[[email protected]]

I've just bought a second hand Denon DCR-470R (cassette/radio) car
stereo to replace the aging one in my car and noticed that there's a
small connector on the back which resembles a S-video connector.

There's a pinout diagram on top of the unit for the regular audio/power
connectors, but nothing for the abovementioned one. Since the unit
seems to be made with a CD-changer in mind (there's a button for that
and "CD changer control" is printed on the cassette slot) I suppose
this is where the CD changer should be connected, which has given me an
idea.....

We're aiming to connect an MP3 player to the car stereo via a cassette
adaptor, but surely a line-in would probably give better quality audio,
so perhaps this connector could be used with the MP3 player instead of
a CD changer !?!

Has anyone got a pinout for it, or know where I can find out more? I've
had a look at Denon's website, but there's nothing there about car
stereos.

[brianlanning]

wrote:
We're aiming to connect an MP3 player to the car stereo via a cassette
adaptor, but surely a line-in would probably give better quality audio,
so perhaps this connector could be used with the MP3 player instead of
a CD changer !?!
Has anyone got a pinout for it, or know where I can find out more? I've
had a look at Denon's website, but there's nothing there about car
stereos.

You're not likely to get it working. There's probably a protocol or
language that the changer and the head unit speak to eachother. Even if
it is analog (i.e., they're not delivering a digital stream over the
wire and relying on the d/a converter in the head unit to do the
conversion) you probably won't be able to convince the head unit that
there's really a cd changer there and start listing to the line in.

I'd go with the cassette adapter until you can get a head unit with a
separate line in port. Some half-din EQs have them also.

brian

[Matt Ion]

brianlanning wrote:
wrote:

We're aiming to connect an MP3 player to the car stereo via a cassette
adaptor, but surely a line-in would probably give better quality audio,
so perhaps this connector could be used with the MP3 player instead of
a CD changer !?!
Has anyone got a pinout for it, or know where I can find out more? I've
had a look at Denon's website, but there's nothing there about car
stereos.


You're not likely to get it working. There's probably a protocol or
language that the changer and the head unit speak to eachother. Even if
it is analog (i.e., they're not delivering a digital stream over the
wire and relying on the d/a converter in the head unit to do the
conversion) you probably won't be able to convince the head unit that
there's really a cd changer there and start listing to the line in.

I'd go with the cassette adapter until you can get a head unit with a
separate line in port. Some half-din EQs have them also.

Brian's probably right here, but it won't hurt to try. If you're feeling really
adventurous, you could open the deck up and check the wires going to that
connector; chances are fairly good they're using standard color codes (red/white
for left/right, black for ground) and you may be able to connect a signal to
check it out. How many pins are there on the connector, and can you even find a
plug to plug into it?

Another thing to try is an FM modulator... they cost a little more than a
cassette adapter, and neither will sound as good as using a line-in, but IMHO
they also sound better than cassette adapters, and you don't have problems like
potentially poor head alignment, or the deck spitting it out because the
transport doesn't know what to do with it, or the wire catching or breaking in
the slot... On this side of the pond, Belkin makes one that the whole unit just
plugs directly into the cig. lighter and resides there, so it stays nicely out
of the way.

[BigBob]

http://cgi.ebay.com/DENON-10-DISK-CD...QQcmdZViewItem

there is a pic of the cable here, might help you decide what to do.

wrote in message
oups.com...
I've just bought a second hand Denon DCR-470R (cassette/radio) car
stereo to replace the aging one in my car and noticed that there's a
small connector on the back which resembles a S-video connector.

There's a pinout diagram on top of the unit for the regular audio/power
connectors, but nothing for the abovementioned one. Since the unit
seems to be made with a CD-changer in mind (there's a button for that
and "CD changer control" is printed on the cassette slot) I suppose
this is where the CD changer should be connected, which has given me an
idea.....

We're aiming to connect an MP3 player to the car stereo via a cassette
adaptor, but surely a line-in would probably give better quality audio,
so perhaps this connector could be used with the MP3 player instead of
a CD changer !?!

Has anyone got a pinout for it, or know where I can find out more? I've
had a look at Denon's website, but there's nothing there about car
stereos.

[Matt Ion]

BigBob wrote:
http://cgi.ebay.com/DENON-10-DISK-CD...QQcmdZViewItem

there is a pic of the cable here, might help you decide what to do.

Heh... or for $40 he could just add a CD changer to his setup!

[[email protected]]

If anyone new is reading this... we've been discussing the connector as
a side-note in another thread, but I still haven't figured out the
pinout for this connector. In case someone has the connector pinout
from a manual etc. I'd be very happy if that information could be
posted here.

So far, this is what i've found out:

- the connector is an 8-pin mini-DIN. I've taken two pictures which can
be seen he http://www.esnips.com/web/no-spam2-files

-the connector is made for use with a Denon CD-changer (I don't know
which model, but apparently Denon also has CD-changers that use a 13
pin DIN plug according to an eBay auction, so there could be some
confusion here).

[[email protected]]

I finally got hold of a schematic (PDF file) for that car stereo which
I'm trying to use its CD-changer input for my MP3 player.

http://www.esnips.com/web/no-spam2-files

Anyone knowledgable in electronics who can figure out how this can be
done?
I just want to connect the headphone output from my MP3 player into the
car stereo without having to use a cassette adapter as I'm using now.

[Matt Ion]

wrote:
I finally got hold of a schematic (PDF file) for that car stereo which
I'm trying to use its CD-changer input for my MP3 player.

http://www.esnips.com/web/no-spam2-files

Anyone knowledgable in electronics who can figure out how this can be
done?
I just want to connect the headphone output from my MP3 player into the
car stereo without having to use a cassette adapter as I'm using now.

Looks like pins 1 and 3 are your CD in right and left, and pins 2 and 4 are
ground (use either or both).

Easiest way is probably to pick up a headphone extension cable and a male DIN
plug to fit the back of the deck; cut the female end off the extension, and
solder as appropriate into the DIN plug - red is typically right+, white or
black is left+, and the shield is ground.

[e-nigma]

"Matt Ion" wrote in message
news:Ien6h.315687$5R2.307249@pd7urf3no...
wrote:
I finally got hold of a schematic (PDF file) for that car stereo which
I'm trying to use its CD-changer input for my MP3 player.

http://www.esnips.com/web/no-spam2-files

Anyone knowledgable in electronics who can figure out how this can be
done?
I just want to connect the headphone output from my MP3 player into the
car stereo without having to use a cassette adapter as I'm using now.

Looks like pins 1 and 3 are your CD in right and left, and pins 2 and 4
are ground (use either or both).

Easiest way is probably to pick up a headphone extension cable and a male
DIN plug to fit the back of the deck; cut the female end off the
extension, and solder as appropriate into the DIN plug - red is typically
right+, white or black is left+, and the shield is ground.

I agree with that, but pin 4 or 5 may have to be triggered somehow to tell
the unit to switch to changer input.
or 4 and/or 5, and/or 6 might have to have a load on them before it will
switch.
Or do you think that just pressing the changer button on unit will activate
changer input?
I know a lot of new unit want to see a load before it switches to changer
input.

[[email protected]]

e-nigma wrote:

I agree with that, but pin 4 or 5 may have to be triggered somehow to tell
the unit to switch to changer input.
or 4 and/or 5, and/or 6 might have to have a load on them before it will
switch.

Perhaps someone here has a Denon CD-changer and can tell us how it
works in conjunction with a cassette-stereo like my 470R?

I don't have the unit in front of me, and don't have a user-guide, but
I seem to remember a "CD " button on the front-panel. As for
next/previous track/pause/play I suppose the existing radio station
buttons might act as controls for those functions when the CD changer
is used.

Not sure what would be telling the unit to switch to the CD changer
other than the "CD" button itself. Are you saying it might need some
external trigger input? If that's so, how would a CD-changer do that?

[e-nigma]

wrote in message
ups.com...
e-nigma wrote:

I agree with that, but pin 4 or 5 may have to be triggered somehow to
tell
the unit to switch to changer input.
or 4 and/or 5, and/or 6 might have to have a load on them before it will
switch.

Perhaps someone here has a Denon CD-changer and can tell us how it
works in conjunction with a cassette-stereo like my 470R?

I don't have the unit in front of me, and don't have a user-guide, but
I seem to remember a "CD " button on the front-panel. As for
next/previous track/pause/play I suppose the existing radio station
buttons might act as controls for those functions when the CD changer
is used.

Not sure what would be telling the unit to switch to the CD changer
other than the "CD" button itself. Are you saying it might need some
external trigger input? If that's so, how would a CD-changer do that?


The unit should have either a CD changer button or a source button to change
to CD changer.
But a lot of unit will to change to CD changer without the CD changer pluged
in

[Matt Ion]

e-nigma wrote:
"Matt Ion" wrote in message
news:Ien6h.315687$5R2.307249@pd7urf3no...

wrote:

I finally got hold of a schematic (PDF file) for that car stereo which
I'm trying to use its CD-changer input for my MP3 player.

http://www.esnips.com/web/no-spam2-files

Anyone knowledgable in electronics who can figure out how this can be
done?
I just want to connect the headphone output from my MP3 player into the
car stereo without having to use a cassette adapter as I'm using now.

Looks like pins 1 and 3 are your CD in right and left, and pins 2 and 4
are ground (use either or both).

Easiest way is probably to pick up a headphone extension cable and a male
DIN plug to fit the back of the deck; cut the female end off the
extension, and solder as appropriate into the DIN plug - red is typically
right+, white or black is left+, and the shield is ground.


I agree with that, but pin 4 or 5 may have to be triggered somehow to tell
the unit to switch to changer input.
or 4 and/or 5, and/or 6 might have to have a load on them before it will
switch.
Or do you think that just pressing the changer button on unit will activate
changer input?
I know a lot of new unit want to see a load before it switches to changer
input.

Well, pin 6 connects to one of the ouputs of IC861, which is a line-driver and
labeled "CH. CONTROL" (changer control?); I would guess that outputs the control
signal TO the changer.

Pin 4 is tied to the ground along with pin 2 - basically looks like 1/2 are one
input pair, and 3/4 are the other pair.

Pin 5 is +12V to the changer - it probably either uses this to POWER the changer
(unlikely), or merely as a remote-turn-on (more likely).

The only other pin that's used is 7, and it appears to connect to a buss line to
the main controller... MAY be an input trigger to tell the deck that the changer
is present and to allow the input to switch to the DIN jack.

I'd say, if just wiring up the audio lines doesn't allow the input switch, try
grounding pin 7 first, and if that doesn't work, then try giving it 12V power,
but honestly, I don't think it'll be necessary.

[Matt Ion]

wrote:
e-nigma wrote:


I agree with that, but pin 4 or 5 may have to be triggered somehow to tell
the unit to switch to changer input.
or 4 and/or 5, and/or 6 might have to have a load on them before it will
switch.


Perhaps someone here has a Denon CD-changer and can tell us how it
works in conjunction with a cassette-stereo like my 470R?

I don't have the unit in front of me, and don't have a user-guide, but
I seem to remember a "CD " button on the front-panel. As for
next/previous track/pause/play I suppose the existing radio station
buttons might act as controls for those functions when the CD changer
is used.

Not sure what would be telling the unit to switch to the CD changer
other than the "CD" button itself. Are you saying it might need some
external trigger input? If that's so, how would a CD-changer do that?

I think what he's thinking is that the "CD" button might not switch to the
changer input unless it sees there's a changer present. The changer itself
wouldn't actually trigger the deck; the deck has to trigger the changer to
activate when you switch to that input.

[eddie8188]

Originally Posted by e-nigma

"Matt Ion" wrote in message
news:Ien6h.315687$5R2.307249@pd7urf3no...
wrote:
I finally got hold of a schematic (PDF file) for that car stereo which
I'm trying to use its CD-changer input for my MP3 player.

http://www.esnips.com/web/no-spam2-files

Anyone knowledgable in electronics who can figure out how this can be
done?
I just want to connect the headphone output from my MP3 player into the
car stereo without having to use a cassette adapter as I'm using now.

Looks like pins 1 and 3 are your CD in right and left, and pins 2 and 4
are ground (use either or both).

Easiest way is probably to pick up a headphone extension cable and a male
DIN plug to fit the back of the deck; cut the female end off the
extension, and solder as appropriate into the DIN plug - red is typically
right+, white or black is left+, and the shield is ground.

I agree with that, but pin 4 or 5 may have to be triggered somehow to tell
the unit to switch to changer input.
or 4 and/or 5, and/or 6 might have to have a load on them before it will
switch.
Or do you think that just pressing the changer button on unit will activate
changer input?
I know a lot of new unit want to see a load before it switches to changer
input.

Hi I also want to make this connection, are you finally success? Can you please kindly teach me how to connect? thanks wait for you reply

[cash68]

Originally Posted by eddie8188

Hi I also want to make this connection, are you finally success? Can you please kindly teach me how to connect? thanks wait for you reply

I'm doing the same thing. I found the service manual for my Denon 970R online. The CD changer pinout is an 8 pin mini din. Here is a snapshot of the pinout:



I'm going to solder an adaptor tomorrow to a mini stereo jack and see what happens.

[cash68]

Well, so far no dice. I have a Denon 970R, and I hooked up a mini-din cable to a stereo miniplug connection, the right, ground, left, and ground. So I tried grounding all the other wires, with the exception of the 12v "remote on" wire to the CD changer (#5). I press and hold play, and it will not change to the cd changer input. I tried applying 12v to the other wires as well... no dice.

This sucks.