car

Replacing the factory Audi Bose stereo with an AUX input or stereo

Missing the factory stereo in your Audi with Bose? Trying to make an aftermarket radio work with the harness? Here is a deep dive into the audio signals of Audi’s Bose sound system.

At the beginning of this year, I acquired a 2007 Audi A4 Quattro 2.0T (B7 body-type). This car was a project that took over 6 months – and I hope to document the complete rebuild in another post!

Something’s missing…

Despite the fact it didn’t run, I was actually more upset that the stereo was missing. Knowing the factory units need to be coded to the car, and that it is hard to find a solid aftermarket harness for these Bose-amplified cars, I wasn’t sure how this would be resolved…

…until today! Read on to learn how to connect an AUX cable directly to the Bose amplifier – WITHOUT modifying any of the car’s wiring!

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Friday, July 22nd, 2022 car, electronics No Comments

How long is 4 years?

Too long to not post anything.

In as few words as possible, let us agree that people accomplish a lot in one year. Simply think back to what you did in 2021, then 2020, then 2019, then 2018… Realize that you have completed dozens of projects, started many dozens more, interacted with countless other people, learned countless new things, and aside from disorganized photos you’ve saved somewhere, a lot of this exists only in your memory.

The purpose of this blog has always been to document my projects so that, when memory fails, I can remember what on Earth I’ve done over the years.

Here is a summary of the last 4.

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Friday, January 7th, 2022 car, computers, electronics, life No Comments

Targa Bambina 2017

The Targa road rally is an exciting yearly event. It has presence in several countries, including Australia, New Zealand, Italy, and Canada. It is meant to take place on public roads, and is a great sport for spectators.

Targa Newfoundland runs the yearly event on the Island, and last year they introduced the Targa Bambina. The Bambina is a less intensive, shorter version of the full Targa. The entry fees and rules are adjusted to be more accessible, meaning you average hobbyist can get in on the excitement.

This year, I participated in the first ever Targa Newfoundland Bambina.

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Sunday, August 20th, 2017 car, life, projects No Comments

Custom Car Bluetooth Receiver

Currently my phone is simply connected to my radio’s AUX input with a cable, and if I want to change songs I must do so from the phone. Modern raidos have integrated Bluetooth capabilities, allowing you to pair your radio to your phone wirelessly. In some cases, pausing and skipping tracks can be done directly from the radio’sĀ buttons – safer than waking up and unlocking your phone to change songs within the music player app.

jvcradio

I could have purchased such a radio, but I already had a perfectly fine JVC unit I installed not even two years ago. It has two AUX inputs, the one in the front I’ve been using, and a special Bluetooth AUX input in the rear. Although designed for use with a JVC accessory, I decided to build my own Bluetooth receiver for my car.

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Friday, December 21st, 2012 car, electronics, projects 2 Comments

How To: Fix 1997 Honda Accord DRL Relay

A common problem with the Daytime Running Light (DRL) module in many 90’s Honda vehicles is cold solder joints at the relays in the control module. These develop over time, and cause sometimes intermittent issues with running lights. I encountered this problem, which would usually present itself on mornings with lots of dew, and would fix itself sometime during my commute to work. Rather than pay a mechanic to repair or replace the module, you can do it yourself with some basic tools.

A Google search will reveal many forums and sites with instructions to fix this problem: here are the two links which I consulted prior to performing these repairs.

http://www.nyx.net/~smanley/hondadrlfix/index.html
http://www.hondaaccordforum.com/forum/general-tech-help-7/drl-fix-3719/

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Thursday, August 18th, 2011 car, electronics 2 Comments