wiredGS400

Hello All,

This is one of my first posts, but I thought I would post the install I did on the GF's RX of the Parrot BT phone car kit.

The unit is a CK3100. If by chance you want some more info, you can see it here-www.driveblue.com. I warn you, the install and instruction manual are, well let me say this in a PC way, CRAP, but I got it fugured out, so if anyone needs some help, I will do my best.

Also, the pics below were taken with the camera phone, so please forgive the quality.

So, let start,

Here is what I did. I was lucky enough that the GF's car has a speaker on the top of the dash that was easily accessable. I accessed that speaker, and cut the wires leading to it. I then added speaker wire to both of the cut ends, and fed the wire, along with the microphone wire, into the dash to the center console where I planned to put the parrot brain. I then cut the "mute cable" wires to make the connections to the speaker wires I just added. In that way, the "mute cable" is after the amplifier.



I then made the power connections for constant and accessory "+"and ground to the wires coming from the car and going to the stereos main connector.



This is where my installation diverged from the "normal" I thought about using the stereos "mute" wire, but decided against it. Instead, I cut the accessory wire leading to the stereo (but not the constant power, and I cut it AFTER the connection I made for the parrot unit, but before the stereo connector). I then added some wire to the cut ends, and inserted an automotive relay. I again tapped power for the relay from the accessory wire leading to the stereo (and of course, at the same place that I took accessory power for the parrott unit) and used the yellow wire from the "mute cable" to give the relay ground. In this way, when the parrot intends to mute the stereo, the radio actually turns off. In this way, the Disc that is playing stops when a call is made/received, and the parrot unit is easily heard.



Here are some pics of my install.

The dash mounted speaker removed.



Accessing the speakers Wires.



Extension wires added to the cut ends of the factory speaker wires.



Power and ground connections to the radios main connector.



The relay I added to cut power to the radio when the parrott unit is in use.



The microphone just before I stuck it to the overhead console.



The finished install.



Enjoy your install, and if you have any questions, please ask. I will try and help as much as possible.

Michael

bula

So am I reading this right that you took one of the speakers used for the radio and switched it to exclusive use by the parrot? It looks like the mute cable input only controls the aux power to the stereo. Thus to do it your way, one speaker is taken away exclusively from the stereo.

Why not just use external speakers for the parrot and keep the stereo speakers alone? Why compromise stereo sound quality?

VinnyQH

iTrader: (2)

the parrot kit goes in line of the speaker, you run the wire from the headunit to the parrot piece then out to your speaker. when your phone is not in use, it just passes thourgh, but when activated it will interrupt the signal and bam you have handsfree!

bula

Ahh. So there is a "PASS THROUGH" line in +, line in -, line out + and line out - on the parrot (or some connections to that affect)? Thus a relay triggers the aux power to the radio using the parrots audio mute and the parrot just passes through the stereo's music to the speaker when the parrot is not active.

What about the NAV screen when a call is received? I assume that uses a separate aux power than the radio so there is no issue with loss of NAV when the parrot activates.

Finally, what is the spec of the audio mute? GND active and +12V not or open contact?

Thanks for your responses.

bula

Well I finally had a saturday afternoon available to install my CK3100 into my 2004 RX330. Thanks to the original poster here for his info on connecting directly to the speakers. I did something similar.

Instead of connecting to just one speaker, I used the front left and the front right. I also decided to use the audio mute connection directly into the mute input on the radio head unit. It works perfectly - call is made or received, bluetooth activates, radio mutes and perfect conversation through my stereo speakers - just like it was integrated by Lexus all along.

Now I can drive in peace.

Cheers and thanks again.

SDGuy

You can now get a Parrot plug and play harness for the Lexus that plugs into the back of the radio. I did mine the hard way last year. But the install in a Lexus is now very much like this install in a Toyota Avalon shown here: www.parrotkits.com/jbl-lexus.html

RX300Scott

Has anyone done the CK3100 installation in an RX 300 with navigation? If so, are there any "challenges?"