Technical installing radio

[jimw]

hi all. I'm trying to install a new radio (Sony CDX GT24). I know nothing about radios but was told its not to dificult. I've got the facia etc but I seem to have a spare set of wires in the multipla a set of 3 'junction boxes'; one blue, one green, one yellow. At risk of sounding an idiot, do I need to worry about these? Many thanks

 

[widemouthfrog]

Hi. Welcome to the forum!

They're mini-iso connectors. Supposedly a universal connector format, but Blaupunkt (who made the factory Multipla radios) seem to use them more than other makes.

The blue one is for connecting a CD changer to the head unit. The green one is for ancilliary remote control (normally only used by the optional steering wheel-mounted stereo controls) and the yellow one is for amplifier outputs. I'd be surprised if there are any wires coming out of the yellow block as I don't think Multipla stereos have any live line-out connections in the factory head units (though that may be a bit of a sweeping statement!)

The black block is speaker wires, the white block is all the head units power and switching connections.

Does your Sony have mini-ISO connections?

 

[jimw]

thanks for the quick reply. What might mini ISO connectors look like? I really am wet behind the ears on this stuff! I appear to have the correct connections on the radio to fit the black and white boxes you mention (shown in the pic). And I,m not bothered about missing out on the stufff in the multicoloured connection boxes. So if I connect up to the black and the white boxes have I got a working stereo?

 

[widemouthfrog]

The mini ISO connectors are the blue, green and yellow blocks. As they all control peripheral featuress that aren't critical to the basic function of the stereo, you are right in saying that if you can fit the black and white connectors to matching sockets on the new head unit, you should be good to go.

It's possible that some of the finer points of power management (like, for example, being able to turn the radio on/off when the ignition isn't on) may not work as expected because the way the various pins are wired up can vary a little from one manufacturer to another.

 

[jimw]

Thanks so much for your help on this. Will put it into practice asap. Cheers

 

[aeroadster]

Jim,

If you have a look at the back of your Sony headunit, you'll figure it out easy enough.

The Frog has done an excellent job of explaining what they are for, and you should be able to check the Sony installation manual to see if you have a corresponding series of connectors.

I've had a quick look at the installation guide from Sony (see this link)

http://www.sony.co.uk/product/ica-in-car-cd-radio-tuners-with-mp3-cd/cdx-gt24/tab/manual

It looks like all you need to do is to connect the black block for your speakers and then connect your ariel connector.

If it doesn't pop straight in, you may need a converter which you can buy for about £2 - £4 from your local Halfrauds.

HTH