Advice on locating various audio connectors

[wikusvandemerwe]

Hi Guys

Following on my introduction thread in the New Members forum I've been mucking around for a while now trying to hack an Aux input onto my 07 Grand Vit Euro spec stereo system.

My question to the internet is: where's a good place to start looking for audio connector blocks when you have very little experience with car audio? I took a wander into a well known high street brand auto parts shop today and they had nothing suitable or even suitable from their suppliers. I'm starting to think that a lot of these audio connectors are generic and could be found down at the scrap yard?

Having shown the guy at the shop a picture of what I thought I needed he nodded sagely and advised me that it "looked like an american style plug" which filled me with dread... I know that the Aux input hack I'm working towards will require the plug from the end of the feed from a CD Multi changer, should I just start looking for a second hand one of those?

Anything on this subject would help me out and I'd be very grateful, thanks guys!

[dan_2k_uk]

Do you have a photo of the connector you need?

[wikusvandemerwe]

I'll get one Dan, well, I suppose I can get a photo of the port on the back on the unit! Will reply soon with this...

[Edweird]

Maplins is usually pretty good. I went in there the other day with the circuit board out of a broken rotating beacon I found and got all but one of the components I needed. Whilst I was there I noticed they had quite a lot of audio wiring kit.

[wikusvandemerwe]

Wow this has taken me ages to get an update...

OK so on the right hand side of the larger black port is what I'm going to hazard a guess at being the input from a cd-multi changer and this is the input that I need to find a plug for so I can go about making an aux input...



In the taking of this photo I neglected to first check to see if the sodding thing would disable itself having been disconnected... Turns out yes.

So after half an hour's panicked googling of the issue and inputting the wrong code FIVE TIMES (I tried various default codes before deciding that yes, the previous owner had set a different code) I remembered the old adage: RTFM

Thankfully written in the front of the manual in the glove box was a four digit code of which I have printed several stickers off and stuck around about nooks and crannies in the cab should this ever happen again. TBH I'm amazed I've not managed to do this earlier as I'd been just about to clean the terminals for the battery which would have resulted in the same outcome.

So if anyone is looking online for a definitive answer about "How to reset my GV Clarion Stereo SEC code" the answers are:

1 - If the radio is working and you've not disconnected the batter look to section 3-40 of the owners manual for changing the current code or resetting it
2 - If the radio is only displaying "SEC" after disconnection of head unit or battery disconnection then you will need to input a four digit code (I read online this code is not changed from the default code supplied with the radio from the radio OEM and the radio OEM default code should work, google your exact radio model number and someone will have the default code listed).
3 - If the previous owner of the vehicle has set a code other than the default and that code is not known then I know of no way of retrieving that code or blanking it without sending the radio away to the OEM.
4 - If the previous owner has set a code other than the default and that code is not known then you will have ten goes at inputting the code before the radio becomes 'locked' and won't allow any more attempts (which I feel is kind of pointless being as it's a pretty naff radio) and no amount of cajoling will un-bugger it without a return to the OEM.


The last point I can kind of see why they implemented that as a four digit numeric code won't take long to brute force assuming you could hook the radio up to a system, which I'm sure people can do.

In conclusion what I now need is the "white pluggy-inny bit to the right of the larger black one shown in the photo above" so that I can hack together some kind of harness or completely bugger the radio in the process.

[kiwizook]

could you not simply open up the radio, and desolder that plug, and solder on a trailing plug of your choice?

[wikusvandemerwe]

could you not simply open up the radio, and desolder that plug, and solder on a trailing plug of your choice?

And it may come to that, however I suspect from various posts online at least two of the pins need to be bridged with a resistor to act as a trigger to allow the system to go into a mode which will enable the pins for the L and R audio feed... Therein lies the game I intend to win, or lose... and then buy one of those flashy touch screen numbers...

[Darrell]

Or treat yourself to one of these.......
http://www.aliexpress.com/item/Car-CD-C ... 31370.html
http://www.aliexpress.com/store/product ... 81664.html