Audio hook-up question
 

The Premium audio package uses a bus like connection between the Clarion equipment. Does anyone here know if it's a C-Bus connection or not. If not a wiring diagram would be nice. This is because I like everything about the original audio system other then the fact that it doesn't have a CD player.

Someone posted the pinout here or in the audio forum. Id search for it. Anything is possible, but Id say ditch the factory head and amps. But thats my opinion. I tried it with a CD player and got it to work, but it just didnt have any good sound or loudness when going RCA to DIN..

http://www.monmouth.com/~rothe/rx7stereo.html

There's the pinouts I used to convert mine. My Empeg runs though the stock harness to the amps, and a set of RCA cables go directly to the sub. It sounds really nice. If you feel inclined to run new cables, fine, but I've had no problems running the setup this way.

info on my setup:
http://www.ub3rgeek.net/~mernisse/RX-7/stereo.html

The stock harness has no provision for INPUTS right? Only outputs, so I assume you spliced in the Empeg somewhere in those 6 PIN Din thingys on the outputs. So then, how do you control volume if the empeg is aft of the stock head unit?

Theres an input and a output going in/out the EQ.. Has to be it has to be able to pass the signal through the eq.

THEORY:

Could it be used to replace the cassette player or EQ?

I dunno.. Just thinking out lout..:confused:

OK, so let's assume the tape/tuner are are one thing. The output of the tape/tuner pass through the 6 DIN thing to the EQ, get eq'ed, and the signal is returned to the tuner, which then is fed to the amps? Right????

So, if you could somehow splice a cd player signal into the eq input then is it possible to add a cd player this way? Please help!! This COULD be it right? We could add a hidden cd player with line outs and still get a stock look, and use the stock head unit to control volume?

Enlighten me please.

Right on.

That is what I am doing. I am making custom DIN to RCA harnesses and putting in an Aiwa MP3/CD player, which I think will sound sweet with the exsiting Clarion EQ and AMP, and will save me big bucks. Yes I am feeding from Deck -> EQ -> Amp -> speakers. No feed back to deck.

Specifics please. And pictures if you got em. Are you replacing the tape deck or putting the cd player somewhere else?

This is what I wanted to do back in '94 when I had my other 84'-SE. Unfortunately I gave up on that project and went with a beautiful Sony (orange lit) CD-Tuner and EQ.

OtakuRX, I notice you have an '83. I used to have an '83 as well and the stock radio (still clarion) and center piece looks completely different from the 84/85's .In a dash like yours, you could easily get away with a regular DIN sized Tuner.

But - I still want to know what you are doing with the Clarion to RCA to CD conversion :D

Once I get some pics I will post them, along with the diagram for my hookup. But I am making my own harness to hookup to the DINs with the RCAs. SO far it looks like it will work, been doing some minor work with it. So far I am in the testing stage mostly meter work seeing how I have to hook things up. But I love the Clarion system but I don't use cassets anymore. And I am just using a regular din, I just needed the pinning for the RCA to DIN connection. Well hopefully this weekend I will get some pictures up of the car and all.

Forgot to mention that I am even going to, if I find the signals too weak, build a little signal amp to boost the output of the Deck to the Clarion system.

Ok, the following applies to the premium sound package a-la the GSL-SE only.

The tuner/tape/eq combo is 3 units, held together by a metal wraparound bracket. The Tuner plugs into the tape deck via the 8 pin connector, the EQ plugs into the tape deck by it's own 8 pin connector. The speaker lines plug into a 6 pin -> 8pin connector the 6pin side goes into the front output of the tuner and the 8 pin goes to the amps. I simply eliminated the tapedeck / tuner / eq combo, and took the front RCA's from the empeg harness, and via a 6pin din socket plugged the little 6pin -> 8pin cable into that. Viola! the empeg is now completely in place of the stock head unit.

Ok,
is it possible to replace just the tapedeck / eq.
Yes, but you'll have to build your own metal wraparound bracket thingy, as well as a few din 8 connectors to deal with the tuner / eq. It wasn't within the scope of my project, and wouldn't have looked as nice as the empeg + gauges that I've got now.

If you wire in the "aux device" the way the tape deck is, then you should be all set. It looks like the tape deck just tells the head unit "hey, I'm on now" and away it goes.

Hope I helped,
always meandering,
matt

I like my stock tuner, so I am working on replacing my stock tape deck with a Sony CDX-1000RF CD-only unit. Won't look quite stock, but it'll sound nice.

I got a spare wrap-around bracket and I drilled holes in it to match the mounting on the CD unit. Now all I gotta do is splice the Sony into the existing wiring and away I go!:D

So is it possible to wire in a cd player into one of these PIN harness things and keep the entire stock head unit. That is the idea here, to not replace anything because it looks so darn nice, but be able to add cd/minidisc/whatever and some amps and speakers. Is it possible to "splice in" somewhere?

Right on

The Premium audio in my 83 Limited is in three pieces the Tape deck, a EQ mounted 2 bins down (cigerette lighter in between) and amp behind drivers seat.

So I guess the perfect stealth setup would be to take the Din cable from the Tuner to the tape, Splice it to make a sort "Y" cable with a DIN to the Tuner, a DIN to the Cassette, and RCA Pre-Outs for whatever ever we want to Run right?(CD,MP3,Minidisc, DVD Player, etc)

Allright you Stereo Installers..Make it happen and post pics and information. This will DEFINATELY be Archive Material if we can get it done properly, plus have the
respect, kudos, and admiration of the whole RX-7 community. (fanfare, crowd cheering, etc.)

You could even market the idea and sell the cables already made with a small core charge for the soldering/wiring challenged.

The is the most logical thing I can think of, without resorting to the RF-CD-Changer Idea from my previous post.

Does anyone have a wiring diagram outlining all the pins for the DINS for the entire stereo. There is the one for just the back of the tuner but if anyone has it for the entire stereo it would certainly help. Factory manual?

Right on.

And, does the input from the tape to the tuner have a signal that tells the tuner to turn off when a cassette plays? We need to figure out a way to do that. Maybe just a little 12v signal, wired to a hidden switch somewhere. Not so bad. I got a bunch of what look to be stereo DINS for the first gen in my "parts box". So I got some stuff to play with as far as making harnesses.

Let's do it.

Right on.

Check out this link - http://www.monmouth.com/~rothe/rx7stereo.html

:):)

85RX7GS

You beat me to it..:bash: ;)

http://www.monmouth.com/%7Erothe/tuner1.JPG

Yeah I got that one. Was looking for some info on how the tape player communicates to eq, as that seems to be where the splice would come in to get an additional source in the mix. I removed my stereo today to check it out.

The tape has a permanent 8 pin DIN plugged into the EQ. So what we would need to do is make a harness with with a female 8 pin DIN&RCA (or miniphono, whatever we use to connect the new CD/mp3) spliced and exiting via an 8 pin male DIN, which will plug into the EQ. So the tape and new CD will share the existing tape input on the EQ.

I would like to figure out how the tuner knows how to quit playing goddamn Creed when I pop in Digital Underground in the cassette player. It has to be sending a signal, so it's gotta be one the pins on the tape right? If we wired in a CD, I assume we would need to send a similar signal to tell the tuner to shut up. Maybe it's just the audio signal? Just thinking out loud here.

So if anyone has one of the factory manuals that outlines the pinouts for the tape, please scan and post them.

Right on.

I would guess that since the tuner plugs into the tape and the tape into the EQ, that the tape deck just interrupts the audio from the head unit. The stock antenna stays up so the tuner is still recieving and powered on and everything, the tape deck is just kind of "talking over" it.

Just my educated guess. ;)

matt

I agree, the Tuner output probably just cuts out the moment it has any input from the tape.

Only one way to find out...
Come'On Brown Mound!
You Can Do it!
I know You Can!.

If Anybody could do it!..
Bown Mound Can!..

Give me a "B"!
Give me an "R"!
...

Sorry, I saw that Cheerleading movie over the weekend with Kirsten Dunst:mspank: Bring it On..:titty:

thanks for the moral support
 

If is true that an audio signal kills the tuner, then maybe it will work. Just need to get those 8 pins from the tape figure out:confused: Any ideas there? Does anyone have the factory manual that shows these?

Also, what do you guys want to hook up the stock deck? A portable cd player or a head unit stashed somewhere else (seems redundant)? Some MP3 machine? Have you thought about where to hide the thing? I guess:

a)portable CD, just lying around or in glovebox
b) changer with line outs, living in a storage bin
c) MP3 machine
d) etc

Also, let's talk about non-factory amps. Those DIN connectors go back to the amps....thus the need for another DIN-RCA connection to hook into new amps. The other option is to just use the existing speaker wire and use speaker level input equipped amps, but I don't want to do that particularly.

This project has the potential to get ugly, real ugly. Wish I had an extra set off components and a 12 v source to work with on a bench rather than in the car.

Maybe I'll start lookin at the Nak again!

Right on.