Hello VW Fans. My VW Beetle Sound System with iPod is hidden and works with 6V.
Behind the dash grill is a Retro Sound USA speaker, in the ashtray is an iPhone iPod dock and near the handbrake is a remote receiver. Under the back seat is a 6V to 12V converter, a Blaupunkt radio and a lighter socket for USB charge.
I can play music from my iPod, iPhone, SD memory card and radio and can change the track, volume, input etc. with a remote. The iPod is charged when it is on the docking station.
The sound system is switched on and off via the VW Beetle ashtray. For this I have installed a VW Beetle door contact with modified spring at the rear of the ashtray. In the ashtray, a small magnet is installed so that the ashtray drawer keeps closed.
The door contact in the ashtray is connected to a 6V Bosch relay which switches the radio on and off. The sound system also goes off when the ignition key is removed.
Details of my VW Beetle Sound System:
The Blaupunkt radio has a permanent memory to store the settings after power loss.
At the beginning I had the sound system connected so that when it is off no energy is consumed. If the radio has no power and then regains power, it must be turned on using the front button on the radio. Unfortunately, the Blaupunkt remote has no button to turn on and off. So I had to pull the rear seat and then turn on the radio. This is obviously not an option and therefore the radio must be permanently connected to power.
So there is permanent power floating form the 6V battery to the 6V to 12V converter to the 12V Blaupunkt radio. I was worried that this makes my battery empty.
The 6V to 12V converter is made in Germany and has a very low power consumption and the Blaupunkt radio needs also not much for standby. I already parked my Beetle with this sound system for 4 month and the battery was fine. By the way, the same 6V to 12V converter is running in my 1959 VW Beetle without problems since 1996 in connection with an amplifiers. This converter cannot be compared with the vintage Blaupunkt converter. It has more then enough power and runs continuously.
The windscreen car antenna is hidden under the VW Bug rear seat. The radio can be used only when the engine is off because of noise problems from the motor. I had the cheap antenna swapped for an expensive Blaupunkt antenna and also installed a noise filter. I did not try the Bosch suppression instructions for VW Beetle, because I prefer to keep my motor original. All that did not help, so I listen to MP3 on the go.
See and listen to music coming from one Retro Sound USA speaker while the VW doors are closed:
See and listen to music coming from one Retro Sound USA speaker.
0:00 motor off, sound on
0:32 motor on, sound on, medium volume
0:44 motor on, sound on, maximum volume
Parts for my VW Beetle Sound System:
I bought and installed most parts twice, to get this great sound system running in my 1965 VW Beetle. The part list:
-Retro Sound USA speaker for VW Beetle with mounting bracket Model VWMSB
-Blaupunkt Melbourne 120
-Statron 2238.0 6V to 12V converter
-Blaupunkt remote RC 823
-Blaupunkt remote receiver for RC08, RC09, RC10, RC10H
-Windscreen car antenna, and antenna DIN to ISO adapter
-Docking Station for iPhone
-12V cigarette lighter socket for USB charge
-Cigarette lighter to USB charger adapter
-6V Bosch relay
-VW Beetle door contact
-a few cables, below the most important cables
-USB cable from the docking station to 12V cigarette lighter, to load iPod in ashtray.
-Aux-In cable from docking station to 12V Blaupunkt Radio, to connect iPod, iPhone with radio.
-30-pin Apple to Aux cable. Blaupunkt Radio does not charge iPod, I do not use.
-Lightning cable from 12V cigarette lighter to front, to load iPad.
-6V power cable from the fuse box to 12V converter.
-6V ground cable from the fuse box to 12V converter.
-Speaker L and R cable from Blaupunkt Radio to Retro Sound speaker.
All other cables for the VW Beetle Sound System are between the radio, 6V to 12V converter and cigarette lighter socket.
