Add AUX / auxiliary input to factory digital tape deck XJ MJ

[XJguy]

After several hours of messing around with the factory setup, I figured it out and its so easy its ridiculous.

 

All the commercial solutions out there to play an iPod or other mp3 player in an older radio leave much to be desired. The best way is to plug it in directly via an input, but the old radios don't have them, and digging around in the factory radio is not easy, everything is very heavy duty and mostly soldered together....a good thing but not for someone trying to do mods/hacks.

 

Well fortunately, if you open up the top of the factory radio, on the left by the volume control, you will see 2 pins standing vertically. All you need to do is attach the left and right positive leads from a wire leading either to a jack or plug (one from an old head phone will do), and then attach both the negatives to ground.

 

The beauty of it is that the system automatically attenuates the radio or the tape player whenever it detects a signal from the mp3 player! The sound is great but you can just slightly hear some sound leak from the tuner or a tape. You can get rid of that by either disconnecting the head from the tape deck, put a switch in between the tape head and its wires, or run a blank tape. You can also just tune the radio to a very quiet station....which is what I did, I don't hear anything other than the mp3 player even at max volume, the sound is loud and clear.

[JeepcoMJ]

pics

[XJguy]

Its all back together, nothing to see now other than a plug wire.

[XJguy]

Oh, a note about attaching the leads to the pins. I suggest you not solder them, I found out the hard way that the heat can very well unsolder them from the PC board. What I ended up doing is running the wires via the center located hole in the back of the radio, then tieing a knot so that they don't get pulled out, then I wound the wires on the pins tightly.

[87Chief]

Pics.

 

Like where did you put the plug? Is it mounted??

[XJguy]

I dropped the plug down behind the dash it then exits the bottom of the dash I then routed it into the XJ center console I have installed and so it exits from the ebrake slot; perfect location to hold my Sansa. Optionally you can install a jack on the dash or anywhere so that you can just plug in a wire like the OEMs do it.

[87Chief]

Good idea. Any shots of that?

[snowboard3r411]

i would love to do this but i agree i need a couple pics :cheers:

[XJguy]

I should have taken pics while it was apart but I didn't. If I take a pic now all you will see is an audio wire/plug coming out from where the hand e-brake is.

 

If you guys decide to do it, and snap pics of your radio guts I will gladly guide you through it. Its very easy, don't hesitate to do it. The whole thing will take you maybe 15minutes.

[freakjeep93]

will this work on any car head unit?

[Automan2164]

I have a free radical radio flying around in the garage. If I remember, I'll open it up tonight while I'm in there, and post some pics for reference.

 

Rob L.

[Automan2164]

 

Rob L.

[XJguy]

Yes it will work on any radio, but the procedures will vary and I really can't guide you there. If you look on youtube there are a few guys that this with other methods and radios.

 

Automan, is that the factory Jeep radio? If so take a photo directly from above it. Focusing specifically on the left side where the volume control is.

[Automan2164]

Factory Jeep AM/FM Cassette.

 

 

 

Rob L.

[XJguy]

Does yours look like this? I just realized that there are 2 very similar radios...I have both but did the mod to the one that does not have the CLK (clock) button. I knew I thought I noticed something different in my original 86 XJ radio and this 91 Comanche radio. I think the one pictured here is made by Alpine, whereas the one I have in the MJ is made by Mitsubishi. They look nearly identical except for the CLK button and the SEEK MPS button...and maybe thats why the guts of yours looks different. I don't even know where my 86 XJ radio is since its completely dismantled and in boxes so I can't even take a look and see.

[Automan2164]

Where the clock button is I have the dolby sign, and no MPS on the seek.

 

Other than that, identical.

Rob L.

[XJguy]

Bizarre...who would have thought that they made several radios that look identically but were totally different on the inside!

 

Ok, well I will do the best I can....see that vertical board that the volume control is connected to? Look for 2 pins that stick out that are fairly close to each other. If it is anything like mine, there will be pins like this in a few locations, we are looking specifically for one that is soldered to the board that the volume control is on.

 

You may want to remove the cassette assembly to make things easier. The whole thing comes out as a complete assembly with a just a few screws and disconnecting a few plugs and the radio face (Remove volume and fader knobs, then push in tabs holding it in on the sides...comes out easily).

[87Chief]

What if I had the volume knob and then the seek knob on the right. (Volume on left), will I be able to do the same thing??

[XJguy]

Just discovered an added bonus. Plugged my GPS enabled phone into the line and music from the radio played as normal, but whenever the voice navigation spoke the radio would mute and the voice could be heard, then go back to the music once done....win!

[XJguy]

What if I had the volume knob and then the seek knob on the right. (Volume on left), will I be able to do the same thing??

 

All I can say is that there are probably similarities in all radios, Ive only done it to the factory Jeep cassette radio from the 91 Comanche.

[91coMANche]

Factory Jeep AM/FM Cassette.

 

 

 

Rob L.

 

So if I understand you correctly, you soldered the 3.5mm jack to the wires attached to those two silver posts that are to the right of the volume knob?

[XJguy]

What I have quickly realized is that these Jeep radios have faces that look alike but internals that are very different. My radio's guts don't look like yours. But all is not lost. While I was researching how to do this I came upon a few sites/videos where guys had connected via the volume knob. In my radio, there were actually unused pins inside (probably for radio testing/dignostics) that I was able to use with great results.

[91coMANche]

I may be able to pick up that exact radio so thats why I am wondering if you could point out which two posts you soldered to.

[XJguy]

You see the PC board that the volume control is attached to? In my radio that board is horizontal as opposed to the one in the photo which is vertical. On that board, there were vertical pins that I then connected the wires to.

[fiatslug87]

Are the circled pins the ones you're describing? They are marked as TP371 and TP471, to which did you attach the right and left, does orientation matter?

I've found Jeep cassette players with two types of fronts, one with the clock button (newer model) and ones with the DX button. However, I've found that some with the DX button have the board vertical and some have it horizontal and all that I have are different than automan2164's pictures (at least 4 versions?). The picture with the three radios has the DX ones lined up front to back. You can see similarities between the DX ones but the boards are in different orientations, and both the front DX one and the CLK one have horizontal boards. I've circled the TP371 & TP471 pins in all radios. The blue tape has the model numbers from the other side of the radios.