Blaupunkt Mnchen RDM 169 Car Audio Head Unit
Reviewed by Charles Hansen and Edward T. Dell, Jr.
PHOTO 1: RDM 169 front view.
Blaupunkt, Robert Bosch Corp., 2800 South 25th Ave., Broadview, IL 60155, 708-865-5654, www.blaupunkt.com. Dimensions: single DIN, 7.325W 7.5D 2.25H. Price: $480 US. Warranty: 12 months.
he Blaupunkt Mnchen RDM 169 is a single-DIN head unit with AM/FM tuner/ CD/CD changer capabilities. Mnchen is the German word for what we call Munich, and Blaupunkt means blue point. Interestingly, the Mnchen was manufactured in Portugal, rather than Germany or the Far-East. The faceplate (Photo 1), with its large multi-color display, flips open for access to the CD slot and Blaupunkts key card security system. A clock display is included as one of its features. The radio is also supplied with a steeringwheel-mounted infrared (IR) remote control.

FEATURES

The Mnchen provides four preamp outputs, a line-level subwoofer output, internal amps rated at 4 40W, and digital parametric equalization (EQ). Two line inputs accept signals from a compatible remote-mounted CD changer, and the head unit provides bus control input/output and power connections to the
changer. The volume-control display indication varies from 0 to 66, and a triangle-shaped horizontal bar graph displays the dynamic audio level. You can save your own custom EQ settings in the user mode. You access the low- and high-frequency digital parametric EQ with the DPE button on the front face. These DSP filters have a variable center frequency, boost/cut, and Q (bandwidth) adjustments. The low filter is variable from 32Hz to 500Hz in 13 steps ( octave). The high filter is variable from 630Hz to 10kHz, also in -octave steps. You can boost or cut the response over a display-indicated range of +8 to 8. These parameters change just over 1dB per step. You can vary the filter quality (Q) in three steps, with bandwidths from two octaves down to octave. In addition to the user-adjustable EQ settings, there are six factory-presets: Linear, Rock, Disco, Jazz, Classic, and Vocal. The manual includes a page with tips on how to adjust the EQ. If you thoroughly muck up the sound, pressing the DPE button for two seconds will deactivate the EQ function. The Mnchens user interface is quite extensive, but fairly easy once you master the operating in-
structions. The volume control is a large rotary knob, not one of those hard-to-see/use sets of up/down buttons on some car radios. A button in the center of the volume control turns the power on (WELCOME), puts the unit in mute, and turns it off (GOODBYE); and its icy blue point glows when the power is on. You select the tuner, CD, and CD changer by individual push-buttons under the volume control. You can program CD tracks (and CDs with the external changer) in any selected or random order. You can assign names to up to 30 CDs (99 CDs in changer mode). The internal CD slot is lighted with a red bar and securely holds the CD during insertion and ejection so it wont fly out of the Mnchen while you are cornering your BMW at ths. A round four-way rocker on the right side and two groups of four vertical menu-identified soft keys handle the other functions. These become station selector buttons in the tuner mode. FM stations are automatically identified with their
call letters using RDS1, and you can assign your favorite stations one of 23 program types (News, Jazz, Classical, and so on) via the PTY function. The display is quite readable and offers viewing-angle and brightness adjustments. However, I would not try to operate the menu-driven functions while drivingthey require too much attention to the radio display. You can operate the unit with the ignition off via the permanent +12V DC connection. In this mode, the unit shuts down automatically after one hour to prevent battery drain.

INSIDE THE AMPLIFIER

The head unit, which is extremely rugged, is constructed of heavy gauge steel, and the top cover is perforated to enhance cooling of the power amplifier module. A heavy mounting bracket holds the unit securely in place. The rear panel (not shown) has five receptacles, a grounding stud, antenna jack, and a plug-in 10A fuse. Connector wiring harnesses

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are supplied for power and ground, adjustable illumination, cellphone mute, antenna motor control, speakers, line outputs, and subwoofer output. The four line output flying lead RCA connectors are all gold-plated. Additional re-
ceptacle pins are provided for the remote CD changer, so you will need a compatible plug and wiring harness. The installation instructions are very rudimentary. Unless you are fairly proficient in auto radio in-
dB 0 -10 -20 -30 -40 -50 -60 -70

TABLE 1

MEASURED PERFORMANCE
PARAMETER MANUFACTURERS RATING MEASURED RESULTS

-80 -90 -100 kHz 20

Line-out level Output impedance Frequency response Usable dynamic range Subwoofer out level Internal amplifier levels IMD 11kHz + 12kHz Signal-to-noise Channel error Frequency response FM mono sensitivity Usable FM sensitivity FM stereo sensitivity FM frequency response FM stereo separation
3.2V, 1% THD+N 4.8V maximum 100 1dB, 2020kHz 90dB 3V, 1% THD+N 4 25W, 1% THD+N 4 40W maximum N/S 90dB 0.25dB 2020kHz 0.7V at S/N ratio of 26dB 7.8dBf N/S 2016kHz N/S
3.8V, 1% THD+N 4.8V maximum 100 0.7dB, 820kHz 3.1V, 1% THD+N 4 17.5W, 1% THD, 27W maximum, 4 0.022% 1kHz product 78dB (see text) 0.12dB 1dB, 820kHz <10dBf <10dBf 21dBf 3dB, 2011kHz 35dB
FIGURE 3: Spectrum of 11kHz + 12kHz intermodulation signal.
V -2 -4 -6 -8 -10 2.0 1.6 1.2 0.8 0.4 0.0 -0.4 -0.8 -1.2 2.0 ms V
FIGURE 4: Residual distortion.
dB 0 -10 -20 -30 -40 -50 -60 -70 -80 -90 -100 0.0 kHz 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0 1.2
FIGURE 5: Spectrum of 61Hz sine wave.
FIGURE 1: Preamp THD+N versus output voltage.
-2 -4 -6 -8 -10 0.0 ms 2.0
FIGURE 6: 997Hz square wave response.
V 2.0 1.6 1.2 0.8 0.4 0.0 -0.4 -0.8 -1.2 -1.6 -2.0 0.0 ms 5.0
FIGURE 2: Amplifier THD+N versus output power.
FIGURE 7: Undithered 1kHz sine wave at 59.94dBFS.
audioXpress September 2001 63

s CRITIQUE

s Reviewed by Edward T. Dell, Jr. The problems associated with reviewing an automotive tuner/amplifier seemed daunting, to say the least. However, since the manufacturers rep was offering, and our versatile test magician was eager to try something quite different, I agreed to try to review Blaupunkts Mnchen RDM 169 US Radio/CD unit for automobiles. Although Chuck Hansen believed the installation instructions were rather slim, I thought they seemed doableprovided you could figure out how to get the old unit out of the dash. Apparently these units are fairly uniform in size and fasten in place with one large captive machine screw in the center of the back plate. I opted to have the unit installed locally by a pro. Prices for this range from $80 to $100. If you plan on replacing your unit, among other things, I strongly commend what is probably the best mail-order supplier in the autosound business, Crutchfield (1 Crutchfield Park, Charlottesville, VA 229119097, www.crutchfield.com, 800-955-3000). This company believes in do-it-yourself and offers very impressive help with any product they sell. Their catalog has vital information on product specifications and automobile data. They have a technical service to guide you to the right decisions about upgrading the sound in what you drive. TEST DRIVE I drive a Mazda V6 with a stock sound system consisting of four coax drivers: two in the doors and two on the back deck, with two 1 tweeters in the dash, pointed at the windscreen. The head unit is an FM/AM radio with cassette tape, so I had no way to compare the recorded sound in the players of the two units directly, but I did know what stations I was able to receive on the old unit. The RDM 169 is a digital tuner, with an integral CD player, one of the first whose special capability is its sensitivity and its ability to lock onto a weaker station successfully. It also has the capability of separating closely spaced stations for clear reception. In my area, we are 750 above sea level and are at the end of New Hampshires White Mountain chain, and 90 miles from Bostons wide range of stations. Reception here is not stallation, you should leave this to the experts. Be sure not to lose the right-angle antenna adapter that plugs into the 10mm jack on the radio and adapts to the conventional US automotive antenna plug. easy, but this tuner doubled the number of stations I am able to receive. The 33 pages of instructions are not easy to master quickly. The flexibility of the unit is the reason. It has two parametric equalizers: one covers 32500Hz, the other 630Hz to 10kHz, with 8 steps for each. These are useful for adapting the system to your cars acoustics. The system stores 12 FM and AM stations each in presets, and is equipped for RDX, the new system responding to station programming content in 23 categories, as well as automatic clock setting. I cannot imagine anyone finding the Mnchen unit deficient in programmability. The CD player operates smoothly when you open the faceplate and insert a disk. There are facilities for adding a remote ten-disk player that you can program from the head unit. Opening the faceplate, you also see a data card containing the programming preferences of the driver. Remove it on leaving the car and the unit will not function, a deterrent for thieves. A second card is provided for another driver, allowing alternative programming. The unit also comes with an infrared thumb control mounted on the steering wheel. The small button receiver is installed on the dashboard. This unit allows the driver to change or search for stations and volume level and to mute the system, without looking away from the road. Facilities are available for automatically muting the system while using a telephone. The unit also has preamp outputs for five channels of separate amps and speakers. These are only a few of the really impressive range of features. LISTENING IMPRESSIONS Sound quality must be evaluated using the speaker drivers already in the car, of course. I listened carefully to our standard set of test tracks from the Hi-Fi News Test CD III on my house system, which is tri-amplified into Audio Concepts Sapphire 3/Sub 1 bandpass subs, using a much modified Magnavox player with Parts Connections Assemblage DAC 2.1. My impression is that although the car is a very different environment, and that the stock speaker drivers are probably a significant limitation, the material sounds remarkably similar, despite the confined compartment. Both the Handel and Parry of the first two tracks recorded out of doors almost convince you the car has become a convertible. The trumpets in the Vivaldi Concerto are just a bit bright with the system at factory settings. You can tame this by adjusting the equalizer down one step. Both of the Peter and the Wolf segments were very crisp and detailed, with excellent articulation of the instruments. The Purcell had a remarkable presence which I rarely hear in broadcast material in my car. Although the bass response in my auto has always seemed limited, it certainly was not in any one of the Corkhill examples, and in No. 13 the upper registers sounded like water droplets on velvet. The same was true for the Rio Napo selection, where the rich, wide range sound almost feels like it might soak into your skin. The unit, in addition to all else, looks rather like an elegant Christmas display and even beeps a goodbye when the ignition key turns things off. The sensitivity is outstanding and the sound quality bears a very respectable comparison to a good high-end system. Unfortunately, it makes you wonder seriously whether new speakers would make it even better, and.yes theres also the temptation of a changer in the trunk. If you really want a serious upgrade for your automobiles sound system with elegant and effective sound management, amazing convenience and marvelous sound, the Mnchen RDM 169 is a prime choice.

SONIC CHARACTERISTICS RATINGS
Presence Stereophonic Effect Soundstaging Ambience ETD ETD ETD ETD

TOPOLOGY

A schematic was not provided. I could see many surface-mount components on the main PC board, visible through the cooling holes. The four internal power amplifiers appear to be contained in a single large metal, heat-sunk, power-integrated circuit. High-quality auto radios such as the Blaupunkt usually include an
RF amplifier stage prior to the tuner section and high-quality automatic volume control (AVC) circuitry. This helps compensate for the continuously varying signal strength caused by constantly changing antenna orientation and RF obstructions.

MEASUREMENTS

I tried to input my distortion testset oscillator to the preamp via the CD changer line inputs, but I could not fool the controller into believing the changer was present. Thus, I made all my measurements, except for the tuner, using a number of CD test discs in the internal CD
player. There was a very low level of hiss with my ear against the speaker, but the Mnchen was otherwise quiet (not that this is of primary importance, since the automotive background noise level generally exceeds 65dB). There was no noise during power-up or shutdown. The unit draws 1.1A DC at 14.4V DC in mute mode, and de-energizes itself below 9.1V DC. Surprisingly, the CD player/amplifier inverts polarity. The CD changer line-input impedance was 10k3 for both inputs. The lineoutput impedance measured a low 100, and sub out measured 330. The line-output frequency re-
sponse was within 0.7dB from 8Hz to 20kHz, at 0.5V RMS. THD versus frequency increased from a low of 0.031% at 17Hz to 0.82% at 20kHz, using a line-output level of approximately 2V RMS. Hum and noise (maximum volume, no source selected) measured 78dB. This reading was limited by the internal amp/preamp, which proved sensitive to the very low 120Hz ripple in my test bench 12V DC power supply. It has been my experience that car radio amplifier ICs have fairly low (50dB) powersupply rejection ratios (PSRR), but that is usually not a problem when using battery power.

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The line-output THD+N versus output voltage at 1kHz is shown in Fig. 1. Since I was using the internal CD player as the signal source, I engaged my test-set 27kHz lowpass filter to limit the out-of-band noise. Maximum output voltage at 1% THD was approximately 3.8V RMS (resolution was limited by the volume-control steps). The preamp clipped at 11V p-p with the volume control at 66, while playing the 997Hz 0dBFS CD test track. The sub frequency response was down 3dB at 4Hz and 61Hz, and 12dB at 127Hz. The sub THD+N versus frequency was higher than the line output, measuring from 0.37% at 17Hz to 2.6% at 127Hz, all at 1V RMS output. Sub THD+N versus output voltage at 31Hz is also shown in Fig. 1. The output did not clip at its upper limit. The second harmonic increased above 3.1V RMS starting at the lower half-cycle of the waveform, until it eventually replaced the fundamental.

CD TESTING

Volume-control tracking was excellent, varying less than 0.12dB between four channels, from 0.2W to 10W output. Unity gain occurred at about 40 on the display indicator. I checked the maximum range of the parametric equalizer at three frequencies, using the default Q level. At 100Hz and 1kHz, the output was 8dB, exactly as indicated on the display. The high EQ had a wider range of 9.8dB at 10kHz. Neither the 100Hz nor the 10kHz frequency showed more than 0.1dB variation at 1kHz. Even so, if you attempt to use the upper end of the LF EQ with the lower end of the HF EQ, there will be some overlap interaction between the octave frequencies, even at the tightest Q setting. The LF 500Hz and HF 630Hz responses (set for +8dB) were still up at +5.5dB at 630Hz and 500Hz, respectively. Assuming the Mnchen CD section meets the Red Book spec of 2V RMS at 0dBFS, the overall gain at 2.83V RMS output into 8 loads is 17.6dB. The power amplifier uses bridge-connected output stages whose 0.25 output impedance at 1kHz was quite respectable for an integrated circuit amplifier. It increased to 0.31 at 20kHz.
The amplifier frequency response measured 1dB from 8Hz to 16kHz at an output of 2.83V RMS into both 4 and 8. It dropped to 1.9dB at 20kHz. There was no gain peaking when I connected a load of 8 paralleled with a 2F cap. Likewise, the amplifier was unfazed by the complex impedance of an IHF simulated speaker load. THD+N versus frequency with 1W into an 8 load ran from 0.045% at 17Hz to 0.86% at 20kHz. Figure 2 shows THD+N versus output power into 4 and 8 at 1kHz, again using the test-set 27kHz low-pass filter to limit the out of band noise. The Mnchen showed absolutely no strain right up to the point of maximum power. The power amp clipped at 25V p-p, with the volume control at 52 while playing the 997Hz 0dBFS CD test track. The 1% THD point occurred at 17.5W into 4, and 9.2W into 8. Maximum power, at greater than 20% THD, was 27.5W into 4 and 16.5W into 8.

HOT TUNES

The left side of the radio was hot after this testing. In many cases the vehicle dash will provide some additional heatsinking. The Mnchen drew 6.9A at 14.4V DC (almost 100W) with the CD operating and all four channels putting out 10W at 1kHz. Clearly the Blaupunkt-specified 4 25W at 1% THD and 4 40W maximum are optimistic (by about 1.6dBW). It may be the car audio industry doesnt need to adhere to the FTC power rating rules that apply to commercial home hi-fi equipment. Figure 3 shows the amplifier output spectrum reproducing a combined 11kHz + 12kHz SMPTE intermodulation distortion (IMD) signal at 1W into 8. The 1kHz IMD product is 0.022%. Crosstalk performance wasnt bad for such a compact unit with four output channels. It measured 72dB at 1kHz and 62dB at 16kHz. The distortion waveform for 1W into 8 at 997Hz is shown in Fig. 4. The upper waveform is the amplifier output signal, and the lower waveform is the monitor output (after the THD test-set notch filter), not to scale. Even with the

test-set 27kHz low-pass filter engaged, the 44.1kHz digital sampling frequency and noise dominate the 0.21% distortion residual signal. I should mention here that this distortion tester does not have the four-pole 22kHz LP filter available in modern DSP-based testers. The spectrum of a 61Hz CD-generated sine wave at 1W into 8 is shown in Fig. 5, from 0 to 1.3kHz. The THD+N measured 0.059%, and the harmonics are distributed throughout the spectrum. The second, third, fourth, and fifth measure 72dB, 65dB, 83dB, and 84dB, respectively. However, additional nonharmonic responses occur at 387Hz (69dB), 591Hz (65dB), and 713Hz (65dB). The 8V p-p square wave into 8 at 997Hz (Fig. 6) exhibits the Gibbs Phenomenon ringing associated with the steep digital filters used in the DSP section of the receiver. For the same reason, the 10kHz square wave was rounded over into nearly a sine-wave shape. When I tried to capture reproduction of an undithered 1kHz sine wave at 90.31dBFS, I got nothing but noise on the scope. At this level the signal consists of 1 bit of data, producing two different voltage levels that are symmetrical about the horizontal axis (time). As a result, Fig. 7 shows an undithered 1kHz sine wave at 59.94dBFS. Even here, the sine wave is dominated by out-of-band high-frequency noise, which is consistent with the residual distortion in Fig. 4. The Mnchen ignored defects on the Pierre Verany Test CD #2 out to track 37, which has a 3mm-long section of blank data. At the last defect test, track 38 (a cavernous 4mm, 3.08ms defect), the unit put out one or two audible clicks over the 500Hz test tone, but for the most part dealt with it well. The Red Book requirement is only 0.2mm maximum. Mobile operation imposes much greater opportunity for mechanically induced skips, so this defect margin is definitely appreciated.
no nearby station on this channel. A few of the more sensitive FM tuners can pull in one distant station (85 miles) in mono at this frequency. The Mnchen could do this if it was manually tuned; however, its station seek function passes right over 98.1MHz with a whip antenna. This is a reasonable default performance for a car radio auto-tune circuit. It would undoubtedly do better in a vehicle in which the sheet-metal body functions as an image reflector for the whip. You can also change the sensitivity of the seek run or activate automatic bandwidth switching (SHARX) to accept stations with poorer reception. Frequency response measured 3dB from 20Hz to 11kHz. The HF response dropped rapidly above 11kHz and was down 17dB at 16kHz. As with the CD player, the FM tuner inverted polarity (audio signal to the FM modulator compared to the line/speaker output of the radio). Stereo sensitivity was approximately 21dBf, using a 75 RF signal at the antenna input adapter. I can reduce the output of my signal generator to 10dBf using the full range of an external 070dB RF attenuator. The mono sensitivity of the Mnchen was below this level. Note that Blaupunkt lists this sensitivity as 0.7V at a rather low 26dB (the IHF level is 50dB) without specifying impedance. A signal of 0.7V is equal to 8.2dBf at 75. Stereo separation at 1kHz was 35dB. While you can toggle between mono and stereo in DCS mode, you cannot defeat the mono-blend circuit. The Mnchen FM tuner has reasonable trade-offs in stereo performance, frequency response, selectivity, and sensitivity given the compromised listening environment of an automobile.

REFERENCES

1. RDS is the radio data system that allows text or other information to piggyback on the standard FM radio signal. It uses a 57kHz subcarrier (triple the 19kHz stereo pilot signal) that is divided by 48 in the receiver to recover 1.1875kHz NRZ (non-return to zero) digital data.

FM TUNER TESTS

My FM stereo signal generator is tuned to 98.1MHz because there is
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VY-VZ Commodore

Blaupunkt audio system

Low-level output conversion / Auxiliary Input Installation Instructions
Introduction: The procedures outlined in this document are intended as a guide to assist in the installation and modification to allow buffered line level outputs and/or Auxiliary Input. There are people of many different skill levels out there, and the instructions have been formulated to cater to many different levels. Whilst something may seem mundane and obvious to you, it may not be to everyone. I do encourage reading through the procedure entirely and to clear up any points of uncertainty before commencing. The job entails the mounting of one or two small PCBs (Printed Circuit Board) and attachment of an additional socket inside the head unit, and the cutting of a small slot into the cradle metalwork to facilitate mounting of the pins which mate with the socket. The kit consists of a small PCB containing the buffer components, the additional socket, a lead-out cable assembly terminated with gold RCA sockets and a bullet connector, a guide template to assist with the positioning of the slot which is to be cut into the cradle metalwork, some various internal hook-up wires, nylon standoffs to support the board(s) once installed, and a length of 0.5mm solder. On completion of the modification and re-fitting the unit to the vehicle, there is absolutely no visible evidence of any departure from factory stock nobody will know until you turn up the volume control. The operation of the internal amplifiers remains unaffected, so if the time comes to move the car onward but youd rather hold on to the external components of your system, the standard connections can be restored to the door speakers, and the unit will continue to function as it always had. The work involved does require some moderate soldering skills, and a generally handy nature with hand tools. Do not underestimate the potential for damage to occur there are several connections that need to be soldered to the base unit PCB, which is heavily populated with Surface Mount components. As a general guide, if youve ever fitted a mod chip to a Playstation (or especially a PS2!) you will have little or no trouble with this aspect.
Copyright 2005 - ASR Electronics. All rights reserved.

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The writer assumes no responsibility whatsoever for any damage of any kind suffered as a result of attempting this modification. Also be aware that any sub-assembly that has been modified will no longer be covered by the manufacturers warranty. If this modification is done without taking the proper care, any resultant damage either immediate or future is the responsibility of the individual who performed the work. Prior to commencing the modification, obviously the head unit itself needs to be removed from the car. This is most easily achieved by using either the special tool purchased from Blaupunkt themselves (around $20-25) or by using some stout wire bent as shown in the photo seen a couple of pages on, a total cost of. Well, how much is a coat hanger? Avoid using the thinner (~2mm) coat hanger wire use one of the PVC covered coat hangers (about 3mm thick wire), and strip the PVC covering off. In addition to the head unit though, the cradle also needs to be removed. This does entail removal of a few trim panels, but isnt that difficult once the location of Holdens hidden screws is revealed. What youll need: There are a few essential tools to get the job done, and a couple more that are nice to have if you do. A roundup of the hand tools youll need Screwdrivers a couple of #2 Phillips head drivers including a stubby, a couple of flat blade drivers are also handy. A set of jewellers screwdrivers are important also. Torx drivers a set of miniature Torx drivers are essential, specific sizes youll need are T-8, T-9, and T-10. Wire cutters/nippers youll need a decent quality pair of miniature sidecutters, in good condition. Needle files Whilst not absolutely essential, these are very useful for cleaning up the cradle metalwork following the cutting of the slot. A larger file can be used, provided adequate care is taken. (an ice cream stick with emery paper is a good substitute) A Dremel style rotary tool It doesnt have to be a genuine Dremel (mine isnt!), but a similar style tool with a thin metal cutting disc attached. Power drill A cordless is fine, and youll need some drill bits. Specifically, 2.5mm and 5mm. The bits need to be in good condition, and sharp. Incidentally, if you have a drill press this is even better. A 1mm bit with a pin vise makes registration of the external cable assembly much more accurate also explanation further in the text. Soldering iron or station Im not talking about the one you do the plumbing with, youll need a good quality iron which is designed for electronics work. Itll need to be fitted with a very fine tip, as some of the soldering points are quite small and the heat doesnt transfer well from a larger tip. Additionally there is a severe risk of damage to the main PCB in the head unit if an inappropriate soldering tool is used. Hot-melt glue gun the miniature ones are the best (the glue sticks are only around 6-7mm diameter) but a standard sized one will work as well. Epoxy adhesive the slow set type is recommended, although the 30 minute variety should be adequately strong. The reason for this recommendation is that the slower setting epoxies generally form a stronger bond than the 5 / 10 / 30 minute varieties, but six hours can be a little long to wait in certain circumstances. The cure time can be shortened somewhat by gently warming the joint during cure (say with a fan heater set to low heat positioned a couple of feet away) but bear in mind that by introducing heat youre probably sacrificing some of the strength. Scrap wooden block whilst drilling the cradle metalwork it is important to support it to avoid bending and potential misalignment later on. The block needs to be long enough to reach from the back of the cradle to

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the front, with a few extra centimetres (the holes are drilled from the back of the cradles rear panel), and wide enough to provide stable support for the cradle. Solder Wick (de-soldering braid) Braided copper strands a few mm wide used to absorb excess solder during rework. It will help the job go a lot more smoothly. Coarse grit emery or other abrasive paper only a small scrap is needed, something around grit is perfect. Heres a couple of photos for reference.
The photo on the left shows the soldering tool I use, with the extra tips I have for different jobs. The tip second from the right is the one I most commonly use. (the marker is there for scale)
The above photos detail the extraction wires for the head unit. Notice the notch about 3-4mm from the end this helps the wires to get a bit more purchase on the locking clips to assist with removal. Without these notches, the wires just tend to pull out of the unit rather than pulling the unit out of the cradle. The clips in the head unit which are pushed aside by these wires have a small tang pressed into them, and these notches allow a firm purchase on these clips and therefore the rearward force on the wires is transferred to the unit itself. Make certain also that you have a clean and well lit work area. This cant be done with the gear sitting on the boot. Something soft to place things on whilst youre working on them is also very handy, and helps avoid scratches and so on. (I use a piece of anti-static foam about 45cm square) Static theres a good point. Much of the circuitry inside the head unit is sensitive to static electrical discharge. Avoid wearing synthetic clothing, and dont shuffle your feet around on the carpet just before diving elbow-deep into the unit, otherwise you might blow something up without even realising it. A good habit to get into is to touch something thats earthed after sitting at the work bench and before touching the item being worked on. This will eliminate any static charge you might have picked up.

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Getting on with it: OK, enough of the preamble - Lets make a start. The very first thing to be done is to remove the head unit. Grab your special extraction tools and head out to the car. Insert the wires into the holes on either side of the front panel making sure the notches face toward each other. Push them in all the way until you hear a distinct click and all four of the wires are pushed in as far as they can go. If you use wires without the notches filed out, apply some outward pressure to the handles (away from each other) and pull backwards. If its the first time the head unit has been removed it can be really difficult you need to be pretty firm, some would say even brutal, but it will come out. If the wires tend to be pulling out of the unit, grab the file and spend five minutes on filing the notches in the wires. My wires work every time, in a few seconds literally.

With the head unit removed, I recommend taking it straight to the bench for stripdown and attaching the auxiliary socket. In this way the epoxy can be getting on with curing whilst you get on with trim and cradle removal and the metalwork modification. To begin stripping the head unit, remove the four T-8 screws from the sides along the edge of the plastic moulding (2 each side) which anchor the facia to the chassis. Pull the facia panel away from the main body slightly, but not too far. Once enough clearance is obtained, reach between the facia and the main body and unplug the connector near the bottom right. This can be tight avoid excessive side-to-side wriggling or solder joints may be fractured.

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The following step is only required in the case of single disc player versions. If you have the sixstack unit, skip to the next section. Single disc player units vary slightly in the stripdown procedure. Begin by removing the top cover of the unit remove the two T8 screws along the front edge then lever up gently with a flat blade screwdriver. Now remove the four T8 screws holding the CD drive mechanism in the chassis, and carefully lift the mechanism up to access the connector (the red plug at the end of the grey ribbon cable) and unplug it carefully. Note that theres a locating peg to ensure correct reconnection.
Six-stack owners resume here. Note: The six-stack CD models have a locking ribbon type connector accessible from the inside of the base unit. The socket lock must be disengaged before completely separating the two halves of the main unit. The procedure for this will be outlined shortly. Along each side of the main assembly there are two T-10 screws (four in total). Remove these and separate the top half of the chassis if a single player, but lift the top section only a little if its the six disc unit.
With the chassis resting upright on the work surface (ie. The normal position), lift the top section up slightly, but only enough to allow access to the internals. Heres where the six-stack guys have to be careful, as the ribbon connector assembly can be easily damaged. (photo shows the six-stack model) Use a small flat tip or jewellers screwdriver to ease the lock tabs one at a time into the unlocked position (refer to the photo next page for clarification) and disengage the white ribbon cable from the socket. At this point the CD player section can be lifted away and set aside. Now turn the base unit over and remove the bottom cover plate after removing the two T8 screws.

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The photo on the left shows the locking connector used for the six-stack CD player connection. (with the ribbon cable removed) The brown coloured part of this connector slides left or right to locked/unlocked positions respectively. Move this to the unlocked position before withdrawing the cable, and make certain its in the fully unlocked position when reconnecting the ribbon cable during reassembly. (Please ignore the additional PCB shown mounted in this photo. It is of an earlier prototype.) Now we need to attach the auxiliary socket to the head unit. Incidentally, both this socket and the mating pins mount in what is normally void space. The upshot is that a non-modified head unit can fit into a modified cradle, conversely a non-modified cradle will accept a modified head unit. Use a small piece of fairly coarse grit sandpaper (say 80-100 grade) to roughen and key up the top surface of the existing black connector body. Brush off the sanding residue and preferably give the surface a wipe with some solvent such as acetone or lacquer thinner. Dont go crazy with the solvent though, you might start dissolving the connector body! Just a slightly moistened clean cloth to remove surface contamination is all thats required. Naptha (lighter fluid) is another excellent solvent, which in fact wont attack the plastic body and evaporates completely. Also give the bottom surface of the auxiliary connector a wipe with the solvent. (avoid using paper towel/tissue, as this can leave small fibres behind which may interfere with the bond)

Mix a small amount of epoxy adhesive make sure you mix it thoroughly and apply a little to the bottom surface of the auxiliary socket and to the roughened area on top of the black connector body. Dont use so much that it oozes out and runs all over everything, but apply it to both surfaces otherwise there may be voids in the final bond which will adversely affect the strength. Align the edges of the auxiliary socket mounting plate with the edges of the main connector body and press it down fairly firmly to squeeze the air bubbles out. Make certain too that the socket is sitting flat down against the black connector body. If you

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have a close look at the step on top, theres a small raised section a couple of millimetres wide make sure the socket isnt sitting up on that, but is pushed back against the edge of that step.
Apply an appropriately sized fold-back paper clip to clamp the arrangement together, and check the side and back alignment again making sure that the edges of the socket mounting plate are lined up correctly. Now set this aside to allow the epoxy to cure. As mentioned this can be accelerated somewhat by using a fan heater on the low setting, but heating the epoxy during cure does sacrifice some strength. It can also allow the epoxy to creep a little, so make certain that the unit is sitting horizontally and not on an angle.
Note: Its always preferable to let the epoxy cure by its own means. If it can be planned that the head unit be removed the night before the remaining work is to be done, this preliminary work can take place and the adhesive allowed to cure without too much impact on the total job time. Now we can get back to the car and begin removing the necessary trim panels, and extract the cradle from the dash. Begin by removing the centre of the console between the seats. In the coin tray in front of the gearstick/shift lever, feel around theres a single Phillips head screw that needs to be removed. Its off centre, biased towards the right side. (Note the factory fitted SatNav screen mounts here also, youll need to remove the bezel before commencing) Remove this screw, then open the lid of the CD storage bin at the front edge youll see a small rectangular hole. Insert a large-ish flat blade screwdriver in there (doesnt have to be long, but a nice wide tip Ive used a stubby here) and gently lever backwards. This will release the first of the clips holding this panel in. Work forwards using a screwdriver GENTLY and pop the clips out all the way along on both sides. As youre able to lift the back part of this panel up, you can reach underneath and unplug the connectors to the window switches and Traction Control / ESP button where fitted.

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NOTE: Just about all the electrical connectors have a release tab on them. DONT just yank on the wires, you need to press the lock tab before the connector will pull out. Once the electricals are unhooked, the centre panel can be lifted clear of the console.
Now turn your attention to the centre panel in the top of the dashboard. (some models may have an additional gauge binnacle here) This unclips by levering on the front edge if you cant get enough purchase on the edge with your fingers, use a stubby flat blade screwdriver or similar. Be careful not to scratch or mar the plastic panel. Once the clips at the front are released, then pull back to release the clips at the rearward edge. (Note: If the additional gauge binnacle IS fitted, this must be removed by levering up the rearward edge ie, the edge closest to you)
There are six screws holding the trim panel four at the top (above right photo), and two at the bottom.
Remove these screws (youll need a stubby Phillips head driver for the two nearest the windscreen) and pull the centre panel away from the dash. Youll need to unplug the connector for the hazard switch, and those associated with the electronic climate control where applicable.

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Now remove the two screws holding the tabs on the cradle metalwork at the bottom, and a single screw from the bottom centre of the back of the cradle. (Dont remove the single screw in the centre at the front, thats holding the storage bin underneath.) The next part is a bit tricky because there are wedges pressed into the metalwork which clip the cradle into the surrounding mouldings in the dash, you need to bend the top panel down slightly, and the bottom panel up slightly, whilst pulling the cradle back toward you. The top and bottom panels of the cradle will get bent, theres not much else we can do about it. Once its out they can be straightened easily anyway.
Again this is another of those situations where you mustnt pull too far, because you need to release the tabs which retain the connector sockets. Once you have the cradle pulled out 3 or 4 cm, reach inside and release the tabs for the connectors at the bottom left and push them clear. Note how the connectors hook into the punch-out in the metalwork on the right hand side are the release tabs, but on the left side there are channels in the plastic plug body which hook over the edges of the punch-outs. Make certain when you refit the plugs that these channels are correctly engaged into the edges otherwise the plugs wont line up correctly. Now slide the cradle the rest of the way out and unhook the antenna cable from the retaining tabs, then press the release clips holding the antenna socket. The cradle can now be completely withdrawn and taken to the bench.

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Now is a perfect time to cut off the ears on the top of the harness connector. They seem to serve no useful purpose, and in fact get in the way of the pin assembly youre going to mount there. Cut them off flush with the top of the connector with sidecutters or a trimmer knife carefully.
However, were not quite finished with trim panels yet. The console lower side panel on the left side must be removed to allow routing of the lead-out cables, and to allow re-fitting of the connector sockets once the cradle is refitted to the car. (its a lot easier to press them back into position from behind the assembly) Firstly though the glovebox must be removed. Dont worry, its not as hard as it sounds. (Note: Left hand drive cars will not require glovebox removal, but you may have to remove the flip-down panel below the steering column.) First empty it out, then lift the glovebox slightly off the bottom stops. On each side you can see the rubber wedge shaped stoppers ease the bottom edge of these towards the inside of the glovebox, and slide them downwards to remove them. Now allow the glovebox to drop all the way down, then grasp the top edge and pull it towards you it should pop out of the hinge clips at the back on each side. Now remove the two screws retaining the front mounting flange on the lower console panel, and the single screw about halfway along the bottom edge of the console. You need to slide the passenger seat all the way back, and its still hard to get to. With these screws removed the lower panel should now lift away. At this point, grab a cup of tea or coffee and have a break youve done well! While youre having a breather, check on the progress of the epoxy. With any luck it will have started to gel off now. It might still be sticky, but should be starting to firm up. Now leave it alone again. OK, we can start working on the cradle. Take the printed template and peel back the release sheet from the bottom but only 10-15mm. Fold the release sheet back against itself and crease it down firmly. Now line up the cutout in the template with the top cutout in the back of the cradle and press down the template where the release sheet has been removed. When this is nicely stuck down, peel the release sheet the rest of the way off and rub the template down firmly. (support the inside rear panel of the cradle when you do this, or itll bend) The rounded rectangular area printed on the template is the metal we need to remove. Begin by gently centre punching the crosshairs at each end of the slot and pilot drill these with a 2.5-3mm bit, then run through with a 5mm bit. Again, support the cradle from the inside whist doing this. Use a rotary cutting tool, and remove the strip of steel in between the lines. Try not to cut outside the lines, we dont want to remove any more metal than we need to. Now the template can be removed and the edges of the slot cleaned up with some needle files. Make sure any flash from the cutting and drilling operations is removed - should it become dislodged later it could cause shorts.

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At this point take the pin/lead-out cable assembly and make certain that the pins fit through the slot with a little clearance all around. Dont drill the holes for the mounting screws yet though, that comes later. The time has come now to turn our attention back to the head unit. Before actually mounting anything, its a good idea to prepare the points on the PCB in the base unit we are going to connect to. The section immediately following refers to the installation of the low-level output buffer, the Auxiliary Input switching board follows later in the text. The buffer (output) board: Appendix A shows a detailed photograph of the area of the base PCB were concerned with for most models, as well as details of the corresponding points on the buffer board. For those with the Premium sound system (such as Calais and some HSV models) refer to appendix B to identify the connection points and any other mounting differences. If you look closely you can see that were actually going to pick up these connections at vias on the PCB. (a via is simply a plated copper sleeve passing through the board to connect tracks on one side to the other) Due to it being copper, were easily able to solder to it but to make it a little easier still, its best to tin the via with fresh solder, then extract that solder to clean the hole out before poking the connecting wire through it. The easiest way to tin the vias is to thread some 0.5mm solder through the hole from the top side, then apply the iron from the bottom. (set the unit on its side so the PCB is vertical) Leave 2-3mm of solder poking through, bring the iron in contact with the via (melting the solder on the way in) then feed a further 2-3mm of solder in from behind as it melts. This will fill the via with solder of course, but then use some solder-wick braid to remove it. In really stubborn cases where the via wont clean out, use a pointed toothpick heat until the solder melts, and poke the toothpick through from the other side. Once the solder solidifies again, pull out the toothpick.
Refer to the appendix and tin each of the vias indicated as applicable. The point for the +12V connection in standard single and six stacker units will be already tinned, and will simply need the solder cleaned out. (make sure you get the correct point for this connection there are pads very nearby which look the same but are not!) Premium system owners must pick up power from the bottom side of the PCB refer to the appendix. Take care when youre tinning the vias if too much heat is held in contact for too long, the bond holding the via can fail, and it can become dislodged. Take the buffer board and determine where it will be mounted. Theres plenty of space, just make sure it wont get in the way of the connection points for the CD player you want to be able to reconnect that when the jobs done. I recommend the location shown in the photos that follow, as it keeps the wiring as short as practical and is well enough out of the way. Once the position is determined, use hot melt glue to attach the three nylon standoffs to the base unit PCB the position isnt critical, just make sure they dont interfere with components on the base board and will provide adequate support to the buffer board. It doesnt matter if some of the hot melt glue gobs over the components on the base PCB, just make sure the standoff itself isnt sitting on top of any components. Dont glue the buffer board to the standoffs yet though, we need to sort out some internal wiring. Supplied in the kit are some short lengths of thin hook-up wire a red and orange one joined together (for the right channels front and rear), a white and grey one joined as well (for the left channels), a single purple wire (for the standby signal), and a single red and black wire (12v supply and ground). The shielded output cable and remote output wire have already been attached to the buffer PCB.

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The method Ive found easiest for the connection of the input wires is as follows. Strip and dress one end of the hookup wires (ie. twist the strands together) and I recommend lightly tinning these wires so the strands dont fray out. Insert these ends through the corresponding vias and solder them into the base PCB. Work carefully, in some cases there are some other components in close proximity to these connections. Dont install a fault while youre at it! Inspect these joints carefully and clip off the excess wire. If the Input board is to be installed as well, solder one of the red power wires to the +12SB point on the buffer board. (this provides switched power to the Aux In board) Note: If youre installing BOTH PCBs, attach the wires for the Aux In board as well (description further on). If the buffer board is mounted in place first, you cant get to the points on the base unit PCB to make the required connections. In this photo the buffer input wires have been attached to the relevant points, the standby signal wire (this triggers the remote power output signal), and the red and black wires connected to the +12v and ground points. (note the ground connection point this is as good as any) Also note that the standoffs have been attached to the base PCB with hot-melt glue. Notes: Ignore the blue coloured connector shown in this photo, this is again an earlier revision. Also, Premium sound system owners, please refer to appendix B for locations of wiring connections and standoffs.
The wiring colour convention I use is as follows. It works for me, but feel free to use whichever you like. It is recommended though is to route the signals the way I have ie, channel numbering 1 to 4. In this way the colour coding scheme I have used helps prevent unexpected balance/fader operation. The routing I used is (NOTE: Colours shown in parentheses are for alternate output cable) Channel 1 (Rear LEFT) Channel 2 (Front LEFT) Channel 3 (Front RIGHT) Channel 4 (Rear RIGHT) GREY input wire WHITE input wire RED input wire ORANGE input wire BLACK (green) output wire WHITE (blue)output wire RED (red) output wire YELLOW (yellow) output wire
(Note: The RED wire referred to above is the red signal wire, not the slightly thicker one supplied for the +12V connection) Now rest the buffer board on the standoffs, and cut the wires to length. Dont forget to allow a little extra, as you need to manipulate the board a little after the connections are completed. DONT cut them too short! Strip about 4mm of insulation from each one, and again twist the strands and tin them. Firstly connect the input wires 1-2-3-4 to the buffer board inputs, followed by the standby input. Insert the dressed end through the hole in the PCB and solder it to the associated pad. After the input wires, connect the red +12V wire, and lastly the black ground wire. To attach the ground, tin the tab part of the shield around the main connector where its soldered to the PCB. Also strip and tin the end of the ground wire, then sweat solder the tinned end to the tinned shield. Dont forget to clip the excess wires from the PCBs at BOTH ends once soldering is completed. (at the base-board end, these wires could short to ground or to each other potentially causing significant damage) If the Aux In board is to be installed in conjunction, also attach the +12SB wire. Make sure the off-cuts dont fall into the unit!

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A blob of fresh hot-melt glue can now be applied to the tops of the standoffs and the buffer board set in place. The connector pins have also been partially inserted in the photo. At this point if youre not installing the Aux Input switching board as well, skip over the next section and proceed to the following one. Auxiliary Input PCB: There are two different connection schemes, depending on whether the input board is installed on its own, or in conjunction with the output buffer board. The power switching is performed by the output buffer, therefore in these installations the input derives switched 12V from the buffer board. If stand-alone, the input board has a small additional daughterboard to perform the power switching. Look at the photos below for a view of the completed installation in each case.
Again, pairs of colour coded wires are supplied for the signal connections red/orange for the right channel, and white/grey for the left. (at this point there is no front/rear, the fader function is applied further on in the signal chain) The capacitors C1528 and C1529 must be removed from the base unit board and these wires soldered in their place. (refer to the photo differences exist between standard and premium, but theyre very close in this section) The leads of the capacitors have been bent over slightly during manufacture, and this makes them a little difficult to remove begin by working from the bottom of the PCB, and using a small flat tip jewellers screwdriver in conjunction with the iron melt the solder on each joint and use the screwdriver tip to

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straighten the lead before removing the component from the board. Solder the white hookup wire to C1529 +, and the grey wire to C1529 -. The red hookup wire goes to C1528 +, and the orange to C1528 -. If the installation is input only, youll also need to connect the Constant +12V and the Standby wire. The photo below left shows these wires attached to the base unit PCB. (note that a brown coloured wire has been used for the standby signal for the standalone input mod, whereas purple wires have been used for the output buffer standby connection) There must also be a connection made for the telephone MUTE signal, solder the blue wire from the Aux PCB to the point indicated in the photo below right. (Refer to Appendix B for Premium systems) Be very careful when soldering this connection this is the only one which cant be picked up at a via, so theres no hole to poke the wire through. It must be soldered directly to the surface mounted link and if too much heat is applied you can lift the component completely off the board, or if the bared end of the wire is too long it could cause a short.
Now after determining where the board will be mounted, hot-melt glue the standoffs to the base unit PCB in readiness to mount the input board. Dont mount it yet though, you need to solder the connections! Cut the wires to length allowing a little slack, strip about 4mm of insulation from each, twist and tin the strands, then solder them to the appropriate points on the input board. Theres the signal wire pairs, the +12V and Ground wires, and the standby signal if stand-alone. To attach the ground, tin the tab part of the shield around the main connector where its soldered to the PCB. Also strip and tin the end of the ground wire, then sweat solder the tinned end to the tinned shield. Cut the excess wire off, and hot-melt the board to the standoffs. Note: If youre powering the input board from the buffer board, the +12SB connection on the buffer is the one used for the +12V supply to the input board.

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Finalising the work to the head unit: OK, at this point the PCB(s) should be mounted in the base unit with hot-melt, and all the connections between the base unit PCB and the modification PCB should be done, we now need to insert the socket pins into the receptacle we epoxied to the original connector block. Note carefully that were only interested in the top row the dual row receptacle has been chosen purely for the physical spacing provided by the bottom row, it serves no other purpose. DONT INSERT THE PINS INTO THE BOTTOM ROW!! ONCE LOCKED IN ITS ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO REMOVE THEM WITHOUT DAMAGE. Refer to the following photos to assist in identifying which pin goes where. When doing this, in cases where there are multiple pins in a common cable, dont insert any single pin fully. Insert all pins from the bunch just a couple of mm, and then slide each of them in a little at a time. Also make certain that youre inserting the pins the right way up have a close look, there is a little bent-up tang on one side of each pin this locks the pin into the receptacle via the little slot seen in the top of the receptacle body. When pushing the pin into the receptacle, avoid using a sharp metal tool such as a jewellers screwdriver as this can weaken the wire at the connection point and it may break. I use a wooden toothpick it has a nice pointed end, but wont damage anything.
This shot shows the buffer PCB channel output pins partially inserted. From here they should be worked in a millimetre or so each at a time, until the pins are fully inserted. When theyre in all the way, you can hear a distinct click when the tang on the pin springs up into its corresponding locking slot. Also look carefully when youre done to make certain all the pins are locked in properly.
Nominating the leftmost pin as number 1 (as viewed above), the connection scheme is as follows. (colours shown in parentheses are for alternate output cable connection) Pin 1 Pin 2 Pin 3 Pin 4 Pin 5 Pin 6 - Line out Front LEFT - Line out Front RIGHT - Line out gnd - Line out Rear LEFT - Line out Rear RIGHT - Remote Out - White - Red - Shield - Black - Yellow - Purple (blue) (red) (green) (yellow) Pin 7 Pin 8 Pin 9 Pin 10 Pin 11 Pin 12 - No Connection - Aux LED - Yellow - Aux Sense - Green - Aux in Left - White - Aux in Gnd - Shield - Aux in Right - Red
Youll notice that pins 1-6 are related to the outputs, and 8-12 are for the Aux input. Once the wiring has been sorted out correctly and locked in, run a bead of hot-melt over the cables as shown in the photo to provide some strain relief.

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Normally I encourage people to run some tests before reassembling these kind of things, but unfortunately were not in a position to be able to in this case. What we can do instead is to double and even triple check all our work. Make certain all the connections to the base PCB are the RIGHT ones. There are a lot of vias around the area, make sure you connected to the correct ones. Make sure you clip the excess wires from both PCBs when youve finished the soldering, and make sure those off-cuts didnt fall inside the unit to short something out. Pick up the base unit and give it a good shake, even use a clean paintbrush to brush any debris out. If you have an air compressor, all the better give it a blast with the nozzle to blow out anything which might cause problems down the track. When youre satisfied that its all OK, you can go ahead and reassemble the head unit. Its basically the reverse sequence of the stripdown. This is where the single player guys actually have the advantage just re fit the top half of the chassis, reconnect the plug to the CD drive mechanism, and screw it back in. With the six-stacker, firstly make totally sure that the connector is UNLOCKED. Getting the ribbon cable back in here can be a challenge, but be patient. Note that during the attempt to slide the ribbon back into the connector you might inadvertently re-engage the lock make sure you havent done this. Its virtually impossible to insert the ribbon when the connector is even partially locked. When the ribbon is properly engaged in the connector there should only be about a 1.5mm width of the ribbons tinned contacts visible, and it needs to be square to the connector. When its seated correctly slide the lock tabs to the locked position, and make sure both ends of the locking tab are in place. Replace the side screws, and return the bottom cover plate and the two screws associated with it. Now the facia goes back on, but heres another trick sometimes it doesnt want to sit back properly against the chassis. Well, along the top and bottom edge of the facia theres a slit about 1mm wide on the front edge of the top and bottom cover plates there are small tabs poking out. If these arent quite in alignment when you put the face back on, the tabs dont go into the slot. Wriggle things a little, or even encourage the tabs to drop into place with a jewellers driver, but once they line up OK the front panel goes straight back on. Oh, dont forget to plug the connector back in first! Now its time to finish the work on the cradle. Slide the reassembled head unit into the cradle, and make certain that the slot is in the correct position so the receptacles in the socket are central. (refer to the photo. Note that these photos show an output only installation the input mod occupies the additional connection points)

Now take the lead-out cable assembly and insert the pins into the socket. Hold the board down firmly against the back panel, and if you have a pin vice use a 1mm bit to mark the hole position on the cradle through the PCB as I have in the photo. If you dont have a pin vice, you could use your cordless drill with a 1.5 or 2mm bit. Dont drill right through though, for obvious reasons we just need a starting point for the holes. Make certain that the head unit is sitting firmly against the bottom surface of the cradle it can sit up a little when the unit is placed face down. This part of the job MUST be done accurately - If the holes for the mounting screws end up in the wrong position, you wont be able to get the head unit back into the cradle!

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Now remove the pins from the socket, and take the head unit back out of the cradle. Drill the holes through the rear panel of the cradle to 2.5mm, and match the holes in the pin PCB also. De-burr these holes and fit the lead-out assembly to the cradle with the supplied 2.5mm screws. Insert the screws from the inside, and dont forget to use the lockwasher if these screws come loose its a pain to get to them to re-tighten. The photo at left shows how it should all look once its put together.
Finally slide the head unit into the cradle once more to check the alignment of the socket and pins. If it all looks good, you can remove the head unit and re-fit the cradle to the car. (did you remember to cut the ears off the existing harness connector? If you didnt, youll have a little trouble getting the connector to clip back in to the cradle firmly) Before you begin sliding the cradle back into the dash, re-fit the antenna socket and run the cable through the retaining tabs. (there should be sufficient slack in the antenna cable to do this) Also feed the output cables through the back and run them behind the existing harness connectors. As you begin sliding the cradle in, gently pull the lead-out cables from behind/below so that they dont fold back on each other or otherwise interfere with the existing connectors. Dont slide the cradle in all the way yet, leave it sitting out by 30 or 40 mm so that you can reach from behind and re-fit the existing harness connectors. Dont forget about the correct seating arrangement for these make sure the slits in the left side of these connectors are engaged properly over the edges of the cutout, then push the cradle the rest of the way in. Now reach from behind the cradle and press on the connectors until the locking tabs clip into position. From the left hand side of the console, wrap a cable tie around the lead-out cables and some of the existing wiring so as to provide some strain relief. You can now return the screws holding the cradle in (dont forget the one at the back), and reassemble the console. You might want to leave the lower left side panel off though, until you get the amplifier signal cables run. Once reassembled the head unit can be returned to the cradle and powered up. Check all operations first before applying power to the amplifier(s) just to be sure. If it all looks OK, then crank it up!