wiring help

[Heese]

I just received an AudioLink which allows me to connect my ipod directly to my factory head unit via the cd changer connector. A link to it is here http://www.mazda3forums.com/index.php?topic=34982.0 When the ipod is paused and I crank the volume way up I can hear a lot of other additional noise. Under normal driving conditions I cannot hear the sounds at all with ipod turned up. For some reason though it bothers me. So i moved back some of the rubber covering and noticed that some of the wiring on the black cable is exposed at both ends. I included some pictures here.

http://homepage.mac.com/khaver/My%20Website/

My question is can this be causing some of the noise that Im hearing with the iPod paused? Is there somewhere that sells this same small wiring? I wouldnt mind buying my own wires so that I can make my own cable. I went to Lowe's but they didnt have any wiring like this.

would a ground loop isolator help? I've been hearing a lot about those. But the ones I've come across require rca inputs which i don't have.

Thanks in advance for your help.

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[Dj-torn 10+ year member]

wrap that exposed end in some electrical tape, see if that does the job, if it doesn't at most you have prevented an electrical fire.

Another thing, electrical equipment always puts out some sort of noise when its on. And Ipod is a computer hard drive, and it spins continously when on, so what you are hearing when you crank the volume up is that electrical noise created by the spinning hard drive and a couple other things.

Try this, turn off you ipod of put a cd in your car stereo pause it and turn up the volume, you should get the same noise.

Suggestion: keep your ipod volume at 75% and use your radio to do most of the raising and lowering of the volume. Nothing is designed to work perfectly at 100% thats why there is RMS.

Theres my $0.02, and if im wrong about the noise, oh well, it sounds like a good explination to me.

 

[johnecon2001 5,000+ posts]

Does that unit have a ground point? IF not you may want to find some bare metal on the chassis of it and ground it to the car. Also do what Dj-torn said, keep the iPod volume at 75% and use the HU to control the rest.

 

[Heese]

Thanks for the responses. I don't think there is a ground point on the unit. The unit itself is not metal, its sort of a plastic shell. With the factory head unit there is no pause button. The only thing i can do is turn off the power which will pause it. The unit plugs into the dock connector on the iPod so the volume is all controlled through the stereo. I think.

I peeled away more of the rubber in the cord itself and it seems the black wire (the one which was exposed) becomes bare and just wraps around two other wires (red and white) I dont get why it would be wrapped around the other two. I attached the another pictures, http://homepage.mac.com/khaver/My%20Website/

Would a car audio place be able to make me another cord? I would try and do it myself but i can't find small wires like this anywhere around me.

 

[Heese]

anyone?