KamalinO

Hello everyone.

I have a 2006 C230, and I replaced the original stereo with an aftermarket 2din with a fascia adapter.

Unfortunately it's really low quality, radio reception is poor, and bluetooth connectivity is limited and of low quality.

I've been thinking to use my Nexus 7 as a replacement, but don' have the time to mess with it, and since I'm an Android user, I thought to buy an aftermarket 2din with Android.

There are regular 2dins that will need a fascia adapter (which I already have), the latest ones have Android 5.1.1, 2GB of RAM and an Intel Quad Core CPU. This is the one I'm considering to get from JOYING brand, which seem to have a reasonable support:
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Andr...684311969.html

There are also 2dins which fit exactly the radio slot without the need for an adapter, which makes it look better. But I can't find a model with the newer specs, only ARM cpu and 1GB of RAM. Here's an example:
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Quad...723716853.html

Has anyone use one of these on their W203???
Any recommendations on a specific model?
Should I chose the newer models with 2GB ram instead of the better-looking 1gb ram models?

Thanks!

Delcon

Hi,

I just did mine this weekend. Replaced the original with an Android Head unit and Alpine amp. It sounds great and everything works perfectly. You haven't specified what kind of head unit you fitted and what speaker system you have but if its a newer model Head unit then it should work fine. My guess is you might have got some wiring mixed up and the antenna is not connected properly.

Here is my post...

https://mbworld.org/forums/c-class-w...g-diagram.html

If you have the boosted antenna, then it must have a power supply otherwise it wont work.

KamalinO

Thanks for the reply.
Nice job!!

1) My C230 SPORT had the AUDIO 20 basic unit, and I'm quite sure it was without an amplifier. Could this be the reason why the new aftermarket unit isn't giving any good sound?
Is it possible that the original AUDIO 20 unit sounded much better because of an integrated amp within the unit?

2) I see that you installed an android unit with a custom fascia specifically for mercedes. At first I was looking for something similar, but these units have the older CORTEX cpus and only 1GB of RAM. The newer models that are coming out now have better Intel Sofia quad core cpus and most importantly 2GB of RAM, and according to users who tried both, it should be much more responsive and much better at multi tasking.
Where did you get your model from?

3) How do I know if I have a boosted antenna??

4) Do you have steering control? Did you need an adapter?

Thanks!

Delcon

Thanks!

To answer your questions...

1. Your new unit should be quite capable of producing better sound than the original one. How did you connect the speaker wires? To me, it seems like your speakers are out of phase. If that's the case, they will have a hollow tinny sound. Check your speaker wires and make sure the polarity is correct.

2. I chose that unit because it looks very close to OEM. also, it comes with all the goodies you need to wire it up. It's pretty much a plug and play system. Yes, its older technology but it does everything i need it to do. The quality of the unit, the picture clarity and the sound are not bad at all. I got it online from China.

3. You should have a boosted antenna. I think all (probably most) have it. Dont know what spec was sold in your country. Look at the wires coming from the original plug. There should be one that you havent connected to anything.I cant remember the colour but its goes into pin 13 on the diagram below. I found that diagram on google so credit to whoever shared it.



You need to connect this wire to a switch positive supply - i would use the cigarette lighter.
Also, make sure you using the correct antenna cable. Theres a few there depending on what spec you have but the one you need to connect up is the one with the black plug. Use a converter and plug it into your new unit. I just cut mine and put a new plug.

4. I do have steering control. Works perfectly. I have the CANBUS decoder box that came with the new head unit.

Good luck

KamalinO

Great, thanks for the info

The aftermarket unit I have now was installed using a kit specific for the C230, so I think it had the necessary adapter except for the steering wheel canbus adapter.


Regarding sound quality, it was installed by a professional, so I'm pretty sure it's fine. I wonder if installing an amp will improve sound quality substantially. I'll have to try the new headunit and see if I'll need that.

I'll try installing the new android headunit with the current setup and see if something is missing.
I just checked the old Audio 20 and the diagram is the one for it, thanks. I wonder if I can simply directly connect the steering controls cables and program the keys on the new unit manually. I'll have to look for that.

Thanks!

wbbqhs

I just bought the one from the second link from a different place. It's on the way from China. I'll see if this thing works.

KamalinO

Regarding the CANbus adapter, does it show any information in the dash display when playing radio, MP3s etc???

KamalinO

Ok, so the head unit I ordered should arrive anytime now, but the ISO adapter with CAN BUS support is still on its way, and I have no idea when it will come.

I've never done any installation, but since there's already an adapter in my car with a chinese aftermarket headunit, I thought to try and figure out how to connect it.
Until I get the adapter with the Can bus, , I will use the current adapter without steering wheel controls, to test it and then I'll install the new adapter with steering wheel controls.

I began taking off the current 2din headunit, and it seems they used a quadlock ISO adapter like this one:



This is the quadlock interface of the Mercedes after detaching the adapter:




And this the connector to the Quadlock:





These are the ISO connectors to the headunit:





I ASSUME that the ISO connectors can be connected to the Joying ISO harness provided with the headunit:
https://www.carjoying.com/joying-har...g-adaptor.html

But I noticed that the installer changed a bit the order of wires, maybe because it was intended for a VW car, like this:








Also, I think he connected the ACCESSORY red wire to the cigarette lighter. It's visible in the first pic I posted



The question is: - should it be easy to connect the JOYING headunit using the ISO adapter and the install I currently have?
How can I be sure about the correct wiring ??


Thanks!!

insame1

Pulling the remote/accessory wire to the cig lighter is common. In fact it might be the only way. Personally I would tear out all of the wiring there and start over. To much electric tape for me. there is a a pin out posted above. That and a multi meter should be all you need.

KamalinO

Thanks for the reply.

Yes, it's quite a mess, but it's only a temporary solution until I receive this adapter with steering wheel controls:
https://www.dynamicsounds.co.uk/merc...rch=DS-MC001.2

My common sense says that since the current install works perfectly, and it's using a regular ISO connector, I should be able to connect it to the aftermarket harness that comes with the headunit :
https://www.carjoying.com/joying-har...g-adaptor.html

Is that so?

KamalinO

Ok, so I received the head unit and have it installed. Until I receive the harness with CANBUS adapter for steering wheel cnotro, I needed only a small modification current harness.

The ACC accessory red wire is connected to the cigarette lighter, and it is working fine.

The head unit has an ILLUMINATE wire which turns on the lights on the panel buttons, but it is not working. ITshould be connected to the car's light control wire, but AFAIK the W203 with AUDIO 20 doesn't have one.
I read that I should connect it to the cigarette lighter or any 12v source so it will stay on all the time.
Is that so? Is it the correct method to connect the ILLUMINATE wire?

Thanks

jkowtko

First, don't think "professionals" automatically do everything correctly. They are just people like you and me, and unless they know the quirks each car they work on they are just as likely to make wiring mistakes like you or me. I would expect their wiring connections to be neat and tidy ... I wouldn't necessarily expect their wiring connections to be correct.

When I installed my head unit the only place I could find to connect the illumination wire was from the cigarette lighter. And it's close by and easy to tap into. This is a different wire than the regular 12v switched.

I had the base stock audio unit in my car, and I still had the powered antenna booster hidden away in the car. So make sure you power that pin with switched 12v as reference by others in this thread.

KamalinO

Thank you for the reply, and you're right regarding "professionalism".

My previous car install had the ACC wire connected to the cigarette lighter, so I used that wire for the new head unit to connect the ACC wire too.
I tried connecting the ILLUM wire from the new headunit to the SAME wire from the cigarette lighter (there's only one wire), since I didn't want to pull off the cigarette lighter itself and install a new one, but it is not working.

Sorry for the noob question, but is it possible to connect two wires from the headunit (ACC and ILLUM) to the single wire coming from the cigarette lighter? Or do I need separate wires for each one?

Also, can I connect the illum wire to the yellow battery wire just to test if it works at all?

Thanks again

jkowtko

Here's my post where I described tapping into the cig lighter for both 12v switched and illumination:

https://mbworld.org/forums/c-class-w...ml#post5560009 (post #1016)

KamalinO

Thanks for that.

So I FINALLY received the canbus adapter for steering wheel controls.
I successfully installed it, and now I have steering wheel controls, the illum wire is working fine too.

Now I want to install the rear view camera that came with the unit, butI can't find a good spot in the exact midline of the car, so I would have to attach it 2-3 cm on the right or left. Is that a big deal? Would it be reasonable to install it this way?
Someone suggested to drill a whole and install it with an adapter just like the parking sensors. It could be a good idea, but I don'k like the idea of drilling holes, even in the plastics.

Thanks!

Delcon

Hi, apologies for not replying. I was away on holiday. good to hear you got everything working. It looks like its a difficult job but once everything is hooked up, it all comes together nicely.
I have also installed a rear camera to my setup. i had to move mine to the side because of the trunk handle and lights being in the way.
If you dont want to drill big holes everywhere, why dont you get a camera mounted to a licence frame? it will sit right in the middle and can be removed at a later stage also.

KamalinO

Thanks.

Looks like a great solution, but I already bought this rear view camera, so I'm trying to find a way to use it properly.
https://www.carjoying.com/car-access...ew-camera.html

So you say you had to move your camera on the side, I guess it's the same as I planned to do , I attached a photo.

Does it work fine this way? Any problems with alignment? Are the grid lines in your head unit, and if so, are they aligned correctly when parking?

Thanks!

Delcon

The camera works but the alignment is not 100%. It doesnt really bother me that much because i just use the camera to see whats behind me. If i miss anything, the parking sensors pick it up.

KamalinO

Thanks.

In the end I installed it just above the license frame, and all cables run through a hole hidden by the license plate.
This way, the camera is perfectly centered, I can clearly see the rear bumper, there are no visible cables at all.
The only downside is that sometimes you tuch the camera while opening the trunk, but it's not bothering me at all.