Using steering wheel (phone) microphone and buttons with aftermarket headunit?
08-19-13, 05:04 PM
#1
Driver School Candidate
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Using steering wheel (phone) microphone and buttons with aftermarket headunit?
First off, I'd like to apologize if this is posted in the wrong section.
Has anyone tried either of these ideas?
Using the OE microphone (for bluetooth calling) would be pretty simple if it matched the impedance and characteristics of the one for the headunit, but I'm not sure if mic designs vary or if they're all pretty much the same (ie. if the OE mic would work properly with an aftermarket head unit). Does anyone have any information about mic compatibility? If not, I'll try measuring the resistance to see if they're similar, but even if they are, that doesn't necessarily mean the impedance or response is the same.
Re-purposing the buttons should be pretty simple with one of many devices used to adapt steering wheel audio controls to aftermarket headunits; afterall, buttons are buttons: the device won't care if those buttons were originally for a phone system. I assume it would also be possible to use the OE power button in the same fashion, although most likely not the volume control, as I'm not sure if there are any adapters that will accept an analog signal instead of the digital on/off of a button/switch).
Has anyone tried this, and how did it work?
Not sure if it matters, but the headunit I have is a Kenwood eXcelon DNX890HD (double-din navigation).
Has anyone tried either of these ideas?
Using the OE microphone (for bluetooth calling) would be pretty simple if it matched the impedance and characteristics of the one for the headunit, but I'm not sure if mic designs vary or if they're all pretty much the same (ie. if the OE mic would work properly with an aftermarket head unit). Does anyone have any information about mic compatibility? If not, I'll try measuring the resistance to see if they're similar, but even if they are, that doesn't necessarily mean the impedance or response is the same.
Re-purposing the buttons should be pretty simple with one of many devices used to adapt steering wheel audio controls to aftermarket headunits; afterall, buttons are buttons: the device won't care if those buttons were originally for a phone system. I assume it would also be possible to use the OE power button in the same fashion, although most likely not the volume control, as I'm not sure if there are any adapters that will accept an analog signal instead of the digital on/off of a button/switch).
Has anyone tried this, and how did it work?
Not sure if it matters, but the headunit I have is a Kenwood eXcelon DNX890HD (double-din navigation).
10-01-13, 04:23 PM
#3
Pole Position
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i've never seen this done. It'd be nice to make the steering wheel buttons actually do something as we don't use thoes old school phones anymore. I have the phone package and thought of the same thing if i were to get an aftermarket head-unit. not everyone has the phone portable plus package. I'd like to see this work and have an option then the buttons doing nothing.
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