Panasonic car stereo CD Changer Emulator circuit
News
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11 June 2009 - Temporarily out of stock
Let me know if you're interested in buying a unit. Currently, I'm out of units to ship but am considering to make another batch. I won't be able to ship until mid-July, though. -
3 March 2009 - Still alive
In case anyone is wondering... I still make these units on request. -
17 October 2007 - Boards have arrived!
The stock of CDCEmu circuit boards are now filled again, and assembly and testing of new units are underway. I'm currently working on assembling and sending the preorders I have received the last few weeks, and I expect to finish shortly. Meanwhile, I accept new orders - use the 'buy now' button below to order your unit! -
25 September 2007 - Stock depleted, new units on their way!
Good news for those of you interested in buying a CDCEmu! A fresh line of emulators are on their way from the factory, and will ship in about 2½ weeks time from now. Also, the price have been lowered to only €25 -
14 September 2007 - Stock depleted
There are currently no units left. I'm in the process of deciding if I should continue this service or discontinue it and supply DIY instructions instead. Let me know if you're interrested in buying a ready-made unit and I'll take it into account in my decision. Thanks! -
18 August 2007 - Stock almost depleted
Sales of the units are going pretty well and the stock of the fourth version is almost depleted. There's just one unit left! -
11 February 2007 - New devices available!
It's been a while since last real content update. However, I've been working on a new unit the last few months - a unit that is cheaper but still does the job! The new unit is dubbed CDCEmu v4 - check the photo, to your right!
The unit connects to your radio's CD Changer input and enables the two RCA connectors for audio input. This way the audio from your iPod or music player sounds crisp and clear - by far it surpasses the quality on any FM transmitter. Their selling price is €30/unit, including shipping! - 16 January 2007 - Harddrive failure
Well, it was kind of expected, though I didn't expect that it would fail this badly. Anyway, the page is restored and a new version of the CDCEmu is coming soon (that isn't as expensive :-) )
Background
I have a CQ-DFX301N car stereo in my car, and I lacked the support for reading CD-RW discs and MP3, and it didn't have an auxillary input. What it did have was an input for a Panasonic made CD changer, so I figured I could do something with that.
I found a DIN 8C port marked CDC on the back side of my head unit. After some research, I found out that the port is a communications port for a Panasonic made CD Changer. I figured that this port must enable the (Auxiliary/AUX) RCA inputs marked CD-C-IN, and so the CDCEmu unit was constructed.
I often get the question if it's not just a question of shorting two pins. The answer is NO - never try it, it will not work! The radio must receive a valid signal to enable the CDC inputs. If it does not, the CDC input is disabled within a second.
How to order
- The CDCEmu v4 is available for sale. It is €22 plus €3 shipping (world-wide).
- Your unit is usually shipped the next business day via regular air-mail. In some cases, it may take up to a week to dispatch (restocking).
Pictures
Shot of the CDCEmu v4 (development version) and CQ-DFX301N showing test data
Shot of the CDCEmu v4 and CQ-DFX301N's rear side
Protocol details
Read more...Contact
Kristoffer Sjöbergkristoffer.sjoberg at netstar.se