Electrical advice for iPOD2CAR installation in 2006 Vibe

[Therica]

Hi there -I'm seeking guidance for my first modification. I think I have read every post I could find about hard-wiring devices to the AUX of my factory radio.Any advice on the below questions would be great! Or feel free to recommend an electronics-oriented website! Don't be hesitant about giving me newbie advice as I will confirm all the wire voltages with a meter and then disconnect the battery before all work, obviously.HERE'S THE PLAN:Me: 2006 Vibe - base, factory single CD player with Band and CD/AUX buttons.Goal: Hard wire iPOD to ignition so that I can still charge the iPOD when car is on and radio is off. Install a switch to turn off power to the AUX device.[1] DeviceI want to get Peripheral iPOD2CAR, but I can't find a Peripheral model recommendation for a 2006 Vibe. Has anyone done a 2006 install to confirm the model? As of Jan-2007 for 2006 Vibe... peripheral recommends model PXGM24 for AUX2CAR, but no iPOD2CAR recommendation.[2] PowerIt sounds like I should tap into the ignition positive wire (PinB2/Grey) of the harness. Anyone know where I can dig up a wiring diagram to confirm the Pin / Wire Color?[3] Power switchI want to install a switch between the power line and the iPOD2CAR. Will remove the coin slot under the parking brake handle to install the switch. Wires will run under the carpet. What specification wire do I need (gauge, insulation)? Switch will be from Radio Shack (link).[4] GroundingShould I ground to the metal radio mount or tap into the ground wire of the harness (PinA12? / Brown wire?) ?[5] WiringHow do you recommend tapping into the wires?... I would rather not solder directly into radio unit (me = novice = minimize damage potential), but rather tap into the wires. Should I just snip, strip, twist, and solder wires? Or should I find T-Tap splice connectors? I would prefer T-tap. If T-Tap... any recommended vendors for finding them?... what size or gauge do I need?Thanks in advance, and I will keep everyone posted.

[GMJAP]

Quote, originally posted by Therica »[1] DeviceI want to get Peripheral iPOD2CAR, but I can't find a Peripheral model recommendation for a 2006 Vibe. Has anyone done a 2006 install to confirm the model? As of Jan-2007 for 2006 Vibe... peripheral recommends model PXGM24 for AUX2CAR, but no iPOD2CAR recommendation.The iPOD2CAR will work with 2006 and 2007 Vibes. The PXDP and PXHGM3 are what you'd want.Quote, originally posted by Therica »[2] PowerIt sounds like I should tap into the ignition positive wire (PinB2/Grey) of the harness. Anyone know where I can dig up a wiring diagram to confirm the Pin / Wire Color?Peripheral installation should tap into battery power, not ignition. Battery power is B1 Blue/Yellow on one corner of the larger radio connector. Ground is A12 Brown, at the other corner.Quote, originally posted by Therica »[3] Power switchI want to install a switch between the power line and the iPOD2CAR. Will remove the coin slot under the parking brake handle to install the switch. Wires will run under the carpet. What specification wire do I need (gauge, insulation)? Switch will be from Radio Shack (link).Not sure why you would want to install a power switch. The iPOD2CAR is not designed to have one. However, any gauge 22 or larger (size wise,m not number) would be fine.)Quote, originally posted by Therica »[4] GroundingShould I ground to the metal radio mount or tap into the ground wire of the harness (PinA12? / Brown wire?) ?It is recommended to use A12, not the radio metal case/brackets.Quote, originally posted by Therica »How do you recommend tapping into the wires?... I would rather not solder directly into radio unit (me = novice = minimize damage potential), but rather tap into the wires. Should I just snip, strip, twist, and solder wires? Or should I find T-Tap splice connectors? I would prefer T-tap. If T-Tap... any recommended vendors for finding them?... what size or gauge do I need?I'd strongly recommend using some sort of splice product for about 20 awg. Some possibilities are:T-Taps: (you'll also need quick-disconnect tabs)http://www.mouser.com/search/P...-0018Quick Splice:http://www.allelectronics.com/....htmlPhone Splices should also work:http://www.radioshack.com/prod...tures

[Therica]

GMJAP rocks!(I was thinking of a power switch to the device out of paranoia as I'm a relative electrical newbie and wanted a bit more control over frying my iPOD and audio. Again... paranoia. I'll think it over.)GMJAP rocks!

[Therica]

Mission accomplished. All the advice GMJAP gave was great! Turned out to be quite easy for my first electrical project. For all the newbies like me out there... use a meter to check circuit continuity along the way and confirm voltage on the correct wire before and after tapping-in. I disconnected the battery before tapping-in to the 12v wire.Confirming: The PXDP and PXHGM3 are good to go for the 2006. I used dip switch confirguration #7... never tried config #8. It's great to be able to control the volume and skip songs through the radio controls. When you turn off the radio and then back on, you even return to where you left off in your last song.I found good tap-ins at RadioShack (model 64-3053) for two bucks. I bought the iPOD2CAR and harness on eBAY. That's all you need but tools.I don't recommend my kill switch idea. Everytime power is reconnected to the iPOD2CAR, it take a couple minutes for it to initialize and be able to control the iPOD. As GMJAP wrote, it is unnecessary.I used adhesive velcro to stick module to the underside of the dash board above the head unit (had to carve some plastic molding with an exacto knife to get a flat surface). I ran the iPOD wire down through the automatic shift space, under the carpet, under the arm rest, and through the rubber stopper (sliced an "X' through the center of the stopper and pushed the wire through) that plugs the 2nd cigarette lighter whole in the arm rest compartment.To dismantle the arm rest: Two bolts are hidden under the fabric of the front tray and two bolts are hidden under the fabric of the arm rest compartment... that's it.To dismantle the shifter compartment and access the head unit:http://forums.genvibe.com/zerothread?id=5940To remove the head unit, see the PDF files in these threads:http://forums.genvibe.com/zerothread?id ... 4286Thanks to all, and best of luck.