Video out from factory VES system

[hemiwagn]

The Mopar VES system is a console mounted rear display DVD system. It conists of a flip-up LCD screen and a DVD player. The system is extremely well integrated into the vehicle; the only complaint is that there is no 'video out' plug that would faciliate using the VES as a DVD player for other screens in the vehicle.

The possibilities are endless, but by using the nav2go mod from supporting vendor Dominic at www.TVandNav2Go.com (http://www.TVandNav2Go.com) one could display DVD's on the front screen if they so wished. Caution -- the general wisdom is that displays of DVDs, TV's etc. that are visible to the driver while the car is in motion are illegal--so use this mod accordingly.

This how-to will show how to fabricate a video-out feed from the VES. It does not deal with how to install the nav2go mod -- that has been covered elsewhere in the forum. A nod to cbutler32 (a member here but mostly on the 'other' forum) - he was a very strong advocate of this mod and his research lead me to the internal wiring harnesses that for me, were the key to getting this done.

To do this mod, one has to be comfortable with stripping insulation off of and soldering tiny little wires. The pics are close-ups, in the real world old guys like me need double magnifying spectacles just to see these tiny conductors.

The VES does not have to be removed from the vehicle, however doing so may help you position things to solder better.

Depending on how comfortable you are with this stuff the mod will take a couple of hours to half a day.

Tools and supplies needed:
-fine phillips screwdriver
-pencil soldering iron
-sharp, thin blade knife
-solder with flux core
-butter knife (to remove trim cover)
-needlenose pliers and/or good tweezers
-torx driver (only needed to remove VES)
-electrical tape
-22ga or 24ga wire
-female RCA jack, preferably pre-molded on a cable
-3/32" and 3/16" heat shrink tubing
-sample DVD; Grinner's Moddin' Art recommended

Some other tips to help the mod go better:
1. have a small container (say tupperware) for the screws and bits that you are going to remove. No, you will not be able to find them on the carpet easily.
2. put a towel or some sort of cover on your seats. You will be sliding in and out a lot and kneeing on them. Might as well save you a future clean-up.
3. I did not disconnect the battery, although it is wise to do so. I did have the key out of the ignition though, so no accessory power was on.

So I'll start with a couple of pointers on VES removal should you want to do that.

The VES is held in by only 4 torx screws. The front two are visible and easily seen. However the rear two require the back panel of the console to be removed. This in turn requires the console itself to be loosened or removed as the back panel is fastened by two screws on the inside at the bottom of the panel. Pics on this subject are in post #4 of this How-to.

Ok, now to the video out wiring.

Remove VES cover. There are 5 screws, 3 at the front and 2 on the rear top under a cover.

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e287/hemiwagn/VES%20video%20out/coverremovalMedium.jpg

The rear cover has a small slot:
http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e287/hemiwagn/VES%20video%20out/rearpanelslotMedium.jpg

I used a butter knife to pry it up:
http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e287/hemiwagn/VES%20video%20out/rearpanelslot2Medium.jpg

Which reveals the 2 screws:
http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e287/hemiwagn/VES%20video%20out/rearpanelopenMedium.jpg

The cover will now lift off:
http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e287/hemiwagn/VES%20video%20out/coverlooseMedium.jpg

On the rear side, the cover has to be moved towards the front of the car a tiny bit (the aligning pins won't easily clear unless you do this).
http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e287/hemiwagn/VES%20video%20out/coverlooserearshotMedium.jpg

Once the cover is off, you will see the internal wiring harnesses:
http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e287/hemiwagn/VES%20video%20out/internalwiringdetailMedium.jpg

We will be dealing with 2 wires on the 10 pin harness. BTW the red/blue wires connect to the switch that turns the unit off when it is folded down -- NOTE: with this mod, when the rear screen is folded down, the screen goes off, but if the unit itself is still on, the video out feed remains active, cool huh?

The 3 pin harness goes to the cover for the video lockout switch.
http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e287/hemiwagn/VES%20video%20out/coverremoved1Medium.jpg

It is advisible to pull the 3 pin connector while doing this mod to allow the cover to be set aside out of the way.

The wires we need to tap are the ones that feed the LCD display on the VES. These 2 wires are actually in one coax conductor:
http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e287/hemiwagn/VES%20video%20out/videooutsourcewireMedium.jpg

As a bit of a sidebar, although the coax cable itself was pretty suggestive that these were the correct wires, it is always better to test first rather than blow some sensitive part. So Jaak the u-connect electronics genius lent me an oscilloscope, advised the output should be about 1 volt and that the display would be a high (but not ultra high) frequency.

If you like to watch paint dry, here is a vid of the scope test: Thanks Jaak -- if I just went with what was suggested on other forums, I would have blown something -- always better to test first!
http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e287/hemiwagn/VES%20video%20out/th_MVI_2138.jpg (http://s41.photobucket.com/albums/e287/hemiwagn/VES%20video%20out/?action=view&current=MVI_2138.flv)

Next, remove the heat shrink tubing from the coax wire. This pic shows the 'coax' nature of this cable -- the wire braid around the outside is just visible before it has its own heat shrink insulator:
http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e287/hemiwagn/VES%20video%20out/coaxheatshrinkremovalMedium.jpg

Note there are two wires. The white one is the postive wire and is the inner core of the coax, the black one is the outer sheathing of the cable and is ground. You need to remember which is which so you mate them to the video out cable you will be adding later.

VERY CAREFULLY strip off a small section of the insulation from the black wire. Start with this one to get a feel for this delicate work. The black wire seems to have more conductors than the white wire and is more robust.
http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e287/hemiwagn/VES%20video%20out/stripgroundsideofcoaxMedium.jpg

Even MORE CAREFULLY strip a small section of the insulation from the white wire. 'Shaving' the wire is probably a better way to describe it. I suck at this stuff. Be sure to have a sharp knife with a thin blade. Think 'scalpel'. Or there are special purpose wire strippers but be sure you squeeze just enough to cut the insulation and not the strands. In this case, there was no way to cut one end and slip the insulation down the wire, so I had to try to expose one side of the wire and fold the insulation back. I could not find a great knife (the one I had was too large) so this was a bit messy and ended up breaking later -- you'll see...
http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e287/hemiwagn/VES%20video%20out/strippositivesideofcoaxMedium.jpg

Now prepare the cable that will serve as the 'video out' jack. I snipped off part of a donor cable that had a female RCA jack already molded on:
http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e287/hemiwagn/VES%20video%20out/donorfemaleRCAcableMedium.jpg

Then I added small 26ga leads on the unfinished end. This will make soldering the internal VES harness much easier. 26ga is pretty small and may be hard to find; 22ga would work just as well.
http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e287/hemiwagn/VES%20video%20out/leadextentionsMedium.jpg

Post continued below (have hit the 16 images/post limit).....

[hemiwagn]

Heat shrink each lead -- be sure to remember which wire is to the inside conductor and which is to the outside conductor since you want to mate them up the VES correctly. I happened to use yellow for the inside wire and black for the ground wire. 3/32" (initial size) heat shrink worked nicely.
http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e287/hemiwagn/VES%20video%20out/leadextentionsheatshrinkedMedium.jpg

Next I added 3/16" (initial size) heat shrink tubing over both and twisted the wires. Since the video signal is alternating current, the twist may help reduce any RF interference. (Actually I have no idea -- it just looked better and kept the wires neat.)
http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e287/hemiwagn/VES%20video%20out/leadextentionsfinalMedium.jpg

Now solder the leads from the video out cable to the exposed wires on the VES. I started with the black lead. This is small, fine soldering, take your time. If you are soldering in the car, you may want to keep a damp rag handy to neutralize any errant solder bits. And be sure to handle the hot pencil soldering iron carefully -- pre-establish a place to set it down when not in use and don't wave it around the car since it will instantly melt or scorch plastic trim, headliners, seats, dash boards etc. And be sure the place you establish is not something you will back into or step on. (Don't ask.)
http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e287/hemiwagn/VES%20video%20out/videooutleadsolderedoncoaxMedium.jpg

Now tape up your connection. I found cutting the tape into short narrow strips helpful.
http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e287/hemiwagn/VES%20video%20out/groundvidouttapedMedium.jpg

Okay, did you notice that something changed in the pic above? Yes the white wire broke. I probably cut a few a few strands when I was stripping it and I moved it around a fair bit when I was soldering the black wire.

So I had to strip more off each end, and solder in the yellow wire from the Video out cable. I did not take pictures of this (3 AM and a wee bit ticked at myself for letting this happen) but it is not as neat as the black wire.

Here's a pic of the resulting tape blob--hopefully yours goes better.
http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e287/hemiwagn/VES%20video%20out/videooutpositivetapedMedium.jpg

I then ran the video out lead to the drivers side of the VES and taped it down in a couple of places to keep it secure. The are no factory pre-drilled holes to route the cable to the bottom of the unit. I chose to route to the drivers side, away from the cooling fan in the VES to avoid RF interference wherever possible.
http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e287/hemiwagn/VES%20video%20out/FinishedvideooutcableMedium.jpg

In my case because I had the VES out of the car, I routed the video-out cable to the bottom of the VES unit and connected it to the video-in cable of the 2nd screen. As part of another project, I had pre-run a cable from the Nav2Go unit to the back of the console. Tape the two connectors together so the outside edge of the RCA plug does not contact anything and tape the edge of the VES mounting bracket as it is a bit sharp so it will not damage the video cable.

If you have not removed the VES, the video-out cable will be hanging on the driver's side -- you can then plug it into the 2nd screen cable as needed (tape the connectors) and be sure to tape or tie-wrap the cables so they don't get caught in the crap we all put in our consoles.
http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e287/hemiwagn/VES%20video%20out/videooutroutingMedium.jpg

Now is the time to test. Reinstall the VES (if you removed it) and put a DVD in the VES. If everything goes right you should see something like this (I used Grinner's Moddin' Art (what else?) as my test DVD. Cool eh?
http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e287/hemiwagn/VES%20video%20out/moddinartMedium.jpg

another dual display pic:
http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e287/hemiwagn/VES%20video%20out/VESimageonNAVMedium.jpg

If everything works correctly, simply re-install the VES cover, put the tools away and enjoy!

[grinner]

flippin sweet


(get it... flippin?)

ok it's early. Looks awesome, man. Great write up, too.

[hemiwagn]

flippin sweet

(get it... flippin?)

ok it's early. Looks awesome, man. Great write up, too.
Thanks Grin! Now I can watch your cool vid even more! My wife found me in the driveway yesterday (forgot something in the car -- I was just going to be a 'minute') studying the segement on drag racing staging tips.

Ok, in this post I'll put in a few tips on how to remove/loosen the console just in case you have to remove the VES.

First let me explain how the VES is attached to the car:
4 torx screws - 2 in front, easily visible, and 2 in back that are hidden behind the back panel of the console:
http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e287/hemiwagn/Console%20removal/consolerearpanelpartialremovalMediu.jpg

A pic of the panel and how it mates to the body of the console:
http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e287/hemiwagn/Console%20removal/consolerearpaneldetailMedium.jpg

See the two round holes at the bottom? That is where there are normally 2 screws attaching the rear panel. The vertical oval slots align with mating posts on the panel. The 4 rectangular holes (2 above the A/C vent and two below it) receive clips that are mounted on the panel. They snap in and out really easily.

Here is what the backside of the rear panel looks like. Note the clips that fit into the rectangular holes.
http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e287/hemiwagn/Console%20removal/rearconsolepaneldetailMedium.jpg

The real PITA is having to remove/loosen the console to remove those lower two screws.

It *may* be possible to simply snap the rear panel off the console at the top and deflect the panel just enough to get at the VES torx screws, but I have not tried this. Of course if one of those torx screws falls in, well you know... As I'm doing mods a lot lately, I just snap the rear panel on and don't bother with the bottom attaching screws.

But, if you have to remove/loosen the console, the info below may be helpful.

The console is attached in only 3 places:
- the floor of the console storage bin (3 screws)
- 2 screws under the rubber mat in front of the ashtray
- 2 screws behind the ashtray/switch panel

Before you start taking stuff apart, set the parking brake, block the wheels and put the car in neutral. This puts the shift knob in an better location to allow the console to move around. The shift interlock requires the key to remain in the ignition to do this so you may want to disconnect the negative lead of the battery to avoid the key chime. Do NOT shut the trunk or hatch if you do this, it is kind of hard to open with the power off.

Floor of console storage bin: Remove the rubber bin mat (it is not attached, it simply sits at the bottom). There are 3 8mm bolts on the bin floor. (pic not really necessary -- sorry to disappoint)

2 screws under rubber mat in front of ashtray:
The rubber mat easily removes with your fingers and reveals the 2 screws you have to take out:
http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e287/hemiwagn/Console%20removal/consolefronttopscrewsMedium.jpg

2 screws behind the ashtray/switch panel:
This panel is attached with 2 clips -- same kind of clip that holds the rear panel of the console on.

Open the ashtray. Place your fingers on the 'roof' of the ashtray opening and pull back. It does not take a lot of force and you can't really hurt anything. This short video, while dark, may help:
http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e287/hemiwagn/Console%20removal/th_MVI_2190.jpg (http://s41.photobucket.com/albums/e287/hemiwagn/Console%20removal/?action=view&current=MVI_2190.flv)

Here is one of the now accessible attaching screws:
http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e287/hemiwagn/Console%20removal/consolefrontscrewsbehindashtraypane.jpg

Once all the screws and bolts are out, the console is free to be moved around. First, pull it towards the rear of the car a bit. Look at the front sides of the console carefully. They extend under the center stack a bit. IIRC (no pic avail) there are two molded in aligning pins or tabs on the console sides that mate up with corresponding parts on the dash. They are not the strongest pieces so be mindful of these when you tip or uninstall/reinstall the console.

Also, you cannot fully remove the console from the car because there is a power connector to the 12V plug in the console bin. I did not take pics of this part. But if you want to remove the console you have to disconnect this connector.

Note that the shifter and shift plate are NOT mounted to the console. They stay in place when you move the console around. To remove the rear screws from the back panel it may be sufficient to simply tilt the back end of the console high enough to reach in to remove the screws. You will likely need another person to help---the console (especially with the VES in place) is heavy. Have someone hold it while you go inside it with a flashlight and a philips screwdriver to undo those screws.

Reassembly is just the reverse. As mentioned above, I have left those 2 rear panel screws off for now as when the panel is clipped on, it seems very secure and has not been knocked off to date, even with 3 passengers in the back seat.

Whew-- if you have 56k dialup and got this far you are to be commended. There are a LOT of pics in this how-to, but hopefully it will make it easier for the next guy.

[HEMIwgn]

Great write up! Thanks for sharing!:thumbs_u:

[cbutler32]

AWESOME JOB!!!
Just well done and put together!
Thanks for doing it!
:not_worth
Sincerely,

[Jaak]

Holy Crap HW, how long did this take you to do with the pictures and write-up?

Great work!!! It almost makes me want to get the VES and Nav video mod. (Uh oh, more $$$. And I thought I was going to stop at the auto headlight mod.)

[pigpen]

Hmmm i like it!! I might have to do it sometime.

[GoofyTimL]

Nice write-up! However, one question... is there no way to "unplug" the video wires from the harness and simply add the strands from the video-out plug to the ends and reinsert to the harness? That would save all the cutting, insulation removal and heat shrink steps... and possible wire damage. Just curious. Most harnesses are made so that the wires can be removed.

[Jaak]

There isn't the room on the ground side, so it would not be so easy.

An alternate way would be to pull it apart, drill a hole in the case and mount an RCA jack directly in the case, with a coax connection soldered directly on to the PC board. But I think hemiwagn's way is the simplest for most people.

[djjasond]

Impressive write up. :thumbs_u: Thanks for your time and effort!

[haywood]

Excuse my ignorance, but how are you connecting the new video out plug to the front screen? Do you have to have the Nav2go mod? Thanks.

Haywood

[Jaak]

That's exactly how it's done...

[Jaak]

OK, Hemiwagn's definately a bad influence on me... I just finished doing this mod with the Nav2Go install. Works great...

[jagsmagnum]

I am wanting to add the VES to my Magnum and was wondering if anyone knows if the wiring is there in the console. From the looks of it, it should be an easy install if the wires are already run. Any help?

[hemiwagn]

I am wanting to add the VES to my Magnum and was wondering if anyone knows if the wiring is there in the console. From the looks of it, it should be an easy install if the wires are already run. Any help?

No exisiting wiring in the console. The VES accessory comes with a harness that plugs into the back of the exisiting radio an runs down the console.
You have to remove (or loosen) the console to get the back panel of the console off to allow you to install the VES in any event and the console removal is not as daunting as you might think.

i can send you the ves installation instructions (pdf) if you PM me your email address.

[ktek01]

To splice into wires like that I use a regular wire stripper. I crimp down on and let it cut the insulation, then repeat a quarter to a half in away. Then I slice it off with a razor blade, it seems to work out pretty well for me with minimal conductor damage. On larger wire an automatic wire stripper works pretty well. Strip one way, the the other and peel off the insulation.

[hemiwagn]

To splice into wires like that I use a regular wire stripper. I crimp down on and let it cut the insulation, then repeat a quarter to a half in away. Then I slice it off with a razor blade, it seems to work out pretty well for me with minimal conductor damage. On larger wire an automatic wire stripper works pretty well. Strip one way, the the other and peel off the insulation.

Thanks for the tip! -- I'll use that on a lot of future projects!

[BrilliantBlackHemi]

Very nice. Got me thinking. :)

[Jaak]

Thanks for the tip! -- I'll use that on a lot of future projects!

I've done something similar for years, but a little quicker. Most of the time, you can get away with making one cut, just through the insulation, then pushing it back with the strippers while they're still in the cut, as most insulation is flexible enough to allow that. Once you've made your solder joint, the insulation will put a bit of gentle pressure on the joint, so you don't have to worry about it pulling away. Little bit of tape, or heat shrink tubing and you're good.

[hemiwagn]

I've done something similar for years, but a little quicker. Most of the time, you can get away with making one cut, just through the insulation, then pushing it back with the strippers while they're still in the cut, as most insulation is flexible enough to allow that. Once you've made your solder joint, the insulation will put a bit of gentle pressure on the joint, so you don't have to worry about it pulling away. Little bit of tape, or heat shrink tubing and you're good.

Cool, errr... I mean hot. Neat tip. almost makes me want to cut some wires and practice. Jaak, can I borrow your stereo......?

[Jaak]

I left my Black SRT8 Charger in your driveway. You can practice on that!

[Jaak]

I left my Black SRT8 Charger in your driveway. You can practice on that!

Hemiwagn, you're doing a great job on it, I'll pick it up when you're finished.

Oh wait... You're never finished! There's always something else to try!!!!

Guess I'll have to buy myself a Challenger too.

[SMK HEMI]

NICE!!!! I definately want to do this. Appreciate the time that you guys took to explain this to everyone. The one part that I would like to hear more about is the operation of the units after the all the installs are done. Meaning, how does it work when you want or don't want the video to display in the front? VES already allows you to listen to DVDs on the system's speakers. I'm guessing you can still press the mode button on the head unit for this feature. Is it when you press the mode button to switch over to VES when the video begins to display? Or is there a toggle switch of some sort to turn the video on and off?

[Jaak]

There's a toggle switch to select it...

There's also a wire for a lockout and a line for a reverse camera.

[cbutler32]

NICE!!!! I definately want to do this. Appreciate the time that you guys took to explain this to everyone. The one part that I would like to hear more about is the operation of the units after the all the installs are done. Meaning, how does it work when you want or don't want the video to display in the front? VES already allows you to listen to DVDs on the system's speakers. I'm guessing you can still press the mode button on the head unit for this feature. Is it when you press the mode button to switch over to VES when the video begins to display? Or is there a toggle switch of some sort to turn the video on and off?

it works GREAT!
and the NAV picture is way better than I thought it would be...

[freefall70]

Thanks for the info. Helped me out.

[Ontario300c]

Hey I love this post i am gonna do mine. Do you know how to stop the screen from going blank when it is folded down? Is it a case of removing a wire or grounding something?

[Jaak]

There's a switch inside you need to disable, to have it do that. But why do you want the screen to stay lit when folded? It still sends video up front.

[Ontario300c]

I will probably do the front video thing later. Am not crazy about sending the head unit away. I just want to use the monitor when it is folded down for now. Can watch it when I am parked.

Is the switch in the hinge section of the screen?

[hemiwagn]

The switch is the red and blue wires in the 7th picture in this post:
http://www.lxforums.com/board/showthread.php?t=30824

[Jaak]

It's in the fixed section, not the movable one.

[Jaak]

Yeah, like he said! :)

[Teahead]

Sweet!

If you hit the MODE button, will it go to Sat, or CD? Ditto w/the NAV button.

[hemiwagn]

Sweet!

If you hit the MODE button, will it go to Sat, or CD? Ditto w/the NAV button.

the MODE button cyles CD/SAT/VES/CD/SAT/VES etc.. (although I am not sure if that is the order or not).

however if you are in one of the modes and push NAV, the mode selected remains as is; when you then push the mode button it stays with the mode as selected--only when you press MODE a 2nd time will the mode cycle to the next one.

the above are OEM functions, they are not affected by the VES out hack.

(not sure if this answers your question or not....)

[Teahead]

Yeah I think so. I just want to be able to play the DVD to the rear screen and headrests while cycling through the MODEs. E.g.

While playing DVD in VES mode, you'll get the DVD playing on both screens (TVNav2Go and rear VES screen). If I hit MODE, will the front screen show CD? Hit it again show SAT? Or do I need to flick an extra switch?

Ditto if I'm playing a DVD and I suddenly want to get Navigation. If I hit NAV, will it go to Navigation? or again, do I have to flick some auxilliary switch to get it out of DVD display mode?

If the latter, that would be a PITA!

[hemiwagn]

The factory VES mode only plays the VES sound through the factory stereo -- it does not put the rear DVD image on the front screen.

To do that, you need something like NAV2Go. VES video out hack is fed to Nav2Go (or perhaps a video switcher that has one of its outputs to the Nav2Go).

There is a separate toggle switch that controls when the Nav2Go overrides the video image on the factory NAV unit's screen. It overrides no matter what is showing on the screen, AM, FM, Nav, Cd, even the clock showing when the factory radio is off.

So yes you can have DVD to the rear, while cycling other modes but the DVD sound will only be in the wireless headphones. The factory radio will be playing whatever the radio head unit selects.

Because it is a hack to display DVD on the front (the factory can't do it for legal reasons), you will always need another switch to have the front screen show the DVD image. No true integration permitted by our lawmakers....

Yeah I think so. I just want to be able to play the DVD to the rear screen and headrests while cycling through the MODEs. E.g.

While playing DVD in VES mode, you'll get the DVD playing on both screens (TVNav2Go and rear VES screen). If I hit MODE, will the front screen show CD? Hit it again show SAT? Or do I need to flick an extra switch?

Ditto if I'm playing a DVD and I suddenly want to get Navigation. If I hit NAV, will it go to Navigation? or again, do I have to flick some auxilliary switch to get it out of DVD display mode?

If the latter, that would be a PITA!

[Jaak]

The interesting thing is the new mygig will allow you to play a DVD on it's screen if you are in Park. I guess DC's legal staff think that's OK.

[Teahead]

Does TVNav2Go interfere w/the new IPod connector or vice versa?

[Jaak]

The iPod adapter spoofs the Satellite radio. The Nav2Go mod is a hardware hack for the video. Neither one is aware of the other and the radio isn't aware of either.

[lowriderman3]

^^Bump^^ Very nice write up...I have just one more question, that I might have missed in trying to interpret what I need to do. All I want is for the flip up screen to tie into my other screens. I do not need the DVD player to function at all. So on that note, can we just run the rca's etc out to tie into my other video? Or do I have to do this mod as listed.

[Jaak]

Well, instead of picking off video, you would cut the video wiring and feed it your other source...

[lowriderman3]

^^Thanks jaak!

[Jaak]

Just have to pick the right side of it... Not tough to work out!

[mikewodstrchill]

Just have to pick the right side of it... Not tough to work out!


I just tried this but heading out to a different screen. So, not being used with the Nav2Go mod. First off I must have a connection problem because my factory VES screen is just a few lines. I'm no electrical genius here. I had all I could do to solder the wires from the factory system to the female connector. Is there something obvious I'm missing her? Probably :sad: . The ride will have to sit for the rest of tonight before I can address this. I'll reattempt tomorrow. Any help for the NEWBIE?

[mikewodstrchill]

Do I just need one of these wire to feed a different screen or what? I'm really at a loss here. I didn't have time to re-solder the lines last night. Might I have the wrong lines soldered into the RCA? I'll take some pictures today and post for everyone to see. Help Help Help

[mikewodstrchill]

I just pulled the tape off to see that the solder on the white line didn't hold at all. I'm down to the minimum amount of wire here. I guess I'll have to strip more and solder again. Here's some photos. Do I have the appropriate RCA Jack?

[mikewodstrchill]

1. The cable from the RCA to the new screen...should it be a video cable or just a standard audio cable? Stupid question I'm sure.
2. Do all of the wires from the white line need to be soldered in?

[mikewodstrchill]

1. The cable from the RCA to the new screen...should it be a video cable or just a standard audio cable? Stupid question I'm sure.
2. Do all of the wires from the white line need to be soldered in?
3. Standard 22 or 26 G wire?

Please forgive me, I'm really new at this but learn quickly.

[hemiwagn]

mikewodstrchill -- don't worry about asking questions around here -- it is the only way to learn!

Type of cable from the RCA to the new screen -- it can be an audio cable if the run is fairly short (a few feet max). I used an audio cable in my mod.

# of wires from white line -- you need a good solid connection, think "T joint" from all (or mostly all) of the wires in the white line to your new RCA cable. Just soldering one "strand" from the white line will not work very well.

Wire type: Use stranded wire as it is more flexible and less likely to break. As to gauge, 22G is better than 26 (I used 26 because I had it around -- it will work but if you have 22G use that).

Good luck and let us know how you make out!

[mikewodstrchill]

mikewodstrchill -- don't worry about asking questions around here -- it is the only way to learn!

Type of cable from the RCA to the new screen -- it can be an audio cable if the run is fairly short (a few feet max). I used an audio cable in my mod.

# of wires from white line -- you need a good solid connection, think "T joint" from all (or mostly all) of the wires in the white line to your new RCA cable. Just soldering one "strand" from the white line will not work very well.

Wire type: Use stranded wire as it is more flexible and less likely to break. As to gauge, 22G is better than 26 (I used 26 because I had it around -- it will work but if you have 22G use that).

Good luck and let us know how you make out!


Thanks much for the help. I had trouble understanding that I only need a line coming from the white wire. Once I had that figured out everything came together, even my soldering skills. I'm now enjoying my additional screen for my DVD's and rear back-up camera. I'll post some pics to share. Thanks again. I love this forum. :beerchug: Cheers mates.

[DVinciCharger]

AWESOME! Thanks for taking the time to do this. I will use it very soon!

[ChargerJoe]

I see this thread is quite old - but wow - Thank you so much for the detail!! I just did this mod on my charger and it works great. 1000 Thank yous for the time you put in on this post.
Regards - ChargerJoe

[deraynged]

Good day, I know this thread is fairly old but I have to say very good write up on the subject. I found this thread via yahoo and am only visiting your forum, I am attempting to duplicate this in a Jeep Grand Cherokee, the rear VES is differently styled but the principle is the same. One small question though, would quick splice terminals work instead of stripping and soldering? Thanx for the help.

[topazdodge]

Hi! I'm another newbie here, but I frequent the custommagnums website, and someone there linked me to this thread to help with what we're trying to do on my Mag.

I am wanting to replace my headrests with complete DVD systems (screen & DVD player already installed), and want to hook those up to the NAV screen in front so I can navigate the DVD menu for my girls when I need to. I have a good guy who is going to help me hook this up, but my most important question is... Do I need to have the Nav2Go system in order to hook up my NAV screen to my headrest DVD players? I don't need a back-up camera, I don't need TV or SAT, I just want to have movies for the girls in the back and to have it run through the factory speakers (HATE doing FM modulation, especially in a big-city area) and see the menus up front on the NAV screen when I need to. Is this do-able? Or do I need to get the special cable from the TVandNav2Go guys in order to do this?

[hemiwagn]

Good day, I know this thread is fairly old but I have to say very good write up on the subject. I found this thread via yahoo and am only visiting your forum, I am attempting to duplicate this in a Jeep Grand Cherokee, the rear VES is differently styled but the principle is the same. One small question though, would quick splice terminals work instead of stripping and soldering? Thanx for the help.

sorry for the late follow up..
In this case splice terminals would not work. That's because the video out wire is like a coaxial wire - there are 2 conductors in the cable; one is the inner core and the other is the outer core that is wound around the inner core. A splice connector would short the two.

[hemiwagn]

Hi! I'm another newbie here, but I frequent the custommagnums website, and someone there linked me to this thread to help with what we're trying to do on my Mag.

I am wanting to replace my headrests with complete DVD systems (screen & DVD player already installed), and want to hook those up to the NAV screen in front so I can navigate the DVD menu for my girls when I need to. I have a good guy who is going to help me hook this up, but my most important question is... Do I need to have the Nav2Go system in order to hook up my NAV screen to my headrest DVD players? I don't need a back-up camera, I don't need TV or SAT, I just want to have movies for the girls in the back and to have it run through the factory speakers (HATE doing FM modulation, especially in a big-city area) and see the menus up front on the NAV screen when I need to. Is this do-able? Or do I need to get the special cable from the TVandNav2Go guys in order to do this?

If you want to 'slave' one of the DVD screen images to the front NAV screen you will need the Nav2Go. But I'm not sure what year your car is (and hence what version of NAV you have). earlier cars like mine need the nav2go system, but I think for 07's? and later *maybe* you can use a cable because they have a diff nav unit. Call the guys at nav2go -- the are very helpful.

[topazdodge]

If you want to 'slave' one of the DVD screen images to the front NAV screen you will need the Nav2Go. But I'm not sure what year your car is (and hence what version of NAV you have). earlier cars like mine need the nav2go system, but I think for 07's? and later *maybe* you can use a cable because they have a diff nav unit. Call the guys at nav2go -- the are very helpful.

We have an '06 R/T. I did call them a few days ago and they said that they will have a cable that they will be able to send out at the end of the month for those of us that want to DIY instead of sending the NAV deck in. I'm just on a time crunch and don't want to get the stuff to do this and then not be able to get it done before we head back to TX in a couple of weeks. If I take the NAV out to send it in, then I have to drive an hour each way to my friend in MD, have him take it out & send in, then go back up when I get it back to get him to put it back. I was hoping that there is a way to have a talented mod guy do this without the extra step of taking it out, sending it in, and waiting for it to come back.

[reward02]

Does anyone know if the wiring to the VES is the same for a 2008 OEM system?

[Redfox217]

Any of you guys that have performed this get any kinda of "line Noise" from this in the sound. Just wondering before i attemp this. That is one of the most annoying things EVER!

[Midnight451]

Good Question

[hemiwagn]

Any of you guys that have performed this get any kinda of "line Noise" from this in the sound. Just wondering before i attemp this. That is one of the most annoying things EVER!

This mod only taps the video signal and does not affect the audio signal. I did not get any line noise in the audio from doing this mod.

[Jaak]

Nor did I

[eva89]

one good solutıon

[toshik]

Could you point me the in right direction for REC video input? The site is qite confusing and concentrates on the newer MyGig units.
Plus it says:
The new Chrysler 300C, Dodge Magnum and Jeep have the same unit that involves special wiring. The unit should be sent to our headquarters for the installation of our Universal interface. We offer 24 hour turnaround on all radio mods.

[Higshemi]

LOL! I clicked on a link through another site and this popped up. Great write up Greg, Something I plan on doiing in the near future. Thanks

[Higshemi]

Greg, any possibilites you can control the rear ves through the front head unit?

[j_mezz]

Great writeup, thanks for taking the time to do this! Great pictures too! That coax wire looked thick, I was surprised to see such a skinny wire when I took it all apart!

I took a slightly different approach that worked well so I thought I'd share. I was a little worried about cutting the wire so close to the connector so I made my cut farther up. That made it a little easier because it provides a little more slack in the wire to work with. This way probably cost slightly more because I had to purchase a couple of parts from Radio Shack (RCA cable splitter - P/N 2740511 - $4.79 + RCA solder-type jacks - P/N 2740319 - $2.99) but I didn't have to scrounge up any extra wire to add in. Here's what I did:

I cut the wire here:
http://www.tncrestorations.com/Personal%20Collection/Dodge/2006/VES%20OUT/800/picture1.jpg
I think it was easier to strip the leads after a clean cut too. After I cut the wire I stripped it with a sharp knife by slicing about a 1/4" off the end like this:
http://www.tncrestorations.com/Personal%20Collection/Dodge/2006/VES%20OUT/800/picture2.jpg
After you slice a little of the insulation away you can pull the wires out of the insulation, then pull them apart like a banana peal so you've got about 1" of wire to work with. Pull the outer wires away from the white wire and twist them together. Then strip the white wire and give those wires a good twist. I 'tinned' the wire leads at this point which helps keep all the metal hairs together when you go to slide then into the holes in the RCA jack (tinning is just putting a little solder on the wire leads - I cheet and use soldering flux paste). Then I slipped the leads into the holes on the RCA jack contacts and soldered them in place. Don't forget to slide the 'back' part of the RCA jack onto the wires before you solder the leads in place. It should look like this:
http://www.tncrestorations.com/Personal%20Collection/Dodge/2006/VES%20OUT/800/picture3.jpg
Trim the extra wire sticking out with a wire cutter. Do both sides of the wire the same way then plug them into the splitter - like this:
http://www.tncrestorations.com/Personal%20Collection/Dodge/2006/VES%20OUT/800/picture4.jpg
I put a little double-stick tape on the splitter to keep it in place. After that, you're done. Now you just need a video cable to snake up to your Mygig\loc-pic. Hope this helps some of you out! I have a couple of more picture, if anyone wants to see them I can post them...

[hemiwagn]

Hey - that is a sweet way to split the signal and make the wiring nice and clean and reliable! Thanks for the tip, I might even do mine over this way! Cool!