stereo pin connectors

[mishalah]

'96 T&C LXi; AM-FM-CASS-CD w/Infinity spkrs. Need to know what the 2 pin connector next to the two 7 pin connectors is. Some say "steering wheel controls, but mine doesn't have any stereo controls on the steering wheel (ridiculous cruise control buttons on both sides).

I'm replacing the original unit with another OEM (used/serviced) unit, but am having trouble getting the exact same model. Most don't have the 2 pin connector. SO....does that connector actually have a function? It is connected into the harness.

[jpb53]

2 way connector is a CCD bus connector.

[mishalah]

Originally Posted by jpb53

2 way connector is a CCD bus connector.

Bus connector? I'm talking about a 2 pin connector similar to the 7 pin connectors that give power to the unit and speakers. It feeds directly from the same harness group and fits alongside the larger 7 pin slots. It's not the connector type I'm worried about...it's the source/use of the signal.

Thanks.

[jpb53]

If you had the switches mounted on the steering wheel; that is how the commands get to the radio. The commands go to the BCM and then are relayed to the Radio over the BUS wires.Violet with brown tracer is bus + and white with black tracer is bus -

[mishalah]

Originally Posted by jpb53

If you had the switches mounted on the steering wheel; that is how the commands get to the radio. The commands go to the BCM and then are relayed to the Radio over the BUS wires.Violet with brown tracer is bus + and white with black tracer is bus -

OK...I get it. But without the controls on the steering wheel (I've only seen ONE T&C or GC van with the stereo controls on the wheel, and that was a 2006 or 2007), where do those wires from the 2 pin connector go? Just "nowhere"?

Thanks.

The bigger question is: If I swap to a different model OEM stereo that does not have the 2 pin connector on the rear, what happens if my harness connection for that 2-PIN has nothing to plug into? Does it matter?

[jpb53]

The wires from the 2 pin connector go to the BCM. Basically CCD BUS is how all the computers talk to each other. Imagine if all those switches on a steering wheel were hard-wired to each module that had to recieve a signal= big mass of wires. Stereo; cruise control; airbag all go through the clockspring. In this system switches have a different resistance value for each input; on is 1 value off is another; increase volume is another decrease is another. Those signals are processed by the BCM and the command is sent to the radio to increase or decrease the volume. If you change the radio to one that is not connected to the BUS it probably will not cause any problems. People put aftermarket stereos in their cars eveyday. Hope this answers your question.

[mishalah]

Got it! Thanks so much.

Fortunately, I was able to locate a unit with of the same model number. It looks identical and it's just been refurbished so I'm hoping it will solve all the problems. I'll let you know.

TNX again.