Member Since: 24 Jun 2021
Location: West Sussex
Posts: 441
Relocating the rear centre aux output help
Has anyone relocated the rear centre aux output into the armrest cubby. If so any tricks, help please. Thanks.
8th May 2023 7:21 pm
loanrangie
Member Since: 18 Jun 2017
Location: Melbourne
Posts: 699
Not relocation but mine didn't have the aux so i fitted one at the rear in the factory location and one near the RH 12V socket, 3 core wire and 3.5mm socket from element14, RS online or any good electrical parts retailer.
Pulled them out when i fitted my android head unit in favour of bluetooth streaming.
8th May 2023 11:52 pm
KPTV8
Member Since: 05 Feb 2012
Location: Itinerant !! (Scotland/Donegal)
Posts: 187
That's a neat and clever idea !
Not done that on my D4, but I did successfully pipe sound to headphone sockets in all corners of a Renault Espace so my children could enjoy music and audio on long journeys - that was before days of headrest displays.
I'm pretty sure the audio jack socket behind the cubby isn't of the switching type (e,g, where plugging-in deactivates speakers elsewhere), so electrically it should be a simple matter of taking 3 wires (ideally two wires and the third is a coax shield) onwards to the new socket.
There's a really simple and non-disruptive way to do it - leave the existing AUX jack socket in place and make up or buy an extension - that way you get the flexibilty of keeping the existing standard socket if you need it in future.
A quick and crude approach would be to buy something like this (link below), plug the male end into your existing audio AUX outlet, and have the female end hanging loose in the cubby recess - this will work if you're happy to drill big enough holes to thread the extension through the console outer skin (near the existing audio outlet) and in the cubby lining. You can make a job like that look FAIRLY neat by fitting rubber grommets into the oversize holes :-
Note the detail of using a 90-degree jack plug so it doesn't intrude much into the rear footwell.
You can make a much neater job by snipping-off the female end of the extension and drilling holes just big enough for the unterminated cable - you can then solder-on and fit a surface-mount 3.5mm stereo audio jack socket into a hole in the cubby lining, but it'll be a hassle tightening the securing nut behind the lining; maybe just glue the socket into the hole ? Bit kludgy ......
Or you could fit a little surface-mount box in the cubby into which you mount the stereo audio female jack socket. Guess you could also fit that into the cubby hinged LID as long as you run the cable so it doesn't snag or chaff.
Electrically this is really easy stuff, the decision lies in how NEATLY you want it to be installed - which is what takes the time !!
Send me a P.M. if you want pointers to suppliers; shame we no longer have Maplin where you could just walk off the street and pick desired bits off the shelves ((
Cheers ))
9th May 2023 8:21 am
Pete K
Member Since: 15 Jan 2016
Location: GL
Posts: 10676
Member Since: 21 Oct 2016
Location: kent
Posts: 14129
Plus 1 in retrofitting an aux socket in my centre console , got a wiring loom that was plug and play without having to alter any wiring on the back of the radio unit
Click image to enlarge
9th May 2023 2:43 pm
BradC
Member Since: 29 Apr 2019
Location: Perth
Posts: 119
KPTV8 wrote:
I'm pretty sure the audio jack socket behind the cubby isn't of the switching type (e,g, where plugging-in deactivates speakers elsewhere)
It is a switching type of socket. When nothing is plugged in it earths both signal wires. I cut the top off a 3.5mm stereo plug and put a blob of araldite on it to insulate it. That plugs in and leaves the cable free for use elsewhere. You could use a bit of toothpick or matchstick just as easily.
9th May 2023 3:05 pm
KPTV8
Member Since: 05 Feb 2012
Location: Itinerant !! (Scotland/Donegal)
Posts: 187
Thanks for correcting my wrong assumption - bit daft of me not to check first.
Yes it makes sense the signal wires are grounded when not in use - and neat idea there to use a dummy jack plug to regain open circuit ))
17th May 2023 8:28 am
Sidestick
Member Since: 22 Apr 2012
Location: Rome
Posts: 2321
i use a dummy jack to enable the aux audio signal from an external multimedia source connected directly to the harness, when the MM source is not in use i can simply plug a 3,5mm from a phone or mp3 player removing the dummy jack - Easy-Lift suspension module 4.0
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