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New Mini radio connections - help
Humbug - 7/6/06 at 09:30 PM

SWMBO has a new Mini with a radio/single CD player and would like to be able to link up her MP3 player.

The local Mini place wants around £200 to supply and fit something. Question: does anyone have a manual/diagrams/information about what connectors the radio/CD player has, and what would need to be unbolted to get access to it? I am sure there must be a cheaper way of doing it than £200.

Cheers,

Humbug


chockymonster - 7/6/06 at 09:43 PM

You want one of these

Dension I-link. Does the job very well and dead easy to fit.


RazMan - 7/6/06 at 09:52 PM

I've got a little gizmo which you might find useful. It connects to the MP3 player and you tune into a spare FM frequency on the car's radio. It works really well and I was going to put it on eBay but you could have it for £15 posted if you are interested.
Rescued attachment FM Transmitter.jpg
Rescued attachment FM Transmitter.jpg


chockymonster - 7/6/06 at 10:09 PM

quote:
Originally posted by RazMan
I've got a little gizmo which you might find useful. It connects to the MP3 player and you tune into a spare FM frequency on the car's radio. It works really well and I was going to put it on eBay but you could have it for £15 posted if you are interested.



be careful selling them in the UK


lsdweb - 7/6/06 at 10:09 PM

I'd agree Dension Ice Link - brilliant piece of kit - easy to fit and charges the unit - iPod only though and you have to get used to using Playlists or mess around with the setup.

Wyn


MikeR - 7/6/06 at 10:16 PM

i've got a similar thing that fits into the headphone socket.

got it from ebay for a couple of quid (via Hong kong).

Cheap, cheerful, ilegal in the uk

mate paid 30 quid for his and its a lot better, but not worth the price difference between mine and his


Humbug - 7/6/06 at 10:16 PM

It's not an iPod but an Archos XS202s.

I was also not sure about the FM transmitter thingies, and the one you have for sale, Razman, looks like it only runs off batteries? I saw some others which plug directly into a fag lighter (also saw one the same as yours for £12.65 incl P&P...)

Thanks for the tips, anyway

Does anyone know how you actually get access to the back of the radio in a new Mini? If I could do that, it may be as simple as wiring in a cable, if it's got aux input sockets


indykid - 7/6/06 at 11:07 PM

start by taking the 4 (2 each side) T40 torx screws out of the pillars. take the cup holder/ ash tray bits out of the front, and take the 2 pozi screws out (one in each). then behind the gear lever there is an electical contolly thing. mirrors, windows? duno, never really paid attention. pop that up, and take 2 more pozi screws out.

unclip the gaitor from the centre plastic, and lift the whole thing up the pillars, enough so you can see the blocks that hold the pillars in. kick them out to the sides, so the pillars drop down enough to wiggle them out of the top. that exposes the 4 screws that hold the radio in. take them out and slide the radio out.

there's a whole array of different fitments of plug on the mini, dependent on model and stereo, but expect to find either a flat pin BMW plug (autoleads adaptor part no. pc2-75-4) round pin BMW lead (autoleads adaptor part no. pc2-05-4) or iso, which won't need adaptors. the adaptors will only be needed if you fit an after market stereo. you'll need a fascia adaptor too, but that's not entirely essential. just tidies it up.

the aerial is a fakra plug, not the usual iso or din. icelink kits come with the adaptors. if you get another kit and need adaptors for the modulator connection, send me an sae and i'll send you some FOC, autoleads charge about £20 a piece for them.

the new icelink fm version has an auxillary input so can be used for both ipod and other stuff, both on different frequencies, which is nice. harman kardon's drive'n play is well worth a look, but would be a pita to fit in a mini due to the size of the control box. put one in a new mondeo today, and that was a squeeze!

hth
tom

anything else, just ask

forgot to mention, the damage free brackets shown in the dension pictures are available from brodit. don't know if they deal with the public or not, but halfords can get any of the right hand drive adaptors from www.brodit.com. £16.99 i think they are. finely crafted abs, and usually an ace fit. the one for the Ka is a bit sketchy, but that's the only one i've been disappointed with so far.

[Edited on 7/6/06 by indykid]


Humbug - 8/6/06 at 05:51 AM

Thanks, mate... I'll try and have a look at it at the weekend, first of all to find out what the fitments are.

Cheers

quote:
Originally posted by indykid
start by taking the 4 (2 each side) T40 torx screws out of the pillars. take the cup holder/ ash tray bits out of the front, and take the 2 pozi screws out (one in each). then behind the gear lever there is an electical contolly thing. mirrors, windows? duno, never really paid attention. pop that up, and take 2 more pozi screws out.

unclip the gaitor from the centre plastic, and lift the whole thing up the pillars, enough so you can see the blocks that hold the pillars in. kick them out to the sides, so the pillars drop down enough to wiggle them out of the top. that exposes the 4 screws that hold the radio in. take them out and slide the radio out.

there's a whole array of different fitments of plug on the mini, dependent on model and stereo, but expect to find either a flat pin BMW plug (autoleads adaptor part no. pc2-75-4) round pin BMW lead (autoleads adaptor part no. pc2-05-4) or iso, which won't need adaptors. the adaptors will only be needed if you fit an after market stereo. you'll need a fascia adaptor too, but that's not entirely essential. just tidies it up.

the aerial is a fakra plug, not the usual iso or din. icelink kits come with the adaptors. if you get another kit and need adaptors for the modulator connection, send me an sae and i'll send you some FOC, autoleads charge about £20 a piece for them.

the new icelink fm version has an auxillary input so can be used for both ipod and other stuff, both on different frequencies, which is nice. harman kardon's drive'n play is well worth a look, but would be a pita to fit in a mini due to the size of the control box. put one in a new mondeo today, and that was a squeeze!

hth
tom

anything else, just ask

forgot to mention, the damage free brackets shown in the dension pictures are available from brodit. don't know if they deal with the public or not, but halfords can get any of the right hand drive adaptors from www.brodit.com. £16.99 i think they are. finely crafted abs, and usually an ace fit. the one for the Ka is a bit sketchy, but that's the only one i've been disappointed with so far.

[Edited on 7/6/06 by indykid]


ned - 8/6/06 at 07:30 AM

i'm assuming the new mini doesn't have a tape head unit?!! my other half still has one of those old cassette jobbies and pops one of those cassettes in with a cable coming out to plug into her ipod. The only other thing i remember is that sony used to do an add-on cd changer that connected via a pass through on the radio connector - is there anything about that does that these days?

Ned.


Humbug - 8/6/06 at 07:51 AM

I think depending on the version they might have a cassette player, but not this one.

One or more of the suggested jobbies above uses the aerial socket.

quote:
Originally posted by ned
i'm assuming the new mini doesn't have a tape head unit?!! my other half still has one of those old cassette jobbies and pops one of those cassettes in with a cable coming out to plug into her ipod. The only other thing i remember is that sony used to do an add-on cd changer that connected via a pass through on the radio connector - is there anything about that does that these days?

Ned.


RoadkillUK - 8/6/06 at 10:56 AM

I have one of those little silver boxes that Razman is selling, I've had it for about 2 years and it's perfect. Although it runs on 3 AA batteries, they last for quite some time.

Ipod have made their own version but there are legal issues surrounding it's use in the UK an other countries BBC LINKY


RazMan - 8/6/06 at 11:23 AM

quote:
Originally posted by RoadkillUK
I have one of those little silver boxes that Razman is selling, I've had it for about 2 years and it's perfect. Although it runs on 3 AA batteries, they last for quite some time.



Agreed, I have never changed the batteries in a year of use.

I didn't realise that prices had come down so much - the batteries are probably worth more than the unit now so I'll probably just use it as a paper weight !


indykid - 8/6/06 at 04:45 PM

quote:
Originally posted by ned
i'm assuming the new mini doesn't have a tape head unit?!! my other half still has one of those old cassette jobbies and pops one of those cassettes in with a cable coming out to plug into her ipod. The only other thing i remember is that sony used to do an add-on cd changer that connected via a pass through on the radio connector - is there anything about that does that these days?

Ned.


one of these then?

top one's round pin, bottom one's flat pin.
it needs to be a h/u with changer control though, as it controls the ipod as an imaginary changer.

halfords want £83 for a kit iirc.

hth
tom

[Edited on 8/6/06 by indykid]