Autocom Issues

[John Anthony]

So with about a week to go before our next long trip, I figure I better get our Pro Sport 7's installed. I've read the installation posts on our forum, but in my quest for more information on installation options/suggestions, I've tried to find an autocom owners' forum, but without any luck. Any suggestions???

I've also got to get a Zumo 550 and my Razr connected, but I don't know how much pain I can endure in such a short period of time. (For those who have done this, is the 1276 (bluetooth dongle) 1314 (isolated stereo connector) autocom solution the best?? Or a custom wiring harness from Intaride??) Also, between my McCruise and an alarm, there is virtually no room for a behind the seat installation, so I've got to find a home. Any thoughts??

In addition to wiring up my ST, I've also got Maggie's 1200 RT to worry about, and as many of us will attest, if momma ain't happy, no body's gonna be happy!

Thanks in advance.

John

PS - I don't want to start an "oil" war, but if someone has the definitive best way to wire up the Zumo and Autocom to avoid hum, I'd appreciate an e-mail or PM with the straight skinny.

 

[dmulk]

I don't mean to sound negative but, with only a week to go before you leave....the safest thing is to wait until you get back to tackle this.

You might be able to get everything installed and have a nice system, but there is a lot of tweaking and adjustments to perform to tune the system after install that takes significant time (3-4 test rides).

Either way....good luck!

<D>

So with about a week to go before our next long trip, I figure I better get our Pro Sport 7's installed. I've read the installation posts on our forum, but in my quest for more information on installation options/suggestions, I've tried to find an autocom owners' forum, but without any luck. Any suggestions???

I've also got to get a Zumo 550 and my Razr connected, but I don't know how much pain I can endure in such a short period of time. (For those who have done this, is the 1276 (bluetooth dongle) 1314 (isolated stereo connector) autocom solution the best?? Or a custom wiring harness from Intaride??) Also, between my McCruise and an alarm, there is virtually no room for a behind the seat installation, so I've got to find a home. Any thoughts??

In addition to wiring up my ST, I've also got Maggie's 1200 RT to worry about, and as many of us will attest, if momma ain't happy, no body's gonna be happy!

Thanks in advance.

John

PS - I don't want to start an "oil" war, but if someone has the definitive best way to wire up the Zumo and Autocom to avoid hum, I'd appreciate an e-mail or PM with the straight skinny.

 

[John Anthony]

Semi-retirement has its advantages! I'm also one of those guys who is deadline driven.

John

 

[Rob Hephner]

Buy an isolated power supply and use it to provide power to the Autocom unit.

With it you will have no engine induced noise.

http://www.autosound2000.com/filters.html

 

[MLRickards]

Buy an isolated power supply and use it to provide power to the Autocom unit.

With it you will have no engine induced noise.

http://www.autosound2000.com/filters.html

I'm using this very power supply and there is engine noise when no sound is coming from anything, but even quiet music covers it up. The only time I notice it is when I've turned off the sound inputs and the only thing "on" is the Autocom. It's enough to notice, but for me...not enough to be annoying.

I think of it as an audible indicator of my throttle technique. That said, if there was a way to eliminate it altogether, I'd love to know about it.

 

[dmulk]

If there is anything I have learned over the last couple months of fighting the "noise issue" is that there are many places noise can enter the audio system.

Simply replacing the power supply with a filtered version doesn't always solve the problem.

You'll probably need to run isolated cables on all of your inputs / outputs to combat this problem.

I have mine down to a 99% quiet system. As others have stated, music tends to mask the remaining noise. If I am not going to run any audio, I'll just unplug my helmet - This is acceptable for me, but I will probably be attempting to build a better filtered power supply for my starcom as I wire up my KLR.

I plan to use the same "brain" between the two bikes and just have everything pre-wired.

We'll see how it goes...

Anyway, good luck!

<D>

 

[John Anthony]

Buy an isolated power supply and use it to provide power to the Autocom unit.

With it you will have no engine induced noise.

http://www.autosound2000.com/filters.html

Rob - thanks. I read your earlier posts on this as part of the solution. One issue is that I'm struggling to find a place to mount everything. Between the CPU for my cruise control, alarm, and autocom, my tail end is pretty well occupied!

Earlier today I pulled down portions of the tupperware and have started to dry fit components and test cabling runs, so your suggestions are timely.

John

 

[RaYzerman]

In my case, the Autocom is in the rear end, power comes from an auxiliary fuse panel, powered off by relay when ignition off. All the grounds are tied to a home-made grounding bar mounted to the front seat bracket bolts. That is, good solid grounds to chassis. I used the Autocom cords, and for any extensions, just bought cheapies from the local hardware store. No noise. It will take a couple of test rides to set the volumes, and the factory VOX setting worked. Your helmet noise may dictate otherwise. Zumo plugs into Aux. 1 so music is 100% muted when commands come. I have some work to do on the bluetooth phone....... I put Zumo powered from the quartet harness (switched power)...
I would go for it and make adjustments as you get on your real world trip. You'll have to do that once anyway.

Credit also goes to Bob Hughes for his documentation at http://goldwingusa.com/autocom

 

[MLRickards]

Rob - thanks. I read your earlier posts on this as part of the solution. One issue is that I'm struggling to find a place to mount everything. Between the CPU for my cruise control, alarm, and autocom, my tail end is pretty well occupied!

Earlier today I pulled down portions of the tupperware and have started to dry fit components and test cabling runs, so your suggestions are timely.

John

From a space standpoint, I've got the Navone isolated power supply tucked in the space to the left of the battery. It's fastened in by velcro and fits perfectly in there (I know, I should have a pic but I don't). Doesn't impact on your under seat or tail space.

 

[John Anthony]

Thanks, guys. This helps a lot. My inclination is to go Ray's route. I've wired in the Autocom and when I run my i Pod through it with the ST running I get no nasty noises. When I run audio powered by the ST through the Autocom via cheezy cables, I get lots of noise, but I'm assuming Autocom's 1314 stereo connector will take care of that problem.

Now I'm just trying to figure the best way to link phone input/output to the Zumo. Autocom's preferred approach is a 1314 and then BT dongle to take care of the phone duties, but a bunch of guys on the Zumo forum have used a 2nd 1314 with a 3.5mm to 2.5mm adapter to handle the phone side. I'm also waiting for the guys at Intaride to get back to me with a custom solution. Thoughts????

John

 

[MLRickards]

Now I'm just trying to figure the best way to link phone input/output to the Zumo. Autocom's preferred approach is a 1314 and then BT dongle to take care of the phone duties, but a bunch of guys on the Zumo forum have used a 2nd 1314 with a 3.5mm to 2.5mm adapter to handle the phone side. I'm also waiting for the guys at Intaride to get back to me with a custom solution. Thoughts????

John

I can vouch for Autocom's preferred method. It's not a cheap method, but it's working flawlessly for me and retains all the functionality of the Autocom (appropriate volume reductions when desired, etc.)

 

[dmulk]

I found that grounding to the seat bolts caused significantly more noise than grounding directly to the battery.

Just my 2 cents...

<D>

In my case, the Autocom is in the rear end, power comes from an auxiliary fuse panel, powered off by relay when ignition off. All the grounds are tied to a home-made grounding bar mounted to the front seat bracket bolts. That is, good solid grounds to chassis. I used the Autocom cords, and for any extensions, just bought cheapies from the local hardware store. No noise. It will take a couple of test rides to set the volumes, and the factory VOX setting worked. Your helmet noise may dictate otherwise. Zumo plugs into Aux. 1 so music is 100% muted when commands come. I have some work to do on the bluetooth phone....... I put Zumo powered from the quartet harness (switched power)...
I would go for it and make adjustments as you get on your real world trip. You'll have to do that once anyway.

Credit also goes to Bob Hughes for his documentation at http://goldwingusa.com/autocom

 

[John Anthony]

I can vouch for Autocom's preferred method. It's not a cheap method, but it's working flawlessly for me and retains all the functionality of the Autocom (appropriate volume reductions when desired, etc.)

Mark - Thanks. I've already got a cart loaded at Autocom with the leads I'd need so I'll go this route. With semi-retirement and more riding, I don't want to screw around with communications. A few extra bucks doesn't mean that much to me.

I found that grounding to the seat bolts caused significantly more noise than grounding directly to the battery.

Just my 2 cents...

<D>

Dan - Thanks as well. I've got a grounding block to install so I can switch the lead to either location and I'll see which works the best for me.

This is turning out to be a fun project. Thanks for the advice to keep me moving in the right direction.

John