The RX300 (without GPS Nav) has an integrated dash and a CD changer in the glove box. I think the sound system is by Pioneer as the changer uses their JD-T612 magazines.

So three inter-related problems:

- where to mount it
- how to feed the 4v output into the factory audio
- how to control it.

If I don't velcro the empeg to the dash then it will have to be installed somewhere out of reach (and possibly out of sight). So it will be hard to use the IR remote. A stalk control would do. What works and doesn't require the tumer module to connect it to the empeg?

If the factory changer is indeed Pioneer then the wiring harness may accept some Pioneer harness that adds some aux inputs or allows me to switch between the CD and the empeg unit. Any one have knowledge in this area?

My old install in a Subaru Legacy Outback was much easier.

There's gotta be somewhere you can put it. Can you provide dash pictures?

See if you can poke around the internet and find other Lexus owners and perhaps even a Lexus BBS where you can ask other people how they installed an aftermarket stereo into their Lexus.

You might have to pay an installation shop extra to custom-fabricate a dash panel or something, but there's gotta be a way to get it into the dash. The question is how much trouble are you willing to go to?

I've spent the past 4 hours searching all over the Web. It is very likely that the CD changer in the glove box is a Pioneer unit that is controlled via their (I)P-Bus interconnect. And they sell a "cheap" ($50-$80) box (CD-RB20) that can "pass through" the P-Bus and add two RCA input connectors. From some terse comments I found it looks like the audio is really bused together - If you can't find a way to make the CD changed power down or shut up the two sources get mixed together. Normally the Pioneer in-dash head units will allow you to select the Aux input and (presumably) tell the changer to get off the line. So that gives me my audio feed.

For control there is the Kenwood wheel-mounted IR remote or (if I can get a tuner module) the Sony wired remote. If I have to mount the empeg too far away I can lengthen the Sony's harness or extend the Kenwood's IR with some fiber optic light pipe.

So maybe I'll mount it under the seat ;-)

If the changer uses RCA-lines for audio, you could just keep the IP -bus where it is, and wire the RCA-lines through the empeg player. This way, put the head unit in "changer" mode, and the empeg will decide whether mp3 will be played or ("aux-mode") the CD will be played.

Marius (Escort Cab + Mark II)

For better or for worse the P-Bus is the only interconnect and includes the audio. But Pioneer sells a pair of adapters (CD-RB10 & CD-RB20) that feed from two RCA jacks onto the bus. The CD-RB10 is for when you just have a head unit and contains a single plug that goes into the head unit. The CD-RB20 has a cabled plug and a socket and goes between the head unit and the changer.

That's how things work in the normal world. But the Lexus techs tell me that the actual radio is inside a bulkhead in the rear of the car and all that is in the dash is a display shared with the climate controls, trip computer, etc.

I've ordered a CD-RB20 and will see what I see when I take the changer out of the dash.

Lexus is one of those cars that its difficulkt to do an aftermarket install on.. it can be done, but its going to cost you sdome money becuase they dont make the dash kits for them.. for some odd reason, i own a lexus and hate it now becuse i cant play my empeg in it becuase of that reason. i work at a car stereo place and people ask me almost daily about installing into a lexus, its a hard install.. sorry to bum you out.. but a good installer can get it t work.. but the good installers charge $$$ to do so

I am sort of in the same situation. I have a GS and I have been looking into incorporating this thing into the factory unit for sometime now. To make a long story short, with Lexus, it can't be done.
Here are the problems:
The Lexus head unit and amp work together and are proprietary. The amp will only work with a Lexus or lex/nakamichi head unit.
The cd-charger is also proprietary.

You basically have to do what I am going to have to do. Change the amp and the head unit.
What I am planning to do is possibly get a clarion a/v setup with dvd and incorporate the riocar into it. Yeah it is going to cost a ton, but I think I can do most of the stuff myself with help from a couple of friends. A good source for Lexus “cans and can'ts” is www.clublexus.com.

Not impossible, just difficult. Last night I took the glove box out and succeeded in injecting sound into the system through the CD changer's connector as a test. I also had the dealer fax me the schematics of how the modules interconnect. BTW the changer is clearly marked "Pioneer" on the outside label.

I agree that controlling third-party gear through the factory head will probably never happen. But feeding sound into the system is do-able.

There are two inputs to the amp, one from the CD changer and the other from the radio/tape head. Both use two sets of shielded twisted-pairs carrying differential signals.

Originally I hoped to feed audio in through the CD changer's wires. But the system is too smart. The only time it listens to the CD inputs are when a disc is present and spinning. With the changer removed or even with the 6-pack removed you can't even select "CD" on the head unit. The same apparently goes for the tape unit. But you can always select the radio.

So my plan is to locate the harness between the head unit and the amp and tap in at that point. I'll add a small shielded box containing two DPDT relays to switch between the signal from the head unit and the 4 volt output from the empeg. I'll experiment to see if I can feed the empeg signals directly into the amp. I may have to attenuate them and possibly add some isolation to convert from single-ended to differential.

This is actually the easy part of the job. Physically I'll probably have to mount the empeg under the passenger seat. So my plan is to adapt or clone the display server software to send screen images to a microcontroller driving an LCD on the dash. Control will be via the Sony stalk-mounted remote. This is feasible - I have done the same in the past to mirror the screen of an HP palmtop computer on a PC's screen.

If I can pull all this off I suspect it will be the most elaborate empeg install yet.

Physically I'll probably have to mount the empeg under the passenger seat. So my plan is to adapt or clone the display server software to send screen images to a microcontroller driving an LCD on the dash.

This sounds like going to WAY too much trouble. At this point it sounds like you want an "MP3 Changer" product, like the PhatNoise. Will the Phat system work with Pioneer control interfaces?

Will the Phat system work with Pioneer control interfaces?

Nope.. They only work with Kenwood, Audi, BMW, and VW stereo systems.

However, you might be able to find a Pioneer->Kenwood/etc CD changer adapter somewhere and still go for the phatbox.

I'm a programming geek - this isn't work, its fun!

It may be that the control bus in the Lexus is Pioneer compatible but the connectors certainly aren't. No matter as long as I can inject audio.

One part of the project just got easier - I won't have to build my own dash-mounted display. This company sells displays with serial controller built-in. So I can drive the display directly from the serial port on the empeg. If I go with a 256x64 display I can generate 4 pixels for each empeg pixel and simulate their gray scale. I wonder if I could access a higher-level abstraction of the screen to drive my remote display in it native size?

But without my own controller I have to waste a tuner module just to connect the sony wired remote. So I may end up adding my own controller in the long run.

Sipho, can you email me some schematics of the Lexus radio? Your idea is intriguing and may be my only way of getting the Rio line-out signal into the Lexus radio. I just bought a 2000 GS400 with NAV/Stereo, so need to get my Rio MP3 "fix" going!!! I wonder also if the RIO is installable in the CD changer spot in the glove box????
Any ideas on a CD-changer emulator, which is available for the Dension MP3 player... wonder if something like that is usable in our situation?
Doc Rings

I can scan what I've got but I think you are better off doing what I did - drop in on the service department of you dealer. Here are a few reasons why: a)what you will get from me is a scan of a fax of a photocopy, b) I have an RX300 w/o Nav. In my car I know that the amp is under the rear seat and connected to the head unit with a wiring harness that passes behing the glove box. I have no idea about the layout in your car.

As mentioned in another thread I did succeed in injecting audio into the harness in place of the CD changer. But if you remove the changer then the head unit won't allow you to select "CD". Better to inject the audio through the head unit's radio/tape leads and select your source with a signal relay or switch.

The changer is much larger than the empeg but (at least in the RX300) won't be terribly visible in the glove box,

I haven't dropped by the dealer for the schematics yet, but I am scouting out using the ashtray area under the NAV screen/in front of the shifter. It is bigger than DIN size, but to remove the RIO, I will have to have the car running and shift into low.
I guess the bottom line is, did you get it running, and do you have a plan/schematic of how you tied in with relays, etc.???
Thanks again,
Doc Rings

Other people have considered putting their empegs in similar locations, and it was noted that having to turn the car on in order to remove the empeg might be considered a modicum of security against unauthorized removal (read: theft).

Either that, or a more expensive repair bill to fix the damage after the theft.

Found a Lexus/(pioneer) CD changer adapter made by www.autotoys.com. Go the their website and do a search for "Lexus Aux input". The unit was engineered by them and replaces the CD changer in your Lexus. Choosing "CD" in your Lexus stereo, actually selects the AUX adapter/signal.
The cost is $99.
LEXUS AUX INPUT CONVERTER (1998+ ES,GS,LS,RX)

I haven't built the relay box yet but I have a long trip coming up which may push me into building the relay box. Electrically it is trivial. The only question is tracking down the wires from the head unit to the amp.

Did you order one of these? Did it work? Have you been brave enough to open it up and see what is inside?

I ordered one of these. What AutoToys fails to mention is that the unit they stock only works with the optional Lexus Nakamichi stereo. But I contacted the folks who actually make the unit (BlitzSafe) and they are swapping it for the one that works with the standard factory stereo. You can deal with BliztSafe directly: [email protected], 201-569-5000, 800-597-SAFE or 33 Honeck St, Englewood, NJ 07631. Their website is almost completly useless.

Once I receive and install the correct adapter I'll post a review.