before elaborating, can i first ask: does the MP47 have ISO sockets on the back of it, meaning the alfa ISO plugs can connect directly?

whilst you will need to alter some of the wiring, the answer will dictate where you perform the changes (ie: alter the alfa wires vs altering a blaupunkt harness).

 

Hi Shiny.

Yes, I believe it does have ISO sockets-the installation manual has diagrams of the ISO sockets-I have tried to reproduce and attach the relevant page but cannot seem to do so.

Would something like this be what I need?

e-bay: Alfa GT ISO Lead

Also, the installation manual says that you should disconnect the battery when installing the Kingston-is this a recommendation or a requirement?

 

When I saw 'GT' and 'Stereo' I was gonna suggest Shiny might be able to help, but he beat me to it by helping, :lol:

 

ok.

yes, the ISO lead will be suitable. you don't 'need' it cos it will merely be an extension lead, but it does mean you can modify the wiring in this lead; this would be more convenient cos you can do it on a bench where you have more space.

alternatively, you just modify the wiring on the alfa plug, but it is a bit cramped working in the car, and the wiring loom isn't very long. however, if you have suitably small screwdrivers, you should be able to 'disengage' the actual terminals from the plug, and swap them around this way. this means you don't have to cut, resolder, and insulate. mind you, you could also disengage the terminals on the new lead instead.

when changing any wiring, you should use a multimeter (MM) to double-check you are dealing with the right wires. for example, set the MM to 'DC voltage' and confirm which wire in the alfa plug is the 'battery/constant +12V' wire (which should be are position #7), then move that to position #4 to suit the new MP47 (which i presume is where it needs to be).

 

Ok, so the ISO 'adpator' just arrived.

I now have-

ISO Leads in the Alfa
Connects 2 stalk adaptor (in pic above)
ISO adpator

So, I presume the Alfa leads feed into the ISO adaptor, in which I switch the A4 and A7 leads (at the end being fed by the Alfa leads?), and the ISO adaptor connects into the Connects 2 stalk adaptor which then feeds into the new stereo and then I have the 'correct' setup for steering controls and power?

 

Ok so the Kingston arrived today. Would appreciate some more advice, especially if there is anywhere else out there who has installed an aftermarket Blaupunkt into a GT/147.

I've attached a picture of the Connects2 stalk adaptor-can anyone tell me if I need the connector circled in the picture? I can't see where it would go? Is it for a model other than the Blaupunkt and can I disconnect it from the 'box'?

Also, do I need to do anything with the cage that came with the Kingston-should it be attached to the car somehow? The instructions are very unclear. I've attached a pic of the HU with the cage on it.

And I would still appreciate answers to the following?

Can anyone recommend a way of putting a hole in the glove compartment for the USB cable?

Also, the installation manual says that you should disconnect the battery when installing the Kingston-is this a recommendation or a requirement?

 

I've attached a picture of the Connects2 stalk adaptor-can anyone tell me if I need the connector circled in the picture? I can't see where it would go? Is it for a model other than the Blaupunkt and can I disconnect it from the 'box'?

as per damo_mc, it seems you need another adaptor to convert the plug to a mini-ISO version to suit your new blaupunkt.

Also, do I need to do anything with the cage that came with the Kingston-should it be attached to the car somehow? The instructions are very unclear. I've attached a pic of the HU with the cage on it.

And I would still appreciate answers to the following?

the cage should be required for normal installation. it also holds the dashkit trim in position: cage->dashkit->dash.

bending the retaining tabs around the edge is required to hold it all in position.

i customised my own setup though, and ended up doing without the cage, and screwing the (alpine) headunit directly to the dash via metal brackets. i did this so that i could modify the dashkit trim to my liking, and attach it separately.

details amongst these photos: PictureTrail Gallery

I now have-

ISO Leads in the Alfa
Connects 2 stalk adaptor (in pic above)
ISO adpator

So, I presume the Alfa leads feed into the ISO adaptor, in which I switch the A4 and A7 leads (at the end being fed by the Alfa leads?), and the ISO adaptor connects into the Connects 2 stalk adaptor which then feeds into the new stereo and then I have the 'correct' setup for steering controls and power?

as discussed, the wire at A7 needs to be changed to position A4.

In short.
Switching 4 and 7 does bugger all, this only works in the 156.

The permanent live is the blue wire from the alfa...

You will not get the autodimmer to work.

You will not get the radio to switch on/off with the ignition unless you run a line to the cigarette lighter as the car does not have a 12V switching on/off line to the stereo.

refer to TallPaul's thread, and the .pdf file showing all the plugs/connections.

check the 'white plug'. it provides an alternative 'switched'/ACC/IGN wire to the cigarette lighter powerwire. it should also provide a suitable dimmer/illumination wire if your new headunit requires it. again, use a multimeter to confirm the wires function as required:
*IGN: 0V with ignition key OFF, +12V with key ON
*illum: 0V with dashlights/sidelights/headlights OFF, +12V with dashlights/sidelights/headlights ON

 

Just thought of something else there-given that the aftermarket stereo is going to protrude much more than the factory fit, thus rendering the cup holder pretty much useless I would think, would it be a good idea to get one of those ipod drawers to hold an MP3 player hooked up to the front Aux socket, or even the memory stick attached to the back of the stereo?

 

Can't help you with any of the tecchie stuff, Operation Alfa put a Blaupunkt unit in his 147 and spent a while fiddling about with connectors to get it to work properly, might be worth asking him.

Can anyone recommend a way of putting a hole in the glove compartment for the USB cable? I will be attaching a memory stick that was ordered with the stereo.

Any suggestions/advice appreciated.

I've routed an ipod cable down into the ashtray instead, turned into a bit of a pain reaching into the glove box whilst driving but I suppose if it's a memory stick and not an ipod you only need access to it to take it in the house and load tunes on so it might be beter off in the glovebox. I brought the cable down through the glovebox light hole to save drilling/ cutting any extra holes.

Had an ipod drawer for a bit and it's not easy to get in and out, just a bit too thin for decent access into it.

 

Thnaks Dibby.

From looking at the pics of the iPod drawer it may only suit iPods anyway, so maybe I'll just leave the cup holder as is-I get little enough use out of it anyway.

 

You can take the rubber mat out and put anything in it you want but it's a bit thin to reach all the way in to the back.

 

I've fitted a MP66 to my 147 at the moment. (same as the GT)

In short.
Switching 4 and 7 does bugger all, this only works in the 156.

The permanent live is the blue wire from the alfa...

You will not get the autodimmer to work.

You will not get the radio to switch on/off with the ignition unless you run a line to the cigarette lighter as the car does not have a 12V switching on/off line to the stereo. It is switched on and off with the canbus system, as is the autodimmer with the lights)

 

I have a Casablanca MP56 fitted to my 156. I've used a Connects2 setup to connect to my steering controls.
I had to swop over wires 4 and 7 so the stereo would switch on and off using the ignition.

The connects2 setup fits between the Alfa ISO plugs and the stereo. You need a specific wire to connect the Alfa steering controls to the blaupunkt.

I have the following parts:
Connects 2 Stalk Adapter - CTSAR001
Universal stalk lead for Blaupunkt - CTBLAUPUNKTLEAD

If you were to swop headunits to a Clarion instead for example, then you would swop the CTBLAUPUNKTLEAD for CTCLARIONLEAD.

If you have a 156 with BOSE then you need an additional wire to run from the Alfa ISO connector straight to the Blaupunkt to switch the BOSE amp on. It probably also applies to the GT with BOSE. This is needed because there are no wires in place for it in the Connects 2 Stalk Adapter.

 

I have a Casablanca MP56 fitted to my 156. I've used a Connects2 setup to connect to my steering controls.
I had to swop over wires 4 and 7 so the stereo would switch on and off using the ignition.

Where did you swap the wires-on the Alfa ISO plugs or the Connects2 adaptor?

The connects2 setup fits between the Alfa ISO plugs and the stereo. You need a specific wire to connect the Alfa steering controls to the blaupunkt.

I have the following parts:
Connects 2 Stalk Adapter - CTSAR001
Universal stalk lead for Blaupunkt - CTBLAUPUNKTLEAD

Hmm. The CTBLAUPUNKTLEAD is a new one to me. I have the CTSAR001 and would have thought that it is all that is needed to connect the Alfa ISO leads to the aftermarket stereo and retain the steering wheel controls-that's surely the point of a 'stalk' adaptor, no .

Where does the CTBLAUPUNKT lead plug in?

Is the 156 a different setup to the GT I wonder?

 

Ok, so an update (if anyone cares )

I got my Kingston installed today-I will confess and admit that I got a pro to do it.

The fascia adaptor (Connects2) is not a great fit-doesn't sit flush with the fascia-bit disappointing, but I'll get over it. The colour is too silver as well-maybe I will paint it someday.

There seems to be an issue with the power-even though the installer knew about switching A4 and A7. When you switch off the HU and don't turn it on again within say 30 seconds, the CD in the HU and the CDs in the changer revert to Track 1. The radio is fine.

Somewhat related, but more worrying, is that the USB connection fails to power/read the memory stick. Now, when I first used the unit, the memory stick I had bought from Bluespot with the unit worked ok. When I took the car out at lunchtime, the memory stick wouldn't read and the display read 'USD ERR'. Ditto this evening when I tried out another memory stick I have-worked fine at first, but when I turned the car off and then turned it on again-nothing.

So I looked in the manual and see

Note
Always switch off the device before
connecting or disconnecting the USB
data carrier so that the data carrier is
correctly registered and unregistered.

I wonder, what does this mean in practice? Do I need to power off the stereo and disconnect the memory stick and then re-attach each time I want to use it?

 

to me this means simply that you don't go near the memory stick when the HU is powered on.

If you want to install one, do it when HU is ff, and similarly when you want to remove, power the HU of first.

 

Hmm. All I did this evening was switch the car off (with the HU powered on) and then switched the car back on again-the USB worked the first time but didn't the second time.

 

did you get the steering wheel control interface sorted? i figure so.

i've never used USB in the car, so can't help there, sorry. but if it's like a basic computer, as suggested, you probably can't just plug it into a 'live' (operating) headunit. it probably needs to turn on/boot up with the stick in place.

 

Yup, steering controls sorted-I had to do a bit of prodding to persuade the guy that it definitely should work-but got there in the end .

Now, before I swithced on the car this moning, I plugged in the memory stick again. I then turned on the ignition and nothing happened, so I powered the HU on manually and then got the USB ERR meessage.

So looks like there is some issue with the power/memory? I also noticed that the clock time read '00:24' when I was fiddling with it while stopped in traffic on the way to work-this was around 24 minutes after I turned the car on this morning, so that confimed my suspicions.....

 

Sounds like there's no permanent +12 connected, or the switched and permanent are reversed....

 

The installer mentioned that he had used the cigarette lighter wire for something-would this be for the permanent or ignition feed?

What is the 'optimum' power setup to keep the memory? I guess I could live without the ingition function, but really need the USB to work!

Incidentally, my cigarette lighter still works but doesn't appear to be lit up when pushed in-is this normal?

 

the cig powerwire provides an IGN feed (ie: 0V with ignition key OFF, +12V with key ON). so this should turn the headunit on/off when you turn the key (presuming the headunit was left ON last time).

the wire #7 in the alfa headunit plug provides the 'live'/constant powerwire. this is for main power to run the unit and to provide memory backup.

so you should only work when you turn the ignition key ON. is this the case?

could be worth resetting the headunit to start over. i preume there's no reset button on the headunit (most brands don't have one), so you are best to either pull the headunit out from the dash and unplug the main power plug, or pull out the fuse in the back of the headunit, or locate the appropriate fuse under the dash and pull that out for a few seconds, then refit it.

if that doesn't work, then i think you should revisit the installer to troubleshoot.

 

Thanks Shiney. He did say he had done the powerwire, so maybe I should try a reset first.

It doesn't appear that the IGN or Constant functions are working, but the HU is still working, if that makes sense?

Damn, why are all the good ICE people in Australia and the Netherlands!

 

just send the car over, and i'll have a look.

 

So I pulled out the stereo today, disconnected the power, plugged it back in, and turned the key to ACC. The USB worked! But, as soon as i turned the engine on, I got USB ERR. So I will give the guy who installed it a call on Monday and see if he will have a look at the wiring.

 

does your GT have the Bose system? i figure it does.

looking at your excel schematic, referring to the 'ISO adaptor' wires:

*what is the BLK wire connected to? does this go to the cig powerwire or maybe the IGN wire in the spare white plug?
*is there no GROUND wire connected?! at position #8
*what is BLUE wire connected to? the illumination wire in the spare white plug?
*REDx2 - what's the second wire powering? the steering control interface?
*YELLOW goes to Bose amp? this would go to the wire that is/was connected to the yellow mini-ISO plug

the lack of groundwire connection seems odd! so long as i'm interpreting your diagram properly.

 

Just to clarify something, I have no Bose, or indeed any amp.

I have a feeling, that, em, our wires are crossed!

Thus why I went for 'professional' assistance in the first place-and am no better off really!

Anyway, I'll give the installer a call tomorrow and see where that goes....

 

FYI, the lead in the picture attached is what is connected to my stereo-the pins on the bottom are the 'A' block-only 5 pins

Also, the install instructions for the Kingston. I have the installer looking at it tomorrow hopefully.

 

presuming i am understanding your schematic properly, and presuming the wire colours follow universal patterns, the attached should be how it's done.

as such:
*yellow: main powerwire, connects between '#7 on alfa plug' and '12V (battery)' on kingston
*red: IGN (ignition) wire; no such wire in alfa plug, so can connect toe cigarette powerwire or the appropriate wire in the 'unused' white plug (see TallPaul's schematic, wire #7); then connects to '12V (ignition)' on kingston
*blue: antenna booster wire, connects between '#5 on alfa plug' and '12V ("Relais")' on kingston
*orange: illumination wire; no such wire in alfa plug, but can connect to appropriate wire in the 'unused' white plug (wire #8); then connects to 'Illumination' on kingston
*black: groundwire

i've no idea why your installer has set it up how it is! either i've misunderstood your schematic, or you've written it incorrectly, or the installer has no idea!

regarding this 'unused white plug', see the .pdf file in TallPaul's first post: http://www.alfaowner.com/Forum/ice-and-blue-and-me/96560-alfa-gt-stereo-and-phone-connections.html