Thanks to pleasant music, a good radio makes any trip more comfortable. Most used cars either do not have radios or CD players, or are equipped with cheap, low-quality devices. Therefore, the question of how to connect a radio in a car is relevant for many drivers. From the article you will learn how to connect the radio correctly and what safety measures are followed when doing this.
Basic parameters of radio tape recorders
Before you begin installing or connecting this device, you must determine the basic parameters that will affect all further actions. These include:
- size;
- power;
- shape of connectors.
Modern radios come in two versions: thin and thick. The first ones are also called single-block, they comply with the 1DIN standard. The second ones are called two-block, they comply with the 2DIN standard. Most European cars are equipped with a 1DIN socket, so installing a two-block device into it is impossible. American or Asian cars are often equipped with 2DIN sockets, so installing thin devices in them is possible, but you will have to work hard.
Second important parameter– total power, which is the sum of the power of all channels. Correct determination of power is necessary for correct calculation of current consumption and wire cross-section. In this case, the power supplied and consumed differs by 1.5–2.5 times. That is, to provide an output power of 4x20 watts, you will need not 80 watts, but at least 150. With this power, the current passing through the wires reaches 12–13 amperes.
The more powerful the sound-reproducing device, the thicker the wires are needed to connect the battery or speakers.
Alternating current, which is the basis for the operation of speakers, further increases the requirements for wires, because electrons move most actively along the outer surface of the metal. Therefore, it is necessary not only to increase the thickness, but also to use multi-wire twisted cable. The output power of each channel of the device should not exceed the power of each of the speakers. If the output power is higher, you will have to install more powerful speakers and lay new wires of the appropriate thickness.
Most manufacturers of car audio equipment equip it with unique proprietary connectors, which do not always correspond to the contacts installed in the car. These connectors consist of two parts: a plug and a plug. The contact connection diagram (pinout) depends on the manufacturer and is indicated in the documentation for the radio and the car. If the package includes an adapter for a standard ISO 10487 connector, then connecting the car radio does not cause any particular problem. If there is no such adapter, you will have to independently connect the plug corresponding to the car plug. 
Preparatory actions
To properly connect the radio, you need to do preparatory actions. After making sure that the radio is the right size, you need to check whether the cross-sections of the wires and the plug match the plug. To correctly determine the cross-section, take into account the following: 1 mm² is capable of transmitting 4–5 amperes of direct or current without problems. That is, for a current of 10 amperes, the cable cross-section should be 2–2.5 mm². To properly connect the speakers, use single-core copper wire in soft insulation, with a minimum diameter of each wire and an optimal cross-section. The smaller the diameter of the wires in the core, the greater the throughput and the less power loss at high frequencies.
Prepare your tools. You will need:
You will also need:
- soft copper single-core wire with a cross-section of 1.5 mm²;
- a fuse whose current is 1.3–1.5 times greater than the maximum current consumption;
- insulating tape;
- heat-shrink tubing.
Wiring
To correctly route the wiring to the battery, use the holes in the wall engine compartment, through which the wire harnesses pass.
Do not under any circumstances connect the plus power supply of the radio to the plus of the ignition switch. The wire feeding the ignition switch is not designed to handle that kind of current, so turning on the sound-reproducing device at full volume will overheat it.
As a result, the wire will melt, a short circuit will occur and best case scenario you will have to change the ignition switch and ECU ( the electronic unit control) of the engine. In the worst case scenario, there will be a fire in the car.
To connect to the battery, use special terminals; they are sold at any auto parts store. Don't forget to put a fuse in the plug-battery circuit. It is advisable to install it in engine compartment, close to the battery. This will make it easier to replace if the fuse blows for some reason. To connect the wires correctly, use a soldering iron or crimp terminals and heat shrink tubing. Do not twist them; over time, the resistance of such a contact will increase, which is why it will begin to get very hot. Heat-shrink tubing protects the joint more effectively than electrical tape, and is easier to work with. You need to put them on the connection and heat them with a lighter.
When starting to install new wires and cables, disconnect the battery. This will protect the car from short circuit, damage to electrical and electronic equipment or fire. Attach new cables to the body or wiring harnesses laid in the engine compartment. This will increase the length of the wires, but will save you from many problems. After all, a dangling wire gets frayed and can end up in the wrong place and interfere with servicing and repairing the car.
Fix new wire to the standard wiring harness or body every 20–30 cm. After you have inserted all the new wires into the plug or plug, assemble them into a single bundle using plastic clamps. This harness should connect the plug to all areas where the wires will go to the side. This will protect the plug or plug from broken wires.
If you install more powerful speakers along with the radio, then they will require laying new wires that will match the cross-section. Use hidden routing; to do this, lay all wires under the front or side panels, rugs and other decorative elements. Do not neglect to secure the wiring, otherwise the wire may come out over time, after which the likelihood of chafing or breaking increases.
Connecting connectors
For this operation, you will need an electrical diagram of the machine indicating the pinout (pin numbers) of the standard connector for radio equipment. If the plug and plug do not match, then change the connector on the sound-reproducing device. It doesn't matter which side you put the plug on, as long as it matches the plug perfectly. Do not fit the car plug into the radio. If you decide to replace the plug, you will have to resolder the car connector. If you have the required plug or plug with wires already connected, then simply solder them to the corresponding wires of the sound-reproducing device. If the plug or plug is without wires, then use a thin needle to pull the contacts out of it, insert the stripped wires into them, crimp them using a special tool or pliers and insert them into the corresponding hole in the connector.
Conclusion
Now you know how to connect a car radio, and you can install it in your car yourself. The pinout of the contacts of the sound-reproducing device and the car, as well as the connection diagram, are described in detail in the instructions for their maintenance and repair, so read these documents carefully.
Car multimedia system (car radio) is a universal radio-electronic digital device designed for listening to radio broadcasts, music, video surveillance, navigation and communication.
In modern cars, audio preparation is carried out during assembly - an antenna and speakers are installed in the doors, electrical wiring is laid, and there is a compartment in the beard with a connector for connecting the radio. To install the radio, if the connector standards meet, you just need to dock them and insert the radio into the compartment.
Structural and color
wiring diagram for car radio in car
Before the initial installation or replacement of an obsolete car radio with your own hands, you need to study the principle of its operation and the connection diagram to the car's electrical wiring.
Radios of any manufacturer and standard size are connected according to the same electrical circuit, only it happens that the connecting connector in the car differs in design from the connector on the radio.
The color scheme of the wires in this block diagram corresponds to the European ISO standard. Please note that car manufacturers, especially in Asian countries, often use their own color coding for wires.
How is power supplied to the car radio?
For the car radio to operate, it must be supplied with a 12 V DC supply voltage from the battery. Usually it is supplied through three wires; in the diagram these are wires insulated in black (minus ground), yellow and red (+) colors.
The radio is connected with a yellow wire directly to the battery terminal through a fuse. This is necessary so that when the key is removed from the ignition switch, the set settings are saved in the radio; in this case, it is impossible to turn on the car radio. In standby mode, the current consumption of the radio is only a few milliamps, which is comparable to the self-discharge current of the battery and practically does not lead to its discharge.
The main supply voltage is supplied through the ignition switch via a red wire. If the ignition key is turned to the ACC position, even when the engine is not running, the car radio can be turned on.
The red wire can be connected to the yellow wire, and then the radio will work regardless of the ignition switch. But such a connection reduces operational safety and will constantly discharge accumulator battery, especially if you forget to turn off the radio. Therefore, connecting the radio in this way is not recommended.
Antenna connection color scheme
A car antenna is a metal tube or rod of a given length. This antenna is connected using a coaxial cable using a connector directly to the antenna socket of the radio
The photo on the left shows the connector coming from the antenna, and on the right is the mating part of the socket, usually located on the back wall of the car radio.
To be able to receive radio transmissions at a greater distance from the radio signal source, active antennas are sometimes used, in which a high-frequency amplifier is additionally installed in the immediate vicinity of the antenna itself. For its operation, a supply voltage of 12 V is required, which is supplied via a blue wire with a white stripe.
In some car models, the antenna is hidden in the shaft and moves outward using an electric motor and mechanical gearbox only when the radio is turned on. The engine runs when a 12 V supply voltage is supplied through the blue wire.
Color scheme for connecting and checking car speakers
The vehicle's sound system, as shown in the color wiring diagram below, typically consists of four full-range speakers, one installed in each of the side doors.
Speakers have polarity and must be connected correctly. The speaker is not a battery, so if the polarity of the connection is reversed, this will not lead to irreparable consequences. The phasing will only be disrupted, as a result of which the speakers will work in antiphase and the sound waves emitted by one speaker will be absorbed by the opposite one. The sound volume will be low, even with high power input, not to mention the quality.
Usually there is a polarity marking next to the terminals on the speaker. On the loudspeaker shown in the photo, in addition to the markings, in addition, the terminals have different widths, the positive terminal is wider.
ISO speakers are connected to the car radio using two wires of the same color. The wire connected to the positive terminal is painted a solid color, and the insulation of the wire going to the negative terminal has a black stripe along its entire length.
Checking the correct phasing of car speakers by ear
Checking the phasing of the speakers may be necessary if the audio preparation was carried out independently, when replacing the radio connector with a connector of a different standard, or after replacing a failed speaker.
If the radio is installed in the car and is working, then you can check the correct phasing of the speakers without instruments, by ear. Any car radio has a function for adjusting the balance - adjusting the volume level of the right and left speakers. The driver of the car sits on the left, and is closer to the left speakers. In order for the sound from both sides to be perceived at the same volume, you can use balancing to increase the sound volume of the right speakers.
This function allows you not only to balance the sound, but also to check the correct phasing of the speakers. If you use balance to increase the volume of the left or right speakers, the overall playback volume, especially at low frequencies, should decrease. If it does not decrease, but increases, then the polarity of connecting one of the speakers is not correct.
If the polarity of the connection of one of the speakers is incorrect, then it is enough to swap the wires in the pair going to it. To determine an incorrectly connected speaker, you will have to sequentially swap the wires in a pair of each speaker and check the phasing using the method described above.
Installation and testing of car speakers with an ohmmeter
A car loudspeaker (speaker) is a conical diffuser fixed in a housing (basket) using a suspension and a centering washer with a coil of copper wire placed in the gap permanent magnet.
The photo shows a cross-section of a classic low-frequency electromagnetic loudspeaker. When the coil is fed electricity, an electromagnetic field appears around the turns, which, interacting with the field of a permanent magnet, pulls in or pushes out the diffuser. The result is a sound wave, which we hear in the form of speech or music.
This photo shows a mid-high frequency loudspeaker consisting of three drivers. One of them, on the right in the photo, is a piezoelectric emitter, therefore it has a high resistance and cannot be read with an ohmmeter.
Mid- and high-frequency speakers are often connected through filters, which are a capacitor. Therefore, you need to check such a speaker by connecting the ohmmeter probes directly to its terminals.
The active resistance of electrodynamic speakers lies in the range of 1-16 Ohms, so you can check the integrity of the coil by ringing it with a multimeter turned on in resistance measurement mode.
The multimeter showed a resistance of 5.1 ohms, therefore the speaker coil is working. But it happens that the turns of wires from the supply high power flies off the reel or begins to cling to the core. This can be easily checked by pressing the diffuser evenly and very lightly with your fingers. It should retract easily and silently and return to its original position without making any extraneous sounds.
If the speaker registers with an ohmmeter and does not make a rustling sound when you press the diffuser, then it is working.
Checking and determining speaker polarity using a battery
If you don’t have a multimeter, you can check the speaker and at the same time determine the polarity of its terminals (if there is no marking) using any battery or accumulator. It is enough to connect the battery terminals to the speaker terminals for a second.
If the polarity of the battery connection matches, when the “+” is connected to the positive terminal of the speaker, its diffuser will rise upward, as shown in the photo.
Otherwise, the diffuser will be pulled into the speaker basket. When the battery is connected, the speaker will make a characteristic rustling sound.
Any battery or accumulator with a voltage of no more than 4.5 V is suitable for testing, even a dead one. With a higher voltage and a large battery capacity, you can burn the speaker coil. A Krona battery, although the voltage at its terminals is 9 V, can be used because it has a low capacity. If you don’t have a battery at hand, then any DC mains source, for example, a mobile phone charger, will do.
About choosing an speaker cable for speakers
When doing independent audio preparation when installing a radio or replacing an obsolete one with a radio with a more advanced powerful amplifier you need to select or check the cross-section of the wires going to the speakers. The procedure for selecting speaker cable differs from the selection rules for electrical wiring. The site is dedicated to choosing an acoustic cable.
Radio sizes – 1DIN and 2DIN
In the beard of European and Russian cars There is a standard window for installing a 1DIN or 2DIN radio. Designation corresponds to international standard ISO 7736 (Car head units), developed in Germany in 1984. DIN (Deutsches Institut für Normung) translates as German Standardization Institute.
As can be seen in the drawing, the dimensions 1DIN (180×50×160) and 2DIN (180×100×160) differ only in height. 2DIN has twice as much as 1DIN. It should be noted that the seating depth of 160 mm is not fixed in the standard, but in fact all cars correspond to this size.
When choosing a car radio for initial installation or when replacing an obsolete one, you need to make sure that the size of the radio you intend to purchase matches the size of the window in your beard. If the size of the car radio is several millimeters smaller than the compartment window, then this issue can be easily resolved. An example of installing a radio tape recorder smaller than the shaft window is given in the article below.
If the size of the radio is smaller by a centimeter or more, then you will need to purchase an adapter frame, and if more does not fit into the compartment, then you will have to remove the beard and expand the window. This is labor-intensive work and it is better to immediately choose a radio that is suitable in size for installation in your car.
Connectors for connecting a car radio
to the vehicle's on-board network
Many manufacturers, when preparing cars for audio, install a connector for connecting the car radio to an internal standard, since there is no international standard. In Europe and Russia, preference is given to the German standard ISO 10487, which regulates the design and geometric dimensions of the connector, but does not regulate the color marking of wires. But many manufacturers adhere to the same color coding, which has practically become a standard.
The photograph shows an ISO 10487 connector. It consists of two separate terminals - “A” and “B”, which can be easily identified by the location of the latch. In block “B” it is located in the center, and in block “A” it is shifted to the side from the center.
| ISO standard for pinout of blocks for connecting a radio tape recorder | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Block | Number contact | Purpose | Color coding |
| "A" nutrition | 1 | Changing volume at speed | Not standardized |
| 2 | Off sound when calling | Not standardized | |
| 3 | Reserve | Not standardized | |
| 4 | +12 V constant (memory) | yellow | |
| 5 | +12 V external devices (antenna) | blue | 6 | Radio backlight | orange | 7 | +12 V ACC from ignition | red | 8 | Minus (mass) | black |
| "IN" audio | 1 | Right rear (+) | violet |
| 2 | Right rear (-) | purple with black stripe | |
| 3 | Right front (+) | grey | |
| 4 | Right front (-) | gray with black stripe | |
| 5 | Left front (+) | white | 6 | Left front (-) | white with black stripe | 7 | Left rear (+) | green | 8 | Left rear (-) | green with black stripe |
If the connector in the existing radio differs from the connector installed in the car, then you can purchase an adapter or, as I did, cut the wires from the standard connector and solder them to a new one.
As an example, the photo shows an adapter for connecting a car radio with an ISO connector in Hyundai cars and Kia of some model years. When choosing an adapter, you should take into account that the block that is inserted into the car connector always has pins (the male type in the photo on the right), and that connects to the radio - sockets (the female type, in the photo on the left).
The type and color marking of the standard connector can be found in the electrical diagram of the car, and color coding The radio connection connection is usually present on its body or is available in the documentation.
Selecting a car radio
Almost all modern car radios, regardless of the brand, are made in China and have approximately the same technical characteristics. They differ only in height dimensions (50 or 100 mm), appearance, number of channels and additional switching capabilities.
Therefore, when choosing a car radio, first of all you need to know the size seat for it in the car and decide on the list of additional communication capabilities you need.
| Technical characteristics of modern radio tape recorders | ||
|---|---|---|
| Name | Function | Note |
| FM radio (87.5-108 MHz) | modern range | |
| AM radio (66-74 MHz) | Reception of radio broadcasts in the VHF range | Soviet band |
| USB playback | ||
| Playback from SD flash | Listening to audio and watching video clips | MKV, MP4, DIVX, Lossless Audio, JPEG, MP3 and WMA |
| Remote control | Controlling the operating mode of the radio remotely | |
| Touch screen | Controlling the radio by touching the screen | Unstable operation at low temperatures |
| GPS navigation | Determining the location and the ability to plot a travel route | |
| Bluetooth speakerphone | Wireless connection to external devices to the radio | The ability to communicate via cellular communication with your hands free |
| 3G internet | Wireless connection of the radio to the Internet system | Opportunity to work on the Internet |
| WiFi | Wireless connection of external devices to the radio via IP | |
| Number of channels for connecting speakers | 2, 4, 6 | Optimally four |
| Subwoofer output | Possibility of connecting a subwoofer | For music lovers |
After determining the list of desired technical characteristics, you can begin to select suitable model. Almost all modern radio tape recorders provide sufficient power sound and low level nonlinear distortions that provide sufficiently high-quality sound reproduction for listening, and all arguments on this topic are groundless.
The naturalness of sound reproduction depends not only on the signal source, the parameters of the radio or other sound-reproducing device and their acoustic systems, but also on the acoustic characteristics of the room. It is in principle impossible to achieve natural sound in a car interior with a volume of several cubic meters, and even half of it has a coating that does not absorb sound waves (glass, plastic).
The sound waves emitted by the speaker are reflected repeatedly from the glass and plastic panels, forming damped standing waves in the form of an echo. The reflected waves are added to the newly emitted speakers and distort them. You can only enjoy natural sound in a concert hall.
Thus, the main criteria when choosing a car radio are: the height of the case, the presence of the necessary functions and appearance. The remaining technical characteristics of modern radio tape recorders, as a rule, provide high quality sound reproduction.
Therefore, when choosing to install it in my car, I purchased on Aliexpress at a discount for only $12 a car radio SJ-T10446-93 model 2033, which I liked for the price, appearance and technical characteristics, which are given in the table below. You can see its appearance in the photograph.
| Main characteristics of the radio SJ-T10446-93 model 2033 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Name | Characteristic | Note |
| Standard size | 1DIN | 180mm×50mm×160mm |
| Supply voltage | 12 V | Minus on the case |
| FM channel | 87.5-108 MHz | Sensitivity 22 db |
| Playback | USB, SD flash, with Audio input | Format MP3, MP4, WMA |
| Sound system | Stereo | Separation >25 db |
| frequency range | 20-20000 Hz | Nonlinear distortion |
| Load resistance | 4-8 Ohm | Speaker impedance |
| output power | 4×50 W | Four channels |
| Display | LED LCD | ID3 format |
| Volume control | Round handle | Electronic |
| Equalizer | Step adjustment with button | Classical, jazz, pops, rock |
| Operating temperature | minus 20 - 60 C° | |
| Type of connection block | Any | Resoldering was planned |
Before searching for a suitable car radio model, I wrote down all the necessary technical characteristics and requirements, which I put into a table and used to make a choice. Other functions, such as remembering settings, remote control and others, are usually present by default.
An example of installing a car radio in a car
Before choosing a car radio, you need to measure the dimensions of the compartment in the beard and find out what type of pad is installed during audio preparation. To do this, you need to remove the installed car radio, and if installed for the first time, remove the decorative plug.
To remove the standard radio from the compartment, you must use a special key, which is usually included with the car. There is no standard, and therefore each manufacturer comes up with its own type of key. To remove the radio, simply insert the key into the slots on its panel.
To remove the plug, use a flat-blade screwdriver to pry it in the middle. To prevent scratches on the plastic of the beard, you need to place a soft pad, for example, a piece of leather, under the screwdriver.
The plug in the compartment is secured with four latches, two on each of the long sides. They are highlighted in brown in the photo.
As expected, the connector block turned out to be a Hyundai ATOS, which fit a very small model range car radio
This photo shows Hyundai pad ATOS from the side of the contact blades. It immediately became obvious that it would be almost impossible to find an inexpensive radio for installation with this type of connector.
The antenna plug was standard; almost all car radios, including branded ones, have a counterpart for it.
In terms of dimensions, taking into account the slide, the selected Chinese car radio SJ-T10446-93 model 2033 corresponded to the dimensions of the compartment in the beard. But to replace the standard sled, I would have to remove my beard, which I didn’t want to do. The dimensions of the radio cassette were three millimeters smaller in height and width, which made it possible to install it in a standard slide using rubber strips.
The radio included a connector with wires and a table with color codes for the wires. On the line yellow color there was a 10 A fuse installed in an insulated housing.
To connect, it was possible to purchase an adapter for half the cost of the radio, but having a ready-made block with wires, I decided to solder it directly to the standard wires. Excessive connections in electrical wiring negatively affect its reliability, and correct connection of wires by soldering is the most reliable that exists. If soldering is impossible, you can get by by simply twisting wires of the same name.
To eliminate errors when connecting wires, a color table was compiled. Next, the wires were cut sequentially one by one with wire cutters at the input to the standard block, twisted with the wires of the new one and soldered with solder. While the soldering did not have time to cool down, an insulating polyvinyl chloride tube was pulled over the joint, which, after the solder cooled, was itself tightly fixed to the wires.
Ultimately, all the necessary conductors were connected, except for two intended to supply power to the backlight. In this receiver model, the backlight turned on when voltage was applied to the radio via the ACC wire.
The cassette player body was three millimeters smaller than the dimensions of the slide. Therefore, rubber strips one millimeter thick were glued in advance to all four sides of its body with Moment glue. This ensured its easy installation into the compartment and a fairly tight fit.
The check showed that there were no errors during installation and after setting up the radio, the car interior was filled with the sound of a radio broadcast. All that remains is to insert it into the compartment and enjoy the result achieved.
It took about an hour to install the car radio, including preparation and soldering of wires. Of course, there is no need to talk about the naturalness of the sound, but for listening to news and music at a sufficient level of quality, an inexpensive Chinese radio is quite enough.
The choice met expectations; after installing it yourself, the car radio has been working flawlessly during year-round use of the car for several years with sufficiently high sound quality.
A car radio is a tape recorder or CD player with a radio receiver in one housing, designed for installation in a car. It does not have a built-in power supply from a 220 volt network and is designed for external acoustic systems (speakers). It differs from conventional radio tape recorders in its smaller size and higher output power.
Connecting a car radio at home
Many of us have old car radios in our homes or garages that sit idle and gathering dust. They can all be given a “second life” as a regular receiver or music center. The sound quality and power of such devices is higher than that of portable or stationary ones.
How to connect a car radio at home
The main thing in connection is making a power supply or using a ready-made one (or a battery instead). Connection options are given below:
- Through the power supply. You can use ready-made desktop computer with a power of at least 400 watts. To use it, you need to send a signal to turn it on (we connect the only green wire of the largest connector to any black one), check the output voltage on the yellow wire. It should be 12 volts.
- The easiest way is to use car battery. Two wires with clamps are enough to connect.
You can use a car battery charger as a power supply (transformer only, new pulse ones will not work). We turn it on to the minimum current and check the output voltage (12 volts) with a multimeter. The downside of this option is that there is no filter inside. charger, protecting against interference. There may be extraneous noise in the speakers.
There is a method using a homemade step-down transformer, but for this you need to have minimal knowledge of radio engineering.
We need a transformer with two or more windings. Usually the transformer is marked with the input and output voltage for which it is designed. If there are no symbols, measure the resistance of all windings with a multimeter. The input will have a resistance of 100–300 Ohms, the output will have a resistance of 1–30 Ohms. Using the above diagram, we assemble a simple rectifier and check the output voltage (12–14 volts).
As diode bridge you can use a ready-made element.
We decided on the power source. Now let’s make the connection itself, it is performed according to the following diagram:
We do not connect the antenna power and backlight control wires. We connect the battery and ignition switch together and connect to positive, ground to negative.
The speakers will fit from any music center with an internal resistance of 4–16 Ohms, or car speakers with homemade buildings.
Tools and materials
To work you will need:
- side cutters (nippers);
- soldering iron with tin and rosin;
- multimeter with the ability to measure alternating and direct current up to 300 volts and resistance up to 1000 ohms;
- wires with a cross section of 1–3 mm 2 and a length of 2–3 meters (depending on the placement of the speakers);
- insulating tape.
When performing all work, be sure to follow electrical safety rules! Before disassembling and reassembling, de-energize any devices, plug them into the network via a fuse, ground sockets and power tools.
A complete list of safety measures can be found in the provisions of the Occupational Safety and Health Act.
Video: example of connecting a car radio via a computer power supply
Example external design car radio is given below.
After spending a few hours, we will get a music center that is not inferior in sound quality to store-bought car radios.
Our car may change more than one stereo system during its life, due to the fact that it may become obsolete or the owner will have higher requirements for the sound in the car. Perhaps your car doesn’t even have a radio... In general, there can be a great many cases and variations! It is in these cases that information on installing and connecting a radio to a car will be useful and necessary for you. Especially if you decide to do everything yourself. In addition, this article is also for those cases when the radio tape recorder was installed earlier (for example, by the previous owner), but subsequently the history and installation paths became so confused that only a bunch of multi-colored wires stick out from the window under the radio tape recorder, which is difficult to cope with without having certain knowledge. So, our article provides typical solutions for installing and connecting a radio. You can also find information on adapter plugs for connecting radios in cars various brands cars.
What sizes are the radio tape recorders used for installation and connection?
The radio tape recorders themselves are, to put it in Russian, single-block and double-block formats (single-din and double-din). Initially, car radios of the 1DIN standard (single-block) were most widespread. However, everyone needs comfort and a big screen. As a result, 2 DIN radios are slowly squeezing 1DIN radios out of our lives.
Many European car manufacturers still offer a niche of 1DIN sizes. These are Renault, Citroen... But American and Japanese, and with them korean cars They have a large niche for installation from the factory. That is 2DIN.
Also, with the growing availability and demand for multimedia products, the 2DIN radio format is clearly more promising. Take a look for yourself, what do you think is better?
When asked which of these radios to choose for installation, you must proceed from the conditions for the possibility of mechanical installation of such a radio in the instrument panel of the car, as well as from your preferences. We will only give our recommendations in our other article, “Which radio to choose for your car.”
There are also standard devices used for specific model car. They often have a unique body shape, which makes it impossible to install them on another machine. For an example of installing a radio with a unique housing, see the article “Removing and installing a radio in a Toyota Corolla 150.” Such radios also have their own original plug for connection.
However, there are also running radios. That is, with which there are no difficulties. Let's say such a radio tape recorder "Installing a radio tape recorder in a Lada Granta with your own hands."
Of course, you may ask, what is special about the difference between a radio for a specific car model and a “universal” radio!? It's simple! Most "universal" radios have a standard ISO connection. That is, ISO and mini ISO plugs.
ISO connectors as the basis for connecting most radios
So, we realized that the radio may differ not only in appearance, but also in the connectors used to connect it. If these are unique standard radios, then they will probably need their own plug and pinout. If this is a radio tape recorder purchased for an unspecified car model, then it almost certainly has a connection via ISO plugs.
So what are these “almighty” ISO connectors? They look like this if you look at the back panel of the radio.
These connectors come with matching connectors of their own. In this case, in some cases adapters may be used. That is, when the radio casing has its own uniquely shaped contact-connectors, but ISO plugs are still installed at the other end. That is why we focused on the fact that the ISO standard for radio tape recorders exists as one of the dogmas!
Often you can even find adapters for a specific radio model, be it Pioneer, Kenwood, Alpine, Sony, or even the Chinese Mistery, but they will come with an ISO adapter. Actually, this is a generally accepted and fully formed solution at the moment. After all, you can always switch from ISO standard connectors to the connectors you need, that’s the whole point!
Pinout, pin designation on ISO connectors for connecting a radio
So, after we got acquainted with the ISO connector standard, it would be nice to now know which contacts are and what they are responsible for. After all, the best thing about this situation is that there are clearly designated contacts for each electrical circuit. That is, you can easily find out where and what will be connected, which is exactly what we need! It’s enough just to use the picture where there are contact numbers and refer to the table where there is a transcript of these same contacts.
| Connector C (yellow section, low signal outputs to the amplifier and its control) | |
| 1 | Rear left exit low signal |
| 2 | Output right left low signal |
| 3 | Output ground low signal (headset) |
| 4 | Front left low signal output (headset) |
| 5 | Output right left low signal (headset) |
| 6 | Output signal to turn on the amplifier |
| Connector C (green section, CAN, LIN BUS, steering column joystick) | |
| 7 | Line input (phone audio signal input) |
| 8 | Line input ground, (there may be a signal to an external additional standard display in the car - vehicle display interface) |
| 9 | Lin BUS control via 1 wire from the steering column joystick |
| 10 | CAN H bus, (may be activated for standard display) |
| 11 | Ground (-) (telephone audio signal ground) |
| 12 | CAN L bus, (can be telephone ground) |
| Connector C (blue section, work with video signal) | |
| 13 | -,(can be CD data from changer input) |
| 14 | -,(can be CD data from changer output) |
| 15 | -,(can be CD for control) |
| 16 | Video input (ground), (can be powered by CD changer) |
| 17 | -,(power supply to CD changer) |
| 18 | -,(can be CD audio input ground) |
| 19 | Video input signal, works when voltage is applied to section A, pin 1 (could be CD audio left) |
| 20 | -,(maybe CD audio right) |
| Connector B (brown plug, speaker output) | |
| 1 | Rear right speaker + (lilac) |
| 2 | Rear right speaker - (lilac-black) |
| 3 | Front right speaker + (gray) |
| 4 | Front right speaker - (gray-black) |
| 5 | Speaker front left + (white) |
| 6 | Front left speaker - (white-black) |
| 7 | Rear left speaker + (green) |
| 8 | Rear left speaker - (green-black) |
| Connector A (black plug, radio power supply) | |
| 1 | from the lamp reverse+12 V to activate video input, (maybe Speed-Sensitive Volume Control - with increasing speed, the volume increases, may be a MUTE signal) |
| 2 | there may be a MUTE signal |
| 3 | reserve |
| 4 | +12 power supply and memory (yellow) |
| 5 | +12 V antenna power or control for the amplifier (blue or blue-white) |
| 6 | Backlight + 12 V for dimming, or for backlighting the radio |
| 7 | +12 volts control from the ignition switch (red) |
| 8 | Ground "-" (black) |
What other symbols can be found on the radio?
Actually, there may be other symbols on the radio, each of which is responsible for something different.
DATA IN - data input
-DATA OUT - data output
-Line Out - linear output
-REM or REMOTE CONTROL or Amp - control voltage (Amplifier)
-ACP+, ACP- - Bus lines (Ford)
-CAN-L - CAN bus line
-CAN-H - CAN bus line
-K-BUS - Bidirectional serial bus (K-line)
-SHIELD - Connection of shielded wire braid.
-AUDIO COM or R COM, L COM - Common wire (ground) of the input or output of preamplifiers
-CD-IN L+, CD-IN L-, CD-IN R+, CD-IN R- - Symmetrical linear inputs of audio signal from the changer
-SW+B - Switches power supply to +B battery.
-SEC IN - Second input
-DIMMER - Change the brightness of the display
-ALARM = Connection of alarm contacts for the radio to perform car security functions (PIONEER radios)
-SDA, SCL, MRQ - Exchange buses with the standard car display. If such a function is supported, it is usually written on the radio - vehicle display interface. Or is there such an icon -
-LINE OUT, LINE IN - Linear output and input, respectively.
-D2B+, D2B- - Optical communication line of the audio system
In general, you understand that the whole connection will come down to knowing which contact to connect to what. For those who still want to see the diagram, and not be content with the designation of the plugs, we will provide this opportunity too...
Diagram (electrical circuit) for connecting the radio
From all of the above it follows that the connection of the radio will be carried out according to this scheme. Of course, all connections are made according to the table.
This connection of contacts by color matches most radios, but not all. There are extremely rare exceptions. It seems that this is all, but “everything” in such a matter never happens... After all, there are many nuances that are definitely worth paying attention to.
What is important to consider when installing and connecting the radio
Power supply for the radio
If you did not have audio preparation before, that is, those same ISO connectors under the “dashboard,” then it is better to draw power directly from the battery. If such connectors exist, then there is no need to reinvent the wheel. Especially if you are not going to participate in any sound competitions. So, if you carefully read and watched the article, you already realized that two wires are used to power the radio. It's red and yellow!
The red one is switched off via the ignition switch, marked as ACC, this is the control wire. It serves only to control the power supply of the radio and nothing more. But the yellow one is constantly connected. Yellow is responsible for powering the radio's memory and settings. So that every time you don’t have to set the timbre, the balance of the speakers, look for stations... In addition, the yellow one is also a power one, an increased current is supplied through it when there is power on the red wire.
Now let's think... What will happen to the battery if you do not ensure that the control wire of the radio is disconnected while parked?
Nothing good will happen. One fine day, or maybe not as beautiful as it turns out later, your battery will simply run out. And this means that the red wire still needs to be disconnected. But disconnecting the wire from the ignition switch is not comme il faut. How then can you listen to the radio at a picnic when the ignition is turned off? So why leave the car with the ignition on? Not an option! And here you will have to think about ensuring that there is always power to the red wire until the car is armed against the alarm.
You can mount a simple electrical diagram, which will connect and disconnect the radio automatically from the alarm.
This diagram for connecting and disconnecting the radio works as follows. We find the lock responsible for opening and closing the doors. And we connect everything according to the diagram. As a result, when the doors are opened, a positive pulse from the solenoid is sent to relay P1, and the relay will operate and actually go into self-retaining mode. Power will also be provided from the battery through relay P2 to power the radio. This is how everything will work for the time being.
When closing, we take a positive impulse on relay P2. In this case, the power supply circuit of relay P1 and the radio will break, the radio will turn off, and relay P1 will go into a de-energized state. That's all! The power supply to the radio will be turned on when disarmed and turned off when armed.
This scheme has one drawback, increased power consumption due to the additional relay P1, which will always be turned on when the radio is running. But the current itself is 60-80 mA, not so critical.
Power supply for the radio's active antenna (amplifier)
Connecting the antenna power is a blue wire, sometimes white-blue. The power supply must not exceed 300 mA. This is a control wire, but not a power wire. Power is supplied automatically after turning on the radio. It turns off immediately after turning off the radio. However, if we say the blue wire is paralleled with the red one when turned on, then the radio will automatically switch on to turn on, as in the diagram above. Using this principle, several more schemes can be implemented by analogy with the one we have already presented. This is a voluminous topic, and we will separate it into a separate article, “Powering the radio when the ignition is turned off.”
Wires for radio speakers
If you did not have a car radio, then in addition to installing and connecting it, you will also have to pull out the speaker wire for the speakers. In this case, we strongly recommend that you consider using specialized acoustic wires with a cross-section of about 1.5-2 mm2.
The wires are cheap compared to the radio, but you will definitely feel a “qualitative leap” from their use. The resistance of acoustics is usually 4 ohms, and the wiring from the acoustics kit will be comparable in resistance to the speakers. Which in turn will entail a significant dissipation of the power of the radio amplifier, precisely on the auxiliary equipment - acoustic wiring, and not on the speakers (acoustics). As a result, the playback volume will decrease and, even worse, the range of reproduced frequencies will also decrease. The peculiarities of HF propagation are that the signal travels only along the surface of the wire skin* (* from English skin, outer surface shell) effect; accordingly, with a smaller diameter of the wire, its throughput to HF will decrease. In addition, I would like to say more about the selection, installation and connection of speakers in a car; you can read about this in the article “Selecting acoustics and speakers for installation and connection in a car.”
Additional information about installing a radio in a car (for those who are weak in electrical engineering)
These recommendations for connecting and installing a radio will be useful for people who have little understanding of the principle of operation of electrical circuits: power source - load. Installation and connection of car radios today has become a professional service, so you definitely need to remember about the installation service centers. This is where they work professional specialists who are engaged in installation, installation additional equipment(radio tape recorders, amplifiers, subwoofers). They know all the intricacies of a particular radio model, which allows them to complete the installation in the shortest possible time without loss of quality, with a guarantee of work. This is one of the most important factors that can be decisive when choosing.
At this stage I would like to stop, since for most people installing and connecting additional equipment to the radio such as an amplifier, subwoofer, rear view camera, and so on is not urgent need. But it would be wrong to clutter the article with all kinds of information about the installation and connection of this equipment, since it is better to analyze special cases in each individual subsequent article, especially since there are quite a lot of these cases. As the proverb goes, I would like to separate the flies from the cutlets. If you still have the opportunity and desire to install something more than a radio, read the articles in the Car Audio section of this site.
In addition to this article, you can also read:
Safety warnings when installing and connecting the radio in a car!!! All work on installing a radio in a car should be carried out with the negative terminal of the battery disconnected. After installing the radio, you must carefully check all connections and that they are connected correctly. Then cross yourself and turn it on!
It's no secret that in the radio, in addition to the positive yellow and negative black power wires, there is also a red ACC wire. Roughly speaking, this is a REM control wire for a radio and performs exactly the same function as REM on amplifiers.
For those who are not at all in the know, the radio, as planned by the manufacturer, must be constantly connected to the battery and be under voltage. The ACC wire is a low-current control circuit that activates and starts the radio. As long as there is no +12 volt on the ACC wire, the radio will not respond to anything, and accordingly, the current consumption of the radio will be measured in tens of milliamps.
When voltage appears on this wire, the radio either starts automatically (if it was turned off by de-energizing this same ACC), or goes into standby mode (if the radio was turned off with a button on the panel or with the remote control).
The main question is that even if the radio is turned off, but the ACC wire is live, then the current consumption of the radio increases by a factor of 10 and will already amount to tenths of an ampere. and this is not so little, especially if your generator is junk and the battery has long been tired.
Based on the above, it becomes clear that you need to figure out how to connect the radio correctly and how not to connect it correctly.
First, let's look at the 2 most stupid and, accordingly, the most common options for connecting a radio. They probably appeared along with the radio tape recorders themselves as a result of the general reluctance of garage installers to read the instructions for the hardware.
Option #1
It’s called “I screwed it up quickly, I’m not going to compete.”
The cigarette lighter circuit is not designed for such bonus loads and when the radio is running it significantly drains the voltage. Collective farm, in short.
Option No. 2
It’s called “So that the mafon goes out when I leave.”
The ACC ignition wire is even less responsive to such a load than the cigarette lighter and the drawdowns will be even greater than in option number one.
Owners of the first two connection options are very easy to meet on all car audio and related resources. They all have standard questions:
“Why doesn’t the car start in the morning after installing the mafon?”
“Why does the radio screen blink and turn off if you turn it on all the way?”
“Why do the radio settings get lost when turned off?”
All these problems are the result of the owner’s crookedness and his conviction that he is smarter than those who wrote the instructions for the GU.
The above options are NOT CORRECT and cannot be connected this way.
The radio in such a connection CANNOT function fully and normally, even if it seems otherwise to you.
Now let's look at options for properly connecting a radio in a car. It is most logical to start with the connection option, which is described in all instructions for the radios.
This option completely replicates the controls standard radios in foreign cars. Simple, reinforced concrete reliable option, though without the rudiments of convenience. When using this option, it is enough to find the power wire in the car that runs from the battery to the fuse block and plug it into it through a separate yellow power supply wire for the main unit.
This new fuse can be placed either in a free space in the fuse block or near it in a separate holder. This is already creativity.
The red ACC wire is connected to the ACC wire of the ignition switch. Thus, when you turn the key, the radio will start, and when you turn off the ignition, it will turn off. If you turn off the radio with the button, it will remain silent regardless of turning the key and wait for manual start.
Minus this option is the impossibility of turning on the radio when the car is turned off. This nuance can be considered a price to pay for the ease of connection.
This problem can be solved by the following option:
As you can see in the diagram, this is practically the previous version, but the blue REM wire of the radio and a pair of diodes are already involved.
For those who are not in the know, I’ll explain: A diode is a part that passes electric current only in one direction. If we connect a light bulb to a battery through a diode, then with one polarity the light bulb will light, and if the polarity is changed, the light bulb will go out.
The explanation is very rough, there are a ton of nuances, but we didn’t miss all the subtleties. It's enough)
Any small-sized diodes capable of operating with a voltage of 15 volts or more and a current of up to 0.1 ampere are suitable for the circuit.
In the diagram, diodes are indicated as an arrow with a line. The arrow indicates in which direction the diode will pass current. On the diode itself, the nose of the arrow is tinted with a stripe, or an arrow is drawn directly on the diode. On the diagram next to the diode symbol I have drawn pictures of diodes with the arrangement corresponding to the diagram for convenience.
A few words about how the circuit works:
When you turn the key in the lock, current will flow from the lock through the diode to the ACC contact of the radio. Accordingly, it will start and apply voltage to its REM wire, with which we usually control amplifiers. From the REM wire, current will flow through the second diode again to the ACC contact of the radio.
This way the radio will keep itself turned on and it won’t matter to it whether there is voltage from the ignition switch or not. The diodes in the circuit serve to prevent current from flowing from the lock to the REM contact and from the REM to the lock.
This circuit will already allow you to listen to the radio with the engine turned off. It will be enough just to start it with the key turned. The disadvantage of this connection is that you can simply forget the radio on and it will eat up the battery. Well, the radio will not be able to start automatically when you turn the key. Every time you have to poke it with your hands.
The next three schemes are different variations of the same idea. In all three schemes we use a control unit central locking alarms
This circuit also practically repeats the previous one, with the only difference being that we inserted normally closed relay contacts into the break in the REM wire.
In five-pin automotive relays, the middle contact will always be closed as long as the relay winding is not energized. As soon as the relay clicks, this contact breaks and opens the circuit in which it is located. In our case, a relay that turns on even for a short period of time will turn off the radio. After such a shutdown, the radio will automatically start and continue working as soon as you turn the ignition key. In this case, the key can be pulled out and the phone will continue to work either until manual shutdown or until the car is armed.
In the alarm unit, you will need to find a chip with the outputs of the central locking control relay and determine on which of them, when arming the car, +12 volts appears briefly. Well, accordingly, connect one contact of the relay winding to this wire and the second to the negative wire of the alarm power supply.
The scheme is quite workable. The only negative is that some radios keep voltage on the repair wire for a moment when turned off, and if the signal to the central locking alarm is too fast, the radio will immediately start again. If your car's central locking system allows longer closing pulses, many alarms allow you to increase the pulse time by programming the alarm. In principle, this is not difficult to do for anyone who thoughtfully reads the signaling manual.
If the alarm does not allow you to increase the pulse, or this is not desirable for the operation of the car's central locking, then the following two schemes will suit you. The principle of their operation is identical, only the implementation differs.
There is no need to use REM wire in this circuit. The scheme works as follows:
When you turn the key, voltage is supplied from the ACC wire of the lock to the relay winding, which is accordingly turned on, connecting to the power circuit of the yellow +12V wire of the radio (which, as we remember, is always energized, regardless of the operating mode of the PG). From this moment on, the relay begins to power itself through the second diode and also power the ACC wire of the radio, starting it up. From this moment on, the system does not care about the position of the key in the ignition.
The radio will continue to work, and the diodes will not allow the current to go where it is not needed. The second contact of the relay winding in this circuit is not connected directly to the negative but goes to the alarm unit. Most alarm units have engine blocking control outputs. This control carried out by interrupting the minus circuit. Let's say a fuel pump blocking relay is installed. The plus from this relay is connected to the ignition switch, and the minus is connected to this negative locking control wire.
Accordingly, the pump will be blocked either by interrupting the plus using a key, or by interrupting the minus using a signal. We are completely satisfied with this mode of operation of this contact and we attach the minus of our relay to this output of the alarm unit.
Thus, when arming the car, the alarm will turn off the minus of our relay, it will turn off and turn off the radio. When disarmed, the minus will appear again, but the system will wait until the key is turned to start.
This option, in my opinion, is the most successful of all those listed. has no shortcomings. The radio starts up when needed and turns off when needed. In addition, it is very convenient to turn off the radio remotely, say in nature. All you need to do is turn the car alarm on and off using the key fob.
Well last option This is a variation of the symbiosis of the previous two, but without diodes.
Here, when you turn the key, the relay will start and self-energize, simultaneously starting the radio. When arming, the second relay will interrupt the self-energizing of the relay and the system will turn off.
The capacitor in the first relay circuit is needed so that the relay can charge without external voltage. When the relay starts, the contact comes off one side and it needs time to reach the second side and be powered from it. During this moment, the relay will be powered by a capacitor, which will have time to charge when you turn the key. Without a capacitor, you will only hear TRRRRRRRRRR from the relay and the system will not work))) For this circuit, a capacitor of 1000 uF 16 volts is sufficient.
These are the options for every taste and color)) Choose what you like. On my own behalf, I can only advise you not to rush and figure out how to implement the chosen option. There is nothing terrible in any of them, even from a person far from radio engineering. It’s enough to just get into it and figure it out.
Well, the most important thing is not to rush into this matter.
Now, as promised, a few words, for those who bought a radio and were planning to “quickly” test it.
Oddly enough, when checking quickly, the most important thing is not to rush))) According to statistics, 50% of the equipment dies during testing and the first connection.
Before checking the equipment, you need to avoid any possibility of short circuiting any wires. This is especially important when checking used radio tape recorders, from which a broom of stripped and disheveled wires sticks out. Don’t be lazy and insulate with electrical tape all the wires that are not needed for testing and all the twists that you have made. Even if you “put everything separately” and “I’ve done this a hundred times and it’s fine.”
There is always room for chance and there is always a risk that something will fall or slip and instead of a new goodie, you will instantly get smoking scrap metal. As practice shows, such cases are not at all paranoid fiction. In my memory alone, several people's amplifiers and subwoofers have died precisely because something jumped off or came off during testing.
Hence, by the way, the second point. If you need to twist it to check, do it thoughtfully and firmly. It’s better to have fun unwinding it later, but so that it doesn’t fall apart when everything is under tension.
The third point and rule: check the correct connection and polarity of the power supply three times!
Even if you have already checked everything and everything is ok, just before connecting, look at everything again. Very often, just at the last check, a connection jamb is revealed, which could kill the piece of hardware literally in a moment.
Well, one more tip: to check the equipment, choose a flat, spacious place with easy access for you.
Do not check the glands with cancer hanging in the trunk and sorting through the snake tangle of the collective farm installation. Do not test equipment on a workbench littered with junk. There have been cases of equipment being damaged by moving or falling junk piled up on the surface you chose for testing.
Do not neglect these simple and not tricky problems. They are guaranteed to save you time, money and nerves.