Creating an ISO connection for a radio...?

Wed Jun 08, 2005 8:55 pm

Hi,

Im planning to fit a radio in my 2 door '67 minor. I undersatnd that you need to change the polarity round to negative earth, but where do you go after that?

I read the article on the ISO connnectors in the May/June edition of Minor matters but it didnt help much!

Thanks!

Post by **jojax64** » Wed Jun 08, 2005 10:52 pm

I simply wired mine to the fusebox (switched live) the battery (constant live) and to earth, easy enough.
ISO plugs are very convenient, but wiring your radio is a pretty straightforward affair.

Post by **ColinP** » Thu Jun 09, 2005 8:55 am

Hi,

you can install a radio in two ways:

1) fit the radio to the car chassis (i.e. the radio earths through its case to the car body. In this case, the radio and car must match (usually negative earth).

2) Isolate the radio from the car, and wire the radio earth to the -ve power supply, and the +ve lead to the body. This is quite simple, and if you put the radio in the passenger glove-box, not difficult.

Check out your choice of radio (online) before you buy - most have the manuals and installation guides available for download. That will usually give you the wiring diagram - you may need to buy an ISO plug with flying leads - usually cheaper online. For fitting, search for previous threads!

Colin

Post by **Cam** » Thu Jun 09, 2005 10:28 am

Converting to negative earth (if you need to do it) is listed in the technical tips on the left of this page.

Post by **uclarge** » Thu Jun 09, 2005 10:08 pm

muaha! this is my fave and best bit i am good at with cars and that is electrics!!! i shud rename myself "sparky" hmm or my moggy!!! muaha!
anyways to create an iso adaptor ull deffo have to wonder down to halfords/motor world and pick yourself out an ISO Adaptor kit, basically its the iso Female connector and the wires simply fray off, you have to do all the wiring yourself, but this is the fun part!!!, what you want to do for a moggie is wire both the "ignition" and "current" wire to virtually the same current wire, coming from a fuse that is from the battery, id recomend u have an "inline" fuse as you do not want to do any damage to your cars main fuse box! and simply: battery-->inline fuse(10amp)-->bullet connector(double)-->two independant bullet connectors, one for each wire (ignition and current)-->and this will travel into your now bult iso simply plug in your cdplayers iso adaptor an "bing" itll all light up!!!, BUT!!! dont forget the Earth!!! make sure this wire is as short as possible and makes good contact with the metal!, then youll need to wire and (bullet connect) the speaker wires simply as you gain more power and better sound quality from bullet connectors!, simply wire up the speakers using spade connectors, hide the wires under the carpet, and you have one tidy job!!! hope this helps!!! charly

Post by **TerryG** » Thu Jun 09, 2005 10:26 pm

or just solder them

Post by **ColinP** » Fri Jun 10, 2005 9:44 am

Second thoughts on the wiring!

No, no changes, but remember that most modern radios have 2 power leads (as charly notes).

On a Minor, there's no "ACC"(essory) terminal on the ignition switch. This means that you have to wire the radio directly to the battery (via a fuse).

There's a power supply and a "memory" supply ( the latter should be always connected or you lose the presets etc.). Be careful with the power supply - because it's always "on" the radio may never turn off completely (e.g. sleep mode). This may take a significant amount of power over time, so the battery may be drained if you don't use the car for a week or two. In modern cars, this is connected to the "ACC" terminal, so it's turned off when you remove the ignition key.

I've wired up an on/off switch in the power line to the radio to prevent this happening.

Colin

Post by **Cam** » Fri Jun 10, 2005 10:23 am

then youll need to wire and (bullet connect) the speaker wires simply as you gain more power and better sound quality from bullet connectors!,

Would you like to explain this, Charly??

Post by **ColinP** » Fri Jun 10, 2005 2:34 pm

then youll need to wire and (bullet connect) the speaker wires simply as you gain more power and better sound quality from bullet connectors

Compared with the standard method of twisting the wires together without insulting tape?

Maybe another reference to those little blue conectors.

Colin

Post by **uclarge** » Sat Jun 11, 2005 12:21 pm

We tested it an it actually does work! it also insulates and insures the wires do not come lose! theres a risk of "shorting" the wires or ripping them apart if you dont bullet connect! well u can use spade connectors, as on speaker terminals they tend 2 be the spade ones.... its all good fun! and i support that switch idea of using "on/off"

Post by **les** » Sat Jun 11, 2005 10:48 pm

you gain more power and better sound quality from bullet connectors!,

Someones been pulling your leg. All you need is a good tight connection! Bullit connectors or not

Post by **Cam** » Mon Jun 13, 2005 11:51 am

We tested it an it actually does work!

How?

Post by **lowedb** » Mon Jun 13, 2005 1:40 pm

(bullet connect) the speaker wires simply as you gain more power and better sound quality from bullet connectors!

Any low resistance connection is better than a high resistance one. Bullet connectors are not the best as they don't maintain contact pressure and the reesistance goes up. They are however easy to use, and a sight better than scotchlocks.

Regarding the power connections: I wouldn't reccomend connecting both feeds to battery as some radios draw quite a current down the switched lead even when off. The backup wire should go to battery, the main feed to an ignition switched supply. Remember to put the fuses as close to the start of any wiring as possible, because the fuse is there to protect the wiring.