Adding an AUX-IN to a Delco 16152213 AM/FM/Cassette - my experience

I posted earlier about this radio having problems with the tape deck.

The only reason I wanted it to work was to plug in a tape adapter with a 3.5mm plug for my iPhone music.

Instead of fixing the deck, I simply took it out, leaving a large space.

I then scoured the Internet, trying to find how to add an AUX jack to a Delco radio.

I found lots of examples that involved cutting wires and installing jacks, but none addressed my particular model.

It turns out that my radio, which includes a graphic equalizer, already had an AUX input capability, presumably for adding an external CD changer. I learned this by looking at the radio itself, which had a handy pin-out etched into metal.

PIN OUTS FOR AUX IN: https://www.dropbox.com/s/t6t6kpjz5ipf51p/2013-01-27%2007.19.15.jpg

I could have used the connectors on the back of the radio (6 PINS on the top right), but I decided to solder my plug directly to the internal connectors.

EXTERNAL CONNECTOR FOR AUX IN: https://www.dropbox.com/s/ek5s2bqoxa42g2w/2013-01-26%2020.14.01.jpg

INTERNAL SOLDER POINTS FOR AUX IN: https://www.dropbox.com/s/w876s1rsz7ujxja/2013-01-26%2020.13.23.jpg

I ran the 3.5mm plug wire out a convenient hole in the back and then out through the empty tape deck space to the front.

The other trick is to wire in a switch to fool the unit into thinking that a tape was inserted so the radio will cut out and use the AUX IN as the source. For this, I found a T-ON pin, number 13. By shorting pin 13 (T-ON) to pin 14 (BAT), the amplifier switches to AUX IN and the iPhone plays. Very nicely I must say!

INTERNAL SOLDER POINTS FOR SWITCH: https://www.dropbox.com/s/lwxpgh2yb0sbin3/2013-01-26%2020.13.48.jpg

I ran the switch leads down to the empty tape deck area. I need to get a switch to finish the mod.

The front of the unit is shown below.

FRONT OF RADIO: https://www.dropbox.com/s/4fxnkdknlt9jjew/2013-01-26%2020.20.20.jpg

I will cut out the old tape deck button holes, leaving one hole on the left for my switch. I'm hoping I can find a black rocker switch that will fit without much fuss. The rest of the space where the tape deck was will store the 3.5mm plug when not in use, or store the iPhone when it is connected.

I feel like I was really lucky that this unit already had AUX IN and T-ON capabilities.

My next job is to figure out why I have no continuity to the rear speakers on this wagon. Only the front speakers are working.

I hope this helps someone with a similar model radio.

When I get my switch mounted and the unit back in the car, along with the dash, I'll share some final pictures.

Two questions for the gurus. What do the VOICE and VOICE C pins do on the 6 pin AUX connector on the back? They are pins 15 and 16.

Also, I'd love to avoid the rocker switch entirely by using a switched 3.5mm jack that automatically shorts the T-ON and BAT leads when a plug is inserted, but NORMALLY OFF 3.5mm jacks don't seem to be widely available. The only ones readily available are the Radio Shack NORMALLY ON models like this http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2103451

Anyone got any advice on a NORMALLY OFF 3.5mm jack?

Sorry about the links to the photos. I guess I'm not allowed to include more than one in the post because I'm a noob.

I cannot help much on the wiring. I am sure someone will chime in. I want to do the same thing, so really appreciate all your pics. Keep them coming!!

Tim

Tim, do you have a similar radio that already has the AUX-IN connectors?

I figured out why the rear speakers don't work. They were both blown. 10 ohm impedance. Strange number. Hooked up some Bose units I had laying around to test and the head unit is still good to go. Sure does sound better with four speakers in this longbody. Guess I'll be buying some 6x9's and some baffles and fix 'er up!

Wow, they want an arm and a leg for 10 ohm 6x9 speakers on eBay.

Anyone got any good stock 10 ohm 6x9's that they took out of their wagon?

I could go with 8 ohms but I wouldn't want to go any lower.

I know impedance matching is important, but you hear so much on the Internet from people who swear even a 4 ohm speaker on a system designed for 10 ohms doesn't matter.

I'd rather not try to blow out my stock amp.

Wow dude, that's some great work! I was always a bit intimidated about doing something like that, but now that you've shown it, it doesn't look so bad. Thanks!

And I've run regular 4ohm speakers on factory radios for as long as I've been driving, and never had a problem blowing up a factory head unit amp. I'm sure you'd be fine. You'd get much better sound quality using the widely available 4ohm co-ax speakers than a crappy paper cone 10 ohm speakers, too.

But if you want to stick to a higher ohm speaker, try looking at home audio DIY websites for links to vendors who support them. Something like Parts Express. Maybe you could make a plate back there with a 6.5" and a tweeter and wire them in series(?) to get 8ohms?

Keep us posted with what you do!

mtennant wrote:

Wow, they want an arm and a leg for 10 ohm 6x9 speakers on eBay.

Anyone got any good stock 10 ohm 6x9's that they took out of their wagon?

I could go with 8 ohms but I wouldn't want to go any lower.

I know impedance matching is important, but you hear so much on the Internet from people who swear even a 4 ohm speaker on a system designed for 10 ohms doesn't matter.

I'd rather not try to blow out my stock amp.

I mounted these 4 ohm polk audio speakers in the doors and
JBL (GTO 938) 6x9 in the back. They are 2 or 4 ohm. I don't know much about the ohms ratios and matching, but they sound great. I have the original Delco radio with cassette only. I use an adapter that looks like a tape with a wire that plugs into a IPOD Shuffle.
Old school Jerry Rigged but works great. If I have promlems with the Delco I will update and maybe add a sub woffer in the very back compartment on the drivers side with an amp later.
COL

I'm seeing enough evidence that the Delco's might actually have enough engineering toughness to take a lower impedance speaker, so maybe I'll try a 4 ohm and attempt to keep the sound levels reasonable. Thanks for the tips and personal experiences guys. I looked up the GTO938 and it is rated at 2 ohms.

mtennant wrote:

Tim, do you have a similar radio that already has the AUX-IN connectors?

No my radio is from a 94 but it has the EQ. I bet it has an AUX feed. Maybe I can just put a cord coming out of the back and make it work. I had a guy from Ebay (Factoryradios) put an AUX jack on the front of my son's Pontiac Vibe radio with great results. I think he also replaced a bulb or two and it was about $60. I have a few bulbs out so it might be time!

Tim, if you still have your tape deck, you might be able to tap into the AUX-IN on the back and put a blank tape in to switch the input. I've never tried it. Let us know if it works.

If you need a plug that will connect to the rear pins (11-14), let me know and I'll put it in an envelope to you, no charge. I cut one off an old computer fan but wound up not needing it.

You'll have no troubles running 4ohm speakers. Don't bother with the older paper-cone stuff. If you want sound quality, upgrade. I promise, you'll thank yourself later.

mtennant wrote:

I'm seeing enough evidence that the Delco's might actually have enough engineering toughness to take a lower impedance speaker, so maybe I'll try a 4 ohm and attempt to keep the sound levels reasonable. Thanks for the tips and personal experiences guys. I looked up the GTO938 and it is rated at 2 ohms.

Your right. 2 ohms. The 938s has the number one rating for 6x9 speakers out of 1700 tested. Sonic Electronics is where I got them from. Great customer service. The recommended the Polk plate speakers for the front. The difference on voice is incredible compared to stock speakers.
COL

Do you know if the radio specifies an Ohms value for the speakers?

Just be careful when selecting your replacement speakers. The lower the impedance of the speaker the harder the amplifier has to work. I will try to explain this using a simple example. The current is what the radio/amplifier has to supply to the speaker (amperes) to get them to work. If the voltage is 12 (volts), and the impedance is 10 (ohms), then current is: 1.2 amperes.

Current = (Voltage/Ohms) so to drive just one speaker on the rear channel, the radio would have to supply 1.2 amps. (12/10=1.2) but we have two speakers in parallel on the rear channel so we multiply the output by 2. SO the radio is actually having to produce 2.4 amps to run your speakers.

If you lower the impedance of the speakers to 6 Ohms your radio is now having to work almost twice as hard to provide the necessary current to run your speakers.

(12v/6ohms=2amps) X 2 speakers total of 4amps. If your radio is taxed to much then it will eventually burn out the amplifier.

Jumping from 10 Ohms to 8 Ohms wouldn't be to bad but if you get anything lower than 6 Ohms you might be looking at a replacement radio in the near future. It really all depends on the power amplification capabilities of your factory radio.

All I know for sure is that the factory speakers were rated at 10 ohms. A very strange value when I was expecting 8 ohms.

The current crop of aftermarket speakers are almost always 4 or 2 ohms.

I'm hip to Ohms law, and the possibility of burning out the transistors in the amp.

I'm thinking about inserting some old Bose speakers (4 ohm) in series with some aftermarket 4 ohm speakers to get up to 8 ohms total.

But as you will see in this thread, folks with stock radios have successfully used as low as 2 ohm speakers. I'd be careful about running them at full volume for too long, as you could run into problems.

mtennant wrote:

All I know for sure is that the factory speakers were rated at 10 ohms. A very strange value when I was expecting 8 ohms.

The current crop of aftermarket speakers are almost always 4 or 2 ohms.

I'm hip to Ohms law, and the possibility of burning out the transistors in the amp.

I'm thinking about inserting some old Bose speakers (4 ohm) in series with some aftermarket 4 ohm speakers to get up to 8 ohms total.

But as you will see in this thread, folks with stock radios have successfully used as low as 2 ohm speakers. I'd be careful about running them at full volume for too long, as you could run into problems.

I never run my speakers at anywhere near full volume. But they sound great at 1/2. I really had the ohms law confused. I thought 2 or 4 meant lower resistance and less chance of messing up the factory amp (Radio). We shall see what happens over time.
I have an other question. Would I need to add an amp to run a 10# sub woofer in addition to what I have?
Where would I pull the power wire from?
Could I pull the sound from the two rear speaker wires. Or the left one only? I really don't need more but a little more bass would be nice in the back.

COL, wish I could help you with the subwoofer thing, but I've never installed one. I imagine you could find an installation manual online for popular brands and read about it there before you tackle it.

You would need an amplifier to power a subwoofer, no question.

You'd run a new power wire from the battery to the amplifier. You would put an in-line fuse close to the battery (about a foot away will do). Run the wire through the firewall and under the carpet. There are good holes on both sides to get up to 4awg wire through there without much trouble. You won't need anything bigger for a single 10 (or a single 12).

Good advice. A thick run of cable is a must, as I understand subwoofers draw a lot of current. As far as how to get a signal to the subwoofer, I'd defer to the installation guide.

Remote wire to the head unit. Easy peasy.

I'm sorry to report that I fried my radio in the process of modding it. Sniff sniff!

I had a nice dual port, high amperage, 12vdc to 5vdc USB charger mounted and wired inside the empty space left by the removal of the tape unit. It introduced some stray noise into the amp and I was attempting to figure out how to insert a small capacitor into the circuit to eliminate the noise. In the process of doing this, I shorted out a lead and something smoked, leaving the unit inoperable.

It's a shame, since the sound was incredible with the equalizer. I loved the real slider buttons.

You don't see real, up front equalizers in radios anymore these days.

Anyway, I wound up buying a new head unit, a JVC KD-X50BT. It is incredible!

More about that in another post.

Once you release that magic blue smoke, you can never get it to work again.

That magic smoke broke my heart!

But it was healed with this:

https://gmlongroof.4umer.com/t8052-jvc-kd-x50bt-aftermarket-radio-bluetooth-aux-in-usb-mp3-wma-head-unit

All electronic gizmos are filled with magic white smoke,.
If the white smoke comes out the gizmo is dead,..


nick

Anyone have the pictures he posted all the links are now dead.