Some Pics of Magden Gauges

[Rotus8]

got a question idk if it has been asked already or not but if your ms3 did come with a nav where can you get one for a good price???

No sure what your question really is. Retrofitting the factory nav is difficult because the wiring harness is different. It has been talked about, but as far as I know no one has done it.

 

[mazdaspeedkid]

No sure what your question really is. Retrofitting the factory nav is difficult because the wiring harness is different. It has been talked about, but as far as I know no one has done it.

im sorry let me just straight up and say it my car did not come with a nav where can i get a oem nav at a good price.

 

[Rotus8]

im sorry let me just straight up and say it my car did not come with a nav where can i get a oem nav at a good price.

Yep, that's what I thought you meant. Buying the nav parts from a dealer is going to set you back an unreasonable amount. You might be able to find the parts at a junk yard, but actually, I think not a lot of 3s were made with factory navigation. If you find it, you need to pull the screen and all the stuff around it, the DVD player in the glove box, and the controls next to the shifter. Also, if you can pull out as much of the under dash harness as you can, it will help with that.

Frankly, you are probably much better off with some after market stuff. You can get a screen that goes in the nav position - check out the early posts in this thread.

 

[Retrobmx63]

If you mean the flip up lcd, I got it here http://www.caradvanced.com/products/Mazda3-7"-Flip-Up-LCD-Screen-Monitorized.html It was the starting point for the Mods.

Here's a question, which button do you press on top to activate the screen to output audio to the speakers? Does it take over the "sat" button?

Or does it automatically take over once the screen is open?

I watched the video on the site. But it still didn't show how to select the screen for audio/video.

 

[Rotus8]

Well, the CPU box has an audio out. I would say you would connect it to the AUX port to the HU. Then you would press AUX to select the audio. I haven't connected it up, so I cannot comment on the noises.

 

[Retrobmx63]

Thanks for the reply, but the question was really a generic one against the caradvanced LCD screen on a Sport trim MS3, not so much the Magden guages.

The caradvanced site, shows you can hook up ipods, dvd players, etc to the LCD screen. Then you can use their supplied remote to switch between sources connected to the LCD screen.

But I was wondering how the LCD screen audio itself (regardless of what is connected and active to it) is selected for the car's speakers. If it hijacks the aux button, that kinda sucks, then you lose that aux port for other quick connections when you don't want to use the screen.

 

[Rotus8]

I think the answer is still the same, unless you can do some creative stuff going into the SAT radio/ipod port, but that will require some interesting engineering.

 

[leadf00t]

Thanks for the reply, but the question was really a generic one against the caradvanced LCD screen on a Sport trim MS3, not so much the Magden guages.

The caradvanced site, shows you can hook up ipods, dvd players, etc to the LCD screen. Then you can use their supplied remote to switch between sources connected to the LCD screen.

But I was wondering how the LCD screen audio itself (regardless of what is connected and active to it) is selected for the car's speakers. If it hijacks the aux button, that kinda sucks, then you lose that aux port for other quick connections when you don't want to use the screen.

They use this http://www.caradvanced.com/products/Aux-Card-for-Mazda.html to get the audio for the connected devices. My aftermarket nav has a couple of different ways to hook up the audio. It has a Speaker that you can hook up & mount ( I posted a picture of this in my Garmin GVN53 thread). It has a mute wire that if I understand it correctly could be hooked into the factory HU, so playback would be muted when the instructions are announced, but I still am trying to research this. Lastly there are a set of rca's that can be connected to an input, or in my case I'm going to put them into my aux port in the center console. Then if I want to hear audio prompts from the nav I'll just use the aux button on the Hu. I dont use the nav a lot, and whats the first thing we do when were traveling, and get ready to make an important direction change, we turn down the radio. I am not sure if you can use their aux card, and the center aux seperately, or if they're connected internally in the HU.

 

[Retrobmx63]

Wow thanks. That's really deceiving.

This is quoted from their site...

"What about the wiring? That is even easier.
It comes with a harness hat takes your factory radio plug and creates a pass through cable so the factory plug powers both the radio and the screen."

"OEM Plug and Play Power harness "

So this harness only gives you power, and no audio!

I watched the video again, and he mentioned the aux card real quick in the middle of the video.

You'd think if you bought their $650 LCD screen, it would come with whatever is needed to actually use it. So if you don't buy this additional aux card, you would get no audio!

Just a heads up to everyone.

 

[RichB]

Rotus8, Which wire is the VSS signal going to the Nav so I deactivate the granny mode? My wife always complains when she's trying to put in an address at a red light and then the light turns green.

 

[RichB]

Hey Rotus, got my Garmin GVN-53 today, also heard from magden, and it was a loose connection inside the case. My M1 is on it's way back now. Will get some pictures of the nav during install. Now I just have to find time to install it.

Is it possible to remove the crappy stock navigation unit and replace with this? I miss my Garmin so much!

 

[Rotus8]

Rotus8, Which wire is the VSS signal going to the Nav so I deactivate the granny mode? My wife always complains when she's trying to put in an address at a red light and then the light turns green.

The VSS signal is the only white wire in the connector at the back of the instrument cluster. If you ground it, it lets you use the nav controls while moving. However, don't ground it permanently as I find it confuses the nav system at times. The VSS signal is used by the nav as a backup for the GPS and if it doesn't correlate with GPS signals, sometimes it behaves pretty wierdly.

 

[Rotus8]

Is it possible to remove the crappy stock navigation unit and replace with this? I miss my Garmin so much!

Sure. In my installation, the video box has two inputs, so another video source such as an aftermarket nav could be put into the second input. You could just abandon the factory nav and use the screen for the new one. If you don't install the Magden, again the video box can be used to display any video source.

 

[RichB]

The VSS signal is the only white wire in the connector at the back of the instrument cluster. If you ground it, it lets you use the nav controls while moving.

only white wire on the head unit connector? If I wanted to ground it part of the time how do I need to wire the switch? I was hoping it was as simple as putting a switch inline with that wire and having it on for normal operation and off for operation while moving.

Sure. In my installation, the video box has two inputs, so another video source such as an aftermarket nav could be put into the second input. You could just abandon the factory nav and use the screen for the new one.

So that switch box has two video inputs? If I abandon the factory Nav would I be able to remove it or would the electronics still have to stay in?

 

[Rotus8]

only white wire on the head unit connector? If I wanted to ground it part of the time how do I need to wire the switch? I was hoping it was as simple as putting a switch inline with that wire and having it on for normal operation and off for operation while moving.

In my installation, I tapped a wire to the VSS signal wire (not inline), and then installed a switch to ground. When the signal is grounded, the Nav will let you make entries while moving.

So that switch box has two video inputs? If I abandon the factory Nav would I be able to remove it or would the electronics still have to stay in?

Yes, the switch box has two composite video inputs, plus the input from the stock NAV box. It has an output to the screen. It requires power and a couple of simple inputs to select which video source gets to the screen. The factory nav controls are used to adjust the screen brightness and contrast; I am not sure if the nav box is involved, or if the wires are just passed to the screen for this control. Also, if you remove the nav electronics, you will lose your left front speaker, so removing it will require some thought to keep everything working. You are probably better off to just leave it, even if it is not used.

 

[RichB]

In my installation, I tapped a wire to the VSS signal wire (not inline), and then installed a switch to ground. When the signal is grounded, the Nav will let you make entries while moving.

Got It! Thanks!

Yes, the switch box has two composite video inputs, plus the input from the stock NAV box. It has an output to the screen. It requires power and a couple of simple inputs to select which video source gets to the screen. The factory nav controls are used to adjust the screen brightness and contrast; I am not sure if the nav box is involved, or if the wires are just passed to the screen for this control. Also, if you remove the nav electronics, you will lose your left front speaker, so removing it will require some thought to keep everything working. You are probably better off to just leave it, even if it is not used.

Alright that makes sense. How are the GTs without nav wired up for the front left speaker? It should be possible to wire it like that right? You've been a great help. Thanks!

 

[Speedkid]

Looks nice mite have to get one of those one day.

 

[RichB]

Rotus, you have any shots of how your wired up the OBD?

 

[SKiZZ]

Boo, just now finding this thread and see that magden discontinued the unit. Anyone got one forsale?