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Cheap Aux & Sub connectors 4 factory harness-Part I-1of3

43K views 36 replies 16 participants last post by  AztecRol 
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
##### EDIT #####
Brendan is out of the country right now and his webserver is not up.
None of the pictures are working on this thread, but the information is still correct.

~sier
###############

What's this about?

Say you want to add a custom headunit to an EX and you also want to continue to use the Aux jack and subwoofer (via the EX's passenger kick panel amp). But you *don't* want to cut any of the wiring, just in case you want or need to return the vehicle to the stock setup.

Here's a way to create some "plugs" that will interface with the AUX and SUB wiring harnesses. Got it? Good.

Part I: Construction:

Tools & Materials needed:
Wire stripper/cutter
bullet Connector Crimper
VOM meter
Electrical Tape

Aux connector Parts needed:
Headunit with Aux-In
Two channel RCA cable
3 red bullet connectors (male)
3 red bullet connectors (female)
2 standard resistors

Sub connector Parts needed:
Headunit with Sub-Out
RCA Y Cable (2 Male -> 1 Female)
One channel RCA cable (half of the standard pair)
2 red bullet connectors (male)
2 red bullet connectors (female)
1 standard resistor

Let's begin. Say hello to my connectors bag, bullet connectors,
and bulk resistors



Why resistors? Well, we're going to use them for their stiff
leads, which are also wide enough to stay semi-snugly in the
bullet connectors as well as the E's harnesses.

Why red ones? Because taking the blue pill is to deny the truth!
Er, no, that's my other project...

Because the red bullet connectors are the smaller ones, more
appropriate for the RCA wiring, and definitely more appropriate for
the size of the resistor leads (than the blue ones).



[continued...]
 
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2
#2 ·
[...continued]

Ok, let's look at the Aux connector interface construction.

First, we take a standard Two channel RCA cable (or the equivalent,
as I did, since I had two separate half cables from previous
experiments sitting in a box, luckily red and white):



And then we BEHEAD THEM. MUHAHAHAHA!
(sadly, I've run out of fake blood, so no special effects)



Then we use the wire stripper to strip both the out insulation
and inner insulation. I used the 14 setting for the outside and
the 20-22 setting for the inside. Turns out my red cable inner
conductor is thinner than the white one (read: really really
cheap) and gave me trouble. Hopefully, you've got better cables.



Ok, get the male bullet connectors ready! Oops, that's wrong. I
should have taken a picture of the MALE ones here, because that's
what we're going to connect the wires to. But, you get the idea.



At this point, I realized I hadn't stripped the cables enough
so I restripped both the outside and inside a bit more (though
the next few shots show the inner conductors with too much
insulation, I fixed that before attaching the bullet connectors.

Also, you want to twist the conductors to prevent them from
fraying. I'm right handed, so they get twisted clockwise.



We need to twist the grounds (outer conductors) together, since
the E's aux wiring uses a shared ground (as do all devices that
would plug in there). Twist in the same direction as before.



Ok, time to assemble the MALE bullet connectors onto the wiring, and
assemble the FEMALE bullet connectors onto the resistor leads.



Ok, well, hopefully you figured that out. The male connectors are
relatively easy, you need to make sure you do a good job of crimping
them tightly, and also making sure that for the two non-ground
(signal) wires, the exposed wiring is crimped, not the insulation.

And, of course, you should cut the resistor bodies off of the leads
when done. Leave them on before crimping, however, since the female
bullet connectors have an unreliable 'stop' in them. I dropped a few
pre-cut leads all the way through them onto the floor, never to
be seen again before adding that rule...

Oh yeah, and tug a bit on the wires/leads to make sure they are snugly crimped. Sometimes, additional work is needed.



This part is easy...CLICK:



And of course, you want to verify that you properly wired everything.
Use a Volt-Ohm-Meter (VOM) to check. Mine has a continuity-check
setting, which is just a "very-low-resistance" detector.

The tip of the red connector should register with the lead connected
to the red wire. Tip of the white connector should register with the
lead connected to the white wire.

And the lead connected to the dual-ground should register with both of
the RCA shields.

Finally, you should verify there are no unexpected cross-connections,
which is unlikely in this project.



I'm not going to tape up the Aux connector yet, still have to verify
the order and location of the 3 holes on the connector before I do that.
That's in Part II later this week.

[continued...]
 
#3 ·
[...continued]

Let's construct the Sub connector interface:

Ok, since you've done the Aux connector already, we're going to skip
most of the steps. Since there's only one channel, no need to twist
together two grounds. Just one RCA single channel cable, chop off
one of the ends, strip and twist the signal/ground wires, and add
two MALE bullet connectors.

Then, add two resistor leads to two FEMALE bullet connectors:



Now, on my headunit, my sub-out is stereo. Depending on your system,
you might have to add a y-cable as I did:



CLICK:



Ok, since the sub-connector is more simple, I've gone ahead and started
taping the sub-connector interface. First round of taping is to insulate
and stabilize the exposed wiring at the bottom of the male bullet connectors



Finally, tape up the top to stabilize it as well. Just align the two
connectors in parallel, well lined up. The leads are stiff and, as you
can see, you will be able to bend them to fit the sub harness (see
Part II later this week):



And, as above, perform continuity tests. In this case, both the
RCA shields should be connected to one connector, and both tips
should be connected to the other. There should be no cross connections
between tips and shields.



That's it for Part I! Hope this illustrated post helps!

-brendan

PS - please send me a private message with any corrections instead of
posting to the thread.

[THE END]
 
#4 ·
All of the above, hooked up to my head unit (offscreen):



My headunit, a pioneer, has an external interface for the aux-in. As you may notice, I've used "piggy-back" RCA connectors, so that I can wire my empeg/riocar DIN unit in parallel with the E's Aux connector.

In my next posting (in the next few days):

- Pictures of the AUX and SUB harnesses
- Identification of each wire (or most of them anyway).
- Reordering of the leads (aux only)
- Taping of the leads (aux only) to create a plug
- Connecting to the harnesses
- Taping everything up snugly.

-brendan
 
#5 ·
Good stuff! I would suggest using heat shrink tubing with adhesive instead of electrical tape. It looks cleaner and stays in place better in my experience. The idea is great considering I am kicking myself wondering why I didn't think of that. This is definitely a less invasive way to tap into your Element's wiring. Looking forward to seeing how you attach your connectors to the factory harness.
 
#6 ·
Code:
Green Aux Plug
===== === ====

Pin #s are:  as seen from above when connected to OEM headunit,
counting from left to right.

This plug has 6 holes and 6 wires.

  Y BlBrG W  /-Lt. Blu+ R
| 1 2 3 4 5 6 |
|             |
|             |
|             |
|             |
|             |
= = = = = = = =
      | | |
     /  |  \\ 
Looking into plug facing forward in vehicle:


|-------------|     |-------------|
| o o o o o o |     | 1 2 3 4 5 6 |
|-------------|     |-------------|


Pin #	E Wire Color	E Use		Interfaces To Head Unit
1       Yellow          Active A*       Generally N/A
2       Blue            Active B*       Generally N/A

3       Brown           Ring (Right)    Aux In Right
4       Green           Sleeve (Ground) Aux In Ground (shared)
5       White           Tip (Left)      Aux In Left

6       Lt. Blue + Red  Unused/ground?  N/A
        stripe	

* - plug insertion simply connects these two wires (it can be used
    as a switch or to control a relay).

Black Sub Plug
===== === ====

Pin #s are:  as seen from above when connected to OEM headunit,
counting from left to right.

This plug has 8 holes but only 3 wires.  It is stacked two levels deep

  Top Row       Bottom Row

     -Pi+Black
     \\  Re+W           Re+Blue
      | |              |
| 1 3 5 7 |    | 2 4 6 8 |
|         |    |         |
|         |    |         |
|         |    |         |
|         |    |         |
= = = = = =    = = = = = =
        |              |
        |              |

Looking into plug facing forward in vehicle:

|---------|     |---------|
| o o o o |     | 1 3 5 7 |
| o o o o | or  | 2 4 6 8 |
|---------|     |---------|

Pin #	E Wire Color	E Use		Interfaces To Head Unit
7       Red + White     Signal          Sub Out Signal
        stripe          (RCA Tip)
8       Red + Blue      Ground          Sub Out Ground
        stripe          (RCA Sleeve)


5       Pink + Black    Unused/ground?  N.A
        stripe
Part III when we continue. Pictures are taken, I just have to cull some of them, resize & rename, and finish the write up!

-brendan

PS - My notes had pins 3&4 on the aux connector reversed from what I've said above. However, all other posts in the forums jive with the above. I think I just mistook my notes. E.g.: http://www.elementownersclub.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=52713&highlight=blue+brown+green#52713

In any case, you might want to double check with a multimeter.

PPS - so much for the puns...I've got to admit I've been using "bullet connectors", not "butt connectors" as mentioned elsewhere. Still, everything else is valid. Butt Connectors could work, but the bullet
connector pairs allow for some build flexibility.
 
#7 ·
Part III

Ok, back to the car!

AUX Wiring:
=== ======

Color reference:


As noted above (Part II), you want the holes connected to
the Brown, Green and White wires:




I installed the 3 leads by checking the wires going into
the male bullet connector (copper, white or red) and properly
connecting the matching lead to the Green, Brown or White wire
(see Part II for proper mapping). Note that, unlike in the
picture, I had to trim some of the red plastic from the three
ends to get the leads properly seated into the aux-connector's
holes. Use a razor blade or a sharp tipped wire cutter to trim
the plastic back.



Test the leads being installed properly by hooking up your
portable device to the in-dash Aux jack (as shown below):



After that you can wrap the cord/leads part (you created)
in electrical tape to stabilize it. See Part I for an
example, since I did the same for the sub-connector there.


Sub Wiring:
=== ======

Color reference (refer to Part II) - top view:



Color reference (refer to Part II) - side view 1:



Color reference (refer to Part II) - side view 2:



Those were, of course, right side views (or "stage left" side views,
from the sub connector's point of view).

Time to connect the sub leads we created in Part I. Note: due
the the lack of friction in the standard holes, I pushed the
pins into the tiny "pin-release" holes above the standard
holes. They're electrically the same, but much less likely
to allow the leads to fall out. Note that messing around with
the leads in those holes too much could cause the pins in the
sub connector to actually release and the two striped red
wires could come loose. So, just make sure everything is snug
when you are done.



Final Assembly:
===== ========

Ok, fully tape up both the aux lead assembly and the sub lead
assembly to the plugs you've inserted them in using electrical
tape! I Should have taped the sub's full assembly up a bit
further up on the plug to so as to wrap some electrical tape
around the base of the plug.



Verify the aux channels and sub are all working correctly with
the appropriate music!



You may be wondering what all that other crud is hanging around
in the background there. You don't really want to know:

[Continued...]
 
#8 ·
[...continued]



Yes, horrific, I know. Thank goodness there's a ton of space
behind the headunit, behind the Environment controls and behind
the driver's side dash...

Ok, now, carefully, with the stereo on (if you're the trusting
kind, like me), start pushing the wiring into all the right
places, deep in the dash, and reinstall your head unit.

Now it's obvious why you need to make sure you tape up the aux
& sub connectors very well, since the stress on the wiring can
get high when you're putting everything into the dash.

[Note: In the above picture, you can't even SEE the primary bluetooth
speakerphone unit: it's already zip tied on the *outside* of the
double-din rail bedhind the left side of the stereo trim piece
that'll be reinstalled in the next picture. You can see the secondary
speakerphone box and all of its ISO connectors, plus the ones I had
to add, and the speaker-to-line level adapter, all of which I had to
add to continue with my approach of "no-cut" installs).]



And yes, the speakerphone still works. Didn't have my RioCar/
Empeg installed at the time. Will take a pic of the full ensemble
tomorrow.

-brendan
 
#9 ·
[quote:5a7763e871=" "]I think the most important part of this thread that Brendan left out is the fact that he tore his own car apart to remove the wires just to show us how it was done. Thanks and well done Brendan... i am on the edge of my seat for part 2[/quote:5a7763e871]

...and drove around for a week with no music in the car...

...well except for big errands day (sis & I did groceries, priceclub & target): we drove around with my car stereo assembly hooked back up, but on the floor in front of the non-functional sub!!!

:) :) :) Gotta have the tunes...

-brendan
 
#10 ·
[quote:bb67b8b7b6=" "]Good stuff! I would suggest using heat shrink tubing with adhesive instead of electrical tape. It looks cleaner and stays in place better in my experience. The idea is great considering I am kicking myself wondering why I didn't think of that. This is definitely a less invasive way to tap into your Element's wiring. Looking forward to seeing how you attach your connectors to the factory harness.[/quote:bb67b8b7b6]

Heh, I'm now imagining the horrified look on your face..."He...he...he just TAPED them in???" :)

"Looks cleaner" wasn't an issue for me. "Stays in better" is...but I did my best to get the thick enough leads into the holes so they weren't jiggling around in there, and did my best to tape things up securely. A bunch of jiggling and slight bending/tugging before reinstalling everything to make sure the wiring was secure also helped.

I've got heat shrink tubing, as well as a couple of kinds of heat-shrink *tape* from http://partsexpress.com . However, I wanted to keep the parts list down for this particular job. It's hard to find the heat-shrink tape, and finding the large cross-section heat-shrink tubing can be difficult (radio shack has really gone downhill in the past couple of decades).

Anyway, thanks for the compliment and comments, Silk.

-brendan
 
#11 ·
Good stuff and a valuable addition to the pool of information already available here for the DIYers. I ran with your idea after your initial posting and did somethings differently. I have been dying to add to your post but didn't want to steal your thunder in the middle of your series. However since you are done, I hope you don't mind if I piggy back on your thread. :D

Alternatives to Brendan's ideas:

1. If you don't have a readily available supply of resistors, you can also use paper clips (small ones with thin wires). This also has the right gauge and stiffness.

2. Instead of using bullet connectors you can also solder your RCA wires directly on to the paperclip/resister wire. You can cover the conection with some heatshrink tubing. This makes a smaller plugs which comes in handy later.

3. You can make a plastic harness out of a small rectangler piece of plastic.

  • First make a template using a lead pencil and a piece of paper.

    Place the piece of paper over the connector and rub the lead pencil over it. You should get a great little template with the size of the connector and the spacing between each hole.

    Cut a small piece of plastic to size and make 5 holes just big enough to push your paperclip/resistor wire through. You need roughly 1/4 - 1/2" of wire poking through. You can trim excess to fit later

    You can superglue or epoxy the back to add some strength and rigidity to the connector. This may not be needing if you used a fairly stiff piece of plastic.

    Wrap the whole thing in some electrical tape and you got a one piece plug

The main reason I chose to make a plug is because I was worried about the wires moving around had I just plugged them in individually. Having done this with the aux input I kind of wish I had done the same thing with my sub connection. In any event more options for you diehard DIYers.

Parting tip: I see many people buying patch cords / RCA connection cables. This can get kind of expensive fast depending on the brand, quality, etc. You can make your own RCA cables for dirt cheap prices in material that are equally as good, pretty, etc. as any you buy aftermarket. Just buy 2 good quality RCA plugs and some good speaker wire at Parts Express or your local Radioshack. Cut and split a section of the speaker wire to length and twist them together (think braid) and solder both ends to the RCA plugs. That is it. Custom fit wires using quality materials that don't have MONSTER prices.
 
#12 ·
[quote:be214bd643=" "]Good stuff and a valuable addition to the pool of information already available here for the DIYers. I ran with your idea after your initial posting and did somethings differently. I have been dying to add to your post but didn't want to steal your thunder in the middle of your series. However since you are done, I hope you don't mind if I piggy back on your thread.[/quote:be214bd643]

Don't mind at all. Paperclips! Cheaper and better than resistor leads: a great idea.

Yeah, smaller plugs than the bullet connector might be less finicky on the aux connector. I'm horrible at soldering though.

So where are the pictures, Silk??? :)

-brendan
 
#13 ·
uhh...i'm a little confused.

i'm looking into getting the eclipse 5423 deck with 5V pre-amp outs. are you guys saying that I can just make these plugs, connect the RCA end to my high-voltage pre-amp outs, connect the makeshift ends into the stock wire harnesses for the AUX and SUB and I'm done???

thought I needed a RCA-to-speaker level converter in order to properly connect the AUX and SUB to my aftermarket headunit.

clarification on these makeshift plugs would be appreciated. Thanks!
 
#14 ·
[quote:22f430c6b5=" "]uhh...i'm a little confused.

i'm looking into getting the eclipse 5423 deck with 5V pre-amp outs. are you guys saying that I can just make these plugs, connect the RCA end to my high-voltage pre-amp outs, connect the makeshift ends into the stock wire harnesses for the AUX and SUB and I'm done???

thought I needed a RCA-to-speaker level converter in order to properly connect the AUX and SUB to my aftermarket headunit.

clarification on these makeshift plugs would be appreciated. Thanks![/quote:22f430c6b5]

I think the answer to your question is *yes*, but I want to summarize how you'd wire your head unit below because...you only spoke about the AUX and SUB above and didn't mention the other four channels! :)

The AUX and SUB connections shown above are *in addition to* the standard four door output channels (Front Left & Right, Rear Left & Right). There are two pretty standard ways to handle *those* four channels, e.g.: a) using your head unit's high-power speaker-levels out plus a four channel high-to-low level converter and wiring that into the a standard Metra (etc.) Honda mating harness or b) using the 5V RCA outs and wiring them using your own custom cable into a standard Metra (etc.) Honda mating harness.

The photo essay above, instead, is for handling the 5th output channel, that is, the sub channel, (or 5th & 6th if your sub out is stereo), as well as handling the aux-INPUT for your head unit if it has one so that it can work with the jack on the passenger side dash. Handling these on the EX model are unique primarily because the aux & sub wiring harnesses on the EX are separate from the standard Honda harness and use proprietary plugs. In addition, the reason for using pins is so that we don't have to cut those plugs off and wire them directly.

Does that make sense now?

-brendan
 
#15 ·
Screw: As I have mentioned in your "Weak Vocals CDT" thread, you are really using level converters incorrectly. Brendan pretty much explained your options and the reasoning behind this thread.

In your example of using "RCA-to-speaker level converter", the converter would defeat the purpose of using a high voltage pre-amp outputs. The idea of using the 5V RCA is to send as clean a signal as possible to your amp. You will also notice Eclipse higher end models have 8V RCAs. This is because, (generally speaking), it is easier to get a cleaner and a more noise free signal delivered to amps with higher voltages. RCA cables are also shielded by design versus unshielded speaker wires.

Given the option, you should be using the low level (RCA inputs) on your amp not the speaker level. By using speaker level inputs with a converter you are only adding noise to your system. Also Aux is an input and do not require a level converter (used for outputs) other than an Aux input adapter if necessary.
 
#16 ·
Screw,

If you're planning on going with an Eclipse HU, just plan to have a qualified Eclipse dealer do the install. As I understand it, that way you get a three year warranty instead of a one-year. Your installer should be able to explain the different connections that will be needed for the install. The money will be well spent if you use a good installer.

Steve
 
#18 ·
[quote:0df912cc7a=" "]Yeah, it doesn't seem like I can avoid it...which is fine. I'm going to get it installed this Sunday by Al&Eds in Arcadia or in Brea. The only things I am worried about are whether they'll know how to hook-up the subs and aux. Thanks to all for the help, patience, and clarification. SCREW! out!! :D[/quote:0df912cc7a]

Cool. Wasn't clear to me if you were using the OEM sub and OEM amp (for the sub at least). If so, print out the thread and perhaps they can improve on the method...or they could always cut off the ends, but...I don't like that.

:)

-brendan
 
#19 ·
Yeah, i don't like cutting off the ends either...but I guess it really doesn't matter since my stock radio is on the fritz. Gonna have the Honda dealer diagnose it first before I get anything installed. (make sure it's only the stock radio that's on the fritz and nothing else.)

And yeah, I'm using the stock amp and sub. But I'll definitely print out this great thread among others before I take it them. Thanks!
 
#20 ·
One last idea: one, if not both, connectors have pins that can be disengaged from the plug. You might could find a male/female plug pair that uses the same pins to temporarily bypass the proprietary plugs without cutting.

-brendan
 
#22 ·
[quote:1aced08e8d=" "]Brendan - this is very useful info!!

And... You get extra points for being a Fugazi fan. :wink:[/quote:1aced08e8d]

You're welcome! :)

-brendan
 
#23 ·
#24 ·
[quote:26a87ff451=" "]Radio Shack sells crimp on pin connects, do these look like they would work as well as the home-made connectors? They don't look like the pins are flexible so that may be a problem. Getting ready to install my head unit so for $1.69 I may give them a try[/quote:26a87ff451]

Let us know!

-brendan
 
#25 ·
The Radio Shack pin connectors are too thick, used the resistor wires and they worked fine with butt connectors.
 
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