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helfrez	First post! Proud new owner of a 2000 Prowler Black/Black/Chrome!! CD Changer madness. Bought the car from my father, but he had some discs stuck in the changer. I managed to disassemble the changed and unjam the discs/magazine. Upon putting it back together, the changer just seems to get hung trying to move the elevator. Closer inspection revealed that whatever the release mechanism was, that allows the slider trade to move up and down, was jammed and couldn't retract to allow free movement of the actually cdplayer parts up and down....sigh..enter ebay. Picked up a second oem alpine mbus changer, same year same changer inside and out, except for labels (CHM-S601 should be compatible) but this one does something similar. The motor spins and attempts to pull a disc out of the tray regardless if there is a magazine or not. I am beginning to think the head unit itself is sending some bad junk down the mbus line. Is there anyway to force a reset of the audio system outside of a battery pull? A magic prowler initialization button would be great! Otherwise, I am just considering pulling the headunit. I would prefer not to do that because the new polk speaker sound great with the stock unit, but its a real PITA at the moment.
JohnC	Welcome to the POA forum, the best place to talk Prowlers! It sounds like your changer is on the way out. I'm not sure pulling the head unit will do anything to help but I suppose it might. You could just try unplugging the CD changer and see if that somehow forces a reset. The DIN cable on the bottom of the changer comes directly from the HU and supplies both power and commands to changer. That will at least save you from disconnecting the battery. You could try and find a new changer or you might consider replacing the changer with an Aux-in interface, allowing you to use an iPod or some other external digital music player. If you'd like details, let me know. ___________________ JohnC - Kechi, KS
helfrez	Yeah that would be great. I am currently just using a tape interface for my mp3 player. I could get along fine with something more permanent like a switchable aux in. Please shot me over the details when you get a chance, and tnx ahead of time!
JohnC	I removed the existing CD changer and installed an Aux-In interface module. The interface module is made by Precision Interface Electronics and basically tricks your stock radio into thinking there’s a CD changer installed. It cannot be used in conjunction with the existing changer, it simply replaces it. About the size of a deck of cards, it easily fits in the dash area behind the existing radio. The module has 12-inch DIN cable that then plugs directly into the back of the head unit. With the radio bezel removed, I stripped the paint above the radio speed-volume control switch. Removing the paint from the bezel was easy. Six hours soaking under Easy-Off oven cleaner removes the paint without damaging the plastic. Very simple. I then installed a 3.5mm stereo mini-jack, available from any Radio Shack or your local electronics parts supply. I first soldered a set of RCA cables to the mini-jack and insulated the solder joints using JB-Weld. I wanted to make sure that no tension on the cable would weaken the solder joint. The 3.5mm jack is threaded so the size of the hole you drill in the plastic bezel is important; you don't want to make it too large a diameter. I used a step-drill bit to get the hole to just the right size so that the jack cut it's own threads as I screwed it into the plastic from the back side of the bezel. Before popping the bezel back in place, all I had to do was plug the left and right jacks of the RCA cable into the Interface module. To use any external player, you just connect the player to the 3.5mm jack using a stereo cable, either via the head phone jack or a line-out jack. You then use the "Mode" button on your stereo to select the Aux-In interface which registers on the radio display as CD 1, Track 1. Volume is controlled through the stock stereo system (including your steering wheel controls), though you may need to adjust the volume output of your player to get the output levels set correctly. You then use your external player to select the track of your choice. I can now use any portable audio source, including MP3 players, portable DVD players, laptops, anything with a headphone jack. The audio is pristine, sounding just as good as any CD player and you do not need to worry about the limitations and problems associated with an FM modulator or one of those hokey cassette adapters. Without going through the expense and headache of a full head-unit replacement upgrade, I think this is the most cost-effective option for taking advantage of today's audio technology without compromising the integrity and appearance of your stock stereo system. Hope this helps! ____________________________ JohnC - Kechi, KS
helfrez	thanks for the tip, I think I will go this route.
Northern Cat	John, that's great advise...and and great tip....That's why the POA is the best Place to exchange info and ideas on our Kats Thanks again Don
PhatBoi	Been looking for this. Never quite knew what it was called so I could google it. Great info! Thanks Mate!
helfrez	Yeah, I'm going this route. I think I will change it up a bit though. If I dont have to remove to many pieces, I am going to mount my jack in the armrest. I can tuck the player in the armrest, out of the way, no cables visible in the cockpit at all. BTW, Just finished replacing the ratty old speakers with Polk db351 & db651(db675's weren't in stock). front and rear....WOOOOOOOWWW!! The rear speakers are a tight fit in the sockets, recommend soldering. The polks came with a mounting adapter for the front speaker that fit perfect, sound is amazing. Highly recommended.
CapitalCat	JohnC, What a great set-up you've got. I think this is the way I'd like to go, for the same reasons you mention. Looks like would still need to plug the unit into the lighter for charging though, right?
JohnC	I suppose you could plug your player into the charger if so equipped. The player I have charges via my computer's USB port and lasts 36 hours or so before I have to charge it again. ___________________ JohnC - Kechi, KS
Controldave	John, Where did you go to get the interface unit that PIE makes? I called them and they were not a lot of help and they won't sell direct unless you are a reseller. Dave
enzvoy	wolud this be the item? http://www.oem-auto-accessory.com/chry02_aux_dpx_auxiliary_audio_input_chrysler.html This message has been edited by enzvoy on 10-10-2008 at 02:45 PM
JohnC	I purchased mine from Discount Car Stereo . It was $50 plus shipping. They are an authorized P.I.E. dealer and will honor the warranty without any problems. You might find it on eBay for cheaper, but if it fails for any reason, P.I.E. will not help. ____________________ JohnC - Kechi, KS This message has been edited by JohnC on 10-10-2008 at 03:31 PM
Controldave	Thanks John. That helped a bunch. By the way, those shifter knobs you are doing look great. Once I get some other things taken care of I just might have to have one of those. Dave