# Integrating a Parrot bluetooth device into your amplified car stereo



## Ludemandan (Jul 13, 2005)

Parrot hands-free car kits like the CK3100 are a great convenience, but they are made to integrate with deck power. If you're not using deck power, and you want your phone calls to play through your speakers, you have to do a bit of hacking and extra wiring. But we're not afraid of that here at DIYMA. 

Normally, the Parrot uses a wiring harness that interrupts the deck wiring harness and taps into your speaker wires. You can toss that out. First of all, you're not using your head unit's speaker wires. But the bigger issue is that you can't tap the Parrot into your speaker wires if you have high-power amps because it isn't meant to be driven that way. It is meant to withstand deck power. Fortunately, Parrot gives you a set of low-level outputs. They're the tiny green and brown wires.

*Parts list*
PAC AS-21 RCA input switcher
One-channel RCA cable (cheapest you can find)
1f-2m RCA splitter
Two-channel RCA cable (suitable for the stereo signal path)
(2) standard car audio relays
Terminal strips for clean and serviceable mounting of relay wires (optional)
Lots of small wire, preferably in different colors, and wiring connectors

The PAC AS-21 is an RCA input switcher that switches between inputs using either a positive or a negative trigger. It switches to input B as long as there is power on one of the triggers, then it switches back to input A. It also requires its own power and ground, just like any component. 

*How-to:*

Get rid of the Parrot's wiring harness interrupts from the black box. The black box is the Parrot's amp. Don't cut off the loose yellow wire from the black box, that is the mute wire. DON'T CUT OFF the black box altogether, thinking you can use the yellow wire going into it. The yellow wires going in and out are NOT continuous. You need the output yellow wire. Normally you connect the mute lead to the mute wire on the deck, but we're not using it this way. 

Cut off one end of the one-channel RCA cable and connect it to the tiny green and brown wires from the Parrot's blue box. Use the Y-splitter to connect the good end of the RCA cable to the _switched_ inputs of the PAC AS-21. Connect your front speaker pre-outs to the _unswitched_ input on the AS-21, and the output to your amps. You're putting the input switching device into your signal path, with the deck on one side and all your signal processing and amps on the other.

This is a diagram of the remote turn-on wiring, it does not include the power distribution to all the components. I had it hooked up this way for about a year and it works flawlessly. You will have to route the ignition wire into the trunk to relay #2 and then back to the deck. 










The top relay is your standard remote turn-on relay, except 87a is used to trigger the PAC AS-21 to switch to the phone input. The Parrot's mute wire switches the system to phone mode through the bottom relay.

Warning: The input gain pots on the AS-21 are very sensitive and difficult to balance. Start with them all the way down and turn them up as little as your wrist can manage. If you turn them up any farther, the amplified phone signal will be ridiculously loud.
You might be able to simply use RCA input splitters instead of the AS-21, but I decided to play it safe and keep the input signals isolated from each other. 

*Functionality:* The diagram shows the stereo off. 

-When you turn the stereo on, the remote wire triggers the top relay and everything functions as normal. 

-If your stereo is on, when the parrot receives a phone call, the mute wire trips the second relay. The stereo components are powered on, the PAC AS-21 trigger is powered, switching it to the phone RCA input. Power is cut to the deck, pausing your CD (this is an improvement over stock mute wire functionality  ). 

-If your stereo is _off_ and you receive a phone call, the triggering of the second relay turns on your amps but not your deck. You now have voice-activation over your system. You can say "Telephone" while driving, and it will pick up the phone and turn your amps on. 


Dan


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## bigd480 (Oct 14, 2008)

I've been trying to figure out this problem for a few weeks but am a wiring noob. According to Parrot support, there's a workaround if your deck doesn't have a mute wire - seems like you can use the Parrot unit itself to be the amp turn on/off relay. Does this make sense to you? Seems like the front speakers would have to pass through the Parrot unit but I forget if it'll hold 16awg wire.

Here's the diagram they sent me (view full size to read):


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## tophatjimmy (Dec 16, 2005)

or if you don't neccessarily need the sound to come from your speakers, you can skip the complexity by having the Parrot unit mute your deck or relay interrupt your amp turn on lead and then use the Parrot speaker outputs to run a little guy lke this, hidden/integrated someplace out of the way.

http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?Partnumber=265-242


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## bigd480 (Oct 14, 2008)

tophatjimmy said:


> or if you don't neccessarily need the sound to come from your speakers, you can skip the complexity by having the Parrot unit mute your deck or relay interrupt your amp turn on lead and then use the Parrot speaker outputs to run a little guy lke this, hidden/integrated someplace out of the way.
> 
> http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?Partnumber=265-242


That was my plan B but it's a small car (geo prizm) so there's not much space to stuff something. Also, that model is 8ohm - you would probably want to use something 2 or 4ohm to get more sound from the 6W the parrot unit sends out.


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## tophatjimmy (Dec 16, 2005)

you'd be surprised. I do these sometimes using the old rectangular Nokia hands free speakers. They're 8 ohm I think and they get plenty loud.

Hell even a cheap little 2" widebander would work great.


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