Replacing HK head unit... what do I need to know?

[CanadaDan]

I am replacing the HK head unit in my fiance's 2006 Cooper S Convertible. I have picked up an Alpine IDA-X100 with the appropriate harness and PAC steering wheel control interface.

My main concern is the HK amp. I presume I should use the Alpine's pre-outs instead of the amplified speaker outs. I also presune I need to us the Remote trigger wire from the X100 to the HK amp to turn it on.

I have searched for a schematic for the HK harness but have come up empty. Any help would be appreciated. I though after installing a Kenwood DNX5120 in the minivan I had hit the most complicated upgrade I would hit but turns out I hadn't

The irony that I am replacing a Hungarian Alpine unit with a Chinese one is stunning... and the fact that I still needed an antenna adapter is a $15 joke

[DaFlake]

You need a HK Enabler from Mikey...

NewMINIStuff.com

[mikeythemini]

Thanks
as he says you need a hi enabled made by gbmini (iancull) and sold by me
the hk amp needs a coded signal on the ibus to work - the enabled does this

[CanadaDan]

Quote: Originally Posted by mikeythemini (original)

Thanks
as he says you need a hi enabled made by gbmini (iancull) and sold by me
the hk amp needs a coded signal on the ibus to work - the enabled does this

Thanks for the link DaFlake!

Hi Mike. I emailed you earlier today from your site asking about the combo steering wheel/HK harness. That's not something I seem to be able to find locally in the prairies of Canada

Looking forward to seeing what you have to offer.

[CanadaDan]

Mike's harness worked like a charm!

I installed the HK Mode button in the vented grill that is behind the cup holders in the centre dash... the button fit like a charm in the slots and is easy to access and out of site.

The only issue I ran into was I had iPod art & text... but no audio. A quick call (90 second hold time, 60 second fix!) had me swap the blue wires so the BLUE/WHITE connected to the BLUE and visa-versa... perfect! I had used bullet connectors instead of soldering so the switch was easy.

I ended up pulling most of the harness into the area behind the drop down panel over the driver legs as there just wasn't enough room behind the head unit to place everything. The ipod cable ran through the pop-out plug in the glove box and the ipod tucked into the tissue holder.

Steering wheel controls work perfectly and the unit sounds great.

Thanks again to Mike at NewMINIStuff . com for the almost plug-n-play harness... no one here in Winnipeg had anything close to this. And if you bought a wiring harness, generic steering wheel control box (which would have required programming) and then added in the issue of the HK amp... Mike's harness, shipped overseas, was a more economical solution!