A separate ICE question

A separate ICE question

Author
Discussion

markcoopers

Original Poster:

590 posts

192 months

Tuesday 8th January 2019
quotequote all
OK an ICE question on a TVR page, but bare with me as like others i would like to listen to my CD's and radio 6M and 4 occasionally on the longer runs.

My car has a decent quality (back in the day) Alpine head unit with boot mounted CD changer and V12 amp/speaker set up. However the CD player skips and the radio is none existent. The system is connected by a CAN BUS system.

Can any CD changer be connected to this or does it need to be an Alpine?
If I replace the head unit with a single CD and bluetooth input unit to use the phone as a radio as suggested on the other thread, is this an easy connection to the existing amp/speaker wires or will i me looking at Alpine only again?

To replace a head unit, what state of dismantling in the car do i need to do?

Sorry, not installed ICE into a car for many years now and way out of touch on what is possible.

900T-R

20,404 posts

256 months

Tuesday 8th January 2019
quotequote all
AFAIK the V12 range of amplifiers is regular in terms of in/output connections (unlike some compact Class D designs that are meant to be inserted in the wiring harness of the radio/car) so basically any head unit with pre-outs would do the job.

Belle427

8,863 posts

232 months

Tuesday 8th January 2019
quotequote all
I seem to remember the changer connections being alpine only from many a year ago!

markcoopers

Original Poster:

590 posts

192 months

Tuesday 8th January 2019
quotequote all
I thought they may be. Looks like I either need a new changer or a new alpine head unit with a single CD and USB/Bluetooth.

For the record the changer is an alpine CHAS624 the head unit an Alpine BCTA1505R. Along with the alpine speakers back in the day this was a serious system.

RCK974X

2,521 posts

148 months

Tuesday 8th January 2019
quotequote all
When I saw this title ............... in my head ICE = Internal Combustion Engine.

Yeah, I'm the dinosaur I think.....

Belle427

8,863 posts

232 months

Tuesday 8th January 2019
quotequote all
Are you sure the stereo is linked to can bus?
What car is it installed in?
Most stereos with modern iso type wiring harnesses can be changed quite easily.

Paulprior

864 posts

104 months

Tuesday 8th January 2019
quotequote all
I removed an Alpine unit with a pioneer, the Alpine had been connected with an adaptor cable, after removing this the Pioneer plugged straight in and works great

markcoopers

Original Poster:

590 posts

192 months

Tuesday 8th January 2019
quotequote all
The complication here is that the whole TVR OEM wireing has been replaced with an Alpine system. The head unit uses a can bus dedicated connection to the charger and all the speakers are wired with silver wires via a 5 Chanel alpine amp. as I suspected this was Alpine specific.
I'll investigate the none working radio as this could be aerial related, but from other threads I think having a single cd and USB and Bluetooth able head unit will allow radio, cd's and MPEG, so long as it is compatible to the rest of the system.

RobXjcoupe

3,151 posts

90 months

Tuesday 8th January 2019
quotequote all
Running a new specific cd changer cable isn’t that big a job if you change brands. My knowledge of old is some top end alpine units used an optical link cable to the amplifier rather than a regular rca stereo cable. If for example you do get the radio working on your existing unit you can buy an fm modulator that allows a phone 3.5mm stereo jack plug to be used and then the signal is converted into a fm frequency so in effect your radio tunes to another station to allow the music from your phone into the head unit you have.
Lots of options really and really easy. smile

Belle427

8,863 posts

232 months

Wednesday 9th January 2019
quotequote all
Remove it and post up a pic of the stereo wiring, may be an easy swap.
I would have thought there would be an rca pre out cable from stereo to the amp.
Alpine were the dogs years ago, ive lost touch a little but they were always unbeatable for sound.

Sardonicus

18,928 posts

220 months

Wednesday 9th January 2019
quotequote all
Hang on a second CANBUS? what vehicle is this? are you saying that the original factory fit was Alpine and your looking to change?

Belle427

8,863 posts

232 months

Wednesday 9th January 2019
quotequote all
I think hes referring to the cable that links head unit to cd changer as being a can bus link.

Sardonicus

18,928 posts

220 months

Wednesday 9th January 2019
quotequote all
Belle427 said:
I think hes referring to the cable that links head unit to cd changer as being a can bus link.
Ah fair enough should have read this thread correctly thumbup

QBee

20,905 posts

143 months

Wednesday 9th January 2019
quotequote all
As I now see it, the issue with the radio is that the aerial is pants in the TVR. Just pants.....it's not an interference problem, its a move-and-inch-and-it-loses-its-signal problem.
So you either need to find a way of connecting a better aerial, or move, as I have, to using a streamed radio app via your phone.

I make dinosaurs look positively modern and hi tech, but downloading the radio app (I used Radio Player, other apps are available) onto my iPhone was a doddle and free. My Sony head unit has a full size USB port on the front, so connecting the phone was even easier, I just used a standard iPhone cable. Then selected 'USB" by repeatedly pressing the On/select button on the had unit, put my favourite radio stations into, err, "favourites" on the App, selected one and the sound boomed out of the speakers, crystal clear. And stayed crystal clear throughout my test drive.

This doesn't answer your Alpine problem (other mountain ranges are available), but does give you hope that finding some way of connecting your iphone to it (other makes of smart phone are available) will be worth the effort.


Sardonicus

18,928 posts

220 months

Thursday 10th January 2019
quotequote all
Personally sometimes you have to weigh up if its worth the faff scratchchin ICE moves on rapidly and a more modern USB and Bluetooth inc handsfree operation is a revelation IMO compared to the older 90's 00's stuff , I have a Pioneer in my daily works seamlessly with Spotify etc and the hands free is really good (no background noise) I have even managed to keep my existing steering wheel controls even wink just proof how things have changed for the better

asd2001

157 posts

86 months

Thursday 10th January 2019
quotequote all
Apologies for hijacking the thread. I’m thinking of going all modern and replacing my standard pioneer head unit to use Spotify and get hands free but would still like to keep my cd multiplayer. Is this just plug and play with a modern head unit or am I blissfully naive?

jazzdude

900 posts

151 months

Thursday 10th January 2019
quotequote all
Sardonicus said:
Personally sometimes you have to weigh up if its worth the faff scratchchin ICE moves on rapidly and a more modern USB and Bluetooth inc handsfree operation is a revelation IMO compared to the older 90's 00's stuff , I have a Pioneer in my daily works seamlessly with Spotify etc and the hands free is really good (no background noise) I have even managed to keep my existing steering wheel controls even wink just proof how things have changed for the better
I agree here.

I installed one of these

https://www.amazon.de/Pioneer-DEH-3900BT-Autoradio...

It's cheap. mechless so no CD's, runs Spotify natively and the best bit, it has a sort of subwoofer mode that uses the two 9x6s that I have on the back shelf together just for bass, and it works really well for this kind of car.

I mean this is coming from someone with top end dual amps, subs and custom multiple speaker setups in my other cars and for what you will need in a TVR this set up is more than enough, takes 5 minutes to fit and is the way forward. Just sort out some playlists on your phone and every time you get in, the car will start playing where it left off from the playlist on your phone.

You are never going to need top end audiophile quality in a TVR, you won't hear most of it, but as I can't bear not having music in the car, this sort of head unit is a revelation.





markcoopers

Original Poster:

590 posts

192 months

Thursday 10th January 2019
quotequote all
I have a chap local to me who specialises in older stuff, but I think the answer is a new head unit that can retain the amp and speakers, but allows USB and bluetooth connection to play phone app based radio and MP3's.

QBee

20,905 posts

143 months

Thursday 10th January 2019
quotequote all
markcoopers said:
I have a chap local to me who specialises in older stuff, but I think the answer is a new head unit that can retain the amp and speakers, but allows USB and bluetooth connection to play phone app based radio and MP3's.
yes

eric450

86 posts

111 months

Friday 11th January 2019
quotequote all
asd2001 said:
Apologies for hijacking the thread. I’m thinking of going all modern and replacing my standard pioneer head unit to use Spotify and get hands free but would still like to keep my cd multiplayer. Is this just plug and play with a modern head unit or am I blissfully naive?
I thought the same when I changed mine a couple of years ago.
Ended up going for the latest HU I could find that still had the required connection for the CD stack.
A Pioneer dehp8100bt,
Looks good, not too flash and works very well.