Date:         Thu, 24 Feb 2005 07:40:47 -0700
Reply-To:     Aaron Pearson <Aaron.Pearson@GXT.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Aaron Pearson <Aaron.Pearson@GXT.COM>
Subject:      Re: Stereo wiring question
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

i'm not as clever as don- i connected both the red and yellow wires from
the stereo to the red battery wire.  this way, my stereo always has full
power.  i make sure to turn it off and remove the faceplate when i'm out
of the car so i don't run the battery down.  i have the word "BATTERY"
written in red letters on a yellow background next to the ignition, so i
always remember to turn everything off.  headlight relay is my next
move.

aaron
'87 syncro gl

-----Original Message-----
From: Don in North Carolina [mailto:Don_Dixon@BELLSOUTH.NET] 
Sent: Wednesday, February 23, 2005 8:30 PM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: Re: Stereo wiring question


Peter,

Normally, the Red wire is for main radio power, and the Yellow wire is
for the memory circuit.  The Yellow wire should be connected to the
battery (there are generally open terminals available on the back of the
fuse panel - lower left hand side as you look at the FRONT of the
panel).  Since there is no Accessory position on VW's, you should
connect the wire to a source that is "hot" only when the key is on -
unless you have a second
(auxiliary) battery, then you can connect it there.  If you connect the
Red wire to the battery, you run the risk of forgetting to turn off your
stereo and running your battery down.

Oh, and the cigarette lighter has constant power, it works with the key
on or off.  The headlights are only powered with the key on, but the
parking lights have power all of the time (confused yet?).  And to be
safe, you should have fuses on BOTH the Red and the Yellow wire.

Personally, I would connect the Yellow wire to the spare (B+) terminals
on the fuse panel, and connect the Red wire through a relay to the
Yellow/Black wire, as the ignition switch is already loaded heavily by
the lighting circuit (unless you have added a headlight relay kit, then
you can connect to it directly).

All IMHO, YMMV - of course...

Don in Reidsville, NC
1987 Vanagon GL Syncro (Suzie) - For Sale!
1988 Vanagon GL (Sylvia)
Why do they call it a fixed income, when mine is always broke?

----- Original Message -----
From: "The Shaws" <mindthegap01@COMCAST.NET>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Wed 23 February 2005 21:56
Subject: Stereo wiring question


> Hello All,
>
> I was following the 87 gl cheap stereo fix thread and was hoping it 
> might answer a simple question for me but...
>
> So, I am installing a new cd player. I have no battery (yet) to verify

> which wire is live and which is Ign switched on.  Looked at my other 
> 87 and saw that the installer put the red wire from the cd player with

> a 15Amp fuse to
> the Black/yellow wire coming off of the ignition switch (looked that
wire
> up
> and it goes to the light switch). Is there an industry convention that
has
> red to ACC and yellow to battery as is the set up on my new cd player?
Or,
> regardless of the wire color the one with the inline fuse goes to the
> battery?
>
> I was looking at the original radio in the van and the radio was 
> connected via a red wire that also supplied power to the cig lighter.
>
> So... does the cig lighter only work when the key is on or is it the 
> lights that only work with the key is on? (simply put, which is hot 
> all the time?
>
> thanks
>
> peter