Connects2 Radio Install Interface (Install your radio in MINUTES!)

[CKYmike]

We just completed testing for the Connects2 interface for aftermarket radios into any canbus-equipped audi/vw. This interface is a fully plug and play harness that we can make custom cables to connect to your new aftermarket radio and have it fully functional...install takes minutes.

How it works:
We use the connects2 harness and as many of you know, there is no accessory power behind the radio on many VAG cars. The harness includes a thin business card sized interface that uses canbus signals to get accessory power, reverse signal(for reverse cameras), illumination wire, vehicle speed sense(for gps equipped radios) and parking brake wire. Not to mention we have plugs available so that you can hook it up for steering wheel controls to your radio already programmed!

You will need a radio specific harness that we offer its only 10 dollars extra which allows you to complete your full plug and play setup.

Christian and I just tested the unit out in my A4 with a pioneer D3 harness that we custom made with the Connects2(which we can make for you as well) and it worked phenomenally with the stock Bose system. We had full track up/down, volume up/down, and the mode button on the steering wheel controlled the source right out of the box. A Youtube video will be up shortly on how it works and how easy it is to install.

If you have any questions please let me know, this unit will be the future in aftermarket installs for the VAG-scene.

http://enfigcarstereo.com/shopsite_sc/store/html/media/CONNECTS2_CTSAD002.jpg
http://enfigcarstereo.com/shopsite_sc/store/html/CONNECTS2_CTSAD002.html

[advan24r]

Can't wait, are you planning to conduct more testings? Let me know when you have one for the Kenwood DNX7140

[CKYmike]

Can't wait, are you planning to conduct more testings? Let me know when you have one for the Kenwood DNX7140

We're acutally now a Kenwood retailer so expect to see it very soon [up]

[staticuxo]

wow that's awesome.. i'm happy i waited. will this work for avic f90bt?

[advan24r]

Any updates for the Kenwood yet? Got the unit in and ready to go.

[nyca4tq]

wow that's awesome.. i'm happy i waited. will this work for avic f90bt?


What ^^ said !!

[CKYmike]

wow that's awesome.. i'm happy i waited. will this work for avic f90bt?

Yes, if you can call us up and we can definitely set something up for you.

[staticuxo]

Yes, if you can call us up and we can definitely set something up for you.

thanks, i'm not ready to upgrade, but i will be getting the f90bt eventually..

how much does this cost? [:)]

[advan24r]

Any updates for the Kenwood version of the Harness?

[Retsujou]

We're acutally now a Kenwood retailer so expect to see it very soon [up]

Excellent, please add me to the list as well. I am thinking about putting that into my car (that unit).

[prisch]

Did you guys ever get this working for the Kenwood?

[advan24r]

I have the kenwood cable from them...will be getting the unit installed tomorrow. Will update

[Retsujou]

I have the kenwood cable from them...will be getting the unit installed tomorrow. Will update

Do you also plan on MFSW connection to get the voice button and volume/station as well as mode button to work?

[advan24r]

Well, got it all to work. It does volume, scrolling through stations, and source. The only problem I'm having is that each time I restart the car, it goes to the initial setup menu on the Kenwood deck. So each time, I lose all my radio station presets. I'm not sure if it's the harness that's causing it or the deck itself. I've PMed Mike about it and will see if they noticed it when they tested it.

[advan24r]

Finally got it to work, the accessory wire and the main wire was switched on the harness that I purchased from Mike @ enfig. I had to contact connects2.com to figure this one out since I did not get a reply back from Mike in the past couple days.

[GraudiA4]

You have a PM CKYMike :)

[aleicgrant]

pm sent

[LondonRS4]

I have this working on a DNX 7140. I had some questions that were posted in an earlier thread that didn't get answered. So trying again.

(1) What does the green wire with the female bullet connector hook up to ?
(2) Is there an illumination wire from the Canbus module or do you have to hook the Kenwood illumination wire to somewhere else in the car ?
(3) The canbus module seems to run quite warm. Normal ?

The two 8 pin connectors are not relevant in a RS4 which had RNS-E with Bose, so the wires and pins in them were removed (ones running to the quadlock) or cut (the ones running to the Connects2 module). Makes the harness less bulky right off the bat.

I've pulled all the extraneous pins out of the cabling to make this even more servicable. My DNX7140 runs to two DLS RA40 amps in the back trunk well. Since I ran my own dedicated shielded preamp lines to the back and dedicated 16 Gauge wires to all 9 speakers so I didn't need any of the pins needed to mate to the stock trunk amp. So I pulled the 32 pin Amp connector plug on the Connects2 quadlock (low level preamp outputs) and the speaker plug (connector A in the quadlock). I also cut the DIN connector that comes from the Kenwood specific harness at the Connects2 module. Only the brown wire is relevant for the DNX7140 and it connects to the blue/yellow steering wheel control wire of the Kenwood.

I haven't checked the steering wheel control. Reverse camera and parking brake connections certainly work.

[LondonRS4]

So far, no responses from Enfig on my questions. Alas customer service is dead in the US of A. Also, no joy with the steering wheel control. When I press the mode button it says "insert phone" on the DIS in the instrument cluster. So it's not recognizing the Kenwood. The Kenwood does get the reverse and parking brake signals OK though. I'll have to dig further. Maybe something got disconnected when I pushed the mess of cables into the dash.

[aleicgrant]

why dont you call them. I spoke to Mike yesterday by phone and he was very helpful

[LondonRS4]

I will. Was hoping to have an answer here so the whole community could learn at the same time.

[aleicgrant]

I hear you and agree.

[Christian@enfig]

So far, no responses from Enfig on my questions. Alas customer service is dead in the US of A. Also, no joy with the steering wheel control. When I press the mode button it says "insert phone" on the DIS in the instrument cluster. So it's not recognizing the Kenwood. The Kenwood does get the reverse and parking brake signals OK though. I'll have to dig further. Maybe something got disconnected when I pushed the mess of cables into the dash.

Mike just spoke to you on the phone but where have you been sending E-mails to and when? Customer support is huge for us so I want to know why you haven't been responded to.

[Christian@enfig]

Finally got it to work, the accessory wire and the main wire was switched on the harness that I purchased from Mike @ enfig. I had to contact connects2.com to figure this one out since I did not get a reply back from Mike in the past couple days.

Where did you contact mike?

[aleicgrant]

"Customer support is huge for us so I want to know why you haven't been responded to"

now thats the spirit !!!!

[advan24r]

So far, no responses from Enfig on my questions. Alas customer service is dead in the US of A. Also, no joy with the steering wheel control. When I press the mode button it says "insert phone" on the DIS in the instrument cluster. So it's not recognizing the Kenwood. The Kenwood does get the reverse and parking brake signals OK though. I'll have to dig further. Maybe something got disconnected when I pushed the mess of cables into the dash.


Mine does the same thing, but I realized you have to push the mode button twice each time you want to change the source on the Kenwood.

[LondonRS4]

Spoke with Mike. Everything is cool. I imagine he has better things to do then hang around internet forums. When you sponsor a forum...it leads to some serious expectations I guess.[>_<]

I'm getting a new Connects2 unit plus new cables. Mike was helpful in troubleshooting and I've verified every voltage to be what it is supposed to be. So we suspect a bad CTSAD002 (see I noted the abnormal temperature it ran at above) New one already on the way from Enfig. It will be here in Canada tomorrow afternoon. As I mentioned in an earlier post wrt shipping...that's service !

I'll keep everyone posted and add some pics on Friday. The replacement of the RNS-E with the DNX7140 is not actually that difficult a task and if all the info is in one place, it should give others the courage to try it. The connections, including double and triple checking took far less time than the 4 days to run the RCAs, backup video camera line and remote turn on line to the trunk amps and processor and the new speaker wires from the trunk to the new speakers in the stock door locations.

[aleicgrant]

I am glad to hear this all got sorted out. NOW make sure you post those pics.

[LondonRS4]

So a mere 27 hours after I first talked to Mike, I had a Fed Ex box here in Canada with a new interface cables and controller. It all worked just as it was supposed to. So my original control box must have been bum. THe Interface cable and box is designed to accomodate very many installations. If you are using your head unit to drive your own amps and have run your own RCAs to the back of the car, then you can simplify the harness immensely. THis will give you a taste. More pics to come on the weekend.

Original
http://www.audizine.com/gallery/data/500/Original.jpg

My hacked version. On the right you can see the blue, grey, white and brown wires that are all you need to hook up to the Kenwood.
http://www.audizine.com/gallery/data/500/mine.jpg

[advan24r]

London: Please let me know if you still experience the "Insert Phone" after pushing the "Mode" steering button once. I want to know if this is normal since mine requires 2 pushes each time I want to switch sources.

[aleicgrant]

cant wait to see more. I am sending my harness out to him tomorrow so I am glad to hear its very easy.

[LondonRS4]

London: Please let me know if you still experience the "Insert Phone" after pushing the "Mode" steering button once. I want to know if this is normal since mine requires 2 pushes each time I want to switch sources.

Yes. On a single push I continue to get the Insert Phone message on DIS. However, the first time I push it just once I seem top get a change of source on the Kenwood. But after that I have to do double presses. I'm going to read up on Vag-com coding to see if there is a way to change this. I don't find it particularly annoying as I tend to pick my source and stick with it for several hours.

[CKYmike]

Sorry LondonRS4 for not responding on here, unfortunately things have gotten so busy here at the office I can't be on the forums as much as I'd like.

I'm happy to see it working. Now after hearing the issue with the Mode switching with cars equipped with factory Bluetooth, I'm in the midst of finding a solution to disable to the module.

[LondonRS4]

I'm sure it's just changes to Controller 19 (CAN Gateway) to disable the BT controller 77. Probably Bit 7 of Byte 3 from what I vaguely remember reading smewhere.


EDIT: You can't edit the CAN gateway with VAG-COM I believe.

The way to turn off bluetooth may be as follows. I will try verify on the weekend.
Bluetooth
[Select]
[77 - Telephone]
[Adaptation - 10]
Channel 133
[Read]
0 = Bluetooth OFF
1 = Bluetooth ON
[Test]
[Save]
[Done, Go Back]
[Close Controller, Go Back - 06]

[LondonRS4]

OK, solved the mode problem. Also changed some other coding to make various errors go away.

To make the mode work with single presses, you have to tell the car it has a MFSW, but no head unit or phone. To do this, use VAG-COM to go to Radio or Nav controller and recode using 0300111 (my car was coded 0309617).

I also went to the Telephone controller and recoded to 0001600, telling the car it only has MFSW, Diagnostics via K-line, voice control off and no display (my car was coded 0011877). In the Adaptation channels, go to Ch 133 and set to 0 for no Bluetooth.

These should make life simpler for aftermarket HU owners.

[aleicgrant]

now to find someone with a vag tool !!!!

[advan24r]

ditto..would the dealership be able to do it for me?

[LondonRS4]

ditto..would the dealership be able to do it for me?

Yeah, I'm sure they could. They just need to remove all traces that you had a radio, telephone and CD changer and satellite in your Radio or Nav Coding.

Note that this only worked for me by putting the original radio in. Without the radio, you can't access the radio or navigation settings ironically. I assume the dealer can also do it by using the CAN Gateway, but I'm not sure.

Just to be complete, here is the coding for a RNS-E in a 2007 RS4. So you can see what 0300111 translates to. I may have made an error (though everything works) in setting the last digit to 1 instead of 5. I will change that tomorrow, but like I said, probably no difference. The important piece is probably the "telephone not installed" code 0xxx1xx

0?xxxxx: Model
3 = Audi A4 (8E)

0x?xxxx: Treble Speaker Monitoring inactive
0 = Front Treble Speaker Monitoring inactive active (NOT Audi A4 Cabriolet)

0xx?xxx: Sound Characteristic
0 = Sound Characteristic linear

0xxx?xx: Telephone/Telematic
1 = Telephone not installed (Remote Feed Voltage for Microphone active)

0xxxx?x: Equipment I
1 = Tuner not installed

0xxxxx?: Equipment II
1 = TV-Tuner/CD-Changer/Multi-Function Steering Wheel not installed
2 = TV-Tuner installed
3 = CD-Changer installed
4 = TV-Tuner and CD-Changer installed
5 = Multi-Function Steering Wheel installed
6 = TV-Tuner and Multi-Function Steering Wheel installed
7 = CD-Changer and Multi-Function Steering Wheel installed
8 = TV-Tuner and CD-Changer and Multi-Function Steering Wheel installed

[aleicgrant]

off topic question but if I am selling my factory radio, where do I locate the code to give to the new owner?

[LondonRS4]

off topic question but if I am selling my factory radio, where do I locate the code to give to the new owner?

If it isn't with your manuals, then you need your radio serial number and VIN and a cooperative dealer. Most dealers will ask you to bring the car in so they can get the radio serial number and VIN themselves and ensure the radio is not stolen before giving you the PIN. My dealer knows me and so that was not an issue. Took 1 minute.

You can get the radio serial number through VAG-COM or in engineering mode from the unit itself. You will have to hook it back up to the quadlock for either approach to work.

[skibumdc]

Enfig Mike,

Will this module allow the Factory XM Module to work with an aftermarket Head Unit?

[xcellr8tion]

BTW - Enfig Mike, sent you an email over the weekend, hoping you can help!

[psiaddict85]

PM sent

[htfan]

Enfig Mike,

Will this module allow the Factory XM Module to work with an aftermarket Head Unit?

No it won't. If someone has information on a product that makes the factory XM or SIRIUS work with an aftermarket HU... please let us know!

[CKYmike]

The way the tuner communicates its written to only communicate with a factory h/u. You can use the antenna but the tuner's gotta go if you're doing an aftermarket radio.

[htfan]

The way the tuner communicates its written to only communicate with a factory h/u. You can use the antenna but the tuner's gotta go if you're doing an aftermarket radio.

Thanks Mike.

I thought so... but was hoping there was something I didn't know about.

[psiaddict85]

I sent you a PM about a harness and haven't heard back in days

[CKYmike]

I sent you a PM about a harness and haven't heard back in days

Give us a call at the office

[audballz]

Does this adapter allow the voice button on the steering wheel to activate voice recognition for the new Kenwood 9140?

[CKYmike]

That voice button is set up on a different circuit and is non functional with either the Connects2 or PAC steering wheel interfaces.

[LERecords]

soo.. let me get this strait.. i send you a harness for say a new aftermarket radio i bought.. and tell you what i have for a car now.. and you'll send back a plug and play harness that will make it super simple to install???

[htfan]

soo.. let me get this strait.. i send you a harness for say a new aftermarket radio i bought.. and tell you what i have for a car now.. and you'll send back a plug and play harness that will make it super simple to install???

what you're asking may be a "service" that someone could offer...

most of us just purchase the correct harness adapter (Connects2 or Metra) for our specific vehicle and HU.

[CKYmike]

soo.. let me get this strait.. i send you a harness for say a new aftermarket radio i bought.. and tell you what i have for a car now.. and you'll send back a plug and play harness that will make it super simple to install???

Bingo. You can go ahead and attempt the install yourself by connecting all the leads from the radio to the Connects2 yourself, however if you would like we can do that work for you so that when you get it the harness back from us it has the Connects2 kit ready to go and you would just need to do this:

Connect one side of harness to your factory plug
Connect the other side to your radio
Plug in your antenna adapter
Set the radio in your dash-kit(which we can guide you with as well)

What you would be left with is an aftermarket radio installed with reverse signal, parking brake, illumination, retention of your steering wheel controls and NOO wires running from the radio cavity to the fuse box for accessory or illumination.

But if you feel comfortable wiring the harness to the Connects2 we'd be glad to help guide you if you run into any problems[:)]

[LERecords]

AWESOME... that sounds fantastic.. this is a big help for people that would like to upgrade to something other than the audi sound systems (nav and such)..

[htfan]

... however if you would like we can do that work for you so that when you get it the harness back from us it has the Connects2 kit ready to go and you would just need to do this:

Connect one side of harness to your factory plug
Connect the other side to your radio
Plug in your antenna adapter
Set the radio in your dash-kit(which we can guide you with as well)

What you would be left with is an aftermarket radio installed with reverse signal, parking brake, illumination, retention of your steering wheel controls and NOO wires running from the radio cavity to the fuse box for accessory or illumination...

That is a very nice service! Is there a flat fee or is it dependent on the car/HU?

[durfA4]

I just bought a Pioneer Avic x910bt for my allroad, I can't wait to get it installed so this makes the most sense for ease of install.

[madkimchi]

just installed 9140 using connect2 from enfig. i had them pre wire my kenwood harness for me and it was truly plug & play.

[htfan]

just installed 9140 using connect2 from enfig. i had them pre wire my kenwood harness for me and it was truly plug & play.

VERY nice! Wish I would have known this before... would have saved me a bunch of time for my own install.

[madkimchi]

VERY nice! Wish I would have known this before... would have saved me a bunch of time for my own install.

yea after donig some research on how to install aftermarket headunit on audis i decided spend extra money to have them pre wire everything for me.

[aleicgrant]

well I gave up and going back to Factory. Completely frustrating that Audi has changed over to digital for remote turn on. I can integrate my Z110bt so I am selling everything.

almost 3 months of wasted time

[htfan]

well I gave up and going back to Factory. Completely frustrating that Audi has changed over to digital for remote turn on. I can integrate my Z110bt so I am selling everything.

almost 3 months of wasted time

Sorry to hear that! So, the Connectst2 did not provide the integration you needed?

I have the 700BT with the Connects2, everything works as I would have hoped.

[aleicgrant]

It's not connects2 in that they haven't updated their harness to work with the digital turn on and it's doubtful they will until more cars have it.

[htfan]

It's not connects2 in that they haven't updated their harness to work with the digital turn on and it's doubtful they will until more cars have it.

yes... makes sense. There is always a lag for aftermarket adapters to catch up with factory changes....[:/]

[aleicgrant]

yep and since the TTS is not sold in high volume I suspect it will be even longer. So I live with crappy sound and a really nice head unit or go back to OEM or spend a ton on new amps and speakers which is the last thing I want to do

ugh

[audballz]

It's not connects2 in that they haven't updated their harness to work with the digital turn on and it's doubtful they will until more cars have it.

You lost me at "Digital Turn On". What is that?

[aleicgrant]

Since the dawn of age in car stereo turning an amp on is usually done by sending a 12v analog command. My car is doing the same but via digital so IRS sending ones and zeros as a command. So you can't tap into it with another analog source. I am sure my installer could explain better but that's the gist of it

[htfan]

You lost me at "Digital Turn On". What is that?

For example, on the B7 the ACC (switched 12v) is not a wire located on the HU harness. It is a CAN-BUS signal (like reverse-wire and VSS). You need another adapter (Connects2 or SWI-CAN) to interpret the CAN-BUS signal and provide the ACC wire.

[skeeball]

How are steering wheel controls programmed (assigning buttons to functions)? I tried emailing [email protected] a couple of days ago, but I haven't heard anything back.