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...and I thought it would be a good idea to install a 12V DC port inside the console as well.
I could draw power directly from the factory DC port on the dash but I'd like to try using the +/- power from my factory Lexus Phone body plug.
I've included a few pictures of the plugs I am planning to use and the aftermarket 12V DC port. The wires aren't cut down to size yet until I know if this location will work or not. I also still have to build a little box of some kind to house the receptacle.
Does anyone know what wire on the white plug below is positive or negative? The yellowed clear looking plug was salvaged from my Lexus Phone from that location and I've inserted two thicker gauge wires into it and discarded the rest since they would do nothing.
No one has tried this method before? I didn't get my initial wire configurations to work. Can anyone confirm that there is a 12VDC signal going to this harness or which wires can be used from the larger body connector in the left of the first picture?
Do you have a multimeter? It wouldnt take but 5 minutes to find a 12v switched source on that plug with a meter. Have you searched to find a diagram/schematic? Cause there are a few floating around here.
Do you have a multimeter? It wouldnt take but 5 minutes to find a 12v switched source on that plug with a meter. Have you searched to find a diagram/schematic? Cause there are a few floating around here.
I don't have a multimeter but I know they are easy to come by. I was hoping that with the age of these cars and the amount of electrical modification that I've seen in the A/V sections it would have been common knowledge by now. I haven't found a schematic diagram of the Lexus Phone systems here-- maybe they are available elsewhere.
I'll try a multimeter then. Positive I am fine with but what signal am I looking for to correctly identify the ground wire on that connector?
Really belated update to this. I thought I had made another thread a while back detailing my final console DC port solution for my SC300. I must have posted these pictures in a different related thread but I couldn't find them after some searching.
So here's what my final solution was:
-Spliced into the factory upper console cigarette lighter wiring
-Created custom quick disconnect +12V harness with Radio Shack parts
-Used a generic 12V DC & Dual USB aftermarket port setup from Walmart
-carefully drilled console and mounted with small screws, washers and nuts
Additionally, I modified the generic charge port unit with a central mounting hole for a Radio Shack stereo 1/8" port from Radio Shack which I wired into a standard 1/8" stereo cord for hardwired aux-in audio to the factory head unit.
(I've since made an iSimple Tranzit BLU-HF Bluetooth handsfree unit my primary audio source but I can switch the two easily under the console if I need to)
The aux-in for the factory head unit (Pioneer type) is a common DIY. I believe someone may have proved a similar method to work with factory Nakamichi head units but I am not sure. Here's the relevant thread below. And be sure to use a ground loop isolator to kill any (or at least most) electrical noise, especially when charging your phone as it's plugged in.
The Aux-in modification works best with a disabled CD changer mode that you can stay constantly switched into since your line-in connection technically will play over ALL inputs on the head unit (AM, FM, TAPE and CD).
Your changer mode should display "CD ERR" and you can load in some dummy CD-R's in the rear unit. Not sure if it works with the changer unit removed.
You want to make sure you soldered correctly for channel LEFT and channel RIGHT on the cheap 1/8" Radio Shack stereo jack you'll be putting into the side of your OEM head unit. And I used a Radio Shack 90-degree 1/8" stereo adapter on the outside connection to make clearance inside the console surround easier. The ground loop isolator wiring was long enough for all the extension wire I needed to reach the console lid.
You can plug anything you want into your new Aux jack: an extension jack as detailed above ^^ or a Bluetooth wireless unit. But if you want a Bluetooth system I recommend the $100 iTranzit BLU-HF unit above almost all others. Very simple, easy to use and while not totally perfect it seems more reliable than most. And it has no screen to distract you or clutter the car. Just a simple green "phone" button (which you can mount on the face of your OEM head unit and looks 90% "factory") and a microphone to run up above the steering wheel.
When you wire in a lot of aftermarket DIY stuff like this I also find it good practice to make up my own quick-disconnect harnesses when possible just to make total disassembly easier so that soldered shrink wrapped wires aren't permanently making me dangle my console.
Finally, take care when splicing the wires of your factory cigarette lighter connection. I HIGHLY recommend buying generic PC computer style Molex connectors and creating your own accessory harness that you can add or subtract from over time. And always use proper heat shrink wrap for your solder connections. The wire gauge for most Molexes should be enough for +12V but definitely try to stay with wire gauges at least as big as what Toyota used on the DC/Lighter connection.
^^ I don't remember exactly but 58916-24020 was probably around $10 or less. Well worth it. It's the correct replacement factory part and has perfect fitment but it lacks the thick rubber backing of your original console carpet. But that doesn't matter in practice because it's plenty thick.
Awesome! If you find the same model of aftermarket ports that I used and you want to add the center aux-in jack (it's the same Radio Shack part used for the factory head unit aux-in DIY) then measure and drill carefully. The port is round on the exit but it's bulky and square below the locking ring. Clearance is tight but it will work.
And I used hot glue to insulate the wires and affix them to the larger assembly so that there would be no stress on my solder points.
I've never had any overload resulting in a blown fuse but I think I've only ever used both DC connections and the USB at the same time when I drove cross country and needed extra ports for the Garmin GPS and plug-in radar cables. I hardly use the console DC port day to day but it's always there for the times I do need it which are critical when they come up. I still think it's worthwhile to have. For example, most year LS400's have a front DC accessory port and a second one inside the bottom of their center consoles.
But it's not just the additional DC port I've wired in.
Currently what's hard wired onto the cigarette connection with custom quick disconnect harnesses:
--Console +12V DC port & 2.1 amp dual USB charge ports (USB ports always used)
--Hardwired hidden Bluetooth audio-out + handsfree device (always on)
--hardwired hidden radar power/control cables (sometimes on)
I don't think these few things are too much stress on the system. I did try to use 12 gauge wire where possible. Though the standard Molex wiring may have been 14 gauge. Not sure.
I doubt most folks will add more equivalent load than I've described above and it should be fine so long as you don't use thin wiring and have clean, insulated connections.
Later on I can't say. I want to direct wire into the accessory connection a Mobileye alert system. And I'm pretty sure there will probably be some +12V power required for a boost controller and standalone traction control. That might be 4-5 additional loads on the accessory system. Not sure if jumping from an 80-amp to 100-amp alternator will even this out or not.
Edit: I can post some pictures of the interior harnesses I made if this helps anyone. I swear I remember posting all of this in another thread a while back but I'll be happy to repost here to keep it all in one place.
10-06-11, 01:58 AM
SC300/400 center console 2nd 12V DC power & remote aux jack DIY
