mccool98ta

i am getting ready to install the swi-x and have a couple of questions that i hope you all can help me with. the wire coming off the radio harness that the swi-x gets connected to, does that need to stay intact or do i just connect the swi-x to the steering wheel side of the wire and cap the radio side? does anybody have any pics of where you mounted the IR sensor, i'm just looking for the least obvious place that still works good. thanks for any help

Jason

slow

iTrader: (7)

there should be no wire going to the deck from the steering wheel controls.

I have mine, tucked between the bottom of the dash, and the top of the center console, just sticking out above the TCS switch plate.

Works good there as long as somebody is in the car for the signal to bounce off of.(driver seat) , no holes to drill.

Ryan.

mccool98ta

so i just cut the wire and connect it to the swi-x?

slow

iTrader: (7)

you should not have to cut the wire at all.

Do you have a matching pin in your add on wiring harness? if not, do you have an extra pin, thats not being used (most come with dimmer, and illumination wires, and most decks just use one)

Take the extra wire, and put it in the harness, so it matches the "Steering Wheel control" wire.

Wire this to the PAC piece.

If you have any questions, im going to be doing an install tomorrow morning. i will take a digital pic of the harness/connection.

Ryan.

mccool98ta

ok i got it figured out, thanks for the help and the idea about where to place the IR sensor slow, i wasnt too keen on the idea of drilling holes in my center console.

Rhino

iTrader: (6)

I was really hesitant to drill a hole in my console as well.. I started off by drilling a hole in the dash kit and placing it in there. it works for some head units... It didn't for my Kenwood excelon. It seems to have a very small IR band that it can pick up a signal from.

Below are pics of how I ended up installing the IR emitter. It looks very clean. I figured if I ever wanted to go back completely bone stock I could always pick up a console piece fairly cheap.




What ever you do, test it... then when you think it works fine test it some more. I tried placing it in my dash kit, but it would only work when I was in first gear. The IR signal was bouncing off the shifter and it wouldn't work in any other gear.
Now I have a nice little 3/16" hole in my dash kit that I need to fill in. good thing I got a 1 DIN + 1/2 DIN eq dash kit so that I could mount a few switches, at least I have a good way of covering them up.

Scalpel

iTrader: (4)

Where did you get the 1 Din + 1/2 DIN eq pocket?

Rhino

iTrader: (6)

I actualy purchased it from my local stereo shop. It's made by bestkit. I'll have to see if I can find a PN for you. I have all the documentation at home.

mccool98ta

where you put your IR emitter was my second option if i couldnt have found a place without drilling. i ended up putting mine in the upper right corner of the plastic piece that goes under the steering column, right where that and the guage surround and the dash all come together at. works pretty good so far.

Rhino

iTrader: (6)

I knew as soon as I drilled the hole something else would pop up as a solution. I just installed it maybe 2 weeks ago.

I'm really happy with it and don't have any problems at all. I might actualy look into moving it over there, just for testing purposes.

What kind of head unit are you using?

mccool98ta

i have the pioneer din and a half head unit, but i have heard that all head units are a little different on where the IR emitter likes to be.

maddboost

iTrader: (11)

You dont have to install it in your armrest. At the audio shop I work at we install them usually in in the dash kit either above, below, or just off to the side. The SWIX kit has a wide dispersion so if you test it it should work. We even have gotten it to work on motorized alpines cda7998 and cda7897.

Rhino

iTrader: (6)

I tried many locations within the dash kit. No position would work 100% of the time. Some of them worked most of the time but I wasn't about to do this if I wouldn't have been happy with the results. The way it worked out ended up being ok, and as far as performance... it's the best it's going to get.

mccool98ta

my frind just had a complete stereo install done at a local shop($4000+) and they drilled two holes in his dash right next to his shifter on top of the console without telling him this and his steering wheel controls still dont work right, sometimes they work and sometimes they dont

Rhino

iTrader: (6)

It all depends on the IR senders and the head unit. I've noticed my excelon has a really narrow range that my remote will actualy work in. For example, it doesn't work shooting it through an open side window in my car, although it will work from quite a distance from the back of the car, shooting through the hatch.

From what I've noticed there's a huge difference in the senders as well. Some seem to be fairly weak, others seem to be extremely hot in the signal that they throw out.

With that said, price of an install doesn't equate into the quality of an install. I can charge more, but it doesn't automatically mean I'm going to do a better job on it.

Constrictor 98TA

This is what I did and it works 99% of the time. The only time it doesnt work is if I have my T-tops off, and I am driving away from the sun, if the sun shines through the room and directly hits my IR transmitter, it wont work.

I have a Pioneer DEH7400MP, and it must have a very sensitive IR receiver, because it picks up the signal at almost any angle.

Here is a picture of where mine is located:

mccool98ta

well now that i think of it he does have one of the motorized face alpines(with the larger face)are those kinda tricky to get the controls to work on? not sure what piece was installed to convert the controls over to IR signal, but for 4 grand i would expect them to atleast check it and make sure it works.

chief455

iTrader: (21)

Life to an old thread!
So I need to grasp the basic function of this kit, I press my factory steering controls and they function as stock by:
a transmitter that's hard wired to the steering control wires at the radio end.
This is mounted where??
It then sends the signal as if it were a wireless remote to my aftermarket head unit??
Someone with this please reply with corrections to my guess.
Also - does this mean that I could feasibly buy an aftermarket head unit that will plug and play with my Delco changer and steering controls by getting this transmitter?
hanks!