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"Aux In" Mod


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Well, boys and girls! After searching and searching and finding tons of different ways to incorporate an "aux in" on any given radio...not one single thing worked for our units. :mad: <_< I even tried multiple versions of the cassette path by tapping into the L/R/Ground pins with no luck whatsoever. So, I decided to get down and dirty with this. :ph34r: :ph34r:

 

Since the tape circuit didn't work, and that's the most sure fire way according to everyone else, I had to figure it out myself. So I took an old stock radio that was dead long ago that I've been using for parts and I completely disassembled the lower power board that contains the power amps so that I could see the nodes and where they ran. After hours of chasing and marking, it finally hit me!

 

I'm an audio/video technician for a living and I got to thinking about the sound systems I use and how the master mix is sent out to the external EQ and then sent out to the mains. Seeing as there's a separate ribbon cable just for our EQ, I gave it a shot with a probe I made from wire and a needle. Alas! I had sound! Not only did I have sound...but it was SUPER clear and very loud. Loud as in I couldn't turn it past 2/3 volume without fearing for my speakers lives! Jack pot B)

 

My goal was originally to add an Aux In for a line, but later decided to go all out and add in a bluetooth receiver to it all. If you look it up online you'll find various ways of doing so by means of an A2DP receiver with noise suppressors and yada yada blah blah blah. Yeah, that may work. For some...it works well! But, seeing as our radio's are already packed to the top inside and I didn't want such complexity, I decided to figure out how to keep it compact and I'm proud to say that it paid off in the end!

 

So, let's get started. Shall we?!

 

 

Step 1: Take off the top and bottom covers of the radio. The top one comes right off. The bottom one has a single screw in the back and then pops off the same as the front.

 

Step 2: Undo the main ribbon cable, for the face, from the upper circuit board

http://i1065.photobucket.com/albums/u398/N1ghtWalker/Lisa%20-%2087%20Starion/StarQuest%20Radio%20Aux%20In%20Install/644697e9-0898-4dbd-8d54-e330edb5ac34_zpsbb12f3fe.jpg

 

Step 3: Undo the Balance/Fade, EQ, and Main Panel ribbon cables from bottom board

http://i1065.photobucket.com/albums/u398/N1ghtWalker/Lisa%20-%2087%20Starion/StarQuest%20Radio%20Aux%20In%20Install/4aa92f2b-42df-4199-a88c-61042821ec72_zps5f6e8b34.jpg

 

Step 4: Remove the screws holding down the front panel (Located on the sides of the front, very top) and push the face up and out to detach.

 

Step 5: Undo the six screws holding in the upper boards and detach the ribbon cable connecting it to the lower board.

http://i1065.photobucket.com/albums/u398/N1ghtWalker/Lisa%20-%2087%20Starion/StarQuest%20Radio%20Aux%20In%20Install/e26db82b-ad81-4b39-b391-dd1f6ee7416a_zps03e6cb73.jpg

 

Step 6: Disconnect the three wire connector from the antenna board that runs to the face assembly

http://i1065.photobucket.com/albums/u398/N1ghtWalker/Lisa%20-%2087%20Starion/StarQuest%20Radio%20Aux%20In%20Install/fe20d7ea-ec00-4249-8f6b-87438dd9a164_zpsd7444b3e.jpg

 

Now, you're only concentrating on the face assembly for the time being.

 

Step 7: Remove the four screws around the face (two on each side) and unsolder the ground wires.

http://i1065.photobucket.com/albums/u398/N1ghtWalker/Lisa%20-%2087%20Starion/StarQuest%20Radio%20Aux%20In%20Install/1709575b-b182-44c5-9b55-c6a0f12d64da_zpsf697328b.jpg

http://i1065.photobucket.com/albums/u398/N1ghtWalker/Lisa%20-%2087%20Starion/StarQuest%20Radio%20Aux%20In%20Install/7536d6a6-fed2-43fe-974d-e00a9d1884a4_zps06be8d23.jpg

NOTE: Some of the older radios were grounded by a ring terminal fastened by the screw that holds down the face. If yours is like that...ignore the soldering portion.

 

Step 8: Remove the light covers for the EQ by using two small flathead screwdrivers and prying on each side. Be sure you're not prying on the fader instead of the cover.

http://i1065.photobucket.com/albums/u398/N1ghtWalker/Lisa%20-%2087%20Starion/StarQuest%20Radio%20Aux%20In%20Install/c8c61720-388e-417f-8bed-44dd83414604_zps8fa62822.jpg

 

Step 9: Remove the four screws that hold down the EQ assembly and remove the assembly

http://i1065.photobucket.com/albums/u398/N1ghtWalker/Lisa%20-%2087%20Starion/StarQuest%20Radio%20Aux%20In%20Install/4875fbdd-0304-4c2f-b74f-fc43d9340c17_zps2edcea74.jpg

http://i1065.photobucket.com/albums/u398/N1ghtWalker/Lisa%20-%2087%20Starion/StarQuest%20Radio%20Aux%20In%20Install/54b62d27-c5b2-4dd2-8248-19648bf57627_zpseeb46990.jpg

 

 

Now, here is where things begin to get a bit delicate. Take things VERY slow and pay close attention to what you're doing!

 

Step 10: Straighten the holding tabs (picture 1) and cut the two foam spacers (picture 2) close to the rear circuit board.

http://i1065.photobucket.com/albums/u398/N1ghtWalker/Lisa%20-%2087%20Starion/StarQuest%20Radio%20Aux%20In%20Install/62f5deba-d3ad-4123-9a9f-67fbb66db663_zps1211f99b.jpg

http://i1065.photobucket.com/albums/u398/N1ghtWalker/Lisa%20-%2087%20Starion/StarQuest%20Radio%20Aux%20In%20Install/ef1ef154-0b65-448a-9b98-067aca7b3f5c_zps71c555de.jpg

 

Then open it up to reveal the back side of the circuit boards. You're going to be working on the set of pins in the white box just above "Japan".

http://i1065.photobucket.com/albums/u398/N1ghtWalker/Lisa%20-%2087%20Starion/StarQuest%20Radio%20Aux%20In%20Install/b98b31ee-a7a6-4ef3-9b54-bca238ea23c6_zpsbe083293.jpg

 

Step 11: Get two very thin stranded wires with plenty of length. (I used an old micro usb charge cable as it has four perfect sized wires. I just removed the fourth wire.) If you look closely in the box, you can see numbers printed on the board on each side of the set of pins. One will be the first pin (#1) and the other will be the last pin (#9). Count zig-zag to locate pins 6 and 7.

 

6 = Right Channel

7 = Left Channel

 

Very carefully solder one wire to pin 6 and one wire to pin 7. These will be your left and right channels.

http://i1065.photobucket.com/albums/u398/N1ghtWalker/Lisa%20-%2087%20Starion/StarQuest%20Radio%20Aux%20In%20Install/dc7ea4b5-963d-41df-814a-1aadeb917f24_zpsdb56fe7e.jpg

 

Step 12: Reassemble the EQ boards. I just used two small dabs of super glue on each of the foam spacers and bent the metal tabs back in to hold the board in place as before.

 

Step 13: Get the metal grounding frame back in place and solder the two ground wires back in place.

 

Step 14: Take the third wire in your group and use that as your ground. You can place this anywhere on the unit you'd like. Because my wires were loomed together in their original insulation, I just bent the wire back and soldered it to one of those two points on the frame like so...

http://i1065.photobucket.com/albums/u398/N1ghtWalker/Lisa%20-%2087%20Starion/StarQuest%20Radio%20Aux%20In%20Install/b4e0e10a-256a-4cc2-8e83-879e92928f83_zps1e72693a.jpg

 

...and just continued the wire up to the top of the face.

http://i1065.photobucket.com/albums/u398/N1ghtWalker/Lisa%20-%2087%20Starion/StarQuest%20Radio%20Aux%20In%20Install/0e380218-16ac-4a5a-8980-6caf1053d339_zps81bbd428.jpg

 

Step 15: Reassemble the radio by reversing steps 2-6.

 

Step 16: Figure out where you want to mount your aux jack.

 

Because I wanted to disconnect mine at the radio if I ever take the radio back out, I built in a jack where an extension is just plugged into the back. I decided to place my jack on top of the steering control plug. First I drilled a hole the size of the OD of the jack, then reemed it out with a larger bit to account for the thickness of the metal when I plug in a cord leaving only a small bit the original size to support the jack.

 

For the jack I used thin aluminum to make the mount, glued clear 1/16" plastic on that, then glued the jack to the plastic.

 

After soldering the wires to the jack in the order of...

 

Base = Ground

Middle = Right

Tip = Left

 

The outcome was this...

http://i1065.photobucket.com/albums/u398/N1ghtWalker/Lisa%20-%2087%20Starion/StarQuest%20Radio%20Aux%20In%20Install/7e46dbee-483b-4d86-b380-44691cf09f83_zps152e262a.jpg

http://i1065.photobucket.com/albums/u398/N1ghtWalker/Lisa%20-%2087%20Starion/StarQuest%20Radio%20Aux%20In%20Install/33148bda-972c-40ee-9952-3e6629bfdfbb_zps9f27654a.jpg

http://i1065.photobucket.com/albums/u398/N1ghtWalker/Lisa%20-%2087%20Starion/StarQuest%20Radio%20Aux%20In%20Install/cd6f3bc0-2f34-406c-8c40-4891073bc916_zpsd3b5b957.jpg

All nice and clean. I'm down with that! B)

 

 

OPTIONAL: If you want to go to Bluetooth like I did...all you have to do is wire up a receiver.

 

Step 1: Buy a cheap usb cigarette lighter adapter (http://www.ebay.com/...=STRK:MEBIDX:IT) and disassemble it down to the circuit board.

 

Step 2: Run a pair of wires from the board (One Negative and One Positive) and Tie into the cigarette lighter wires. You're just using this for 5V power.

 

Step 3: Buy a cheap usb receiver with an aux out jack (http://www.ebay.com/...=STRK:MEBIDX:IT) and Male-To-Male Aux cable (http://www.ebay.com/...=item43d5f90874)

 

Step 4: Plug the receiver into the USB board you created earlier, plug the aux cable into the receiver and into the new aux jack in your radio, and enjoy bluetooth radio!

 

NOTE: It's up to you as to where you'd like to put your receiver if you decide to go bluetooth. I chose to put it under the tray in the center console so it'd be close to every member in the car. Also, it'd take away the chance of the bluetooth frequency causing any noise.

 

 

And there you have it! Again...VERY clean audio...VERY loud...and no one will ever know it's not stock! It doesn't matter what station you're on or if you're on AM or FM. Essentially, the radio sees the input from the aux jack as a signal much like a radio frequency to the antenna. As long as you have something playing through the aux input then this produces a much stronger signal than ANY radio frequency. Therefore, the stronger signal (your phone, ipod, etc) becomes priority to the radio. cancelling out all static and stations. No need to even disconnect the plug. Just stop the music, give it about five seconds, and it'll revert back to antenna signal on its own for radio listening! ;)

 

Thanks for reading my write-up. I hope this help people who want new, high-tech components while trying to retain the stock look. Let me know of any questions or input if you have any. :D

 

- Charles

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HOLY Crapola! ... this is awesome. I've been hoping someone smarter than I could figure this out.

Definitely gonna do this!

 

Thanks for the write-up Sir, greatly appreciated!

 

-N8

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Nice work! I always used the old tape adapter with a 3.5mm plug on it. Not even sure if you can get those anymore.

 

I got tired of the tape adapters and fm transmitters with the wires and all. That was my reason for doing this mod. No one will ever know it's not stock (unless you know these cars) ;)

 

How do you switch over to it? does it bypass the tape?

 

You just connect and go! I wrote how to play music near the end of the write-up. The radio sees the audio from the device as a signal as if it were a signal from the antenna.

 

I'm sure you're used to being on one radio station and then it starts to mesh with another station...both fighting to come on top of the other. All that is, is the radio using the better signal. So, because this signal is so strong and clear with aux input, the radio will always use this as the primary source as long as music is playing. Simply hit play on the device and it will cancel out any other signals and play just this one.

 

Want to go back to radio? Simply pause the song, give the radio a few seconds to adjust, and it'll revert it back to the channel frequency you have the radio set at. I hated the idea of putting in a switch and all that. This requires no switching, external adjustment, or anything. Even the volume and eq features on the head unit work like they should!

 

- Charles

Edited by nightwalkerancestery
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Thanks for all the compliments guys. I appreciate the opportunity to give back with all the help I've gotten through the years.

 

If anyone would like this done to their radio and don't want to take on the feat of doing it themselves, then I might would be willing to provide such a service.

 

I agree with keeping it pinned vs FAQ'd. Traffic here is much higher than the FAQ section.

 

- Charles

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The stock SQ radio won't take the "easier" mods that many other radios do. The most widely used method that's also the easiest is to tap into the cassette head. Because our cassette players are high quality with lots of features, it has recognition components to detect any dirty signals and it corrects it. In this case, it simply rejects the aux signal.

 

What I did is the only way I've found to get a clean and stable sound with all working features with an also clean install. Our radios are some of the most complex units I've seen for circa 80's.

 

Also, external amps will NOT work with the stock radio as there is no pre-amp out. You simply can't amplify an already amplified signal. If you use the stock SQ radio, you must stick with the internal amp. But, this mod also results in MUCH higher output. I haven't even dared to go near full volume. It starts to become too loud. Hahah. There would be little to no need for use of an external amp.

 

 

I have not been able to experiment with the 1g radio. I didn't find this AUX mod for our radios through research, per se. In the end it was all trial and error. If I had one to mess with, I can figure it out, but I don't have one.

 

If you felt daring enough, my guess would be to incorporate the same concept I did. There's most likely a set of pins you can tap into near the EQ circuit board in the radio.

 

- Charles

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To clarify, The radio has an external amp in stock form. A cable connects to the back of the radio to a box located behind the radio. The radio/tape player and CD are also separate units with a cable running between them.
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To clarify, The radio has an external amp in stock form. A cable connects to the back of the radio to a box located behind the radio. The radio/tape player and CD are also separate units with a cable running between them.

 

Sorry, I should have clarified who I was talking to. When I mentioned the not being able to add an amp to the stock unit, I was referring to the previous poster. Not you. Sorry for the confusion.

 

If the amp is made with a preamp out, then yes, it should work fine. I just haven't tried to build in an AUX line in the 1g units because I don't have one of those units to fiddle around with. Strangely enough, the radio I pictured is FROM a 1st gen eclipse. Had the same radio as SQs, but they had a white illuminated face instead of orange.

 

 

G54...I've been using one of those things for years as well as the tape adapter before that. I did this AUX mod because I just got fed up with them. For one, it's hard to get a clear enough station. Even so, it's sometimes low in volume just because of transmission. Not to mention it clutters up the interior and it's obvious. I like this because it's all hidden and really efficient. I'll never use an FM transmitter again for my Starions. ;)

 

- Charles

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Sorry, I should have clarified who I was talking to. When I mentioned the not being able to add an amp to the stock unit, I was referring to the previous poster. Not you. Sorry for the confusion.

 

If the amp is made with a preamp out, then yes, it should work fine. I just haven't tried to build in an AUX line in the 1g units because I don't have one of those units to fiddle around with. Strangely enough, the radio I pictured is FROM a 1st gen eclipse. Had the same radio as SQs, but they had a white illuminated face instead of orange.

 

 

G54...I've been using one of those things for years as well as the tape adapter before that. I did this AUX mod because I just got fed up with them. For one, it's hard to get a clear enough station. Even so, it's sometimes low in volume just because of transmission. Not to mention it clutters up the interior and it's obvious. I like this because it's all hidden and really efficient. I'll never use an FM transmitter again for my Starions. ;)

 

- Charles

Stock radio might handle component speakers but not a sub, I dont have the sub currently installed but I like my fancy 4 channel rockford fosgate amp I won at MOD last year. Im plannig to put the sub back in but this time make it easily removable.

Edited by tankbob
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Stock radio might handle component speakers but not a sub, I dont have the sub currently installed but I like my fancy 4 channel rockford fosgate amp I won at MOD last year. Im plannig to put the sub back in but this time make it easily removable.

 

The stock radio won't have to handle anything for a pre-amp. The way radios work that have the ability to install a sub is wired like so. The four channels that contain an RMS value are amplified internally. Meaning, the signal is amplified through the internal IC Amps that are inside the radio. The wires you get for the sub are nothing but a signal. That's why you need an external amp for subs.

 

The wires you connect to at the radio simply carry the audio signal to the external amp, then it's amplified and sent to the speakers. Hence the term PRE-amp. So, the radio can handle it because it only putting out a low signal. As long as you can harness the signal before it gets to the amp, then you can wire up a sub :)

 

Note: The only thing I can see that would hinder being able to grab a pre-amp signal would be the possibility that it may change the impedance. I'm not even sure it would change it as long as you catch the signal early enough. But, that's the only issue I can foresee. We'll never know unless someone tries ;)

 

- Charles

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