Toyota Tundra Discussion Forum banner

Wiring USB/AUX plug to aftermarket stereo

9K views 2 replies 2 participants last post by  nlogan 
#1 · (Edited)
DISCLAIMER: this is a tutorial for modifying part number 86190-0c020 to connect it to an aftermarket stereo. If that's not what you're looking to do, YMMV.

Hey all, I ran into all sorts of problems in wiring up the OEM USB/AUX connector to my aftermarket stereo, so in order to hopefully help others avoid rabbit trails and unnecessary expenses, I thought I would post here to hopefully help you in your journey. There are a handful of other threads on this topic, but in my opinion, many contain a lot of misleading information, so my thinking is to start fresh. I hope it's helpful for you.

Step 1: Modify the USB/AUX connector (part # 86190-0c020)

I have a 2008 Tundra, so I didn't have this from the factory (but it fits into the same hole). I picked one up on eBay for about $55; you can find one there or elsewhere.

DISCLAIMER: As you will soon read, I am of the mind that you can't make a standard USB connection work reliably. That being the case, this tutorial involves cutting into the USB/AUX part enough that the OEM connector will no longer "click in". Proceed at your own risk.

I used a Dremel tool with standard cutting wheel to carefully remove the outer plastic shroud, as well as the top of the USB connector. It will looks like this (after which, I broke off those tabs, as well):



IMPORTANT NOTE: I am of the opinion that the USB connection is proprietary and WILL NOT work with any standard USB connector (unless that connection is heavily modified and potentially unreliable). I realize others have made this work, but as you'll see in the next photo, the pins and connectors between them simply do not line up, and even if I could have kludged it together to make it work temporarily (which I tried to do many times), I was concerned about longevity/reliability. If you read enough of these threads, you'll see others who run into the same problem. Judge for yourself, but the USB part of this tutorial is based on cutting into that housing and abandoning the standard USB connector. Here is my attempt at showing how a standard USB connector fails to line up:



Keep in mind that on the OEM part, there are tall plastic ridges between each pin. You can hopefully see from this photo that the bottom pin will get hung up on that. YMMV, but that was definitely my experience (after attempting multiple USB connectors).

IMPORTANT NOTE #2: I purchased both the AX-TOYUSB and the AX-TOYUSB-2 adapters, and I am of the opinion that NEITHER WILL WORK with the 86190-0c020 OEM part. Here's a photo that shows how the AX-TOYUSB-2 fails to line up with the pins (notice the fact that both parts have "male" ridges between each pin, thereby holding the pins apart from each other):



Step 2: Prepare donor USB cord

Obtain your donor cord (I used a male end, but you could go with either), cut it, and expose the wires (by pulling back the shielding). You'll have something like this:



The shielding threw me at first, as I thought it was also serving as a ground. It's not, so you don't need to worry about connecting it electrically to anything. Indeed, you'll probably want to cut it back, so it doesn't end up accidentally shorting out the electrical work you're about to do.

From there, do your usual thing. Start by stripping the wires, but NOTE, the red and black wires were thicker gauge than the green and white (since they're power). Mine were 18-gauge, while the others were 20 or 22. Only strip enough that it's about the same length as the USB connections on the OEM part. Then go ahead and "pre-solder" the ends, so as to make the end soldering easier.

Step 3: Prepare OEM connector by "pre-soldering"

No biggie here. Just carefully apply some solder to the pads of the USB connection, so bringing the wires to it happens much more easily. Make sure you have contact between the solder and the pads, not just balls of solder dripped on top of them.

Step 4: Join the connector and the donor USB cord

Bet you didn't see that coming. Yeah, solder the two together, being careful not to apply too much solder as to short each other out. Here is how you line up the colors (at least for a male connection):



My thinking is that you would do the same for a female connector, as each wire color means something. This is the diagram I used to test and make sure I was connecting what I intended to (but any standard USB wiring diagram would work in the same capacity):



And then once they're soldered together:



After that, I used my multimeter to make sure that each connection in the USB end I just added had continuity to the correct pads in the front of the OEM USB connector, and that there were no shorts (that is, no continuity between any connection and any except the intended one). Once I did that, I gambled tested it by connecting it to my computer and then to my phone, to make sure it was charging, as well as able to transfer data. In my case, no explosions or smoke, so I was good.

I then took "gel" type CA glue (AKA Super Glue, 2P-10, etc., but you could also use any other non-conductive glue, like hot glue) and heavily coated all the connections, and then sprayed it with activator to seal it up and hopefully hold it all together. Here's a not-so-obvious-what's-going-on shot of that result:



I then wrapped that all with electrical tape, but didn't get a shot of that. I'm guessing you probably have that part figured out without a picture. :D

Step 5: Wire up the AUX port

My apologies, but I didn't document this part. It is documented elsewhere, and much less technical than the USB connection. I used those little square connectors used for microelectronics/breadboarding or computers to hook up the three wires on the right (as you're looking at the back of the connector). One is ground, the other two are left and right stereo audio - I don't remember which is which. Come to think of it, I'm not even sure you need to hook up ground. Anyway, you can use a multimeter to easily test which wires connect to which. Again, my sincere apologies for not documenting this better, but it was the USB that threw me.

Step 6: Hook it up and enjoy

From there, I popped the new mod into my dash, connected it to the back of my aftermarket stereo, and BOOM, USB (and AUX functionality) in a 2008.

:headbanger:

Whew. Sorry about the length of this post. I hope it helps save some folks some time, effort, and frustration.
 
See less See more
8
#3 ·
I wondered if that was the case, but for those in my situation (adding a USB before they were available - 2007-2009, maybe?), even that solution probably wouldn't work, as the factory harness probably doesn't plug into the back of the USB? Thanks for the clarification, though - that's helpful to know!

Ideally, I would have identified a factory wiring harness connector and just plugged into the back of the OEM USB part itself, but my local dealer wasn't able to identify that part for me (and it probably would have been cost prohibitive anyway, knowing that they charge like $15/wire, plus the cost of the harness itself).
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top