Finally a way to hook up my carPC without the case adapter. You did an awesome job Eric.

If someone figures out a less invasive and more discrete method of severing the L-ch & R-ch please post it up. Making cuts on the PCB dont appeal to me. Also, if theres a way to short the board into thinking theres a real tape in there post your info here.

Jackdaw- did you find/try out any other methods when you wired yours?

 

Unfortunately, like Eric, I don't have the equiment to test the HU out of the car in order to see which of the other traces do what. The one that says "Reel" looks promising. Also I have scant knowledge of electronics. I am sure that a mod would be possible to avoid having to use a dummy cassette. In any event I can't hear the cassette reels turning unless I put my ear to the HU with the emgine off. I'm using a Belkin one with the wire cut off.

The procedure is reversible - the traces could be rejoined with a conductive trace pen.

The only difference when I did it was to use wire ties to fasten the cable. I used the perforated base to tie to.

 

Don't use the Belkin cassette adaptor as a dummy - it's started to rattle. Use the Sony one which has a silent mechanism.

 

Sony it is. Thanks for the heads up.

 

how about an engraver? the one that vibrates with a point on the end... I'm gonna try this on monday... and I will try to find a way to short the H/U to make it think there is a cassette in there... I think I will put a cassette in there and use a mulltimeter to see if it has continuity...

 

sounds good HYUK81, howd it go?

 

didn't have time today... will do when I have time...

 

Great write up. I'm impressed that somebody came up with this. Maybe I can get rid of FM modulator now.

 

Any updates?

 

I'm glad that this thread is still going and has proven useful to some people.

It is extremely successful in my 350Z, noise on the input is a none issue, as is clipping of the input and the sound quality is much better than offered by FM modulators or tape adapters. I have zero regrets.

Since I installed the Omnifi I have not had the dash apart so I cannot comment on whether it will be possible to fool the headunit into thinking a cassette is present. I suspect that the circuitry to detect a cassette is internal to the cassette deck sub assembly but the cassette output seems to be muted if there si no cassette detected so presumably one of the traces carries the mute signal to the preamp board.

Tell the truth I doubt that I will ever look for a solution - simply using a dummy cassette is too easy and, though the dummy cassette that I have makes a little noise it is irrelevant as soon as the engine is started.

If the appearance of an inserted cassette offends I guess you could put the dummy cassette in the headunit before putting the front panel back on (which might make it a tiny bit quieter too). Of course, if it ever needs changing the head unit will then have to be removed from the dash...

Reversability is not really an issue. As Jackdaw notes you can rejoin the traces using a conductive trace pen or (which might be better as they carry audio signals) just bridge them with solder.

For anyone using an FM modulator or a tape adapter I would strongly recommend this route as long as you don't mind giving up the cassette. The sound quality is totally different.

Cheers.
Eric

 

Does this do the same thing that you are doing here?

See the AAI-NIS on this page/link:

http://pac-audio.com/products/aai.htm

 

I asked a guy on a forum for the nissan murano he know a ton of electrical stuff... so since I'm changing my H/U I might try to send him my H/U to figure out how to short the sensor to make the H/U thinks there is a tape in it...

 

@jcn30127
Yes, this creates a line in for 2003 Bose headunits (which don't have the sat radio in).

If you have a 2004 Bose unit (the radio button will say "radio" rather than "AM/FM" I believe) you don't need to do this mod as you can use the pac-audio device.

Cheers
eric

 

yeah at one point i was considering trading my03 for an 04. Now i dont need to do that!

 

Has anyone fooled with the circuit board to see if we can get a trace on pre-outs on the stock head unit?

Nazar

 

I think you meant 2003 bose headunits that DO have sat radio

 

My 2004 has a Bose unit that has a "Radio" button.

I think the PAC has a plug or two that plug into the Bose HU, and then you plug the normal wiring harness into the PAC. So the PAC is basically tapping the car's wiring harness.

As my Bose unit is currently, pressing the radio button cycles between FM1, FM2, and AM. I do not see a SATELLITE option. Will that change once I install the PAC unit?

 

@jcn30127
I have no direct experience, but I from other posts in this forum I believe when you attach the PAC device the satellite options do open up.

 

Anyone know if I just solder the lead out without severing the l/r channel will work? In theory, when you're in cassette mode, it will take both cassette input and the line-in input?
Is that's the case, this will also retain the cassette use?

 

sounds like it should work... the only thing u might have a problem with is background noise, but theres no way to be sure until you try. Let us know how it goes