[mnvvishwa]

Background

I have a 2012 model Fiat Grande Punto 1.3 MJD Emotion and it comes with the Delphi Head unit. I was always unhappy with the ICE set up of my car because of the following reasons.

- It was not able to play music through Blue and Me(B&M).
- Bad Quality of Speakers.
- Does not have an AUX input.
- Can not change the songs in the HU when it played through USB (track change possible only in the Steering control).
- Very difficult to navigate and select songs in the USB through Steering control.
- No remote Control.

So I started do some research on various forums for the available options and alternatives. After lot of research I realised that changing of the HU is the best option, but by doing that I will lose the Blue and me and steering control for which I was not ready.

I found one more option of adding AUX input to the HU by which all the options remains untouched. I came to know that Delphi HU has the AUX-in option in the hardware, but it is occupied by the USB of the B&M.

I asked one of my friends who is basically an Electronics engineer to help me out.

We first removed the HU from the dashboard and checked the connections. After looking at it he told me that AUX-in is available, but it is currently used for the mass storage or USB. As per him another circuit board may be part of the Blue & me unit used to convert USB to AUX (Digital to analog) and this circuit may be controlling all the options related to USB.

Which must be the reason why a track change is not possible in the HU when the songs are played through USB because of the HU receives only analog signal.

Also as per him Software is written in such a way that songs can only be played through mass storage. After digging for more details we realised that tapping the USB wires in the HU with the AUX-in cable should work and started the DIY experiment.

Delphi HU Connection details and AUX-in option circled in red


Connector pins in the Head Unit


Cable harness connector and the USB input Cables (lot of unused ports in the connector)



Before doing anything we wanted to make sure that it is safer to connect the any AUX Device and it does not effect the Music system or the USB devices. So he did some voltage measurements and made sure nothing will blow off.


I bought a good quality AUX-in cable from a nearest auto shop and Stripped open all the three cables (Right, Left & Ground). Inserted all 3 stripped cables to the USB connector in HU to make sure that it works. After checking the Audio quality and the Voltage range it appeared to be safe to connect any AUX-in devices. We just used a multimeter and we didn't have an oscilloscope for more accurate measurements.


Stripped open the OEM USB cables and tapped the respective AUX-in cables, Please double check the cable colours and the connections. Cross checked once again after the tapping and made sure every things working as expected and covered using a electrical insulation tape.




I thought the insulation tape may come out in the summer because of the higher temperature, so reinforced with the cable ties.


Success!!! It worked perfectly fine. For the first time I was playing songs from my mobile using AUX input.
However it was only possible when I had selected USB media player option.

A funny thing is that both the songs in the mobile phone and USB played together. I felt like a DJ

So get over this issue, I created a few silent tracks and copied them on to a pen drive in a separate folder and selected that folder in the steering control. I did this using a free ware called audacity, each silent track was around 60 mins in length and around 50 MB in size.

After this, once I connected my mobile to AUX input, only the Mobile song is heard. I had expected some FM like disturbance because of the silent track but there is no disturbance at all.





A big thanks to my friend Mr. Marywin for all the help regarding all the electronics (an alien subject to me). Without him I wouldn't even have attempted this DIY.

So finally, I'm successful in adding AUX-in to my head unit

[GTO]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the ICE DIY Section. Thanks for sharing!

[DerAlte]

Very nice, @mnvishwa! Happy driving with wonderful music.

Instead of twisting and joining the cables, the wires should have been crimped to appropriate pins which go in the sockets. No taping or cable ties required, and also avoid the chitter chitter sound that appears when the twisted joint becomes a bit loose.

[spyder_p8]

Dear mnvvishwa,

Nice DIY. One of my friend was very upset with his Punto's ICE. I think this will come as a useful DIY for him. Thanks and keep posting.

[rev_rohit]

Wow! What an amazing DIY!

Similarly I would like to add a USB port to my Nissan micra's stock ICE.

I'll try once my extended warranty is over!!

Are there any "Y" connectors available for joining the wires?

Thanks a lot.

Keep exploring!!

[joybhowmik]

Originally Posted by rev_rohit

Are there any "Y" connectors available for joining the wires?

Electrical tap connectors are useful, provided there's space for it. Else, solder the joint, and tape it up.
Image courtesy: Google.

[rev_rohit]

Thanks joybhowmik, for such a prompt response and a very precise piece of information!
I'll search it in local market.

One question for the fellow BHPians:

Has anybody added USB port to Nissan Micra's stock ICE? If so, please share your experiences. And will doing so void the manufacturers extended warranty?

Help from the experts is highly solicited.

Thanks and regards

[DerAlte]

Originally Posted by rev_rohit

... Has anybody added USB port to Nissan Micra's stock ICE? ...

Check the manual - it might already be there in the glove compartment. If your model doesn't have it, you can't add it.

[puneeth2]

Well Done. Where do I find a socket which has both AUX and USB? I need to do something similar to my car.

[PatchyBoy]

I had installed a similar setup in my Linea T-Jet, back in 2012. Exact same methodology, including the silent track. Works as expected, excepting when a phone call comes in. The blue & me unit mutes the silent track, but the music from the aux-in continues playing.