Latest recommended options for Aux input?

dishe

Member
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'07 Mazda 5 & '05 Mazda 3i
I've owned an 07 Mazda5 for about 4 days now, and I've been reading up on what options are available to add an aux input on the car's stereo.

The car it is replacing has a custom single-DIN bracket that I installed, and put a Sony HU in with Bluetooth and aux. But, my wife kind of likes the Mazda stereo (especially the steering wheel controls), so I'm not looking to gut it out and replace the whole thing just yet.
It seems like there are some options for installing some sort of auxiliary port accessible with the unused "media" button... that would be ideal! However, in all my reading on this forum, it seems a lot of threads are out of date, discussing products that are no longer available (AuxMod?) or hard to find. Or perhaps there are just more modern and easier mods that I haven't stumbled upon in my research yet (something called GROM? Not sure what that is...).

I'm hoping someone here can help me sift through all the info and lay it out for me straight- what are the most recommended CURRENT ways to add an aux input to the stock stereo?
 
You can add steering wheel controls to the major brands of aftermarket radios. What is the model number of your Sony head unit? The adapter would be the PAC SWI-PS, $70 at Crutchfield and around $40 to $45 on eBay.

As far as your question goes, I have no idea. Keep in mind that aux input is standard in the '08 model on up.
 
http://www.xcarlink.co.uk/
I use it in my 2005 Mazda5 and it has never disappointed me.

Which one? The SKU224?

I'm att he same crossroads. We don't use an Ipod or MP3 player, but our previous car had a Kenwood radio w/ a USB port right in front, we just streamed all music right off a standard thumb drive. IMO that is, by far, the way to go. No more CDs etc or a extra unit to have dangling.

How is the interface/interaction with that unit? Do you get ID3 tags, track names etc on the HU display? I read one comment that one of the plu-in boxes just made it track numbers so you had to know/memorize the list, can't really search for stuff...?
 
I have an old version (2007) which was then called AudioLink.
On my version, no ID3 tags are shown on the HU, only disc and track number, so you indeed have to remember the track list.
For me, this is no problem, since I mainly use the aux-input on the AudioLink to stream music from my R2H UMPC that sits on my dashboard.
I don't know if the newer units support ID3 tags.
 
You can add steering wheel controls to the major brands of aftermarket radios. What is the model number of your Sony head unit? The adapter would be the PAC SWI-PS, $70 at Crutchfield and around $40 to $45 on eBay.

As far as your question goes, I have no idea. Keep in mind that aux input is standard in the '08 model on up.

The Sony is a BT2500 (I think its discontinued now).
I know the aux is standard now, I didn't realize the '07 didn't have it until I bought it. I was fishing around in the manual trying to find out where the blasted jack is because I remember seeing one at the mazda dealer on a new one. So disappointed to find this model doesn't have it!

I suppose for another $50-$70 I could get the PAC adapter (nice find, thanks for pointing it out!), but then I'd also need a DIN mount bracket, Mazda-to-DIN cable adapter, and more time and effort I'd like to put into it at the moment (in my Sentra, I had a frustrating experience getting mounting brackets to line up with factory screw points). If there is no simpler way to just add a jack, I'll consider it, but I'm not leaning in that direction yet.

Plus, I'd like to sell my old car with a stereo still in (factory stereo is long gone).

http://www.xcarlink.co.uk/
I use it in my 2005 Mazda5 and it has never disappointed me.

That's cool, but I'm more interested in a straight-up 3.5mm aux jack than ipod controls (don't own an Apple-branded music player, thank-you-very-much! LOL). That box appears to have an optional aux jack if you pay a little more, but it seems silly to do that instead of a cheaper and cleaner install like the auxmod.

What's really interesting to me is this post I stumbled upon which shows the cavity behind where the tape goes is actually a large empty space:
http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showpost.php?p=4813065&postcount=8

Would be cool to have a 3.5mm jack right there, along with a little shelf to slip my player/phone/whatever into.
 
Not sure if you're still looking but the AuxMod website says they'll be available in 2 to 3 weeks. They work great, I used one in a 2005 Protege5 I used to have and it worked perfect.
 
I have a 2005 M5 -

I haven't taken the sterion out yeat, but was wondering what the connectin was on the back for the AUX?

Is it possible to plug in a standard mic jack to it (for my phone or MP3)?

Thanks,

JP
 
I have a 2005 M5 -

I haven't taken the sterion out yeat, but was wondering what the connectin was on the back for the AUX?

Is it possible to plug in a standard mic jack to it (for my phone or MP3)?

Thanks,

JP

Its a proprietary Mazda connection, hence the topic here.
 
I have a 2005 M5 -

I haven't taken the sterion out yeat, but was wondering what the connectin was on the back for the AUX?

Is it possible to plug in a standard mic jack to it (for my phone or MP3)?

Thanks,

JP

Hi JP, there is a hack to get the AUX connection that I have read for the Mazda6. I could not find any information to see if the 6's radio is compatible with our 5's. This modification tricks the HU to think it has something connected to the 16 pin connector back of the unit and the HU will route the signal from that connector, amplify it and then to the speakers. Once wired up one just have to press the "Media" button to get to work. I have compiled all the information and redid the wiring diagram so it will be easier to following. I think this very similar to what the AuxMod board is doing.

There is a mod where you take apart the radio and solder wires onto the CD input. But with this mod you will have to have a external switch to switch between the 2 sources.

Maybe someone has more information regarding these mods. The first one would be pretty easy to do and great for us with older HU's that do not have an AUX input. Here is the reworked wiring diagram, the only thing I added was a 100Ohm resister between 2A(Ground) and 2M(RES/AUX CONT) to limit the current instead of shorting a connection directly to ground.

ek15vt.jpg
 
HI Davebert, have you tried this mod successfully in your 5? If so please post some pics. I am also interested in having an AUX input, I should have done this long time ago when it is available.
 
Hi JP, there is a hack to get the AUX connection that I have read for the Mazda6. I could not find any information to see if the 6's radio is compatible with our 5's. This modification tricks the HU to think it has something connected to the 16 pin connector back of the unit and the HU will route the signal from that connector, amplify it and then to the speakers. Once wired up one just have to press the "Media" button to get to work. I have compiled all the information and redid the wiring diagram so it will be easier to following. I think this very similar to what the AuxMod board is doing.

There is a mod where you take apart the radio and solder wires onto the CD input. But with this mod you will have to have a external switch to switch between the 2 sources.

Maybe someone has more information regarding these mods. The first one would be pretty easy to do and great for us with older HU's that do not have an AUX input. Here is the reworked wiring diagram, the only thing I added was a 100Ohm resister between 2A(Ground) and 2M(RES/AUX CONT) to limit the current instead of shorting a connection directly to ground.

Confirming this mod does work! (headbang) The only thing I didn't use a resister.
I haven't fully tested for radio interference or whining noise from the engine, but I will once i change my headphone wires.

my install:



Wired up


Installing






Sorry but I don't have picture of it located near my shifter but once its in I will. :D
 
Confirming this mod does work! (headbang) The only thing I didn't use a resister.
I haven't fully tested for radio interference or whining noise from the engine, but I will once i change my headphone wires.

my install:



Wired up


Installing






Sorry but I don't have picture of it located near my shifter but once its in I will. :D


Phantom, may I ask what year is your 5? I would like to do this mod next weekend
 
How does this fare with buzzing/interference?

Would love to see some pics of where you mount the plug, btw... having some trouble figuring out where I'd like to do that on mine!
 
Also, why does your stereo say "Aux" when you use it? How does it know?! I thought we're tricking it into using the external CD changer port, so it should think its playing a CD (like the GROM does)?

Do you need to press the CD button to activate this, or the media button?
 
Also, why does your stereo say "Aux" when you use it? How does it know?! I thought we're tricking it into using the external CD changer port, so it should think its playing a CD (like the GROM does)?

Do you need to press the CD button to activate this, or the media button?

I think that port on the back of the HU is used for Satellite radio. By grounding the RES/AUX CONT pin the Hu knows that there is something there but do not know what it is. When a satellite radio is installed the HU must do some communication with the radio to find out what it is with the serial communication connection.

I have tested this mod on the bench with the HU and LCD display out of the car, and it works very well. You can control the volume just like listening to the radio or CD but cannot control the MP3 player/IPOD. Here are a few pictures of my mod.

1rb49d.jpg


25sssxg.jpg


23tjk8.jpg
 
Wow.
I like that it uses the MEDIA button and says Aux, because the GROM connects to the CD changer port and fakes CD data to work.

I think the reason it does this is because they also offer a version that can connect to an iPod or play music stored on USB/SD media. It would then need to fake a CD player in order to receive commands from the head unit.
But since all I'm interested in is the aux connection, this solution seems much more elegant.

Problem is, I was about to purchase the GROM today so that I could have it in time for a planned thanksgiving road trip. If I try this hack, and it turns out to be over my head, I won't have time to go back and order the GROM anymore.

Is it possible for you to post a dummie's guide (step by step, for newbies) to do this project?
I have access to a soldering iron and a local radio shack, however the diagrams on the last page are a bit intimidating.
If I am told exactly what kind of parts to buy and what to do, I think I can follow directions.

Thanks!
 
Additionally, I'm curious where everyone recommends putting the actual jack. I was thinking right where the tape deck should/would go, by drilling a hole and mounting a plug right there. But now I think that would be a terribly inconvenient place to leave a wire dangling, where it will be in the way of the shifter!
 
Why not put it in the same location as the '08+? Below the shifter on the vertical trim piece next to the power outlet? Does yours have an ipod slot?
 
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