When fitting the new Chinese head unit the crimp tube sheared on the right angle Fakra aerial connector that was attached to the old head unit, I sourced what I thought was the right replacement below but the diameter of the co-ax connector is about half that of the old one.

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1pce-Connector-Fakra-SMB-Z-5021-female-jack-90-crimp-RG316-RG174-LMR100-COAXIAL/222098569011?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649

 

Can anyone show me where to find the correct item please?

 

It needs to be a right angle connector for the depth and I prefer a crimp one as I have crimp tools.

 

The one I have and the old one seem to have a strange way of connecting the centre core to the pin, its just laid on top and a plug pushed on top of it.

 

An alternative if its going to be hard to terminate the connector, the one I have looks a nightmare would be a preterminated one with a length of coaxial lead to joint to the existing cable but its preferable to have as few joints as possible.

 

thanks in advance.

Found it with some Googling, they are colour coded and each one has different indexing keys so will not fit any similar looking connector, there are about 24 variants.

 

This is the one I believe for the Octavia Stream head unit

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Fakra-B-Jack-female-Right-Angle-Crimp-Attachment-for-RG316-174/300577421229?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649

 

The right angled ones by their nature are going to be much more fiddly to terminate and easy to break compared to the axial ones.

Don't know if you've found this already but in case here's a page that details the different types, locking keys and colours.  A more detailed one as a pdf is here.

 

The FAKRA range is designed and made by Rosenberger in Germany - head office here, straight connector catalogue entry here (I couldn't see the right angle version but it's late and I'm going crosseyed).

 

I also tried aliexpress, CPC Farnell and RS Components but no joy so far; maybe I'll have more luck if we can find a Rosenberger part number?

 

I ordered mine from here https://www.mouser.co.uk/new/amphenolrf/amphenol-rf-fakra-connectors/ 

@StickyMicky yes found that site, realised that with so many keying variants it was not surprising that what I had ordered was wrong, I think the Ebay one that Ilinked to will be correct, we will see.

 

@nige8021

 

Thanks, will slog through there if the second order is no good.

 

I bet loads of mechanics have broken these fragile things, probably faced with replacing the loom if they could not find the right replacement. No way would I want to work on anyone elses car these days nor let anyone else work on mine.

 

 

The outer plastic part shouldn't make any difference, both the Z-key 'water blue' and B-key 'cream' connectors should fit on the B-key 'cream' AM/FM connector on the headunit. The only reason for the key and colour code is to avoid confusion when you've got many fakra connectors performing different tasks, for instance DAB, GPS, AM/FM, USB etc...

 

The inner metal parts are probably very similar between the two you're looking at as both are listed for RG316/RG174  coax.

 

Might be worth adding some pictures showing what you mean by the "co-ax connector is about half that of the old one".

Pictures beyond my skillset, the connector I initially ordered had an outer female metal part half the diameter of the old broken one.

If I'm understanding correctly, your cable is too wide to fit through the metal sleeve included with the new connector?

 

If so, you should try and figure out what the cable is, some common cables and their diameters are:

- RG174 – 2.8mm overall diameter

- RG58 – 4.9mm overall diameter

- RF240 – 6.2mm overall diameter

- RF400 – 10.3mm overall diameter

 

Both connectors you've linked state they are for RG174 which is ~2.8mm wide.

 

You might want to try a fakra connector for RG58. I can't see any right angled versions but as an example, something like this: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/222098568884

No, bad explanation on my part, bodging the wrong cables into the wrong connectors I have a lifetime of experience of

 

Forget terminating the cable, the incorrect connector I bought had the wrong size mating parts to plug onto the old or new radio; plastic shell was right size but the metal bits about half size, hopefully the correct colour type B will be OK unless its a special VAG fitment.

I'm assuming when you put the Android in the Fakra connector leads were pointing to the right in the angled connector? I did warn about this that it needs to be rotated 180 degrees in the connector itself to clear the rear cage, I found out the hard way but hadn't forced it enough to break it just to deform it slightly but straightened it out and spun those cables 180 degrees and it slipped in.

Edited 6 June, 20197 yr by T2000

17 hours ago, J.R. said:

Forget terminating the cable, the incorrect connector I bought had the wrong size mating parts to plug onto the old or new radio; plastic shell was right size but the metal bits about half size, hopefully the correct colour type B will be OK unless its a special VAG fitment.

 

Excellent, that makes more sense.

 

I did see this thread https://forums.vwvortex.com/showthread.php?5023570-DIY-Repair-Your-Broken-Radio-Antennae-Connector which says:

 

Quote

So far pretty straight forward... we just need a RG-58 Right angle FAKRA SMB code C. Right?

 

Unfortunately Digikey (or any other supplier I could find) does not carry this connector in any 
quantity that you would wish to order. Unless you want 2000 of them. So the solution I found was to 
look at all the similar connectors that were available for purchase in a quantity of 1 and buy mutliple 
connectors to combine and make what I needed. What I found was a code "Z" connector for RG-174 
which is too small for our cable and a code "A" connector which is keyed wrong but is made for 
RG-58. Problem solved. That is why you have to order the two connectors listed above. 

 

So you want to use the green plastic housing from the code "Z" connector and the metal internals 
from the code "A" connector. 

 

At least that suggests that RG-58 internals are correct for the C-keyed connector used for AM/FM.

T2000, that makes absolute sense, I will check next time I pull the thing out while investigating the ongoing battery drain problem, I have fitted and coded a revision L can gateway but I think the drain continues, its dropped 0.2volts overnight in 12 hours to 12.3 volts, I left it to stand a couple of hours after running to let the battery cool before taking the initial 12.5 volt reading.

 

Did you have this problem with yours?

 

Wish I had seen your posting re the connector, I do recall it being tight but I would not at that time have known that the internals could be removed and reorientated.

 

Langers 2K, thanks for that, I may need it when the second order of connectors arrive.

1 hour ago, J.R. said:

T2000, that makes absolute sense, I will check next time I pull the thing out while investigating the ongoing battery drain problem, I have fitted and coded a revision L can gateway but I think the drain continues, its dropped 0.2volts overnight in 12 hours to 12.3 volts, I left it to stand a couple of hours after running to let the battery cool before taking the initial 12.5 volt reading.

 

Did you have this problem with yours?

 

Wish I had seen your posting re the connector, I do recall it being tight but I would not at that time have known that the internals could be removed and reorientated.

 

Langers 2K, thanks for that, I may need it when the second order of connectors arrive.

 

No need to remove them they will just twist around, I posted it on the thread you were in, did you buy the Erisin?

 

If you did I had no issues with battery drain but there are some dip switches on the back that you can change for CanBus, it's in the manual.

Edited 6 June, 20197 yr by T2000

I have the old connector put aside as a reference, that one has cut-outs in 3 sides of the plastic shell for the 90° crimp part and you have to remove the internals, probably later or different manufacturers make them that can be turned, in any case now you have confirmed and explained what the problem with the cage is I will look very carefully before orienting the new connector, just tried the old broken on on the original head unit and the cable would have been facing upwards.

 

Yes I bought an Erisin, sold for a Touran but I took a chance it would fit and work, cheaper than the Andriod ones and I did not realise it was in fact a Windows unit, computers are not my bag.

 

Its a piece of c**p really with lots of intermittent "characteristics" as Skoda would call them, often it will freeze or reboot or freeze and display a Windows error pop up full of characters that looks like a Chinese sick note its been worse since I fitted a reversing camera and it will often do one of the above after about 3 seconds, also it often will not react to the steering controller signals and move the trajectory grid but then I was surprised and pleased that it actually did so and clearly is taking a lot of info from the Canbus.

 

The display did not show the reversing sensors or heater settings like the Stream unit did but after fitting the reversing camera it now shows the latter, I guess it needed the pop up screen to display them, the birds eye view even shows my exact vehicle and colour although that may be a coincidence, by repeated attempts I cracked the factory settings code (8888) and was able to change it to RHD so that the correct door open signals are displayed.

 

The Satnav I quite like but on certain words it has a sort of lisp but that comes out of the speakers at max volume and will soon blow them I am sure, if you turn the volume down to nothing you will get the thunderous percussion several times during a journey, the sat nav is contained on a sim card so I have ordered another Windows compatible one for a tenner and hope that cures that problem.

 

It was cheap at £140 ish IIRC, did not realise what it was lacking by not being Android but its no real loss to me, I like the virtual CD player and I have gained usefull storage space by removing the old multi-changer, the faults it has can be lived with and dont warrant returning it to China.

 

Re the battery drain it was 12.5v at 22.00 last night after the battery had cooled, 12.3v this morning and its still at 12.3v so maybe its OK, the 0.2v drop could be the initial drain before the sleep signal was recieved, I wont use the vehicle today and if its only dropped 0.1 or 0.2v max tomorrow I think I will be in the clear, leaving the USB charging point with the LED voltage readout powered up so I can read the voltage through the window without operating the remote control etc will be using some battery power anyway.

 

Its been an interesting and fun project.

Interesting that these units are sold at a premium for vehicle specific applications, there may be some differences in the rear connectors to match the OE loom and they may have to change the faceplate but having cracked the fatory settings code I can see that it has 200 or so different can bus interfaces to suit every vehicle and manufacturer on the planet most of which I had never heard of.

 

So you could use the unit in your next vehicle whatever it is.

Langers 2K was on the money again, 2nd delivery of a pair of connectors, they are correct to couple up to the head unit but the crimp connector is for much thinner cable, tried drilling and bodging one of them and failed completely.

 

All of them have a really dodgy screwed plug and plasic insulator that is supposed to clamp the centre conductor in position, very small and very fiddly, it looks like there is enough room behind the unit so I will go with a straight crimped connector or maybe buy an adaptor lead locally and do a bodged butt joint on the cable, I think i might have some RG58 BNC crimp connectors left over from my CCTV installation.

The ones I oreded were crimp for the centre conductor and the outer braid, luckily Maplins (much missed) sold the correct crimp tool 

I have a crimp tool from my CCTV install days in the 90's and noughtys, searching again for connectors as we speak, will probably be the one that Langers linked to.