rjlawlor646

I know this topic has been on here before, but i still have some questions. I have the tape mechanism out, but am not sure which pins are 1 + 3..also, which traces would i attach a switch to if i wanted to keep the functioning of the tape?

pmathews

Hey, you're probably better than me at this, but I tried the same route with my Mercedes radio, soldering in different places, etc... and I wasn't successful. I spent weeks playing around and finally gave up. I bought a super cheap aftermarket unit for $140, and it's a huge improvement over the stock radio. It has bluetooth, USB connection, SD card slot, plays DVDs, and has a backup camera (+$40). I kept my Bose speakers and amp, and bought those adaptors mentioned in other posts, and it sounds great. Anyway, just wanted to share my experience, I should have done it sooner, but I wanted to tinker, and while it was kind of fun, I think I ended up in a better place in the end. Head units have come a LONG way in the last couple of years, even cheap ones. What's really cool is that I can play Pandora on my smartphone (or iPod) and it blasts over my car speakers via bluetooth, very cool!

rjlawlor646

hey thanks for the reply..that will be the next step if the wiring i did doesnt work..i have it all done and installed but i can't seem to get the right code from the dealership after taking the unit out :/

MarcusF

There may be a good reason to keep the tape functional, but after replacing my head unit with something that reads digital media (thumb drives), I've never looked back. The comparison between digital media and tape is (1) digital versus analog, (2) hundreds of hours of capacity versus a maximum of two, and (3) the time it takes to load the media which is a few minutes, versus real time.

If you're recording meetings, lectures, or commentaries, Audacity (free software) can convert it to MP3.

dreamstrider

Have you finally managed the whole process? I have a BE3300 audio 30 and I want to do the same thing (find the trace and cut it).

rjlawlor646

no, i didnt have any luck doing it..im just saving for a touch screen with mp3 hookup..makes more sense than leaving the stock unit