f11

I don't seem to have the permissions necessary to create an album, so I'll try this the hard way.

I recently decided to upgrade my CR210 head unit to something iPod / CD compatible, and went searching for a one-stop-shop source of info, especially images, that would help me do what should be a simple DIY mod... without success. There are bits and pieces of info everywhere, and decent images of the OEM head unit and dash wiring are very hard to find. I spent hours scouring & reading various forum threads, Becker's and Crutchfield's website, etc etc and was left seriously wanting. So I figured I'd provide the images I was searching for myself for the next guy who wants to do this upgrade.

Overall, the images provide focused, properly lit close-up views of:

- front and back of the head unit and mounting "sleeve"
- home-made removal keys (showing how they work)
- infamous OEM head unit sockets for Plugs A, B and C1/C2/C3
- empty dash cutout for head unit, showing OEM plugs and antenna connection
- typical wiring needed to adapt new head unit to existing OEM head wiring

NOTE: If you plan to use ANY of the OEM plugs, wiring, amp or speakers, do yourself a favour: before you take ANYTHING apart, use the OEM radio to direct music
to each set of speakers individually - FL, FR, RL and RR. Use the radio's balance and fader controls to isolate each speaker grouping, move the volume up a bit, and
MAKE SURE appropriate sounds comes out of each group. If something doesn't work, TROUBLESHOOT IT NOW while a process of elimination can make tracing the
problem easy. Yes, it may affect your new head unit installation project schedule - but not as much as if you wait to figure out the fault until after the new head is in
place and buttoned up. OTOH, if each speaker makes appropriate noises in its turn, then you know the OEM plugs, wiring, amp and speakers were functional BEFORE
you started tearing things apart. So if things don't work AFTER installation of the new head unit, you at least know it was something YOU did, not some PO or a
service tech somewhere in the car's dark history.

1. Head unit and mounting sleeve (shown upside down) removed from the dash, along side some home-made removal keys...


2. Front of CR-210...


3. Back of CR-210...


4. Antenna port
- note that the antenna port is FEMALE, but protrudes out from the head unit, meaning the OEM antenna cable terminates in a stubby MALE connector
- that stubby male connector will matter if you install a North American head unit replacement... an adapter WILL be needed...


5. OEM black connector socket for amp / speaker / CD-Changer / Telephone Interface / Line Out plug sockets. Since my car came with the OEM amp under the
passenger seat, but without a CD-Changer or telephone interface, my OEM wiring includes only Plug A (bottom socket) and Plug C1 (top left socket).
- Plug A is primarily for head unit power and control, while C1 connects the front and back Line Out ports of the head unit to the under-seat amp.
- If your unit does not use an amp, you'll have Plug A plus Plug B for the middle socket for wiring direct to speakers...


6. Pointer shows Line Out Plug C1 socket location...


7. Sticker on the side of the unit that identifies the unit completely (obviously, the sticker here is for my CR-210 unit specifically)...


8. Mounting sleeve, with integrated alarm system spade connector (2nd tab from left)... looking at back of sleeve towards seating area in cabin...


9. Homemade head unit removal keys, made from old PC slot covers... metal is a little too thin, so it bends and causes problems, but could be used in a pinch...


10. Right side mounting clips that hold head unit tight against sleeve when installed (one on each side of head unit)...


11. Closer view of mounting clip in its installed position...


12. Mounting clip must be pulled inwards toward head unit for unit to be removed from dash (I'm pushing it in here, obviously not practical when unit is in dash)...


13. Little tab on bottom of unit that allows removal keys to release clip when unit is installed in dash...


14. Homemade key inserted into release slot but not yet engaged (flat side towards outside of unit)...


15. Key inserted to engage bottom tab, pulling release clip into unit and releasing unit from sleeve...


16. Tape measure showing approx 2.5cm length needed to engage clip tab for release from sleeve...


17. Face-on view of release clip, showing bottom tab projecting out from bottom of case...


18. Sleeve slid onto unit but not fully seated into installed position...


19. Sleeve slid fully onto unit into installed position - note release clip now traps sleeve and holds unit tightly in sleeve...


20. Homemade key partially inserted into release slot with sleeve in installed position - key not yet engaged with release clip tab...


21. Key fully inserted into release slot, pushing tab inward and pulling release clip with it...


22. Head unit upside down, showing how both keys must be inserted to fully release unit from sleeve for removal from dash...


23. Head unit partially removed from sleeve, once release clip is pulled inwards by key...


24. Empty cutout in dash for head unit - note alarm system green wire - it attached to the spade connector I mentioned
in the sleeve image above (Image 8)... more on the green wire later in the thread, don't worry about it for now.


25. Wiring pulled from inside dash, showing Plug A (black), Plug C1 (yellow), and antenna cable with connector...


26. Just showing that you DO have some cable length to play with when removing and installing your head unit...


27. Plug A has a white wire that wraps around the antenna cable and connects to it with that white connector...


28. Close up of OEM antenna connector - note its MALE and is a right-angle connector - you'll need to plug in a short FEMALE-to-MALE adapter for North American head units...
[ Edit - I discovered that the right angle piece was an adapter plugged onto a USA-standard antenna plug!! Check yours! - 07Aug13 ]


29. View into empty dash cutout to show the space available for a new head unit...


30. OK, so you got a new head unit - now what? Here I show the wiring harness that comes with a new head unit (small black connector at lower right, next to head unit),
and the "interface" harness that places like Crutchfield sell so you can connect the new radio wiring to the existing OEM wiring system (the larger black connector with wires on the
upper left).
In this case, the black connector on the left replicates the sockets in the back of the OEM head unit (that is, sockets that accept Plug A and Plug B - but NOT
for Plugs C1/C2/C3). You compare the OEM connector pin-outs to that of the new head unit, and connect the wires of the new head unit harness to those of the interface
harness together (solder, connectors, whatever you prefer)...
- these days, the head unit makers and the interface harness makers follow a wire-colour convention that makes things easier, but you can't always depend on that effort...
- more on actual wiring the two harnesses together later...


31. Here's a view of the interface harness connector oriented just like what you see when you look at the back of the OEM head unit - bottom socket is for OEM Plug A,
top socket is for OEM Plug B... I used a labeller on socket B to mark which pins are for which speaker wires, although I won't be using them in this case (I plan to connect
the new head unit Line Out RCA lines to the Nokia amp inputs)...


32. Here's a view of the back of my new USA standards-compliant head unit (fairly typical) - two rows of red-white ports are for Line Out wiring (if you want to retain use of the
OEM amp, you'll need to adapt these RCA outputs to the OEM C1 connector)... the large socket at bottom left is for the antenna connection (note that its FEMALE and that its a
DEEP well, clearly the OEM antenna isn't going to mate with this - that's why you'll need an adapter)...


33. A better view of the antenna port deep into its bottom - you need to adapt the OEM antenna connector to mate with this socket... more on that later...


34. Close up view of proper "German Radio Removal Tool" (or GRRT) keys - those notches at the end of the curved side lock onto the radio once the keys are slid into place,
and help you extract the radio from the dash/sleeve... then you just press the retaining clips in towards the head unit to release the keys...


35. CR-210 user manual, showing pin-out for each of the sockets in the back.
- Plug A is always required (as far as I've found), as it powers the head unit, and provides some basic functions.
- Plug C is actually three smaller plugs, seen as groups of pins: 1-6 is C1, 7-12 is C2, and 13-20 is C3.
- If your car didn't come from the factory w/ a telephone or a CD changer, then you won't have Plugs C2 and C3.
- If you have an under-seat amp, you'll have Plug C1, but not Plug B.
- If your CR-210 head unit was wired direct to the speakers, then you'll have Plug A and Plug B, but not Plug C1 (and probably not Plugs C2 and C3).
- You get the idea.
- I put this page up because there's a lot of confusion about what pins in what plugs do what. I'll cover this later, but for now realize that the pins
in the picture below are for the CR-210 *SOCKETS*, NOT the plugs that go into them.


36. This is the harness I needed to convert the RCA Line Out plugs to the OEM yellow C1 plug that runs down to the Nokia amp DIN Connector


37. This is the harness the vendor sent me... hmm, female RCA plugs - NOT quite right... I adapted it for temporary use, but the vendor sent me the right harness when requested...


38. I've spliced the new head unit harness (lower right) to the Crutchfield Plug A "interface" harness (top right) and to C1 harness (yellow, top right) using reusable twist-lock
splice blocks from Crutchfield...
NOTE: I used twist-ties to gather the harness wires into groups: speaker wiring (4 pairs), and head unit control wiring (in my case 5 wires)... its a house-keeping thing...
in five years when you want to pull this no-longer-new head unit out and replace it with the newest holographic HUD system, you'll appreciate that you kept the wiring tidy and
organized and easy to understand. Small details DO matter...
- In my installation, I spliced the speaker wiring from both harnesses together, even though I won't be using it...
- - > you DON'T want a bunch of loose wires hanging out from under the dash...
- - > and if you decide to wire direct to the speakers and bypass the OEM amp someday, you'll already have OEM Plug B socket wired for it...
- Since there is limited space behind the installed head unit, you might want to cut and make the spliced wires as short as possible - but do so
CAREFULLY - its messy to be making wired "longer" after cutting them too short.


39. To allow the OEM European standard antenna connector to mate with the USA standard new head unit antenna port, I needed this adapter...


40. Here's the OEM antenna connector along side the adapter...


41. ... and here's the adapter inserted into the OEM antenna connector, effectively converting the OEM antenna to a USA standard connector...


42. I've connected the yellow C1 harness to OEM yellow C1 plug, and black Plug A interface harness into the OEM black Plug A plug, where they emerge from the dash...
- the new head unit plug/harness and OEM antenna cable with new adapter are still hanging free...


43. I took the adapter out of the OEM antenna connector and inserted it into the back of the new head unit... look familiar?
- Compare to image 3 above, the back view of CR-210...
- and to image 32 showing the back of the new head unit and its deep-well female antenna port...
- make sense now?


44. THE MOMENT OF TRUTH... a test installation with the head unit NOT installed in the dash...
(NOTE: if during any part of this process you see/smell smoke or a spark, or the power suddenly goes out (blown fuse), disconnect all plugs and antenna
from car to head unit, and go back to recheck your wiring - something is wrong. Oh, and you might need a new fuse, too.)
FOR MY INSTALLATION, RE-USING THE OEM NOKIA AMP AND OEM SPEAKERS WITH A NEW HEAD UNIT VIA STOCK WIRING:
- plug new C1 harness RCA plugs into new head unit Front/Back Line Out ports...
- plug new head unit plug/harness into new head unit...
- connect antenna with adapter into new head unit antenna port...
- Put the radio fuse back in (in my '97 993 C2 Cab, its Fuse 38) ...
- - > you DID remove the fuse before taking the OEM head unit out - RIGHT? If you didn't, check it now, its probably blown - get a new 15A fuse, plus a spare...
- No Smoke? Fuse didn't blow? Good... do a power up test...
- - > With key out of ignition, or in ignition but turned totally off, the head unit should NOT power up...
- - > to check that head doesn't power up, push head unit power button (more than once) - nothing interesting should happen...
- Why no power-up? Because while the wiring you did on the harnesses provides constant 12V power to the head unit from the battery, the radio ON button
is only ENABLED by the ignition switch turned CW at least to the first "click", or ACC position (no warning lights on dash). And you haven't inserted/turned the key yet.
- NOW insert and turn the key to the first "click", the ACC position...
- Still no smoke/sparks? Good - now push the head unit ON button again (just once)...
- - > the head unit should power up and all the pretty lights should come on...
- No smoke/sparks? Head unit pretty lights came on? Great, you're almost there...


45. Following merged image of four pix shows my head unit cycling its Disco-era lights through different colours - geesh!
- If the head unit lights up without smoke or sparks, then its time to try the sound...
- turn volume ALL the way down to protect your car's speakers and your ears... and your relationship with your spouse/neighbours/police etc...
- easiest way is to check sound connections is to tune in a local FM station and SLOWLY crank the volume
- - > if you're still using the OEM speakers, bear in mind they're OLD and made of crappy paper with deteriorating foam interfaces - so don't BLAST them...
- if you get sound out of each speaker on both sides (listen to each one), CONGRATULATIONS: your wiring and connections are a success!!
- Oh, and that green alarm system wire that was attached to the OEM head unit sleeve? It isn't needed (see discussion on it later in this thread)



Now dismantle the test setup and prepare to mount the head unit into the dash... but before you do, once more check that all speaker groups are playing
appropriate sounds when you use the balance and fader controls. If something suddenly doesn't work that did before the installation started, STOP!
TROUBLESHOOT and solve the problem now while things are all apart and accessible. Save your sanity!

[ Continued further down the thread - hit limit of images/post ]

Hope this helps somebody... more info to follow as I go through my installation...
Rod

[ Edit - 29Jul13 - added images 34-35 ]
[ Edit - 30Jul13 - added images 36-45 ]
[ Edit - 31Jul13 - continued post further down thread ]

M. Schneider

Nicely put together, very nice. Thanks!

f11

Thanks, Mike!! Encouragement greatly appreciated.

I'll continue this post with some info on wiring a new head unit to the OEM amp, a new amp, or no amp, as well as how to join the interface harness to the new head unit harness, and the extra small things you'll discover you need as you go through your install (antenna adapter, etc). And I thought I'd finish things with a quick review of the OEM speakers and some things to consider when replacing them... but speaker installation is much better covered in these forums and elsewhere online, so I probably won't go overboard on that stuff.

Blue TTop

Nice work! I have been looking for the OE Antenna connection and these pictures definitely help.

f11

You want something like what discountcarstereo.com sells to go from the p-car's antenna plug to your new North American made head unit antenna port:

BAA7 or BAA7s

Rod

gmorat

Thanks for this, gives me confidence that I can install a new radio at some stage.

Blue TTop

Thanks, but...... A previous owner had the OE connection cut off and replaced for a US Alpine stereo. I removed the Alpine and replaced it with a correct OE stereo. I need an adapter to go from the US plug to the OE radio.

Cheers

f11

Ah... sorry, misunderstood... I think one of these is what you're after, then:

Motorola DIN to Euro ISO Antenna Adapter in Gold or Motorola DIN to Euro ISO Antenna Adapter in Nickel

You'd plug the US antenna plug into the long end, then plug the short right-angle end into your OE head unit.

Rod

Blue TTop

Thanks. :-)

tcsracing1

excellent DIY.

what did you decide to use for your new head unit?

f11

I settled on a Kenwood KDC-BT555U - I don't really care about the BlueTooth link (I rarely take cell phone calls while in the car), but the native iPod USB port and generic MP3 player port on the front of the unit was a big plus. The objective was to make it easier to bring my iPod music into the car's environment, and after a recent 10-day driving trip, I found I didn't care for the FM-modulator solution. I also wasn't after HUGE power or door-rattling base levels... actually the sound level of the OEM head/amp/speaker system was about 90% of what I needed, as is - so I stayed in the sub-20W RMS output range. The Line-Out ports put out 2.5V signal, which should be suitable for use with the Nokia amp inputs. This way I can also continue to use the active passover function the Nokia amp provides to the OEM speakers, and leave all wiring as is.

Had originally selected a Sony CDX-GT575UP unit, but changed my mind since it only had two sets of Line-Out RCA ports (F and R) as opposed to the Kenwood with three sets (SW, F and R).

Although I intend to continue using the Nokia amp (with only F and R Line-In ports) and OEM speakers with the new head unit for now, I wanted the option of having three Line-Out ports for some day when I might want to go with a new amp and a serious SW. That day may never come, however: I often drive with just the sound of that boxer-6 behind my head as my only sonic entertainment.

Rod

f11

Sorry for the delay... creating some sketches showing wiring from the CR-210 sockets on the back through to the Nokia amp by pin number and wire colour, where possible.

I often see pictures of the OEM radio sockets with pin numbers. But when you start dealing with the plug that goes into those sockets, you have to remember to reverse the pin numbers horizontally: the plug is a mirror image of the socket it mates to regarding pin number & function. If you make this mistake in wiring plugs or cables with plugs on them, then you get shorts and/or blown fuses or just no operation... for no apparent reason. You need to provide pictures of both socket and plug, with pin-out numbers, functions and wire colours of the plug if possible, to prevent mis-understandings.

Anyway, that's what I'm doing, and testing/verifying against my own head unit installation. I hope to have the next segment up shortly.

phoneyman

This is a great post. I've been searching around on RL and google for owners who have upgraded the head unit, which product people have gone with, what needs to be adapted, etc. All the info is scattered over a million places. This succinct post is necessary.

When I change my head unit I'll make a similar post explaining my specific HU and install.

Thanks OP.

f11

Well, my solution to post all my pix on DropBox and post links to them in the original msg turns out to be a problem... my DBx acct has been suspended for too much activity per day.

It turns out there's a limit of 20GB /day download on free accts, and I have a lot more stuff in the same area of DBx that together with these pix added up to more than that this weekend. So for the next little while, the pictures may not be visible until DBx frees my acct again.

Meanwhile, I'll see what I can do about fixing the problem longer term. Sorry about that everyone.

[ Edit - 29Jul13 - moved all the images to another server and fixed the original message links to point to them. There shouldn't be any more rude interruptions like that from DropBox from now on. Thanks for your patience! - R ]

Monkey Brain

Great Post Rod. Looking forward to doing this myself.