Becker Cascade Install
First off I have to thank Fourtuitous for his advice and link earlier in this journal about his install. The swapping of pin 6 from plug C1 to pin 5 on socket A probably saved me many hours of frustration (see pics below for detailed description).
First off some facts:
- my car has the Sound Package (option code M490). I'm not sure what difference there are to the standard install (amp ?)
- there is an amp under the driver seat but no subwoofer
- the amp ideally needs unamplified spealer line outs
The install...
The aftermarket Sony headunit in the car when I bought it
The aftermarket wiring "box" and harness. These seem to be used to bypass the OEM plug C1 (ie the speaker wires) to the amp. There is actually no need for this and the original OEM harness could have been used if the installer understood the amp trigger wiring (more on that later). This aftermarket box and cable can be removed.
As the original OEM headunits where actually made by Becker (not sure if all but certainly the ones I'm aware of) then the OEM wiring should just plug straight back in. So you have to hope its not been butchered or cut out. Thankfully mine was intact.
The yellow plug is referred to in the Becker manuals as C1 and the Black plug as A. The only other thing you need is the aerial plug which has its own signal wire attached (the aerial has its own powered amplifier and this signal wire turns it on when needed).
C1 is the speaker and sub woofer line outs. Or at least it should be and thats what the Becker Cascade heanunit is expecting. However in the OEM wiring pin 6 is the signal wire to tell the amplifier its needed and to turn on. So if you just plug the yellow plug C1 into the headunit the amp won't work as pin 6 will be giving a sub woofer signal instead of a trigger signal. I'm not sure if this is a change Becker headunits (old v newer) ?
The trigger signal is actually on plug A pin 5 "control signal for aerial / amplifier". The trouble is this pin is already used to trigger the aerial amplifier. So you need to share this trigger by connecting two wires to it ie cut the white wire going to C1 pin 6 and joining it to the aerial trigger wire.
Plugs A and C1 in the headunit
Note that the empty sockets next to C1 (known as C2 and C3)are used for the Ipod lead (or CD changer) and telephone microphone which come with the Becker headunit (Ipod lead bought seperately)
There is no middle socket as this would be for amplified speaker connection which is not needed with the amp (C1 line outs are used instead).
Note you will need an aerial adaptor to connect to the Becker. If you have an aftermarket unit fitted this will probably already have one you can reuse. I've reused the one from the Sony
To get the amp trigger you have to cut the white wire to pin 6 C1
I also cut off the OEM connector for the aerial trigger so I could use a shared spade connector
The shared amp and aerial trigger wires with a spade connector to the wire going to plug A pin 5.
nb this was all taped up after pics.
There was one "mysterious" green wire present which I have no idea what it does so I left it alone
You have to make sure the OEM amp end of the speaker cable is connected. Mine had been unplugged so the aftermarket bypass could be connected but was securely lying alongside. I simply plugged it back in.
There are 3 other signals that the Becker Cascade can use which you need to consider
a) GAL (speed signal for volume ie faster = louder)
b) light signal (so when its dark the display changes intensity / colours)
c) reverse (used by the sat nav to guess position is GPS signal lost eg tunnels)
Plug A had a GAL wire already connected so no need to worry about that one.
b) and c) signals I believe can be sourced from the adjacent Climate Control Unit. However the Becker Cascade model has its own built in light sensor which you can use to change display brightness and I prefer to use that. Plus I'm not bothered about reversing in tunnels. So I decided not to connect these signals.
You then have to connect up and fit the GPS receiver for the sat nav and microphone for the hands free bluetooth telephone.
I believe you can fit the GPS receiver under the dash above the centre vents but I decided I wanted a totally unobscured GPS line of sight as from experience with my previous installs when you are one the move and want the GPS to update quickly even a slightly weaker signal can make a massive difference. It therefore installed on top of the dash on the driver side corner. It is hardly noticeable here and the bonus is you can route the wiring totally hidden without removing any trim.
I decided to fit the microphone on the ledge in the centre of the dash. It give a good reception from here and was easy to wire in. I may move this later but for now think it looks fine (I could follow the GPS up further past the alarm sensor up to above the windscreen)
I also bought the Ipod interface cable. The Becker Cascade has one of the best ipod control interfaces I've ever used. Plus you only need to use an old battered iPod as it will not be seen by anyone. Usually I would locate this in the glove box but the 993 glovebox is not exactly cavernous so I decided to locate this under the dash as there is a space on top of the central tunnel hidden away. I am going to fit the Ipod with velcro so I can simply stick it under there and it is still easily accessible to remove for updates / adding tracks.
So the finished install......
I already have one of these units in my Z3m so I knew what to expect. The OEM looks are second to none and much better than Porsches own updated offering.
The sound quality is superb. It makes the Sony sound very cheap in comparison and really makes full use of the speakers and fills the cabin much more fully than the Sony unit.
The hands free phone is a breeze and Ipod integration second to none.
The only think you need to get used to is sat nav without a map but I only use it in emergencies or general directions anyway. If I really need a sat nav I use the one on my Samsung S3 which has a large enough screen and is as good as my TomTom.
Becker have pulled out of the radio market to concentrate on sat navs which is a real shame. These really are the perfect headunits for cars of this era with modern features and perfect OEM looks.
The one downside with Becker pulling out of making these is the lack of ongoing support. However you can update the units to the last V5.2 system software (which I have done) and this allows you to load current BMW maps (I have 2012 maps on at the moment but will be updating to 2013 next week). Its a bit of an art in doing it but once you know how its easy. I'll post up more on that next week.
All in all a good afternoons work