VXS2 Berlina steering wheel controls

[nick3110]

another question :P..

just curious if i put a in dash dvd/mp3 etc player in.. will the controls on the steering wheel work?

just wanting to find out b4 i buy one..

[accentstencil]

Probably not. Check the car audio section, heaps on info on the subject there.

[And_ROOS]

Yeah most time it requires you to rewire or do something or fix another thing.

[nick3110]

yer i thought that might be the case

[FadeToBlack]

Hey,

Basically what happens, you need to buy a headunit capable of accepting control signals from a steering wheel control system. This should be listed as a feature on the headunit, for example this headunit from alpine:

Alpine Electronics of Australia

Steering Wheel Remote Control Ready. Replace the factory-installed head unit without loss of this convenient option. Alpine head units that are steering wheel remote control ready allow you to control your head unit right from your factory installed steering wheel controls using a third party adapter. There are many popular brands such as PAC (Pacific Accessories Corporation), CAT (Car Audio Transponder), Peripheral Electronics and Connects2 that add this feature. Ask your Alpine Dealer for the solution to suit your vehicle.

Now because there is no standard defined for the signals put out by steering wheel controls, you need an interface that will translate the steering wheel control signals to signals the headunit recognises and understands. The most common of these is called the CAT but they are very overpriced so you have to make sure you bargain them down as much as possible, or get one second hand off ebay.

http://www.thecat.net.au/cat10.htm

Up to you which way you go, there is no harm in leaving the controls unconnected, but it's not too hard to keep them functional, just costs you a little bit extra.