four channels are enclosed in one microcircuit, sometimes each pair of channels is divided into a separate microcircuit).
If nothing is clear on the diagram at all, you can try to go from the opposite, find the outputs to the speakers, and from them get to the amplifier itself. Often they are connected directly to the amplifier.
In our case, we found the TA8263BH chip, which acts as a four-channel amplifier for our radio.
Already on the diagram itself, we see that the inputs and outputs of the amplifier are marked with colors and signatures.
Accordingly, in our case
IN 1 - 11 chip pin
IN 2 - 12 chip pin
IN 3 - 15 chip pin
IN 4 - 14 chip pin
PRE-GND - common ground 13 pin
For reliability, we will download the datasheet for the TA8263BH chip - a four-channel amplifier.
In it, we will already see an example of a finished (working circuit) amplifier.
As we can see in the typical circuit, a pass capacitor is usually placed at the inputs of the amplifier, which either cuts D.C. which may appear at the input of the amplifier, or cuts frequency range which will play (pick up) the input of the amplifier.
Therefore, we recommend that you look again at the car radio circuit, find where the necessary legs of the microcircuit of our amplifier are soldered, and along the track determine where the capacitors are soldered. Accordingly, behind these capacitors and solder wires are needed to connect the audio signal of an external device.
You can check the correctness of the wiring of the input using the same testing method - by touching each wire with your finger when the radio is turned on. The background sound will tell us which wire is responsible for which channel.
Do not forget also that with such a wiring you connect directly to the amplifier, that is, without a preamplifier. This means that you will no longer be able to adjust the sound from an external source by adjusting the volume of the radio, or changing the filter settings.
All sound adjustment will now be done only from your mobile device. This is both convenient and not very - you decide.
Like these ones simple methods make new functionality for your car radio, good luck in your endeavors.
If you possess any additional information write to us in the comments.
Even today, there are some modern cars that are equipped with radios without a USB connector, not to mention older cars. This state of affairs does not suit many car owners, which prompts a search possible solutions. One of available options to equip a head unit with USB - connect the input yourself, it's easy to do, but not all car radios accept such a solution.
What is the USB input on the car radio
Many car owners are faced with a situation where the head unit in the car does not read music from a flash drive. And the whole problem is that the device is simply missing USB input, i.e. it was not originally provided. Moreover, this situation is relevant not only for old cars, but on modern foreign cars you can often find such a distinctive feature. Almost everyone will agree that you want to listen to music in the car without any restrictions, and you can’t burn much on a CD. Yes, and the disks in the car today are somehow inconvenient and out of date. How to be, is there a solution to the problem? After all, replacing the radio, the pleasure is not the cheapest and not everyone can afford it. Below we will try to understand the situation in detail and find the best solution.
How to make and connect a USB input to the radio
Today, what only electronic devices and devices do not exist and, of course, the problem indicated above did not stand aside. It is not necessary to change the head unit, it is enough just to improve the device. There are different options that we will consider.
USB adapter from an mp3 player for a regular tape recorder
For this method, we need the simplest mp3 player that can read music files of the appropriate format from both a memory card and a flash drive. An important feature: the player must have an audio output (jack) for headphones. A signal will be taken from it and fed to the radio. It is worth noting that to complete the procedure, at least minimal skills in working with a soldering iron are needed to avoid solder shorts during the soldering process and damage to the insulation of wires, elements, etc. The implementation of the player is done as follows:
- We disassemble the radio and remove the CD drive or tape drive mechanism from it (if the radio is a cassette).
- We take power from the standard device to power the player, the board of which we first remove from the case.
- Depending on the player's supply voltage, you will have to implement a voltage converter circuit. For example, onboard network the car has 12 V, and the player is powered by Li-ion battery 3.6V.
- We take the sound signal from the output of the player and feed it to the AUX input of the radio. The connection will require a shielded wire, i.e. the wires must be braided. On the radio board, you need to find the audio input contacts. We solder the wire from the player to them.
- We are mounting the player board inside the radio, since after removing the CD drive, the space will be freed. For convenience, the USB connector itself is located in a hole designed for cassettes or disks.
- Connect the wires carefully to avoid a possible short circuit.
- To control the player, the buttons are connected to unused buttons from the CD drive.
- It remains to assemble the radio, install it in place and you can enjoy the music, for which it is enough to activate the AUX mode.
Thus, we assembled the USB adapter ourselves. With this connection method, the volume level on the radio should be made lower, which will eliminate the loud signal at a high input signal level.
DIY adapter
Consider another option for connecting a flash drive. In this case, you will need a plug from standard headphones, tulip-type connectors and a 4-wire copper-braided wire. An adapter will be made from these elements. For the procedure to be successful, the radio must have an AUX input. Before starting work, make sure that the wire from the headphones is not broken. To do this, nicknamed it a multimeter. The whole process is as follows:
- We remove the insulation from the wire from the headphones and see the conductors of red and green, which correspond to the right and left channels (we cut off the headphones themselves). These conductors must be stripped and soldered to the middle contacts on the tulip connector.
- The braid of the main wire is connected to the steel base of the “tulip”.
- The finished adapter must have the following wiring: the signals of the right and left channels are fed to the middle contacts of the “tulips”, and the steel base is the common contact.
- We connect an adapter to the external audio signal connector of the radio, with which you can connect any device: tablet, smartphone, player, etc.
- It remains to activate the AUX mode and you can listen to music.
How to make an AUX connector
From the above, you can understand that the radio should have an AUX input. But what if there is no such connector, how to connect an external signal source in this case? There is a way out of this situation, and you can do everything yourself. For this we need:
- audio jack (standard 3-pin stereo jack);
- wire for connections (2 in screen);
- soldering iron and everything you need for it (solder and flux);
- multimeter.
After everything is prepared, you can proceed to dismantle the device. Let's consider the whole process using the Toyota Avensis head unit as an example. To remove it you need:
- Pry off the decorative strip from the end on the right, pull along the entire length and remove it.
- Disconnect the connector from the button responsible for heating the rear window.
- The radio is fixed with two bolts. To unscrew them, you need to use a screwdriver with a magnet. Otherwise, the bolts will fall behind the panel.
- To provide free access, the handbrake must be raised.
- We move the selector to the central position and press the Shift Lock button, while the ignition must be turned off. In the corner we hook the selector panel by snapping off the caps.
- Disconnect the connector going to the ashtray and remove the panel.
- From below, more mounting bolts will be visible, which we carefully unscrew.
- We take out the radio so that access to the connectors on the rear panel is provided.
- Disconnect all connectors.
- Remove brackets (left and right).
- Using a flat screwdriver, we pry off the plastic locks of the front panel, after which we remove the panel itself.
- Under the panel there is a seal, which we also remove.
- We unscrew the bolts that connect the front panel to the side walls and the player. After that, the walls can be removed to the side.
- We are filming back cover radio and top player.
- It is necessary to carefully lift the player, after which two cables will be visible and accessible. We take them out of the connectors and remove the player.
This completes the disassembly process. But before connecting the AUX connector, you need to understand the board and find two points (RCH and LCH). These points correspond to the two channels (outputs) of the player to the head unit. After the points are found, perform the following actions:
- We take 3 wires of different colors ( the best option- a shielded pair of cores) of small cross section and a length of about 0.5 m.
- We connect one of the wires by soldering to ground.
- Solder the other two wires to the right and left channels. For soldering use a low-power soldering iron 25-30 watts.
- After the wires are soldered, you should write down what color wire corresponds to which channel.
- The wires are wrapped in heat shrink tubing.
If there is a question of introducing an AUX connector into a cassette recorder, then the process is not difficult. On the front panel of the device there is a volume control with 3 outputs arranged in a row. We solder wires 25 cm long to the extreme conclusions. It is desirable that the wire be shielded, which will avoid interference. From the device, the wires are brought out. Alternatively, you can make a small hole in the side wall for them. It remains to connect the audio connector and in order not to get confused with the channels, our mark will come in handy. When the wires are soldered to the connector, they select a convenient place to mount it.
Upon completion of installation, check the performance of the speakers in radio mode. To supply an external signal (from an mp3 player, smartphone or tablet), use the appropriate audio adapter that connects the audio output of one of the listed devices to the AUX input of the radio. At the same time, you need to turn on the CD on the radio to activate the channels.
Video: How to install AUX on the example of a Kenwood radio
Connecting a flash drive to AUX - is it possible?
Many people wonder - is it possible to connect a USB flash drive directly to the AUX input of the radio? The answer is simple - you can't. And all because the flash drive needs power, plus there is simply no sound signal output from this type of media. To play music from a flash drive, there must be a reader. Those who buy an adapter of this type: on the one hand, an audio connector, on the other, a USB socket, connected to each other by a piece of wire, will be disappointed. Such an adapter will not work for the same reasons as listed above. In this case, you need to purchase a special adapter (adapter), which is not just a piece of wire, but a device assembled in a separate case.
Thus, we have considered possible ways obtaining a USB connector for connecting a USB flash drive to a CD or cassette player. In fact, there is nothing complicated in this procedure. The main thing is not to rush during the soldering process, to perform actions carefully and connect the wires to the appropriate points. At the same time, the costs, compared with the acquisition of a new radio, are minimal.
In order to be able to connect a USB flash drive to the head unit, it is not necessary to buy a new expensive device. It is enough to make simple improvements and you can listen to music both from a flash drive and from other signal sources. This will require minimal skills in working with a soldering iron and a phased procedure.
The car radio in a modern car has long ceased to be a luxury. The monitors of modern devices display speed, air conditioning, external head lights, and this list is constantly growing. That's just the connection of something of their own, such as an mp3 player, developers usually do not provide. But if you wish, you can make the AUX connector available!
What is an AUX input and where is it used
The line input, or as it is now referred to as "AUX", has long appeared in consumer audio equipment. A home amplifier, depending on the model, has from one to several of these.
4 line inputs (AUX) are clearly visible in the lower left corner
By the same principle, home audio equipment is also used now, connecting it to a computer. To use this feature in a car, you will have to slightly modify the head unit.
Connecting a smartphone to the radio can lead to an accident if it is suddenly called.
How to connect an aux to the radio with your own hands
materials
- flat screwdriver (for removing the radio);
- soldering iron with related material;
- wire with 3.5 jack (can be used from old non-working headphones). ;
- multimeter (for testing).
A set of tools for work
Car radio preparation
Soldering input
The input must be connected to the preamplifier chip.
To be able to control the sound by means of the radio, the signal must be fed to the inputs of the amplifier. If you want to control only from your phone, you can use the outputs. In the instructions for the radio (or on the network), they find its wiring and solder the wires.
- red - right channel;
- green left;
- the remaining common wire and braid, if any, are soldered to the board case.
If there is no diagram, inspect the board. Sometimes it may have designations like “L-CH” - left channel, “R-CH” - right channel.
This is what a typical amplifier circuit looks like. Required contacts are highlighted in yellow. 1,2 - inputs, 18–21 - outputs, 15 pin (below 18) - ground. Thus, by applying a signal to legs 1–2, the amplifier can be used to distribute the sound to four speakers. He also deals with bass settings, adding frequency, etc.
A few photos of how the wiring is done in a typical jack (3.5)
If you took the wire and the plug separately, a regular 3.5 jack is assembled at the free end. Red is right, green is left, and the rest are connected to the plug body.
Examination
The assembled circuit must be checked.
- To do this, reduce the volume on the radio as much as possible (external sources tend to “roar”).
- Then plug the plug into a smartphone or player.
- Select any audio recording on it.
A properly connected input will output the sound from your device to the car speakers.
Assembly
- Install the cassette player in place and assemble the radio.
- The wire is led out to a convenient place on the dashboard (they often use an ashtray if there are no smokers).
Having assembled this option, they also solve the problem of the connecting wire, which arises if you want to use the “AUX” built into the radio.
Video
The video shows the installation of the "AUX" socket in a Ssang Yong car.
Using external adapters and wires
The review would be incomplete if not to add that in today's market, the driver can find many devices, the functionality of which is capable of not only providing a line input. There are models with USB support AUX and Bluetooth. Installing such a model is not more difficult than the above. In the video below, the owner connects such a device without disabling support for factory devices.
If your radio does not support the connection of external sound sources, each motorist can add such an opportunity.
