Hard Wire IPOD on M&T w/o Nav - Done!

[Kenfromnorcal]

Different kind of switched jack. The one I make has a separate isolated microswitch for power switching.

[btimlake]

This is an honest suggestion, even though it may sound a little smart-assy.Couldn't you burn a CD with two minutes of silence? No audio to bleed through.Not a solution, sure, but it seems like a pretty decent work-around. -ben

[johnsoax]

Why? Why not just use the mechanical switch jack?I also have the bleed through, but as it only happens if I have the 1/8" cable plugged into the radio and not into the audio device, I don't really worry about it. When the MP3/Palm/computer is plugged in, there is no bleed through.Otherwise, I love this install .

[northvibe]

yah! this thread i couldnt find it. so any news on whats up with this as for audio noise etc. anyone done it lately?

[thewildcat]

Does anyone know how to do this hardwire trick using the GM-12 connector that is normally used for the cd-changer even if you don't actually have a changer? That would be sweet to use the CD/AUX button for this. Yes I'm too cheap to buy the AUXBOX. Love,The Wildcat('04 Vibe moon/tunes SALSA)

[RePo]

I just completed my Aux in today for the Ipod on my '04 6 CD w/ M&T. I think one of the more important considerations to prevent bleedthrough is isolation in the wires, more than the shielding. I used Cat 5e computer network cable, unshielded twisted pair. No problems at all with bleed or any noise. The music is clear enough to discern the difference between mp3's incoded in 128 kbps and 192 kbps. I simply used the Radio Shack 274-246 1/8" socket as has been recommended here. http://www.radioshack.com/prod...51&cp Wired the same- CD pass through with Line-in Cut in from external Ipod when 1/8 jack is plugged into socket. I'm very pleased with this $3 mod. Kids can watch their DVD's with the sound run though just as easily.

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[sagekai]

Quote, originally posted by Nik »Next I wired up my mini relay as is well documented. HI,We are trying to setup our single cd unit in an 03 vibe to take an ipod input. There were a couple of posts, one for a six cd unit and one for a single. I am hoping someone would help us out with some detail as to the wiring connections for the single cd unit. We are not sure where these wires are going that disappear under the pc board.In addition does the audio wire we will use need to be shielded, I assume?thanks for any helpA wiring diagram would be great.thanks

[vibe-04]

Read the entire thread especially The_Nite_owl posts to understand what is going on here.a) The wires you refer to come from the cd player. They are the left and right channels.b) It has been suggested use Cat-5e (network cable).c) You do not need a relay.It is best to wire this from the other side of the circuit board. Get some heats shrink tubing to save you a lot of troubles. I eventually went with a aux in Sony Head unit because I didn't properly ground the wires.1/8 Jack Head Unit/CD Player Pin 1 Audio ground to chassiePin 2 Left Channel to HUPin 3 Left Channel from CDPin 4 Right Channel from CD Pin 5 Right Channel to HU

Attached files

[sagekai]

Hey Thanks for the post. I have an 03 vibe with a single cd unit.I like the simplicity of the solution that nite owl posted. He didn't need a switch or a relay because he used a type of female connector that interupted the signal path from the cd when the ipod or mp3 was plugged in. I am a guitar repair guy, so my solder skills are ok but my electronics knowledge is rudimentry at best. thanks in advance for induldging me and answering some simple questions. Was your unit a single cd unit and were the 1st and 3rd pin from the right on the 6 pin connecter the left and right audio? Secondly, since a stereo signal has to have a left,a right , and a ground, where do you take the ground from? What is the three conductor closed circuit that you show below, is thisthe female jack to plug into, if so that makes a lot more sense.thanks!

[vibe-04]

1) Single CD unit2) 1 and 3 as in the picture (right I guess)3) Ground from pin 1 of Radio Shack connector to ground on Head Unit. Find a good one and maybe multiple since the board looks isolated from the HU metal shell. Grounding was my issue as I had a ground loop. 4) Yes, the three conductor 1/8" jack was the internal plug connector. Female is old school term and in some circles can cause people to be upset. So I've learned to use internal/external.Just a thought....Good luck

[dirtydeeds]

ok, im thinking of doing this install this week. Any words of advice, recommended parts? Last words of wisdom? something...Ive read this thread back and forth and upside down twice...im still abit confused, and worried.

[vibe-04]

Take your time. Make sure you know how to remove the bezel. (I left the controls in pace and swung it around to rest on the dash out of the way on a piece of cardboard. The Head Unit comes apart with ease using basic tools so access to wires is easy.Your problem will be the ground or the quality of your wire and soldering skills. While it goes without saying, test in place before you box everything back up again.Watch for scratching up the frame of the bezel. Good luck

[dirtydeeds]

EDIT: Scratch the ?'s, i just recieved a sony xplode HU and speakers for xmas so need to do this....thanks all

[ahead]

I'm wondering if someone could draw a simplified version of these instructions. I am planning on doing this mod this weekend, but I'm confused about a few things- mostly because of language, I think.As I understand it, these are the parts needed:1. Shielded Cable (cat 5 recommended) with at least five (?) wires.2. Radio Shack 1/8" Stereo Panel-mount jack (part 274-246)3. Soldering pen/solderAnd what I need to do is:1. Clip 1st and 3rd wires on the flat, white, 15 pin connector.2. Solder wires to Pin 1 (L channel), and Pin 3 (R channel) 3. (this is where I get confused)Pin 1 on Radio Shack Jack should ground to chassis somewhere (as ground on circuit board creates loop and issues)Pin 2 Left Channel to HU (wire goes from Radio Shack Pin 2 to Pin 1 on the Pin connector)Pin 3 Left Channel from CD (wire goes from R.Shack Pin 3 to the wire that WAS connected to Pin 1 on the connector)Pin 4 Right Channel from CD (wire goes from R. Shack Pin 4 to the wire that WAS conencted to Pin 3 on the connector)Pin 5 Right Channel to HU (wire goes from R. Shack Pin 5 to Pin 3 on the Pin connector).

[ahead]

FYI- I did the mod last night and the only issue I have is that the jack from Radio Shack is so dang small- Also, it seems like the "switch" inside is not working, as when it's unplugged, the CD player is losing the right channel (but if I run the wires direct, it works fine, so it's not inside the stereo). AND, because the jack is so dang small, it's not long enough to mount through any of the plastic in the center console (I drilled a hole and went to put it through, but there's not enough thread showing to put the nut on). Frustrating. I think I'm going to go back to the idea of running a switch instead of this jack.

[Edgar]

What's the best ground to use?I'm going to do Nite Owl's method on my 2003 Probe (single CD player, base). I read through all five pages of this thread and everything seems clear except there seems to be no consensus on where to put the ground.Also, some of the wires used for connected in the phone jack seems pretty thin - would I be better off using heavier gauge wires? Do I need to find shielded wires? Thanks everyone, this is an awesome thread. Cheap and, IMO, easier than going to Best Buy or wherever to find an FM modulator!

[hellbender]

This is great stuff but i lack the ability to do it myself. Has this problem not been solved with a plug and play solution yet? How can I get this done? -without using an fm transmitter...

[Vibration]

Quote, originally posted by binary »I'm getting dead images, the only one I really wanted to see was:http://www.abacobay.net/Vibe/WIRING%20DIAG.jpgI'm comfortable pulling out my head unit and splicing wires - I just don't have any experience wiring relays... And I have to agree with everyone - FM Modulation sucks.Probably not quite timely enough to be helpful, Binany, but I fixed the images.

[JesseWHHS]

so I have a 2003 single CD M&T head unit. I spend $400 today on Zune, Zune's FM transmitter, and a 2 year warranty. FM thing sucked, went to walmart and bought one for $50.... same situation there obviously......Anyways I feel I could perform this mod, I would just need pictures to guide me. So far all I see is the 6cd unit. If someone could get pics and point out the proper points, I would be VERY greatful and pay you a little for your help im thinking 10 - 20 bucks. haha

[JesseWHHS]

ok... so.......I went and bought that part from radio shack that the_nite_owl recommended. And then I went to town and GOT ER DONE.After about 3 or so hours of confusing myself and soldering random things together, it works. HAHA. maybe it wasn't so random, but 80% of the time I wasn't sure what was going on. Im really not sure HOW it worked out for me....Anyways I have a 2003 Vibe, Moon and Tunes, Single CD player.....I will post up tomorrow or the next day what wires were required. It is SO much easier than this long thread makes it out to be......Well must go now. gotta wake up in 6 hours for work. HAHA. I skipped dinner to get this done. Just the thought of driving to work and home with no radio made me push through and not take the time out to eat. lol.

[vibe-04]

Congrats!!! Good on ya.If you have the time, can you collect all the relevant details from this post and make a new post so that the GenVibe gods can make it a DIY sticky. Your fresh experience can add the best detail.Cheers!!Andrew

[TraySeeLea]

I just got a stereo with the ipod adapter...then the boys at circut city had to wire it....my ipod photo sits in my glove box nicely

[floobynoobydude]

Hi all,I have successfully been enjoying this mod on my vibe for about a year and a half now - I've got a rocker switch installed for CD/AUX as in the pics on this thread and it looks great, too. However, in the process of my install, I somehow knocked out the middle backlights on the face of my head unit - as far as I can tell, there are several backlights for the face that give it that nice evenly distributed glow, and I knocked out one of the middle sets, I guess.It never bothered me, but I'm getting ready to head back to school and it's time to trade in the vibe for more economical (read:cheap) transportation. Any suggestions on how to get those lights back on so my vibe will present a little more nicely? I'm imagining I just bumped some wire loose, but I'm wondering if anyone has more specific ideas.Oh yeah, it's a an '03 single CD M&T.Thanks,Bert

[yotatrix]

I'm going to try soon, just wondering if anyone has anymore pics on how to of this mod. I saw the ones on page 1, but little more detail due to I have no clue how to wire the relay.

[vibe-04]

Read the entire thread especially The_Nite_owl posts to understand what is going on here. You do not need a relay.

[yotatrix]

thanks vibe-04, ok, change of plan I read the whole post and you all have good points on how to tap in. I just need to purchase a few things and I'm set.

[yotatrix]

finally finished today with the mini plug. I tried this 3 times before getting it right. at first I couldn't get the solder to stay put, then I hooked it up and heard music from cd but not from ipod then I found out that I had the wires wrong and finally it's done. my plug is on the left side of steering wheel below the alarm LED and I routed the 3.5mm cable behind dash through the mid pocket under shifter. It's was the only location I could find to place but it works for now. I'll post pics when I get a chance. thanks guys for this great mod saves money and not that hard to do.

[dorky_name]

Successfully completed the mod on my 2003 base model vibe - put the mini plug in the bottom of the center console next to 2nd cigarette lighter (ran the wires under the carpet). Thank you all for the instructions.I also ran into one slight problem - one of the backlights has dimmed on the head unit, making it hard to read the time (under the "hour").Any ideas?? Did Bert/"floobynoobydude" manage to fix his?Ian

[Roeman]

2003 Single CD Moon & Tunes - mini phone jack triggerThanks to many for all the posts. This question comes up a lot so I thought I'd compile my experience for those with the 2003 single cd Moon & Tunes option.This is the board and cables you need to tap into.To make it easier I removed the CD player from the back which required taking off the front of the radio. Be very careful as the little wires are delicate. As you can see I pulled 3 of them out and had to solder them back on. Not easy for a novice solderer Once CD was out of the way I disconnected the cable.I then cut and soldered based on Vibe-04's posting.1/8 Jack Head Unit/CD Player Pin 1 Audio ground to HU and CDPin 2 Left Channel to HUPin 3 Left Channel from CDPin 4 Right Channel from CD Pin 5 Right Channle to HUPay no attention to where the cable is going. I wasn't paying attention and ran the wire thru the front of the stereo instead of the back. Of couse when I tried to put the face plate back on.... let's just say there was a lot of cussing in my garage that evening as I had to snip the wires, run the cable from the back of the HU and solder the wires again.In case you're wondering, I had a cable with 4 wires but need 5 for this project so I ended up using two cables. I used 4 out of the shielded cable and then I used the other cable as my ground.I did run the ground cable to the metal brace behind the radio. There was a hole in it and I put in a bolt and grounded the ground wire to the frame.I couldn't bring myself to drill a hole in the plastic face of the dash so I put it jack underneath the lip. It is kind of in the way of the left AC gauge but it will do for now.All in all I'm pleased. However, I do have the same problem others have reported where the backlight is dim. For me it's on the left side. At night the station and/or time is still visible but during the day with sunglasses I pretty much can't tell the time anymore without looking real closely. Bummer!!!! In the picture it all looks garbled but that's not the case. I took this pic at night and the focus and flash make it look garbled. Thanks to all again for the excellent posts. Hope this one helps you fellow 2003 single M&T owners out there.

[dorky_name]

Hey Roeman - Just wondering if you have since found a solution to the faded left side of the screen, as it is exactly the same problem as mine.Thanks, ian

[sdavis]

Okay so I just got done performing this mod. Used the 3.5mm jack as recommended by nite owl. Also used his wiring directions. It's small to work with, but I found soldering relatively easy if I looped the wire through the small holes in the connectors first to hold the wire in place. http://forums.genvibe.com/zero...3.jpgI used a computer network cable which had 7 cables, so 2 to run back to the HU for LC, 2 for RC, one for ground at the jack, and the two other tied together and taped back. the extre two wires I tied to the ground at the HU, since the cable is not shield, thinking maybe these two wires which are twisted around all the wires within the cable will act as shielding by draining excess signals back to ground at the HU. Now one post on here suggested to solder the wires at the HU directly to the board, as it would save you the hastle of cutting the wires - so I tried this (see first pic, with ground not yet connected, 3.5mm jack plug shown). http://forums.genvibe.com/zero...1.JPGProblem is that these solder points on the board are extremely fragile! first time I installed and only had ipod from right speakers, and left was still playing cd. So I tried re-soldering connections but then the solder points came loose from the board! The plastic coating on the board melted and covered the gap in the connection and I could not get solder to stick So I decided to solder directly to the board side of the connector, where the wires from the connector come down to meet to board (RC Pin 1, LC Pin 3). Although it looks like a more difficult solder, I found it to be much easier (see pic 2).http://forums.genvibe.com/zero...6.JPGSo now it works like a charm. I hear some noise from the CD spinning, but only when cranked to the max, and really only noticeable when music is not playing.oh, and I ran the cable out of the HU through one of the existing holes used to secure the top of the shroud, I simply bent the tab that normally sits in that hole back out of the way with some pliers (see pic 3).http://forums.genvibe.com/zero...9.JPGI opted to put the jack in the centre console by installing it in a blank cover I got swapped from near the change holder to the left of the stearing wheel. It was a little tricky as the plastic was thick and needed to be worn-down to be thin enough for the jack to poke through on the other side enough to get the securing nut threaded. BTW, my ipod holder is from the dollar store. It's a vent mount that I modified slightly so that I could super-glue it to the top of the dash, and it still flips up if I need to use the vent - but so far I don't miss it. Oh, and it was ugly white, and I spray-painted it black to match my ipod.http://forums.genvibe.com/zero...3.jpgh ... ..5.jpgAll in all, very happy with this mod, as it blows an FM receiver out of the water! Thanks for all the posts!I will however miss the use of my CD from time to time as it still plays with much better quality than direct connection of the ipod. Also when I'm not careful and my ipod battery is dead, it would be nice to have a few mix cds ready to go. So I will need to figure out a way to bridge the gap I created on the board with my botched first attempt at soldering. likely will need to take some sand paper or a small file to wear away the plastic coating on the board to expose the contacts on either side, then scratching on some silver or gold foil should do the trick in bridging the gap, as solder does not seem to stick to the board very well.

[engineertwin2]

So, I tried this mod - and no dice. Mostly. I can hear music really well, but the vocals are almost non-existent. Also, there's a fair amount of static and I can hear the CD spinning in the background. Audio gurus, I could really use your help/input on this one.The only difference I did was pull +12V from the cig-lighter on the dash near the stick shift. I'd be happy to hear any suggestions or criticisms, but please make them constructive.

[vibe-04]

Sounds like a grounding problem with one of the channels. Can you try switch the left or right channels with the ground wire. What you are hearing, and not hearing, is only one channels so you are missing vocals or whatever.Also, what did you ground the wire to? A

[engineertwin2]

I grounded to the same post shown on the first page. I may have switched the ground and one of the channels as I have virtually no vocals (they sound like they are on the same audible volume as the engine noise there with a grounding problem). Thanks for the heads up. I won't be able to address this till near the end of the month, but I will let you know how it turns out.

[Striider]

You may have been misled by the wiring diagram on the first page. A corrected version is attached for the 6 disc unit. This mod also works on my 2003 Chevy Suburban with Onstar, and should work on any GM vehicle with these head units in it. There was just barely enough room above the 6 disc changer to fit the mini-spdt relay in the radio itself. It sits on top of the CD circuit board. I have a switch wire + running out the back and the audio cable. The cd player still works perfectly, and the sound is perfect on mp3 - no hums or cd bleedover noise whatsover.I also did this mod to my 07 Vibe, and had plenty of room for the relay and wired everything internally and put a toggle switch in the nice empty area on the front of the Vibe radio. The only thing coming out of the back of the Vibe radio is the audio cable to the MP3 player. Same result- no hum, hiss or cd bleed at all.

Attached files

[Onefish]

To the person with the display problem: If you lost intensity to your LCD display, the bulb is burned out. I took mine apart, put 9 volts to it to find that two of three bulbs lit. If I knew what the voltage is supposed to be there, I would replace them with LEDS and a resistor...to lessen the heat out of this faceplate. If anyone know what the voltage should be, please share. The resistance of one bulb, naturally removed from the circuit board, was measured to be 11.4 ohms. The diameter of the bulb was somewhere right between 3-5 mm...I say this by comparing to some LEDS, but I don't have a caliper. You might be able to steal the power on/off backlit...which looks to be about the same resistance, but isn't as important. Update: I replaced all the bulbs with LEDS to reduce the temperature in the player. I put the radio in the car without the face plate to measure that it was 12 volts to the bulbs with the radio on. I'll let you all know how it turns out.

[jmulla]

Does M&T always imply a 6-CD changer? I have a 2003 Vibe with factory radio. It has a single CD and an AUX button. I have no Nav. So my question is: Can I get a simple plug-and-play iPod adaptor, or do I have to go through the cutting and splicing described by Vibration on this thread? I'm looking at the "iSGM73 kit from Peripheral w/PXDP iPod2Car" on Crutchfield.com. It claims it has the cables to go straight into my radio.HELP!

[jmulla]

Roeman:The LEDs going out on these Vibe radios is a common problem. If yours is dimming or out on one side, you have the same problem. Eventually the whole display will go blank.I sent mine off to a place in FL (FACTORY CAR STEREO REPAIR, INC http://www.carstereohelp.com/) and they did a quick and excellent job of fixing it for roughly $100).

[jmulla]

See my other post to Roeman on the LED issue.

[dug]

I added an aux-in to my 2003 stock single CD M&T headunit last weekend following the awesome instructions laid out in this thread.And it works perfectly! Thanks!

[DOTC]

Looking to do this mod also.. Bought my 2003 Vibe with the NAV package, and I already have the AUX out plug at the back of the radio for the 6 disc. There has to be a way to splice into the second plug and not have to touch the internal wire harness. I did purchase a single disc player off ebay from a 07 to do this mod. Really don't care about the 6-disc and the NAV HU.

[electrolund]

Hey, guys, I'm about to do this mod as well, but wondered something. For those of you that have done the mod with the relay for switching between CD and the AUX in, do you hear any momentary audio glitches as the relay is switching?I would think that as the relay contacts are changing, there's potential for lots of pops and clicks. Relays are mechanical, so they make for very noisy switch contacts.Just wondering.

[blindman10]

I know its been a while since anyone posted in this thread....but I just did the 'relay-less' installion using the closed 3.5mm jack and it worked really well. I ran the wires to the center console and flush mounted it inside next to the 12v socket. Now all my mp3 wires (audio and charger) are hidden unless needed. That audio level is relatively similar to that of the CD with my mp3 player cranked. I do have a faint (very very faint) hiss when nothing is playing..but its only noticable IF you are trying to hear it AND the car isn't moving. I did use shielded audio cable with a seperate ground to attempt to isolate any chance of interference and it seems to have worked well.On a side note, with all the in and out of the radio to test it...I didn't disconnect the battery (I know, tsk tsk) which I think ultimately caused two of my backlight bulbs to blow. I replaced all three of them and it works find now...however it may have been avoidable if I had simply disconnected that battery.Also, I had at my disposal two stock single CD radios (one dated 2002 and one dated 2007) and both had the left and right audio channel wires on the smaller 6 wire connector NOT the 15 wire connector.

[JonJon]

Thanks to everyone for their previous legwork on this mod. I went with the Radio Shack headphone jack/switch and wired it to my '06 single CD player using the info in previous posts regarding left and right channels. For the ground, I went to where what I assume is the antenna input. The big jack on the back that the single black wire plugs into. It grounds onto the frame with a single screw and I backed that out and ran the wire around it for a good, solid ground. Just thought I'd mention that because I didn't see a lot of suggestions for how to ground the switch.Also, I decided to go ahead and wire everything inside of the radio itself and mount the jack on the face* as opposed to running wire under the carpet. I think the short length of the wires, as well as being fully enclosed by the casing of the stereo, might have helped with some of the bleed through noise mention before. I have zero bleed through between channels.*NOTE: I quickly discovered AFTER drilling a hole in the face of the stereo that the face was too thick for the jack to show any threads. I had to get a bigger drill bit and carefully approach the hole at a high rpm in order to countersink the hole enough for the threaded washer or whatever it is to sink far enough to get a good hold on the jack. It actually ended up being kind of nice because the whole assembly is flush now.I also went with the internal wiring job because it makes it easier to replace in the future should something go wrong. Or if I decided to go aftermarket in the future or something.Also, when I very first started my car, I got the dreaded half display dimness and my stomach sank! I just tapped on the face and pressed some buttons and the location of the dimness kept changing around. Finally I just tapped the display itself a few times and it all lit up and has stayed that way so far.I'll try to take a picture and post it tomorrow. Pretty uneventful, but it's nice to have a reference to what others are doing. For now, just imagine a stock single CD stereo with a little silver jack on the face.

[bonehead16661]

Ok, I'm new to "fixing" my wife's GT, but I have a squirrely idea from left field.If you look at the hookups going into the HU; 1 is grey & blue 24 pin, the other is black & grey 12 pin. The 24 pin is using 17 pins, the 12 is only using one. In theory, couldn't some of those unused pins be for the Aux part of the CD/Aux button?Does someone have a spare/ old unit to test this theory? Or am I way off track?I have an 03 GT, M&T, original single CD HU. My wife & I argue about who gets to drive it, but we the 03 Dodge Caravan works better for MP3's because it has a tape deck. I have a little one on the way, so I thought this would be a great addition to the "fun" car.

[Water boy]

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[theMikeD]

Jut wanted to chime in and say thanks again to all of you that figured this out. I did the mod myself and it works perfectly. I get bleed from the CD that is spinning so I simply created a CD with 12 tracks of silence and problem is solved. Total bill: about $10.

...Mike

[jweather]

Thanks so much for posting this. Our Vibe finally has an aux jack for its 10th birthday. =) Used a piece of CAT5 network cable and have no issues with audio bleed.

[trb]

Since I had to replace the backlight for the LED display on my radio, I went ahead and installed this aux input also since I had the radio open. Works perfectly as outlined just above using the Radio Shack aux jack and cat5e cable. Now I can listen to the songs on my phone or Pandora!!!

Thanks!

[joatmon]

I recently did this to a single CD radio, perhaps out of an 03 Vibe. I used a closed circuit 1/8" jack from Radio shack ( this one ) so it interrupts the CD audio when the AUX is plugged in. DIdn''t know radio shack was still in business, but maybe they just closed all their physical stores.

I also used a CAT5 network cable, cut it in the middle, and used a CAT5 coupler from Lowes to connect the two connectors, then wired the cut wires in the radio and to the 1/8*" jack because I wanted to be able to disconnect and remove the radio without having to unsnake the AUX in cable.

I found that the volume difference between the CD audio and the output of my Samsung smartphone was huge. I could get enough volume out of it by cranking both the radio and the phone, but then switching back to radio or CD was almost speaker blowing loud.

I found that one of these little 2" long bluetooth receivers does a good job of equalizing the volume between the CD and the phone. Got it off ebay, paid $7. There are other ebay sellers offering them for less, but I was in a hurry and didn't want to wait a month for it to get here from China.

All in all cost me about $15, but now I have bluetooth hookup in the 03 Vibe.