pointblank9957
12-28-2022, 06:51 AM
Hey Guys!
Nothing pleases me more than having a stealthy install of a mod, something that doesn't catch your eye as soon as you see it, even more so for interior mods. After considering a few options for upgrading the Stereo in AYeet, I was on the hunt for a Concert 1 or another equivalently equipped unit. Bluetooth audio streaming is a major convenience to have, but up until now I've been using one of those Bluetooth FM transmitters from Walmart. Audi quality was much to be desired with these sadly. There being tons of optional addon modules for newer (post 2000) Audi stereos, this was the main focus of wanting to upgrade the stereo in this old C4. While doing some searching for a Bluetooth addon for the Delta stereo, I came up emptyhanded. I did, however, stumble across a video of someone retrofitting a Bluetooth module in their 90's Ford Fairlane. This video gave me the motivation to add the same type of module inside our Delta CC units, I'll post a link below. I ordered a similar BT module to what was used in the video, albeit much smaller and with different connectors (they're not needed anyway). In the video, the guy explains that you simply remove the tape drive assembly, follow the traces from the magnetic pickup in the assembly, and hijack the left and right channels. You also need to fool the tape deck into thinking there is a tape in the drive by removing the spring that holds the carrier up and forward. This video was for a very simplistic 80's/90's Alpine headunit for Australian Fords, our units being much more jam packed with circuits. This video gave me false hope that it would be a super simple process for our Blaupunkt made stereos as well, in reality they are very very different. But here I will show you the exact pads I soldered the modules wiring to for it to function perfectly.
Tools needed:
Soldering Iron with a fine tip for micro soldering
Solder
Moist sponge for iron cleaning
Side cutters
Wire Strippers
Double Sided Tape
Torx assortment
flat blade screwdriver
Hot glue gun (optional)
VW/Audi/Benz radio removal tools (https://www.amazon.com/Removal-Compatible-Volkswagen-Mercedes-Universal/dp/B07QPSYQVP/ref=sr_1_4?crid=16WHSF5B6OL6M&keywords=vw+audi+radio+removal&qid=1672238232&sprefix=vw+audi+radio+removal%2Caps%2C92&sr=8-4)
Step 1:
Remove your radio, its a good idea to make sure you have your radio PIN number to get it out of safe mode beforehand. There are 2 slots at the bottom edge of the radio, this is where you insert the radio removal tools.
Step 2:
Remove the top cover from your radio, it has no fasteners holding it on. Around the edges you will see where the top cover is clipped to the side shields.
Step 3:
Remove the bottom cover, same deal as the top cover.
Step 4:
Unplug the magnetic pickup head from the main board. Looking from the front, you will see it on the right side of the tape deck. It has a brown/orange ribbon cable that leads to a brown PCB that plugs into the main board. Wiggle the brown PCB side to side until it comes out. I removed the pickup completely to eliminate the risk of noise interference.
291740
Photo from another user.
Step 5:
Remove the 4 torx screws that hold the tape drive into the chassis. The tape deck board on the left plugs into the main board as well, unplug it and remove the tape deck assembly. You will need to reinstall the tape deck later otherwise the Radio will not power on or function.
Step 6:
Remove the spring circled here, set the tape drive to the down position to trick the radio into thinking there is a tape installed. You can also do this by hollowing out an old tape and inserting it into the drive.
291736
Photo from another user.
Step 7:
Set the drive aside, you are done with it for now. On to your BT Receiver, I used this one from Amazon (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08GF5K6TF?ref_=cm_sw_r_apin_dp_K8VYFR8V6RJ0CKBZBV Q1&fbclid=IwAR2cPqEVkFZ62YtoHGBIL7bFRNZNP7KCUF8ksrXZM wLL_HFLxL2r7GVooGQ), it costs less than $12. I removed the chip inside from its plastic case for fitment reasons. Snip off the RCA plugs, we will just be using the wire running to them. Strip back the casing. Inside, there will be 2 wires. In my case, the red wires were cut back as they are not needed. Strip the white wires about 1/8" back to prepare them for soldering. You can tin your wires now if desired.
EDIT: I started using the LN-BT02 modules as they have more features and are around the same price.
Locations of the board needed
Blue = Power & Ground
Red = L&R channels and Dolby chip to be removed
291737
Step 8:
Find the Red section of the board (pictured above). Here you will see a chip labeled 12135AF with the Dolby Audio label, this is the noise reduction chip for the tape drive. You need to remove this chip from the main board. Its in a tight area so this is a bit tedious. Nothing needs to be done once the chip is removed. The Left & Right tape audio channels are also right beside the noise reduction chip. Left is top, Right is bottom in the photo below. Solder your L & R white channel wires to the pads, the capacitors are also soldered to this pads so be careful. Nothing is needed for the Channel Ground pad/wires on the receiver. For whatever reason, it functions perfectly fine without these.
291738
Step 9:
Solder in the power and ground wires to the marked pads. The + pad has solder inside of it already, so try to heat the solder from the bottom of the board and slide the wire through. This can be kind of tricky. The - pad is wide open so you can slide the wire through and solder it from the bottom as well.
291739
Step 10:
Attach the receiver somewhere out of the way of the tape deck. I stuck mine behind where the display is, above the knobs. Route your wires as low as possible and out of the way of the tape drive mounts. Use a hot glue gun to secure the wires to ensure nothing gets pinched. Reinstall your tape drive into the radio. The magnetic pickup does not need to be reinstalled. Reinstall the top and bottom covers, and put the Radio back in your car. Your radio will now be in Safe Mode. Refer to your Bose manual to get it out of Safe Mode.
All that's left is to switch your Radio to Tape and pair your phone to the Receiver. Congrats! That's it!
Here's the video that gave me the motivation to do this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELE7xxRipXw
Nothing pleases me more than having a stealthy install of a mod, something that doesn't catch your eye as soon as you see it, even more so for interior mods. After considering a few options for upgrading the Stereo in AYeet, I was on the hunt for a Concert 1 or another equivalently equipped unit. Bluetooth audio streaming is a major convenience to have, but up until now I've been using one of those Bluetooth FM transmitters from Walmart. Audi quality was much to be desired with these sadly. There being tons of optional addon modules for newer (post 2000) Audi stereos, this was the main focus of wanting to upgrade the stereo in this old C4. While doing some searching for a Bluetooth addon for the Delta stereo, I came up emptyhanded. I did, however, stumble across a video of someone retrofitting a Bluetooth module in their 90's Ford Fairlane. This video gave me the motivation to add the same type of module inside our Delta CC units, I'll post a link below. I ordered a similar BT module to what was used in the video, albeit much smaller and with different connectors (they're not needed anyway). In the video, the guy explains that you simply remove the tape drive assembly, follow the traces from the magnetic pickup in the assembly, and hijack the left and right channels. You also need to fool the tape deck into thinking there is a tape in the drive by removing the spring that holds the carrier up and forward. This video was for a very simplistic 80's/90's Alpine headunit for Australian Fords, our units being much more jam packed with circuits. This video gave me false hope that it would be a super simple process for our Blaupunkt made stereos as well, in reality they are very very different. But here I will show you the exact pads I soldered the modules wiring to for it to function perfectly.
Tools needed:
Soldering Iron with a fine tip for micro soldering
Solder
Moist sponge for iron cleaning
Side cutters
Wire Strippers
Double Sided Tape
Torx assortment
flat blade screwdriver
Hot glue gun (optional)
VW/Audi/Benz radio removal tools (https://www.amazon.com/Removal-Compatible-Volkswagen-Mercedes-Universal/dp/B07QPSYQVP/ref=sr_1_4?crid=16WHSF5B6OL6M&keywords=vw+audi+radio+removal&qid=1672238232&sprefix=vw+audi+radio+removal%2Caps%2C92&sr=8-4)
Step 1:
Remove your radio, its a good idea to make sure you have your radio PIN number to get it out of safe mode beforehand. There are 2 slots at the bottom edge of the radio, this is where you insert the radio removal tools.
Step 2:
Remove the top cover from your radio, it has no fasteners holding it on. Around the edges you will see where the top cover is clipped to the side shields.
Step 3:
Remove the bottom cover, same deal as the top cover.
Step 4:
Unplug the magnetic pickup head from the main board. Looking from the front, you will see it on the right side of the tape deck. It has a brown/orange ribbon cable that leads to a brown PCB that plugs into the main board. Wiggle the brown PCB side to side until it comes out. I removed the pickup completely to eliminate the risk of noise interference.
291740
Photo from another user.
Step 5:
Remove the 4 torx screws that hold the tape drive into the chassis. The tape deck board on the left plugs into the main board as well, unplug it and remove the tape deck assembly. You will need to reinstall the tape deck later otherwise the Radio will not power on or function.
Step 6:
Remove the spring circled here, set the tape drive to the down position to trick the radio into thinking there is a tape installed. You can also do this by hollowing out an old tape and inserting it into the drive.
291736
Photo from another user.
Step 7:
Set the drive aside, you are done with it for now. On to your BT Receiver, I used this one from Amazon (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08GF5K6TF?ref_=cm_sw_r_apin_dp_K8VYFR8V6RJ0CKBZBV Q1&fbclid=IwAR2cPqEVkFZ62YtoHGBIL7bFRNZNP7KCUF8ksrXZM wLL_HFLxL2r7GVooGQ), it costs less than $12. I removed the chip inside from its plastic case for fitment reasons. Snip off the RCA plugs, we will just be using the wire running to them. Strip back the casing. Inside, there will be 2 wires. In my case, the red wires were cut back as they are not needed. Strip the white wires about 1/8" back to prepare them for soldering. You can tin your wires now if desired.
EDIT: I started using the LN-BT02 modules as they have more features and are around the same price.
Locations of the board needed
Blue = Power & Ground
Red = L&R channels and Dolby chip to be removed
291737
Step 8:
Find the Red section of the board (pictured above). Here you will see a chip labeled 12135AF with the Dolby Audio label, this is the noise reduction chip for the tape drive. You need to remove this chip from the main board. Its in a tight area so this is a bit tedious. Nothing needs to be done once the chip is removed. The Left & Right tape audio channels are also right beside the noise reduction chip. Left is top, Right is bottom in the photo below. Solder your L & R white channel wires to the pads, the capacitors are also soldered to this pads so be careful. Nothing is needed for the Channel Ground pad/wires on the receiver. For whatever reason, it functions perfectly fine without these.
291738
Step 9:
Solder in the power and ground wires to the marked pads. The + pad has solder inside of it already, so try to heat the solder from the bottom of the board and slide the wire through. This can be kind of tricky. The - pad is wide open so you can slide the wire through and solder it from the bottom as well.
291739
Step 10:
Attach the receiver somewhere out of the way of the tape deck. I stuck mine behind where the display is, above the knobs. Route your wires as low as possible and out of the way of the tape drive mounts. Use a hot glue gun to secure the wires to ensure nothing gets pinched. Reinstall your tape drive into the radio. The magnetic pickup does not need to be reinstalled. Reinstall the top and bottom covers, and put the Radio back in your car. Your radio will now be in Safe Mode. Refer to your Bose manual to get it out of Safe Mode.
All that's left is to switch your Radio to Tape and pair your phone to the Receiver. Congrats! That's it!
Here's the video that gave me the motivation to do this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELE7xxRipXw