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What is the aux output in the car radio for? How to connect an AUX output to the radio. Required materials and tools

AUX or Line In is a connector through which you can connect an external audio source to your car. Such an abbreviation can be found on the car radio or directly on dashboard vehicle. This device allows you to quickly connect to speaker system car MP-3 player, phone, laptop or any other portable device. When connected, audio files from them will be directly broadcast to the car's built-in speakers.

The AUX connector is a small round hole with a diameter of 3.5 millimeters. A plug with a shaped metal rod configuration freely fits into it, as for conventional headphones.

In expensive cars, the AUX connector is mounted next to the cigarette lighter or radio, and is closed with an outer cover that prevents moisture and dust from entering the cavity. The presence of an input relieves the car owner from the need to equip the interior with a multifunctional radio, and makes it possible to use not only the resources of a connected electronic media, but also play music from the Internet.

Why is this convenient?

  • Expanding significantly technical functions ordinary radio tape recorders.
  • You can listen not only to your favorite music, but also broadcasts from virtual radio stations.
  • Maybe additional connection absolutely any external devices.
  • No financial investment is required to update built-in car audio systems.
  • Broadcasting sound through a phone connected to the AUX input will be no worse than the quality of played music from a flash drive or disk.

How to use the AUX input?

To connect to this type of linear input, you must have a special adapter. One of its ends should end with an extended plug.

The second side of the adapter must match the connector of your phone, smartphone, tablet or laptop. This small cable will allow you to connect your portable device to your car for seamless transfer of any audio files.

You can purchase an adapter as follows: additional accessory in a store with automotive equipment or electronics. It also often comes standard with some devices.

DIY AUX input

If your car and its built-in radio do not have an AUX connector, you can install it yourself if you wish. If you do not have technical skills, you should order the service from a specialist at a service station.

To install the AUX socket, you will need three small wires, forty or fifty centimeters long, with a small cross-section. They will need to be soldered to the stereo output channels from the player to the main device. After this, the wires are brought out and a socket for an audio connector with three contacts is attached to them. The AUX connector itself is fixed in a convenient place for use on the dashboard or directly on the radio.

Many sound-reproducing devices (for example, radios, music centers, CD/MP3 players, TVs) have a connector designed to supply external signals - the AUX input. In this article we will look at the practical use of this socket.

AUX line input

The amplitude of the signal supplied to the linear input varies in the range from 0.5 to 1 V. This signal level is produced by any music playback devices that have a connector. It is usually labeled as AUX OUT. The same signal level is supplied to the headphones. Therefore, the headphone output can be connected to the AUX input.

Line input connection

The scope of application of the mentioned connector is quite wide. So, for example, if you want to listen to music from an MP3 player or smartphone (tablet) through powerful speakers rather than headphones, you can connect your device to the AUX input of a music center or other similar device. To connect you will need an adapter cord. On one side of the cable there should be a 3.5mm jack connector (headphone plug), and on the other side there should be a pair of tulip connectors. The cord itself must be a four-core acoustic cord with an outer copper braid. You can buy such a cable in a store or make it yourself. The jack connector can be cut off from non-working headphones or purchased at a radio store. When purchasing connectors, you can choose their shape and design - from the cheapest (plastic) to the most expensive (gold-plated metal). Once you have found all the plugs and wire, you can begin assembly. We strip the insulation at the ends of the wire and solder the connectors to them. The “Jake” has central contacts that are signal, and the outer contact is a common wire. With the “tulip” everything is exactly the same. Some devices have a headphone output using the minijack standard; in this case, you need to solder the corresponding connector. The wiring remains the same. After this, be sure to check the cable with a multimeter in “test” mode to ensure that there is no incorrect connection.

Setting up AUX input

So the cord is ready, you can connect our player to the music center. We connect the cable to AUX and turn on the AUX IN mode on the device being played. For digital devices this is done through the menu, and for analog devices - using a switch. It should be remembered that before you turn on playback on the player, you must reduce the volume level on the music center or other device being played. This is done so that the device does not “scream” at full blast if a powerful signal is applied to the output channel.

Conclusion

According to this principle, you can connect various devices(laptops, netbooks, iPods, tablets, etc.) to devices that contain frequencies - stereo systems, televisions, home theaters, cassette recorders, etc. A good connection is obtained by connecting CD/MP3 players and cassette recorders. The latter are used extremely rarely in the era of digital music, although they sometimes have much more best characteristics. So such a link gives new life analog technology.

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Knowing what AUX is in a car radio, drivers will be able to expand functionality systems. The symbol is located on the player or on the dashboard. The abbreviation AUX is a designation for a connector in the radio that allows you to connect other sound sources.

What is this exit for?

The Aux line output in the radio is necessary to connect a smartphone, tablet or mp3 player to the player. In this case, the sound will be transmitted through the car speakers.

In some cars they are combined, and the car owner can connect the phone when answering a call. To do this, you can connect a microphone to the radio via AUX. Therefore, on the panel on top of the Aux connector it is written “AUX IN”.

In operating condition, a signal with an amplitude in the range of 0.5-1 V is supplied to the output.

There is also an amplifier that transmits sound to the speakers.

Some drivers do not know what the input in the radio with the inscription AUX means. In this case, you can mix up 2 identical connectors. Below the output with the prefix “IN”, there is a plug labeled “OUT”.

AUX OUT - a connector designed for audio output. Therefore, a wire is inserted into it to output music. Speakers are suitable for this. Unknowing motorists are faced with problems with sound output in the radio and have no idea what Aux is. Therefore, if problems arise with the volume or the player does not work, they change it, but the problem may be that the device is not connected correctly.

How to use

When the Aux connector is detected on the car radio, the driver tries to determine what it is and how to use this function. The system can be found in many devices that reproduce sound. However, older cassette players or older versions of CD radios do not have a line-out. But this does not mean that a car enthusiast will not be able to connect a player or smartphone to play his music on the speakers.


To start listening to music in the car, you will need to determine how the playback device is connected via Aux and start listening to music from other sources. If the radio has an AUX plug, then to start using it you need a wire, where the jack size should be 3.5 mm. On the other side of the adapter there are several connectors for connecting an external device. If the corresponding output is not found on the player, then the car owner is able to make it himself. After connecting the playback device, you can listen to music.

How to enable AUX

If AUX was originally built into the car radio, then the system will need to unlock it. To enable Aux on the radio as a device that sends a signal to the speakers, you need to put the player in standby mode. To do this, press the SRC button, then enter the menu using MENU. You will need to hold the button until the system is activated. In the menu, scroll the right control knob to toggle Aux. The car radio display may show AUX ON/OFF, which indicates whether the input is on or off.

Car enthusiasts are well aware that standard radios, even in production cars such as the Ford Focus 2 and Chevrolet Lacetti, have always had poor functionality. With the use of all kinds of smartphones, tablets, and MP3 players in the modern world, we are accustomed to listening to music anywhere we are. But what to do in a situation when you want to listen to music in the car, but there is no way to connect the gadget via aux on the CD radio. More precisely, there is simply no factory version of it. And what to do in this situation? Are there instructions on how to make aux on any radio? We'll figure out.

What are aux inputs and outputs?

In Russia and some CIS countries they are called line outputs. They are small connectors that can be supplied with voltage from 0.4 - 1.9 volts. In Western countries, this connector is labeled aux out or cd out.

If your device has connectors such as aux input or aux output, then in most cases such a player is equipped with an audio signal amplifier and is capable of working with other external devices. By connecting a smartphone or MP3 player through this connector, you can listen to audio files through the car speakers.

But the saddest thing is that not all old-style radios have such outputs. And if you want to listen to your favorite music from your own media, the owner will have to buy a radio with an aux input installed, or make aux on standard radio having paid a lot of money in the first and second options.

After some thought, the thought often arises that there may be a possibility of making such a connector yourself. Let's consider the options.

Installing an aux input on the CD radio

In fact, most radio tape recorders are equipped with aux connectors, but for some reason the manufacturer did not consider it necessary to display them on the front panel. To solve the problem of outputting an aux output on a CD radio, a car enthusiast will need a certain number of Supplies and tools:

  • medium Phillips screwdriver;
  • insulating tape;
  • special keys to get the radio;
  • USB cable from a computer controller;
  • jumper from a computer hard drive;
  • a small piece of cable with a 3.5 mm plug.

Using a knife, carefully remove the decorative plate by prying it by the edge. Using a screwdriver, unscrew the two screws that secure the grille and lift it up. Using special keys, remove the radio.


Having pulled out the radio, we see a white rectangular connector on the back of the case. You need to connect a USB plug with a cable and a jumper to it. The computer controller cable consists of three cores: the left channel, the right channel and the screen. We connect the wires of the left and right channels to a two-core cable with a 3.5 plug and insulate it well using insulating material. We install the car radio in place. We bring the cable with the plug into the car interior.

How to make aux on a stock radio

Unfortunately, not all standard-installed radios have external aux connectors. So, with a greater degree of probability, the radio will have to be disassembled in order to get to the main board of the player. For this we will need the following materials and tools:

  • insulated wires with a cross-section of 0.5 cm and a length of 40 - 50 cm;
  • 3.5 mm plug;
  • heat shrink tubes;
  • soldering iron;
  • medium Phillips screwdriver;

Using a knife, carefully remove the decorative plate above the radio, prying it by the edge. We also use a knife to pry it up and then remove the decorative panel near the gear lever with our hands. Unscrew the fastening screws securing the radio. We remove the radio and disconnect all the wires on the back wall of the case. Remove the cover of the player by unscrewing the bolts holding it and remove it from the case.


Once you have access to the board, inspect it carefully. You need to find three points labeled LCH, RCH (left and right channels) and GND (“ground”). We attach three wires to the found three points using a soldering iron and put them into the heat-shrink channel. We assemble the player in the reverse order, and take the cable we made to a convenient place in the car. Solder a 3.5 mm plug to the end of the cable.

Making aux for a cassette player

Many will say that there are no such car radios left in nature. But this is not true. Of course, such rarities are not comparable to the quality of players from brands such as Bose, however, there are still connoisseurs of such outdated devices. And believe me, they also want to listen to their favorite tunes from their smartphone or MP3 player through an old cassette player in their car. And to be happy they need:

  • wires, shielded 40 cm, cross section 0.5 cm;
  • heat shrink tubes;
  • 3.5 mm plug;
  • medium Phillips screwdriver.

We remove the radio from the niche by unscrewing the mounting bolts. Unscrew the bolts holding the device cover. By removing the cover of the radio, we get access to the tape drive mechanism, which is secured with metal latches. By bending the latches, we remove the mechanism, thereby gaining access to the volume control.


We take it out and solder three common wires to it, for the left stereo channel and for the right stereo channel. We put the wires into a heat-shrinkable channel and assemble the car radio. Having installed the player in its place, we bring the wire into the interior or into the glove compartment and attach a 3.5 mm plug to it using soldering.

As we can see, you can install an aux output on any radio. Much, of course, depends on the manufacturer of the product and, of course, on the design components. In modern models from companies such as Bose, there is no need to think about how to connect any mobile device. But unfortunately, there are still a lot of devices on the radio electronics market that require serious improvements.

2012-05-31 at 22:34

Somehow I found such a XING BAO TD-3001 (B) tape recorder in the garage, and I thought why not use it in some other way for its intended purpose. Moreover, I wanted to listen to music at the dacha while construction was underway. But one thing bothered me - the lack of a linear input. Previous articles described how to make such an upgrade, but each case requires its own approach.
Let's get down to business. The first thing I did was naturally take it apart and study the mechanics of the cassette receiver (after all, we don’t need cassettes, but the radio will still come in handy). After looking at it, I realized that in order for the cassette receiver system to turn on, two wires must be short-circuited, so I immediately soldered them together. This makes it clear to the brains of the tape recorder that the cassette is working.
This is how I did it, I soldered the red and yellow wires, but the white one was dangling, so I had to temporarily tear it off from the antenna.

The next step was to unsolder the wire from the cassette head, I sent a signal to it and, as usual, I was upset because the sound was not at all what I wanted.
Having searched the board for some microcircuits, I found one very interesting one called BA3308. As far as I understand, its task is to amplify the signal from the head and feed it to the TEA2025b amplifier and also serves to switch radio/cassette modes. Having found the datasheet for the BA3308 chip, I realized that I need to send a signal to pins 3 and 7. Having temporarily soldered the wires for an experiment, I realized that I was right, and it turned out like this:

I plan to use a tape recorder with a Transcend T.sonic 520 mp3 player since it was lying around unnecessarily.

This tape recorder has a microphone input and a headphone output. Since we are not keen on karaoke and to save appearance I decided to use a microphone jack as a line-in connector. It came out like this:


After the final performance test, I assembled everything and tightened all the bolts. No one will guess that this tape recorder is not simple.
For the readers of this article, I recorded a video that shows how everything works and that all functions such as changing the cassette/radio mode and volume control are preserved.


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