Connecting a car radio. Installing a radio

High quality sound makes car trips much more enjoyable, but before you can enjoy your favorite music, you need to connect the radio correctly. This procedure is not very complicated, but due to the fact that each car and radio manufacturer uses its own connectors, some installation difficulties may arise. Connecting the radio according to the color of the wires will come to the rescue.

Precautionary measures

You need to understand that incorrectly connecting the car radio can lead to unpleasant consequences:

• Breakdown of the radio;
• Deterioration in sound quality;
• Wiring short circuit;
• In rare cases, when incorrect connection cassette player to the battery, you can quickly discharge it. Sometimes this can cause a fire.

In order not to waste your time, you can use the services of a car repair shop, but you need to be prepared to spend a certain amount that the service will charge for connection. In addition, it is worth considering that the cost of connecting a car radio to a foreign car (for example, Toyota) will be higher. The brand of the car radio is also taken into account. Thus, a Pioneer radio (which is the most common and beloved among motorists) will cost less than a Sony or Kenwood radio.

But if a car enthusiast has a desire to understand the device, the ability to spend a couple of hours and, no less important, the desire to save a decent amount of money, then the rest of the article will describe in detail how to connect a car radio according to the colors of the wires.

Car radio device options

All radios are manufactured according to the standards of the company that owns them. The aforementioned Pioneer, Kenwood and Sony are manufactured in accordance with the standards of their companies. However, each of them has a standard ISO adapter. Likewise, every machine has a standard plug for this adapter.

Based on this, one of three situations may arise:

• The first option is ideal. All wires in the car have been removed. Everything is connected according to standards and output to an ISO connector. There will be no difficulties in this case. You just need to connect this connector to the radio.
• The second case is when all the wires are routed correctly, but the connector does not fit. In this case, you can purchase a conductor, of which there are a great many sold in specialized stores, connect the radio through the conductor and enjoy high-quality sound.
• The last option: the wires are not brought out into one connector or there are none at all.

The third option is the most problematic, and therefore it is necessary to consider it further.

Wire color identification

For work correct connection V mandatory you need to know the colors of the wires and their designation. The diagram of the radio wires by color is shown in the photo. On all cars and radios (Pioneer, Sony and Kenwood and others) it is customary to use a certain color to indicate the identity of the wire. It is worth noting that the radio wires differ in color and in the presence or absence of a strip. So, all wires with a stripe are a minus, and those without a stripe are a plus.

• Battery negative – black;
• Battery plus – yellow;

• Ignition plus – red;
• Left front speaker – white and white with stripe;
• Right front speaker – gray and gray with stripe;
• Left rear speaker – green and green with stripe;
• Right rear speaker – purple with a purple stripe;
• Antenna – blue;
• Amplifier – blue with a stripe.

Connecting a car radio

When connecting the radio, you must strictly follow the diagram. To power the car radio, you need to connect the yellow wire to the battery positive. The black wire goes to ground, this is grounding. The red wire is powered from the ignition switch. Ideally, it should be connected so that it is powered only when the key is in the ACC position.

Since installation difficulties arise precisely in the absence of an ISO adapter, all wires must be stripped and then insulated. Stranded copper wires with silicone insulation are ideal. Once the wiring is complete, they can be combined into a standard adapter, but you can also insulate them with the radio wires. The main thing is that the color of the wires of the radio and the car match each other.

There are several other undesirable options for connecting a car radio to a car. Most motorists, not wanting to bother with connecting the yellow wire to the battery, connect it together with the red wire to the ignition switch. This deprives the radio of more power and does not allow you to get high-quality and powerful sound. The same thing happens when the radio is powered from the cigarette lighter.

It happens that the yellow and red wires are connected to the battery. The advantages of this connection are that the radio is always in standby mode and ready for use. However, this method quickly lands him. Therefore, it is worth thinking about what is more important: the operation of the radio independent of the ignition switch or the long-term operation of the battery?

Connecting speakers

The colors of the radio speaker wires have already been described above. Therefore, in accordance with them, you can safely connect any speakers.

Today, almost all car radios are oriented towards 4 speakers: two in front and two in back. It is worth noting that a powerful audio system has a plus and minus output to each speaker. A weak audio system has only a positive output. Therefore, the minus from the column is displayed on the total mass. To get better sound, it is best to observe the plus and minus contacts.

If poor sound quality occurs after installation, there is a simple and effective way to make the connection correctly. You need to transfer the sound to the front speakers, then transfer the sound to one speaker, for example, the left one. Turn on the music at full volume until wheezing or distortion appears. After that, transfer the sound to the 2 front speakers.

If the sound becomes louder and remains of high quality, then the connection is made correctly. If there is no change in volume, or distortion appears, then you need to check whether the plus and minus are connected correctly.

As you can see, connecting a car radio based on the color of the wires is not difficult and, with a careful approach, will take no more than 2-3 hours.

When buying a car, in most cases, we immediately receive an installed audio system, be it standard or pre-installed by the car dealership. An exception may be a car in the most budget configuration or a used one from which a caring seller has successfully dismantled it. In general, there may come a time when it may be useful for you to know how to connect a radio in the car.

The article is both a guide and a set of tips, but it does not reflect everyone possible options installation, it depends on your imagination and on the design of a particular car. I also want to warn you that self installation produced by you and for equipment breakdowns and The author of the article is not responsible for connection errors.

1. Selecting a location for installing the radio.

The radio in the car can be installed anywhere, as long as there is a suitable place. Usually in the design of the front panel and console there is a place provided for it, you can even install it in the dashboard or attach it to a bracket under the panel, in general, it all depends on your desire and on the design of the car. You should take into account the installation dimensions of the radio, such as the installation depth; it is calculated by taking into account the length of the device body and the connectors with wires on the back. There should be enough space for the wires, taking into account their length, sufficient for easy access when removing the radio. The radio tape recorder is installed in the seat using a metal basket (sled). It is attached to the panel with metal petals, and the radio is inserted into this basket and fixed.

2. Options for connecting the radio in the car.

There are three types of connection: 1 - old and almost out of use - through the mounting basket of the radio (this is from those times when there were no removable panels and the radio was removed entirely); 2 - connecting the radio wires by soldering or twisting; 3 - connection via ISO connector.

The first and second options are to connect the conductors of the radio to the speakers and power supply by soldering or twisting; in this case, it will be difficult to dismantle or replace the radio; you will have to cut the wires and reconnect them. It is recommended to use soldering for this connection, but this is difficult in a car. When connecting by twisting, the wires must be thoroughly cleaned of oxides and twisted securely. In the case of soldering and twisting, it is necessary to well insulate the joints; heat shrink tubing is perfect for this, but you can also do it the old fashioned way - with electrical tape.

The connection option via an ISO connector is the most universal, because... Most car radios are sold with this connector. The pinout of the connector is standardized and practically does not differ between different manufacturers. But even if any contact is installed in the wrong place, it can be easily rearranged. The contacts with wires in the connector can be removed by squeezing the plastic lock with a needle. In the case of connection via an ISO connector, it is installed once into the car wiring using soldering or twisting, and then the car radio is connected only using this connector. Anyway how to connect a radio you choose for yourself.

3. Types of car radios.

Car radios are standard in size and do not vary from company to company, the only exception being the installation depth, which may vary. The size of the radio is designated as DIN (this is one standard seat), there is 1DIN, and there is also 2DIN. The latter are twice as tall and are usually multimedia centers with a large screen.

Standard 2DIN differs from regular 2DIN in the design of the front panel; it is made in the style of a car panel on which it is installed to fit into the interior. Also, standard 2DIN may have different connectors and their pinouts, so if you have standard car radio from some car and you want to install it for yourself, then some problems may arise. For example, in standard radios Hyundai/KIA may not have a built-in audio amplifier and they only work with an external one. The fact is that such devices are designed for use with a specific car, a specific brand, and therefore the manufacturer can use the types of connectors that he wants.

The dimensions of 1DIN devices (HxW) are 50x180mm, and 2DIN devices are 100x180mm; in depth, as I wrote earlier, they may vary.

4. What to connect where.

So, we are slowly approaching the main question, how to connect a radio, namely, what to connect where. In a regular radio, the main ISO connector contains at least 12 wires, this is enough to connect 4 speakers, power the radio and power the antenna. Each wire has its own color and this helps to determine their purpose and not be confused with each other. The colors of these wires are also more or less standardized, but still often differ. Also, on the rear panel you can find other connectors for connecting an antenna, CD changers, USB devices, remote control, microphone (if Hands Free is available), as well as line outputs for connecting an external amplifier.

The main connector contains at least 12 wires: three for connecting power to the radio, 8 for speakers, and a wire for supplying power to the antenna. Some models may have more wires; sometimes a wire is added to control the display backlight. The purpose of each wire can be found in the installation instructions for the radio; sometimes there is a sticker on the case with the purpose of the wires. If there are neither instructions nor stickers, you can figure out the purpose of the wires by their color. First, we find the power supply - these are three wires, thick black, yellow and red. Black is connected to the vehicle ground, red is connected to the ignition switch to the Acc (Accesories) contact, yellow is connected to the battery positive. The speaker wires are divided into 4 pairs, white, gray, green and purple. Each pair has two wires, solid color and alternating with black. A solid color wire is connected to the plus of the speaker, and the second, respectively, to the minus of the speaker. The white pair of wires is for the front left speaker, the gray pair is for the front right, the green pair is for the rear left, and the purple pair is for the rear right. There is also a blue wire in the connector, +12V appears on it when the radio is turned on, it is needed to supply power to the active antenna of the radio, but the same reason can be used to remotely turn on an external amplifier by connecting it to the Remote contact of the amplifier terminal block.

In the connection option shown in the figure above, the red wire is connected to the ignition switch; in this case, the radio turns on only when the key is in the ignition switch and turned to the Acc position. In order for the radio to operate without a key in the ignition, the red and yellow wires must be connected together and connected to the +12V battery.

If the car has “audio preparation”, i.e. The ISO connector and wires are already present, connected to the car's electrical system, then before connecting the radio, you need to check the wires on the connector of the car and the radio; it is especially important to check the coincidence of the supply wires.

To connect to a vehicle's wiring, you must have a wiring diagram for that vehicle to locate the connection points to the ignition switch, battery positive terminal, and ground. With the ground, everything is simple - you can connect to any place, to the metal on the body using a bolt with a nut or a ground terminal block. If there is no wiring diagram for the car, then armed with a voltmeter you will have to look for the right wire yourself. But you can significantly simplify the task, the positive wire from the battery is always present on the BPR terminal block (fuse and relay block), you can poke a voltmeter into all the thick wires in it. Or, run a separate wire directly to the positive terminal of the battery. Using a voltmeter, find the positive on the ignition switch in the Acc position.

Important! When connecting the radio to the wiring, use wires of the appropriate cross-section, and install fuses on the positive wires!

The wires must be of the same cross-section as those coming out of the car radio; you can take a larger cross-section, but not less. When connecting to wiring, do not forget about insulating the connections; any unreliable contact or exposed wire can lead to a short circuit or even a fire.

After power is supplied to the radio, you can proceed to connecting the speakers. Their location may vary, usually standard places are provided either in the dashboard, or in door niches, in the rear parcel shelf. When choosing speakers, pay attention to their size; it must match the seat in the car. If standard places are not provided, then you will have to make them yourself; for this, you may need to disassemble part of the casing in order to determine the places suitable for installation.

In the photo above, I showed, as an example, the standard installation locations for the speakers in the dashboard, doors and rear parcel shelf. It is possible that during audio preparation, speakers are already installed there at the factory. If there is already wiring, it must be brought to the place where the radio is installed; if not, you will have to install it yourself. It is always better to take wires with a larger cross-section (1.5 - 2 sq. mm), they are of course more expensive, but the current and voltage losses in such wires will be less. Always choose stranded wire; they are more resistant to kinks at bends. It is better to strengthen the wiring in the doors, in the places where it transitions to the body, by putting a corrugated tube on it (if it is not in the design of the car). So, when the wiring is connected from the speakers to the radio, you can connect everything. You need to observe + and - when connecting speakers, but if you mix them up, nothing bad will happen. It is easy to check the correct polarity connection in the wiring, take a regular 1.5 volt battery and connect it to the wires coming from the speaker, if the diffuser goes up, then the wires are connected correctly, if the diffuser goes inward, the polarity is reversed. If the speakers high power, the movement of the diffuser from a 1.5 volt battery may not be enough and you can apply more voltage, but you should not apply 12V to the car's electrical system, as this can quickly burn the speaker coil.

After supplying power to the radio and connecting the speakers, you can already turn it on and listen to music, but there is also a radio left. If there is audio preparation, that is, there is also a plug from the antenna, it can be installed on the fenders of the car or on the roof. If there is no standard antenna, we run to the store and choose the one we like best, but do not forget that it will need to be attached to the body. There are many types of antenna mounts, and you need to choose the one that best suits the design of your car without damaging the body. Or, you can buy a Velcro antenna, it sticks to inside windshield. Very often such antennas have a small amplifier box; for such an antenna you will need the blue wire from the ISO connector, which I wrote about earlier. Whatever antenna we choose, it will be connected to the radio into a special connector for the antenna, and the wire between the antenna and this plug should only be coaxial, it is also called a “radio cable” or a shielded cable, and sometimes unknowing people call it a “television cable”. A coaxial cable should be chosen only because there are many sources of radio interference in the car and this may affect the quality of radio reception.

The photo shows an example of an antenna plug for car radio and coaxial cable. Most antennas are already sold with such a wire, but there are exceptions.

After we have installed the radio and speakers, stretched and connected all the wires, all that remains is to set up your radio and enjoy the work done!

You can read about connecting an external power amplifier to the radio, and about how to make a subwoofer yourself.

I hope and article how to connect a radio It will be useful to you, good luck in connecting!!!

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If you are a true car enthusiast, then a car is for you not only a way to quickly move from point A to point B, but also a second home where it is always pleasant to be. One of the reasons that keeps young people driving around the city without any specific purpose or destination is music. Just driving along the roads of a city at night, enjoying the sounds of your favorite music, is quite an ordinary thing for those who have a really high-quality sound system installed in their car. It doesn’t matter if you are also a lover of high-quality music, but the budget for purchasing and installing a car radio is not too large. In this article you will learn how to properly connect a car radio in your car without the help of specialized services.

Selecting a car radio

Today, the problem of choosing a car radio does not seem to be as big a task as it was a few years ago. IN last years A huge number of worthy companies have appeared that offer really high-quality radios at an affordable price. Finding an interesting option in terms of price-quality ratio is really not a problem, so the only question that remains to be decided is which car radio will be installed in your car.

As a rule, modern radios are divided into two parts. These are single-din, or as they are also called, single-block, and double-din. The first option is most common in our country and in Europe. Two-block radios are most popular in countries such as Japan, America and Korea. The main difference between each type is only in their size. Double-din radios are twice the size of single-din radios, which allows manufacturers to make models with a larger touch screen, as well as introduce more multimedia functions.

It doesn’t take long to choose the size of a car radio, because if you own a car with a 1-DIN radio, then installing a double-din version simply won’t work. However, some car enthusiasts manage to reorganize the space so that the 2-DIN type option still fits on the front panel. But this is a topic for a separate article, and now let’s talk about how it is possible to install a car radio with your own hands.

How to properly connect a car radio

After choosing a car radio, you can begin the process of installing it. As a rule, there are no problems during installation if you have purchased a radio of the size you need, which is ideal for your car. In order to mount the car radio in its rightful place, it is enough to insert it into the slot provided for this purpose and fix it, depending on the features of the device. Most modern models are secured with metal petals located around the perimeter. They bend back and securely fix the car radio. However, there is no need to talk for a long time about how to install a radio in a car, because most often instructions are included with the device.

The fun begins when you connect a new device. This is where most questions arise. The main thing is not to be scared, because installing a car radio with your own hands is not difficult if you know what and how to do. That is why we move on to theory.

As a rule, most modern car radios are equipped with a standard ISO connector. New cars are equipped with exactly the same connector, so there shouldn’t be any big problems with the connection. The whole connection ends with connecting these two plugs together and enjoying the music.

But how to properly connect a car radio in a car that does not have an ISO plug? Unfortunately, there are also older models that actually provide a different way to connect the car radio. But don’t be upset, because to install and connect the car radio, you need to find the right connector in the store and use the instructions to connect the radio to the car.

Car radio connection typeISO

When all necessary tools ready to go, you can start connecting. Next, we will look at how to properly connect a car radio with an ISO connector. A special diagram will help us with this, on which you can see which wires are responsible for what and where they go. So, for example, on the left side of the diagram the power connection for the car radio is shown, and on the right is the output to the speakers.

Let's start with connecting the power, since it is at this stage that most mistakes are made. Three wires are responsible for powering the car radio, each of which performs a specific function.

Yellow wire for 12V

This wire is the main one, since it is responsible not only for powering the built-in amplifier, but also for saving the car radio settings. When connecting it, you must use a 10 amp fuse, and the approximate length of the wire should be 30 cm. In addition, yellow wires marked B+, BU or BATT are very common. They can also be used.

Red wireACC

This wire is responsible for controlling the power of the car radio. Simply put, power will be supplied to the radio only when the ignition key is in the desired position. Surely you have noticed more than once that when you turn the key to the ACC position in the car, the stove, cigarette lighter, radio and other devices start up.

Black wireGND

The wire marked GND is connected to the negative terminal car battery. Some car enthusiasts prefer to connect it to the car body, but this is only relevant in cases where the car radio has low power. It is also very important when connecting the GND wire to the car body to thoroughly clean the connection point, thus ensuring good contact.

When the car radio is provided with power, you can proceed to the output to the speakers. For this purpose, there are also special wires that are laid to one or another column:

1. Front Left (FL) – front left speaker
2. Front Right (FR) – front right speaker
3. Rear Left (RL) – rear left
4. Rear Right (RR) – rear right

It is worth noting that some car radios have not only wires like FL, FR, and so on, but also so-called tulip connectors. If your speakers are equipped with these types of connectors, you can use them for connection. Otherwise, you need to know which other wires are responsible for what.

White wireANT

The wire with this marking is responsible for controlling the car radio's antenna. Depending on the signal quality, it supplies power to the internal active antenna or to power the external antenna.

Wire with markingsILL (Illumination)

The color of this wire may vary depending on the manufacturer. Most often this is a light pink or yellow version of it. The wire marked ILL is connected to side lights, to the plus. It’s easy to guess that it is responsible for the car radio’s backlight.

MUTE

Responsible for muting the sound when a button is pressed.

Parking line

Connects to hand brake. Necessary in order to prevent the driver from turning on a movie while the car is in motion.

If everything was done correctly, then when you turn on the car radio, everything should work. We hope that we were able to answer the question of how to properly connect a car radio.

Good afternoon. In today's article I will tell you how to connect a car radio in a car and analyze typical errors connection of radio tape recorders. Traditionally for our site, the article is provided detailed photo and video instructions.

Attention!

If, when connecting, you arrange the so-called. short circuit This can lead to melted wires, burns and, in extreme cases, a fire. Please, when connecting the car radio, be careful, carefully insulate all wire connections and do not forget about the fuse...

To connect the radio we need:

• The car radio itself, the speakers and their wires
• Stationery knife or special knife. tool for removing insulation from wires.
• Insulating tape.
• Fuse (10a-15a) and its connector.
• Multimeter or test light.
• Crown battery

The simplest option is that the car has audio preparation.

Audio preparation – i.e. Special connectors, an antenna are installed in the car's wiring, and speakers are fixed in standard places. For many models, audio preparation is an option, and many owners refuse it in order to reduce the cost of the car when purchasing, but this should not be done, since radio installers will ask for much more money for it.

With factory audio preparation, installing a radio comes down to purchasing an adapter between the wiring connectors and your radio.

Adapters are freely sold in most stores that sell radio tape recorders, but if you want, you can save them order on aliexpress.

The adapters look like this:

The second most difficult option is that the car does not have audio preparation, but a radio tape recorder was previously installed (for example, a cassette).

In this case, you need to replace the radio connector with a new connector (or maybe you’ll be lucky and they will match).

The diagram for connecting a car radio looks like this:

Most likely after you cut off the old radio connector (it’s better to do this with the battery terminal removed). You will have several wires and you need to determine where they are coming from, usually you need to find the permanent positive, positive from the ignition, ground and speakers.

How it's done?

— We expose the wires using a utility knife and arrange them so that they do not short-circuit.

— We put the terminal on the battery.

— We connect one terminal of the test lamp (or multimeter) to the car body (ground) and with the second terminal, sequentially, we touch each of the exposed wires. When the light comes on or the multimeter shows voltage, congratulations, you have found a permanent positive.

— It’s better to immediately twist it with the radio connector (usually the wire is yellow and BAT +12v is written on it) and insulate it with heat shrink or electrical tape. On this wire it is necessary to install fuse rated 10-15 amperes.

— We are looking for the plus from the ignition switch, to do this we open the lock to the “ignition on” position and similarly, using a multimeter or a light bulb, we look for the required wire. The found wire must be connected to the red wire of the radio connector (usually ACC+ is written on the wire); we do not isolate it yet!

Note (sometimes this wire is connected to a permanent positive, but in this case the radio will drain the battery, since it will not have a standby mode)

— We are looking for ground, to do this we disconnect control lamp from the body and connect it to the last twist just made and connect the second terminal of the control (multimeter) in series with the remaining wires. Once the light comes on (or the multimeter shows voltage), you have found ground. We connect it with a twist to the black wire of the radio connector (usually it is labeled gnd, ground)

— We isolate it and the plus from the ignition switch.

All of you can connect the radio. If everything is done correctly, it will light up.... But you also need to connect speakers and an antenna to the radio.

Connecting speakers.

You have 10 wires left. One of them is an antenna cable, one plus antenna power and 8 wires from the speakers.

Wires from speakers usually come in pairs, but their markings are not always correct. Therefore, we need a crown battery.

We attach it to a pair of wires for 1-2 seconds and listen to which speaker clicks. Next, we look at the speaker itself and connect the battery again. If the speaker goes forward, then the polarity is correct, and we screw it + to + and – to -, in accordance with the diagram. If the speaker goes inside, it means the polarity is wrong and we connect it the other way around.

Here's a video on how to determine speaker polarity:

It is very important to monitor the polarity, as otherwise the sound in the car will be very Low quality!

We consistently check and connect all the speakers, front left. Rear left, rear right, front right.

Connecting an antenna usually does not cause any difficulties.

Here is a short video about connecting a car radio, but the red and yellow colors are mixed up (as written correctly in the article):

The third most difficult option is to install a car radio in a car without audio preparation for the first time.

Don't be alarmed, there is a lot less text here since there is no need to determine the purpose of the wires. The labor intensity is higher since we will be laying these wires!

The connection diagram does not change:

• We pull a constant plus from battery, always through a 10-15 ampere fuse, with a wire of 2.5-4 squares!

There is an option to take a permanent plus from the cigarette lighter, but as practice has shown, usually the cigarette lighter is powered by a 1.5 square meter wire and has a 10 ampere fuse. In my car, when the tire inflation pump was connected and the radio was running, this fuse burned out!

• We look under the panel (for example, on the fuse block or on the ignition switch) for the wire where the plus appears when the ignition is turned on, and accordingly, from there we pull the wire to the plus of the radio, which is responsible for turning it on. You can hook this wire to a permanent plus, but the radio will drain the battery!

• We lay the ground wire and securely fasten it to the body (for example, to fasten a panel to the body)

• We install the speakers in their regular places and lay their wires, be sure to observe the polarity!

• We connect the antenna and its control wire.

The installation of the radio is complete, you have just saved 1.5-3 tr.

The most complex option is that the car radio is installed in a car with non-standard wiring (trucks and vintage cars).

Most car radios are designed for 12 volt power. On most trucks The voltage standard used is 24 volts, so when you connect a 12-volt car radio to a 24-volt network, it will inevitably fail.

Therefore, they connect the car radio to one battery (the one with the minus side attached to the car body), and from its plus they pull the wire into the cab to the radio. This solution does exist, but it has a significant drawback - after 1-2 weeks of inactivity, the battery will be severely discharged and it will be impossible to start the engine without charging it!

To prevent this from happening, it is necessary to use a special voltage converter. It looks like this:

Usually they refuse the memory of the radio and connect the device according to this scheme:

As a result, the memory function of the radio will not be used, but it will not drain the battery and, most importantly, there is no need to run a non-standard wire from the battery into the cabin.

The converters themselves are sold in online stores; as an option, consider purchasing on aliexpress.

In the case of vintage cars, non-standard supply voltages (6 volts) or + on the car body are possible. Connecting a car radio in such cars is decided individually each time and has no general recommendations.

That's all for me today. Smooth roads and reliable radios to everyone.

Cars have become a part of our lives and today they are not just a means of transportation, but a place where we spend a lot of time. On the way from work, to work, during vacation and fishing trips, all motorists are faced with such a common phenomenon as traffic jams. During the grueling hours of standing in traffic jams for many hours, there is nothing better than listening to music or watching a movie. Modern radios have everything you need for a comfortable pastime. The cost of such units can range from several thousand rubles to hundreds, and the choice here depends on your financial capabilities. You can save a lot on installing the device if you have at least the slightest knowledge of electrical engineering.

Before installing the equipment, you must first familiarize yourself with standard sizes radios, which may differ depending on the selected model of audio installation.

On the box with the radio, many car enthusiasts notice hitherto unseen symbols and designations. For example, a 2 DIN car radio with Android navigation. Everyone knows perfectly well what navigation and Android are, but 2 DIN is less common in life. In fact, there are two sizes of sockets for car radios, namely:

• 1 DIN – dimensions 178 x 52 mm;
• 2 DIN – dimensions 178 x 100 mm.

In addition, there are now 1 DIN devices on the market with smaller dimensions of 178 x 52 x 159 mm. Such models are much cheaper due to the fact that they do not have a CD drive, instead of which USB ports are installed on the front panel.

If we talk about the differences in the main standard sizes, then 2 DIN products are equipped with a large display and large buttons. Thanks to this, such radios are easy to control. In addition, such devices often have a large number of functions, turning into full-fledged media receivers.

If you are the owner of a car radio with a retractable display, then most likely dimensions devices will comply with 1 DIN standard. Such devices are distinguished by their compactness, and thanks to the large display, you can watch DVDs in the car, use the Internet or a navigator. 1 DIN car radios with a retractable screen are installed in the same way as other tape recorders. The main thing is that everything is done in accordance with the recommendations given below in the article.

If your car has a 1 DIN car radio socket, but you want to use a more multifunctional device, then there are special adapter frames for 2 DIN car radios on sale.

If we talk about the depth of radio tape recorders, then this value is usually 160 mm, regardless of the standard size. Once you have determined that your radio corresponds to the socket provided by the manufacturer, or you have purchased an adapter frame or made it yourself, you can begin installing the device.

Installation Features

Before starting work, you need to pay attention to the connectors of the car radio and the car. If they don't match, it's okay. Now on the market you can purchase any necessary adapter that allows you to switch from the original speakers to the generally accepted ISO standard. The best car radio connector is ISO 10487, so if yours has one, vehicle, then the installation process will be much easier.

Before installation, you must purchase a set of all the necessary wires to connect power and speakers. It is better to choose shorter wiring without unnecessary twists. Multicore wires with silicone insulation are considered the most reliable today. In addition, check whether you will need an adapter frame for a 2 DIN car radio.

Healthy! The diameter of the wiring should be 1.5-2 times thicker than that on the car radio connector. Experts recommend using special acoustic wires with a cross-section of 1.5-4 mm square.

After this, you can proceed to the connection.

Marking of wires and their connection diagram

Almost all car radio manufacturers adhere to the same standard for marking input wires:

• BAT/B+ – yellow wire to the permanent positive of the battery. When connecting, a 10-20A fuse is used;
• ACC/A+ – red wire to the ignition switch terminal;
• GROUND/GND – black wire indicating minus or ground;
• REM - blue or white-blue control wire responsible for turning on car amplifier or antennas;
• ILL – orange wire to the light switch terminal;
• MUTE – yellow-black wire responsible for remote muting or complete shutdown sound. If it is not included in the kit, then there is no need to buy such a wire.

There is another connection scheme when the red wire is connected together with the red one. This allows the audio system to operate regardless of whether the ignition key is turned on or off. The only disadvantage of such a scheme is that the tape recorder will constantly be in standby mode, which has a detrimental effect on battery performance. Its discharge rate can increase significantly.

For the radio output, the following wires are used, going to the speakers. They always come in pairs:

• FL- and FL + – minus and plus of the rear speaker (white wires);
• FR- and FR+ – minus and plus of the front speaker (gray wires);
• RL- and RL+ – minus and plus of the left rear speaker (green wires);
• RR- and RR+ – minus and plus of the right rear speaker (purple wires).

In each pair, one wire will be plain, and the second will have a black stripe. Striped means minus. Carefully read the color scheme of your radio and follow the sequence of wires.

Connecting speakers

The process of connecting speakers requires special attention, so be sure to check the instructions. Usually there are plus and minus markings on the speaker terminals. Most often, the wide terminal is positive, and the narrow terminal is negative. If your car does not have such markings, use the simplest tester - a battery. Connect its + and – to the speaker terminals and if the cone moves outward, then you have determined the phasing correctly.

There is another way to determine phasing. To do this, transfer all audio to one of the front speakers and increase the volume to maximum until there is noticeable sound distortion. Balance the sound by evenly distributing the volume between the left and right speakers. If the phasing is done correctly, the overall volume will increase noticeably. If the sound does not become louder or the changes are barely noticeable, this indicates incorrect phasing and the need to swap the wires on one of the speakers. You can also check the rear speakers in the same way.

Important! Be sure to carry out a test, since if you connect incorrectly, you risk losing up to 80% of the sound quality or completely destroying the radio over time.

If your radio has low power, then it will only be equipped with positive wires for each speaker. In this case, the minus of the speakers is connected to the common minus of the audio installation.

You will know that the radio is connected incorrectly or in an “undesirable” way by the following signs:

• when parked, the battery will discharge very quickly, to such a state that it will be impossible to start the car;
• while listening to music, you will notice that the tape recorder constantly “stutters”, and when the volume increases, the car radio “turns off by itself”;
• When the power is turned off, all settings disappear.

If you notice such problems, it is better to check that all wires are connected correctly.

Antenna connection

To connect a passive antenna, simply plug its plug into the corresponding socket. If you are installing an active device, then things are a little more complicated. The fact is that in this case you need to supply power to the antenna. Usually this can be achieved using the blue REM wire, which either comes with the radio or is prepared by you in advance.

Other possible contacts

You may also encounter other markings on the product, so it will be useful to know them:

• AMP – contact responsible for turning on the power to the external amplifier;
• DATA IN/OUT – data input/output;
• LINE IN/OUT – linear input/output;
• ACP+/- – bus lines (most often used in Ford cars);
• AUDIO/R/L COM – common wire (ground), responsible for input/output for preamplifiers;
• SEC IN – additional input;
• ALARM – used to connect an alarm system (very often present in PIONEER radios);
• D2B-/D2B+ - optical communication lines.

In custody

If for some reason you need to remove the radio, this can be done very simply. First, press the RELEASE button and unclip the front control panel. Next, using two flat keys, pull the radio out. As you can see, installing a car radio with your own hands, the video of which you will find below, does not require much time and effort, the main thing is to do everything according to the appropriate connection diagram.