GolfGTIforum.co.uk
General => General discussion => Topic started by: Gloves88 on 28 August 2008, 11:08
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I've bought an electric aerial and it shows you how to wire it up on the side of the box.
I however don’t want it go up/go down when the headunit is off/on. What I'd like is for it to be controlled from a switch in the dash.
I've got the switch (using a rear wind screen heater switch with the symbol painted over) just could do with some advice on how to wire it up independent of the headunit.
This is the diagram on the side of the box:
(http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb197/Gloves88/IMGP2572.jpg)
Thanks
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I think basically the head unit puts out a signal (porbs 12v) when the radio is in operation. So what you need to do is wire the Radio Switch terminal to the switch, so that when you flip the switch it sends a 12v signal to the motor, therefore operating the aerial.
Hope that makes sense!
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wot that man said
be a bit like your amp, it has a constant power source running to it, and then also a fed when the head unit powers it up to turn it on.
stick ya switch in that wire and away you go :wink:
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wouldn't that mean you can only power it up when the radio is on anyway? would it not be better to loose the radio switch signal wire and take another live feed of 12v of a permanent live like the one going into the back of the radio so you can make it go up and down even when the radio is turned off? (i know its pointless :grin: but i wanted something like that to impress my mates... sad life)
wait aminute though i pressume the green wire is the actual ariel wire giving you the signal? :huh:
oh man i confused myself now aswell :grin:!!!
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Cool thats what i thought...cheers guys.
Yeah had wondered if it was possible to have it work totally independent but the Switch wire is the actual aerial giving me the signal as ^^^you said :smiley:
Cheers
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Now to show my true lack of electrical knowledge....
How do i find the positive on the back of the head unit? :)
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The green wire is the bit that tells the aerial to go up and down.
The bit that is indicated as "To Radio Switch Terminal" is actually the signal from the aerial and if you look at the aerial itself you should see a (poss black) coaxial cable coming from the top bit of the aerial with a round plug attached.
The green, red and black wires coming from the motor are the ones that power it.
The diagram goes: black wire to ground, red wire to battery +, and then green wire to head unit (so that the aerial goes up when the HU is turned on).
If you want to run it with a separate switch, there are a couple of potential issues. If all that the HU supplies on to the green wire is a 12v constant supply when turned on, then it's easy enough:
black wire to ground, red wire to battery +, and then green wire to switch then from switch to battery + (so that the aerial goes up when the switch is turned on, and goes down when switch is off).
If however the HU sends different signals to the aerial on the green wire (eg a logic/on-off pulse or a negative voltage), then you'd have to work out some circuitry to operate the aerial.
Personally, I would just use the head unit to operate the aerial, and not use a separate switch.
My cheap Sony HU operates my motorised aerial and it's smart enough to leave the aerial down when you're playing a CD and of course it retracts the aerial when you turn off the HU or the car's engine.
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Personally, I would just use the head unit to operate the aerial, and not use a separate switch.
My cheap Sony HU operates my motorised aerial and it's smart enough to leave the aerial down when you're playing a CD and of course it retracts the aerial when you turn off the HU or the car's engine.
Thanks for your answer....thats all i wanted really, for the aerial to go down when a CD is playing and vice versa. So if it does that it be perfect.
Cheers