It will likely work with the TrafficPro. You can get a definitive reply from Becker - contact info available at:

http://www.beckerautosound.com/

 

Becker said that they had a cable that plugs into the cd changer with rca cables on the other side but it doesn't charger the ipod, nor can you control the ipod from the unit in the car.

The link for the cable that does is 100 pounds. Does anyone know who sells it for cheaper? Or do you think the quality difference is worth it?

 

I had an Ice>Link in my 330 and it was incredible.
However, I'm not sure if I'm going to install one in the pcar because the main quirk for me was the steering wheel controls, and well, the pcar doesn't have that.

 

A member of Renntech did this mod.

Porsche OEM Radio / iPod DIY low-cost interface installation.


Not too long ago I bought an iPod and moved all of my music from CDs and other sources onto it. Currently I have over 6000 songs and 576 albums on my iPod and it is just over half full. Since the beauty of a portable music player like an iPod is the ability to take all of your music with you where ever you go, the next logical step was to integrate the iPod with the sound system in my 2002 Porsche C2 Cabriolet.

Here is how I integrated my iPod into the Porsche sound system. It is a relatively easy DIY setup that is rated on a 1-10 difficulty scale at about a 4. (1=very easy). The parts that I used are easy and inexpensive to obtain, and the modifications required include soldering, and cutting some plastic parts. This DIY is applicable to 2002 and earlier Porsches that have an analog (non-MOST Bus) radio that has an auxiliary input. These radios include the Becker CDR-220 and Traffic-Pro units. Some of this DIY also applies to units that require an inline FM modulator to interface between the iPod and the radio (2003+ MOST Bus radios).

The parts required include:

- Audio/telephone cable kit - p/n 1319.116-276 - $16.00
- Phone power cable – p/n 5001.524-276 - $5.00
Both parts are available from Becker of North America 201-327-3434.



Belkin Auto Kit for iPod Part # F8V7058-APL
(under $10 on eBay) $39.95 retail



Monster Cable iPod Sportscase



(under $10 on eBay) $19.95 retail

Male RCA to mini Stereo Cable 1 meter - $2.95 – Radio Shack

Total best case cost - $44.00

The Belkin Auto Kit is the heart of the system. It plugs into a cigarette lighter for power, and has a line out connection for the iPod to connect directly into the radio. The line out connection provides superior sound quality over plugging into the headphone jack. The power input line also has a sense wire on it that will pause the iPod whenever power is removed from it.

What I have done is hardwired the power input into the telephone power connector that is in the center console stack of a 996, and connected the line out from the iPod and the Belkin Auto Kit to the auxiliary input of the Becker OEM radio. The Monster Cable Sport Case helps hold the iPod in place and prevents it from scratching the center console.



To mount my iPod I modified the center console ashtray to hold the Belkin auto kit cable, and to act as a tray to hold the iPod when in use.

Reduced: 98% of original size [ 650 x 432 ] - Click to view full image


When not in use, I can tuck the cable back into the ashtray and close the lid, so that it is not obvious that there is an iPod in the car.

Reduced: 98% of original size [ 650 x 432 ] - Click to view full image

To hardwire the Belkin Auto Kit into the car’s electrical system, you must take it out of its case. To do that, unscrew the fuse holder and retaining ring on the end that is stuck into the cigarette lighter and pull off the covers. You will end up with something that looks like this.

In this photo, the cigarette lighter/fuse holder and ground are cut off, and replaced with a 2a fuse and holder and a ground line. These 2 wires will be connected to the Becker Phone power cable, and plugged into the existing connector in the Porsche center console stack.

The Ashtray lifts out of the carrier, and the carrier is held in the center console with 2 plastic torx screws. Remove the carrier, and disconnect the connectors for the window switches.

Cut a hole into the ashtray, and the ashtray/window switch carrier that fits in the center console, using a Roto drill or Dremmel tool to cut holes big enough for the Belkin Auto Kit iPod interface cable to pass through.

Next, drill a pilot hole into the rear of both the ashtray and the carrier assembly.

Route the Belkin Auto Kit cable under the center console stack and along the driver’s side edge of the center console and up through the hole where the ashtray/window switch assembly goes.

The best way to do this is to pull out the trays or CD holders that are installed in the center console stack and the driver’s side covers. They are held on by spring clips and pop right off. If you have problems fishing the cable through the center console, it is easy to remove the 4 screws that hold the center console in place. Loosen the screws to get the cable in place.

When the console is loosened, route the cable up through the ashtray holder, and then through the ashtray itself.
Reassemble the center console, ashtray/window switch holder, and ashtray. Next, you will connect the Belkin auto kit skeleton to the Audio and Power systems of your Porsche.

Attaching the Audio input cables to your Becker CDR-220 or Traffic Pro radio requires that you pull out the radio with the supplied keys and if you have a CD changer, unplug that connector (which is really 3 connectors ganged together), and plug in the Audio input cable. It has a blue connector on one end, and a pair or RCA female jacks on the other end. This cable is then connected to the RCA- to-mini-stereo cable that you purchased from Radio Shack. Plug the mini-stereo jack into the Belkin auto kit audio jack. Consult your radio manual on how to enable the Auxiliary input on the radio.

If you were doing this setup for a radio that required an inline FM modulator connection, the RCA-to-mini-stereo cable would be plugged into that instead of the radio Auxiliary input connector.

Now, setup the power connection. The telephone power cable under the center console stack has 4 wires:
Brown - ground
Yellow/Black - telephone mute
Green/Black - switched 12 volts
Red/Green - unswitched 12 volts

I chose to use the Green/Black switched 12 V line for my power. When the car is on, and the iPod connected, it will have its battery charged regardless of whether it is turned on or not.

On the Telephone power cable that is soldered to the Belkin Auto Kit, use the grey/red wire instead of the brown wire as ground (the ground and Phone mute cables are switched).

Plug everything together and test it to make sure it works.

With the car key turned on, the green LED on the Belkin Auto Kit will light up. Set the gain control to maximum on the circuit board.

If everything is working, slip a piece of shrink tubing over the Belkin Auto Kit to keep it from shorting out (electrical tape will do as well).

Tuck the wires back behind the center console stack, replace the side panels and trays, and you are done!

If you are concerned that there are 3 plug connections between the iPod and the back of the radio and the possibility of degrading the audio quality,
here is an article on how to make a single cable run between the iPod connector and the radio input.

Using connectors is easier than soldering, and the results seem to be the same.

So there you have it. This took me the good part of an afternoon to do, but was a clean inexpensive way to use the iPod in the Porsche with excellent aural results.

 

Thanks so much for posting these instructions. I'm a fairly new owner of a 2004 996 and I've been hearing about the new stereos having a fiber optic system rather than analog. Will those instructions work for a 2004 model year?

 

Nope. You're hosed with the MOST system.

I also used the becker adapter. Although I didn't go as far as setting it up to charge the unit. My battery always last longer than most drives

 

Not exactly hosed...get the Dension Gateway 500...from eric @ bumperplugs. Mine works great...through the OEM stereo.

 

Well, hosed on the fact that getting an ipod to play through your stereo went from $25 to $500

 

Agreed!..although it was actually $399