GregAmy

Roger. Is that the OBD diagnostics? If so I have a 19-pin adapter (and Bergvill F/X T-OBD) I'm trying to unload, cheap.

Jeff, I presume NS820384 did *not* have the amp setup? All the speaker wires were right there behind the console, and the sound quality is...well, not awesome (but totally functional). Wiring diagram is not clear what I'd find (and the PDFs are garbage). However, there were some separate unknown wires hanging around back there that were not connected to the aftermarket radio that was already there; if powering up an amp with the new Alpine would help (it's capable) I'd like to.

I'll go take a peek under the right seat and see what I may find. - GA

jeff968

Greg, it did have it! being a 92, you should have 2 Amps! One under each seat. o F8 - Metallic paint in Midnight blue

o TT - Partial leather in Classic grey

o 403 - 17” Cup1 wheels

o 490/494 - Hi-Fi sound with 10 speakers and amps

o 498 – Rear emblem delete

o XG8 – Painted rear spoiler

o 09991/09981 – Exclusive program – car pulled from line for spoiler painting

GregAmy

Interesting...looks like I have some more wiring to do...thanks! - Greg

P.S. I met Jeff last Fall when I bought the 968, and he told me about that special rear wing code the car has, and I found the article in CVR's newsletter he wrote about it (it was still with the prior owner, and now I see that article mentions the hi-fi sound)...he's since crushed my ego by telling me he learned it actually wasn't the first one...

https://cvrpca.com/2021/06/26/option-xg8-what-are-you/

Is there anyone that knows these cars better 'n Jeff? I'm certainly not gonna bet against him...

guywitha968

It ain't pretty, but test cable for driving the amp inputs from RCA outputs is alive!


It's based on an IO for the DIN I found 2-3 different places online (left image of below, I generated the alternate view on the right). Hopefully it is correct...

GregAmy

If this works, brother, I may be interested in buying a copy!

Would I still wire the existing speakers directy to the head as I am now, and just add this to the radio? Alpine UTE-73BT

guywitha968

Hey Greg. If it works I'd be happy to put one together for you, won't guarantee it will be any more pretty though! To your question, if you are wired directly from the UTE head (bullet 2 in your schematic) that would mean you are not using an external amp, so I assume you have nothing connected to the RCA outputs.(bullet 6). The signal coming out of the RCA connections is called a line level signal, it is way to under-powered to drive a speaker directly, it is intended to connect to an amplifier. The signal coming out of the wired connection, (bullet 2) is much higher level and would be called a powered, or speaker level, or amplified signal. You would not use both wired and RCA connections generally. That is not to say you could not, but that would not be typical. An example exception might be if you were adding a powered subwoofer, in that case you would use the subwoofer RCA connection regardless of which outputs you are using for the other speakers.

Oh, BTW, if your already wired directly to speakers, you probably couldn't make any use of this cable. Didn't think to include that...

GregAmy

Hmmm...OK I'm reviewing the wiring diagrams and there's two setups:

"CD = Player or Radio with 4 Final Stages and Equalizer, with HiFi Speakers"
Shows what appears to be RCA outputs to two "Boosters" (amps) front and rear, with speakers connected to those boosters, and "High", "Middle", and "Deep Range" speakers up front, "High" and "Deep Range" speakers in back.

"Radio with 4 Final Stages".
Shows the 4 speaker wire pairs connected directly to the radio head.

I stuck my face under the passenger seat and did not see anything under there. I also recall having the left front door panel off a couple weeks ago to work on a latch problem and only recall seeing a single speaker. I tried to stick my face under the driver seat and only saw a small box about the size of the cruise computer box (and a rear floorwell filled with water, but that's a whole 'nother thread).

The wires behind my center console corelated directly to the wires and colors for speakers connected directly to the head, so I'm thinking my car actually was not equipped with the "hi fi" system. Dang it.

Dunno what those other wqires back there are for, but maybe I'll get bored and pull the console again to investigate. Thanks! - GA

guywitha968

Oh, I skipped over this part. The issue I was referring to, originally from a post from bbain, was noted as being related to security. I did not get the impression it was OBD related in the discussion, but it is certainly possible that ODB would have access to the information, and possibly that would be another way to clear the alarm. I do know that the CD-2 head unit has a security unlock code that must be input if the unit is powered off and that code is input using the radio preset buttons. And there is also a small red blinking light that blinks on the CD-2 when the car is locked and the car security is engaged, giving the impression that the CD-2 is aware of that system. But that's pretty much the end of what I know about it. None of the IO connections I have seen at this point mention a connection that provides this state info to the radio. My guess is that the blinking light is only a visual deterrent, but that is a complete guess! ( I have to guess a lot ). But, since you don't have the original CD-2 head, and you don't note having any security alarm problems with the aftermarket, that seems to say it's nothing to worry about.

guywitha968

Please note that the original pin assignment I dug up on the internet was WRONG! Thanks to Creative Audio for letting me know the correct pins.


I can confirm this correction because I updated my debug cable for these updated pin assignments and at least for the moment, I have full audio again in my car. It is temporary, the test head unit I am using does have some issues with the control buttons and display, but it is hooked up and all channels are working (Knock solidly on wood!).


Took some time to get to this point, a bit slow finding the right connectors. I'll test drive this for a short while to improve my confidence that the issue doesn't come back before going forward. But at least for the moment it seems to look like the amp may be OK (fingers crossed)

GregAmy

Semi-related side note: the Alpine in mine sounds so poor that I'm wondering if the prior owner wired this thing wrong.

Jeff says my car came with the 10-speaker system; is there any way to identify that other than looking for the amps, like if someone removed the amps? Door panels, wiring, anything like that?

guywitha968

First let's clarify the connections. Which connections at your Alpine are connected, the ones in the Red rectangle below or the ones in the Blue rectangle?

GregAmy

Remember the earlier discussions above? The Alpine replaced another aftermarket radio that had the four speaker pairs connected direclty to the radio, so I simply replicated that.

However, where are other wiring harness ends tucked back there that I just pushed out of the way, and Jeff noted that my chassis was delivered with the 10-speaker system. I looked under the passender seat and did not spot an amp but I don't know what I'm looking for.

What else could I search for to see if the equipment is there?

guywitha968

I didn't remember you mentioning that another harness was back there. If that other harness looks like this that would be evidence that you have (or at least had at one time) the higher performance option assuming it is wired the same as mine.



I have looked more than once for anything that would look like an amp under my passenger seat and cannot see anything that remotely resembles an amp although the DIN connection above does mean there is an amp in the car somewhere. At least one other discussion I have read mentions two amps, one under each seat, no evidence of that for me, for the same reason. I twisted around and the picture below is the best I can get of what is under the driver seat which if it isn't an amp, I don't know what it is. You might try looking under your driver seat, from the back, and perhaps you and I will have the only two 968s with the amp on the "wrong" side .

DSMblue

Greg,

For the ten speaker system, there should be speakers integrated underneath the arm rest on each side, and the front tweeters should be high in the front end of the door panels. Six speakers in front, and four in the rear (2 each side, behind the side panel under the quarter windows.

GregAmy

Voila. Jeff was right (duh).

Now what? Right now all I have attached to the Alpine is the 8-wires speaker plug, the power plug, and the coax antenna.- GA