CDR 23 radio question
 

Can the CDR 23 radio be used to replace a CDR 220 in a pre-2003 car? It appears to have the same electrical connections for power, speakers, and CD controller on the back, and to be DIN sized.
Has anyone on this list tried a "retrofit"?
THANKS for any help.

Gary Knox

CDR 23 is a MOST radio for the MY03 and newer cars.
Rumor has it that some very early versions of this radio were able to be wired into old cars.

I have a CDR 23 that I bought on Ebay for a friend. Unfortunately, the one I bought was damaged in shipment (the coaxial connector for the antenna was broken) and my friend opted to replace his failed unit with a new radio.

I've since repaired the damage and this morning connected power to the radio using a bench supply (the pin-out is identical to the CDR 210/220, no problem there). However, what I see when the radio is powered on is "PORSCHE" on the display for a few seconds, followed by "PROTECT".

I don't know if this is a code issue, or the radio going into a protected mode because it doesn't find anything on the MOST interface (the optical interface glows red, so it appears to be active). If there is a way to enter a code into this radio, I'll try that and report back. But if this is something that needs to come from the MOST, I don't think the radio is usable as a replacement for the non-MOST units.

Come to think of it... I don't think you can enter the code in any way. It expects to get the code from the DME over the MOST bus.

Yes, this seems to be what is going on.

Programmed theft protection.

Audi MOST Infotainment devices, by design, allow for a certain # of "attempts" before the device is permanently locked.....designed into the S/W.