Car + MX-5 + Atoto Head Unit
When possible I try to understand what I'm doing, and why. That doesn't always work out 😏 but at least I try 😁
This is my first radio install in... well... thirty years? So I grabbed all the diagrams I could find, and tried to understand when I needed SWCs and LOCs, and when not.
SWC Adapter
1. If your car uses a CAN bus for the SWC then you typically need a SWC adapter. In the MX-5 the CAN bus isn't used for the radio, so it just depends on the new head unit.
2. If you use a brand name unit you may have to offer it a voltage, or specific resistances, or certain levels, in which case you need an SWC controller. If your new head unit is a Chinese Android box they can typically 'learn' the different levels and most of the time you won't need an SWC adapter.
3. If you don't have steering wheel controls, or don't care using them, then just ignore anything SWC related.
LOC or CTAMPPASSTHROUGH
This is a level converter that is only required if your car has a Bose unit installed AND you use the speaker-outs of your new head unit. In that case the signals are too high and need to be lowered.
Diagrams
I collected information on ISO connectors, the Mazda radio connector, and (in my case) the Atoto unit.
If you use another brand or model of head unit then you'll have to check what wiring it requires, but this information may help you to figure things out.
- Crutchfield Master Sheet - PDF with an overview and images, there's a wiring diagram at the end
- My wiring diagrams - one big Excel sheet in which I collected all sorts of connector and wiring information
I used the Atoto -> Bose diagram at the bottom, with a CTAMPPASSTHROUGH module, and it works fine. Note that I only needed those ISO connectors because I used a CTAMPPASSTHROUGH module.
Selected images
(The file is an Excel sheet with images and additional information. Download it for more details.)
Mazda Radio connector
ISO connector
I bought an ACV harness from Cabriohoeve, but in the end didn't use anything except for the CTAMPPASSTHROUGH unit. And I plan to replace that one with a DIY version later.
Below is the wiring diagram using an ISO harness as provided by Atoto, combined with the ACV harness, and a few additional wires. You should be able to compare this with any other head unit and adapt accordingly.
An alternative to the typical transformer based LOC:
Atoto to MX-5 radio connector with a CTAMPPASSTHROUGH
You can simply leave out and replace the CTAMPPASSTHROUGH module with either a DIY alternative, or a LOC.
You should be able to adapt this to any Chinese Android head unit. Note: some units might need an SWC adapter, though most don't. Mine worked fine without.
More
- 1. Parts
- 2. Removing old head unit
- 3. Wiring diagrams
- 4. CTAMPPASSTHROUGH DIY
- 5. Installing the Atoto and accessories
- Provo Beast - shows that rotten security bolt well (around 1:30)
- HammoTech - the order in the video is a little misleading, see step by step above
- MX-5 - all MX-5 related stuff on this blog
- Car related stuff - all car related stuff on this blog
- DIY - all DIY related stuff on this blog
- Anything nerdy - all... 😏
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