[az988]

I'm not sure which part is not obvious.

Remove the old radio and it's shell/cage (Youtube links on how to do this are a couple replies back).
Insert the Power Acoustik cage and secure it like the previous one was by pushing or bending a couple of the legs. This helps the radio slide in but the radio doesn't quite slide in far enough to latch.
I just followed a previous comment and screwed a 3 1/2" M5x0.8 stud into the hole already in the back of the unit (used locktite just in case) (I couldn't find a bolt long enough to cut off so bought a 3 foot section of threaded rod for about $3 and cut off what I needed)

When you insert the radio that rod will line up with a mounting ear that is inside the 4C dash area. The only issue is the hole in that mounting ear/bracket is much larger than the threaded rod so just use a washer the size of a dime and then use a nut (I used a wingnut bought at the same time as the rod). The wingnut was easier to thread on given the tight space under the dash. This secures the radio into the shell/cage and keeps it nice and tight against the dash (and you don't have to worry about using two tools to remove the radio, just remove the wingnut and washer and the radio slides out.)

I've had zero rattles or movement from the installation , easy peasy - more or less

View attachment 159873

Wow, this is such an awesome detailed description and great pic! Thanks so much @Forza4c.

I finally got around to removing my Alpine radio yesterday and things were making more sense to me after that. I was planning on posting a picture of the inside part of the cage but you beat me to it!

Thanks again!

 

[az988]

Where did you all install the GPS antenna btw?

 

[Antithos]

I didn't. I let the phone apple Android play app be the GPS

 

[Forza4c]

Ziggy Did you get around to testing the external mic?

I sent a message to the Power Acoustiks support team and they answered the next day that the external mic input should work and that a 2 section 3.5mm mono input is all that is required but a 3 section (stereo?) plug should also work (I suppose maybe because the right 2 pins get touched inside the socket in the radio).

I tried a mono mic (2 pin plug) off ebay and called my answering machine - it's definately using the external mic. I also tried 2 different 3 section 3.5mm plug mics that I had (one for a PC and another for some audio recorder) and they all work. The external ones definately seem clearer than the built-in one. I haven't tried it at speed when things get noisy yet to compare mics - less easy to do alone)

I haven't tried the 4 section plug with the adapter you suggested off amazon yet (4 section 2.5mm female to 4 section 3.5mm male - typically used for stereo headphones) as I don't have one but I suppose if the right 2 sections touch the right spot in the socket in the radio then it should work too.

I'll take your word for it that it works and order one because if that works as well as the other external mics I tried I would rather not mess with the wiring that is already there for the mics up by the mirror and just use the adapter with the existing mics (remember my car is 2015 so I have the 2 mics that are there for the parrott radio - not sure later cars are set up the same with Alpine radios).

FYI - I got a 4 section 2.5mm to 3.5mm adapter off amazon - it didn't work at all with my Parrott mic to the Power Acoustik.

Not that big of a deal I used the mono Mic I also got from amazon and it works fine. It wasn't that hard to remove the old mic from the mirror area and install the new one. It actually used the same mount.

 

[Ziggy Zeckleman]

FYI - I got a 4 section 2.5mm to 3.5mm adapter off amazon - it didn't work at all with my Parrott mic to the Power Acoustik.

Not that big of a deal I used the mono Mic I also got from amazon and it works fine. It wasn't that hard to remove the old mic from the mirror area and install the new one. It actually used the same mount.

View attachment 159896

I never got around to testing it. Is your picture of a non-working adapter? My adapters have a similar pattern so I assume they aren't working either. One of these days I'll test it.

 

[Forza4c]

I never got around to testing it. Is your picture of a non-working adapter? My adapters have a similar pattern so I assume they aren't working either. One of these days I'll test it.

Yes that is my adapter.

Yours must be working if you can use spoken commands and make phone calls with the adapter plugged into the external mic input.

When I plug my adapter into the unit it disables the internal mic. That is expected however I get no audio at the far end of the call (i.e. disables the internal mic and doesn't connect the right leads to get the external mic to work at all) and no Siri.

Remember my car is 2015 so I have/had the parrot radio and the mics mounted by the mirror said parrot on it ... and that one does not work with this adapter.

 

[Ziggy Zeckleman]

Yes that is my adapter.

Interesting. My car is also a 2015 with a Parrot. The 2.5mm plug has Parrot written on it and I can see the microphones in the mirror area. With the adapter, it responds well to softly spoken commands at idle and yelled commands at 85mph. I'm genuinely curious now and I'll try to pull it all out and test it this weekend. Thanks for your information and testing in this post. It's a great unit for the car and I feel like we are getting a lot of info to make it even better.

 

[az988]

I was having trouble finding the threaded rod at my local home depot. Unfortunately all their rod sizes are in imperial rather than metric units and measure 12" long minimally. I ended up ordering this one off Amazon and it fit perfectly!

One other thing I'd like to highlight about my installation... The stereo's yellow (Battery/constant) wire needed to be switched/crimped to the harness's red (ACC/ignition) wire. Some weird wiring setup in the 4Cs, and this was mentioned on another thread in these forums

 

[AK16]

A note to all that use this head unit, the firmware update PA released is a must! Others have commented on the ability to have custom wallpapers and such but the reliability improvements to wireless CarPlay is the big star of the show for me. Once in a while, it used to drop connection and randomly but now it’s bulletproof!

 

[Andrie]

No better, no worse. A little more volume than the Alpine allowed but same weaknesses of the stock speakers and lack of amp exist.

Does the stock alpine subwoofer works with this?

 

[az988]

I made a new startup/splash screen in case someone wants to try it out! Didn't see much of a point in altering the wallpaper since I'm always in CarPlay

 

[GoldenSun]

All,

Thanks so much for this thread. I just replaced my 2015's Parrot with the Power Acoustik CP-71W. Best Walmart purchase ever.

The Parrot connector would not properly fit in the socket on the CP-71W, two of the pins wouldn't clear. Using an aftermarket Android 16 pin ISO cable, I spliced some of the wires from the original Parrot ISO to DIN connector, to the new cable. Soldered and used some heat shrink tubing.

Did the firmware upgrade, installed a new wallpaper and boot logo. Everything works as it should.

On my unit the image files for the boot screen need to be 1440x480, so I modified one of the images from the thread, put it in the root directory of a USB stick, and it was immediately recognized. Image file below.

Couldn't have done it without all the information here on the forum. Thanks all.

 

[caemca]

Guys! Do we have any experience with this head unit and the premium Alpine soundsystem with sub and amp?

 

[JTod]

Guys! Do we have any experience with this head unit and the premium Alpine soundsystem with sub and amp?

I wonder about this too, assume you lose the amp if the head unit isn't compatible.

 

[Uaglio]

Guys! Do we have any experience with this head unit and the premium Alpine soundsystem with sub and amp?

Also interested in confirming that the amp and sub can be connected to this head unit and remain functional- hope so, this unit is inexpensive (spending a lot on music in these cars seems like a waste of time) but it addresses the missing CarPlay with the Alpine unit. I’d love to get back my phone apps like Waze and not need a clumsy cell phone holder.

 

[Alfa1750]

I wonder about this too, assume you lose the amp if the head unit isn't compatible.

I fitted the extra Alpine amp it is very easy to do

 

[caemca]

I fitted the extra Alpine amp it is very easy to do

That is interesting! Is it the Alpine amp you got with the Premium system?

 

[Alfa1750]

That is interesting! Is it the Alpine amp you got with the Premium system?

No standard Alpine head unit with just the KTP-445A added you can install with out removing the head unit, but still needs a Sub really.

 

[614]

I have a brand new one I never got around to installing if anyone is interested. I don’t know what I paid for it—I think I got it from Walmart several months ago.

If anyone is interested, shoot me a DM!

 

[Antithos]

They are still $140 at Walmart.