The USB / AUX Solutions of the Toyota OEM Car Audio

Written by the Merchandise Development Team
Saturday, 25 August 2012, 8:30

It has been a hot topic on the iPod USB input for a Toyota stock audio for a long time among the Toyota car owners, especially in China; as most Toyota OEM stereos do not provide a USB / AUX Switch on the panel. This makes an embarrassing situation for the car owners, as one the one hand the car USB now is one of the most popular inputs for the music; on the other hand, owners do not want to replace the factory-installed car audio with third-party equipments.

Besides replacing the stock stereo, there are some other methods to apply the MP3 USB input. Before introducing the Toyota USB / AUX Solutions, we need to know whether the factory-installed stereos support the iPod USB input.

Let’s take the TOY-0215 for example. The below image (Img-01) is the back view of the TOY-0215, which is the OEM head unit of the Toyota COROLLA. We need to pay attention to the two connectors: the CN702 12-pin connector and the CN703 20-pin connector. The CN702 12-pin connector is designed to allow USB connectivity to external peripheral devices such as an iPod connection, USB jump drive and most USB / AUX Switch devices. The CN703 20-pin connector is designed to allow other functions, one of which is to provide an AUX input to the stock audio.

Img-01

The below image (Img-02) provide further information on the pin definition of these two connectors. Note that a stock radio does not have a direct USB port or input, even if it has a CN702 connector at the back. This is because the CN702 connector does not accept direct MP3 USB input and output signals, but provides the input and output of the communication TX. This means it can accept the input and output controlled signals from an ECU. So it is not as easy as to wire the car USB port to the CN702 connector on the head unit. The CN703 connector on the other hand can accept direct AUX input, which means you can simply wire the AUX cable to the car audio through the CN703 connector. With this AUX cable, you will be able to enjoy the iPod USB connection to the OEM car audio.

Img-02

Below are the Toyota USB / AUX Solutions.

1. The iPod/USB/AUX Interface Kit (Part No.: PT233-47100).

This is a genuine Toyota Accessory to provide customers the ability to add the USB Port / AuX input with iPod on the car audio. The Part Number is PT233-47100. This iPod/USB/AUX Interface Kit is factory equipped on 2011 Toyota cars and even prior, such as the 2010 Prius, the 2011 Corolla, the 2011 Camry, etc. This kit allows USB connectivity to external peripheral devices, serving as a car USB port on the 2011 Toyota cars. It can be controlled either on the navigation touchscreen or with the steering wheel controls. In the 2011 Toyota car models, you may see a USB/AUX Jack (Part No. 86190-0C020). Actually this USB/AUX Jack is a part of the iPod/USB/AUX Interface Kit (Part No.: PT233-47100), which includes the USB connector (Part No. 86190-0C020), the USB connector harness, the ECU and the head unit connection harness. The kit is shown in the below image (Img-03). It is wired to the CN702 12-pin connector.

Img-03

2. The Third-party Digital CD-changer or Disc Box.

Similar to the Toyota iPod/USB/AUX Interface Kit (PT233-47100), a third-party digital CD-changer can achieve the iPod USB input to the Toyota factory-installed car audio. The digital CD-changer has a built-in ECU module and can support SD Card / AUX / USB input. It serves as a car USB in a Toyota car, and can be controlled through the panel of the stock stereo. Some examples of the digital CD-changer is shown in the following image (Img-04). The digital CD-changer wires to the CN702 12-pin connector.

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3. The AUX Cable.

If you think the Toyota iPod/USB/AUX Interface Kit (PT233-47100) or the third-party digital CD-changer is too costly, you may consider using an AUX cable instead. This AUX cable allows the AUX input for the 2011 Toyota stock audio or even prior 2011 at very favorable costs. You can simply plug the cable to your iPod connection or other MP3 players, and enjoy the MP3 USB input to the stock radio. The only pity is that you cannot gain control through the panel of the factory-installed head unit, which is different from the Toyota iPod/USB/AUX Interface Kit (PT233-47100) and the third-party digital CD-changer. This AUX cable connects to the CN703 20-pin connector. It is shown in the below image (Img-05).

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Think the above sharing was good? Visit the Knowledge_Base section at http://www.caraudiogroup.com/ for more sharings that are EVEN better!”

Last Updated on Saturday, 25 August 2012, 22:30