Shielded cables
 

You might want to get some shielded wire, or (and ) tie a .01 mfd capacitor to one side of your power wire, also you can tie a 1000mfs capacitor to act as a filter...these are old techniques to try...but some still work. Try the grounds first

I noticed that you are using the telephone power connector as the source of your switched power. I used that connector as a power source to charge an iPod when I had a CDR-220 stock head unit. I also had an alternator whine, but only when I played music from the iPod.

When I wired my Pioneer deck, I used the power sources that were designed for the stock head unit and I don't have a whine with any sound source.

I cannot be sure that the problem is coming from the phone connector, but I would try a different source for switched power as the first step. If you need the information for the stock head unit wiring, let me know and I will scan and post it.

Good luck.

The problem there is that the CDR-23 (in the 03-04 models) does not have a switched power source coming into the original HU. It only has constant power. I think the stereo was activated/deactivated via the MOST bus. Is there another source in the 04 model that I can easily tap?

Tony

Relay
 

A relay on the curcuit

That is a good idea. I'd like to tap a circuit that is live when the key is in the ignition. Any idea which one that is?

Tony

http://986forum.com/forums/diy-project-guides/52768-cdr-23-wiring-diagram.html
Nimbus117 suggested accessing fuse A6 on the fuse block.

Good luck and I hope that eliminates the alternator noise.

I haven't solved the whine yet, but I have to say, I love the system. It sounds fantastic. It is everything that I hoped it would be. The sound stage is lifted and moved back to where the occupants sit. The sub-woofers sound great. They are not the big boomy type that you hear going down the road. They are just not big enough to do that. But they do deliver smooth tight bass. I think the Polk Audio speakers in the dash and rear and the subs compliment each other very nicely. The head unit works great. There are a few gripes that I have with it, like the way you access the menus and the fact that I'm not getting any PTY song info on non HD channels. Other than that, I love everything about the components I've chosen.

Tony

Can you explain this?

Thanks

THe alternator whine you hear is AC voltage making it's way into your amplifier via the +12V connection. The old method we used was to try 1 or any combination of three things.

First and foremost make sure your battery terminals are clean and tight, a good colection

Second tie a .47 capacitor from the +12V lead to ground. Theory is a capacitor passes AC voltage but blocks DC...the AC whine will be shorted to ground and reduced greatly

Third get a capacitor , Electrolytic rated above 30V and a value of 2000 to 10,000 Micro Farad (Mfd) and tie this to the AC line to filter out the spikes causing the whine.

Shielded wire, like Coax. Use the center conductor as your +12V source and tie it directly to the +12V of the battery, ground the shield so spurious RF cannot get into your +12V supply

There are further methods of using a inductor (choke) and other things.

For more info and ideas read this thread

Noise Suppression Guide - Noise Suppression Guide

How To - Car Stereo - In Pursuit of a Noise-Free System: The Ten Commandments of Noise Prevention

Alternator Whine in Car Audio

Car Audio Noise Troubleshooting

Hit the nail on the head ;)

All alternator wine is caused by AC. Easy fix with a cap and/or checking grounds.

Ok. The whine is coming from the head unit. the amp is fine, the rca cables from the HU to the amp are fine. I grounded it to the chassis at the bottom of the center stack and I'm still getting the whine. the only ground that I can't control is the antenna. the system works even with the brown wire ground disconnected because the antenna grounds the system. But even with the antenna disconnected and the system grounded via the chassis ground I still have the whine. The last thing to try is a direct power from the battery. I can't seem to isolate the source.
uhg!

Tony

Hello all.

I'm going to have some pictures of what I did with the rear speakers and the connector I used as a quick connect for the rear box. cool looking anyways.

I've tried a few things to solve the whine issue. Pdwight, can you draw me a diagram of what you're talking about?
#1 battery connections are all tight.
#2 "Second tie a .47 capacitor from the +12V lead to ground." is that a mfd, or ufd cap?
#3 " 2000 to 10,000 Micro Farad cap" is this tied directly in line with the power line.

do you have a link to where I can see these parts?

Thanks.

Tony

Just want to say this is an epic post. It's like a semester of college wrapped up into a quarter page on the internet. Wow. Thanks.