Car Stereo

[express1500]

Hi, i am new to this so you will have to forgive me if i do something wrong. I have a car stereo from a dodge grand caravan and for my junior year project i wanted to wire up a car stereo with a speaker or two and use it for home use. i do have a couple of pictures of it.
any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[dejo]

you will have to get 12 volt power for the radio itself, could use a car battery and then charge it every so often. Normally if you try to charge it while in use you will get the 60hz through the speakers, and that is very anoying. You may be able to get away with a power converter, but they can get expensive if you need much current.

 

[express1500]

i have a computer power supply that i will be using with it i just need help with the wiring harness getting the power and speakers hooked up.
Thank You

 

[A-Dub]

If you can't find the wiring information online then go to an auto parts store and pick up either a Chiltons manual or a wiring harness which has the information for your vehicle included with it.

 

[express1500]

Thank you... i was gonna take a ride up to the auto parts store later today it dawned on me last night at work.
thank you

 

[four4875]

haynes manuals usually have wiring diagrams with colors of wires, or if you buy a harness intended to plug into factory harness and connecting aftermarket stereo, you could work backwards from that, it's wires should be labeled. should be able to find one at wal-mart for less than $15, at least the last one I got was less than 15.

the computer psu should work fine, i've done it, and any modern psu should handle a stock radio just fine. in the bedroom i've been running an alpine head on a stock dell psu out of a P4 with no problems, except the stereo needs to be connected to the molex before turning on the psu, otherwise the inrush current from charging the capacitors in the stereo trips the psu's overcurrent protection, but if its all connected before powering on the psu all is fine.

 

[express1500]

I did go to the auto parts store and bought the Haynes manual it was just a basic radio that i pulled out of a dodge minivan at the junk yard and i cut out the wiring harness so i think that it should be a little easier connecting it. i believe that the radio came out of a 2002 dodge grand caravan.

 

[A-Dub]

Computer psu should work fine, however for projects like these I use:
http://www.amazon.com/Tripp-Lite-PR3-UL-13-8VDC/dp/B00009V2NX

 

[Weeman]

Go to your local car stereo shop and get a dodge stereo harness. by the looks of it you've cut the vehicle harness out, the new harness will clip right in. keep in mind the colors are the same, but they do very different things. on the new harness combine the red and the yellow and run that you the yellow off the PSU and then black to the braided wire off the back. Be careful which yellow off the PSU that you choose. that deck can draw 10 amps, which could blow up the PSU. Then just find some enclosed speakers. BTW that deck only put out 5 Watts RMS per channel. Kinda begs the question, why you'd want to do that? You'd have better sound buying the cheapest thing logitech makes.

 

[Ben333]

Computer psu should work fine, however for projects like these I use:
http://www.amazon.com/Tripp-Lite-PR3-UL-13-8VDC/dp/B00009V2NX

3 Amps for 40 bux? I used a free used supply with a whopping 30 amps on the 12V rail. I'd trust a computer supply more than a small lab one. Most PC power supplies have a good 10 - 20 + A.

By the way man, this is no project... I doubt this by itself will be a good school project - if that's what it's for. (as I assume from reading the first post) Too simple IMO, hook up power, hook up speakers, done.

 

[KonaKona]

I'm doing something slightly similar, using a car stereo in a boom box. As already mentioned it's not that hard of a project, just get a 12v source (computer PSU or a car/UPS battery) and hook up some speakers.

That reminds me, I need to get a wiring harness already.