Not joined yet? Register for free and enjoy features such as alerts, private messaging and viewing latest posts and topics.

Build and install your own AUX Cable!

Post Reply
User avatar
DWSMGS117
Newbie
Newbie
Posts: 6
Joined: Mon Jan 25, 2010 5:14 pm
Location: Loudonville NY

Re: Build and install your own AUX Cable!

Post by DWSMGS117 » Sat Jan 30, 2010 8:08 pm

Bought one too it does not work I have contacted incartunes in uk they have not responded yet. I wonder if the dsp radio is the problem anyone have this cable with dsp and has it working? :headbang:

Hendy
Newbie
Newbie
Posts: 29
Joined: Sun Sep 06, 2009 11:28 pm

Re: Build and install your own AUX Cable!

Post by Hendy » Sun Jan 31, 2010 11:28 am

Not sure what dsp is but the eBay seller has contacted me and said the reason why it doesn't work is because aux has not been enabled. I thought aux was enabled in all zeds, am I wrong? I have looked at the position of the wires going into the quadlock and they appear different to the diagram in the earlier post. I think this is more likely to be the problem.

User avatar
gannet
Lifer
Lifer
Posts: 10086
Joined: Mon Nov 26, 2007 11:45 am
Location: Surrey

Re: Build and install your own AUX Cable!

Post by gannet » Sun Jan 31, 2010 12:02 pm

nothing had to be enabled on my car :?
-- Gannet.
Current: MINI JCW... - Modification: Driver Upgraded :D
Previous: DS3 DSport, Z4 3.0SE, 206 GTi & XS, Alfa 147 Lusso

Siftah
Member
Member
Posts: 725
Joined: Mon Dec 14, 2009 8:45 pm

Re: Build and install your own AUX Cable!

Post by Siftah » Sun Jan 31, 2010 8:01 pm

Seems to be about three current threads on this topic...

Sounds like DSP/Bluetooth audio makes a difference to whether these cables work or not?

Does the DSP option disable the AUX-IN or is this just because the cable being sold doesn't have the necessary capacitors/resistors for the radio to sense the Aux option is installed?

It sounds like the bluetooth audio option also uses the same socket as the aux-in cable, can anyone say whether the BMW bluetooth cable is modifiable? ie: could I pull the BMW bluetooth cable out and add the extra pins to it to create my own Aux-In cable?

:)

Siftah
Member
Member
Posts: 725
Joined: Mon Dec 14, 2009 8:45 pm

Re: Build and install your own AUX Cable!

Post by Siftah » Mon Feb 01, 2010 9:19 pm

Well, I popped my vents/radio out this evening to have a nosey at what's there:
Image

White Plug: Pins 2, 8 & 9
Black Plug: Pins 11 & 5

I'm guessing I should be ok here, I need to use pins 4, 8 and 9 on this Black plug which currently only as 11 and 5 connected. Would sure love to see a full pin-out for all those pins though?

User avatar
sk93
Lifer
Lifer
Posts: 3970
Joined: Mon Oct 19, 2009 9:20 pm
Location: Nottingham
Contact:

Re: Build and install your own AUX Cable!

Post by sk93 » Tue Feb 02, 2010 9:09 am

To answer all your questions:


DSP / Bluetooth have no relation on whether the aux in works. (it works with both or either).

DSP does not disable AUX in. I have DSP and AUX in works perfectly.
It is likely the cable being sold does not have the resistors in place (the caps help reduce noise and maintain a clear signal. its the resistor introduces a drain between the two inputs, which tells the stereo it has an AUX connection)

With bluetooth installed, you need to splice into the two existing wires. This can be done with any of the cables, and there are instructions within the BMW TIS printout.

and for my final trick:

Image
:zzzz:

Siftah
Member
Member
Posts: 725
Joined: Mon Dec 14, 2009 8:45 pm

Re: Build and install your own AUX Cable!

Post by Siftah » Tue Feb 02, 2010 12:19 pm

Brilliant!

Thanks very much, I'll get the pins and knock myself a cable up then - It looks like I should be able to make use of the VCR/Tape inputs too with a similar cable which is going to be handy for future projects :)

User avatar
sk93
Lifer
Lifer
Posts: 3970
Joined: Mon Oct 19, 2009 9:20 pm
Location: Nottingham
Contact:

Re: Build and install your own AUX Cable!

Post by sk93 » Tue Feb 02, 2010 12:57 pm

I believe they're actually outputs, but don't quote me on it... i certainly couldn't find any obvious use for them!
:zzzz:

Siftah
Member
Member
Posts: 725
Joined: Mon Dec 14, 2009 8:45 pm

Re: Build and install your own AUX Cable!

Post by Siftah » Tue Feb 02, 2010 8:17 pm

sk93 wrote:I believe they're actually outputs, but don't quote me on it... i certainly couldn't find any obvious use for them!
Ah :(

I'll perhaps look at using the NAV/TV and VCR inputs on the other plug then - looking at what the TV modules are going for I don't think I'll be adding night vision for a while anyway :)

I've managed to rip a couple of connectors out of some old PC header cables, so with a bit of luck I'll have the right capacitors/resistors knocking about to get something soldered up - unfortunately, left my flippin' soldering iron at work so I'll not be doing it tonight, doh! :)

Image

User avatar
DWSMGS117
Newbie
Newbie
Posts: 6
Joined: Mon Jan 25, 2010 5:14 pm
Location: Loudonville NY

Re: Build and install your own AUX Cable!

Post by DWSMGS117 » Tue Feb 02, 2010 9:41 pm

SK93 I think you hit the nail on the head. I see no resistors or capacitors on the cable I have purchased. I will add per your schematic and hopefully all will work. Thanks for your help. :thumbsup:

User avatar
sk93
Lifer
Lifer
Posts: 3970
Joined: Mon Oct 19, 2009 9:20 pm
Location: Nottingham
Contact:

Re: Build and install your own AUX Cable!

Post by sk93 » Wed Feb 03, 2010 12:14 am

Siftah wrote:
sk93 wrote:I believe they're actually outputs, but don't quote me on it... i certainly couldn't find any obvious use for them!
Ah :(

I'll perhaps look at using the NAV/TV and VCR inputs on the other plug then - looking at what the TV modules are going for I don't think I'll be adding night vision for a while anyway :)

I've managed to rip a couple of connectors out of some old PC header cables, so with a bit of luck I'll have the right capacitors/resistors knocking about to get something soldered up - unfortunately, left my flippin' soldering iron at work so I'll not be doing it tonight, doh! :)

Image
hehe.. i'd be interested to see where you get with it, as the info for our headunits is sketchy at best and i think i'd like to play around more :)

those connectors will do the job just dandy :thumbsup: , but you will want to insulate the sides of them, as they will be touching each other once plugged in otherwise.
If you have an old case-mounted pc speaker / power/reset switch, these are perfectomundo for what you want them for :D
:zzzz:

User avatar
sk93
Lifer
Lifer
Posts: 3970
Joined: Mon Oct 19, 2009 9:20 pm
Location: Nottingham
Contact:

Re: Build and install your own AUX Cable!

Post by sk93 » Wed Feb 03, 2010 12:16 am

DWSMGS117 wrote:SK93 I think you hit the nail on the head. I see no resistors or capacitors on the cable I have purchased. I will add per your schematic and hopefully all will work. Thanks for your help. :thumbsup:
check for continuity between the left and right audio channels.. if there is none, then it won't work without said ressies and caps :wink:

I can 100% guarantee that if you follow this schematic, the cable WILL work :thumbsup:
:zzzz:

Siftah
Member
Member
Posts: 725
Joined: Mon Dec 14, 2009 8:45 pm

Re: Build and install your own AUX Cable!

Post by Siftah » Wed Feb 03, 2010 8:53 pm

1x 300kΩ 0.6W Resistor - Maplin Part No: M300K - £0.16
2x 0.22uf Capacitors - Maplin Part No: WW56L - £1.12
Well, everyone must have decided to make their own because Maplin is out of stock of 300kΩ resistors! :)

I'll use two 150kΩ in series as I have them in my box of junk. Also haven't got any tantalum caps so I'll replace those with polybox's.

Now, to the soldering iron!

Siftah
Member
Member
Posts: 725
Joined: Mon Dec 14, 2009 8:45 pm

Re: Build and install your own AUX Cable!

Post by Siftah » Thu Feb 04, 2010 12:44 am

Well, I made progress but not great...

I had a feeling tantalum caps were polarised, so I googled a bit to find out and during the course of this I noticed that other people on BMW forums had successfully made working cables without using the capacitors at all. The consensus seemed to be that the caps are just there for filtering and aren't essential, so I left them out!

That seemed to make sense (can anyone explain what the capacitors actually do?) so I went ahead and made a cable up using just the resistor(s).

I've verified I have 300kΩ resistance between the left/right audio channels, but the cable doesn't work - AUX-IN isn't shown on the radio, it just cycles through Radio/CD/Intravee as before.

sk93,
I noticed there's an inconsistency in the pin numbers given, in your original post you mention:
RED PIN - #8
GREEN PIN - #9
BLUE PIN - #4
Yet the schematic posted above points to pins 3,4 and 10 being the necessary ones. The schematic seems to match up to what I have connected already (ie: the NAV is using pins 11 and 5) but maybe I'm missing something here?

Also, the pins I'd sourced from an old ATX PSU seem too big to fit properly into the connector used in the car - the pins from a USB header cable seem to be a better size, in fact the connector on the car looks to be two standard sized PCB header pin connector cables slotted into another connector (hence it looks a lot bigger in the photo I posted earlier).

I think I'll re-solder my cable using the smaller size pins and then try again tommorrow - but now, a beer and bed ;)

User avatar
sk93
Lifer
Lifer
Posts: 3970
Joined: Mon Oct 19, 2009 9:20 pm
Location: Nottingham
Contact:

Re: Build and install your own AUX Cable!

Post by sk93 » Thu Feb 04, 2010 9:17 am

the caps are used to filter out some of the noise that can/will be generated along the cable.
they are also used to help maintain a constant "volume" in.
I tried without them, and although the cable worked, it wasn't very good.


In regards to the numbering, when I made my cable and this howto, I didn't have an english version of the pinout above.
I had a dodgy german one and it wasn't brilliant.

however, looking at the backside of my radio at the time, I was certain the pin numbering on the radio started from the bottom left pin being number 1, and the top right pin being number 12.
wheras in the pinout i posted for you counts from the top left to bottom right.


Image

This is definately the pins you will be wanting to connect up, regardless of numbers :)
(I know the pins off by heart due to the amount of times i've plugged/unplugged it now)
If you just forget the pin numbers and use those, I promise it won't go wrong.


It's likely the connectors aren't holding the pins - have you any reset/power switches you can "recycle"?
However, if you can take a piccie of where you've connected up your cable to the stereo, I may be able to spot what's wrong?
:zzzz:

Post Reply