Just got a Ai/Aux RCA switcher (http://www.myradiostore.com/p/alp-ai...0110p1629c0001) from Amazon and promtly hooked it up between the CD changer and the amp, but to my surprise It didn't work - the cd player on the head unit just says there are no CDs, I tried hooking the switcher up to the line-out of my Iphone 3GS and also the nuforce udac2's more powerful line-out, both playing. The switcher made no switch.

What could be wrong here? What to try? When there's a cd in the changer, the cd starts to play, but only a very faint staticy sound comes through the speakers. When not hooked up to the switcher the cd player works just fine, I think it also works when there is no line signal coming into the swithcer.

I guess hooking it up to the radio could work?

Cheers!

 

Does your your car have the navigation system?

Can you confirm for sure that the CD player works when no line signal is coming to the switcher?

Press the AM/FM button on your headunit with your Iphone playing into the AI-AUX. Does the Iphone now override the radio?

 

you're in good hands here jagosaurus

 

Hey jagosaurus...I am really curious about this issue. Any update?

 

I use this unit to interface my Ipod & DVD player so I can use the nav screen to watch videos & see my Ipod display as well. They are an older unit but can be found.



http://www.crutchfield.com/S-crwgsJ3...=detailed_info

 

O yes, I have an update:

Opened up the alpine switcher and found the problem: the signal grounding was routed wrong. Soldered the signal ground to its proper pin, and voila, it all worked as advertized - both connected to the radio and the CD changer, but since I can't get the radio to shut up, only the cd changer is a viable option.Now I need to figure out how to route the cable.

 

Nice detective work there jagosaurus. Glad you got it working.

 

where did you connect on alpine system to get sound from ipod /iphone

 

Doug- Please read this entire thread from the top, including the link in the first post and if you then have a specific question please ask.

 

I'm having the same issue described in the first post here.

I unplugged the cable from the CD changer, and put the AI-net switcher in between. The situation is that the CD changer works normally, until I try to play my MP3 player through the RCA's, then it instantly switches off the CD changer (although I hear some faint pops or static that I think are bleeding over from the changer) but I never get the audio from the MP3 player. If I pause the MP3 player, a few seconds later the audio switches back to the CD in the changer. So it appears to be switch off the changer OK, just not switching to the RCA inputs.

I have tried BOTH of the AI-net switchers that I have, the brand new one, and the sort of new one that was "guaranteed to work." I also looked inside for the mis-connection that Jagosaurus is referring to, but everything APPEARS to be connected to the right place.

This is the 2002 XKR, with premium sound, and Navigation.

Maybe I should try the switcher between the head unit, and Navigation module?

 

Hey Andy-
Put the switcher between the power amp and the navigation unit. This will override the AM/FM radio when an AUX signal is present, not the CD changer. This should work reliably.

 

But wouldn't it also override the Nav instructions if connected like that?

I'll try it tomorrow and report back.

 

No, the nav. unit actually has a separate audio path on a separate connector outside of the AI-NET. I think the nav unit just intercepts the AI-NET data link for control purposes.

 

I just tried the PIE plugged in three different configurations.

1. Between changer, and amp = audio switches from changer to near silence with light background static / bleedover from changer audio.

2. Between Nav and Amplifier = switches from AM/FM to MP3 player, but audio is VERY low, LOTS of vehicle noise (ignition, serial data bus, etc) the noise level is almost as high as the signal from the MP3 player, plus audio switches back to AM/FM quite often.

3. Between Head unit, and Nav = same as connection 2 above.

I tried this both with the MP3 played going into the Motorloa T605 with it's RCAs running to the PIE, as well as with the MP3 player plugged into a RCA splitter directly into the PIE. With the T605 being used I get the above symptoms. With the MP3 player direct into the PIE, it will not switch over at all.

It seems to me that maybe the PIE unit needs more gain on the front end to clean up the signal, and keep it locked on. Something doesn't seem to match up correctly here. Perhaps although the pinout is the same, that the OEM Alpine AI-net IS somewhat different than the aftermarket AI-net devices the PIE is designed to work with...

Is anyone actually using this PIE Aux in device successfully in a Jaguar system?

 

Andy-Sorry you are having so much trouble. Yes I am successfully using the PIE AI-AUX and I know of at least two others who are also. In my system it is between the nav. and the amp.

I have found that some sources are not powerful enough and you need to add a preamp. That is discussed in the GVN-53 pdf file this write-up I posted while back.

https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...traffic-49241/

That being said, I have heard more than once that some folks never got it working...so there may be a bona-fide incompatibility in some vehicles.

 

Playing around with this stuff is half the fun right? The PAC sounds like it might do the trick. I found one on E-bay for $26 shipped, so I'll give it a shot.

 

One question that came up was regarding the Ai-NET audio cable going to the CD changer unit. The CD unit has a short pigtail cord to the plug-in, and is taped in a bundle on the back of the CD changer unit. Unbolt the rack and gently pull it out, taking care of the short cable lengths of the various connectors. Untape the bundle, unplug the connection, and re-route the cables around to the left side of the rack. Plug the cable running to the "head" unit (in the dash) into the "head" plug in on the Alpine KCA-410C Versatile Link Terminal (VLT). The cable that comes with the VLT plugs into the "Changer 1" plug-in, and the other end into the pigtail connection to the CD Changer. Plug the Left and Right audio cable from the iPod VehicleDock into the "AUX 2" input.

Note, my 2003 Alpine stereo wasn't designed or have the ability to be able to control the switching between "changer 1" and "Changer 2" (or between AUX 1 and AUX 2) of this Alpine VLT unit, for those thinking about adding a second sound source, such as a DVD player to the second inputs. 2004 and newer Alpine stereos may be able to do this. But the intent here was to get the iPod audio interjected into the stereo, which works really well using this unit! When the "IN-INT" cable is grounded, the "AUX 2" (iPod audio) overrides the input from the CD Changer (This wire was supposed to be used so that devices such as vehicle cellphone circuitry (or GPS audio) would override any other input).

So wiring a switch to ground will do the trick. This is the micro-switch that I put inside the center console tray area, as seen in the photos in the September magazine.

I have additional photos of different aspects of the installation, if anyone needs, such as the location of the vehicledock under the center console tray.
Topaz 2003 XK8 with Navigation and HID

AK XK8 Not Quite Supercharged

Posts: 4 Joined: Mon Jun 30, 2008 11:05 pm Location: Chugiak Alaska

• Private message

This is a copy of a post from XKEC that explains hooking up an AI-NET connection, this was the person who gave me the idea to upgrade my car. I just interrupt the CD signal.

 

Well the PAC amp showed up today finally, and it made no real difference in the noise level.

I could turn up the gain to make the audio sound a bit cleaner, but it would also start to distort.

Also since the switcher will stay switched for several seconds after the signal is turned off, I started the MP3 player, then unplugged the RCA connections at the PIE device, and I still had all of the noise present with no signal. This leads me to believe the PIE switcher is introducing the noise somehow.

 

Andy-

I would expect some signifciant noise pickup with no signal. Sounds like you definitely get a solid trigger now.

If you pop the cover off the preamp, there should be two ground wire loops (I think they are brown). Try cutting those loops and see if there is any difference.

Another thing to check is if you are using shileded audio cables. Unshielded RCA cables are for speakers, not line level audio.

 

The noise level is pretty high, and seems independent of what the inputs are doing on the PIE.

I don't think the shielding of the RCA cables would make much of a difference I had the same noise level when everything was loosly laying in the trunk away from the rest of the vehicle wiring as I have now with it routed properly.

I read about cutting the jumpers in the preamp, but I have doubts about that helping since the noise is there without anything connected.

I suppose what I could try is shorting the RCA inputs to the PIE. If the + and - are connected directly together there will be no signal input (noise or otherwise) to the PIE possible. The trick would be to have an input to cause the device to switch, then remove it and install the short before it switches back. IF there is still noise with that, then the noise source MUST be within the PIE device.

I am starting to suspect that maybe the AI-net pigtail might be miswired, IE the right colors are soldered in the right places on the PCB, but aren't in the right place on the connector.