How to install a car stereo? Maybe this question echoes in your head already from the moment after the purchase
Maybe you are happy to have bought an object of good workmanship, something that can keep you company when you are alone in the car, but at the same time you are annoyed by the idea of having to bring the car and radio to a specialized technician, to wait for the installation and then to pay a donation for the service received.
Well, don’t worry: things don’t necessarily have to go that way. In fact, nowadays many users are able to install the device themselves. Would you like to be part of the group? Probably yes. We warn you immediately that connecting the car radio to your car will not be exactly a walk in the park, but by properly documenting the matter you can do it with relative ease, even if you are not a technician or a great installation expert. How to do? We will explain everything to you in detail over the next few lines.
How to install a car stereo in the car: the basics
Before moving on to the operation it is necessary to take into account the category to which your car radio belongs. In practice, we can in fact identify two large families of products: those characterized by unconventional dimensions and those with standard sizes. In the first case, almost certainly, it will be necessary to replace the main unit already installed on the car. You will therefore have to buy an expensive original model or adapt to a battle imitation, certainly cheaper, but also less performing from the point of view of audio performance.
As regards the electrical connection of non-standard models, there are no particular problems: the dimensions of the connectors and other components are in this case standardized. The car radios belonging to the second category identified here, DIN1 and DIN2, on the other hand, have a standard connection only in most cases. If the product presents anomalies in this sense, the manufacturer would provide a tailor-made wiring diagram on your new car radio.
Having said that, know that to install a car stereo you will need certain tools. Therefore, get a stationery or construction type knife in advance. Be careful to check that the blade is particularly sharp, so that you can easily clean the contacts. You will then need pliers, a screwdriver and, of course, electrical tape.
It may then be necessary to purchase a multimeter, useful if the connectors you have do not belong to the standard category and therefore do not have appropriate grooves. Finally, know that, although always present in the car radio box, you’d better buy a superior quality audio-acoustic cable separately.
Each manufacturer, we said, provides the user with a diagram to follow when installing the car radio. In fact, there are several roads to be followed in this sense. Regardless of the type of approach you decide to adopt anyway, there is a “substratum”, a set of common procedures to follow. In short, the basic layout always remains the same.
Generally in a car radio the positive pole must therefore be connected to the yellow and red terminals. This connection will respectively allow you to keep the stations saved on the device in memory even after turning off the car or the radio and to deactivate the car radio when you feel the need. The black cable, on the other hand, is always screwed onto the car body. Given that there are several ways to connect the car radio to the car, let’s find out the simplest procedures together.
The safest: the circuit diagram with ignition lock
In this case the power supply passes through the contacts that control the power button. This means that the car radio will not be able to discharge the car battery under any circumstances if it is accidentally left in operation. On the other hand, however, you will not be able to listen to music if the ignition is inactive.
In short, the car radio will only work with the engine running. To recreate this option you will need to connect the yellow cable to the positive terminal of the power supply relating to the vehicle’s on-board network. The red instead will be opened by the contacts of the lock, while the black negative cable will stay on the body (earth).
The simplest: connection to the battery
How to install a car radio (read more information about it here https://automobiletop.it/autoradio-cd-bluetooth-ios-android-1-2-din/) quickly and easily? Just connect the positive terminal to the red and yellow wires, the black instead will be connected to the vehicle ground. By doing so, the music can be played safely even with the engine off, which however will help drain the car battery. Better to avoid this scheme if you don’t use the car often.
How to install a car stereo: speakers and antenna
How to install a car stereo? Well, definitely taking care of the speakers and antenna too. In fact, installing the speakers incorrectly will mean not only distorting or worsening the sound, but also damaging the car stereo. In this case it would be better to use cables other than those supplied, perhaps with a larger cross section. You will get better sound quality.
The same goes for the antenna included by default in the package that maybe you will replace with an active antenna. Make sure you attach the zero wire, the black one, as close to the antenna as possible. The power cable, often red, will have to connect to the ISO chip instead. Finally, know that the most modern antennas are not equipped with sockets for the signal cable.