Installing USA-SPEC PA15-NIS in 2006 Nissan 350Z

When I got my 2006 Nissan 350Z convertible roadster, the salesman said I could get an auxiliary port added by a local car stereo store for about $100.  What he should have said was the local car stereo store would sell me the part for about $150 and then charge me another $100 or more to install it.  Scrap that idea: enter do-it-yourself with the USA Spec PA15-NIS purchased from Audio Online / Audio Kraze through Amazon.com.  I also need to commend this seller for doing an amazing job with returning what I thought was a bad cable when really, it was just a bad installer (me) but they provided top notch service the whole time!

This kit comes with almost everything you need:

• gray box controller AKA the “brains”
• cables and harnesses to connect to the stock radio
• iPod cable to connect to your Ipod

The only thing missing for me is the cable that allows you to just connect any 3.5mm jack device which I call the MP3 hole so I can connect my cell phone and play Slacker radio.  If you’re buying this just to connect your iPod then you don’t need this cable.

Let me preface the following directions with this statement: this is not an elegant DIY write up.  In fact, I unscrew parts that don’t need to, do things out of order, and have to revisit the issue after calling tech support but in the end, it works!  This write up is to help others see the process documented in photos.

The day is sunny enough to work with the top down.

Start by taking the cover off the climate control dials which interestingly does not involve screws.  Very carefully tug around the gear shift ring and then pull up on the ring and then almost down at the same time to pull it from under the front part.  It really helps to have the car in a the bottom half gears like 2 / 4 / 6 / reverse.

Once the cover is loose, disconnect this white ribbon.  Be very careful not to mess up this ribbon or the connector because it controls all of your climate dials.

Unscrew the white box and it will slide loose in and out but not out (yet).

There are two more screws below the white box that have to be undone to remove it as well.

Now the white box is loose but still connected.

In the top compartment for holding stuff, lift the bottom mat up and off.

Pull the tabs off to expose the screws.

Remove the screws.  Using a magnetic screwdriver bit really helps so that the screw doesn’t disappear into the abyss of the back of the radio.

This is tricky – lifting off the center gages piece.  Feel around the rim for tabs and start pulling the whole assembly up.  You almost have to dig your fingers underneath to lift up the tabs.  Once you get it lifted up a bit, you’ll see the connector for the gages.  Once again, this is a very short leash.

Undoubtedly, the hardest part of the entire process is disconnecting the harnesses.  Every single connector is crazy difficult to undo!

Now the whole top piece of the radio is free to come off.

This is a top down view of the back of the stock radio.

The radio is never completely released so we work with the radio slightly stuck in the console.

Following the USA Spec directions, we plug the cables in line with the radio as directed.  This is a very vague statement but essentially you pull the plugs out of the radio, plug them into the gray box, and then take the plugs from the gray box and plug those into the radio.  I’m going to try to explain this in photos.  Below, I’m pulling the plugs out of the radio.

Now plug the radio plugs into the gray box plugs.  There is confusion about which cable to use: CAS-NIS 20 or CAS-NIS 10.  The lucky part is if you use the wrong cable, you will quickly discover that it doesn’t work which is what we do.

After a little guess and test, it turns out CAS-NIS 10 is the winner.

Plug the gray box cables back into the radio.

Those darned connectors are tricky!

Here are the other connectors.

If you want to find a big debate online, go to the 350Z forums and ask for the dip switch settings.    These photos are NOT the correct configurations – at least not for what I want.  I want this box to:

• connect to an iPod, play songs, and retain the steering wheel controls for next song and volume
• charge the iPod while it is playing
• connect to my cell phone to listen to Slacker radio
• still allow me to use my stock radio and built in 6 CD changer

In order to get the two things I want, the correct setting is:

• 1 – ON
• 2 – ON
• 3 – ON
• 4 – ON

This above settings allow the gray box to simulate a CD changer so you can still use your radio and CD changer while using the steering wheel radio controls.

Jason begins testing and since you don’ t have the climate controls hooked up, all the air is going to be blowing full blast.

I tell Jason to stand still so I can take a photo and instead he waves the iPod around everywhere.

The box tucks in nicely underneath all of the stuff and the white box.  There’s even some white cotton stuff to rest on.

Now it’s time to reassemble everything.

All the screws go back in.

Here’s the cable I mentioned from before.  If you want to connect an auxiliary device (like a cell phone or non iPod mp3 player) you will need the 3.5 mm stereo male to dual RCA male.  This one is about $10 at Radio Shack.

Here we go again with those dip switches.  Remember, this is NOT the right set up.

The included iPod cable and mp3 cable plug into the box and hang out of the edge of the radio.  I tuck mine along the edge on the passenger side.

We test one more time.

Jason reassembles the part around the gear shift.

Now I have a way to listen and charge my iPod as well as connect to my cell phone for music!