Date: Mon, 31 Jan 2011 11:15:04 -0800
Reply-To: Roland <syncronicity1@GMAIL.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Roland <syncronicity1@GMAIL.COM>
Subject: Audio help: 3.5MM to RCA pinouts/cabling (new stereo is in)
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
Hello folks,
Got the rear speakers in, front speakers in, new headunit in, but .... no
AUX yet.
I could use some help on cabling the headunit AUX to a 3.5MM jack. The
headunit is the old variety that had a multi-pin port to control one of
those (now old fashioned) multi-CD changers that people put in the trunk.
There is an adapter cable that converts this port into RCA inputs so when I
select AUX on the headunit I can connect my Android/iPod. This is the cable
I bought:
http://www.crutchfield.com/S-GkesNsq9Xrm/popups/accessory.asp?i=113CAC1AX
My wish is to mount a 3.5mm jack on the dashboard, so I need to connect the
2 female RCA connectors to a 3 conductor 3.5mm jack. I found 3.5mm jacks at
Radio Shack, really small and flimsy. I'll cut an RCA cable I have in the
garage with 2 male connectors to plug into the AUX/adaptor cable, and to get
access to the wires to connect to the jack.
Evidently these are the pinouts for the 3.5mm jack:
http://pinouts.ru/Home/Tele35s_pinout.shtml
1-left signal
2-right signal
3-ground
Evidently these are the pinouts for the RCA jacks:
http://pinouts.ru/Home/rca_connector.shtml
Red center: right signal
Red outside: ground
White center: left signal
White outside: ground
So the connections look somewhat obvious, my question is about the ground.
Do I connect both the ground for the red RCA plug and the white RCA plug to
the single ground circuit of the 3.5 mm jack?
Side note: of course this is easy by buying a cable that provides a 3.5mm
plug to 2 male RCA connectors, plenty available, but that means having a
3.5mm plug dangling out from some crack in the dashboard -- I am just
wishing a cleaner installation with a 3.5 mm jack on the dashboard. Some
people route this cable to the glove box so the iPod is tucked away but I
can't reach the glove box from the driver's seat.
Thanks!
Roland
======================================
Other details in case people are interested:
'89 GL with airconditiong, power windows, power door locks
Headunit: Kenwood KDC-516S
Front speakers: Alpine SPS-500: 5", just barely touch the dashboard,
mounted on the panel, my measurements were not accurate enough :(
Rear speakers: Boston Acoustics S45 4"
No power AMP, luckily it plays plenty clean and loud without it, even though
I know it would sound better with an amp.
Sound is terrific. (what ancient stuff was there before? 5" Jensens with
warped paper cones, 4" Sonys with decayed foam speaker surround).
Lessons learned:
- The 4 wires going to the rear speakers on these later Vanagons are
adequate (minimal loss, no need to run new cables that I can determine).
- Do solder/heat shrink tubing all connections ( the previous headunit
wiring harness had some funky combination of butt/crimp connectors, black
electrical tape, and wirenuts!). A lighter works fine to shrink the tubing,
no need to buy another plug-in appliance. Use cable ties to keep things
neat.
- Do cut out the old steel mounting bracket for the OEM radio to make room
for headunits that otherwise would not fit.
- Do debug the reason why the drivers side power door look won't fully work
while the panel is off.
- Do not wonder why the power windows don't work anymore when all is
reassembled! Typical, I must have messed something up!
- Do connect the "auto dim" feature of the headunit (dims the display when
the van lights are on). There is a blue/grey wire running right under the
headunit that is power to the cigarette lighter light.
- Other upgrade, I think I'd like to rewire the power to the key-in power
method mentioned here and others places:
http://www.vanagonauts.com/Radio-Power-From-Key-in-Circuit222.htm. Problem
is I can't stand working behind the fuse panel, fat fingers, I admire all of
you who can do this.
- Do install FAATMAT or your favorite sound proofing stuff while the door
panels are off. Oddly I found some sound proofing inside the front doors
already, some kind of black stuff, kinda like roofing shingles without the
stones. I was wondering if that was OEM or not, but I added some patches of
FAATMAT also, and will do the side door and all the other side panels in
back in the coming weeks. One of the reasons I chose FAATMAT is that
GoWesty offers this one, but of course is much much cheaper on ebay.
- Do look forward to next Christmas when you can wish for a small subwoofer
with embedded amp.
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