Purpose of the aux connector in a car. What is the difference between USB and AUX connection

Knowing what AUX is in a car radio, drivers will be able to expand the functionality of the system. The symbol is located on the player or on the dashboard. The abbreviation AUX is a designation for a connector in the radio that allows you to connect other sound sources.

What is this exit for?

The Aux line output in the radio is necessary to connect a smartphone, tablet or mp3 player to the player. In this case, the sound will be transmitted through the car speakers.

In some cars they are combined, and the car owner can connect the phone when answering a call. To do this, you can connect a microphone to the radio via AUX. Therefore, on the panel on top of the Aux connector it is written “AUX IN”.

In operating condition, a signal with an amplitude in the range of 0.5-1 V is supplied to the output.

There is also an amplifier that transmits sound to the speakers.

Some drivers do not know what the input in the radio with the inscription AUX means. In this case, you can mix up 2 identical connectors. Below the output with the prefix “IN”, there is a plug labeled “OUT”.

Advantages and disadvantages of having an AUX connector

In its configuration, this socket is absolutely no different from the TRS/TRRS connector used to connect headphones. But in this case, the signal does not arrive at the connected device, but in the opposite direction -

So the presence of this input on your car radio (usually it is located on the main panel) allows you to use the amplifier and speakers of the multimedia system to play sound from low-power gadgets whose speakers do not differ in either power or sound quality.

This is the main advantage of the AUX socket. By purchasing just one cable from your nearest audio equipment store, you will be able to connect a wide range of portable devices via AUX in your car.

The need to purchase an adapter can be called the main disadvantage of this input, but you get the opportunity to amplify the sound many times over. As for the quality, it is obviously higher than in standard headphones (we are not talking about professional models - they are very expensive and are not suitable for household purposes). But here we need to make a small reservation. The fact is that most mobile gadgets, including iPhone, iPad, smartphones and tablets, are initially designed to work with headphones - in this case, the sound signal enters the playback device in the same form in which it is stored on a digital medium, that is, without distortions. The linear input is an intermediate link, so here and further along the circuit minor distortions typical of analog devices may occur. But, we repeat, compared to the sound quality in headphones, this is heaven and earth, and besides, all passengers in the car will be able to enjoy high-quality music.

How to use

When the Aux connector is detected on the car radio, the driver tries to determine what it is and how to use this function. The system can be found in many devices that reproduce sound. However, older cassette players or older versions of CD radios do not have a line-out. But this does not mean that a car enthusiast will not be able to connect a player or smartphone to play his music on the speakers.

To start listening to music in the car, you will need to determine how the playback device is connected via Aux and start listening to music from other sources. If the radio has an AUX plug, then to start using it you need a wire, where the jack size should be 3.5 mm. On the other side of the adapter there are several connectors for connecting an external device. If the corresponding output is not found on the player, then the car owner is able to make it himself. After connecting the playback device, you can listen to music.

How to enable AUX

If AUX was originally built into the car radio, then the system will need to unlock it. To enable Aux on the radio as a device that sends a signal to the speakers, you need to put the player in standby mode. To do this, press the SRC button, then enter the menu using MENU. You will need to hold the button until the system is activated. In the menu, scroll the right control knob to toggle Aux. The car radio display may show AUX ON/OFF, which indicates whether the input is on or off.

After the radio display says that Aux is on, press the MENU button. This will help you log out and save your settings. Then you can connect the AUX wire to the radio.

Bluetooth adapter

If for some reason it is impossible to use standard adapters, then you can purchase a Bluetooth adapter. The device connects to any 3.5 mm jack connector. In the car radio, the Bluetooth adapter is connected to the AUX input. The device wirelessly transmits an audio signal. The advantages of connecting AUX with a Bluetooth adapter include:

Wireless signal transmission. Wires in the cabin interfere with the driver and look ugly.
High-quality audio codec. Playback of audio tracks occurs without jamming, and a clean signal is output.
Convenient and easy to use. The adapter is connected directly to AUX and connected to the car radio without additional actions or manipulations; To turn it on, press the button.
Output sound from multiple devices. The adapter provides for connecting 2-3 external devices.
Bluetooth is easy to use. You can switch music or adjust the volume using your voice or remote control; if necessary, use the buttons on the device body.

How to use external signal input AUX IN and CD IN.

Many modern, and not so modern, sound-reproducing devices, such as radio tape recorders, stereo systems, CD/MP3 players, have a connector for supplying an external signal AUX IN . On ancient cassette tape recorders it is called CD IN .

Why is this connector needed and how can it be used in the practice of a novice radio amateur and in the everyday life of an ordinary user?

It is worth noting that the scope of this “miracle” is quite large. For example, you have an MP3 player and you want to listen to music from it, but not through headphones, but through powerful speakers. To do this, you will need some kind of musical device, such as a stereo or cassette recorder. The main thing is that it has a connector for connecting an external signal AUX IN or CD IN .

Connecting devices to the AUX IN jack

To connect, you need a 3.5 mm jack (a plug for regular headphones) and a pair of “tulip” type plugs, a four-core speaker wire with an external copper braid. You can use the plug and wire from faulty headphones, the main thing is that the wire is in good condition. To do this, you need to “ring” the wire with a multimeter.

The plug has a contact part closest to the plastic base - the common wire. If we remove the insulation from the ends of the wires, we will see that the common wire in both wire strands is the same color. The conductors of the right and left channels have different colors (red and green), they must be soldered directly to the middle pin of the “tulip” connector. As a result, it should turn out that the contact of the common wire of the plug will be connected to the metal bases of the “tulip” connectors, and the two remaining contacts of the 3.5 mm jack will be connected to the corresponding central pins of the “tulip” connectors.

You should get an adapter like this.

If you are too lazy to solder yourself, you can purchase a ready-made adapter, as in the photo. But connecting such an adapter to miniature MP3 players is not always convenient.

All music centers have an AUX IN on the rear panel, or less often on the front panel.

This is a connector for supplying an external audio signal. You can connect any device to it via an adapter, for example an iPod Touch media player.

After connecting the player via an adapter, you need to turn on the AUX IN mode of the device through which you want to listen to music. For digital devices, this is usually done through the menu, but for ancient devices, such as cassette tape recorders, you need to select a mode using a switch ( CD IN ).

Before you play music from the player, you should reduce the volume on the music center or on the device you are using. This simple rule will help if the input signal is powerful enough and the device amplifier does not “scream” at full blast.

Thus, you can connect any devices - MP3 players, laptops and netbooks, DVD players, cassette players, TVs... to any devices that have an audio amplifier - stereo systems, portable cassette and CD/MP3 players, cassette car radios (many have an AUX IN ).

Also, a combination of an MP3 player and a portable cassette tape recorder will give new life to the cassette tape recorder; they are rarely used in the era of digital music.

Since the site is aimed at beginner radio amateurs, there are a lot of explanations and photographs. Know and apply!

How to make AUX

If the player in your car does not have a line input, then it is useful to know how to output music from devices. To do this, you will need to make a plug in the radio with your own hands. Car owners begin to think about how to make an AUX input if there is none, and begin to purchase the necessary tools. First you need to purchase a wire and plug. You don’t have to buy them in the store, because... The connector can be removed from old headphones. To avoid problems after connection, the wire must be taken without damage.

The jack connector in the headphones is divided into 3 parts. In this case, the largest colored wiring at the base relates to the overall sound. To solder the parts you will need to use a soldering iron. Additionally, you need to take solder and a multimeter.

CD on the radio

The disc player is equipped with an AUX input. Some manufacturers do not display it on the dashboard and do not know how to listen to music from an MP3 player. Therefore, the car owner must do this himself. To solder the Aux into the player, you will need to stock up on tools and consumables such as:

medium Phillips screwdriver;
knife;
a set of standard keys to remove the radio;
jumper from the computer's HDD drive;
headphone wire;
jack 3.5 mm;
insulating tape;
USB cable.

To make AUX in the radio, you will need to remove the decorative plates - to do this, you can use a knife and carefully pry them off. Then take a medium Phillips screwdriver and unscrew the 2 screws holding the grille. Once this is done, the mesh will come away and can be easily removed. The procedure helps to open access to the radio with a CD drive; You can make an AUX input using standard keys. This is necessary to remove the player from its niche.

After removing the car radio, you should examine the back wall of the case and find the white connector.

Instead of this output there will be an Aux input. After finding the connector, you should connect the USB cable and jumper from the HDD drive to it. Then you need to close the contacts. To install the jumper correctly, you will need to divide the upper part into even contacts, and the lower part into odd ones. To create an Aux input, jumper the bottom pins 11 and 13, counting from the left side.

Then a USB cable consisting of the following elements is connected to the input:

left channel cable;
right channel wire;
shielding.

For the right channel, pin 5 is used, and for the left, pin 3 is used. Both wires are connected to a two-core cable and the connection is insulated with electrical tape. The cable and jumper are inserted into the connector of the player in the car. The creation procedure is completed, and AUX is removed not from the radio, but into the ashtray. A cable with a USB connector can be connected to the player or other devices. Soldering in the connector yourself makes it possible to use not only a USB cable; instead, you can use other adapters to connect external devices.

On the standard radio

Soldering an AUX adapter for a standard radio is not an easy process. In this case, the player is removed due to the fact that there is not always an input on the panel. In addition to the basic tools, to make the connector, you will need to prepare 3 insulated cables. The cross-section of each of them should be 0.5 cm, and the length should be 30 cm. Additionally, heat shrinkage will be required.

To connect Aux to the standard radio, you need to remove the decorative strips with a knife. A similar procedure is done with the panel near the gear shift lever. Then it is removed manually, after which access to 2 screws opens. To do this, use a Phillips screwdriver. Installation of AUX in standard radios is carried out by removing the device from the niche.

To avoid damaging anything, when removing the player, you must disconnect all the wires at the back.

Then you need to take a Phillips screwdriver and unscrew all the bolts that hold the car radio cover. The device can now be removed from the case. To install AUX in the standard radio, you need to find the following 3 points on the board:

LCH. Indicates left stereo channel.
RCH. Right stereo channel.
GND. "Earth".

Self Installation Guide

Basic materials and components that will be needed to install and connect the device:

Plug with wire. You can buy these elements at any radio electronics store.
Soldering iron with tin and rosin.
Multimeter for continuity testing of electrical circuits.

Photo gallery “Everything you need”

Stages

So, how to make an AUX input for a car:

First you need to turn off the ignition and remove all media from the audio system - disks or flash drives. Having done this, the standard audio system is pulled out of its seat; depending on the design features of the car, the dismantling procedure may differ. In some cars, to remove the radio, you need to remove part of the center console.
When the head unit is removed, you will need to unscrew several bolts that are located on the ventilation panel. Part of this panel then needs to be lifted, this will allow you to get rid of possible interference in the future. Depending on the car, this panel may not be present.
After this, you will need to disassemble the audio system housing; to do this, unscrew all the bolts that secure it. After completing these steps, you will need to connect all the wires prepared earlier along with the connector to the PCA output on the device, in particular, we are talking about the “tulip”.
For proper soldering of wires, the order of work must be followed. The common wire will need to be soldered to the steel base of the plug. You will use conductors as channels; they are soldered to the middle contacts.
Next, when all the elements are soldered to the contacts, you will need to ring the resulting circuits. A multimeter is used to test the functionality of the circuit.
After you can verify the functionality of the soldered components, all wires with a connector will need to be brought out. That is, you need to make sure that the connector is in the cabin. It can be brought to the torpedo, but for this you will have to make a corresponding hole in it. At this stage, you should think about how connecting the media does not cause problems. Some car enthusiasts put the connector into the ashtray; of course, this is possible if it is not used for its intended purpose. You should also think in advance that the wire must be long so that the data carrier can be placed on the seat or placed on the dashboard.
When all the elements are connected and output, you should check the functionality of the audio system. First, try connecting your mobile gadget and completely lowering the volume on the car radio and listen to how it works. This is done in order to make sure that there is no noise - as practice shows, often after connecting third-party media, noise begins to be heard from the speakers of the car radio. Connect the gadget to the AUX input and play a track on the media.

Owners of cars with standard radios or car radios equipped with a minimum number of options are trying to expand the functionality of the head audio unit.

The most effective way is to connect the phone to the radio. How to do this and which method is better to choose will be discussed in this article.

Problems and how to solve them

After soldering or on a standard radio, car owners have problems with sound transmission.

At the same time, they note that the volume is low, or the player does not work at all.

Plays quietly

If the sound coming through the Aux into the device is weak, this may be due to damage to the wire. To fix the problem, you need to check the connection cable. To do this, use a multimeter.

If the device does not show any problems, then you should increase the volume on the connected device.

Does not work

Car owners note that the player does not make sound. If AUX does not work, this may be due to the fact that the connector in the radio is turned off. Otherwise the wire would be connected to Aux OUT.

To solve these problems, you should go to the device menu and check whether the input is unlocked or not. Sometimes the problem occurs in the socket - to do this you will need to remove the radio and check the connection of the contacts.

No duplicates found

AUX, if I'm not mistaken, is a 3.5mm jack, like standard headphones? In my radio, everything is simple - a button for switching playback modes USB SD-Card radio AUX.

Select AUX mode Connect the cable instead of headphones in the device Start playback on the device (telephone cassette player) Adjust the volume on the device and on the radio.

If just recently radio tape recorders that read CDs were considered the height of perfection, now they are already morally outdated. And as a rule, manufacturers of standard car audio installations simply do not have time to respond to all the innovations, one of which is the symbiosis of a radio tape recorder and a mobile phone. How to connect a mobile device to a car radio? To listen to music in the car, you can use any of the following methods, for example, connecting your phone via USB.

How to connect devices via USB

One of the most common options is to connect using a USB connector. Its presence provides access to information located on a standard computer flash card.

But the USB connector can also be used to connect a smartphone using a special cable. At one end there is a connector that allows you to connect to a phone, while at the other there is a USB plug. Integration of mobile devices with simple radio tape recorders is impossible, and therefore the latter are used only as an ordinary flash drive.

To play music, just connect the cable to the smartphone connector and the radio input. Then you need to select the “USB connection” item in the gadget settings and activate the “Data transfer” mode. This will allow the radio to read all files containing music. Now you can listen to your favorite songs without any problems. In this case, the listening modes are controlled from the radio.

Connecting devices using AUX

Connecting using the AUX output is considered one of the first options used for connecting external media to the car radio. Already cassette recorders had such outputs, which made it possible to connect different devices to them. This output is made in the form of a regular round connector with a diameter of 3.5 mm - the kind that is now used on phones to connect headphones.

To connect the playing device and the phone, a cable is enough, at both ends of which there are plugs with a diameter of 3.5 mm, which are inserted into the radio and smartphone.

Video: how to connect a mobile phone to a car radio using a headphone jack

Such a connection implies the use of a phone player, which means that control can only be carried out from it. In other words, the radio plays the role of an amplifier, which means that it can only be used to adjust the sound level.

The disadvantages of this connection method are:

presence of cable;
inconvenient controls, since to switch the track you have to pick up the phone every time;
The phone discharges during playback.

How to listen to music in the car via Bluetooth

One of the modern methods of connecting any mobile device to a car radio is the use of Bluetooth for this purpose. However, this method is not supported by every playing device. Multimedia systems with a touch screen most often have access to it.

There are absolutely no cords here - the user simply connects Bluetooth on both the smartphone and the multimedia system, after which they are paired. This connection ensures complete integration of devices. All control occurs via the radio.

Video: connecting a smartphone using bluetooth

Bluetooth is considered one of the most convenient options for connecting a gadget to a car player. Using the radio, you can not only listen to music, but also play video files. Many models provide the ability to use Bluetooth as an intercom. Receiving an incoming call and conducting negotiations is carried out through the radio, which eliminates the need to hold the phone near your ear.

The disadvantages of using this connection method include the fact that this function, as mentioned earlier, is not supported by all car radios. And even those that have this support do not connect to all smartphone models. In addition, there may be stuttering when playing large files.

AUX: what is it in a car

AUX or Line In is a connector through which you can connect an external audio source to your car. Such an abbreviation can be found on the car radio or directly on the dashboard of the vehicle. This device allows you to quickly connect an MP-3 player, phone, laptop or any other portable device to the car’s speaker system. When connected, audio files from them will be directly broadcast to the car's built-in speakers.

Features of the AUX connector

AUX input on the car dashboard.

The AUX connector is a small round hole with a diameter of 3.5 millimeters. A plug with a shaped metal rod configuration freely fits into it, as for conventional headphones.

In expensive cars, the AUX connector is mounted next to the cigarette lighter or radio, and is closed with an outer cover that prevents moisture and dust from entering the recess. The presence of an input relieves the car owner from the need to equip the interior with a multifunctional radio, and makes it possible to use not only the resources of a connected electronic media, but also play music from the Internet.

Why is this convenient?

The technical functions of conventional radio tape recorders are significantly expanded.
You can listen not only to your favorite music, but also broadcasts from virtual radio stations.
Additional connection of absolutely any external devices is possible.
No financial investment is required to update built-in car audio systems.
Broadcasting sound through a phone connected to the AUX input will be no worse than the quality of played music from a flash drive or disk.

How to use the AUX input?

To connect to this type of linear input, you must have a special adapter. One of its ends should end with an extended plug.

The second side of the adapter must match the connector of your phone, smartphone, tablet or laptop. This small wire will allow you to connect your portable device to your car for seamless transfer of any audio files.

You can purchase an adapter as an additional accessory at an automotive or electronics store. It also often comes standard with some devices.

DIY AUX input

If your car and its built-in radio do not have an AUX connector, you can install it yourself if you wish. If you do not have technical skills, you should order the service from a specialist at a service station.

To install the AUX socket, you will need three small wires, forty or fifty centimeters long, with a small cross-section. They will need to be soldered to the stereo output channels from the player to the main device. After this, the wires are brought out and a socket for an audio connector with three contacts is attached to them. The AUX connector itself is fixed in a convenient place for use on the dashboard or directly on the radio.

With some experience and the availability of the necessary tools, the work will take about an hour and a half. And consumables will cost pennies. But after the installation process is completed, even in the most budget or old car you will be able to listen to music, audiobooks, and online broadcasts.

Video on the topic

What to do if the radio does not “see” the smartphone

There are often cases when those who like to combine driving a car with listening to fashionable music encounter a problem: they cannot connect the radio and smartphone via Bluetooth, USB port or AUX connector. Why is this happening?

Why can't I play audio files?

If all attempts to connect the phone to the radio are unsuccessful, then you need to perform a series of checks.

Make sure the connecting cable is in good condition. It can be checked by connecting the phone using the same cable to the computer. If the connection is normal, then you need to look for the reason in something else.

What to do so that the device can transfer data

Possible methods for solving the problem are selected based on the causes of the breakdown:

You can start by rebooting your phone - the possibility of a system failure cannot be ruled out.

Video: how to connect an iPhone to a radio

Connecting your phone to the radio via USB, AUX and Bluetooth is a simple operation, which, however, has its own characteristics. Compliance with all connection rules guarantees the quality of operation of the devices and the pleasure of playing music or listening to the radio while in the car.