Need help with steering wheel radio controls

[Dojo2000]

I found the steering wheel control wire on my factory HU, but I'm not sure how it operates. Could anybody explain it to me? Is it a voltage source(+) that needs to be grounded at a specific resistance value to do a specific operation? Or is it a ground(-) that needs a specific voltage(+) value to do a specific operation?
What happen was I was using my digital voltmeter to measure values on the wire coming out of the HU. I can't remember the reading on the control wire, but while is was messing around reading the ohms on each I put the + on the wire and the - on a ground and the radio switched stations!! My voltmeter has 3 functions I think: measure volts, measure ohms, and I don't know what the third one does but thats what I had it set on.

My car didn't come with steering wheel controls so I can't take those apart to see how it operates. Anybody have any info for me?

[Brian Dieckman]

The steering wheel controls aren't run by a single wire. There are several wires, and they're all just + or - 12V. I don't have the wiring diagram handy... I'll see if I can find it and post it here.

Your volt meter was probably set on Amperage. I don't have a clue what wire you were monitoring, but variances in amperage doesn't necisarily mean a voltage increase or decrease.

There are adapaters out there. There's one guys use a lot called the PAC One or something... do a search for PAC in the stereo forum. That should give you a start.

In the mean time I'll look for the wiring diagram...

-Brian

[Dojo2000]

Yeah, i know that was a lame description, but its all I could come up with without making it sound really, really complicated. If you have the stock CD player HU in your car, the wire I'm talking about is on the right(if your looking at the back on the unit) connector. It is the blue wire all by itself on the top row, all the way right. From what I can tell in my Haynes manual, its only 1 wire that goes to a unit of some kind that is operated by the steering wheel buttons.

I believe I might have had it set on continuity(?) [ -|<-], but then again I might just be talking out my @ss. All I did was touch the (+) of the voltmeter to the wire and touch the (-) to a ground, and then it switched stations. I'll post a pic of the diagram in my Haynes manual, a pic of the wire I'm talking about, and a pic of my voltmeter to see if that helps any.

[ May 15, 2002: Message edited by: Dojo2000 ]</p>

[Dojo2000]

Here's one pic of my voltmeter on the setting it was set on while testing the wire.

Here's one more so you can see the display better.

Here's the diagram I scanned out of the Haynes Repair Manual, along with some color I added to help you distinguish the wires better.

[ May 15, 2002: Message edited by: Dojo2000 ]</p>

[chas]

yes, its a single wire from the steering wheel controls. they have a somewhat complicated little resistor network in the controls. you press a button and a particular voltage should appear on the wire.

this site is particularly useful, although it does also contain monsoon related info:

http://www.houston-f-body.org/tech/monsoon/

[Dojo2000]

Thanks, thats almost exactly what I was looking for! But does anyone know how to make the controls, or know the resistor values in the buttons? If I have to I can also experiment but I'd like to see if someone knows already first. If I can figure this out I might be able to make a wireless remote. I appreciate all the info I can get.

Also, can someone get me a close up picture of the steering wheel controls PLEASE.

[ May 16, 2002: Message edited by: Dojo2000 ]</p>