I wasnt able to find an audio ground on the amp board, so I don't even know that it has one.
I really don't know how you could have killed it, outside of some sort of short when plugging/unplugging it. I never had that problem with all my testing though.
If you feel like mailing off your modified radio, I'd try to figure out what went wrong and how to fix it, so that it doesnt happen to anyone else. I'd hate to be responsable for killing off a bunch of Fiero radios.
OK, in the interest of making this work as I think it's a great adaptation for MP3 players I will send you my radio to see if you can figure out where I goofed up.
PM me your address and how much you neeed for the work, I'll let you know when I've shipped it out.
When plugging in or unplugging the IPod plug, I think the power switch for the radio should be in the off position to prevent elecrical spikes in the amp circuit.
And I'm in the Sort-18-years-worth-of-stuff stage of moving, so I'm a little tied up as well.
A note though: I had absolutly no problems with this method on my '84 AM/FM/tape non-equilizer model. It may just be something different about the EQ model.
[This message has been edited by Jax184 (edited 07-20-2006).]
Bit of a bump, considering doing this to my radio.
I think one thing that should be noted is that while inserting/removing the plug into the bypass plug, you do momentarily connect the positive and negative terminals, creating one hell of a fuse- and amp-blowing situation that's not common for this kind of radio. It's a very wise idea to shut off the radio before connecting it, even if there's nothing on the other end of the cord. Or if you're so inclined, route a hard-wired (or connected in the back of the radio) wire through the center console into one of the ashtray holes and use that to connect your MP3 player. That way you can hide the cable when it's not in use, and avoid the amp-blowing spectacle.
I was thinking of connecting the adapter to the wires coming off the tuner board, but I think that would come up with the same effect. Might be easier to access though... but I'll have to test them first, somehow. Not too easy to come up with 12 volts on demand without blowing something out :P
I haven't had any time to do anything with my set-up since I did this thread with Jax184, however, I did ultimately blow out the left channel in my ipod which I had to replace.
I will put the radio back to stock to see if I did any damage to it.
Since then I have purchased an Audiovox FM Modulator and I installed it in my 84.
LOL!! The audio quality of the Coby tape adapter is much, much higher than any FM adapter crap... I've tried those, they sound like puke. I have zero gripes with the tape adapter - the physics behind it allow it to be just as great sounding as the original (and not limited to the properties of tape either, like low quality, that's a magnetic retention property), and it really does sound perfect. Pretty much the only reason I'm thinking of doing this is because I'm tired of the radio ejecting the adapter every time I turn the car or radio off. And it does sometimes flip-flop the auto reverse back and forth then spit the tape out, which is kinda annoying. When it works, it works great. But I just want the convenience of it. :P
I have a cassette adapter also and mine like yours does the eject thing also which is why I went with the FM modulator.
From your response I think, correct me if I'm wrong, you have the FM modulator mixed up with an FM transmitter.
The FM transmitter transmits the audio signal to the cars antenna and the Radio recieves the signal like any other FM station.
The FM modulator recieves the audio signal through wires plugged into the output jack on the device, it sends the signal to the radio through the antenna wire which the FM modulator is in the middle of.
You plug the antenna wire into the modulator and it has an antenna lead that plugs into the radio.
True you do set the radio to one of two stations and the signal is transmitted to the radio but there is no outside interference.
The modulator has an on/off switch for normal radio operation.
Using the cassette adaptor or the FM modulator I can't tell a difference between the signals other than the cassette adaptor stopping every now and then and being ejected when the car is turned off or on.
The FM modulator works uninterupted.
I also have used the FM transmitter and in my opinion it works OK but the FM modulator and cassette adaptor work better.
So did this mod too and got the same results. No audio when plugged into the jack.
I figured the OP problem was caused from using an IPod. I have found Mac audio plugs to be different at least on my G4.
When I pulled the jack out of the plug it blew the radio fuse. I replaced the fuse and plugged the jack into the radio. (My radio still worked.) On the other end of the cord I measured 12V across the tip and sleeve.
This thread is unproven and dangerous to your radio and MP3 player.
Edit; I did the mod on an 88 stock radio without the EQ option.
Edit again; The audio just died on my phone. I guess it didn't like the 12 volts.
[This message has been edited by hercimer01 (edited 02-07-2013).]
sound like this will work on my camaro too right? is there a part number for the bypass jack I missed or should the local radio shack lackie know what i'm after?
Hey, i just wanted to share my experience with this mod, first of all i have the cheapest radio with just am/fm radio no equalizer, after putting the radio back in I turned the radio off and then plugged my mp 3 player into the jack, then i turned on the radio, with no delay my fuse blew. something i noticed is that when figuring out the configuration of the pins. The middle part, and the sleeve of the audio cable would connect to the ground...i don't know if this is part of the problem or if i just need a better ground? I'm currently grounded to the chassis of the radio.
[This message has been edited by MattyB85 (edited 04-16-2013).]
The reason that no one has had any luck with this mod is because you are tapping into the wrong wires going to the amp board. Forget the L and R on the board. Only the 84 radios had this layout. From the front of the radio tap into the 3rd and 4th wires back. These are the L and R analog audio signals coming off of the tuner board.
The reason that no one has had any luck with this mod is because you are tapping into the wrong wires going to the amp board. Forget the L and R on the board. Only the 84 radios had this layout. From the front of the radio tap into the 3rd and 4th wires back. These are the L and R analog audio signals coming off of the tuner board.
That's great info. Did you scope the output to figure it out?
Just did this mod on my 88 Radio. It has EQ settings and a cassette deck. You have to wire L and R to the 3rd and 4th wires in on the AMP ,like 84ta said. The other mods I believe are getting interference from the tuner board. The audio works great. I powered off , plugged in, then turned it on. The weak point is either the jack or the cable for me but its only an issue 1% of the time.
Great thread, I just spawned the idea at random the other day and then saw this resurrected from years gone by. My challenge is slightly different, I've adapted a 2001 era monsoon head unit into my '86 GT, and rather than adding an audio jack, I'd like to hardwire a Bluetooth module in. A few are available via eBay, though mostly directly out of China. Would love to be able to throw my phone on the charger while my YouTube app streams a playlist in the car. Afraid to risk damage to the head unit while wiring the module in though, it's not too easy to find these monsoon units under $100 with all of the lights still functioning. Secondly, reading the entire thread was like a rollercoaster. At first, the idea is exciting. Then you read the failures and your heart sinks while your brain says "yep, that's what would happen if I tried!". Either way, I appreciate the efforts and ideas here!
... Secondly, reading the entire thread was like a rollercoaster. At first, the idea is exciting. Then you read the failures and your heart sinks while your brain says "yep, that's what would happen if I tried!".
Agreed. Thread should have been edited to have only the correct step-by-step instructions...
Just finished installing an aux plug in my 86GT. It was wires 3&4 as per the end of this thread. I spiced into the ribbon cable rather than soldering to the board. Biggest challenge was getting a good ground on the aux plug. If you have a lousy ground the sound will be lousy. (In my case original ground point almost made it sound like the voices were muted) Also, ended up drilling 2 holes as the plastic was too deep to allow me to use the O-ring to secure the stereo jack, so I ended up mounting in the door to the non-working tape deck. Thought about boring deeper in the back of the plastic, but was worried I'd crack the face plate. Oh, make certain you take both the top and bottom plates off before removing the face plate. They are hooked firmly into the plastic of the face plate in several spots.
Also swapped crackly paper original dash speakers with a new pair of Kenwoods.
