Audio Iso Pinout

[kellys_eye]

I'm trying to fit a hands-free kit and need to connect to +12v (live) +12v (via ignition) and ground.

The easiest accessible place to take this would be the radio ISO connector but rather than get to the connector direct I'd like to tap into the cables running to it. I can't see the back of the radio without dismantling the dashboard but I can follow the cable down to an accessible place.

Does the ISO connector have a standardised colour coding scheme? I 'think' the speakers plug does but don't know about the power/switching socket.

TIA

[CWB]

man , good question .
i believe there is some standardization ... however ...

grab your dmm and check for a "switched B+" wire in that connector loom .
that would be about the quickest and most sure-fired way to find that source .
the "always live" may not be the best option if it is the memory "keep alive" but usually this wire is smaller in gauge than the "always hot B+" .

[Nothing40]

I know in the past they've almost never been standardized.. one of the annoying things about installing car stereos. They might have started,but don't count on it.

Edit: What make and model is it? I've found the color codes for a few cars on stereo installation sites,hit up Google,and see what it has to offer.

[kellys_eye]

Thanks for the advice. Without access to the plug itself I don't fancy chopping into wires until I hit the right one - they are quite thin and pressing something into the wire to meet the core won't be easy.

It's the factory-fitted radio in a Renault Traffic van (2008).

Getting manuals for modern vehicles is becoming a nightmare. You occasionally find on-line downloads but nowadays more manufacturers are asking for subscription to their website to view the data online.....

'Haynes' (manuals) used to be the way to go but even they are sparse with modern vehicles - vans in particular.

[danneh3826]

What sort of hands free kit is it?

Most modern ones (Parrot - I use that a lot) come with the standard ISO "patch" leads. However, for non-standard ISO vehicles (and I think Renault may be one of them), you can get adapter cables which patch the hands free kit directly between the car and the radio. They're basically a 2-piece. The first converts from the vehicle's weird connector to ISO, and the second converts it back again. If you do that, you get all the added accessory features, such as radio mute when a call comes in, use of the vehicle's speakers for the call, and in some vehicles, CANBUS steering wheel control.

ISO has a standard pinout, but not a standard colour wiring scheme. It varies from manufacturer to manufacturer, vehicle to vehicle most times too. The only way you're going to solve this easily is by getting the radio out. You can put the handsfree kit beneath the upper glove box on the passenger side. There's 6 or 7 screws that come out and the panel just lifts off. Pop down to your local vehicle store (Halfords?) and see if they have, or will let you borrow, a set of radio extractor keys. It's not hard to get the radio out. Unplug it, patch the handsfree kit in, screw it all back together and enjoy.

And also, Haynes manuals are becoming more and more obsolete with the invention of the internet and CANBUS enabled vehicles. It's impossible to do in most modern cars what you used to be able to do with regards to it's electronics. It's almost always digital now.

This post has been edited by danneh3826 on February 11, 2010 10:39 pm

[kellys_eye]

^ some useful advice there - thanks

I've fabricated a pair of removal tools so I'll be doing a hard-wire after all.