Technical Creating a + 12V ignition wire for my radio

[chrissmith]

Hello everyone again!

I am about to take out the old ancient radio out of my fiat (valves and all!) and It only has a continous + and - 12V power supply. However, my new radio (a Pioneer DEH 2030R) has wiring for an ignition supply (and a continous supply for the radio memory). Does anyone know where and how I can create an ignition + and - 12v supply??

Also the pioneer I got from a friend, and it doesn't have the ISO block that you plug into it... Halfords told me I'd need a pioneer iso block... I was under the impression that all ISO blocks that plug into the back of these radios are the same... Is this false??

Any help and info would be appreciated!!

Thanks

 

[Jai]

i think the thing with iso blocks is the one on the loom is the same for all, the one into the stereo is maker specific

as for the wiring, i think i did it totally wrong and to all the electricians reading...sorry, i wired the cont power in from a feed i got from the ciggy lighter

 

[Luke]

i think the thing with iso blocks is the one on the loom is the same for all, the one into the stereo is maker specific

as for the wiring, i think i did it totally wrong and to all the electricians reading...sorry, i wired the cont power in from a feed i got from the ciggy lighter

The original stereo wiring comes off teh same fuse as the ciggy lighter in the uno anyway

Best advice IMO is to wire in a standard ISO connector to the uno I wish i did that rather than wiring my HU direct to all the parts of the car using alot of chocolate blocks and soldering.

As for the iginition feed, you can get one using a voltmeter under the steering column area. But if your stereo has proper On/Off buttons, just wire the cont. 12v into the ignition one. makes life alot easier

 

[Louie Bee]

Hi Criss,

Personally I couldn’t be bothered with the extra expense of an ISO Connector. I cut off the block and use screw connectors. The thing is this instantly invalidates the guarantee

:bang: As I am prone to loosing head unit faces I should have taken the ISO root. I have 2 backs for Panasonics – Twice I’ve gone in the shop saying Don’t but Panasonic and walked out of the shop with a Panasonic box this is the worst yet – CD head unit.

I haven’t bothered with a switched live since my first Uno.

If your K rej Uno is IE I’m sure I read somewhere it’s a really bad idea to use switched live, if you want to have head unit running with the engine off. The fuel system is energised (under pressure) ready for starting. lost the sauce - remember smelling petrol after long periods of leaving key at mar with engine off.

Pitty the CD jumps so much – I prefer tape

 

[chrissmith]

Hi louie,

I'm not quite sure I understand... Are you saying that its a bad idea to have an ignition wire for the radio. Or, that it's a bad idea having it as a continous feed?

Thanks

Chris.

 

[chrissmith]

Oh yeah, I've looked at the wiring in the back of the radio and it has a brown wire and a black wire coming from the back of the radio. Which is the live? Is it the brown one? I was wondering whether the Uno has a standard radio, the one in at the moment is an ancient Grundig! It has a bar tuner!

Do I wire up an iso conecter using a chocolate block and cutting the old connectors off? and screwing them in the block with the iso wires?

I know that the connectors at the back aren't ISO ones, is it worth buying one, and if so, is it costly?

 

[Luke]

an ISO plug are only about a fiver nowadays im sure. For the sake of ease then wire in the ISO. You can solder the wires together and heatshrink them (or cover with electricians tape), no need to use screw connectors...

Brown = live
Black = ground

My old orginial cassette player was a blaupunkt, but did have a bar tuner too. Couldnt get it out either to change it - ended up hitting it with a hammer till it broke into lots of pieces

As for what louie was saying that you didnt understand: When you turn the iginition onto accessory (where you get the ignition feed), it doest just give power to the radio - it also fires up the fuel pump and puts it under pressure. So when its on for long periods of time without having the engine running it will most likely start to leak petrol.

So its best just to have a continuous power feed into the ignition feed on the headunit. If the headunit is playing up and wont switch off properly, just mount a small switch on the dash and wire it up between the continuous power feed and the ignition in on headunit.

 

[Louie Bee]

Hi louie,

I'm not quite sure I understand... Are you saying that its a bad idea to have an ignition wire for the radio. Or, that it's a bad idea having it as a continous feed?

Thanks

Chris.

Sorry – as Luke said, I think it’s a bad Idea to use the Switched live (ignition wire).

The idea behind the switched live is that you can’t accidentally leave the head unit on, while the always live retains the head units settings (tone and radio stations). I use the removal of the head unit face to switch the unit off, and fit it to turn on.

I have the switched live (low current) and always live (high current) hooked to the Uno’s brown live. Sometimes when I use the Cig lighter and have the tunes up loud, the 10A fuse blows. I try to remember to turn it down first.

an ISO plug are only about a fiver nowadays im sure.

Ukp £3.99 at Maplin

ISO Power + Speaker http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=19651&TabID=1&source=15&WorldID=&doy=26m4

ISO Bare Adaptor http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=27994&TabID=1&source=15&WorldID=&doy=26m4

I guess I will be buying one on my next trip. I’m sure they were around Ukp £15 ten years ago.

My old orginial cassette player was a blaupunkt, but did have a bar tuner too. Couldnt get it out either to change it - ended up hitting it with a hammer till it broke into lots of pieces

LMAO. Oh the sense of achievement. I have done this to 2 standard Uno radios so far :nutter:.

 

[chrissmith]

Yes I'm having the same problems getting the grundig out!! i might have to go for the subtlety of the hammer too!!!

Does anyone know how much the adaptor for the back of the pioneer might cost... Halfords told me it would cost £29.99, is there anywhere cheaper? I take it that the adaptor also the little chap that I push the wires into on the ISO Block (that i will hopefully have connected up before to the pre-existing wiring)?

 

[Louie Bee]

Does anyone know how much the adaptor for the back of the pioneer might cost

I'd question the sauce of the car stereo if the model specific connector block is missing.

Sounds to me like the stereo has been removed in too much a rush ... :devil:

 

[markoibook]

I was in a similar situation about 5 months ago when I wired my stereo into my mk1 Uno.
I got an ISO block connector off ebay with bare wires and then wired them into the Uno so that my Uno now has an ISO block. It wasn't particularly necessary (I don't plan on changing the head unit), but it certainly is neat. Anyway, the ISO block I got from ebay had bare wires - but why not just buy any old cheap ISO lead and then just chop off the non-ISO block?
As someone has already pointed out though - you really ought to have got the lead that converts the Panasonic connector to ISO - well at least I would have thought that would be the case - otherwise you wouldn't be able to wire it in to any car without purchasing an extra cable!
Marko

 

[chrissmith]

It was a friends Stereo, They took it out and found that there JVC one from their old car could use the same connector block in the back, so they didn't take out the connector wiring from either car... So unfortunately I haven't got the connecting wires.

Oh, well!

Thanks for all your help, I'll tell you how I do when I've installed it!?!

 

[alexGS]

Chris,
Please see this thread:
https://www.fiatforum.com/showthread.php?t=20837&referrerid=5768
where I posted some comments about how I install stereos in the Uno.

I think, if I interpret Louie's message correctly, he is saying that it is a bad idea to use the switched line if it means that you have to leave the ignition key on, to listen to the radio when stopped. This is because leaving the key on tends to energise several power-hungry circuits (fuel pump for i.e. models, ignition, alternator field windings).

Using the cigarette lighter feed should be fine (it's what FIAT provide anyway on the models with a radio power connector) and so either Louie is being naughty and using the lighter as a LIGHTER (I've never seen anyone do that, usually it doesn't work any more if it had been used in the past) or it's a very powerful headunit...

My stereos (Blaupunkt), hooked up correctly to a 'switched live' as well as +12V, will turn on with the key off - they will also turn off when the key goes off - really clever, yet so simple to use. Don't know why the Japanese can't do the same. Probably because Blaupunkt stereos were designed for cars just like the Uno - the Japanese cars have an ACC position on the ignition switch.

Personally, I always hook up via a 'switched live' - the heater fan supply - so that the stereo goes off with the key. Also, be aware that some stereos will continue to draw power if they have the ACC and +12V lines permanently live. This might mean that you have to detach the face, or something, to prevent a flat battery after a few days.

-Alex