Radio/disc/usb - How Keep It On Anytime And Remember Its Settings ?

[jasonic]

I just installed my Alpine USB-CD-Radio unit from previous car. Lovely to have music again.. but:

 

Questions

-- How to have it working without ignition key in and turned?

-- How to have it remember which source was selected [tuner/disc/usb/aux] ?

-- How to have it remember which track/file was playing ?

 

It was in a VWT4 Transporter. It played anytime, playing its last selection, source or track. At the moment I started the engine, it would cut out, but then return, cueing itself back quickly/correctly. 

With USB holding so much music, really breaks the mood&flow if the player loss its place each time you stop or start :-(  

 

-- Is there something special/funky about the Galaxy wiring loom connecting to the player??

-- Is it some option in the Alpine I need to reset, or maybe both ??

  

thank you

Edited April 2, 2013 by jasonic

[bigdave982]

Some stereos have to switch red and yellow wires round to give a permant live to memory

[jasonic]

yes ok : I patched and switched red/yellow. Now it remembers :-)  thanks

 

With ignition key half-turned, the stereo wakes up by itself and plays correctly - if it was already playing before.

 

--- But how to play stereo without any key in?

--- Is radio circuit power blocked by design, as some part of central locking / security ?

Edited April 3, 2013 by jasonic

[bigdave982]

With the ignition off the car should have no control over it

If your unit allows it to play independantly you probaly have to hold a button down to turn it on ,try pressing tge power button for a few seconds

[Argrdnr]

I have the same issue, is yours a mk1 jasonic?

Mine flashes on and off v quickly and doesn't remember setting either.

[jasonic]

I have the same issue, is yours a mk1 jasonic?

Mine flashes on and off v quickly and doesn't remember setting either.

 

Yes > Mk1 1.9 TDi 1996

But I suspect that has little or nothing to with it..as car stereo color schemes seem to be very standardized. 

 

Thanks to bigdave982 advice above here, I removed my radio and checked the red/yellow wires. Noticed that the those wires had been cut, and very crudely swapped by a previous owner. So I redid the connections, reverting to red-red  and  yellow-yellow. That's all on the car side -- the loom wires leading  to the 2 connector blocks for the stereo.

 

The wires coming out the back of the Alpine stereo have a couple of connectors inline,  which make it easy either to maintain red-red // yellow-yellow OR to swap them over easily. 

 

It all works nicely now, remembering its source and track selections.

BUT the only annoying part now is that when I park/stop the car, if I want to to continue listening say to the end of song or instrumental, I have to keep the engine running :-(

 

For now, a rough workaround is:

-- park and turn off the ignition

-- immediately turn the key back one once notch.

After a few seconds stereo will wake up and return to where it was.

works but Musically this sucks.. 

 

I mentioned to garage who were fixing my AC. They advised against configuring no-key-always-on stereo wiring, because they see too many people who forget, thus run down their battery overnight! I am still wondering about this however..

 

One option I am considering is:

-- patch in an illuminated switch next the stereo.

-- Then rewire again so NO-KEY is needed.

-- At end of journey, or at night especially, finally hit the illuminated switch off before leaving and locking the car.

In other words much like the headlights-on beeps at you when you open the door.

 

has anyone tried this ?

[smudger]

i have a mk1 when i wired my tv/stereo to it i also had to switch the red yellow over to get constant live to memory, but when i stop the engine my stereo will still play up until i pull the key out the ignition, so with no key in ignition my system wont play, if you are trying to bypass this feature so your stereo will not turn off or on unless you tell it then you will need to witre both memory and + wire to the constant live the one that the stereos orange/ywellow is connectged to on car

[jasonic]

i have a mk1 when i wired my tv/stereo to it i also had to switch the red yellow over to get constant live to memory, but when i stop the engine my stereo will still play up until i pull the key out the ignition, so with no key in ignition my system wont play, if you are trying to bypass this feature so your stereo will not turn off or on unless you tell it then you will need to witre both memory and + wire to the constant live the one that the stereos orange/ywellow is connectged to on car

 

hmmyeah.. >> engine off / stereo keeps playing till key removed << that's what I need !

 

sorry I don't quite understand when you say: 

you will need to wire both memory and + wire to the constant live

the one that the stereos orange/yellow is connected to on car 

 

-- Please can you explain/describe a little more to help me identify which are the memory and + wires ??

-- is the + wire always same color ?  

--- if so what color ?

--- if not, how to know at a glance which one it is ??

{sorry for such  basic question - I've wired houses, but almost zero car electrics experience till now}

-- I did notice / wonder ~ there was an extra unconnected short length of wire - coming off the red {I think} in a Y- junction.

-- any idea why that is there?

 

..thanks

[jasonic]

Can anyone recommend a good general book / intro / best practice for car / boat electrics ?

 

I have no car or boat or 12 volt experience till now.

Have wired homes and offices in UK, USA and now rewiring my small home in France.

Each time new decade, new vocabulary, another system and code to absorb.

But they all have 3 wires (or should..!)

 

Where to get started learning basics of working with 12 volt non-grounded systems ?

thanks for any suggestions ~ book / web / ??

[smudger]

i will pull my tv out tommorow and give you the exact wires that need wiring to your stereo as there a couple live ones in there

[smudger]

sorry i took so long here is the connection methoid i have

http://s12.postimg.org/bhnm8djm1/DSC_0003_1.jpg