DIY Rear USB Port & Line-Outs

[SteveAndBelle]

Took delivery of my new 2010 Levin ZR two days ago and love it... but why oh why do they insist on only giving us a single USB port on the front panel of head units these days and why can't OEM manufacturers spend an extra dollar or two and give us at least one pair of line-outs ?!?!

I'm using a 160Gb iPod so I can have my entire music collection in the car with me and the stock head unit in the Levin does a very satisfactory job of navigating through it all (even though it isn't a fancy touchscreen system) so all I do is throw the iPod in the glovebox and away I go... but I cannot stand having the USB cable hanging out the front. Urgh, it really 'grinds my gears' ;) Solution ? Install a USB port out the back.

On top of this I plan to 'enhance' the stock audio system (yes, 'enhance' only) by adding two Fusion under-seat Subwoofers (please see http://au.toyotaownersclub.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=28694 for more info) but I'd prefer to connect them via RCA line-outs instead of using the speaker level inputs and of course the stock head unit has no line-outs, grrrr. Solution ? Install my own :P

Note: Doing the following will void the warranty covering your car audio system !!

Step 1, rip the head unit out of your brand new car (carefully).

Step 2, rip the brand new head unit open (carefully, making sure you remember where all the screws come from).

Step 3, figure out what amplifier IC the head unit uses and look it up online (http://www.datasheetdir.com/TB2936HQ+download).

Step 4, carefully solder some fine wiring up to the F&R, L&R pre-amp inputs of the above Amp IC and feed them out the back of the HU.

Step 5, solder a couple of connectors on the line-outs (I used 3.5mm stereo headphone sockets as it was all I had on hand but will replace with RCAs)

Step 6, unclip the front panel, find the solder pads of the USB port and solder half a USB extension lead to it.

Step 7, feed the USB socket out the back and then reassemble the HU.

Step 8, install the HU back into the car feeding the new USB cable through into the upper glovebox & connect iPod.

Step 9, go for a drive and enjoy a neat & tidy cable-free cabin :)

.. and here's the pics:

The above USB mod works a treat however there's the obvious issue that if someone plugs something into the front port while the iPod is connected via the new cable out the rear there's the potential of damage to the new device, the iPod, the head unit or all three ! One solution is easy, just trace the tracks on the PCB to the front USB port, cut the two data tracks feeding the HUs USB port then solder the new USB port wires to the 'active' side of the cut. This does a few things... takes the USB port out the back instead of having to use the front one, disables the front USB port so nothing can go wrong plus as there's still power being fed to the front port you should still be able to use it as a handy way to charge a USB device like a mobile phone or whatever (warning, this is not tested, it's just a theory and should work but please be careful!!). A simple DPDT switch could also be added to the data lines to select between both ports but that requires twice the wiring (again, not tested but theoretically should emulate plugging & unplugging USB devices).

I haven't yet tested the DIY line-outs. I know it's not the 'proper' thing to do and I assume I need to add a few more components so I don't overload the HUs pre-amp circuit but hey, I'm just a simple guy and will let you all know soon if it works OK.

Feel free to comment on the above. If others are interested enough in doing a similar thing themselves then I'll rip it all apart again and do a blow-by-blow instructional guide with detailed pics. If not I think I'll save my time and not bother ;)

Seeya,

Steve.

[Sportivo#]

Nice idea. Just wondering if you know how to play ipod videos through the screen? would it have to be through the rear view camera slot to RCA or is there a way to play from the front of the unit?

[SteveAndBelle]

Nice idea. Just wondering if you know how to play ipod videos through the screen? would it have to be through the rear view camera slot to RCA or is there a way to play from the front of the unit?

Erm, I really don't think the stock HU has the know-how to handle video files sorry. It's a nice simple & effective stock HU for audio but honestly if you want to play video in your desh then I recommend replacing it with something else. The stock HUs LCD is only 4:3 anyway whereby most off-the-shelf replacements are at least 16:9 ratio so that's a good start. If you want to do it on a budget maybe try on of the cheapie Chinese double-DIN jobbies off eBay for around $500 as they seem to be able to do everything plus if you get the correct model (Auris Hatchback from memory) it should only take a matter of minutes to swap the stock out and screw the new one in.

Steve.

[Sportivo#]

Hi Steve, I want to open my head unit which is the same model as yours and change the button light luminations from orange to green to suit my corolla sportivo centre console. Do you have any advice or if it is actually possible? or what type of LEDs it takes? thanks

[SteveAndBelle]

Hi Steve, I want to open my head unit which is the same model as yours and change the button light luminations from orange to green to suit my corolla sportivo centre console. Do you have any advice or if it is actually possible? or what type of LEDs it takes? thanks

Hi Sportivo. Sorry but I really don't know because I didn't dismantle the HU that far. See the first pic above ? Well you need to get that far and then go one step further and remove the PCB from the front end plastic. Probably not a difficult job and I'm pretty sure it'd be possible but I just didn't need to go that far so didn't bother.

Give it a go yourself and if the LEDs look strange or they're just impossible to change all you have to do is put it all back together and you haven't lost out.

Post the details up here either way. Might be handy for others.

Steve.

[akuma]

thats pretty sick. makes it look better too. good work.

[arc]

Hi Steve, I want to open my head unit which is the same model as yours and change the button light luminations from orange to green to suit my corolla sportivo centre console. Do you have any advice or if it is actually possible? or what type of LEDs it takes? thanks

You can buy a special paint that does go over lights/leds that doesnt peel off would be easier.