Hi all !

Is it possible to plug in an external audio source (iPod, ...) into the original CD player ? I guess I have to fake a CD charger I don't have...

Thank's !

Hi- I don't know specifically about the CD player in the Multipla (I have a 10CD autochanger fitted in mine), but my son recently got a new PuntoGrande, and I wondered the same thing.
The unit in the Punto is a single CD slot, AM/FM radio.
If you cycle through the inputs, there is: AM;FM;CD and AUX. I assume the AUX input is for a CD multichanger.

I took the radio out and there is a socket for a multiway plug from the CD changer to plug into. I phoned the local Fiat dealer and asked if there was an adaptor to enable an iPod to be connected- "No Sir, not possible, try (local audio specialist)".

I took the radio to them and asked for an adaptor- "No Sir, not possible with this sort of head unit, the CD changer sends a special signal to enable the AUX input. Try one of these FM transmitters instead". Thanks but no thanks.

So I went home, connected up the radio, switched it to AUX and prodded each of the pins on the multiway socket in turn. Sure enough it didnt take too long to find the two pins that are the left and right input.

I cobbled up a lead with a 3.5mm plug on one end, and some tiny push fit connectors for the relevant pins on the other end, hot glued them in place and that was it- instant iPod connection.

If I could be bothered I'd go back to the audio "specialist" and offer to tell him the amazingly complicated way to enable the AUX input, for a small fee....

Any way if you're at all handy- have a poke around the socket on the back of the radio, I'm sure the unit in the Multipla will be similar.

hth
Neil

Hi Pig,

Thank's for the tip !

No "AUX" input appears while cycling the sources option, but I've found that to let the "CHARGER" being displayed, you can do the following hack :

- power off the unit
- while pressing the SRC button, power it on
- unpress the two buttons at the same time
- now "CHARGER" is displayed

I don't know yet if the anolog audio inputs on the back of the unit are then switched on.

It seems that on the original Blaupunk CD unit, the audio inputs are located on the mini-ISO pins 19 and 20 on the following schematic (the first one):

http://www.selfmadehifi.de/hifi/kfz-prod.htm

I thought you could get I pod kits that connect in line to the aerial...thus when you tune to a preset frequency (88 for example) it brings on the Ipod.

Flor27 said:

It seems that on the original Blaupunk CD unit, the audio inputs are located on the mini-ISO pins 19 and 20 on the following schematic (the first one):

http://www.selfmadehifi.de/hifi/kfz-prod.htm

Click to expand...

Hi, yes the Punto radio/CD is in fact a Grundig unit, the pinout though is very similar to the Blaupunkt. It's here:

http://www.selfmadehifi.de/hifi/kfz-hu.htm

about half way down. (Wish I'd found that site before!)

I would guess that when the Fiat head unit displays CHANGER, it's 99% likely it will accept audio on those pins (19, right 20, left, 18 common earth). Give it a try! The tricky bit is finding little push fit connectors to go over the tiny pins, and preventing them from shorting. I used the connectors from a computer USB header plug, butchered to fit! Alternatively you could source one of the mini ISO plugs from somewhere.
Neil

It works !!!

Now I can listen to all my music without scratching my CD's :slayer:

Thank's all for ths tips !!

hmmm - this deserves a bump. no-one else investigated this in two years?

p.s. on the panda forum, people are buying Blaupunkt 3.5mm jack leads for about £7/8 and carefully taking the blue plug off to enable the three little connectors to be added to the existing plug.
http://www.bluespot.co.uk/stock/auxin.asp

There are several places on ebay selling adaptor leads with a 3.5mm stereo plug on one end and the blue mini-iso Blaupnkt connector on the other. Most are in the £5-10 price bracket.

If you pull out the standard Multipla stereo (CD or tape type) you'll see an empty one of the blue mini-iso connectors clipped into the top row of connections on the back (next to a yellow one and a green one). Unclip the blue one, replace it with the ebay cable and you're done. Just route the 3.5mm plug to some that's easy to keep your ipod or MP3 player (the glovebox in front of the driver isn't bad).

The Mutlipla head unit won't be able to control the music player remotely - you'll have to use the ipod/MP3 controls for that - but pressing the 'SRC' button on the head unit until 'AUX' or similar comes up should get the sound through.

This is also a good way of connecting one of the Pure Highway DAB tuners to the standard Multipla stereo (it has a 3.5mm line out). The Highway also has a 3.5mm line in for an external source, so you can use it to allow you to access both an ipod/MP3 and a digital tuner (which will be handy when they finally turn off FM broadcasts) without having to change the standard HU. I've added an extra power socket to the floor of the drivers glove box to power all this stuff without having wires all over the place.

darn - Flor's fix doesnt work on mine. Anyone got any ideas? No AUX displayed when blue plug put in....

On the ready-made cable I've got, pins 19 and 20 are connected to left and right channels of the 3.5mm plug. Pin 18 is connected to the plug ground (i.e. pins 18, 19 and 20 are all used).

If nothing's connected to the cable, cycling through sources with the src button doesn't show an 'AUX' or 'CHANGER' option (I guess because it's still an open circuit).

no, I've had the ipod playing.... all plugged in... still nothing.(like you, with a readymade cable)
I wonder whether FIAT started getting more careful with their units impregnability by 2005?!

widemouthfrog said:

If nothing's connected to the cable, cycling through sources with the src button doesn't show an 'AUX' or 'CHANGER' option (I guess because it's still an open circuit).

Click to expand...

No, you can do the trick to display Changer or Aux without anything plugged in, I did it this week for some reason.

So prior to any hardware problem tracking, you have to make the auxiliary input switch trick working. If it doesn't, your audio unit doesn't handle it.

what year is your car/unit??

It's a 2003' JTD 115 ELX.

hmmm. this is so infuriating. I cant believe FIAT changed anything between a CD in 2003 and mine in 2005. (if fuel computers are anything to go by)

There are unlikely to be hardware deficiencies on any oem Blaupunkt HU purely because CD autochanger was always an option?

Any other advice FLor on your rediscovery last week.... to add to your earlier post. Perhaps I'm doing something slightly wrong?

- power off the unit with a long pressure on Power button
- while pressing the SRC button, press the Power one
- depress FIRST the Power button, then less than one second after, depress the SRC button
- now "CHARGER" shoud be displayed, thus activating the axuiliary audio input source.

I have no more clue.

Good - that IS subtly different from your first post [unpress the two buttons at the same time - now "CHARGER" is displayed]


for others reading, I think "depress" in the last post is actually "stop pressing"
Thanks Flor. I will try again.

Yes you are right, my english isn't good enough

Saying that, the buttons trick doesn't work 100% of the time, it's kinda hit or miss. Don't hesitate to try it several times.

hmmm. well I intend to go out early and not stop until the logos wear off the buttons. After I've bought another cable that is, as I've just sold both mine thinking they were all useless