JAX_RL_3.5

So I took my car to my installer today to install a HU. After tying to get my system to work with the factory HU, I gave up and I am going aftermarket. The installer pointed out that when he unplugged the OEM HU that the touchscreen controls were no longer functioning, it powered up and there was an image but no touch control. We plugged the OEM HU back in and sure enough the touch screen was responsive, everything worked correctly.

It seems that the touchscreen is getting some signal from the head unit that enables the touchscreen. Does anyone know of a short cut or a way to jump this connection so the touchscreen will work with the aftermarket HU?

JAX_RL_3.5

Anyone?

JAX_RL_3.5

Crickets...

STGTLS

iTrader: (5)

I dont think to many people have expriance with aftermarket HU and running Stock NAV. I would say that it will need the stock unit to send a signal from the Stock unit to the Stock NAV to make it work. Some BMW's are like this.

When you install a aftermarket HU you will loose some functions with the NAV if not all.

BlacknWhite23

To my knowledge no aftermarket HU will work with the navi. You will have to put in all aftermarket, as far as I know.

Mike

JAX_RL_3.5

What a let down. Looks like I'm on to plan B, using my portable devices as my source.

STGTLS

iTrader: (5)

They do have a jack that u can plug into the back of the stock deck to run an iPod. My 6 disk is broken so I need to do something

OLD_HATCH

You can try something like a clean sweap etc.


What are you trying to accomplish?

JAX_RL_3.5

Complete removal of the OEM head unit and replacing it with an aftermarket deck that gives me ipod and bluetooth support. Cleansweep or any other OEM integration doesn't really give me the options I want, or if it does (like the JBL MS-8) its way out of my price range. I didn't foresee that the oem nav and oem HU were integrated in anyway. I haven't found any information on how I can complete my install without keeping the oem HU hooked up in a different location. So since I cant integrate with it, I am going to completely avert the OEM system and use my ipod and android phone as my source.

The new system design will go like this:
ipod line-out dock OR samsung galaxy S2 > JL Remote Level Control/Line Driver > miniDSP > amps

OLD_HATCH

Ah I see.

One other thing to remember is that part of the hvac controls are on the screen and are tied into the nav as well.



an ipod interface to the oem head unit (so you can control through radio) wouldnt be enough? I believe some of them also have an aux input as well but replace the oem xm module.


Also have you found out if the leads from the oem radio to the stock amp is a low leve signal? I believe they are and if this is correct then all you would need is an rca connection to tap into the wires and route directly to your aftermarket amps. This is of course if my "ass"umptions are correct in that the radio puts out a low level signal and not powerred speaker level.

JAX_RL_3.5

Hatch,

Yes, when I disconnected to oem HU I lost touch control. We tested the system with the oem HU connected, pressed OK pass the security screen and accessed the AC and Nav Menu's. Disconnect the oem HU and the screen was still lit, however we lost all control, plug the deck back in and the touch control returned. I don't know what the screen is getting from the deck, but its obviously something.

I did tap the preamp signals from the OEM HU, but based on my results I have to believe that these actually aren't low level, but rather high level. I wound up having an unbalanced sound, to the driver side. I checked and checked my connections, and no matter what I did, the driver side was easily 2-3x louder than passenger. If I reversed the signal, it was the opposite, I have to believe that this is something in the OEM deck. So trying to integrate a AUX in through a crap source would be throwing good money after bad at this point. Further, even if I did add an AUX in to oem HU, my primary source will be one of my portable devices, so why not cut out the middle man and let the device be the actual source rather than routing it through the questionable output of the OEM deck?

OLD_HATCH

true.

I was hoping the outputs from the oem radio were low level to ease aftermarket installs but i guess not.

The unbalanced thing is very weird indeed.

Being that your source is going to be coming from your ipod or phone, have you thought about the compression on the music files from either streaming or buying online?

Unless youve ripped your music from cd's at good quality that might cause issues for you as fas as sound quality.

What do yo think?



I use to have wiring diagrams for the oem nav radio back when i was thinking of installing the 04 stuff into my car. If I happen to come across them ill let you know if i see anything to bypas the issue you are having.

JAX_RL_3.5

I have the oem wiring info as well, thanks for offering.

All of my music on my ipod is 256k or higher, some is even lossless, so I'm not worried in the least about the file quality. The human ear can't hear the difference between a 320k mp3 or CD.

Using a line out dock will take it one step further, bypassing the ipod's headphone amplifier. My phone, on the other hand will only be used for streaming music from pandora or iheartradio seeing as the DAC on my phone doesn't output the same quality as my ipod.

cafu

Hey youo need to have power going to the Stock HU. You will need a T harness like this one.
http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_...A09B-HA09.html

maybe use that harness and install your Aftermarket HU it the coby bin.

JAX_RL_3.5

Not quite, but thanks for your input.

OLD_HATCH

So is your oem headunit going to do anything?

Are you going to make a switch to go back and forth between the two?


ON a side note your install pics are down.I was trying to see if you had done anything else.

JAX_RL_3.5

Haven't done anything else yet. The OEM HU will be connected and plugged in, but will not be doing anything and I don't plan on having it hooked up so I can switch. It will be there and have power but all of the audio signal will be coming directly from my portable devices.

The next part of the install will be the portable device integration with line driver/volume control and DSP installation. DSP will allow me to run a two way active front stage with time delay.

OLD_HATCH

sounds nice. What components have you settled on?

What do you have planned as far as ipod and phone mounts?

BlacknWhite23

I added the Parrot Mki9200 to my HU and it adds hands free calling and bluetooth everything.

Stock system works fine for me, and now I have bluetooth.

Mike

JAX_RL_3.5

I did a little more experimenting over the weekend. I discovered that the signals coming from the OEM HU aren't low level at all they are high level and work more like speaker line inputs to the Bose amp. Luckily my Audiocontrol EQX is also a high end line out converter. I spliced in some additional wire onto the OEM HU leads and ran them into my EQX, perfect volume, balance, everything. I did run some white noise through the system against an RTA amp on my phone. W/ my EQ flat and the HU flat, I found that the OEM signal cuts frequencies below 80hz and also cuts a little around 1.5kHz. Made a few adjustments on the EQX and the response curve is damn near flat.

Tracy Banes

Tracy Banes

Rlswing4c

So in a 04 RL you CAN switch out head unit? I was looking into it an various people told me no or not without lossing air controls or NAVI. So the pink and blue wire are taped together or jist cut and made dead?

Matthew Candelario

Are you saying if the pink and blue wires splice together it will bring back touch screen on the nav?

chiefa

so u have replaced factory radio in Acura rl 2004 w nav can u explain more maybe like step by step?

Jesusnuno79

I had to use the lower half of the stock stereo with the white plug to get the touchscreen controls to work. I relocated it to the trunk so its out of the way and now everything works as it should