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I've never been happy with the wireless FM modulators so I decided to try something different.
Just finished putting this together and I have to say I'm quite happy with the results. Cost was under $35 with everything bought off eBay.
First was this Audiopipe hardwired FM modulator. $13 including shipping. It's actually very nice with a separate filtered power supply, metal case and remote on/off switch. There is NO hiss or static. Even if you wanted a basic AUX input, I highly recommend it.
Euro Antenna adapters are needed. These were about $9.00.
This is an MP3 Decoder with built in Bluetooth. It was $8.00 including shipping from a US seller. This is the non amplified version.
Some assembly is required.
I wanted the Audiopipe's on/off switch to also kill power to the decoder. The switch plugs into the side of the modulator but does not carry 12 vdc. I opened the modulator and found a switched spot to tap off of. You'll also need to adapt the output wires to the Audiopipe's RCA jacks.
I bought a piece of craft wood for about $1.00 and made a bezel to mount the switch and decoder. I took my time and made it so it fits just behind the bottom rubber lip in the storage cubby. It's just a press in fit and I painted it satin black.
I drilled a small hole in the top rear of the plastic cubby to run the wires in. That was the most drastic part of this mod. If I decide to remove this setup, no one will ever know it was there.
To power this I tapped into the brown ground wire and the wake-up wire directly off the head unit. If you leave the switch on, it will automatically turn off with the CDR23. The modulator fit in the area under the head unit and just behind the storage cubby.
The camera flash makes it look a bit off color, but while sitting the car, it matches everything quite nicely. Also looks better than cables, an MP3 player and FM transmitter flopping around.
This is a quick demo. The decoder board plays MP3s from a USB stick or Micro SD card. It has a Line IN jack. The Bluetooth works great...my phone recognizes it as a Bluetooth speaker and it can pause and skip songs playing on Pandora. It also includes a wireless remote for other functions like selecting tracks, FF, different EQ setting etc.
It does NOT have a microphone for telephone conversations, no playlists and there is some very faint electronic noise when no music is playing, but once music starts, it's crystal clear even at low volume. Amazing what you can get out of China for $8 bucks.
Oh and the display is also a fairly close color match the CDR23s display (my head unit's display is fine but for some reason the camera filters it out).
Cool, glad you got it...sometimes youtube doesn't like links in the comments.
It's still working nice after nearly 2 years. I mostly use the bluetooth for streaming music from Pandora and Amazon through my phone. I also keep a microsd card in it with a few hundred mp3s.
I can't find much information on them...the 500 looks to be an improved version.
I think my 300 allows you to select from two different FM frequencies. It appears the 500 allows you to choose from 4 different frequencies.
I live near Chicago so nearly every frequency is used. The music that was playing in my video was from a transmitter less than 20 miles away; when the switch was turned on, it completely blocked that station.
As long as the size is the same (it was a tight fit behind the head-unit) you should be ok.
For the manual, you may want to contact Audiopipe through their website. They have many manuals online but I don't see any for the modulators.
Thank you for posting the original thread. I was wondering if this solution will work with a 2003 996 with the Bose MOST system? I would be happy to simply be able to play music from my phone, so just installing the AudioPipe RFM300 looks like would do the trick.
I ask since the car you installed this in is (from the pics) not a 996, any idea if this will work?
Should work fine. The Audiopipe is just an FM modulator that sends the signal directly into the antenna input of the radio and your music is played over a preset FM station.
There are wireless types that simply plug into your cigarette lighter socket, but the sound is horrible and they typically have a lot of hiss and static.
To use it as an AUX, you'd only need an RCA to 3.5mm female adapter. You could get it as a pigtail and let it hang somewhere convenient or mount a permanent jack.
Since you'll need the on/off switch included with the unit, I'd buy or make a little L shaped panel to mount the switch and the jack to, and then attach that under the dash. That way, you could remove it later without leaving visible holes.
Thank you George!
One more question. With the RFM-500 advertised as wireless, and the RFM-300 as wired, any idea how this changes this setup? I was going to go with the 500 simply due to it being newer and widely available.
Cheers
Originally Posted by 19psi
Should work fine. The Audiopipe is just an FM modulator that sends the signal directly into the antenna input of the radio and your music is played over a preset FM station.
There are wireless types that simply plug into your cigarette lighter socket, but the sound is horrible and they typically have a lot of hiss and static.
To use it as an AUX, you'd only need an RCA to 3.5mm female adapter. You could get it as a pigtail and let it hang somewhere convenient or mount a permanent jack.
Since you'll need the on/off switch included with the unit, I'd buy or make a little L shaped panel to mount the switch and the jack to, and then attach that under the dash. That way, you could remove it later without leaving visible holes.
Wow...I just noticed the "wireless" printed on the box. I would stay away from that and try to find the 300 or even another brand that's hard wired.
It may be ok, but I can find no reviews and the descriptions are very vague. FCC puts limitations on wireless FM transmitters so it's probably no better than anything else out there.
After much research, I have decided to go for another unit by the iSimple brand. It is a hard wired unit into the CDR-23 unit's antenna with adapter cables (sold separately) and I should be receiving it in the mail via Amazon. Amazon prices, as I found out, is a bit high so the following is for reference.
Currently looking for the switched 12V in the fuse box and looking for ways to wire it in with a volt meter, etc. Will see if I can snap a few pictures or put something up later in this forum.
To power this I tapped into the brown ground wire and the wake-up wire directly off the head unit. If you leave the switch on, it will automatically turn off with the CDR23.
Good day. I hope that all is well and that all are staying healthy.
I have a question - realize this post is 5 years old, but hoping for the best:-)
I am trying to pick up “wake-up” power from the CDR23 in my 03 Boxster for essentially the same purpose. According to the Bentley manual’s wiring diagrams, terminal C6 “GESCHALTETES PLUS” (SWITCHED PLUS) should do that, but my multimeter says otherwise. None of the other wiring to connectors A or C seem to send 12V when the head unit is turned on. They are all constant 12V or low voltage signals.
How does the amplifier know to turn on? Maybe the fiber optic sends that command to the amp?
How does the amplifier know to turn on? Maybe the fiber optic sends that command to the amp?
Do you remember where you connected to get power?
It's been so long I can't really remember the details. I do know there were contradicting wiring diagrams out there, so there may be different versions of the CDR 23 (maybe with or without Bose/MOST). Do you have the Bose system with separate amp?
I think I ended up checking each lead for 12 vdc and writing them down while the unit was on, then I turned the radio off, pulled the key from the ignition and waited for the lighted ring around the volume **** to go out. Then checked each lead again until I found one that no longer had 12 volts.
Check pin C4 which is listed in some diagrams as the wake up wire going to the amplifier in back.
Initially I thought it would be like a standard car stereo where one lead is simply switched on/off from the ignition and another has constant 12 volt for clock/memory, but it seems the head unit always has 12 volts and the CAN bus eventually tells the system when to go to sleep.
It's been so long I can't really remember the details. I do know there were contradicting wiring diagrams out there, so there may be different versions of the CDR 23 (maybe with or without Bose/MOST). Do you have the Bose system with separate amp?
I think I ended up checking each lead for 12 vdc and writing them down while the unit was on, then I turned the radio off, pulled the key from the ignition and waited for the lighted ring around the volume **** to go out. Then checked each lead again until I found one that no longer had 12 volts.
Check pin C4 which is listed in some diagrams as the wake up wire going to the amplifier in back.
Initially I thought it would be like a standard car stereo where one lead is simply switched on/off from the ignition and another has constant 12 volt for clock/memory, but it seems the head unit always has 12 volts and the CAN bus eventually tells the system when to go to sleep.
Thanks for the quick reply! I’ve been thru exactly what you suggest - come to the conclusion that it can’t be done in this car with this specific CDR23. Separate amp but not BOSE.
Thanks for the quick reply! I’ve been thru exactly what you suggest - come to the conclusion that it can’t be done in this car with this specific CDR23. Separate amp but not BOSE.
Ah...at that point find something in the fuse box that's switched with your ignition, that way you won't put a drain on the battery if you forget to turn the device off.
12-15-2015, 01:17 AM
Added MP3, AUX and Bluetooth to my CDR23
