Firing up the "aux in" on a 2008 Toyota Yaris
We own a 2008 Toyota Yaris, which we bought second-hand with a car stereo claiming all sorts of capabilities such as iPod compatibility, built-in satnav etc. In fact, the unit required a TomTom unit to be inserted for much of the action, and most of the extra functionality doesn't work without the TomTom in place. For us, this means it just doesn't work at all, as we never take that with us. However, I did read that it is possible to add a simple aux-in cable to allow the unit to work with a plugged-in phone. This sounds more interesting, and is a bit of a work-in-progress, so I'm writing down what I've figured out so far, partly for my own reference but also in case anyone else is struggling the same way.
The head unit is described by Toyota as a TNS 400, and has the number 33802 inscribed on the front. In fact, you may be struck by how similar it looks to another unit - the Eclipse AVN2227p. This information is handy when searching for manuals and the like!
On the back of the unit there is a 13-pin DIN socket that takes a plug known as an AUX105. As it turns out, I'm not the only person who bought one of these cheap off Amazon, only to find that it only works on the left channel, and that sounds pretty duff anyway. This is due to a mis-wiring, it appears. The correct wiring, as found on a really helpful post on www.caraudio.com is as shown below...
The pins that need to be connected are:
- 6 = audio in (right)
- 7 = audio ground (common)
- 8 = audio in (left)
When I had my first shot at installing it, I came across some snippets and bits of information that might help if you're stuck or preparing for action:
- This video on Youtube was very handy to help get the trim off
- There isn't much clearance between the back of the radio and the car bulkhead, so a cable with either a right-angle plug or at least a shallow one would be easier. In fact, I was able to cut away my (too long) plug so that I was able to make it fit. Would have helped to know that in advance, though!