1995 3000GT: Steering Wheel Radio Controls with Aftermarket Head Unit

• Why Do I Want To Do This?

  • You got spoiled by the convenience of having commonly-used radio controls available on the steering wheel with the OEM stereo, and now that you've installed an aftermarket stereo, you miss those features.
  • You want to be able to program the buttons on your steering wheel to perform functions other than those of the factory unit. This only works with an aftermarket head unit with an IR remote.




• How Long Will It Take Me To Do This?

  • If you install it like I did and don't spend "creative time" looking for other places to connect wires and mount the LED, probably about an hour.




• Anything I Should Do Prior To Attempting This Procedure?

  • This is really only applicable is you've replaced your OEM head unit (radio) with an aftermarket unit, specifically one that has an IR remote that uses a 38kHz to 40kHz carrier frequency (which is most of them). If you've done that, you're now well aware that your radio controls on your steering wheel no longer do anything.
  • Buy an SWI-X, made by Pacific Accessory Corporation(PAC). I've seen prices from $50 to $80, and I bought mine from Logjam Electronics for $66.90, including shipping in April, 2003. Shipping was quick and I'd have no problem recommending them.
  • Read through the instruction manual that came with your SWI-X so that you're familiar with how it works and how to program it. If you've misplaced your manual, you can get it here.
  • Removing the carpeted trim piece from the passenger's side of the center console will make things easier. There's one screw under the plastic cap by the glove box, one "Christmas tree" connector toward the engine bay, and one plastic push-in trim-fastener toward the trunk.




• What Mitsubishi Parts Will I Need?

  • None, unless you break something and have to replace it.




• What Other Parts Will I Need?

  • (1) 14-16ga (blue) T-tap
  • (1) 18-22ga (red) T-tap
  • (2) 18-22ga (red) Fully Insulated Male Quick Disconnect Fitting
  • (1) 18-22ga (red) Spade Connector
  • (1) Small Zip Tie




• Where Can I Get the Stuff To Do This?

  	Part	Company/Contact	Part Number
  	PAC SWI-X	Logjam Electronics	N/A
  	14-18ga T-tap	McMaster-Carr	69515K24
  	18-22ga T-tap	McMaster-Carr	69515K23
  	18-22ga Fully Insulated Male Quick Disconnect Fitting	McMaster-Carr	7243K12
  	18-22ga #10 Spade Connector	McMaster-Carr	69145K323
  	4" Black Zip Tie	McMaster-Carr	7130K52





• What Tools May/Will I Need?

  • Philips Screwdriver
  • Small Slotted Screwdriver
  • Crimping Tool
  • 13/64" Drill Bit
  • Drill
  • 10mm Wrench or 10mm Socket and Ratchet
  • Pliers, preferably slip-jointed




• How Does This Thing Work?

  • The SWI-X is essentially a universal translator combined with a "learning" remote control.
  • The Mitsubishi factory radio controls produce a 1-bit serial data signal that runs over a single wire to the OEM head unit.
  • The SWI-X reads this serial data signal to determine which OEM steering wheel button was pressed.
  • Once a button-press event has been detected, the SWI-X then checks to see if it "recognizes" the data signal. It will recognize signals that it received during the programming process where you audition the OEM controls for the SWI-X.
  • When the SWI-X finds that a recognized button has been pressed, it looks up the IR (infrared) command it learned during the programming process. This IR command comes from your aftermarket stereo's remote control and is "recorded" by the SWI-X during the programming procedure.
  • Once the correct IR command has been retrieved from the SWI-X's non-volatile memory, it "replays" that IR command via its IR LED.
  • The SWI-X's IR LED appears to be a normal remote control to the stereo, and the responds as if you had pressed one of the buttons on the stereo's IR remote control.




• Erik's Review

  • This thing rules. I really missed my steering wheel controls after installing an aftermarket stereo, and this not only gives me use of those controls back; it allows me to program the buttons to do anything I want.
  • Installation was relatively easy and with the LED in the location I chose, you barely know it's there.
  • The only problem I have with the SWI-X (and this may be a limitation of the Mitsubishi serial data protocol) is that if you press several different buttons rapidly in sequence, it will errantly replay the first button press rather than playing the second (or third) different button. The situation I've found where this is a bit of a problem is when you hit Vol+ several times to increase the volume and it goes too high (you get carried away with the button-pushing). If you immediately start hitting Vol- without pausing for 1 second or so, it will just keep turning the volume UP instead of down. That can be kinda scary if you have expensive speakers and don't want to blow them. This is the only complaint I have about the SWI-X.
  • Overall, I am very satisfied with this product and would highly recommend it to anyone who does a lot of driving, especially road trips, in his 3000GT or Stealth.

The Procedure

	Remove the Radio Trim
	Remove the trim ring from around the radio by gently prying it loose with a small slotted screwdriver.
	Remove the Radio
	Remove the 4 Philips screws that secure the head unit assembly. I only have 2 in the picture because I'm in the process of custom mounting some accessories above the radio.
	SWI-X Parts
	Examine the parts that came with your SWI-X. You should have the SWI-X control box, the wiring harness, and a bezel for the LED (usually attached to the LED).
	Bundle Wires You Aren't Going To Connect
	You're only going to need the red, black, and yellow wires for this installation, so coil up the other wires and secure them with a zip tie.
	Attach Connectors To Wires
	Attach your crimp-on connectors to the ends of the red, black, and yellow wires. Depending on how you decide to connect your wires, you may want to do this step differently. Since I connected the black (ground) wire directly to a grounding screw, I used a spade connector. Since I used T-taps for the power (red) and signal (yellow) wires, I attached male quick disconnect fittings to those wires.
	Connect Ground Wire
	Connect the black (ground) wire to a ground location. I used the existing grounding screw on the passenger's side of the radio near the glovebox.
	Find Power Source
	Decide on a switched +12V power source for the SWI-X. Typically, you want an ACC wire, and not an IGN wire so that the SWI-X is always powered when the radio is powered. I used the power lead from the accessory outlet directly below the radio. Other convenient options are the cigarette ligher power supply and the switched radio power supply. I disconnected the power supply from the power outlet to get some extra slack in the wire, but you don't have to do this. T-taps work by crimping them around the existing wire - you may find pliers useful. Also, I used a blue (14-16ga) T-tap for this application because the wire size for the power outlet is 16ga. If you use another wire that is 18ga or smaller, you'll want to use a red T-tap.
	Connect Power Wire
	Plug the red (power) wire into the installed T-tap to connect power to the SWI-X.
	Find OEM Steering Wheel Signal Wire
	Fish around behind the radio and find the small 6-pin black harness that used to connect to the stock stereo. It should only have one wire attached to it and the wire is yellow.
	Connect Serial Data Wire
	Connect a red (18-22ga) T-tap to the yellow OEM wire and then connect the yellow SWI-X wire to the T-tap. The OEM yellow wire is the serial data wire for the stock steering wheel radio controls and is what will "tell" the SWI-X when you press a steering-wheel button, as well as which one you pushed.
	Program the SWI-X
	Now that all 3 of the electrical connections have been made, position the radio back in its normal location so that you can program the SWI-X. You need to have the SWI-X control box accessible for the programming procedure, so don't stuff it into the nether regions of the dash yet. Follow the programming procedures in the SWI-X manual. Some suggestions: I found that the IR Extended Mode seems to work a little better The Firmware mode number for all 3000GTs and Stealths is #5 Make sure you program all 6 steering wheel buttons in the same programming "session" or you'll only have the most recently programmed functions. As you program the SWI-X, don't hold any of the buttons down for more than 1 second or so; when I did that, I didn't get a clean signal. Turn off all fluorescent lighting anywhere near your car while programming the unit. I had some lighting on on the other end of my garage and it still generated enought IR interference that the SWI-X didn't program correctly. The programming I settled on was to have the following functions programmed into the 6 factory steering wheel buttons (left to right): Play/Pause; Source; Vol(-); Vol(+); Track(-); Track(+)
	Test-Mount the IR LED (optional)
	At this point, you may want to temporarily mount the SWI-X's IR LED so that it's pointed in the general direction of the stereo. Since I was experimenting with LED locations, I chose to mount it here (beside the shifter) for a day of driving to make sure it worked. If you're mounting it in the location I ended up with, you can probably skip this step.
	Remove Trim and Drill Hole
	Now comes the mounting of the LED part. It's gotta be somewhere that allows the output (light) of the LED to hit the receiver part of your aftermarket stereo. Depending on your particular stereo and the layout of your interior, this location may or may not work for you. I'd think it would work for most people, though. Pull off the trim piece on the right side of the center console to the right of the climate controls. Just wiggle it until it pops out - it should be pretty easy. Remove the screw that hold the retaining clip to the back so that you can remove the clip and have room to cleanly drill the hole for the LED. Using your 13/64" drill bit, carefully drill a hole in the trim piece. LED bezel (removed from LED) shown to the left.
	Mount LED in Trim Piece
	Once you've drilled your hole and cleaned it up, you need to route the LED through the maze under the dash and have it come out the hole behind the trim piece. Make sure you have it come out the SIDE hole and not the front hole, or you won't be able to get the trim piece back on. Push the LED through the back side of the trim piece, attach the bezel to the LED, and then push the bezel/LED assembly back into the hole. It should be a tight, but reasonable fit. Bend the leads on the LED to get them out of the way of the clip. And put the clip/screw back on if you haven't already done that :-)
	Replace Trim Piece
	Replace the trim piece in its former location, being careful not to damage the LED's wires.
	Done
	All done. You really can't see it unless there's a lot of light and you know where to look.