A lot of folks prefer to use factory audio system components in their LHs both for simplicity (plug and play) and to maintain that “factory look”.
Of course many of us, myself included, have gone the aftermarket radio route in order to get full custom audio system expansion and newer-than-early-2000s technology. One shortcoming of this is the microphone used for hands-free calling.
Chrysler’s uConnect system elegantly builds two microphones into the interior rear view mirror. Aftermarket solutions involve a small microphone having to be placed somewhere as inconspicuously as possible.
My car has had four different radios in it. First the factory installed RBB, then an RB1, then an old 2010 model Kenwood satnav unit, and now its current Kenwood DDX-9903S system that offers me front and rear camera support, and Android Auto/Apple CarPlay connectivity, giving me the Google Assistant (or Siri) plus Google Maps just a “Hey Google” away. The microphone found itself tucked up into the far upper drivers side corner of the windshield. This was fine, but once you know its there, it might bug you like it bugged me.
Fast forward to last year, I found a uConnect mirror sitting on the seat of a yard car, the first I had ever found. I grabbed it along with the couple inches worth of pigtail still attached from whoever had cut it from whatever car it came from (found it in a 2nd gen 200, I doubt it was stock there).
I did a little bit of Googling one day and found a pin out for the same system in a Dodge Caliber, only difference being additional pins and wire colors, and also located the pin out diagram of the standard 3.5mm audio jack used by stereo microphones included with aftermarket radios.
I figured it wouldn’t hurt to try. I picked up an inexpensive shielded 10+ft stereo 3.5mm cable from Microcenter and cut one end off, checked the pin out with my multimeter, and soldered the wires to the corresponding pins on the uConnect harness pigtail. I then plugged the harness into the mirror and to my Kenwood radio, called my better half, and found success! The radio was using the mirror microphones to pass my voice over to the person at the other end, and with good clarity. I don’t know if the radio uses the microphone or the phone to use the “Hey Google” voice control, but that was working as well (I did not check with the phone outside the car, like I did when testing the hands free calling).
I’m sure others may be interested in how to do this as well, so here is a how-to.
First step is collecting the hardware and needed tools and materials:
3.5mm stereo 3-pin audio cable - 10 feet or more - you know it’s a 3 pin when there are three metal cylinders on each plug instead of four. Note: not all stereo cables are made the same. The ones I have used are the QVS brand sold by Microcenter. I found a set of cables from Amazon did not have individually jacketed internal wires, rather three sets of stranded copper that likely had a very thin coating on each strand - I could not use this cable at all
Uconnect mirror itself
Uconnect mirror harness pigtail, specifically the rectangular 12-pin plug, with as much factory wire length as you can get (more than a foot if possible, but a few inches works in a pinch)
Solder
Soldering iron with fine tip
Heat shrink tubing, two sizes. 3/32” for the small gauge cable wires, and something over 1/4” - 3/8”-ish for the overall harness when wrapping in tech flex
Tech flex wire sleeping, 1/4”
Wire cutters
Wire strippers
Scissors (for the tech flex)
Electrical tape
Heat gun
Step 1:
Cut one end from the stereo cable, then strip several inches of outer jacket. Inside you’ll find three very thin gauge wires, strip them as well. Be careful, the gauge is so thin that cutting the copper is easy to do.
Then, using a multimeter set to check resistance (Ohms), check your cable’s pin out. Each internal wire corresponds with one of the metal cylinders on the 3.5mm jack. I drew a small picture of the jack and noted which portion was connected to which wire.
Slip the smaller heatstrink over each internal wire, at least an inch or two away from the exposed copper (soldering heat may travel up the wire and shrink the heatshrink, so give some space).
Step 2:
If necessary, clean up the uConnect cable by removing any factory tech flex and removing any headliner hotmelt from the wires. You can soften the hotmelt with the heat gun on low to help remove it and get the harness clean. Then, strip the three wires corresponding to the diagram below. The harness I just worked with I believe came from a minivan, which did not have all the same pin cavities filled, but the pin out is the same regardless of what car it comes from. The Caliber pin out I worked from shows an additional pin, which I noted. The three wires in particular also happened to be twisted together. The positive leads for each microphone came from cavities 4 and 6, while the common ground came from cavity 12, which I marked on my notepad. I unraveled them a few inches to splay them out and stripped a half inch away.
The extra wires can be left still pinned into the connector, or you can depin them from it. I chose to leave them, in case I could find a use for them. One of them is a signal wire for the factory hands-free system, I assume the phone button on the mirror. The other is a sensor wire. I’m hoping to find a way of making the phone button a hard button for calling the Google Assistant, but that might require a degree in electrical and software engineering…
Step 3:
Now we solder the wires together. My hands are extremely jittery, so I used a set of “helping hands” These are very helpful, but optional. Using the diagrams and wire colors that I noted (note that these may not be the same colors you have, so use a multimeter to figure out what each wire color corresponds to on the cable you’re using if its not a QVS cable from Microcenter).
Again the stereo cable has very thin gauge wires. Ensure the solder flows throughout the joint and securely to the small wire, making the joint strong.
Step 4:
Slip the aforementioned heatshrink over the solder joints and shrink it, to protect them and prevent shorting. You can then fasten the wires together by a bigger heatstrink or using electrical tape to wrap it all together. I used tape since I’ve found heatstrink tends to stiffen the wire. I would also wrap the two loose unused wires if you chose to leave them in the connector. This will help make the next step easier.
Step 5:
Now we make it pretty by wrapping it all in the tech flex. Slip the bigger heatshrink tube over the tech flex and feed it over the remaining 3.5mm connector. Once it’s over the wire a few inches you can then Chinese-finger-trap it over the entire harness. This will take time. I did a few inches at a time, then spread it along the length of the harness, until it got to a couple inches from the mirror connector. I then cut the tech flex at the 3.5mm end, slipped it the rest of the way on, slipped on the heatstrink at the 3.5mm end, and shrunk it down.
Step 6:
At this point I would check that the harness works. Using the multimeter, confirm once more that each connector point aligns with the appropriate position on the 3.5mm jack.
If all is well, time to install on the car. If you’ve run a microphone for your aftermarket radio already, then the process is the same. Remove the A-pillar for whichever side you’re running the cable down (I did the drivers side), along with the dash end cap and knee bolster. Remove the radio bezel and the radio. Start by connecting the harness at the mirror, then tuck it into the headliner with enough slack for the mirror to move. Run it down the A-pillar, using electrical tape or factory wire runs to help hold it to the metal. Feed it into the dash, across to the radio opening such that it’s not going to be caught by the column, and keep it tucked away. Use tape or factory runs or zip ties as necessary, and pull it through the radio opening. Reinstall the knee bolster, end cap, A-pillar.
Connect to your radio’s 3.5mm microphone port, reconnect and reinstall the radio. You’ll wind up with a few feet of extra wire, so wrap it up and tuck it out of the way.
Power up the car, connect your phone by Bluetooth, and call someone. Confirm everything is sounding clear, make dinner plans if this is your spouse and they remark “this is the only time you call me!” Snap the radio bezel back in, and enjoy the factory microphone set with no aftermarket microphone stuck anywhere!
Pictured in this thread is the second one I’ve made, so far I’ve had no issues.
It’s worth noting that this is being done with Kenwood radios which use those basic microphones with 3.5mm jacks. I imagine most if not all other brands use the same style and so it should work for them as well. If however yours uses something else with a different connector, you’ll need to research if there is any reason for it. I doubt it, though.
Enjoy!
Of course many of us, myself included, have gone the aftermarket radio route in order to get full custom audio system expansion and newer-than-early-2000s technology. One shortcoming of this is the microphone used for hands-free calling.
Chrysler’s uConnect system elegantly builds two microphones into the interior rear view mirror. Aftermarket solutions involve a small microphone having to be placed somewhere as inconspicuously as possible.
My car has had four different radios in it. First the factory installed RBB, then an RB1, then an old 2010 model Kenwood satnav unit, and now its current Kenwood DDX-9903S system that offers me front and rear camera support, and Android Auto/Apple CarPlay connectivity, giving me the Google Assistant (or Siri) plus Google Maps just a “Hey Google” away. The microphone found itself tucked up into the far upper drivers side corner of the windshield. This was fine, but once you know its there, it might bug you like it bugged me.
Fast forward to last year, I found a uConnect mirror sitting on the seat of a yard car, the first I had ever found. I grabbed it along with the couple inches worth of pigtail still attached from whoever had cut it from whatever car it came from (found it in a 2nd gen 200, I doubt it was stock there).
I did a little bit of Googling one day and found a pin out for the same system in a Dodge Caliber, only difference being additional pins and wire colors, and also located the pin out diagram of the standard 3.5mm audio jack used by stereo microphones included with aftermarket radios.
I figured it wouldn’t hurt to try. I picked up an inexpensive shielded 10+ft stereo 3.5mm cable from Microcenter and cut one end off, checked the pin out with my multimeter, and soldered the wires to the corresponding pins on the uConnect harness pigtail. I then plugged the harness into the mirror and to my Kenwood radio, called my better half, and found success! The radio was using the mirror microphones to pass my voice over to the person at the other end, and with good clarity. I don’t know if the radio uses the microphone or the phone to use the “Hey Google” voice control, but that was working as well (I did not check with the phone outside the car, like I did when testing the hands free calling).
I’m sure others may be interested in how to do this as well, so here is a how-to.
First step is collecting the hardware and needed tools and materials:
3.5mm stereo 3-pin audio cable - 10 feet or more - you know it’s a 3 pin when there are three metal cylinders on each plug instead of four. Note: not all stereo cables are made the same. The ones I have used are the QVS brand sold by Microcenter. I found a set of cables from Amazon did not have individually jacketed internal wires, rather three sets of stranded copper that likely had a very thin coating on each strand - I could not use this cable at all
Uconnect mirror itself
Uconnect mirror harness pigtail, specifically the rectangular 12-pin plug, with as much factory wire length as you can get (more than a foot if possible, but a few inches works in a pinch)
Solder
Soldering iron with fine tip
Heat shrink tubing, two sizes. 3/32” for the small gauge cable wires, and something over 1/4” - 3/8”-ish for the overall harness when wrapping in tech flex
Tech flex wire sleeping, 1/4”
Wire cutters
Wire strippers
Scissors (for the tech flex)
Electrical tape
Heat gun
Step 1:
Cut one end from the stereo cable, then strip several inches of outer jacket. Inside you’ll find three very thin gauge wires, strip them as well. Be careful, the gauge is so thin that cutting the copper is easy to do.
Then, using a multimeter set to check resistance (Ohms), check your cable’s pin out. Each internal wire corresponds with one of the metal cylinders on the 3.5mm jack. I drew a small picture of the jack and noted which portion was connected to which wire.
Slip the smaller heatstrink over each internal wire, at least an inch or two away from the exposed copper (soldering heat may travel up the wire and shrink the heatshrink, so give some space).
Step 2:
If necessary, clean up the uConnect cable by removing any factory tech flex and removing any headliner hotmelt from the wires. You can soften the hotmelt with the heat gun on low to help remove it and get the harness clean. Then, strip the three wires corresponding to the diagram below. The harness I just worked with I believe came from a minivan, which did not have all the same pin cavities filled, but the pin out is the same regardless of what car it comes from. The Caliber pin out I worked from shows an additional pin, which I noted. The three wires in particular also happened to be twisted together. The positive leads for each microphone came from cavities 4 and 6, while the common ground came from cavity 12, which I marked on my notepad. I unraveled them a few inches to splay them out and stripped a half inch away.
The extra wires can be left still pinned into the connector, or you can depin them from it. I chose to leave them, in case I could find a use for them. One of them is a signal wire for the factory hands-free system, I assume the phone button on the mirror. The other is a sensor wire. I’m hoping to find a way of making the phone button a hard button for calling the Google Assistant, but that might require a degree in electrical and software engineering…
Step 3:
Now we solder the wires together. My hands are extremely jittery, so I used a set of “helping hands” These are very helpful, but optional. Using the diagrams and wire colors that I noted (note that these may not be the same colors you have, so use a multimeter to figure out what each wire color corresponds to on the cable you’re using if its not a QVS cable from Microcenter).
Again the stereo cable has very thin gauge wires. Ensure the solder flows throughout the joint and securely to the small wire, making the joint strong.
Step 4:
Slip the aforementioned heatshrink over the solder joints and shrink it, to protect them and prevent shorting. You can then fasten the wires together by a bigger heatstrink or using electrical tape to wrap it all together. I used tape since I’ve found heatstrink tends to stiffen the wire. I would also wrap the two loose unused wires if you chose to leave them in the connector. This will help make the next step easier.
Step 5:
Now we make it pretty by wrapping it all in the tech flex. Slip the bigger heatshrink tube over the tech flex and feed it over the remaining 3.5mm connector. Once it’s over the wire a few inches you can then Chinese-finger-trap it over the entire harness. This will take time. I did a few inches at a time, then spread it along the length of the harness, until it got to a couple inches from the mirror connector. I then cut the tech flex at the 3.5mm end, slipped it the rest of the way on, slipped on the heatstrink at the 3.5mm end, and shrunk it down.
Step 6:
At this point I would check that the harness works. Using the multimeter, confirm once more that each connector point aligns with the appropriate position on the 3.5mm jack.
If all is well, time to install on the car. If you’ve run a microphone for your aftermarket radio already, then the process is the same. Remove the A-pillar for whichever side you’re running the cable down (I did the drivers side), along with the dash end cap and knee bolster. Remove the radio bezel and the radio. Start by connecting the harness at the mirror, then tuck it into the headliner with enough slack for the mirror to move. Run it down the A-pillar, using electrical tape or factory wire runs to help hold it to the metal. Feed it into the dash, across to the radio opening such that it’s not going to be caught by the column, and keep it tucked away. Use tape or factory runs or zip ties as necessary, and pull it through the radio opening. Reinstall the knee bolster, end cap, A-pillar.
Connect to your radio’s 3.5mm microphone port, reconnect and reinstall the radio. You’ll wind up with a few feet of extra wire, so wrap it up and tuck it out of the way.
Power up the car, connect your phone by Bluetooth, and call someone. Confirm everything is sounding clear, make dinner plans if this is your spouse and they remark “this is the only time you call me!” Snap the radio bezel back in, and enjoy the factory microphone set with no aftermarket microphone stuck anywhere!
Pictured in this thread is the second one I’ve made, so far I’ve had no issues.
It’s worth noting that this is being done with Kenwood radios which use those basic microphones with 3.5mm jacks. I imagine most if not all other brands use the same style and so it should work for them as well. If however yours uses something else with a different connector, you’ll need to research if there is any reason for it. I doubt it, though.
Enjoy!
Sneke_Eyez liked this
LUNA
2002 Chrysler 300M Special - Deep Sapphire Blue/Storm Gray Metallic - 142,000 miles
The fleet
2016 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Sahara | 2020 Dodge Durango R/T AWD | 1929 Ford Model A Tudor
