Technical To Those Of You That Have Fitted A Custom Head Unit

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Technical To Those Of You That Have Fitted A Custom Head Unit

I have never had to run an additional live or switched feed on any of my cars using a CAN network.

You may occasionally need to swap the perm and switched live connectors, typically red and yellow, but most aftermarket looms account for that.

Only other tips are invest in an antenna amplifier as most Italian cars have this built in to the head unit, or your FM won't work...

If you're fitting a DAB radio, don't route the antenna near any power source, like a dash cam.
 
You know, thinking about it , you can turn on the radio with the key out, so the feed must be permanent? It's the can bus that turns it on at start up, perhaps its a switched live thats required ?
I think you're right and it requires switched live.
It's been a year since I installed my aftermarket radio but I'm pretty sure it was switched.
(2016 car, and I think it's different for pre-facelift cars with Blue&Me instead of Uconnect).
I used a piggyback connector in the fusebox. It's easy to route the wire to the radio behind the dash.

Also needed a different cable for the antenna that has 12v input for the antenna amplifier.
Steering wheel controls required another adapter but found that too expensive and I can live fine without it.
 
I fitted one in my Stilo. I had to piggy back one of the wires from the power plug (bigger one of the dins in, I put a bit of solid thick 1mm wire between the red and yellow wires) and taped it down and out of harms way, and the chassis or other earths.

And everything worked, even the clock and back light that wouldn't work without it.

It did switch on with the ignition off (like most of my previous transport)

Removed it from the Stilo and stuck it back inside my Punto. So I could drive it via the free six months Mots (so I could tax it☠️) during lockdown (remember that, even sold it in April 2021)

Got a facia adaptor for it too. I'll show you my wiring. As I bought one of these wiring adaptors, that never worked.

So did it myself, and yes the steering 17108429040003013306590697854376.jpg17108429604365621087789548155112.jpg wheel switches never worked. But lucky for me I have arms, but like most of my Unos, the vibration never turned up my player.
 
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You know, thinking about it , you can turn on the radio with the key out, so the feed must be permanent? It's the can bus that turns it on at start up, perhaps its a switched live thats required ?
Interesting. I can't turn it on when the key is off, but then I haven't done the Proxi yet, and today the odo started flashing, so it's next on the cards.

You said "It's the can bus that turns it on at start up" turns what on?
My radio come on with the key turned on, but not without.
I think I must do the Proxi first, THEN see if there's a problem.
 
You can turn on/off our radio with the key out(the time on, is adjustable in the menu)
If you leave the radio on at removing the key it's the can bus system that at start up "turns on" the radio, if you manually turn off the radio when the key is out, it will not come on when started.
 
Interesting. I can't turn it on when the key is off, but then I haven't done the Proxi yet, and today the odo started flashing, so it's next on the cards.

You said "It's the can bus that turns it on at start up" turns what on?
My radio come on with the key turned on, but not without.
I think I must do the Proxi first, THEN see if there's a problem.
On my 2013, if the ignition is completely off/key romoved, pressing the radio power switch will turn on the radio (or CD) for 20 minutes, after which it turns itself off again. Another press will give you another 20 minutes. A setting in the radio menu will also keep the radio powered on for 20 minutes after you take the key out but I don't use that.

If the radio/CD is on when the key is removed it will resume next time the ignition is switched on.
 
On my 2013, if the ignition is completely off/key romoved, pressing the radio power switch will turn on the radio (or CD) for 20 minutes, after which it turns itself off again. Another press will give you another 20 minutes. A setting in the radio menu will also keep the radio powered on for 20 minutes after you take the key out but I don't use that.

If the radio/CD is on when the key is removed it will resume next time the ignition is switched on.
Yep same as ours, the on time is adjustable
 
is like a pioneer single din head unit plug and play with a 2009?

I to would like to replace standard for something with modern capabilities but don’t want to mess around cutting cables.
 
Yes, standard Din plugs you'll need to hook up a switched feed and proxy align to stop the mileage flashing
Sorry, what do you mean switched feed?

Is it not a case of using the iso cables and maybe swap red/yellow cables around?

I have more experience with German cars where these things are standard since at least late 90’s 😁, no cutting cables plug and play all the way
 
As I said earlier, I've never had to fit a new switched live in any of the modern cars I've owned and fitted new headunits, Alfa and Fiat included, I'd be massively surprised if the 500 was any different.

You should only need, if fitting a complete kit (including steering wheel interface) to sort the necessary earth, and/or key wires relevant to your stereo brand (for the interface) and a antenna adapter/amplifier which requires a live feed - which can be taken from the new stereo's 'remote' wire everything else is plug and play, you may need to switch the yellow and red wires around, again, depending on your stereo brand, but the new stereo harness normally has bullet connectors on these wires for just that purpose.

If you're not bothered about having steering wheel controls or having a working AM/FM tuner then you don't have to join anything mentioned above.

This relates to the ISO plugs fitted across all brands from the 90's, and not the later quad-lock type favoured by some.of the French and German manufacturers recently.

You may be lucky with thr flashing mileage, I was on my Panda, but my earlier 147 used to flash if I stated it too quickly, if the ignition was set to accessory for a second or 2 before firing, it didn't do it - again, as mentioned above, a proxi-alignment cures this.
 
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As I said earlier, I've never had to fit a new switched live in any of the modern cars I've owned and fitted new headunits, Alfa and Fiat included, I'd be massively surprised if the 500 was any different.

This relates to the ISO plugs fitted across all brands from the 90's, and not the later quad-lock type favoured by some.of the French and German manufacturers recently.
That may be true for pre-facelift 500's, but the facelift models don't have a switched live. You need it or you will risk draining your battery.
They also don't have ISO connectors:
 

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Appreciate your replys peeps, but no has answered 1. & 2.
I've done my proxi, (several times) and the radio works with the key, so thats the 'switched' live, as I expected, but won't work with the key off.

There's only the ACC wire available, so I'll explore (over the next couple of weeks seeing as it's bike weekend this week) that being a permanent live, you know what our chinese friends are like, they get all mixed up with labeling.
 
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