How to connect a flash drive or phone to a car radio if there is no USB input

• 2 How to make and connect a USB input to the radio

  2.1 USB adapter from mp3 player for standard tape recorder

• 2.2 DIY adapter
• 2.3 How to make an AUX connector

  2.3.1 Video: How to install AUX using the example of a Kenwood radio

Even today, there are some modern cars that are equipped with radios without a USB connector, not to mention older cars. This state of affairs does not suit many car owners, which prompts them to search for possible solutions. One of the available options for equipping a standard USB radio is to connect the input yourself; this is not difficult to do, but not all car radios accept this solution.

How to make a USB input on a music center?

To convert an old music center to USB, you don't have to put in a lot of effort. You just need to order a special module for audio transcoding and install it in an old player. For a very low cost, you will get a device that can play music from a flash drive.

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Basic DIY connection methods

The easiest way is to use an FM transmitter with a player. Using this device, you can listen to music from a flash drive or memory card on a cassette or disk radio, even in the absence of an AUX connector. It is necessary that the tuner can receive a signal in the range 87.5 - 108 MHz.

Another way is to install USB in the standard radio. In this case, rework will be required. As a reading device, you can use a portable MP3 player or a special set-top box with a player and tuner, which has all the control buttons. These audio devices are connected via AUX.

How to solder USB

The car radio is removed from the dashboard, the wires are disconnected from the car, and the cover is removed. Then the CD drive or tape drive is removed. To make the rework easier, you should mark the wires to which sound from the USB should be supplied, as well as the power output.

To solder USB into the car radio, the negative wire of the set-top box is connected to the case. The wires that were unsoldered from the switch on the LPM should be soldered to each other. The positive wire of the USB chip should be soldered to the resulting connection. A shielded cable is used to output sound to the radio. One end is connected to the turntable circuit, and the other to the playback head pins or the volume control input pins.

The attachment is fixed in place of the slot for the cassette. If there is a radio receiver in this device, the standard radio tuner is dismantled. The corresponding wire of the USB circuit is connected to the antenna socket. The set-top box is controlled by built-in buttons or a remote control. Before turning on, the volume control of the radio should be set to the minimum position to avoid a sharp jump in volume.

Now you need to figure out what to do to connect USB instead of CD. To do this, contacts are closed that block mode switching after inserting a disk. The analog audio input and power output are also found. All wires from the USB player are soldered to the corresponding points on the car radio board.

To solder an mp3 player to a standard tape recorder, you will need to build in a voltage converter, since such a gadget is designed for a voltage of less than 12 V.

For ease of control, the button pins are soldered to unused buttons on the radio panel. To do this, you need to unsolder the resistors that stand between the controller.

The signal is taken from the player's headphone output. Playback is controlled by buttons on the radio. When fixing the player, the slot for a flash drive or memory card should be directed toward the CD slot. The radio will play the role of an amplifier with acoustics.

Installing a USB adapter

This device is connected instead of a CD changer, for which a compatible plug is provided. This method is suitable for car radios equipped with an appropriate interface. To install, remove the device from the car dashboard and determine the optimal location for installing the adapter.

After this, the cable is fed from the back of the panel and inserted into the radio, which is installed in place. With this method, music listening is controlled from the head unit turned on in CD changer mode. The information displayed varies depending on the adapter.

Installing a premium Bluetooth headset

The premium device differs from a standard headset by the presence of an audio output that allows you to output sound directly to the car radio. If there is no AUX input, you can make one yourself. To do this, a three-wire shielded cable is soldered to the headphone jack. Its other end is connected to the input of the car radio volume control. The headset is installed on the car dashboard in a convenient place. Playback is controlled from this device.

Connecting the phone to the radio via a Bluetooth transmitter

These instructions for wireless connection with a phone are for owners of radios who do not have their own Bluetooth module. Therefore, for the link you will need:

• smartphone supporting Bluetooth technology;
• Bluetooth receiver or Bluetooth transmitter;
• car radio with AUX port.

You can buy either a transmitter or a receiver - both devices will do. The only differences between them are as follows:

• Receivers only receive audio via wireless channels and transmit it further.
• Transmitters operate in two options: receiving sound from a gadget via - transferring it to a radio, headphones or speakers, receiving sound via a cord - transferring it to a smartphone.

How to listen to music in the car via Bluetooth

One of the modern methods of connecting any mobile device to a car radio is the use of Bluetooth for this purpose. However, this method is not supported by every playing device. Multimedia systems with a touch screen most often have access to it.

There are absolutely no cords here - the user simply connects Bluetooth on both the smartphone and the multimedia system, after which they are paired. This connection ensures complete integration of devices. All control occurs via the radio.

Video: connecting a smartphone using bluetooth

Bluetooth is considered one of the most convenient options for connecting a gadget to a car player. Using the radio, you can not only listen to music, but also play video files. Many models provide the ability to use Bluetooth as an intercom. Receiving an incoming call and conducting negotiations is carried out through the radio, which eliminates the need to hold the phone near your ear.

The disadvantages of using this connection method include the fact that this function, as mentioned earlier, is not supported by all car radios. And even those that have this support do not connect to all smartphone models. In addition, there may be stuttering when playing large files.

What flash drives does the car radio read?

Most older models are designed to work in the FAT 16 and FAT 32 systems. For modern standard devices, the flash drive format for the car radio is most often NTFS. For the USB media to be in a supported format, it must be formatted. To do this you will need a computer or laptop.

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Option with adapter

The adapter works not only with USB, but also with memory cards

Most factory radios may have a socket on the back. All work comes down to several actions:

1. take the radio out of the car;

   There will be sockets for connection on the back wall of the radio

2. disconnect the disc player connector;
3. In its place include a USB adapter.

The adapter can be placed like this

The advantages of this solution:

• The radio will “decide” that you just changed the player. Accordingly, if the radio supports MP3 playback from a disc, it will be able to play it from a flash drive.
• Some adapters, in addition to USB support, have memory card support. You can remove the card from the smart card described above and insert it into such an adapter.

But there is also a minus

Control protocols are different for different cars, so when you change cars, you will most likely have to change the adapter. But when buying a new car, this issue is not so important.

How to connect iPhone to Aux in car

Theoretically, such a question may even seem stupid; just connect it and you can listen to anything. This would be the case if the Aux and iPhone had similar ports with cables. Many gadgets do not have a 3.5 mm input, which means the connection cannot be made. You will need an adapter with a Mini Jack 3.5 mm socket (which connects headphones) on one side and a connector on the other. You can do it yourself, but it is best to purchase Bluetooth. It is preferable for several reasons:

• improves the sound quality of tracks;
• you can use several devices at once, since the adapter usually has several inputs;
• ease of control - you can use the remote control or switch knobs.

The adapter is also more convenient because it saves space, since it does not need constantly tangled, twisted wires, which also have to be put somewhere and which often interfere with those sitting in front.

The charger you want to connect - be it an iPhone or a flash drive - can be charged at the same time, but you need to monitor the voltage, since too many volts will “knock out” it.

It should be remembered that a phone used in this way, connected through a portal to the AUX in the car, can also quickly discharge.

Connecting a USB extension cable to the board

To make the correct connection, first you need to pry up the front panel with a thin awl or knife and remove the clip latch. To remove the radio itself, you will need a star screwdriver. You need to unscrew the 4 corner screws with it. Move towards yourself to pull out the radio. You need to take it out carefully so as not to damage the connectors on the back. The antenna connector is removed as follows:

1. Raise the latch.
2. Remove the connector.

The rest are removed by pressing a button and pulling out a chip.

After this, you need to disassemble the radio itself. First of all, cut off the seal and remove the top and bottom covers. The next step is to remove the CD drive to make it easier to work with. The main thing is not to damage the cable. It must be removed from the drive side. Next you will need:

• magnifying glass;
• soldering iron, or better yet, a soldering station;
• 3 resistors with a nominal value of 0 Ohm.

If you look on the board, the soldering point will be marked as R25. It is located next to capacitor C3. We place an SMD0603 resistor R25 with a nominal value of 0 Ohm. We solder the remaining 2 resistors where L501 and L500 are located. We unsolder the existing resistor R212 and replace it with a 10 kOhm resistor. And we add one more of the same additionally.

Then we solder in capacitor C515, equal to 0.1 microfarad. And then we install a USB power supply microassembly nearby. A capacitor C516 with a capacity of 0.1 microfarad is soldered in. At the end, you need to attach a USB cable to the connector and solder 2 electrolytic capacitors in place of capacitors C500 and C501. You need to make holes for them from the inside of the plank.

Insert electrolytic capacitors into the holes, observing polarity. Their capacity should be 100 microfarads, voltage - up to 25 volts. After this, you can check the device by connecting it to an autonomous power supply. If everything is in order, the flash drive should blink. You won't be able to play music in your car unless you have a CD player installed. There may be a problem with drive detection. This can happen if the cable is not securely attached.

If you follow all the recommendations and strictly follow the instructions, the conversion will be easy and interesting, and instead of a CD, you can play a flash drive. We often redo things that no longer suit us, the main thing is to do it right.

Even today, there are some modern cars that are equipped with radios without a USB connector, not to mention older cars. This state of affairs does not suit many car owners, which prompts them to search for possible solutions. One of the available options for equipping a standard USB radio is to connect the input yourself; this is not difficult to do, but not all car radios accept this solution.

After installation

The steps described above help get rid of the annoying shortcomings of data transmission over a radio channel. Directly soldered wires will prevent interference, glitches and signal loss. On the one hand, it would be possible to go further and, having figured out the structure of the radio, connect the control buttons from the player with the buttons of the tape recorder with the same wires, so that you can switch tracks using the standard buttons. On the other hand, we leave such delights to the discretion of inquisitive drivers. Just remember about moderation and safety precautions.