First I want to thank Boon for bringing the original solution to this forum:zerothread/328932
I just bought my blk 2003 M45 for a road trip next week and was desperatly hoping for an iPOD solution that did not mean giving up my remote CD changer. I was very happy to see Boon's great article, however I didn't want to give up my tape player either (who knows, I may want to wax nostalgic sometime) and I prefered a mounted aux port over a cable hanging out of my arm rest.
So this is what added to Boon's already great piece:
Parts from R-Shack: (1) 10ft stereo cable - 3 conductor (ends don't matter I cut them off)(1) double pole double throw mini slide switch(1) 3.5mm female aux port (dash mount)(1) 6ft male to male 3.5mm stereo cable(1) bag of misc shink tubing
Tools:- soldering iron/PCB type solder- phillips heads big and small- wire strippers (or good teeth)- tin snips- file- drill- drill bit for aux port- 220 sand paper- super glue
Instructions:1) Read console disassembly instructions and get the tape deck out - http://www.nicoclub.com/articles.php?id=239183
2) Read Boon's post listed above to get the tape apart (don't need to disassemble the tape section though)
3) Instead of slicing all 3 wires as Boon suggests, splice just the center wire (GND). Cut the other 2 as shown below:
IMPORTANT: All connections I make are soldered and covered with heat shrink tubing. These wires are fragile so they need all the help they can get with a good electrical connection as well as an extra layer of protection from strain and shorts.
Also be consistent in your wiring always make RED=Right for all connections
4) The first 2ft cable I connect is the PCB connection that will go to the center poles on the switch - one way selects the tape, the other way selects the aux port. Now since this is a DPDT switch, you can only switch L/R audio (since the GND is common to all connections don't switch it). The pic below shows the GND connection being spliced in so it can be tied into the AUX port at the switch end (cable to cable):
5) Connect the rest of the PCB connections to the PCB cable (L/R audio), then wire up the other 2ft cable with just the 2 audio connections to the tape end. The pic below isn't that great, but instead of leaving the tape end of the white connector disconnected, connect it up (you want to switch in this tape source):
6) Lable and route the 2 cables (PCB connections, Tape connections) like below:
7) In order to get a clean exit I took the tin snipes to the tab and filed off the sharp edges:
8a) Now wire up the slide switch:- center poles go to the PCB cable- one end goes to the Tape cable- other end goes to the aux port cableNOTE: Connect all the Red's on the same side of the switch
8b) The PCB cable will also have a GND from the deck in it. Wire it to the GND in the AUX port cable:
9) Tie wrap the 3 cables together. You'll be abusing this bundle a little, pushing it through openings etc. I also wrapped electrical tape around this:
10) Install the deck by pushing the switch and cable bundle through the opening first so that it sticks out the side of the console a little. *** This location is very subjective. I chose this as a location so that I could get to the switch without cutting holes in anything and make it as close to the deck as possible. I didn't know how sensitive the tape deck was to having an extra 2+ feet of cable between it and the PCB motherboard.***
11) Test your setup before buttoning everything up!!! This is where I think soldering the connections pays off... consistent results.NOTE: Since I carved up the cable Boon mentioned, I left the male 3.5mm end on the aux port cable so I could quickly test the iPOD connection here.
Test steps:a) insert tape in deck and verify the tape deck still works. b) Flip switch both ways. one way tape will play. other way the tape can't be heard.c) plug the iPOD into the male 3.5mm jack and play something. The switch should now toggle between the tape that's running and the iPOD.
BTW: Something that rarely happens for me - it worked first time! Though I was a little freaked at first when I didn't hear anything, but the volume was turned way down on the tape. Also the iPOD volume should be adjusted so that you get about the same volume when you switch between the tape an iPOD.
12) Once you're happy with the test, mount the switch. There is a flat spot on the bottom of the console cover (by the carpet) so I chose to super glue it (after scuffing the both surfaces) to the bottom edge.*** another subjective choice. I don't think I'll be using the switch that much and again, I was trying to avoid unsightly holes where possible ***The pic below shows a small nub sticking out, which really isn't visible while in the driving position:
13) Now cut off the male end of the AUX cable to the proper length, and drill a hole to mount the aux port. I picked the same coordinates as the 12v plug mirrored to the left side of the arm rest box. The wires should connect like this: - GND to the tab on the side of the connector - Red to the tab on the end that connects to the tip of the stereo jack - Blk to the remaining tabSorry about the pic. (the cable may appear to go through the arm rest box, but that's just a bend and shadow in the cable)
14) Push the aux port connector through the arm rest box and tighten the nut inside the box. It should look like this (you may not have the bug cameo in your install ;-)):
15) Connect the 6ft male-to-male cable to iPOD and retest. DONE!
I'm happy with the quality of the sound, and the tape I chose is quiet, so I'll stick with leaving a real tape in the deck (only annoyance is the iPOD cuts out during the time the tape switches sides... good old technology...).
You do have to turn up the volume a little more then the radio so there is probably a little loss in the cable length and switch, but it's not an unreasonable amount. Remember to keep the volume up on the iPOD device.
Sorry this post went a little long...
Modified by RobinG at 8:49 AM 1/5/2009
iPOD AUX Port install (have your tape and iPOD too)
Re: iPOD AUX Port install (RobinG)
Great post! This is how I would have done it if I wasn't lazy and on a budget haha.
Honestly though I thought about doing the exact same thing and I honestly couldn't think of a time were I would ever ever need to listen to a tape again. I had to rip apart my basement just to find one to stick in there as a dummy.
The only other thing is like I said in my other post, the more stops on the line the more signal loss. Doubt it's very noticable, but I like my sound quality hence the reason for doing this.
Great post though. If you would like to keep your tape working this is the perfect solution, and if and when you sell the car the new owner gets a somewhat factory looking ipod solution. Great Job!!!
Honestly though I thought about doing the exact same thing and I honestly couldn't think of a time were I would ever ever need to listen to a tape again. I had to rip apart my basement just to find one to stick in there as a dummy.
The only other thing is like I said in my other post, the more stops on the line the more signal loss. Doubt it's very noticable, but I like my sound quality hence the reason for doing this.
Great post though. If you would like to keep your tape working this is the perfect solution, and if and when you sell the car the new owner gets a somewhat factory looking ipod solution. Great Job!!!
Re: iPOD AUX Port install (RobinG)
on my 2006 I just plug the Ipod into the rear aux connector on the DVD system and listen to my Ipod that way.
Re: iPOD AUX Port install (Diganutz)
The 02-04(or 05) do not have an RCA plug-in option like the newer cars.also because of the 'unique' set-up on the Bose amplified systems there are no aftermarket plug-ins.