This page describes the cabling tricks I needed to perform to connect a modern radio to my
1991 Mitsubishi Magna SE car, which uses a single undocumented, non-standard connector.
Mitsubishi doesn't seem to have learnt from the pain this must have caused; there are at
least two later versions, including the version implemented by the adapter cable I bought,
which uses the same connector as my car, along with a secondary connector made necessary by
adding further loudspeakers.
The two pinouts are mainly incompatible: the connections for each speaker are now shared
between the two cables. This makes it impossible to use an older radio on a newer car or
vice-versa.
The connectors don't have any pin numbers marked, so I've chosen the one below. It turns
out that this doesn't match the numbering sequence used by the ISO connectors, which go by
column rather than by row, but I find this one more convenient. I haven't bothered to
analyse the second connector beyond finding that the returns for the speakers go there.
The pinout is described looking at the socket (i.e. the connector pinout is laterally
inverted on the horizontal axis). Looking at the connector as above, the pins are numbered:
2 4 6 8
1 3 5 7
Adapter cable, sorted by Mitsubishi pinout
ISO
ISO
Pin
Colour
connector
pin
Purpose
1
Grey
B
3
Right front loudspeaker +
2
Purple
B
1
Right rear loudspeaker +
3
does not exist
4
no connection
5
Orange
A
6
Illumination
6
does not exist
7
White
B
5
Left rear speaker +
8
Green
B
7
Left front speaker +
9
Yellow
A
4
+12V (memory?)
10
Red
A
7
Ignition (+12V when ignition on)
Adapter cable, sorted by ISO A pinout
ISO
ISO
Pin
Colour
connector
pin
Purpose
A
1
no connection
A
2
no connection
A
3
no connection
9
Yellow
A
4
+12V (memory?)
Blue
A
5
automatic aerial
5
Orange
A
6
Illumination
10
Red
A
7
Ignition (+12V when ignition on)
Black
A
8
chassis ground
Adapter cable, sorted by ISO B pinout
ISO
ISO
Pin
Colour
connector
pin
Purpose
2
Purple
B
1
Right rear loudspeaker +
Purple/black
B
2
Right rear loudspeaker -
1
Grey
B
3
Right front loudspeaker +
Grey/black
B
4
Right front loudspeaker -
7
White
B
5
Left rear speaker +
White/black
B
6
Left rear speaker -
8
Green
B
7
Left front speaker +
Green/black
B
8
Left front speaker -
The following modifications got the thing working (changes in bold text, unused
connectors in italics):
Modified adapter cable, sorted by Mitsubishi pinout
