Line input (aux-in) for music player using telephone input

[metropical]

Hi Frank

Would this method interfere with On-Star? I no longer have or use the phone as it was analog and everything has gone dig.
But I'm not sure that On-Star would work anyway, though currently, when I hit the switch the On-Star welcome does come on.
Thanks,


Fritz

[nordwulf]

I have Onstar in my 9-5 and no issues at all.

[metropical]

I have Onstar in my 9-5 and no issues at all.

k. in we go. seems like the cassette method might need to have the cassette mechanism engaged, can't be bothered.
Any level issues or is it relatively the same as CD?

Also, is there anything to know about the "security" of removing and reinstalling the radio?
Our old 900 had a code. Would I need access to a TECH after making the mod?

[AT ONE SIR]

@at one sir: I am also trying to think through how to make the switch to "Telephone mode" integrated so that there is no need for a switch. Any ideas for how to wire it so that connecting the 3.5mm input will also complete the connection to enter telephone mode? I will post if I come up with anything...

@ JamesQ : Any progress on the switch/jack combo or re-purposing the onstar button solutions?

[nordwulf]

k. in we go. seems like the cassette method might need to have the cassette mechanism engaged, can't be bothered.
Any level issues or is it relatively the same as CD?

Also, is there anything to know about the "security" of removing and reinstalling the radio?
Our old 900 had a code. Would I need access to a TECH after making the mod?

Little bit late and I am sure you have it installed by now but..

No issues with sound level, pretty much the same as CD. You can adjust the default level input for TEL in the head unit configuration: http://saabworld.net/f144/saab-9-5-a...402/#post55012

No need for Tech2 or security related issues with the had unit.

[langerking]

I just wanted to give thanks for this post! Wow, my MP3 player never sounded so good! Got to get this done in my daughters 9.5 Linear too. It only cost me $5.00 for a switch and a few hours of my time. A new after market radio would cost a whole lot more, would not look near as good and probably wouldn't sound as good as the wonderful system that was originally installed in my 9.5 Aero!

[Travis]

Great tutorial!
I did this today and it works great! Although there is something that seems to separate my car from your.
I soldered the telephone cables to be able to switch to telephone so the radio mutes, but if the telephone button is off and I plug in the cable in my iPhone or iPod, the radio mutes anyway, so for me the telephone button and cables are unnecessary.
Also if I do turn the telephone button to the on position and Telephone shows in the SID the audio from my iPhone or iPod isn't as good as with the button off.

[langerking]

Great tutorial!
I did this today and it works great! Although there is something that seems to separate my car from your.
I soldered the telephone cables to be able to switch to telephone so the radio mutes, but if the telephone button is off and I plug in the cable in my iPhone or iPod, the radio mutes anyway, so for me the telephone button and cables are unnecessary.
Also if I do turn the telephone button to the on position and Telephone shows in the SID the audio from my iPhone or iPod isn't as good as with the button off.

That's odd. Mine plays without switching to telephone, but the audio is much quieter and less full sound. When I throw the switch and TELEPHONE comes on in the SID the stereo sounds way better.

[Travis]

That's odd. Mine plays without switching to telephone, but the audio is much quieter and less full sound. When I throw the switch and TELEPHONE comes on in the SID the stereo sounds way better.

Yeah, that is wierd, but it's not like I mind =)

[JMark]

Thanks for a great tutorial! I used this guide to successfully install an aux input today. I made one modification that I wanted to share since there was some discussion on that topic earlier on in the thread. I decided to install a 3.5mm female jack that also served the purpose of closing the phone circuit, eliminating the need for the separate switch.

In very simple terms (those are all I know on this matter), there are a few general types of jacks for these types of applications:
1. Three pin regular stereo jack
2. Four pin switched stereo jack. Commonly used to switch the audio from the speakers to headphones when a headphone jack is inserted. Sounds like a good fit for this project, however, these jacks are "normally closed", which means that the switch will break the circuit when the headphone jack is inserted. This specific project would require the opposite, i.e. a "normally open" jack that would close the circuit when when the male jack was inserted. These do not seem to exist.
3. Nine or eleven pin jacks. These have a separate switch on the back that allows for multiple options; they are either "normally closed" or "normally open" depending on which pins are connected. This is the type of jack I used for the project. Here's a link to the specific jack I used:
Amico 10 Pcs DIP PCB Mount 11 Pins Female 3.5mm Stereo Audio Jack Socket - Amazon.com

Here is how I wired the pins to connect the audio and simultaneously close the circuit to activate Telephone mode.


I used a USB cable for the audio because it's shielded and also that's what I had at hand. I cut off one of the four leads and also the bare ground lead. I used the three remaining leads for audio L, R and Ground. For the Telephone mode circuit, I used the cable from a discarded phone charger. I used a Dremel tool to hollow out a portion of the blank button next to the heated seat switch and drilled a hole through the front. After soldering the pins, I super-glued the jack to the back of the blank button. Here's a picture of the first rendition (I screwed up and assumed that all the blanks are the same size... I used a spare that I had from a previous car and as it turns out, the heated seat blanks are a different size, duh). I can attest to the super glue though - I was not able to remove the jack from the button. Fortunately I had had to buy a pack of 10 jacks so no big deal. The modified heated seat blank looks identical the the one in the picture, except for the outside dimensions.





Conclusion:
I am very happy with the result. When plugging into the aux, the radio is completely muted and the stereo display automatically switches over to "Telephone". If plugging in when the key is in the off position, the stereo will automatically turn on in Telephone mode, ready to play your tunes. If you turn the ignition on, the music continues playing without any interruption. When you turn the ignition off in Telephone mode, the stereo shuts off, which will prevent you from accidentally draining the battery. However, although an uncommon situation, if the key is in the first or second position (ignition off) when you plug in then Telephone mode will remain activated even after you remove the key (i.e. without ever running the engine). Not sure if the stereo turns off after a while but this could potentially drain the battery unless you unplug the aux cable. The only thing that I would consider annoying is that if you want to switch from aux to radio, you will need to unplug the aux cable vs. if you have the separate switch. Personal preferences...

Thanks again for the very helpful instructions above!