Chuck W.

This is for an '01 Boxster S, but someone on this forum may be able to help me.

First, let me get it out of the way. I am different. I had a Kenwood double din unit with navigation, a Parrot blue tooth, Sirius and a rear camera. Nice, but to me, they just didn't fit the car. The PCM unit with its cassette player (IMHO) does. Odd, I know.

I bought a working PCM head unit and navigation driver from a fellow 986 Forum member. My plan was (is) to install just the head unit of the PCM. I don't want or need the outdated navigation of the unit. The plugs for the stock CDR 220 are a match for the top plugs of the PCM. However, when I plug in the PCM it doesn't power up. A single din unit works fine so I know the plugs are good.

My thought is that both units need to be hooked up. I am trying to get it working without using the white plug on the nav driver or the bottom blue and black plugs on the PCM unit but I am not sure it's possible. I have searched the net and can't find a fix for this or wiring harness to connect the two.

Any suggestions are welcome.

kromdom

might be worth a trip to your local audio-video shop? hopefully, someone who has tickled this project will chime in soo.
P.S. Have you also tried asking in the Boxster forum?

Best of luck with your project.

sjg1138

I would try putting 12 volts on the unit's power pins while the unit is out of the car. Make sure you get the right pins though!

bal

I took a look at my Bentley manual, specifically Electrical Wiring Diagram 49 for a 1999 model year 996. On the back of your PCM-1, the black socket is "Plug 1", the blue socket is "Plug 2" and are both 26 pins. According to the wiring diagram for Plug 1, Pins 13 and 26 are connected to +12V, Pins 6 and 19 are connected to Ground, and Pin 10 is connected to Switched +12V.

Based on this, it looks like you should focus your attentions on the black socket directly above the blue one in your photo. What I don't see on the wiring diagram is any mention of the top set of black sockets that are identical to the ones on the radio. It makes me think that radio is "bolted onto" the PCM-1 and that they are the same connections as the radio. From the wiring diagrams I've seen for the CDR-220, and assuming that these connections do indeed map directly to the ones at the top of your PCM-1, it looks like all the power connections are on the lowest of the three "socket groups" next to the bottom pin of the 10A fuse. Pin 4 is +12V, Pin 8 is Ground and Pin 7 is Switched +12V. So if you tapped the wires going into your harness and found a way to connect them to the pins I mentioned above on Plug 1, it might work. It might also blow up in your face

PM me if you want me to send you the wiring diagrams. I would strongly suggest that you go over to renntech and post there. Loren or JFPinPA are most likely to have some good answers on this.

Chuck W.

Thanks guys. And thanks bal... I have the same wiring diagram and worked all day yesterday jumping pins. I did get the face buttons to illuminate, but that was it.

I contacted two pro audio shops that specialize in Porsches. They said with out the right harness, its not going to happen. One shops stated in an email, "needs the nav drive and OEM amp and the BCM need re-programming

Nothing i can do with out all the stock parts and harnesses"

I think he meant PCM instead of BCM.

We'll see.

bal

Concerning the response you got, I imagine you have the OEM amp already installed if the car had a CD-R-220 in it. So there must be some requirement that the head unit has to connect to the nav unit.

sweet victory

Second this. Confirm you actually have a functioning unit. Also, check the fuse.