turning an old car stereo into a garage stereo.

[earlyre]

So my brother wants to replace the old boombox in his garage (contacts failing on analog tuner, snap, crackle, pop, replace it!)
I think i have all the big parts i'll need just lying around the house, save a few bits of wire and easily found connectors, and the final casing/"dress up" pieces

I have a couple units floating around i wanna try.
1) Old Pioneer Gm/Dodge factory fit(DIN & 1/2)
DEH-P85DHR (1998 unit)
Am/FM single cd unit. no aux inputs,not mp3 capable,etc.
"highpower 35wx4"
worked fine when it came out of my 87 Olds when i sold it in 2001. boxed up collecting dust since then. still have the 87 olds harness attached.
2) Kenwood Excelon KDC-X494(bought spring '09)
Am/Fm Single CD, w/ frontside Aux & USB, Bluetooth/Satellite/HD Radio ready(with optional add-on units)
50wx4 MOS-FET
replaced it with a newer, similar unit in my neon, as it developed a habit of rebooting just the faceplate. Started out just every so often if i pressed any button, over the course of 2 years, it got more often, then finally started restarting itself anytime the car would hit the slightest bump. (all sounds like a loose connection between face and stereo, or in the face itself - toying with idea of soldering the connections via cat5 and "remote mounting" the face plate)

200w Power supply harvested from an old PC (depending on which wires i pair can output 5v,12v,17,24v DC)
no power switch on the back of unit itself, has the pc on/off push button switch wired to the PSU, not the MOBO.

2 old speaker boxes(front & Rear WOOHOO!) each w/ (2)6-8" woofers, & Horn Tweeters (Cheap kind you could get pre-assembled pretty much anywhere in the late 90's/early 00's)

my questions so far are thus:
I know the Pioneer has requires both a switched 12v source,and 12v constant (labeled "battery")connection.
I've thought of adding a small battery (motorcycle/powersports/lawnmower type) how should i wire this up power wise? (to feed/maintain battery)
I assume the constant 12v feed is just to maintain memory/clock data, so probably not terribly important for the "bench testing" mockup phase.

also i want to replace the main switch (remote hardwired to the PSU) it's a push button, i wanna use a toggle(or a rocker), there are 4 wires going into the switch(2 in2 out i'm assuming) so...how to wire that to a 2 Terminal toggle(guessing both + to one, both - to the other?), or a lighted 3 terminal(+,acc,-),which i have lying around. would that be connect the negs to each other then to the neg terminal on the switch, then one pos to each of the other 2, or vice-versa, or something completely different?
I'm perfectly comfortable wiring/ soldering, provided i have a diagram to follow. this flying by the seat of my pants stuff makes me afraid i'll blow something up..

 

[eljefino]

Touch the green wire from the atx bundle to ground (any black wire) and it powers up.

I forget if it's momentary or in contact all the time but you'll figure that out.

Some aftermarket car stereos use the "always on" feed to power the amps and the ignition switched feed just runs a relay. This might run your proposed battery flat in no time. No reason not to have the ATX PS running all the time except it'll draw power.

 

[SteveSRT8]

He he, I did this for years in my shop.

Took an old factory system and ran it off a charger. Worked well with a coat hanger antenna!

 

[Jimmy9190]

If the power supply puts out 12 volts there is no need for an additional battery. It could even strain the power supply to run the radio and battery at the same time. You need the constant 12 volt wire connected to the power supply, it is the main power wire for the radio. If you turn off the power supply when not in use you will have to go back and reset the clock and radio presets each time you use the radio.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Are you doing it just for the fun of it? If not, you can pick up a used AM/FM stereo receiver on CL for $20 or less and be done with it.

Buttons/knobs on these car head units are tiny. Not the most practical thing in a garage setup. Not to mention the units themselves are tiny, so you'll be pushing them around the desk with every button press unless you also rack mount it or something.

 

[earlyre]

Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Are you doing it just for the fun of it? If not, you can pick up a used AM/FM stereo receiver on CL for $20 or less and be done with it.

Buttons/knobs on these car head units are tiny. Not the most practical thing in a garage setup. Not to mention the units themselves are tiny, so you'll be pushing them around the desk with every button press unless you also rack mount it or something.

yeah, pretty much for the fun of it. make due w/ what you've got kinda thing.(sometimes you just have to give yourself a stupid project)
the buttons aren't any tinier than they are in the car,& both units have supplied IR Remotes, so even if i just left it sitting on the table top (which i wouldn't) it wouldn't be sliding around.
i'll end up building some kind of enclosure, just not sure what yet. Ideally an old desktop(not tower)pc case, or a burnt out home theater receiver shell, what ever i could find for cheap.

and when i say garage i do mean that room off your house where you park cars/store stuff, not a professional shop.

Originally Posted By: eljefino
Touch the green wire from the atx bundle to ground (any black wire) and it powers up.

I forget if it's momentary or in contact all the time but you'll figure that out.

Some aftermarket car stereos use the "always on" feed to power the amps and the ignition switched feed just runs a relay. This might run your proposed battery flat in no time. No reason not to have the ATX PS running all the time except it'll draw power.

did i mention this is an OLD power supply? i think it's an AT, not ATX. the only green wire is a ground to the case.
the 4 wires to the power switch are blue(+)&white(-), next to brown(+)& black(-)

 

[earlyre]

Originally Posted By: Jimmy9190
If the power supply puts out 12 volts there is no need for an additional battery. It could even strain the power supply to run the radio and battery at the same time. You need the constant 12 volt wire connected to the power supply, it is the main power wire for the radio. If you turn off the power supply when not in use you will have to go back and reset the clock and radio presets each time you use the radio.

which is exactly what will happen (psu getting turned off when not in use) and why i was proposing a small battery in the first place.

 

[PandaBear]

Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Are you doing it just for the fun of it? If not, you can pick up a used AM/FM stereo receiver on CL for $20 or less and be done with it.


Agree, I did this and get a pretty awesome $20 unit. You can sell the used car stereo for $10-20 without much lost, especially if it is a factory OEM unit.

 

[kkreit01]

Just be careful! A local boy recently died while working on a PC power supply (unplugged).

http://www.wave3.com/story/19767067/teen-electrocuted-while

 

[earlyre]

bench testing on both stereos and the PSU worked flawlessly.

anyone ever use the "liquid electrical tape" stuff?
thinking of buying a can to terminate the unnecessary wires i need to prune from the bundle leaving the PSU
it's amazing to me the fm reception i was able to get just sticking the tail of a small roll of solder in to the antenna port.
next "cabinet" mockups, & construction.

now thinking of wireing up a 4 port usb hub i have and am not using, to one of the 5v leads, to use for USB charging ports.

now back to the battery debate, currently leaning to a small 12v unit, (can't remember the number, but i have one here somewhere that won't hold a charge) found in emergency lighting, and computer small UPS's(aka battery backup units)
were i to aquire a good one, would it be as simple as wiring it ...
in the current setup, i have a y of sorts on the +12v line out of the PSU. one branch goes to the constant 12v wire, the other into a toggle i had lying around.
would it be as simple as PSU-12v->Ya->Battery + terminal-> contstant 12v wire?(with the batt neg hooked to a ground wire)
Yb-> toggle->12 switched wire?
or do i need some sort of fancy float charger/battery minder setup?
see where my simple build something with what's available projects go off the rails?

 

[earlyre]

Originally Posted By: PandaBear
Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Are you doing it just for the fun of it? If not, you can pick up a used AM/FM stereo receiver on CL for $20 or less and be done with it.


Agree, I did this and get a pretty awesome $20 unit. You can sell the used car stereo for $10-20 without much lost, especially if it is a factory OEM unit.


yes, you could do it that way, but where's the fun in that?

this way i get to cobble something useful from what's basically junk just sitting around the house.
and what's more fun than giving yourself a project every now & then.
i'm a man darn it! some times men just need tinker & make stuff! yeah!

 

[JetStar]

Originally Posted By: kkreit01
Just be careful! A local boy recently died while working on a PC power supply (unplugged).

http://www.wave3.com/story/19767067/teen-electrocuted-while




Geez, that's sad. I'm thinking he must have gotten into a CRT?

 

[Papa Bear]

Not enough current in the anode of a CRT to kill you. I would have been dead a hundred thousand times if there was......

The story sounds fishy. Any electronics tech will tell you he has been bitten by charged electrolytic capacitors but not enough to kill you, usually just enough to make you drop the chassis.

I was an electronics technician for over 25 yrs and NEVER heard of one of my mates being killed. Just my $0.02 Canadian.

All the best.

Bob

 

[AVB]

Originally Posted By: Papa Bear
Not enough current in the anode of a CRT to kill you. I would have been dead a hundred thousand times if there was......

The story sounds fishy. Any electronics tech will tell you he has been bitten by charged electrolytic capacitors but not enough to kill you, usually just enough to make you drop the chassis.

I was an electronics technician for over 25 yrs and NEVER heard of one of my mates being killed. Just my $0.02 Canadian.

All the best.

Bob


I used to work on electric material handling equipment, we were told once to keep one hand in your pocket when probing things. I too have been zapped by capacitors a few times. I had a brain [censored] once when bench testing a capacitor and removed both leads at the same time after charging it.

To the op, becareful when connecting both + and - to a switch, you can create a short if both are connected to one switch.

 

[earlyre]

thanks to everyone for their input.

 

[Cujet]

I still have my tool box stereo at the airport. It's a wooden box, with an 8 inch sub, 4ea. co-ax (small) speakers and a Pioneer head unit.

I run it off an old battery. It will run all week, at modest volumes. Then I hook a charger to the batt and run it some more.

Sounds really good, clear, sharp, deep bass. I bring it up inside the plane from time to time. Really rocks in there!

 

[earlyre]

ok, making progress: I currently have everything wired up thusly:

still want to figure out how to recharge the battery from the running PSU. Battery is a new replacement for an old one out of my old UPS.
I'm currently just connecting a battery charger/maintainer from time to time to top off the batt.

all the 5v wires, and the molex connecters are still attached to the PSU, haven't snipped any wires off yet.
all currently shoehorned into a plastic marine battery box($6). haven't tackled easier jobs such as attaching speaker wire, etc.
if this weren't destined for an enclosed windowless garage, i would entertain a cheap solar charger for the batt.

Would something as simple as branching the +12v from the PSU to the batt? or clipping a Molex off, and attaching it's +12v wire to the battery's + work?

 

[SteveSRT8]

Originally Posted By: Cujet
I still have my tool box stereo at the airport. It's a wooden box, with an 8 inch sub, 4ea. co-ax (small) speakers and a Pioneer head unit.

I run it off an old battery. It will run all week, at modest volumes. Then I hook a charger to the batt and run it some more.

Sounds really good, clear, sharp, deep bass. I bring it up inside the plane from time to time. Really rocks in there!



I had a rig similar to this in the 70's, we used it when night fishing on a bridge. Mine was an am/fm/cassette with a couple of powered 6x9 speakers. Surprisingly good fidelity, it could run all night on my car's battery and we could still start the car in the morning!

 

[HerrStig]

Originally Posted By: AVB
Originally Posted By: Papa Bear
Not enough current in the anode of a CRT to kill you. I would have been dead a hundred thousand times if there was......

The story sounds fishy. Any electronics tech will tell you he has been bitten by charged electrolytic capacitors but not enough to kill you, usually just enough to make you drop the chassis.

I was an electronics technician for over 25 yrs and NEVER heard of one of my mates being killed. Just my $0.02 Canadian. If you look at the diagram of a switcher you will find there are a good number of components NOT isolated from the line. There are also some parts of the circuit which are hot all the time to keep basic functions in the computer alive. Still, the max voltage output in an ATX type power supply isn't much more dangerous than a car battery, SO LONG AS you stay away from the "before the transformer" part. Trusting a "news organization" to provide proper technical data is unwise. Didn't one of the mainstream media female talking heads say the 24 mile skydiver broke the "speed of light" (and then she bagged an "intern" for the mistake)

All the best.

Bob


I used to work on electric material handling equipment, we were told once to keep one hand in your pocket when probing things. I too have been zapped by capacitors a few times. I had a brain [censored] once when bench testing a capacitor and removed both leads at the same time after charging it.

To the op, becareful when connecting both + and - to a switch, you can create a short if both are connected to one switch.

 

[HerrStig]

A cheap, (not well filtered) 12V power supply feeding a motorcycle size battery will be clean enough to run car audio gear. The battery acts like a many microfarad capacitor. A battery in good shape draws very little current (the float current) when fully charged and doesn't provide much in the way of additional load. It also provides good "dynamic regulation" -- providing a large amount of current for output peaks. A sealed or AGM battery won't be a big leakage problem. Remember, though, a rechargable battery is a bucket, you have to put back what you take out.