Clarion CBus audio input installation

[Anto]

I thought i'd post this as a guide for anyone who wants to create an input out of their CBUS input on a CLARION unit (usually CBUS will be found on any pre 98 model of clarion's i.e before CeNet came out). This is designed for units which have the auxillary CD Changer Magazine option.

This has come about as Clarion (or anyone at all for that matter, including all the ipod extras i've seen on the net) do not make any type of converter to allow audio from a different socket type into the CBUS socket. Upon searching the net, information was vauge to say the least, so here is once and for all, a definative description on how to get aux inputs into your Clarion unit!

Upon removing your unit you will see a circular socket with 13 pins. This is called a 13 pin DIN connector and has the following pinouts (looking directly at the socket.)



Top of Socket
______ ______
/...........U...........\ (Despite this diagram, the
....4....3....2....1 connector is actually circular)
....8....7....6....5
...12..11..10...9
..........13
\_____________/


We are only concerned with pins 5,6,7,8 and 9.

This is what i did.

I bought a small box, a male 13 pin DIN connector (has 3 rows of 4 pins and 1 at the bottom as the 4th row,) some 6 core cable (you only need 5 core) an rca input mount (for left and right) and a switch. (I also bought a cable gland to stop any unwanted tugging on the cabel pulling out the solder joints)

Simply connect the switch across pins 5 and 9. (Upon closing the switch while the unit is running, it will automatically enter slave mode thinking a CD changer magazine has just become active, and therefore accept audio inputs from the CBUS socket instead)

Next connect your RIGHT auido RCA to PIN 8.

Connect your LEFT audio RCA to PIN 7

Connect GND of both RCA sockets together, and then solder this wire to PIN 6.

Seal up your box and plug in. Plug in your ipod, turn the ignition and flick the switch, the unit will enter (accs) mode on the screen, and you'll hear your music loud and crystal clear thru your factory setup.

I'll check here often to see if anyone needs help.

Enjoy
Anto

[bjorno]

Great description! Thanks alot. If you have any pictures of the actual work it would help me getting thru this.

[sjdean]

Hey great thread... Hrm... now, if only you could do some more investigation and have:

C-Bus and Aux in both available, maybe with just a switch between the two, so you don't have to fiddle around with dismantling the dash each time...

And, if the design could be modified to do what the clever Griffin whatever chaps have done, and send signals back to the iPod to change tracks with the up and down buttons, and maybe even change albums if that's possible with the DISC Change button!

Now, that would be something.

I'll help, I have a Clarion. Don't know how to help but I can see what I can do.

I have no money after buying this iPod... but I'm here in spirit... :-)

Cya
Simon

[sjdean]

Im determined somehow to make a cable to fit. I've figured out so far that the CBus interface, in the CD Changer the other end, the main circuit board has:

1) Single Chip Microcomputer D78214CW
2) Quad 3-State Noninverting Buffers MC74HC125AN
3) Dual Retriggerable monostable vibrator 74HC123AP
4) Dual Bidirectional Motor Driver LB1649

Now to try to fool the board into thinking its actually in a CD Changer! :-(

Cya
Simon

PS I must also say, interesting reading further still, pins 5 and 9, which are REm+B and SLAVE ON or something, are the only two on the CD Changer that aren't actually connected...well, apart from 13 as well.

Is this a CD Changerless design?

[knuser]

Well, I tried to connect pin 5 and 9. Nothing happened, Which lead me to believe that Anto has not really tried it? :(

This solution is also found on this Japanese site:
http://park8.wakwak.com/~hilo/ , but there it is presented as a possible solution. Not tested.

So I believe the simple solution to the problem is to cut the two audio wires and use a switch to select input from the cd-player or an aux input. You will then have to have a CD playing in your cd-player while listening to your iPod.

The best way to do this is probably to make a box with the switch and the aux input. The box is then put between the existing cable and the cd-player. All leads except the two audio lines will have to be connected direcly through the box.

The 13 pin DIN-plugs should not be too hard to get by. It was also used for Atari computers once upon a time :)

[wooblewobble]

Where did you get the schematic for CBus from? I tried this method as well and didn't get anywhere. Pins 5 and 9 don't appear to be connected to anything on the stereo end.

[k3v]

What head unit was this effective with? I have an old DRX7475 with C-Bus, but haven't tried it yet. Need to track down a 13-pin DIN. It seems others on this thread aren't having the same luck as Anto, and the only other hacks/products I've found involve having an actual changer in the path, and switching the audio source while CD plays.

[schrodinger]

Did anybody get this to work?

Keith

[partyd]

ok this is what i know, this will work for c-buss clarion radios and Saab radios 1994 to 1999
in order for this to work the radio needs to see the cd changer,when the cd changer is present the port will open ( no cd changer and nothing is going to work unless we can trick the radio
now i have done this before with cd changer pressent, i use a sony interface
sony cd changer have rca jacks outside the main plug

the audio jack on the clarion radio are inside the cd changer jack the idea is to stop the audio from the changer going into the radio and input adio from the ipod or any other source
i like the pie sony interface because it detects the audio ,if you turn on the ipod the cd changer audio will stop no switches the problem is that the rca jacks need to be cut and solder to pin 6 7 and 8

this is the interface i use
http://www.oemautosound.com/wolthuis.aspx?productid=386&size=large

http://www.oemautosound.com/pc-386-101-dual-audio-interface.aspx

[Tourserie]

Good day

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best regards

Mark


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