[Vwdiesel] Acc'y position on ign switch, A2s

[Dave Cook]

The thing is, you aren't really powering the radio from the switch with it wired this way.  The radio takes all its power for running from the red wire (referred to as the "memory" wire).  

The yellow wire is simply an "on/off" signal wire for the radio.  It is like the radio already has a built in relay.  

In most aftermarket radios, the red wire is the memory/power wire, and the yellow wire is the on/off signal.

I have wired many, many VWs as described with no problem ever.

Incidentally, for those of you with VWs with the powered antenna that has a separate power wire (such as a B4 Passat) and aftermarket radio, you can use the blue wire which is intended to be an on signal for an amplifier. 

Tad, your A1 would have to have been hooked up as Sandy described by a previous owner.  Otherwise you would have to turn the radio on and off manually.

Dave Cook


--- On Thu, 8/26/10, Tad <tadc at europa.com> wrote:

> From: Tad <tadc at europa.com>
> Subject: Re: [Vwdiesel] Acc'y position on ign switch, A2s
> To: "Sandy Cameron" <scameron at storm.ca>
> Cc: vwdiesel at audifans.com
> Date: Thursday, August 26, 2010, 9:50 PM
> Not to nitpick, but powering a radio
> from the ignition switch(especially a
> "thin" wire) doesn't seem like a good idea.  One would
> be better off finding
> the appropriate terminal in the fuse block and using
> that... which IIRC is
> what I did in my A1.
> 
> Maybe my memory is failing in my old age, but I thought the
> A1s (and
> definitely A4s, never owned an A2) would keep accessories
> powered after you
> turned the key off until such time as you removed it.
> 
> On Thu, Aug 26, 2010 at 2:13 PM, Sandy Cameron <scameron at storm.ca>
> wrote:
> 
> > Something the manufacturers never told us, there is a
> contact in the
> > ign/start switch that goes to 12 volts whenever a key
> is inserted in the
> > lock. They intended this to activate the seatbelt and
> "key in the ignition"
> > alarm (which most of us unplug) if you try to leave
> the car without
> > pocketing the key. (Teutonic obsessive compulsion
> about rules) "You VILL
> > remove das key! Nien?"
> >
> > If you are using an aftermarket radio, wire the
> original volks red radio
> > wire (12 volts always) to the memory power for your
> radio so it does not
> > not
> > forget your station settings, then wire the acc'y
> power for the radio
> > (usually yellow at the radio) to the thin brown with
> red stripe wire (Su
> > contact) coming off the back of the ign switch.
> >
> > DO NOT attempt to power  boomer-idiot amplifiers
> from this wire, fire would
> > result. Use a relay.
> >
> > Bentley diagrams show it functional only in the "off"
> position but this is
> > not true. The Su contact is energised in all 3
> positions, whenever a key is
> > in the ign lock.
> >
> > This will let you to sit and listen to the radio
> without the engine
> > running,
> > while your significant other finishes the shopping.
> >
> > Sandy
> > VE3AAC
> >
> > _______________________________________________
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> > Vwdiesel at vwfans.com
> > http://www.audifans.com/mailman/listinfo/vwdiesel
> >
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