How To: Installing Mitsubishi Aux/MP3 cable
Jan 7, 2013, 04:40 AM
#136
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You need to address both power and audio signal. The Ipod charging usb cable only utilizes four pins/wires (gnd, 5v+, Data+ and Data- and these power wires are hooked into a few different pins due to different generations charging with different pins in the connector) and an Ipod/mp3 aux cable uses three pins/wires that run to the headphone jack.
I wanted a cable that would only have one connection point (Ipod/phone connector) that would both charge the ipod/phone and send audio signal rather than have the bottom connector hook up for harging anf the top plugged into the headphone jack:
I bought a cable that has one end as an ipod connector and the other splits into a usb and a 3.5mm headphone jack. Unfortunately all of the wires in the cable were 28 gauge and Im guessing will be difficult to fit in any connecter so I will solder the factory correct gauge wires as extensions as needed.
For Audio connection:
I cut off the headphone jeck to get the three wires I would need to wire into the radio aux input pins in the radio connector. (the factory mp3 cable or RCA jack wires for these are .5mm^2 wires or approx 20ga) Once I get the 20ga attached wires it will be ready to install into the factory location.
For power connection:
-First off the power source I want to use is the Ciggarette adaptor (12v ACC) but the phone/I pod charges through USB cables (5V). This required a step down in voltage.
-For this I am using a Cig-usb power adapter circuit. The interesting part of an ipod is it charges at 2A not 1A unlike most other cells/mp3s so I needed a usb adaptor that was made for 2A charging.
- To solve this I got a two port usb adaptor and disassebled it to get the circuit board out. I ran 16 ga power wires from 12 pos and neg connection points on the circuit board so I could wire it together into the cig socket wiring under the console (they are .5mm^2 or appox 20ga wires with a 15 amp fuse in the circuit) .
-At this point I had two options: A) keep the usb attachment plugged in and taped together or B) save space and cut the usb connection out and hard wire it to the circuit board. For this initial setup I went with A (usb holds very tightly and is very reliable) but in the future I may go with B to try it out.
When assembled the only part that will show is the Ipod connection part of the cable that will come out of the RCA port blockoff plate. if all goes well maybe ill make a few
I wanted a cable that would only have one connection point (Ipod/phone connector) that would both charge the ipod/phone and send audio signal rather than have the bottom connector hook up for harging anf the top plugged into the headphone jack:
I bought a cable that has one end as an ipod connector and the other splits into a usb and a 3.5mm headphone jack. Unfortunately all of the wires in the cable were 28 gauge and Im guessing will be difficult to fit in any connecter so I will solder the factory correct gauge wires as extensions as needed.
For Audio connection:
I cut off the headphone jeck to get the three wires I would need to wire into the radio aux input pins in the radio connector. (the factory mp3 cable or RCA jack wires for these are .5mm^2 wires or approx 20ga) Once I get the 20ga attached wires it will be ready to install into the factory location.
For power connection:
-First off the power source I want to use is the Ciggarette adaptor (12v ACC) but the phone/I pod charges through USB cables (5V). This required a step down in voltage.
-For this I am using a Cig-usb power adapter circuit. The interesting part of an ipod is it charges at 2A not 1A unlike most other cells/mp3s so I needed a usb adaptor that was made for 2A charging.
- To solve this I got a two port usb adaptor and disassebled it to get the circuit board out. I ran 16 ga power wires from 12 pos and neg connection points on the circuit board so I could wire it together into the cig socket wiring under the console (they are .5mm^2 or appox 20ga wires with a 15 amp fuse in the circuit) .
-At this point I had two options: A) keep the usb attachment plugged in and taped together or B) save space and cut the usb connection out and hard wire it to the circuit board. For this initial setup I went with A (usb holds very tightly and is very reliable) but in the future I may go with B to try it out.
When assembled the only part that will show is the Ipod connection part of the cable that will come out of the RCA port blockoff plate. if all goes well maybe ill make a few
As I said I use to work at a mitsu dealer and I've seen it done. One of the guys that did it said he got a USB RCA adapter from frys. You plug the USB into a little converter and it splits the wires into left and right RCA. Can't remember what he said he did to make it charge but my guess is he broke into the adapter and found the power wire and rigged it to the cig lighter.
Also there is an adapter that ford has (I know ford blah) for the mustang that does the same thing. I had to help my buddy install it on his mustang. There is a left and a right audio cable that goes to the wiring harness and a power and a ground that we just soldered to the cig light and a spot on the chassis the wires go into an on off toggle switch with has a USB slot and a 3.5mm hole. The problem with that thing is you have to set your radio to a certain channel to get the audio and the sound quality isn't the best and you occasionally get someone else's music who's using one of those radio transmitters. (But again this is ford so we can all expect something to be f$*k up about it). The basis is ford has something for it and I've seen it done so should be a fairly easy way to do it with some slight modifications.
Hope I helped
Jan 7, 2013, 08:14 PM
#137
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So i did the install and now i have no control with the face of the head unit. it doesn't light up or anything. i can turn it on and change the volume and station with my steering wheel controls. any idea why my face plate of my 08 oem head unit doesn't work? help asap please!!!
you probably dislodged the white ribbon cable - it is about 1cm wide and connects to the circuit board behind the audio control buttons. It's a bugger to refit too, and be careful with the cable....
Jan 8, 2013, 05:07 AM
#138
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Thanks
Ok now that I understand it a similar job has been done already I believe that there is a thread for it. it even shows how to replace the part in the center concole with an iPod/iPhone dock or docking plate. Do a search for factory radio iPod cable or iPod dock. I saw it a while back so don't know if its still around. But if it isn't. Your method isn't too difficult.
As I said I use to work at a mitsu dealer and I've seen it done. One of the guys that did it said he got a USB RCA adapter from frys. You plug the USB into a little converter and it splits the wires into left and right RCA. Can't remember what he said he did to make it charge but my guess is he broke into the adapter and found the power wire and rigged it to the cig lighter.
Also there is an adapter that ford has (I know ford blah) for the mustang that does the same thing. I had to help my buddy install it on his mustang. There is a left and a right audio cable that goes to the wiring harness and a power and a ground that we just soldered to the cig light and a spot on the chassis the wires go into an on off toggle switch with has a USB slot and a 3.5mm hole. The problem with that thing is you have to set your radio to a certain channel to get the audio and the sound quality isn't the best and you occasionally get someone else's music who's using one of those radio transmitters. (But again this is ford so we can all expect something to be f$*k up about it). The basis is ford has something for it and I've seen it done so should be a fairly easy way to do it with some slight modifications.
Hope I helped
As I said I use to work at a mitsu dealer and I've seen it done. One of the guys that did it said he got a USB RCA adapter from frys. You plug the USB into a little converter and it splits the wires into left and right RCA. Can't remember what he said he did to make it charge but my guess is he broke into the adapter and found the power wire and rigged it to the cig lighter.
Also there is an adapter that ford has (I know ford blah) for the mustang that does the same thing. I had to help my buddy install it on his mustang. There is a left and a right audio cable that goes to the wiring harness and a power and a ground that we just soldered to the cig light and a spot on the chassis the wires go into an on off toggle switch with has a USB slot and a 3.5mm hole. The problem with that thing is you have to set your radio to a certain channel to get the audio and the sound quality isn't the best and you occasionally get someone else's music who's using one of those radio transmitters. (But again this is ford so we can all expect something to be f$*k up about it). The basis is ford has something for it and I've seen it done so should be a fairly easy way to do it with some slight modifications.
Hope I helped
I know the factory uses 20ga wire for most of this (now that I know how to read the diagram for the wire gauges) but the power wire for a 2A power draw on electrical sites is a 16ga so thats why I am using it.
My question still remains, will a 16 ga wire fit in the harness and be held in securly or will it not fit in the hole or allow me to close the harness wire lock. As an ex-mitsu tech you may be able to shed light on:
1) if there is an ecu pin style locking device for that connecter OR if they are just bare wires locked in
2) if the answer is that there are pins attached to the wires, then either where can I get those pins or what gage wire will be evuivalent to the pin size so I don't need the pin?
I know these questions may be better answered by just ripping everything apart but its the GFs car and she will kill me if I leave it half done for more than an afternoon. I am just hoping someone knows the answer before I have to guess and check. Thanks for the help !!
Jan 9, 2013, 01:15 AM
#139
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My bad should have specified I was sales but was friends with one of the techs.
And I talked to him today what he says is "any wire that you try to use that is not the same size as the factory harness wire needs to be modified to stay secure may it be bending it to make it thinker. Or splicing or soldering a thicker wire to a thinner to make it work. If what your connecting works or not that's a whole nothing thing to work out on your own."
So there's what I found out.
The connecting pins that go in the plastic arent just push in and they work though
On the top of the plastic piece there's a tab that needs to be lifted to loosen the spot then you slide in your wire with the connecting pin (which can be gotten at frys or any car audio shop) and close the tab to make it so it won't move.
Which honestly is very sketchie because that plastic tab is fragile.
So again more info hopefully that cleared up your question.
And I talked to him today what he says is "any wire that you try to use that is not the same size as the factory harness wire needs to be modified to stay secure may it be bending it to make it thinker. Or splicing or soldering a thicker wire to a thinner to make it work. If what your connecting works or not that's a whole nothing thing to work out on your own."
So there's what I found out.
The connecting pins that go in the plastic arent just push in and they work though
On the top of the plastic piece there's a tab that needs to be lifted to loosen the spot then you slide in your wire with the connecting pin (which can be gotten at frys or any car audio shop) and close the tab to make it so it won't move.
Which honestly is very sketchie because that plastic tab is fragile.
So again more info hopefully that cleared up your question.
Jan 9, 2013, 12:04 PM
#140
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The connecting pins that go in the plastic arent just push in and they work though
On the top of the plastic piece there's a tab that needs to be lifted to loosen the spot then you slide in your wire with the connecting pin (which can be gotten at frys or any car audio shop) and close the tab to make it so it won't move.
Which honestly is very sketchie because that plastic tab is fragile.
So again more info hopefully that cleared up your question.
On the top of the plastic piece there's a tab that needs to be lifted to loosen the spot then you slide in your wire with the connecting pin (which can be gotten at frys or any car audio shop) and close the tab to make it so it won't move.
Which honestly is very sketchie because that plastic tab is fragile.
So again more info hopefully that cleared up your question.
As for the pins, do I need them on the end of the wire even if the wire i am inserting is what the factory wire size calls for?
ex., I soldered a solid core (thats all I could find priced by the foot locally) 20ga (this is the the equivalent gage called for in the manual) onto the end of the 28 ga wire that was in the headphone jack leads. Can I just open the plastic tab, insert the 20ga solid core wire into the harness and close the plastic tab and be done with it or do I need one of those pins for the end of each of the wires?
After this I should be ready to move forward.
Thanks again for the help and inside info!
Jan 14, 2013, 08:21 AM
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Thanks
kpac thanks for the help. I had some time this weekend and went for it. I started by going to the local stereo shop and calling the local Mitsu dealership shop. The strero place didnt have a mitsu harness, they gave me a couple of red female blade connectors (i was hoping to be able to modify them to work as connector pins... no louck) but these did not work (nice guys though)
Next the mechanics at the Mitsu dealarship shop had no idea what connectors went into the radio (I told them the connector number and still nothing) or what the part number was (of the connector or the wires or pins or what the pins looked like or even if they had anything like it on hand. This is the same dealer shop that said they couldn't remove my o2 housing without damaging it because the tech qualified to remove an exhaust with by heating it with a torch was out on disability (I went to subaru and they had it off in less than an hour. Needless to say I have absolutely no confidence in their ability to tie their shoes nevermind work on a car.
At this point i was a bit worried but i knew I had done all of the rest correct so (thanks for eveyone's help to confirm my assumptions)
Next the mechanics at the Mitsu dealarship shop had no idea what connectors went into the radio (I told them the connector number and still nothing) or what the part number was (of the connector or the wires or pins or what the pins looked like or even if they had anything like it on hand. This is the same dealer shop that said they couldn't remove my o2 housing without damaging it because the tech qualified to remove an exhaust with by heating it with a torch was out on disability (I went to subaru and they had it off in less than an hour. Needless to say I have absolutely no confidence in their ability to tie their shoes nevermind work on a car.
At this point i was a bit worried but i knew I had done all of the rest correct so (thanks for eveyone's help to confirm my assumptions)
Jan 14, 2013, 08:41 AM
#143
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Solution
Out of options, I decided to just go for it.
-The connector on the radio is a set of flat male pins that mate with the hollow style pins at the ends of each wire all housed in the plug part of the connector. Each connection in the connector looks like a mini blade style connector with the hollow pin (female) inserted onto (around) the flat pin (male)
-I took the 20ga solid core wire and folded the end over to double it up and provide a little spring style resistance in the connector with the bare wire.
-I also bent the tip of the folded part of the wire up a little bit which allowed the male pin when inserted to lightly push the wire up in the connector rather than out of the connector. The folded part presses against the top of the flat pin.
It all worked like a charm. I tested the audio ability prior to moving on to the charging power wires. The audio was clear an the connection was great. I added a piece of electrical tape to ensure the wires stayed in place.
As fot the power wires I got 2 quick splice connections to tap into the cig lighter power supply (10amp circuit) and spliced in the wires I had soldered to the usb charger cig adapter. I used 16 ga power wires based on the wire load specs I found online (even though MITSU used 20ga) so I had to use a blue quick splice which wasn' too much a worry because I tested one on my extra prieces of 20 ga solid core wire and it made a good connection.
Moment of truth came and SUCCESS! The Ipod Charges and plays via the AUX setting with no problems and is incredibly clear compared to the RF adapter my gf used to use.
I finished everything up by using my harbor freight plastic welder to melt a groove in the top of the RC plug blockoff port so the only thing that can be seen is the ipod connector and wire. When I push the wire all the way back in you can't even see its there at all from the driver/passenger seats. Just as I hoped it would be.
If I can find a connector with wires in it si I can scavenge some pins I will go back and use them to sure things up but until then this will work beautifully.
-The connector on the radio is a set of flat male pins that mate with the hollow style pins at the ends of each wire all housed in the plug part of the connector. Each connection in the connector looks like a mini blade style connector with the hollow pin (female) inserted onto (around) the flat pin (male)
-I took the 20ga solid core wire and folded the end over to double it up and provide a little spring style resistance in the connector with the bare wire.
-I also bent the tip of the folded part of the wire up a little bit which allowed the male pin when inserted to lightly push the wire up in the connector rather than out of the connector. The folded part presses against the top of the flat pin.
It all worked like a charm. I tested the audio ability prior to moving on to the charging power wires. The audio was clear an the connection was great. I added a piece of electrical tape to ensure the wires stayed in place.
As fot the power wires I got 2 quick splice connections to tap into the cig lighter power supply (10amp circuit) and spliced in the wires I had soldered to the usb charger cig adapter. I used 16 ga power wires based on the wire load specs I found online (even though MITSU used 20ga) so I had to use a blue quick splice which wasn' too much a worry because I tested one on my extra prieces of 20 ga solid core wire and it made a good connection.
Moment of truth came and SUCCESS! The Ipod Charges and plays via the AUX setting with no problems and is incredibly clear compared to the RF adapter my gf used to use.
I finished everything up by using my harbor freight plastic welder to melt a groove in the top of the RC plug blockoff port so the only thing that can be seen is the ipod connector and wire. When I push the wire all the way back in you can't even see its there at all from the driver/passenger seats. Just as I hoped it would be.
If I can find a connector with wires in it si I can scavenge some pins I will go back and use them to sure things up but until then this will work beautifully.
Jan 15, 2013, 10:25 AM
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Way to go. I would say do a write up to show others that would want something like that. And yes most dealers don't deal with that kind of stuff I remember on my first lancer the CD player got stuck and they had to send it out to someplace the only reason my guy knew that stuff was cuz he's work on sound systems with his personal cars a lot.
Jan 18, 2013, 05:56 AM
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Write up
Way to go. I would say do a write up to show others that would want something like that. And yes most dealers don't deal with that kind of stuff I remember on my first lancer the CD player got stuck and they had to send it out to someplace the only reason my guy knew that stuff was cuz he's work on sound systems with his personal cars a lot.
I would be more than happy to do a write up if there is interest. I will include pictures because I hate how tos that are text only. The only pic I will not have is the connector with the wire inserted because taking that apart again may be testing my luck. If someone has a connector to steal pins from I will do the whole thing with pictures with both approaches for wire attachment.
As for feedback.. I assume your question is if there is any noise in the audio... the only thing I have noticed is that the radio (not the AUX0 signal seems a bit fuzzier but I think its in my head. Its my GFs car and she listens to the radio all the time and static drives her nuts and she has yet to notice anything. But the audio through the aux connection was crystal clear. After using an RF adapter in her car for two tears now this is a night and day difference for the better with no noticable audio clarity issues.
Jan 18, 2013, 06:12 AM
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And about the dealer portion.... Im sorry to those who work or have worked in a dealership or dealer shop but my experience has been vastly negative in the few I've gone to. I would assume that this is the norm rather than the exception based on my sampling. I know for a fact there are many exceptions and many of them are even on evom but my god if you are a dealership mechanic and can't remove an exhaust (not to mention no one in the shop able to do it) I worry for any car that passes through that shop or salesmen who include sirius radio as a selling point and it not even included as an option on the model being sold, I worry for any of those who purchase from them. Ok sorry rant over!
Jan 19, 2013, 05:34 AM
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I would be more than happy to do a write up if there is interest. I will include pictures because I hate how tos that are text only. The only pic I will not have is the connector with the wire inserted because taking that apart again may be testing my luck. If someone has a connector to steal pins from I will do the whole thing with pictures with both approaches for wire attachment.
As for feedback.. I assume your question is if there is any noise in the audio... the only thing I have noticed is that the radio (not the AUX0 signal seems a bit fuzzier but I think its in my head. Its my GFs car and she listens to the radio all the time and static drives her nuts and she has yet to notice anything. But the audio through the aux connection was crystal clear. After using an RF adapter in her car for two tears now this is a night and day difference for the better with no noticable audio clarity issues.
As for feedback.. I assume your question is if there is any noise in the audio... the only thing I have noticed is that the radio (not the AUX0 signal seems a bit fuzzier but I think its in my head. Its my GFs car and she listens to the radio all the time and static drives her nuts and she has yet to notice anything. But the audio through the aux connection was crystal clear. After using an RF adapter in her car for two tears now this is a night and day difference for the better with no noticable audio clarity issues.
But I'm sure if you do a wire up many would like it got an idea as well to kind of elaborate more on your idea ill send you a pm
Mar 10, 2013, 04:50 PM
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I just tried doing the install and when i looked at the 18 pin connector that is supposed to have only a few wires going into it, mine had more wires and some were in the spots where i was going to be needing for the install. Wondering what those wire are and if I can take them out or not...
Mar 11, 2013, 07:19 AM
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Extra wires
I just tried doing the install and when i looked at the 18 pin connector that is supposed to have only a few wires going into it, mine had more wires and some were in the spots where i was going to be needing for the install. Wondering what those wire are and if I can take them out or not...
If you have the Mitsubishi MMMCS (or whatever the nav unit is called ) the set-up is also a bit different.
Either way those wires on the non nav style radio in new lancers should be for audio in (per the factory wiring diagrams) you can double up on them but if you need to then you are either looking at the wrong connector or there is already an audio in wired in your car. If you have RCA jacks in the cubby under the HVAC controls then you can either use an RCA to aux cable (these are shielded cables and pretty stiff but will cut back on potential feedback) or tap into the rca wires just behind the panel (ideal setup in my opinion because you have shielded cable all the way up to the point you will be popping the aux jack out of the dash since the aux wire is more flexible)