[s-cars] RE: Help with an FM-modulated CD changer install

[Charles Baer]

I'm probably just holding on that old feeling you used to get when you 
received
schematics with your gear.  The factory heads have the dash interface 
and why
shouldn't we be able to feed whatever line input we want, be it a CD or iPod
or glovebox MD changer, and not have to throw away the factory tuner.

The unknown for me remains how to use the line inputs when you don't have an
existing CD changer.  My Gamma and Delta heads all have a sticker that isn't
completely inscrutable (OK got power, line in, ground).  Still no clue 
if the pins that
seem to be labeled serial data are what enables the input or only send 
commands
and receive status.  I figger worst case is the changer sends a magic 
50baudot char
when it powers up and the head activates that subsystem ;)

I have a loose Delta that came from my avant when I swapped the whole works
for a Sony head/changer setup.  If I had a magic silver box + changer 
available
that would work, I could just slap an analyzer on the unknown pins and 
record the
traffic; might be as simple as a -5v latch instead of the usual 
automotive +12v.

Charlie

Kirby Smith wrote:

>While I looked into it, I didn't stick a scope on the lines to see which
>line did what.  Presumably, if the radio thinks the CD player is there,
>it will allow the sound to pass to the speakers.  But even if the L/R
>lines are discovered, you would likely have to set some other line(s)
>high or low, digitally speaking, so the CD player seemed to be present
>to the radio.  Discovering what to do without hurting something could be
>a real project.
>
>I'm not up for it in the near term.  Are you sure that with all the
>S-cars that must have been lost to us by now there are no CD players out
>there at a reasonable price?
>
>kirby
>
>
>Charles Baer wrote:
>  
>
>>To be more specific, can we at least wake up the CD L/R line inputs on
>>the back of
>>a Gamma to bypass the loss in signal quality through the RFmod ?  I
>>don't mind using
>>the extra control panel, but the FM conversion sucks relative to a
>>straight line input.
>>    
>>