I keep reading that these adapters can be installed without taking out the radio. I have gotte down and looked but don't see the xm 14pin plug. Any suggestions on where to look? Is this even possible? Everytime someone says it no one ever comes right in a verifies the statement.

 

I just removed the right side of the console (by the drivers right leg) and the knee bolster (the part right under the steering column) once i did that i could see the white plug in the bottom left corner of the stereo. I used my left hand middle finger on top to feel for the small clip to push down on and my thumb to then pull out the plug. I popped it out in less than a minute (once i was able to get my hand in and feel around). forgot to add this earlier... for power i used the wire for my radar detector that i had Acura hardwire in for me. I just spliced off of that and i was done.

 

Those of you that have installed the UII from Blitzsafe where did you tie in to the constant power and the ground?

 

I bought the kit from eBay. I actually had a problem where I got an older version of the HON03 cable which doesn't work in the TL. The eBay vendor had PIE send me the correct cable. I paid $85.37 shipped.

I tapped power from the accessory wire above the kick panel fuse box. I used a 3M brown scotch lok

 

lem, if you take the trim off that your right leg rests against whilst driving, and hang upside down with your head by the gas pedal, you can find it. There's a great post by a guy who unplugged it without removing the stereo. If you read his description and take off that panel I mentioned, you can use his pictures to verify that you found the plug. Just look up towards where the back of the stereo should be, and you'll see a little white plug that is actually pretty easy to get to. The only half way tricky part is pressing the tab on top of the plug. Just use a small screwdriver. Here's his site. http://www.fperkins.com/Audioinputan...06AcuraTL.html

Oh, one other tip... When you remove that panel, I believe there is a piece of carpet that is just sticking out in the way that can be bent over to allow you to see the plug.

 

Has anyone used the add a fuse method from the link in the last post. Thats seeming like the easiest for the 12V for the P.I.E.

How come the P.I.E. needs a 12V line? Isn't there one in the connector that plugs into it?

 

I used the add a circuit method. It's incredibly easy. Just make sure you get the right sized add a circuit. I mistakenly got the large size, and had to go back to Auto Zone. They didn't carry the small size, so I had to go on a scavenger hunt for one.

 

Saw your jan 06 post indicating you selected the Starmate Replay.... Have you installed it, more importantly, where did you mount it? I have the radio, plan to order p.i.e hdwr this afternoon. I plan to mount starmate in lower center bay (where cig lighter is), due to its size, door will not close. Plan to mount p.i.e. selector switch under dash as I only have sirius tuner at this time. Would be interested in hearing your install tips, and rcvr mounting location. John S.

 

I just finished the install, and to power the unit I just shoved the power line into the fuse slot for the front accessory (fuse 9), then crammed the blade fuse in on top of it.

Powers up fine, but for some reason, even though the accessory that uses that fuse IS switched, the aux input doesn't seem to be switched? At least, the little LED on the remote never goes out. Is that supposed to happen? Is it actually just drawing a constant power source from the harnes in order to retain the input selection state?

 

If the red light stays on....it's getting power. In process of installing mine, and I decided to tap into front cig lighter power.

 

so for the P.I.E thing, i need to unplug the 14 pin connector from the back of the headunit.
Then i plug in the other cord that I will have to buy from logjam.com into the headunit.
Next I connect the P.I.E and the XM togerther and tap into the fusebox for the power supply right?

Please help me out cause this will be the first mod to my tl

 

csmeance,

You are correct! Y-adaptor/cord from log jam into 14 pin xm connector goes into back of head unit, one end fits the xm connector, the other end into the PIE unit. Use a wire tap into the fuse box (add-a-circuit works great) and then mount your selector switch for THE PIE. Hardest part of the install is taking apart your dash...best place to mount the PIE is behind the glove box trim, just in front of the interior air filter canister. Length of wires is perfect and you have room to install all the rca cables to the unit. Just installed mine 2 weeks ago and no problems...audio signal is SUPER clean...fully recommend the PIE x3. any other questions, drop me a line!

 

hello,

my friends just installed this PIE unit and i dont have XM so when we play with the carputer the XM displays the channel listings and what not on the LCD screen....is there anyway to hack what the XM displays to something else?

TIA
wes

 

Not really. The PIE unit works with the XM input by hijacking the audio signal between the XM unit in the trunk and the head unit in the dash. The digital data wires between the XM and head unit are always passed thru. This is why you always see the XM data displayed even if the PIE is active. Just ignore it or change to the GPS Map (if you have nav)

 

ok thanks.....i dont have navi thats y i did the carputer mod

yeh ill just have to ignore the xm data for now

 

Hi guys, I remember seeing cool MP3 player mount that goes on the right side of console. Can not find that post. If anybody can direct me there?
Thanks

 

www.proclipusa.com

 

Think you're talking about the Kuda

 

Thanks to both or you guys, that exactly what I was looking for.

 

Are any of you guys experiencing any whining coming through the stereo. Its definitely not XM bleeding through. I dont have a subscription although the preview channel would bleed through if I had that problem.

Whenever I start the AVOX media player unit up I get the whining. I had an iLink installed and it had more issues than I can describe here without getting banned.

To make a long story short it had alot problems on top of the whining noise. I was just wondering if anyone else is experiencing this with the X3 or if they have reached a solution to this problem.

TIA!!!

 

for some reason, i think it's only with my HDD media player but haven't taken the time to correct the issue yet. I didn't have any whining issues when I just had my iPod plugged up so I'm thinking it definitely has something to do with the hard drive running in the media player.

 

I agree, it seems like the only thing there that could produce a high pitch noise like that. I wonder if a filter would do the trick?

I have no experience with eliminating noise in a stereo system like the setup we have. However, I dont hear this noise when connecting the media player to a TV. I wonder if people experience the same thing when running directly into the head unit (splicing into the XM reciever wires) instead of going through a PIE X3 module?

 

I'm running out to take some pics that are due of my setup anyways. I'll give a better description of when the noise appears.

edit: damn, you're up late haha!

 

Haha, yeah I work third shift as an Electronic Technician for a printing company. It gets me alot of forum time!!!

As for the noise. If you set everything up on the PIE for the media player(correct AUX setting and XM on the HU) and then turn the media player on, you can hear the noise start. It definitely does sound like the HDD spinning up. I cant hear it once music starts though.


P.S. Arent you up late as well???? I live on the !!!

 

ok, this is what I noticed - it is definitely noise coming from the HDD media player but it is only very slightly noticable if you have your volume level turned up anywhere from 16-26'ish. Once you hit 30 on the volume level it's definitely more apparent but once I play an mp3, the whine gets drowned out.

I found that if I have the main volume up around the 20-25 level and then adjust the volume on the HDD media player to about 12bars (about halfway), you can't even tell there's noise coming from the hard drive and the sound is already pretty loud meaning if your playing an mp3 with pretty good bass and have the stock sub/bass levels turned up, you'll be riding on the upper limits close to distortion. Turn up the volume on the HDD a few more bars and you will definitely distort the signal (if you're using stock speakers/amp).

I'm actually a dj full time so staying up late is part of the routine haha! My body's still on my weekend schedule!

 

I will try what you suggested there. I cant stand not having clean sound so Ill try anything.



Sorry I had to!!!!


You could also use the AVOX for work!!!!!

 

Ok, I tried what special-ed had suggested. I ran the volume on the AVOX up to about halfway when it distorted and backed it off by 1 or 2 bars. I then raised the volume on the stock stereo to 25 and the whine was still there.

Here are my concerns/observations/ideas:

1) The PIE unit has a red power lead that you need to connect. Where is the ground wire to complete the power circuit?

My guess is that they are using a ground lead from the factory stereo harness. From all the forums and articles Ive read this is a no-no as it creates ground loops in the system. If I can get a pinout for the 14 pin connector I might try to tap the ground and run it straight to the chassis.

2) I am using the armrest console cigarette lighter for powering my car power adapter for the AVOX. Is this a good location to get ground from?

I am thinking I should try and remove the factory ground from the cigarette lighter and run it straight to the chassis of the car.

3) If the noise is starting in the PIE unit, where do I go from there?

I have heard others complain about the PIE having this problem and it may be something in the design of the PIE unit. Either that or it is defective.

Has anyone called PIE for support before? Is thier support team any good or would that be a useless attempt?

Any suggestions would help!! I will be trying some of these ideas in the next couple days since I have to tear the dash apart again to install my IR extender for the media player in the center console, top tray.

I hope I can fix this issue soon!!!! I will post results either way.

 

I get the same thing hoTLanta. My workaround is to turn the volume up on the Mediagate so that I don't have to turn up the head unit volume past 18. So far I haven't noticed the whining once the unit powers up. The power up whine works as an indicator that the unit is powering up for me.





Yo lembowski, can you chime in about this since you're using the USA Spec? I always thought it was a PIE X3 issue.

 

With the USAspec I have the volume on the avox turned down pretty low (past halfway). Then I can adjust the main volume from the wheel if I want to change it. I haven't experienced this whining noise that everyone is speaking of. Chris you've heard mine and yours right after we hooked them up, you thought at that time it was interference from the powerwire on the coax cables.......do you think it is different now? My power wire is ran on the opposite side of the coax cables, so that might make the difference.

 

My audio cables are not close to the power cables. It's my video cable that is close. Both are shielded Monster cables so I think I should be okay.

I have the volume set in the middle for the Mediagate as well. I only get that initial whine when the Mediagate powers up. I don't hear it once the music starts bumpin.


I drove to work using my iPod today and didn't notice any whining. I turned the volume of the iPod down low and the headunit volume up and didn't hear any bleeding or whining noise. This was while I was parked though. I'll try it again while driving home.

 

Thanks for the info guys!!! This is driving me crazy now. Since I have the power adapter figured out and I finally found that IR eye that works with the media player this is all I have left to figure out. I may rip into it tomorrow since I have the day off. I will try to seperate wires and try disconnecting other things to try and isolate the problem.

I am also going to hook up my iPod temporarily to the PIE as well to see if it produces the same noise I am getting right now. It sounds like the high pitch background noise of a jet engine. It is better when I play with the volume settings but I shouldnt be getting it at all. Oh well, I will post my findings. Feel free to drop some more ideas if you have any!!!!

Wish me luck!!

 

Are you using a Y-spliter harness?
About a month ago I started getting some whining while playing the ipod through the USAspec. This went on for about a week until I could no longer take it anymore. While troubleshooting, I examined all of the connections in the path of the USAspec and found that the Y-splitter plug was backing out of the slot on the factory radio. It looked like it was still plugged in but when I looked closely I could see that it had backed out almost 1/4 inch. I used a long screwdriver to seat it back in and the whining immediately stopped. I no longer have any interference or whining with the ipod. I have never had any whining with the Mediagate. I have the volume on the mediagate set around half way and it sounds fine.

 

As an update, my drive with the iPod and PIE X3 did not produce any noticable whines. The cable is a simple RCA to 8mm stereo audio jack from Radio Shack. Nothing shielded.

hotLanta, you can test with moving/switching wires before you decide on taking things apart.

Good luck!

 

I was having similar problems. Asked a tech at Circuit City, and he said he'd had the same problems with his setup, and that all I needed was a "Ground Loop Eliminator". It goes in line between the external player and the PIE X3, just an extra length of RCA cable with a smallish chunk of hardare in line basically.

Completely fixed my issues at pretty much all the volume level's I'm ever going to use (if I turn the volume up to the maximum on the car stereo system while no audio is coming through the player, I can still hear a faint whine, but as soon as the mp3 player is actually playing, it's completely hidden in the signal). And it was only $14.

 

I'm thinking about doing the whole DVD to Navi conversion soon and I'm considering the PIE X3 unit. I've read through this thread and it looks like everyone installed the unit up in the front, directly to the radio headunit itself. So to me that looks like (note: -, |, /, and \ are to represent wires):


[HEADUNIT]
|
|
|
[PIE x3 Unit]
|
| (long wire to xm unit in rear of car)
|
|
[XM Unit]



My question is instead of hooking it up in the front of the car, can you hook it up directly to the XM unit (in the rear of the car). I see that PIE has a 15ft extension cable for the little source selector/display unit that you can run to the front of the car or whatever). So can you hook it up in this fashion:


[HEADUNIT]
|
| (long wire to xm unit in rear of car)
|
| (...connected to PIE connection wire)
|
[PIE x3 Unit]------[XM Unit]


I would assume both ends of the 'long wire' that connected the head unit to the xm receiver are exactly the same and that such a wire exists (and doesn't stop somewhere else first). Can anyone help?


Also has anything 'better' been released since this PIE X3 came out?

 

AdamNJ

the XM unit is under the head unit in the front of the car. (maybe you are thinking about the NAV unit that is in the trunk ?) The Y adapter that comes with the PIE unit is at most 2ft long. so putting it in the rear of the car wont work. Remember it also needs power and the easiest way to do that is to keep the unit in the front.

Dan

 

Sorry, friend, but check your manual. Your XM tuner is mounted inside the right rear fender. The only piece of the nav that's located in the truck in the DVD player. The brains are in the center console.

If I remember, I'll post a scan of the manual or picture of the inside of the trunk from when I hooked up the OEM antenna to my Sirius receiver.

 

What you guys think about this?

 

It's not bad, wrong thread though this one is really old.

The PIE X3 is no longer made. PIE actually recently was acquired by PAC Audio - the makers of the isimple.

I think most people go with the isimple device, the USASpec, in the video, also gets you the XM text if I'm not mistaken. I actually have the PIE X3 in my car but I don't own any apple products and only really use the RCA inputs.

I'd read around a bit on the different versions before settling on one. There are a few makers.. I usually at least take a look at the amazon reviews since they sell a million of these and see what people say in the negative reviews. I don't really pay much attention to the 5/4 star reviews on products unless they're all 5/4 star. I think you get a little better info from the 1 and 2 star reviews people leave sometimes.

PAC-Audio (has the Isimple, a single RCA input option that isn't on the market yet for another month and some other options as well) .. has webpage here:

http://pac-audio.com/productSearch.a...2005&YearId=16

GROM - I would avoid, I've heard bad things about the GROM units and their customer service.

USASpec

I'm sure there are some more options, ultimately it depends on what you're looking for. The install in the video is decent, looks pretty quick and if you're happy with it thats what really matters.

 

I have a Samsung s3 and the ipod connection would be useless so I would use only the AUX just like you are doing. Is there a way I can still play videos and see texts using a Android phone? Thanks