MEGAREDS

I got mine installed today too! I'm very pleased with the result on this one and, of course, I have a long story on my install. Mine took about 2 1/2 hours to do, but there were some problems which were unique to my particular car. There was also one very pleasant discovery. More later tonight, but I wanted to post right away. I'm thrilled!

Tamas

iTrader: (1)

Finally had some time and got mine installed as well. Works perfectly! Thanks OverLOAD.

Vaillant

Okay, so people have received their units, installed them, and they are working properly. This is great news!

Realizing that I'm near the end (or at the end) of the wait list, what's the plan to start large scale production? I just got an mp3 player I want to hook up and, if the AuxMods start shipping in earnest quickly, I'll just wait for that. If not, I'll buy some sort of in line FM modulator while waiting for the AuxMod to be released.

~ Matt

OverLOAD

Hi Matt,

Not everything is perfectly sorted out, so there will be some future revisions made to the module to resolve the 'bugs' with the Miata HU, and to reduce the risks during the install. We will continue to approach this project conservatively until we feel more comfortable about 'unleashing the hounds' so to speak.

We're pretty devoted to this project, and it has taken up a surprisingly large amount of time and money. We're not giving up though. There's too much enthusiasm going.



Regards,

OverLOAD

Tamas

iTrader: (1)

By the way, the nice thing about this AuxMod is that if someone wants to have two separate aux-in connections, this can co-exist with the P.I.E. adapter. So, it is possible for instance to have an iPod or other MP3 player hooked up along with a satellite radio, since the P.I.E. uses the rear connector and the AuxMod connects in place of the tape/MD module. You can toggle between them with the TAPE and CD buttons.

They even fit (although it's quite tight) together in place of the tape module - I snapped this picture before installing the AuxMod to show this.

MEGAREDS

Here's the long story:

I had planned on waiting until the weather got a bit nicer to do the install, but I had the unit sitting on my desk staring at me every night and waiting just wasn't going to happen. There's a line from the one of the Matrix movies, when the Oracle says, "You've already made your decision... now you just need to understand why." Seemed about right... I got home from dinner out around 7:00 pm last night and headed out to the garage with the space heater and an extension cord...

I took with me the 10mm socket on its wrench, the screwdriver, some tape, the flashlight and a phillips-head screw driver, as well as my seven-year old who promised to sit quietly in the passenger seat. To my surprise, he pretty much kept his part of the bargain, and I kept myself from cursing out loud during the install.

I decided I was going to disconnect the battery, just to be as safe as possible. I had never removed the battery cover before, but it was easy. The cover is marked clearly with big "OPEN" markers. There is a wire that clips off the back of the cover, then the cover just pulls off. I set it aside, used the 10mm socket wrench to remove the single bolt on the "negative" post (the positive post has its own cover) and my son called out when I pulled the wire -- "Hey, the lights went out!" So far, so good. I put the cover under the disconnected negative wire, as someone suggested, just to be sure that it made contact with nothing metal.

I had removed the plastic cover under the steering column before, so I started there. It came off very easy with a slight pull on the two sides, then put the cover in the back seat passenger well. Then I went hunting for the "bolt" that secures the radio. I looked for about 10 minutes, felt around, shined the light everywhere. I knew the two easy-to-see bolts weren't the ones I wanted. That was a frustrating 10 minutes because I knew that if I couldn't find it after looking for 10 minutes, it was going to be really hard to get a ratchet on it once I found it.

I decided to plunge ahead anyway and remove the center console. The shifter removed easily, as expected. That got put in the back seat foot well with the steering wheel cover. I then took out my change cup (ashtray), and put it with the other stuff collecting behind the passenger seat. I had hoped that I could just remove the center cover without the screwdriver, by pulling gently, but it would not come up. I wrapped the flat-head screw driver with the tape and pried (scary) by the passenger side front, near the shifter. There was a distinct "pop" and my heart skipped. Fortunately, it was just a clip. I then gently slid the screw driver down the crack until the back popped too. Then my son held the panel up while I moved the screw driver over to the other side. It eventually was disconnected, with enough play in the wires to move it to the driver's side, sitting vertically.

After not being able to find the bolt, I got my second surprise... the center console had two more wiring harnesses than I expected. There was two for each of the heated seats (white and black), then two for the NAV controls - one for the joystick, and the other for the buttons. These all released pretty easily but, as I recall, each required a clip to be squeezed first. Finally, after being more careful than necessary I suppose, the center console was free and I slid it over the shifter and into the back-seat foot well.

Now for the ashtray. The screws were easy to remove with the phillips head -- into the back seat with them. Then I removed the tray and disconnected the two main harnesses. I forget whether there were clips on these harnesses -- I think there were, but don't remember. I then tried to remove the small white piece that holds the lightbulb. I couldn't budge the small white clip, and even tried to use the tip of the phillips screw driver for leverage. It wouldn't budge. Finally, I decided that I couldn't understand why I was trying to remove the ashtray anyway, since I could push it aside and get at the head unit while the light bulb was still connected. I decided to push ahead, just laying the ash tray and door, still connected to the car via the bulb wiring, aside toward the passenger well.

Now I had to go looking for that darn bolt again. This took another 30 minutes, as I got more and more frustrated. Finally, I decided just to feel everywhere, very carefully, after coming inside to look at the photos a few more times. Totally frustrated, I got down and looked again, and then noticed a small hole about where the bolt should have been. Could it not be there? Yup. I carefully pulled at the head unit and it "popped" out a few inches. Perhaps when they installed my 6-CD changer at the port someone forgot to put the bolt back. At least I could see that there wasn't much blue tape -- there was some, but not very much. "Hey, this might work out after all," I thought.

Getting the climate control harnesses to disengage was the next step, and it was very frustrating. The closest one was pretty easy, but I couldn't find the clip to release the second one. I went into the house and asked my wife, who has much smaller hands, to give it a try. She had no luck. Finally, again ready to give up, I went to the tool box and got a pair of plyers. Now, this was a bit gutsy -- or stupid -- since no one said to use plyers. I had visions of ripping the wires out of the harness. Instead, it worked perfectly. I was very gentle gripping the harness, and pulled away from the head unit toward the engine slightly. It popped right out. I don't think there was a clip on that one -- maybe there was no clip on the first climate control harness either, I'm not sure.

From here, things got harder. I knew there were at least three more harness connections behind the unit, and these were only partially visible. Grabbing at them, I couldn't get any to release. What is worse, I wasn't sure whether there might be a fourth harness for my NAV antenae. The good news was that the unit came way out, and I could even twist it slightly (once I covered the shifter with a towel to make sure it didn't scratch). I felt as though I was really close, but those connections weren't budging. Then I had a "Eurika!" moment...

In looking at the unit from the passenger side, from the bottom up, I saw a large hollow space and a port. Then it hit me -- that's the place where the AUXMOD connects! I knew OverLOAD had said not to install AUXMOD without first removing the head unit completely, but that wasn't going to happen last night. I was just too frustrated, and my choices were to put everything back or improvise. I went and got the AUXMOD unit, and inserted it without removing the adhesive tape. It went in perfectly, there was plenty of light to see, and I had lots of room to work. PLAN B... I removed the tape, and reinerted the AUXMOD. It stuck fast and tight. I then opened the Radio Shack 6' cord I bought earlier in the week and inserted it into the AUXMOD unit, then routed it back and along one of the other wires which led into the center console, trying to pick a spot where the wire would not stop me from re-inserting the head unit. I then reinstalled the climate control harnesses, which each clicked snuggly, then gently pushed the head unit back in and it "clicked," and was so perfectly flush... this was going well!

The ash tray was a bit tricky to get back in place... somehow the unit was twisted and there was no room with the shifter in the "Park" position to reinsert it. I decided I needed more room, so reconnected the car battery (I was really glad to see the dome lights working!), raised the garage door and started the car, then pulled the shifter back to the "Manual" mode -- giving me the most room possible, while keeping my foot on the brake. I was thrilled to hear the heater fan working, and checked out the hazard lights, the defroster, the radio... everything seemed good. All the extra room also allowed the ash tray to slide back in easily. The screws went back easily (of course), and the center console also reconnected pretty easily after I snaked the wire through the center console and through the little plastic "door" which I popped off leading into the cup/storage area. Now, would it work?

I clicked on the "TAPE" button, and the head unit responded with the words "TAPE PLAYING." That had never happened before -- COOL! I then plugged the wire into the iPod and I got perfect music. Excellent! Later, I took a pair of wire cutters and cut a small opening for the cord in the plastic cup/storage door, then reinserted the door.

I'm really happy with the unit, although the iPod is a bit clunky in the center console with the audio wire going in one end and the power adapter (through a USB cord) in the other. I may look into one of the new wireless RF remotes and move the iPod into the glove box or under the seat, if I can figure out a good way to provide it with power.

I did noticed that when I have power going into the iPod from the power adapter, any volume over "6" in the head unit causes a noticeable "hum." That's not a problem, because at "5" there is no hum at all, and the iPod volume control produces plenty of volume at a head unit setting of "5."

As I said, the total install was 2 1/2 hours, with all the problems noted above. It could have been a 1/2 hour job, had everything gone well. I don't think it is necessary to remove the head unit, particularly if you disconnect the car battery since the effect is the same. It's my feeling that removing all the wiring from behind the unit is much harder, but please note that OverLOAD has expressed concern that AUXMOD be installed in an open area where all the connections can be carefully made. As with all of this, proceed at your own risk.

After the unit was back in place, I had to reset the clock, and was surprised to see my trip mileage reset to zero. No biggie. Also, the traction control had to be reset by restarting the car and turning the wheel all the way left, then all the way to the right. Again, no big thing.

I'm really happy with this product. A hearty congratulations to OverLOAD!

got_rice64

what's that your ipod ins connected to on the right side of the picture??? car adaptor??

LoKnLoD

I used a splitter on mine, a 1 ft male both sides into the aux mod, into a y splitter, with 2 input cords, one for my XM Roadie and one for my Ipod. I just turn off my XM before I plug into my Ipod.

rXter

Megareds --

Thanks for the detailed blog. Although a pretty tedious read, this is exactly the sort of discussion that will help me screw up the courage to do this. The DIYs are great, but when I read them I always get the sense that these guys are either more mechanically inclined than me or fearless or both.

Tamas

iTrader: (1)

Come on, it's not that hard. Follow the DIY instructions with pictures (I believe it was the iPod install), and you'll be able to remove the radio just fine.

got_rice64

no no.. megareds...i was wondering what his ipod is connected to on the right of the picture..

unless u guys aren't responding to my post... -_-*

Tamas

iTrader: (1)

No, we are not

I believe that's the way he is powering the iPod. My guess would be that he uses an adapter that connects to the rear cig lighter socket.

Vaillant

I guess the real question, at least as in regards to me and anyone else near the end of the wait list is: How long is the wait list? Realizing that the AuxMod has a big market (all Mazdas....except for maybe the truck), the wait list could be pretty long! So, how big is it?

Thanks for all of your work! The community (which I'm pretending to be the spokesperson for) thanks you! :D

~ Matt

MEGAREDS

That wasn't my experience - I tried to get the radio out, but just wasn't able to detach the rear connectors. Perhaps if I knew a bit more about how to remove them, but I haven't seen anyone explain exactly how to remove the clips. (Do they get removed by squeezing the sides and pulling or just pulling?) Also, can anyone confirm that there are only three harnesses behind the unit if the car has a NAV system?

This morning I noticed that I've broken a piece of plastic at the base of the parking brake. I suspect that the wire I snaked through the center console got tangled with the hand brake and the plastic broke when I pulled the lever. If I had it to do over again, I'd be more careful making sure that the wire is secured to the sides of the center compartment with nylon ties. I've been pulling and pushing the wire in and out of the hole, looking for the best position for the iPod --that was obviously a bad idea.

I bought the smallest car charger I could find with a USB socket on it, and then ran the iPod's USB cable (white in the photo) from the charger to the iPod. It is just a plastic piece that fits into the power socket at the back of the storage box, and then has a USB power-out point that will accept any device with a USB cord. It seemed like a much better (cheaper) solution than the Belkin iPod car kit John used on his site, which is $40 at BestBuy. The smallest one I could find was at Radio Shack and was part of a "Pelican" GameBoy advance charging kit -- the whole kit was about $10, and the device also charges/powers my son's Gameboy.

Tamas

iTrader: (1)

They all do have clips that you need to press, not just pull them. The big one (on the right side) has a clip facing the bottom and that clip is a bit of a pain since there's not too much room and you need to get your finger underneath the plug. The clip is in the middle of the connector, not on the side.
All the others have retaining clips as well - you can 'feel' them since that side of the plug will not be flat where the clip is.

I don't know about the NAV since I don't have it, but in case of the base head unit, there are two harnesses plus the antenna cable attached to the top part and two smaller harnesses that plug in beneath the radio. Those are for the HVAC system I believe.

Is that plastic piece part of the center tunnel cover trim? The only hook (not a push-in fastener) on the top cover?
If it is - I broke that one since I did not know how to properly remove the trim and was pissed. But luckily, there is another tab directly next to it with even a place for a push-pin to snap into, although Mazda chose not to use that location - there is no plastic clip included.
So I just cut and bent a strip of metal and attached it exactly the same way those white plastic fasteners are - works prefectly, holds fine and now I have all push-clips to pull on when removing that piece instead of having to mess with that hook. Much better than it was

MEGAREDS

The broken piece is not a push tab. Sadly, I broke one of those tonight. I think I broke the tab piece the same way you did, Tamas, and I think fixing it will not be a big problem. For the record, there are four tab pieces on the cener cover. Each needs to be "popped" up with a covered screwdriver, and "clicked" back down when finished.

I'm kicking myself for the broken piece on the handbrake -- it was stupid to push the wire in and out, thinking that it couldn't do much damage. One of the posts specifically said to be careful routing the wire so that it didn't get tangled in the parking brake. I think if I had just snaked the wire through and left the excess in the tray cup, there would have been no problem. By the way, OverLOAD menioned using a 20' wire without any problems. My wire was 6', and my son was using the iPod yesterday in the back seat. I don't know what I would do with an extra 14 feet!

The photos of the "hole" where the handbrake trim used to be are attached. I took the center panel off tonight to look for the broken piece of plastic, but couldn't find it. It might still turn up in the passenger side seat somewhere -- I've not given it a good searching yet. The piece looks like it could be glued back on if I could find it; the break seems pretty clean. On balance, I'm still glad I got the iPod in the car. When I'm driving, the handbreak is down, so the hole isn't really a big concern.

Tamas

iTrader: (1)

Check this out - hopefully you will be able to get that fixed under warranty like some other people.

MEGAREDS

Awesome! Maybe it wasn't the wire at all; maybe it's been this way for a while. That would explain why I can't find the broken-off plastic piece. (I really need to get around to making a donation to this forum. )

OverLOAD

I just notied the same problem with my e-brake handle on my RX-8. It must be a pretty common issue.

Regards,

OverLOAD

pauleta

Mine broke off, had it replaced under warranty. It's broken again. Cold weather makes it real easy to break, that cover bends/flexes when you pull the handle. When it's frozen it snaps instead, but enough bending even in warmer weather seems to break it as well.

JerryR

I installed my AuxMod today, no problems. I used a male-to-female extension cord to plug into the AuxMod. Reassembled everything, realized (at 10pm on Sunday) that I had no female-to-female 1/8" connector with which to connect any of my devices to the cord I built in, went "D'oh!', and grumpily accepted that I had to wait until tomorrow to test it.

Then I turned the ignition to on to make sure the radio and rest of the head unit still worked. It did, yay. However, I noticed with the volume turned down to 0, there's an audible hiss coming from the speakers. The hiss does not increase as I increase the volume. At the point at which the volume is increased to normal listening levels, I cannot hear the hiss below whatever's coming over the radio.

Has anyone else experienced this? Does anyone know what might be causing it? When I think about it, I don't know if I've ever sat in the car with the engine off, power on, radio off, under quiet conditions, so I can't swear that the car didn't do this before I installed the AuxMod. Can anyone who doesn't have the AuxMod installed report?

Thanks,
-Jerry

JerryR

Btw, other than that noise, the AuxMod works great - thanks OverLOAD!

Also thanks to MEGAREDS for your writeup and whoever wrote the iPod install guide for making the install as painless as it was.

MEGAREDS

Mine makes an ever-so-slight hum when the iPod is charging. If the song is very quiet, and if I raise the HU's volume over 6, I can hear the engine reving. The problem is so minor, though, as to not be a concern at all.

My "refurbished" Belkin car adapter charger arrived today -- $12 off eBay, plus $5 shipping. The charger is really necessary, I think, because it will pause the iPod when the ignition is cut, and shut the iPod down after 2 minutes. I can't tell you how many times I've left the iPod in the car since I installed the AUXMOD. It's just so normal to cut the engine and have the music stop, making it very easy to forget to turn the iPod off.

My next "investment" will likely be an iJet RF remote, if it releases as scheduled in April. Price should be about $50. With so many songs on the iPod, I'm opening the center console all the time to skip songs. The iJet should let me put the remote on my keyring, and advance songs that way, although I'm not sure the best location for the remote yet. That assumes, of course, that I don't change my mind and just decide to wait for the AUXMOD ADVANCE to be released.

I'm also going to look into a way to thread the audio wire into the rear center console compartment directly, without going through the "door" near the shifter -- perhaps by routing the wire under the seat. The Belkin charger allows for audio to pass out from the iPod through the same wire as the recharger, from the iPod cradle port at the bottom of the unit, rather than through the line-out hole on the top. (The AUXMOD wire then connects into the charger, rather than the iPod.) This configuration means that my iPod only has one wire connecting it to both the audio and charger, which is a much cleaner install.

Finally, I also looked into bagging the iPod all together and trying to find a dedicated "juke box" device for the car. An interesting option was the DMC Xclef 500 -- an MP3 player capable of 100 Gig of storage! The reviews are not very good, though, and there doesn't seem to be a good remote interface.

hotpot

Megareds I also use the Belkin ipod car adapter. I got the aux cable under the cupholders area and into the storage compartment and plugged it in the Belkin adapter. It was a breeze getting the cable to rhe storage compartment. Just follow truemagellen's DIY for instructions to remove the center compartments.

https://www.rx8club.com/showthread.p...95&postcount=4

Makes the iPOD installation look clean. However I also get a faint humming noise. I apparently need a ground loop isolator to get rid of the humming.

hotpot

This is the remote I'm getting.

It seems to have more functions than the iJet and is cheaper. Read on.
http://www.griffintechnology.com/pro...lick/index.php