Forums | MacLife

Shibbysan · 2008-04-26 5:51 pm

This isn't computer related, but I'm hoping somebody with hardware know-how can help me out. I do a lot of highway driving with my iPod and a radio adaptor. For some reason my tape deck has never liked cassette adaptors and has eaten/destroyed two of them and I'm leery of buying a new one. I do, though, have an old 3-disk CD changer. (The kind with a little magazine that you load with CDs and then load into the dash.)

While cruising down 80 today a thought occurred to me: can I pull out my CD player and use the wiring that attaches it to my stereo to create a makeshift AUX input? Can I just find the cable that send the audio signal and attach a miniplug to it? Any ideas on how to do that?

Thanks for any help!

mrreet2001 · 2008-04-27 12:12 pm

you want something like this:
http://www.installer.com/item/display_i … it=toy-aux

not sure if that actual adapter will work with your car ... but they exist for just about any car radio that you can use an external cd changer with.

Last edited by mrreet2001 (2008-04-27 12:12 pm)

Shibbysan · 2008-04-27 12:19 pm

Interesting--thanks for the direction. I'm a little put off by the $70 price tag, though. Do you have any idea what it is exactly that the "black box" is doing?

Perhaps it's arrogance on my part to think that it must not be that complicated.

mrreet2001 · 2008-04-27 12:26 pm

they have circuitry in them that trick the head Unit into thinking that there is a cd in a cd changer (typically track 1 disc 1)

Shibbysan · 2008-04-27 12:29 pm

Ah, so it isn't just a matter of jacking a line and giving it a signal. Rats. At any rate, thanks again for the help.

FutureDreamz · 2008-04-27 5:59 pm

mrreet2001 wrote:
they have circuitry in them that trick the head Unit into thinking that there is a cd in a cd changer (typically track 1 disc 1)

can it connect to an iPod in a way so then when the plays plays Track 2 Disk 1, it goes to the next song?

mrreet2001 · 2008-04-27 6:36 pm

if you get a an ipod version in stead of a "line in" version.

Shibbysan · 2008-04-28 10:10 pm

Just as a nice case-closed addition:

The post about the $70 dollar dealie got me started thinking. Then, I took my stereo out, took the CD player that sort of worked but ate CDs, wandered through the circuit board, found the right feeds, and spliced in a cheapo aux cable.

Now all I have to to is put in a CD I burned with 78 minutes of silence (on repeat), plug the iPod into the aux cable, and voila! Aux input.

Thanks for the help!

pkmgarf · 2008-05-05 1:54 pm

^^^Hahaha..nice solution. I was going to suggest a wired FM transmitter, but even though it's wired, it still is limited to FM quality. I was going to also say that before you spend the $70 on the CD changer adapter, think about a new stereo. For ~$150, you can get something with a front aux input or even something with decent iPod/USB capabilities.

However, your homemade aux tap in seems to be working fine.

TheUltimateMacUser · 2008-08-13 6:58 pm

That is a really intelligent solution. Nicely hacked.

macnuke · 2008-08-14 9:59 am

must be a foreign car thing lol

took my panel out on my ford, the CD had phono plugs to the am/fm receiver.
so it was just a matter of unplugging the CD and plugging in the 3 dollar cable to go to my iPod.
mine recognizes the iPod as a valid CD player and there is no need for the blank burned CD.

Shibbysan · 2008-08-14 10:03 am

I've come to realize that the blank CD is partially unnecessary. It really could be any CD, since the audio output is getting jacked anyway. There does need to be a CD, though, for the system to recognize it.

pkmgarf · 2008-08-14 12:21 pm

I would think without the CD in, there would be no way to get the deck to go into "CD mode," so if macnuke's is working without a CD in, Ford must have done some interesting wiring.

::Contemplates digging up the old deck from my Focus and checking what the output of the CD goes to...::

Forums | MacLife

#1 2008-04-26 5:51 pm

Sound in a '97 Camry

#2 2008-04-27 12:12 pm

Re: Sound in a '97 Camry

#3 2008-04-27 12:19 pm

Re: Sound in a '97 Camry

#4 2008-04-27 12:26 pm

Re: Sound in a '97 Camry

#5 2008-04-27 12:29 pm

Re: Sound in a '97 Camry

#6 2008-04-27 5:59 pm

Re: Sound in a '97 Camry

mrreet2001 wrote:

#7 2008-04-27 6:36 pm

Re: Sound in a '97 Camry

#8 2008-04-28 10:10 pm

Re: Sound in a '97 Camry

#9 2008-05-05 1:54 pm

Re: Sound in a '97 Camry

#10 2008-08-13 6:58 pm

Re: Sound in a '97 Camry

#11 2008-08-14 9:59 am

Re: Sound in a '97 Camry

#12 2008-08-14 10:03 am

Re: Sound in a '97 Camry

#13 2008-08-14 12:21 pm

Re: Sound in a '97 Camry

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