Add Bluetooth To Your Old Car Stereo For $25!
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 29 พ.ค. 2024
- Want to add Bluetooth audio streaming to your old car's head unit without having to replace it with an aftermarket unit? Let me show you how! This job does involve a little bit of troubleshooting and a steady hand, but if done correctly you'll be able to stream music from your phone to your car and still retain the period-correct look of the factory stereo system!
🧰 Parts Used
Universal Bluetooth module: ebay.us/ryEC5q
As an eBay Partner, I may be compensated if you make a purchase.
Timestamps:
0:00 - Introduction
2:11 - Overview of how the mod works
3:03 - The Bluetooth module
4:07 - Before we begin and tools you'll need
4:41 - Removing the tape drive
5:00 - Examine tape drive and identify circuits
6:00 - Disclaimer
6:57 - Deciding where to splice in your audio signal
7:44 - Choosing where to situate Bluetooth module
8:22 - Soldering your wires onto the tape drive
9:31 - Decommissioning the tape drive
10:28 - Refitting the tape drive
10:44 - Mounting the Bluetooth module and power
11:41 - Modification summary and final steps
12:23 - In-car testing
14:23 - Conclusion
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🚘 About MotoringBox
MotoringBox is an Australian based TH-cam channel run independently by Sean McKellar since 2019. It focuses on quality content about Australian car culture and some of the incredibly unique vehicles we manufactured here. I work a day job and publish videos in my spare time, so thank you for your patience and I hope you enjoy my videos.
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MotoringBox
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Please note: I enjoy working on cars but I can't promise that what I do will work for your particular car, or that you won't harm yourself, someone else, your car, or your warranty doing it. Please be safe, be responsible and if you're not sure what you're doing, get a qualified mechanic to help you out. - ยานยนต์และพาหนะ
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"...like a tapeworm out of a dogs arse".
Classic.
Glad you liked it!
I'm never looking at the aux cable the same way.
🤣😂😅
I died when he said that. Legendary
my dog didn't start playing music when i plugged the worm into my phone.
Mate, the quality of your work (videography, editing, comentating and content) is expceptional. I have no doubt you will soon be Australia's leading car reviewer. Keep going! And remember the little people when you get there :-)
Thanks for the kind words Adam! There are many things I can improve but I think with each video I'll get better. Thanks for watching and glad you liked it.
Yep, I was very surprised when I saw only 5k subs.. I have a feeling there will be exponential growth very soon. Best of luck for the future mate!
@@MotoringBoxTV I agree with Adam. Seeing this is 2 Years old is shocking, such structured videos were still pretty rare at the time. Not to mention you used the video chapter feature, all the way back in 2019. truly exceptional, keep it up!
@@ezrahaskard3527 thanks so much, that means a lot to me. I never expected this video to be popular 👍
@@MotoringBoxTV aye well I appreciate the video man, had my eyes on a c4 corvette for quite some time but they stopped making them in 96’, this video is a life saver!
If you're about to comment something like "Just buy a new bluetooth headunit for $10 from X" you're missing the point. This video is for those who want to retain their factory headunit so their dash looks stock standard, but are interested in enabling bluetooth audio streaming without using FM transmitters or bluetooth/wired tape adaptors. FM transmitters or bluetooth tape adaptors "do the job" and if you're happy using those, that's awesome. But they're passing your audio through the FM band or through the head of the tape drive, and the sound quality may be affected.
Also, as stated I am not an expert when it comes to electrical work, but the mod outlined in the video has worked brilliantly for a number of years. Thanks for watching.
Yea the Audio Quality is gonna be affected. Compared to the perfectly good a Quality any 20-Year-old Car is known for. Also without an Enhanced Bloototh Codex (which yours apparently doesn't), the quality is not really gonna be any better than FM. It is a really cool mod, but I don't think the audio quality is its claim to fame.
Another reason for doing this cheap mod is that you retain the steering wheel controls.
@@asdanjer
FM is analog, it goes up to 15khz (most adults can't hear anything above that) so there is no degradation of sound with FM at all as long as the signal is undisturbed and the receiver is decent.
@@westelaudio943 Well theoretically yes, but there is always disturbance. especially with such a mini antenna. That's why I sad that it was comparable to the default bloototh audio transmission.
@@asdanjer
The effects of bad FM reception are high levels of buzz and noise (no direct loss of information, rather added unwanted information drowning out the signal), while what you get with BT is lossy compression artifacts (actual loss of information). So it's not really comparable.
However, the bad sound quality of BT is always getting over-exaggerated by people, even with cheap BT receivers you get decent sound, lossy yes, but especially in a noisy environment like a car with lo-fi door speakers this doesn't really matter at all.
i think your going to void your warranty doing that.
Should of bought that 20 year extended warranty.
Hahaha.... nice
We are calling about your car's extended warranty
Welp, now you can moddifie all your old cassette decks to be compatible with blue touch devices and say good bye to those old cassette tspes.
GEEENIIIUUUUSSS😗😗😗
Nice work. I run a car audio company in Sydney, and i do agree with the new head units not looking right in older vehicle dashboards. Maintaining the original equipment amplifier and subwoofer - like your work...
Nice tutorial for reviving an old stereo. I'd suggest to solder your new wires directly into the board instead of soldering wires with each other mid-air. Soldering into the board makes for stronger/better connections, less prone to disconnecting by having to move the wires while installing the unit into the car and such. I'd unsolder the original audio wires (instead of cutting them) and as with the power 12v and Ground coming in from the car, I'd trace those wires to the board and solder the bluetooth unit's power wires there. If you're not planning on using the tape player part of the stereo, maybe put the bluetooth adapter thing inside?
Next you will have to fix that steering wheel thats on the wrong side...lol
Nice one.
@@MotoringBoxTV Pay no attention, it's on the right side! We never got that RHD Ford in the UK tho. It looks a bit like a UK Ford Sierra on the inside , yet like some American Lincoln town car on the outside. I've had a few cars where I wish I'd had a carpeted dashboard mind. Not really a thing here due to crap weather, but even the occasional sunny day can be a nightmare if you have a particularly light coloured dash and a certain angled windscreen!
It's not on the wrong side, it's on the right side.
@@peterbonnez I see what you did there, nice!
Wrong country! LOL!
1:40 “Like a tapeworm hanging out of a dogs ass”
Classy, I thought.
Now i feel really bad cause i have a tapeworm hanging out of a dog's ass hanging out of my unit in my old 94 chevy van. and i though it was vintage cool . but it's only a tapeworm hanging aahh,nevermind.
A female friend of my dad got him to replace the original head unit as it was faulty. A feeling of relief washed over me when I saw that it was an Alpine branded one.
Personally, I like it and the funky red and white lighting it gives off at night and it doesn't clash too badly with the rest of the dash lighting. I love it's auxiliary jack.
Now I have that darn image of a "tape worm coming out of a dogs arse" in my mind, thanks ....😂🤣😎😁
Believe me, so do I.
Honestly why in God's name do all the new headunits have stupid lights on them.
To see in the dark
@@ZFnr4y058mr yeah but don't need to be changing colours every 2 seconds
@@Hamzaal that's like a few that actually do that. And you can change and disable the color if you want. It's not like you have to keep it on.
@@ZFnr4y058mr unfortunately might don't not want to turn off at least i got it to stay on one colour
@@Hamzaal which unit do you have? On my Sony unit I had to download an app to do it.
Thats a great head unit Dolby b and C . Back in the 80's I had to crawl over broken glass to get a car deck with head unit Dolby B and C and metal and chrome tape detection.
In 1984 I paid a fortune for a Japanese head unit with same. It actually cost more than the VC Valiant I put it in.
Well at least he did not break it in an irreversible way.
My first unit install was on 81 Mercury Lynx. They wanted to charge me $150 for the cheap assed AM fm mono radio that was already in the car. I told them to remove it.
I put a really sweet Kenwood stereo unit with graphic equalizer booster and the Dolby BAND C with Chrome. I also removed the one central speaker they left in the car and added 6 speakers and a bass unit in the back. It was a 5 door hatch back car. I could vibrate the windows in our house when I turned it up. Kids now days are spoiled.
Yeah, I love this. I have a 96 roadmaster wagon with a similar function. But your install is cheaper, cleaner, and cooler. I used an inline FM modulator and Bluetooth adapter. I’m looking at modding my 94 F150 for similar function. I’m going with your method. It’s slick. Another benefit of this setup vs an aftermarket Bluetooth head unit is that the stock stereo is a true theft deterrent. Nobody will break into a car to get a factory 90’s radio. Well done.
Good on you for keeping the factory look without having to give up modern technology. I agree that most modern aftermarket radio are far too gimmicky and difficult to use. I have one in my mk1 VW and it does not fit the look of the dash at all (although it sounds great). It looks like a damn Disco at night and is distracting.
However, I did something similar with what you did with my daily-driver 14 year old Ford. I installed a 3.5mm stereo Aux module that fed into the unused DVD port on my factory head unit. I then bought a wired bluetooth audio media adapter that plugs into the cigarette lighter for power, and connects to the new Aux port. This way I have a direct audio connection, so no wireless interference, and it has a remote attachment so I can control the function of the cell phone (volume, next
eplay tracks, pause, and phone pickup) without directly using the cellphone. This way I avoid a ticket for using a cellphone while driving, which is illegal where I'm from (Canada). It sounds great and I can still using the original controls on the steering wheel to control the head unit for volume, mute, and aux selection.
I look forward to seeing more of your content - cheers!
Very important: IF SOLDIERING DIRRETLY ON A BOARD, use wet tissue paper around the solder area, it will keep the electronics from overheating.
The beginnings of a fantastic channel here. I love bangernomics and cheap effective mods like this. Subbed.
Thanks mate, let's hope so. Thanks for watching!
I noticed that the unit had a microphone so i would do a little more work and make a switch so you still can switch back to the tape and bring out the microphone in the bluetooth unit so you can use the call option as well.
Perfect hack! Same retro look, modern functions, genius!!
I laughed way too hard at the "tapeworm hanging out of a dogs @$$" part
This is an awesome mod , especially how it keeps the original fascia and keeps it functional
What I would have done different though, is I would have avoided these little back 'for car' boxes, they're expensive for what they are and don't do the best job
if you just search for "12V Bluetooth" you'll find listings for tonnes of boards who do the same thing, or more!
What I do is I grab the ones who have soldering pads for extra buttons , such as play, pause, skip fwd, skip back, etc
Then I can solder the pads of these to the buttons in the front of the car head unit, and like that I can use the original fast forward , pause , etc buttons too.
It's much safer when there's a trash song that comes on in the playlist, and you want to skip it, you can just press the original next button , rather than having to get out your phone and open the screen to press next, or maybe even needing to unlock the phone too... Which, while driving, isn't the safest
Very impressive!
Which one do you think I need to buy for a 87 Camry cassette deck?
Why cut the ribbon cable? Simply connect to the solder points on the tape drive and have the use of both.
Because. No one uses tapes anymore. At least, not in this era.
Yes we do.
I also agree with this as it seems a shame to go to such lengths to retain the original unit only to disable the tape function and kind of make the whole thing incomplete. I actually have a small collection of tapes and although I could no doubt find the digital version of all those songs it would be nice to just be able to play the original tapes from time to time just for the fun of it!
I was thinking the same thing. Why go through all the trouble to keep the unit only to cut the wires. Just connect the bluetooth to the needed solder points and be done.
@@awesomeferret it has but it's a niche.
*throws cassette over shoulder
cassette: (2 weeks later) *hits back seat
Some say it's still going.
Back to the future....
@@PFab "marty, we need to go back, something terrible happens in 2020! We need to get outta this timeline!"
@@hamstirrer6882 "When this thing gets up to 88 mph, you're gonna see some serious s***."
Great video man! I love the way you keep the stock look of the car interior without the flashy head unit.
You're a saviour. My crappy adapter broke, and I was dreading getting a modern head unit for my 89 volvo. This is exactly the sort of thing I was looking for
Great way to keep the appearance of the 1990's facade whilst running updated technology through it.
Because that was such a great look! lol
Beautifully done, I've been wanting to do this to my car that I'm restoring and I've been stumped for a bit since there's no info on my stereo. Thanks for pointing out the steps to connect one and I can't wait to open up my radio for the 4th time 👍
Good luck mate. If you have any questions I'll do my best to assist.
@@MotoringBoxTV Hi Sean. Will this work with an AM radio only? I have an XP with the original radio. Cheers Darryl
Great video! Crazy I didn't think soemthing like this was even possible. Thank you, the video was very well planned, and explained every step
Such a great video! I’m restoring an sx Corolla and I’ve been trying to decide whether or not to go with an aftermarket head unit... now I can keep the og tape deck... thanks so much!
Nice work man, I used to intercept the CD stacker signal. Though you need a CD in the drive for that to work too.
I would still use cassettes. I love retro tech!!
So glad I found this channel, the presenter is clear and concise :)
I have a similar system in my car, but with it just going into the Aux socket. You’ve inspired me to get rid of that setup and make it more stealth. Thanks 😊
"you'll never truly be happy" I hear you mate
I'm still pretty happy with how it's performing!
I just changed my stock head unit with the so-call "modern" one few weeks ago and its look really doesn't blend in with my old car's dashboard, which annoys me a lot. Wish i had seen this video before i did the mods...... Great video by the way and don't worry too much about people not getting the point of this video. I totally get the dilemma when it comes to streaming music with smartphones in older cars.
Exactly the video I needed! I've got a -92 Audi 100 and the stock Audi Delta CC is beautiful so this is exactly what I needed to retain the aesthetics of it without spending a fortune on the Blaupunkt SQR 46.
Thanks for the time spent on your video. The video is very well made. I appreciate the help. Now i can have the confidence to try and install bluetooth on my old system. Its awesome to have a skill like that. Hey dont worry about the critics. Its a bluetooth mod video. Not a soldering tutorial. Them soldering critics can take a hike. Good job man. Great video!
"Like a tapeworm out of a dog's arse" 😂 this guy is a legend
He has that sweet talkin' Aussie charm.
Maybe get rid of the BT-reciever casing, and fit the board directly inside the Stereo unit?
No, because stereo unit is shielded, so you'll never be able to connect to it or play music. That effect is called "Faraday cage". In that case you would have to add external antenna to your bluetooth module.
@@petarstefanovic98 I have already done this, before coming across this video. But used a cheaper smaller USB Bluetooth option. I took the Bluetooth out of its plastic case, found a 5v circuit inside the radio and connected the audio to the aux function on the radio, hot glued the thing inside and working perfectly, no need for external aerial. Radio was a ford 2din cd6000, a lot cheaper than buying the ripoff price of around £200 for the Ford module for it, I cost me £5 for the USB Bluetooth receiver.
@@pye8man Those are not shielded as much, because it's a CD player and not a cassette player.
I just did this on my 03 chevy radio. Took the BT unit out of the casing, heat shrunk it, and fit it inside the radio chassis next to the cassette drive. has zero issues with connecting.
So helpful man! Thanks! I'm going to connect it to the solder points or find a cassette unit with an aux port if possible but I really love this concept quite a lot and appreciate you posting it! Thank you from Canada!
Impossible not to watch till the end. Your work was exceptional! Greetings from Argentina!
Nice little hack, but my preference would be to keep the tape unit useable so it not only looks original, it can also function as originally intended.
You can still do that - just solder directly onto the board and don't remove the springs from the tape drive. Happy days.
Genius.
Vulcanising tape from Jaycar matey is the best solution for those shitty hard to get to wires rather than 'leccy tape. Works a treat.
I have an R1150rt BMW bike with a tape head unit an based upon your video am going to give it the treatment.
Thanks for the idea!
This is a great solution I am going to consider installing. I dislike using the Motorola T505 bluetooth via FM transmitter to stream my music etc., because anyone else tuned to the same radio station can hear it too that is within close proximity to my car! Mind you, the T505 is extremely reliable and very convenient. It still holds a great charge. I've had to change the condenser microphone in that bluetooth unit and it still works. It's well over 10 years old.
It would have been good to disconnect the tape drive motor to prevent the annoying mechanical sound of the tape drive mechanism when the head unit volume is at zero or listening to quiet music while sitting in the quiet car.
This is a great solution! Thanks for sharing such great detail!
You could try disconnecting the tape drive motor on yours, but on mine it causes problems as the head unit believes the tape drive is jammed, and continuously tries to reverse the play direction. Muting and un-muting the audio output as it does so. The motor in mine is pretty quiet though, you can't hear it over the sound of the engine idling.
I love how to this day you are still commenting and active in the comment section. Wholesome! As a new subscriber, i'm looking forward to more content from your channel!
Still going mate! This video captures the imagination of a lot of car guys, so it's really interesting to hear about what people are planning or questions they might have👍
Two things. The easier way would have been to tap into the cd changer input wires on the back of the unit. Also, car stereo wiring code is usually yellow for constant hot, and red for ignition. As that was made by alpine, that should be the case, as the wiring harness looks like the same color code.
Easier yes - but I preferred to override the tape functionality instead of CD. Secondly, the way I've wired it definitely turns the module on with the ignition in my car - so make of that what you will.
Australian accents are the Texan accents of British accents
But you'd miss Texas if it suddenly didn't exist anymore.
Not to be rude but the unique sound typical of “Southern” states is called a drawl. The only accents in Texas come from south of the border :)
nice job. this applies to almost any make of factory stereo even into noughties.
That is a great little mod for anyone who owns a classic car and does not want to run a modern head unit with Aux in,I myself will be trying this in my mk2 escort
MotoringBox this is a amazing video thanks i'm going to try this thanks for creating this amazing channel with its great content.....A+A+A+A+A+A+
Mate!... I gave you a like just for the tapeworm out of a dogs arse comment. 😂😂😂👍👍👍
I cant help but be impressed with your skills mate.
Wonderful video mate! Step-by-step and a very clear audio n video shot you had taken! Keep it up man by sharing n showing us tips and tricks to save$ while working on our old mobils!
Thanks mate, it's a neat trick I think.
I did this year's ago on my ke55 corolla, but I soldered a head phone Jack straight to the tape reader on the male side and the female side was put through the dash above the ash tray . I drilled a hole their and on the female end of the plug I cut with a raser blade around the thick end so there was a groove . So when I pushed the female plug through the drilled out hole it would get stuck, then I hot glued the plug from behind the dash peice to make it never come out . The female end of the plug only stuck out a little bit and it wasn't showi, it looked really clean .
Then I pulled the springs of the tape deck like he did and pushed it down to stay their indefinitely.
I had 2 male end plug lead so when ever I wanted to listen to music I just had to plug it in .
If I didn't want to use the wire to listen to music I would just throw it in the dash compartment.
Sounds a bit dodgy, but hey if it works!
Your first camera shot of the car interior and your outfit is a symphony in blue.
Thank you ....that is the cost effective solution I've been looking for a long time....again thx!!
Thanks for watching!
Thank you, TH-cam!
I never knew this solution even existed until this video came up in my recommended videos.
I’m currently using the ‘tape worm’ method, which is not only annoying, but tends to pick up interference as well.
Excellent instructional video. This is a mod that I will be making soon to my 1994 Ford Escort.
Thanks again!
Thanks mate! I trialed the tape worm adapter for a few days and the quality was pretty abysmal.
Hello mate, u got a new subscriber for sure 😀 .... Please enlighten me if I have a cd player then how it can be done ....
Good Video But!
The problems with your tape drive modifications in general:
You must find the audio insertion point after the tape audio preamp and Dolby decoder otherwise the audio will be equalized incorrectly + Dolby decoded and sound crap.
These processes maybe on the main board!
You have to have a working tape transport with all the belts working etc
If you bodgy it up(by removing springs etc) so the cassette audio is always on then you have no way to switch the radio on! Not all heads unit like yours have a tape switch they are normally Radio or Tape, controlled just by whether a tape is loaded or not!
Also, some cassette decks will sense if a cassette is loaded with switches and all the spools are moving as they should! It they don’t it tries to eject the tape or perform a auto reverse because it thinks its come to the end of the tape etc
I have modified many car head units and portable cassette radios (ghetto blasters) and the best method I have found is to intercept the radio receiver output or the volume control audio input (easy if its a shaft volume control)
@ 5:00 in your video I can see 3 miniature audio cables on the main board the grey ones I bet one goes to the volume shaft look for cables like this!
Intercept this L+R+G signal (leave the ground in circuit do not cut) take L+R to a 2pole switch like
www.jaycar.com.au/dpdt-miniature-toggle-switch-solder-tag/p/ST0355
wire in a Blue tooth Rxer or just a 3.5mm Female socket into the other pole of the switch L+R (then you can plug whatever into it).
Return the output of the switch L+R to the intercept point. You will need 2 miniature stereo shielded audio cables ground the shields in the head unit and connect all the shields at the switch end. See this diagram
th-cam.com/video/gZpZPCKW124/w-d-xo.html
Mount switch in a practicle location
Thanks for the info, I'm sure someone watching will find it valuable!
Thanks @RODS for having taken some time to provide these details! I have bought a pioneer 90ties tape radio to replace the ugly cd player in my car, followed this good tutorial, I was a bit sad as the sound was ugly after having plugged the bluetooth output to the tape output. I have tried to find some info on internet, wondered if I had to plug a digital to analog converter, and thanks to your explanation, I have plugged blutooth output somewhere after the tape output and know it works like a charm! Before I had to play a ghost tape to switch to bluetooth and know I can use bluetooth either on radio and on tape. I liked the fact that I had to put a tape to turn on bluetooth (probably because its funny to do an old move to turn on a modern device) but I prefer by far having a cristal clear sound.
Nice job. Thanks for posting this video, this is exactly what I’ve been looking for.
I’m going to attempt to do this process on a auxiliary cassette deck on a 2002 Chevy Tahoe.
Seriously.. that was clean and beautiful.. and the way of presenting was exceptional.. loved it
Thank you so much 😀 glad you enjoyed the video.
Often those head units have auxiliary input wired in the header or as additional plug or header and enabled by some sort of switch or jumper on the rear of the unit. You probably shoud've told to check that first.
I don't really know enough about reading wiring diagrams or inspecting circuit boards to figure that out unfortunately.
"...like a tapeworm out of a dogs arse!"
Vivid!
I thought so. Thanks for watching.
YES!!!! You just solved my resto stereo issue!!! High jacking the cassette to stereo output on the board is genius! This is going to potentially save me over $500 USD.
Superb mate! I applaud your ability to execute this well thought out task! 👍👍👍
Thanks mate!
I'm considering doing this but I'm also a cassette lover and want to keep the functionality of it. I'm sort of thinking doing it, but buggering the ribbon cable may end up with no more use for the cassette, any suggestions?
You'd have to solder directly to the points on the board, that way both the tape and bluetooth audio sources are going through together.
Nah, there's a better way, as I said in another comment.
"Why does my phone keep going flat??"
*uses phone for everything, leaves bluetooth on, assumes CD is dead*
That's why you also install a couple of USB sockets into the car so you can keep the phone and BT module (if not hard wiring it) charged up :)
Thanks for getting back to me.I did find the same mongering box you did the video on, ordered it tonite.thanks for your post an filming start to finish.I need the visional.
This video was super handy for me since I have a 96 fairlane. Head unit is slightly externally but internal PCBs and wiring shown in this video translates right over. Cheers!
That's awesome, glad to hear it helped.
hello sir, can this be applied to old cd player without any aux output?
In theory yes.
using a bluetooth receiver board from ebay is around $2 and doesnt come in that large box ... its a small circuit board that fits inside the head unit itself
received mine just today (not related to this video), yeah, the only bit is that they usually don't work at 12V, unless they do, but they are just a bit more bulky and usually they are panel mount.... actually i didn't pay much attention to the modification (it's case dependent for sure) but cassette heads have on the circuit what they call a NAB equaliser, an ALC (that is a good thing) and the signal is actually a lot low compared to the one out of a "line" or hadphone one, and it may distort... i think this project got just lucky
Wouldn't it be possible to use the power from the cassette motor. So that Bluetooth would only be enabled when the radio is in tape mode.
@@Leonvolt28 Depends if the cassette motor has the correct voltage, if it has the correct voltage, it would be perfect!
@@TheRunq11 most of those motor runs at 12V or 6V, and the BT board's VCC is 5V, simply using a 7805 voltage regulation IC is good enough to power it.
Or you can use a BEC module (DC-DC circuit) for RC models to provide 5V, usually it's a tiny PCB that smaller than your thumb nail and weight less than 5 grams.
@@foxtrotbravo4495 Oh really? That's nice to know, and yeah just regulate that bitch and you'll be good.
Amazing! i made exactly the same for my honda civic 2000 and it works perfectly, it is very nice to mix old and new technology keeping the original radio look!
Well done mate, glad it all worked out for you!
Nicely done! Congratulations for this modification!
Thanks mate!
You can do that without cutting wires and keep the cassette player.
How?
12MRJERSEY, Bluetooth cassette adapter. Looks like a cassette, has Bluetooth, instead of a magnetic tape inside.
The terminal points on the daughter board, you can solder the wires directly to those, takes a bit more care and precision but entirely doable.
@@Mrsquiggley Exactly.
Yup that's true. I didn't do this because I've not had success in the past at trying to solder onto existing terminal points, and I didn't want to risk damaging the board.
Is it possible to hijack the CD audio lines from the stacker in the boot? This may be an even easier option as all mods would be external and not require disassembly....
I believe it is, but you'd have to test how that would work. If the stacker is unplugged you can't even switch to CD mode on the head unit. I guess if you have to choose between removing the ability to play tapes or CDs, I know which one I'd go for...
@@MotoringBoxTV But what about if we only have a cd player?
I think there are too many variables to give a definite answer - it probably depends on your exact head unit. I'm sure it'd be easy enough to locate the audio channels on the board, but you'd have to work out whether a CD still needs to be loaded and playing in order for the head unit to output the signal. For example, my head unit mutes the audio if the "tape" is paused or stopped - so even if bluetooth is connected and playing, I won't hear it.
Mate, this is the answer to my prayers. I have to get this for my VX R8 Clubsport.
Awesome, great mod, great video! Thanks for sharing!
I wonder if there's a way of doing this without disabling the cassette deck.
I like streaming my music, but I also like my cassettes
Solder onto the connectors instead of cutting the wire and have a dedicated blank cassette for Bluetooth mode, you could probably do this entire mod with the Bluetooth module staying inside the unit instead of sitting outside if there's enough space,
Exactly
Yep, solder on and don’t cut anything. Then, I bet a cassette AND the BT input could function at the same time. So you could play a tape and still get alerts and map directions through the car speakers too. Ah, the simple beauty of analog signals.
@@Mrsquiggley I had a feeling that'd be the solution but I'm not an electrician and I wasn't sure if it'd cause any problems
Both points are true. The only potential downsides might be whether there's any background noise being outputted by the tape drive, and bluetooth signal quality if you locate the receiver inside the head unit.
The yellow wire is continuous and unswitched power and the red wire is switched power
As I mentioned on some other comments, my car has it the other way around.
That is a great one mate! You are pure genius love it mate love it
Ey, my dude! That cassette works mighty beautifully!! I have one in my stupid Chrysler Voyager. It bangs really good!
The performance probably depends on the quality of the adaptor and the tape drive heads. Either way, enjoy.
I've always wanted to do this but never had a car with a tape deck.
>Not recording your favorite new albums into cassettes for that true retro feel
Plebe. :)
Yeah, don't worry about your soldering skills! You created an exceptionally good video. Videography, commenting, editing all the things are perfect. I'm not a native speaker of English, even I was able to understand it all. So, no worry about soldering, it just requires practice
Thank you very much!
Big fan of DIY projects,Great job bro
Why cut and splice into the wires, when you could have soldered directly to the back circuit board's solder pads?
In the past I've not had success with getting the solder to stick to the existing pads. I also didn't want to risk damaging the board.
@@MotoringBoxTV Yea, that was a good idea to avoid soldering on that pad, it would've pulled the ribbon off if not done properly.
@@MotoringBoxTV That's probably because the solder on those pads is old, or is a different type of solder. Reflowing the pads then soldering to them works nicely.
Dude's back seat is now cluttered.
Brilliant stuff. Perfect for my old BMW and Toyota where the stereo is actually a moulded and integrated, non-DIN, part of the dash. You can actually get more advanced versions of the Bluetooth modules that have slots for SD cards and USB sticks which will wire in similarly but routed to glovebox or coin box.
I've seen a few modules online specifically for some older BMW head units, so depending on the car there may be a better solution available. Thanks for watching.
MotoringBox Yes, there are plug & play modules that will simply plug into the CD changer connection if you have it and then only for some of those with a separate plug into the rear of the head unit. From memory (in the E46 BMW at least) there are 2 Alpine versions of units and a couple of other brands (Panasonic?). The Alpines apparently have the best amplifier in them by far so this solder-in mod is a great option. Funny coincidence is that a couple of months ago in my BMW E46, I had swapped out the Tape player head unit for a CD unit from wrecked later model. Just a few days ago I said "I must chuck that useless tape unit out." Your vid was perfect timing for some experimentation!
this is literally the perfect solution to what i wanted to do thank you so much!!
I wanna do this for my Mercedes, but I also know that I'm shit with electronics lol
Which one do you have?
You got this
I burned a CD just last week
I recorded megadeth to a cassette a couple weeks ago
Great video. The factory Alpine unit is a thing of beauty.
Yeah I love the thing. So nice to use and obviously matches the car perfectly.
Top-notch video, I have a jag with a 2004 Alpine Premium system and this would be the only mod I would even consider as I don't want to ruin my original fascia panel. I have a 6 cd changer in the boot too but I have a separate oem amp also in the boot. The process I would guess would be similar if not exactly the same being an Alpine unit even though it's a few years newer than yours the tech doesn't seem to be too much more advanced. Cheers from over the ditch.
Empty tape in the tape player is better way because u can use the radio
On this model you can still use the radio.
He show the radio working. Good brissie station
Many years from now, there's gonna be diy videos with newer tech to play music and they're gonna go, "Bluetooth" Ewww
Haha, probably. But so long as the new tech still has an aux-style output there should be no reason why I can't swap it over.
Ur video tutorial was great. Helped me set a Bluetooth system in 94 Benz W140 S500 Becker radio and watching this video was exactly the help I needed. Ignore the dump ass comments listed which I saw plenty 🙄. I’m pretty sure many others have and will find this very helpful.
Hey that's awesome, good work!
Outstanding video! Thanks for posting this
And WHAT IS WRONG with cassette tape?! Get yourself an 8-track player. That'll excite you!
I want to go back to the days of cassettes, bell-bottom jeans, and listening to Elton all day (Like I still do today! - smile).
I love the nostalgia of old cars but I am definitely not attached to old media formats like cassette tapes. You can still queue up 70s or 80s tracks on Spotify and get a much better experience.
Not bad video; but.
#1. There is no reason to cut the right and Left audio ribbon cable coming out of the tape deck, just solder the wires to the board.
#2. No matter how good your bluetooth is, it's still going to be constrained by the audio processing of the head unit itself. The "Audio Quality" that suffers is the way the media was recorded. Your bluetooth audio is still going through the same equalizer that the radio and tape do.
A new headunit in any respect will run circles around an old head unit like that any day of the week. As ugly as they are (and some are horrific looking even in today's cars) you're not looking at it while you're driving; least you're not supposed to.
I ate it and got a new headunit anyhow (now 5 years old) and I'm not really upset with it at all, not hard to lerrn to love it when you don't have to stare it down all the time.
I think for #1 that you would have signals coming from the board and the bluetooth at the same time, his way, you eliminate it if I m seeing correctly. I agee, I put in a new head unit and it was night and day difference.
Just be sure to use one or the other inputs, use a tape, don't connect bt. Use bt, don't have a casset loaded.
If you have both running at the same time, nothing will be hurt you'll just hear both inputs at the same time
This is an awesome mod, and an awesome tutorial. Thanks heaps brother.