SS-TSX

I'm receiving my system this weekend and was wondering if anyone had a write-up, maybe with pictures, on how to install this unit. I know i'm going to have to take apart the dash, so any pics on how to do this and where to hide the wires would help greatly. Thanks

Justin

e_lectro

you got the avelectronis unit? Then there is no need to remove the dash at all. All of the work will be in the trunk.

To install it, zip tie it to the bottom of your dvd hanging bracket, unplug the 20pin connector, attach your connectors. For power, run power from the DVDrom power. For FM modulation, remove the rear drivers side airbag cover (the ant. amp is under it) and plug in the fm connectors.

SS-TSX

would you mind taking pictures of where i need to tap in for power? If not i understand.

Thanks

e_lectro

I can't realy show you, my sub box is in the way. And I don't have the avelectronics unit. I can tell you its the 8pin connector one the passenger side of the DVD-Rom... when I get home I can get you the wire colors.

There should be a thread on installing the avelectronics unit, try searching for it and there might be some info there.

21_in_az

SS-TSX....

Im am about to order mine as well, but I am curious.

they sell the blitsafe adapter also for $70 on the avelctronics website, is this part needed?

im confussed on this......


did you order it?

e_lectro

The blitzsafe adapter is not needed, and in fact, will not work with our cars (Navi nor Non-Navi).

Currently, the ONLY AUX adapter that will work is the SNHOND3 from http://www.logjamelectronics.com/

21_in_az

Do you need an aux-adapter?
i thought that the av kit came with everything you need......am i wrong?

e_lectro

The avelectronics kit comes with an FM modulator for sound. This will give you FM radio quality of sound obviously. The AUX adapter will give you CD quality sound.

You do not have to have the AUX adapter, it just sounds better...

21_in_az

That is exactly the clarifaction i needed!
thank you VERY much!!

SS-TSX

how is the aux adapter hooked up?

e_lectro

Perhaps it's in the stickied thread at the top of this forum:
'FAQ & Instructions: Aux Audio Adapter - From Selection to Completion'
http://www.acura-tsx.com/forums/show...&threadid=3148

but that's just a wild guess....

SS-TSX

can someone tell me which wire i need to tap into in that 8-pin plug for the power for the unit, and also how difficult is it or how do i remove the cover for the drivers rear side airbag cover and how does the power hook up there?


Thanks

palidanx

has anyone tried to plug in their dension ice link output into the avelectronic? I get very grainy sound...

bgillette

bgillette

Just kidding....

But pics would be sweet if we would have them!!!!

palidanx

pics to come very soon...

I-MOD

SS- If your not clear on how todo it with what comes with the unit you should go to a shop and have them install it. It's pretty strait forward but not worth messing up your $2000.00 nav unit if you mess it up

D.

palidanx

hey can you upload pics to the forum or do you have to link it externally?

palidanx

This is a pic of the avelectronic unit s-video version. If you notice on the outputs, there are four outputs. The first output outputs s-video, and the other three do composite video. So you can technically have 4 screens in your car.



This is just a close up view. Note that the white cable is the one that hacks into your dvd player. If you care only to hack your nav screen that's the only one you will use.



Next to the "VSA" button, i popped out one of the panels to install the switch. Instead of using their (avelectronic's switch), i bought two from radio shack..



Another close pic



Here in the back of the panel, there is a a rubber apparatus, seems like another connector could fit in there. What I did is cut all that out so i can mount the switch easily.




Another pic



Instead.. if you notice, this the finished switch mount. I ended up getting another switch from another electronics store. It costed me 3 bucks. I had to drill a circular hole in the panel and put the switch in.. easy stuff.



side view



This is where i popped out the panel.. that wire is the switch wire coming from the back of the av electronic unit. Cuz in order to switch the video from the nav to your own video, you have to wire a switch.



Another pic



Pic of the switch mounted



Pic of the avelectronic device. It's behind my seat. I installed a false wall so now i can't put anything through my trunk and the back seat. Notice the white cable is goign to the dvd player.



See the weird thing about the avlectronic unit is you have to "ground the unit" to the parking brake so it only works when you have it in park.. But.. umm.. for "testing purposes" just ground it anywhere. Here I am going to use my existing ground point from my amp.




pic of th eexisting ground amp



That yellow cable is the cable you need to ground for it to work. It is extremely short so you have to wire your own cable.



my dvd player.



What's good about the avelectronic is you use no splicing. Here i disconnect one of the nav connectors going to the video of the lcd.



Here's the avelectronic cables.


Because avelectronic didn't create the female mold of the cable, you have to insert two pairs of 10 pins into the original connector. It is very easy to do.



Inserting the top pair into the original harness.


pic of their connector





pic of the white wire going back from the avelectronic device


pic of my amp set-up


pic of the completed set-up



In addition to the ground to turn it on, you have to ground a wire so you dont get video interference. I put a connector on it as you can see.


to power the avelectronic you have to use a 12v from the cigarette adapater of something. I had existing runs for my amp so i tapped into that.



pic of my ground point. the first thing being grounded is the wire that lets it turn on at anytime. THe other cable is the ground for the video.


This is how i mounted it. Behind the seat works fine if you have a piece of wood mounted to the steel frame.



pic of the device finished. I ran the snhond3 to the back, thats where you see the purple cables.

enjoy!

21_in_az

NICE WORK!!!

how about pics of the screen while watching tv/dvd?

kgmusic

Thanks a lot for the pics. Your setup is impresive.

Just had a couple of questions... How do you control the video going to the screen?
Do you use a remote control?

Also, I want to do a similar thing in my TSX but I don't need such an extensive setup... I just want to be able to plug an AV device, say a Portable Windows Media Center to the AV of the car from within the cabin. What would I need to do?

Is the way you are posting the easiest way or are there any other options?

Ken

palidanx

thx haha.. appreciate it

theres a remote control with four buttons on it. Each button represents an output screen, so if you hacked into the front nav screen you will always use button 1. Now, to switch in between the inputs, you press button 1, n times, n being which input you have.. say for example..

av electronic device:
input 1: ps2
input 2: dvd player
input 3: computer
input 4: none

you press '1' once for the ps2, twice for the dvd player, etc..

Well.. it depends.. if you have the portable windows media center and you simply want to run audio, get an snhond3 and run audio wires to your center console.

But if you want to run video and audio, and you ONLY plan to run one video device, you can get the other nav hack from vsokolov. Unfortunately you have to go through all of the hassles of running a switch to toggle the video, running audio and video wires to your defined point, and installing the video unit. The one I bought is simply plug and plan.. vsokolov's requires wire splicing in the dvd unit but is far cheaper. Theres a guy who might be able to sell you the video converter cheaper if you are interested.

kgmusic

I was interested in running audio and video. Could you explain a little about the Vsokolov installation? Do you have a link to a site or tutorial that talks about it?

Also, would it be possible to just install a set of RCA video input cables that could be routed from the back and come out, say by the center arm rest... then have the snhond3 cables routed there as well so I could put my device in the center arm rest and not have to install it in the car...

Also, I heard of a unit called Blitzsafe HON/SNY ITI V.2 2003-2004 Accord W/Navigation-to-Sony CD Changer/Auxiliary Input Converter. http://store.yahoo.com/logjam/blitzhonsnyitiv2.html It was recomended on the LOGJAM website as an alternative to the SNHOND3 unit in the case that your car had a Nav system installed. Should I use this instead of the SNHOND3? I tried to understand the difference but it wasn't clear to me.

And finally, I have the factory MP3 player installed and it says that it will work with it. But will there be enough space in there to have both? How can I access the back of my stereo if the MP3 player is installed? And what do you recomend I study or look at to know how to take apart the center console? I really don't want to break/scratch anything...

Thanks for your advice,

Ken

palidanx

Don't take my word a hundred percent but this is how i believe vsokolov's installation works. You have to splice some wires where your dvd head unit is and it runs to a connector to a small box which has one female composite video adapter.. jack.. i forgot what you call it. Do a search on vsokolov in the audio/video forum and you'll get a couple of hits


Yes it definetely would be possible to run a set of video input cables to the center console. You would run the cables from the middle of the car which requires you to put it under your carpet, or you could run it from the trunk to the passenger side, through the passenger dash to the center console. I used the second method in running my cables to ensure no power cables were nearby. The only thing you may have to consider is if you are running your portable windows media device, be sure it can accept the rca video composite for the video out. If it only accepts s-video you may need to get some converter form svideo - to rca are buy the avelectronics device which supports s-video.. your choice.

Yes, as for the shond3 you would simply extend the rca cables from that device to your center console. Or you can put in a pair of rca jacks into your center console which I've seen on the forum somewhere.

I see what that website is getting at. Cuz if you have nav and you have the snhond3 you have to splice one of the connectors so the nav mutes the snhond3. You buy one additional connector from honda (amazingly enough acura doesn't sell it) and splice it.. here are the instructions on how to do it

http://www.chrishorne.com/gallery/TSX
It really is pretty easy if you buy the snhond3 though. One other issue that I am not sure of is if you choose to get an ipod in conjunction with your snhon3, i'm not sure of the dension device will work with the link you provided.

It's odd but personally i have NOT had success with the factory mp3 player working in conjunction with the snhond3. When i cascade the cables from the snhond3 with the mp3 player the snhond3 output gets very grainy. I called up soungate and they said that that device was programmed only with one bus in mind, so when you add the mp3 player, the audio output can't switch correctly.

As for the space you will have enough space in back of the mp3 player if you have the snhond3. To take apart the center console you MUST have the tsx service manual.. it pretty much tells you how to take everything in the car apart.. personally I would get copies of the manual from someone you know and bring it to the install place so they have an idea how to take your center console apart (it's not 100% intuitive) or diy. Do a search on the forum to see where to get the service manual.

twon_aka_hollaatyaboy

So definitively:

To convert a NAVI unit to watch DVD, or use a PS2 you need?
1)The "thing" from AVElectronic
2)SNHOND3 for better sound quailty
3)and then what??????

I-MOD

And a DVD player

D.

palidanx

Probably just one of those dc-ac converters so you can plug in your ps2 or dvd and the act of installing it

Btw it looks like sony is gonna release a ps2 half of the current size so that might be useful for putting int he passenger seat.

Ronin13

Other then getting the DVD player / PS2 that should be it.

Just FYI, I just installed the Blitzsafe adapter from LogJam. It works great. If you do the math, the price of the Blitzsafe ($130) is the same if you get the SNHOND3 ($100) / Honda connector ($30). The only difference is that the splicing is already done for you with the Blitzsafe.

twon_aka_hollaatyaboy

So the best bet is to get Blitzsafe then? (I am all about easy install). I could splice, but I'd rather not. BTW, do you have pics of Blitzsafe? So now it looks like a complete kit would consist of:

1)AVElectronic Unit for ~600 bucks
2)Blitzsafe or SNHOND3 for 100-130 (depending on adapter)
3)A DVD/PS2 (got it!)
4)DC power converter (10-20 bucks?)

Anything I missed????

BTW, how easy would it be to hook up more monitors, i.e. in the headrests?
Could those monitors be linked to the front but still active when the NAVI is being used (or A/C or Audio screen)?

Hollaback! (atyaboy)

palidanx

well the splicing isn't really that hard, but you do have to buy that extra cable.. so i guess the blitzsafe should be fine. Oh yea, if you choose to do the ipod hack see if the blitzsafe interface is compatible with the dension ipod adapter.

Doesn't look like it


in the avelectronic device you can four outputs. So one output goes to the nav, and the rest go to your headrest. As for the question if the monitors can be used when the navi is being used is a slightly different issue. What happens is the 4 outputs run independently... if the nav screen is in use or not doesn't affect the other 3 outputs. What you have to do for your nav is to install a switch that switches the nav output to the avelectronics output.

Ronin13

True that splicing isn't hard but with the Blitzsafe it's done. It's truly plug and play. When I ordered it (http://store.yahoo.com/logjam/blitzhonsnyitiv2.html), it came in two days. Here are the pics of the Blitzsafe during my install:





Once you have the adapter connected, just push CD/AUX button twice to see "CD-C". The stereo will think that you have a CD Changer connected but instead a MP3, Discman, etc.

To finish up this portion of my project, I went and installed RCA connectors in the armrest just like Schalliol except I also put in a video port for later explansion.



True that you can get interface for the iPod and control it from the steering wheel but is it worth the investment? iPod may not be the "it" thing next year. These intefaces for made only for iPods, nothing else. Even though I am using an iPod in my car, I'm just using it with the iPod thru Blitzsafe and Belkin charger/audio (which has a built in amp which puts a little more thump)

By the way, I also installed a ground loop isolator from Radio Shack. It's worth the investment especially if you use the iPod with the charge connected at the same time. One suggestion, do not put the ground loop isolator next to the OEM amp. I notice that I get humming interference when placed next to it.

Have fun.

palidanx

well.. it depends on how much money you want to spend and how clean you want your set-up.. cuz with the snhond3/dension combo you dont' have to do any of the rca female jack installing business, you don't have to use up your cigarette adapter for charging, and you dont have to install a ground loop isolator. It's 220 with the dension icelink and shond3 which really isn't a bad deal.. My take on the situation is we already paid quite a big sum for our tsx's, want not buy quality options for our car?

I-MOD

Just get the Honda 2 port harness and there is no splicing. Don't know why people get the other cable and hack it up when the 2 port harness is the same price and plugs right in.

http://honda.autowebaccessories.com/...4_127_5510.php

And you can get the interface adapter here for $79.00:
http://www.autotoys.com/x/catalog/HO...d_0_p_200.html

Plug this adapter into the 2 port harness then into the car and your done. It's completely plug and play and it's cheaper.

D.

twon_aka_hollaatyaboy

Thanks guys - great info.
Palidanx - I get what you saying about the switch for the navi/dvd versus the other screens.

I see a lot of back and forth on the Blitzsafe vs. SNHOND3. Can someone break it down side by side so I can make a decent decision?

BTW - you guys are f*cking awesome! Thanks for the help.

elduderino

Don't think anyone has owned both. Sounds like they are interchangeable.

Ronin13

I thought about getting the interface adapter from Autotoys but concerned that I see a warning that it's not a soundgate adapter. What are they trying to warn us about? Is this thing home bred from them? From the pictures though, it looks just like my Blitzsafe interface adapter but $50 cheaper. Cheaper however is not always good. Best to see if anyone has Autotoys interface adapter.

Back to SHOND3 ($100) vs. Blitzsafe ($130). I would just go with the Blitzsafe as you dont' have to go out and get the Honda cable ($30) and then splice. Altogether it's the same price just no mess when you go with the Blitzsafe. That's just me though. See if anyone knows if there is sound quality difference thought. I'm quite happy with my setup above.

humperdood

I have been reading this thread for a little while, and I have a question about my Accord because the interior of the TSX and Accord are somewhat similar. I bought and installed the AVElectronic unit and it's working great. The only problem is that the sound form my DVD player is FM modulated. It's OK, but not perfect. I noticed that since my car comes with the XM radio installed from the factory, I have a CD/SAT radio button. I notice that I can push the XM/SAT radio button three times to switch between the following media: CD--->XM1--->XM2. Is it possible to disable the presets from the second XM presets (XM2) and install the Blitzsafe adapter so that I can listen to my DVD sound when I push the CD/SAT radio button for XM2? I would really love to do this. Any info would be appreciated. Thanks everyone!

humperdood

I saw on handa-accessories.com that on the installation instructions for the in-dash CD player or multi-media player that you have to purchase a bus cable 2-port to allow the sound for factory XM-equipped Accords. It's part number 08 A31-0F1-000. If I got an adapter (does Blitzsafe even offer an adapter for the TSX or Accord yet? As of today (10/16/04) I saw on their website that they don't), would this allow me to hook up my DVD player for sound without the use of the FM modulator? Incidentally, I would like to press the "CD/SAT radio" button three times to listen to the sound from one of my DVDs.

Ronin13

Sound adapter for aux port? If so, LogJam has a blitzsafe adapter for the TSX: http://store.yahoo.com/logjam/blitzhonsnyitiv2.html

See my posting above in this tread of my setup.

humperdood

Ronin13, does the adapter you mentioned worked with XM-equipped Accords? In other words, can I get the Honda 2-port adapter, plug that in between the back of the headunit and the factory XM cable, and then plug in the AUX adapter in the other end of the cable you mentioned? For example, one end of the Y cable (bus 2-port cable) would go to the XM radio bus cable, one end would go to the other cable that plugs into the back of the headunit I think, and the final end would plug into the AUX adapter (Blitzsafe or SHOND3 adapter). Would this work? No one seems to be giving me the exact answer I'm looking for. Thanks for your help!