iPod interface for Holden Commodore VE - six CD stacker stereo modification instruction

Figure 1

The black cable on Figure 1 connects the iPod to the iPod interface printed circuit board (PCB). The 11-wire rainbow ribbon cable connects the interface PCB to the car stereo main PCB. The 11 wires of the ribbon cable will be soldered to 11 points on the car stereo PCB as described in this document.

Disassembling the car stereo

Figure 2 shows the six CD stacker car stereo box of Holden Commodore VE after it has been removed from the car.

Figure 2

Undo the six screws holding the front cover as shown on Figure 3. The screwdriver head is Torx size T20.

Figure 3

Undo the four screws holding the top and bottom half of the stereo box using a screwdriver with Torx head size T10. Two of the screws are on the back side of the box (circled in red on Figure 4) and the other two are on the right and left side of the box (circled in red on Figure 5 and Figure 6).

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Separate the top and bottom halves of the stereo as shown on Figure 7 and Figure 8.

Figure 7

Figure 8

Carefully pull the six CD stacker ribbon cable from the connector as shown on Figure 9 and Figure 10.

Figure 9

Figure 10

Undo the four screws holding the bottom stereo box cover (circled in red on Figure 11) using a screwdriver with Torx head size T08.

Figure 11

Remove the stereo box bottom cover by lifting up the two corners circled in red on Figure 12 with the help of the flat head driver as shown on Figure 13.

Figure 12

Figure 13

Figure 14 shows the stereo with the removed bottom cover.

Figure 14

Soldering the 11 way ribbon cable to the car stereo PCB

Unplug the 11-way rainbow ribbon cable from the iPod interface PCB as shown on Figure 15 and Figure 16.

Figure 15

Figure 16

Split the ribbon cable in three as shown on Figure 17.

Figure 17

Split the black, white and gray wires as shown on Figure 18.

Figure 18

Strip and tin the ends of the three wires as shown on Figure 19. The stripping and tinning procedure should be done in the same way for the remaining 8 wires of the ribbon cable.

Figure 19

The black, white and gray wires have to be soldered in the two areas circled in red on Figure 20 on the car stereo PCB.

Figure 20

The black wire is soldered on the resistor pad circled in red on Figure 21.

Figure 21

With a soldering iron, create a small solder drop over the resistor pad (circled in red on Figure 22).

Figure 22

Next, solder the black were as shown on Figure 23.

Figure 23

Measure with an ohmmeter the value of the resistor where the black wire was soldered (Figure 24). Verify the resistance is approximately 10k (Figure 25).

Figure 24

Figure 25

If the resistance is significantly bigger than 10K or is an open circuit, the resistor has been damaged (overheated) during the soldering and needs to be replaced. 

The white and gray wires have to be soldered over the resistor pads circled in red on Figure 26.

Figure 26

Create small solder drops over the resistor pads circled in red on Figure 27.

Figure 27

Solder the white wire on the left and the gray wire on the right as shown on Figure 28.

Figure 28

Measure with an ohmmeter the value of the two resistors where the white and gray wires were soldered (Figure 29 and Figure 30). Verify both have resistance approximately 220 ohms.

Figure 29

Figure 30

If the resistance is significantly bigger than 220 ohms or is an open circuit, the resistor has been damaged (overheated) during the soldering and needs to be replaced. 

The next step is to solder the blue and purple wires in the area circled in red on Figure 31.

Figure 31

The blue and purple wires have to be soldered over the vias circled in red on Figure 32.

Figure 32

Create small solder drops over the vias as shown on Figure 33.

Figure 33

Solder the blue and purple wires as shown on Figure 34.

Figure 34

Figure 35 shows the first five wires (black, white, gray, blue and purple) of the ribbon cable soldered over the top of the main stereo PCB.

Figure 35

The next step is to solder the remaining six ribbon cable wires (brown, red, orange, yellow, green and blue) onto the bottom side of the main stereo PCB. Position these wires in the slot of the stereo PCB shown on Figure 36.

Figure 36

Push them to the bottom side of the stereo box as shown on Figure 37.

Figure 37

Figure 38 shows the six wires from the other side of the stereo PCB.

Figure 38

The six wires have to be soldered over the pads circled in red on Figure 39.

Figure 39

Prepare the pads by creating small solder drops over them as shown on Figure 40.

Figure 40

Next, solder the six wires as shown on Figure 41.

Figure 41

Figure 42 shows the bottom side of the stereo main PCB with the six ribbon cable wires soldered on it.

Figure 42

Attach the bottom cover of the stereo box with the four screws circled in red on Figure 43.

Figure 43

Assembling the iPod interface PCB in the car stereo

Undo the two screws from the iPod interface PCB (circled in red on Figure 44) as shown on Figure 45.

Figure 44

Figure 45

Connect the ribbon cable to the iPod PCB as shown on Figure 46.

Figure 46

Note: Ensure that the orientation of the ribbon cable connector is exactly as shown on Figure 47. Misaligning or plugging the connector backwards, will damage the stereo and the iPod interface when powered.

Figure 47

Position the iPod interface in the stereo box as shown on Figure 48.

Figure 48

The iPod interface will be attached with two screws using two existing holes on the stereo box side wall (circled in red and yellow on Figure 49).

Figure 49

Align and hold the iPod interface PCB as shown on Figure 50.

Note: the iPod interface metal spacers can be seen –they are circled in red.

Figure 50

Insert the two screws as shown on Figure 51.

Figure 51

Tighten the two screws as shown on Figure 52.

Figure 52

Figure 53 shows the assembled iPod interface inside the stereo box.

Figure 53

Reposition the iPod cable to pass along the side of the interface PCB as shown on Figure 54. If the cable is left to pass over the top of the interface (as on Figure 53 above), the interface may get damaged when the top half of the stereo box is assembled.

Figure 54

Align the top and bottom halves of the stereo and insert the CD stacker ribbon cable into its connector as shown on Figure 55 and Figure 56.

Figure 55

Figure 56

Assemble the top and bottom halves of the stereo as shown on Figure 57.

Figure 57

Figure 58 shows a close up of how the iPod cable passes through the top and bottom halves of the stereo box.

Figure 58

Screw the bottom and top halves of the radio together with the four screws (two of them circled in red on Figure 59).

Figure 59

Figure 60 shows how the iPod cable passes through the front side of the radio box.

Figure 60

Position the radio front cover as shown on Figure 61.

Figure 61

Screw the front cover with the six screws circled in red on Figure 62.

Figure 62

Figure 63 and Figure 64 show how the iPod cable goes through the fully assembled stereo box.

Figure 63

Figure 64