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iPod aux mod

26K views 125 replies 39 participants last post by  sivarTI 
#1 ·
Anyone done this?

http://jurgar.wordpress.com/2008/07/10/saab-9-5-audio-en/

I'm thinking of doing it. I hear you "do not" need to hook up a switch as the instructions illustrate as when you're in radio mode plugging in the iPod will override the radio. Anyone who's done this have any tips, insight?
 
#47 ·
You guys sure have me thinking hard on this one (and making me want to do this) :)

Ok, so I think this is what we need to do to truly make this the perfect mod that would complement any AS2/AS3 system for a user with any bluetooth enabled phone:

Find a bluetooth device that runs off of 12V power, has a mic, supports A2DP, and has audio output. The griffin device you linked to is ALMOST perfect, but I'm picky and want to find something where the wires run out the back.

Design a circuit that disconnects the line out from the bluetooth device unless your phone is paired. Again, a switch would definitely do the trick here but I'm being picky and I really think we could hack something up that would be awesome here.

I'm thinking hard on both of the above ideas and if I figure anything out for either I will definitely post it. Unfortunately, a lot of my spare time in the near future is going towards helping my dad rebuild a GM automatic transmission.
 
#53 ·
Best way to remove it:
-First, get some removal tools. Search google and you'll find them if you don't know what to look for.
-Insert removal tools and try to gently wiggle out the head unit. Some people report that it just pops right out. I didn't have luck doing this so if you don't then continue on.
-Remove the SID (top part). To do this, put a bit of tape around the end of a thin flathead screwdriver to protect your wood panel piece. Stick the screwdriver in the gap to the right of the SID and pry a bit until it pops out about half an inch. Now look on the left side of the SID - put your screwdriver in the gap next to one of the blanks or buttons (TCS/ESP/Onstar) and pop it out. Reach in and you can feel a sort of tab to push against on the SID and you will be able to get the other side out.
-Pull out the SID, don't worry about disconnecting it. Keep the removal tools in the stereo and reach behind and push the unit from behind. Make sure you push on the unit itself and not the frame that goes around it. This is the only piece you need for this mod.
 
#52 ·
Nope its just the middle one, the top is the information display and the bottom is the ACC unit display.
 
#58 ·
Ok so I did a trial fitting last night of the G2-1100 unit just to see if all the connections worked. I didn't wire in the mod to the board yet but I did buy the cable. I wanted to see how the unit worked with the MP3 streaming and the mute, etc. The wire matching was actually pretty easy and it worked the first time I fired it up.:p For the first stage I wired everything via the factory SAAB harness from genuinesaab.com.

So, when you turn the key to ON or start the car, the unit gets power since it has a switched connection; To my delight, the little round keypad is backlit! It really matches the interior lighting perfectly because the volume up/down buttons are orange and the answer/end buttons are green/red respectively, while the bluetooth "B" is blue of course. My phone automatically paired with the unit, and I was able to make voice commands work perfectly. I can call, text, open apps, navigate to a destination, post my facebook or twitter status, and even compose an email handsfree. To be fair, this functionality is possible via an Android app called Vlingo, although the stock Google voice actions works the same way. It really is the coolest thing. During a call you can mute or transfer the call to your phone or from your phone to the car without touching the phone as it's all handled by the units keypad. When I press the "B" the radio mutes and "telephone" appears on the SID, and somehow it opened up my default MP3 app on my phone and started playing the last song I listened to! I wasn't expecting that but it was really a nice surprise. Also using the keypad you can skip forward or back to the next or last song. Everything happens without touching the phone which is so nice. The sound only plays thru the front dash speakers right now obviously, and the sound is definitely not quality, but that's where the line input mod will come in!

Today I'm going to do the real install; Not sure if I will tackle the line input mod and tie this unit to it today or next weekend. When I do get that part done and figure out how to fix the whole reduced volume on the radio issue, I think it will be perfect! I'll post pics later when I finishand since it will be dark soon I'll post some of the unit backlit so all can see!

James you've been extremely helpful with this; kudos to all and especially to you for your input. Could you possibly explain exactly how I can take advantage of the mute line to switch this relay, and what type of relay you think I will need? I'm having trouble understanding exactly what I need to do here and the blokes at Radio Shack are literally clueless. Go figure. :-\

Cheers!
 
#59 ·
Hi

Great to hear this progress - very exciting! It's starting to get me interested in this kit of yours, I'm going to need to try to find a UK supplier...

The A2DP stuff is spot on, that sounds to be pretty much perfect - all that is left is a solution to the pesky 'reduced volume' problem.

You could just see if you notice / mind the reduced volume - you may not.

What I'm thinking is needed is a fairly simple circuit. The relay would be needed to switch the connection from the audio source 'on' - electrically equivalent to physcially plugging in 3.5mm jack. What we need is a simple circuit which trigger the relay when the mute line is grounded. I think that this could be done with a transistor or op-amp - unfortunately my electronics knowledge is very limited.

I need to do a bit of research and see what I can find. It should be very easy, just needs a bit of work. It should only need a few components, I'll go away and see what I can find out.

Look forward to hearing the next bit from you!

James
 
#60 ·
OK so I did the first stage install and have a few interesting things to report. Pics first!





I think there's an issue with the keypad unfortunately :cry: All buttons work great except the green answer/redial button. I can't get a button press to register anything on the mobile phone. It makes me think it's a hardware issue because all other buttons work perfectly. I emailed the company so we'll see what happens. In the meantime, I put the car together. The phone pairs up very quickly automatically when you start the car, but "telephone" briefly appears upon pairing and there's some audible popping. There is also some popping sounds whenever it switches into telephone mode when a call comes in or when you are initiating a voice action. It's a little random but annoying. I've heard of others having similar issues so maybe some sort of inline ground loop isolator is in order after all.

The mic I installed in the stock location in the above console behind the small grill; callers remarked that I sound slightly distant and I believe the mic is of a directional type, so I need to reposition it a bit to get the best reception.

An interesting note is that when streaming MP3s, the sound is heard thru ALL speakers out of the box! I used the SAAB factory telephone harness line in leads and connected the front speaker wires from the G2-1100 harness for the time being. The quality is OK but it could definitely be better. I think it would improve if I used the line level outputs from the bluetooth harness instead of the speaker level outputs. I'll look into that next. I'm honestly not sure why the music play thru all the speakers because voice conversations play only thru the front speakers. Weird, but great! :D

Overall I think is looks as factory as it possibly could and hopefully I can get the couple issues worked out as I'm very pleased otherwise!

Cheers.
 
#61 ·
So I've a couple updates to report:

I think there's an issue with the keypad unfortunately :cry: All buttons work great except the green answer/redial button. I can't get a button press to register anything on the mobile phone. It makes me think it's a hardware issue because all other buttons work perfectly. I emailed the company so we'll see what happens.
Spoke with a tech and they are sending me a new keypad; they were extremely nice and helpful, and also knowledgeable about the product, which is refreshing!

There is also some popping sounds whenever it switches into telephone mode when a call comes in or when you are initiating a voice action. It's a little random but annoying. I've heard of others having similar issues so maybe some sort of inline ground loop isolator is in order after all.
Found out why this is happening; Apparently the little unit is capable of boosting the volume up to 40W itself, so that's why they recommend splicing right into the speakers AFTER the amp. The way I have it wired is using the unit's amp before even going thru the SAAB amp, which explains the popping and the less than stellar music quality. Lowering the volume on the unit way down and using the car stereo to raise the volume helps quality quite a bit actually. Still a line output from the unit would be best. More on that below.

The mic I installed in the stock location in the above console behind the small grill; callers remarked that I sound slightly distant and I believe the mic is of a directional type, so I need to reposition it a bit to get the best reception.
I repositioned the mic to point directly towards me as it is indeed directional and callers say that the quality is much improved! :D

The quality is OK but it could definitely be better. I think it would improve if I used the line level outputs from the bluetooth harness instead of the speaker level outputs.
The tech recommended against the way I had it installed, since the G2-1100 harness has speaker outs for front, rear, left, and right. I suppose I could tap in right after the amp and probably get better quality sound (albeit low volume) but it's going to take some experimenting. Also, there are some unused line-out pins on the unit's board, so I may try tapping those first to see what I get before doing all the wiring after the amp.
 
#62 ·
Glad you're getting most of the kinks worked out. If there's any way at all to run regular line out from the device to your head unit, you should really try it. Doesn't make much sense to have some other device controlling the audio when your head unit can do a far better job (it has equalizer, volume, etc).

As far as the circuit gw0udm talked about in his last post, I also don't quite have the electronics knowledge needed either but I have enough to get me somewhere here. What I do know (or at least think is right):
- Just a transistor (or two) should be needed, no relay or op amp
- I believe our stereo works on the basis similar to schematic D on the TRS Wikipedia Page (schematics most of the way down)
- You would have to find somewhere on the board of the device that provides power only when a bluetooth device is connected.
- Possible setup of this would be to have 2 NPN transistors, splice them into the tip and ring connections of the audio connector, with emitter and collector on either side. Small voltage source that only turns on when device is paired goes to the base connection of each transistor.

Someone is welcome to tell me that I'm completely wrong on any of that, I won't be offended. If I somehow come across some free time I may try to throw together this type of setup but use an old/cheap mp3 player just in case something isn't quite right.
 
#63 ·
Glad you're getting most of the kinks worked out. If there's any way at all to run regular line out from the device to your head unit, you should really try it. Doesn't make much sense to have some other device controlling the audio when your head unit can do a far better job (it has equalizer, volume, etc).
Totally agree here and that's my next task at hand. As soon as the replacement keypad comes in I'm gonna tap into those line-out pins on the device as I have to get inside the dash to replace the keypad anyway. Honestly, if the line-out works and the sound quality as good as I think it will be, I won't have the need for a switch at all since the unit already mutes the radio when it should and all other functionality that I wanted is built-in. Pretty sweet actually!

Cheers
 
#64 ·
I am actually gonna try out this mod, cuz I am tired of playing around with cd's;

I just wanna make sure I understand before I start. Is this right:


Some questions:
Now, mp3 player connect could be female or male, right? It depends on how I want to connect it to the mp3 player? Any advise on whether to run a female or male cable?

On/Off switch basically activates the Telephone mode?
 
#65 ·
That's right. The on/off switch mutes the radio and engages the telephone mode; basically it emulates what most any wired telephone kit or bluetooth kit does automatically. I think what it actually does is ground the circuit and pull the voltage of the radio way down to almost zero, which essentially mutes it. Correct me if I'm wrong here guys...;oops:

If you are definitely going the hardwired route instead of bluetooth, I would get a male cable so that you can plug it directly into any ipod, iphone, or almost any mobile phone or MP3 player. A female cable will work of course but I think your connection options will be limited unless you have something particular in mind. Do you? :cheesy:

Cheers
 
#67 ·
Would this mod work in conjunction with a bluetooth kit if an ipod was being used for music and a phone was being used through bluetooth kit?

I can't quite work it out but I get the feeling that the ipod would continue to play through the speakers when the phone was answered cause its hooked up through phone input?

I know a few people mentioned that they were using both but they seemed to be using their phone as their music source meaning the phone would handle the music cutout.

Any idea??

Thanks ;ol;
 
#69 ·
I cannot really see properly on this picture. Are all three cables are soldered to the circuit?

They are. I found just heating the soldered area with the tip of the gun was enough to get the wires to adhere well. I attached the ground circled in red to the area circled in yellow. It was easier to do. My board is a tad different and the area in yellow on mine looks to be a soldered connection if I recall.
 
#70 ·
I soldered my ground the the large solder blob halfway between the red and yellow circles above. It was clearly a large ground spot on the board. I agree, the soldering does not take much. I melted a bit a solder on the end of the wires first. Then all I really had to do was warm the wire and just touch it to the spot on the board (well I had to warm the board as well but it was a lot easier than trying to loosen the small bit of solder on the board)
 
#76 ·
I just finished the mod, and it works, but I am not sure if it is working properly.
First, with Switch ON, and MP3 player OFF, there is a noise coming from speakers. Sort of like static. Is it supposed to be like that?
Second, when MP player ON and Switch OFF, music from mp3 player is still playing in the car with reduced volume/quality. Is it supposed to be like that?
 
#77 ·
as far as I know, yes and yes. I unplug my MP3 when not in use to avoid the static and the purpose of the switch is to provide a better mute to the radio when the MP3 is playing. You can use it without the switch but you'll have more background noise and reduced volumne. It's not a perfect mod but it works pretty darn well I think.
 
#80 · (Edited)
Some possible words of caution about this mod. I've had it for about 3-4 months now I believe, and I noticed recently that my weatherband tuner on my radio no longer works. Could someone else with this mod try their weatherband and let me know if it works? I'm thinking either this mod disabled it somehow, or the shop that tinted my windows may have damaged the antenna, although regular radio reception is fine. Where is the antenna for radio and/or weather band located, windshield?

EDIT:Nevermind. If this happens to you, try switching between Euro and US modes by holding down the SEEK button when the radio is turned on.
 
#81 ·
I recommend the switch, because it is completely mute all other inputs, you know you get a clean signal. I have no experience, this mod does not switch, but I heard a different result, when people choose not to use one. This does not mean more peace of mind work, the work you are doing right and get the best sound quality. Sound quality, from the MOD, or a standard tape adapter, I used to be day and night use. It is right, they say it is very, difficult if not impossible to distinguish which is CD quality, if you are playing MP3 songs with higher bit rate. Even in the standard 192Kbps encoding rate that sounds damn good.
 
#82 ·
Well for some reason the sound quality has dropped quite a bit for me recently. I thought at first I blew a speaker or two. Nope. Works perfect with CD's but sounds like I have zero midrange all of sudden with the ipod playing. I have the switch set-up as well.
 
#84 ·
There are four holes in the face of the unit. If you don't want to buy a double din remover, then get a wire coat hanger, unbend it, cut it into four pieces about 6" long, and stick the pieces all the way into the holes. That will unlock the clips and you should be able to slide the head unit out. It may take a couple tries and a little patience, so Good Luck and Happy SAABing!
 
#85 ·
OK all of a sudden my iPod sounds like garbage. I thought at first I blew some speakers, but the stereo sounds great via FM or CD. And the iPod is perfect with home use.

Wondering if one of my wires crossed or came loose. Sounds seriously raspy like a blown speaker. I do have an inline switch to switch between TELEPHONE and radio. And it sounds the same no matter the setting.

Hmmm.... :(
 
#90 ·
OK all of a sudden my iPod sounds like garbage. I thought at first I blew some speakers, but the stereo sounds great via FM or CD. And the iPod is perfect with home use.

Wondering if one of my wires crossed or came loose. Sounds seriously raspy like a blown speaker. I do have an inline switch to switch between TELEPHONE and radio. And it sounds the same no matter the setting.

Hmmm.... :(
did you figure this out? Mine quit working about 2 days after the initial install and as i suspected, a solder point had come lose.

Been working perfectly since I resoldered it.
 
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