[MikeH]

As part of my efforts to add an underseat powered subwoofer, I needed to find a connection for my remote turn-on wire. As I mentioned in another post, my Thailand assembled model has a cigarette socket in the center storage bin that goes on and off with the car (I recognize that models in other countries vary). As such, I wanted to tap the 12v line for that socket. I found that it is quite straightforward to access the back of the panel that contains the USB, SD card slot and 12V socket.

1. Lift the center armrest and then remove the plastic cover that sits below the center console by pulling it up and back. Here's a picture of the piece and the clips on the back and how the console looks with it removed. As a side note, I discoved that thet wrapped trim (see arrows) that surrounds the storage bin outwards is connected with clips and simply pops out. I don't think it's really necessary to pull it away in order to remove the plastic cover, but this may be helpful info to someone trying to remove that trim piece.

2. Pull the panel that holds the USB, SD and socket backwards. It pops out pretty easily, but be careful as you are obviously pulling on the wiring harnesses that connect these items.

3) On the back of the 12v socket, there's a gray wiring harness with a blue clip around it. The blue clip has to be removed before the harness can be pulled out of the socket. It just kind of snaps around the gray harness and is easy to remove.

4. There are blue and black wires on the harness. I used a multimeter to check which one is live and as you might have guess, the blue wire carries the 12V signal. I also re-confirmed that for my car, the power goes and and off with the car.

5. For my purpose, I spliced the blue wire with my remote turn-on wire, soldered the connection and taped everything up with electrical tape. Tested the remote wire for continuity before putting everything back together. The only "oh crap" moment of this project was when I was stripping the blue wire with a utility blade and slightly nicked the wrapped trim. 🤬 It's tiny and nobody else would likely notice but I'm going to see it every time I get in the car. It's right on the edge that gets covered by the plastic cover, so I may at some point in the future try to remove the whole trim piece and then pull and reglue the vinyl so that the nick is fully covered by the cover.

Anyway, I hope this info proves useful for someone. At the time of this writing (April 2020) the CX-30 (and the similar Mazda 3) is so new that I can't find a lot of "how-to" guides on the various forums out there. In a separate post, I'll share how I managed to find input signals for my powered subwoofer.

 

[Orev]

What Sub did you install and did everything work out for you?

 

[MikeH]

What Sub did you install and did everything work out for you?

I installed a local brand that I bought here in Thailand that claims a 10" dual voice coil subwoofer, with a class D amp pushing 160 watt RMS, 600 watt max. Here's a pic with the dimensions.

Frankly it was very inexpensive (about US$50) and I had modest expectations. I figured that if the install/wiring worked out, I could upgrade to a better box in the future. However, I am quite happy with the results. At lower volume levels, there's little difference from the stock system, perhaps just a tiny bit of extra low end fill. At higher volumes (say 18+) you can really start to hear the extra bass, expecially with any song that has a bass heavy track. I don't hear any distortion until I hit unpleasantly loud levels. I recognize that I am not getting the very low frequencies that would come with a larger subwoofer, box and amp (there's no replacement for displacement), but this setup is adequate for my current needs and desires.--and I didn't have to give up any cargo space. Because my box is on the passenger's side (the left side here) the passenger does feel extra vibration coming through the seat at higher volumes. This enhances the perception of strong bass, kind of like those bass shakers that they used to sell for mounting under your car seat. The driver's side does not feel the vibrations as much.

In summary, I would say this is a worthwhile modification of the Bose system. The one negative is that the box does intrude upon the footspace of the left rear passenger. Such passenger would actually have their feet on top of the box, which is covered up by the rubber floor mat. For me, I rarely have more than 2 people in the car, but if you frequently have 4 passengers, this may be a concern for you.

 

[titleszzz]

As part of my efforts to add an underseat powered subwoofer, I needed to find a connection for my remote turn-on wire. As I mentioned in another post, my Thailand assembled model has a cigarette socket in the center storage bin that goes on and off with the car (I recognize that models in other countries vary). As such, I wanted to tap the 12v line for that socket. I found that it is quite straightforward to access the back of the panel that contains the USB, SD card slot and 12V socket.

1. Lift the center armrest and then remove the plastic cover that sits below the center console by pulling it up and back. Here's a picture of the piece and the clips on the back and how the console looks with it removed. As a side note, I discoved that thet wrapped trim (see arrows) that surrounds the storage bin outwards is connected with clips and simply pops out. I don't think it's really necessary to pull it away in order to remove the plastic cover, but this may be helpful info to someone trying to remove that trim piece.

View attachment 348 View attachment 349 View attachment 350

2. Pull the panel that holds the USB, SD and socket backwards. It pops out pretty easily, but be careful as you are obviously pulling on the wiring harnesses that connect these items.

View attachment 351 View attachment 353

3) On the back of the 12v socket, there's a gray wiring harness with a blue clip around it. The blue clip has to be removed before the harness can be pulled out of the socket. It just kind of snaps around the gray harness and is easy to remove.

View attachment 354

4. There are blue and black wires on the harness. I used a multimeter to check which one is live and as you might have guess, the blue wire carries the 12V signal. I also re-confirmed that for my car, the power goes and and off with the car.

View attachment 357

5. For my purpose, I spliced the blue wire with my remote turn-on wire, soldered the connection and taped everything up with electrical tape. Tested the remote wire for continuity before putting everything back together. The only "oh crap" moment of this project was when I was stripping the blue wire with a utility blade and slightly nicked the wrapped trim. 🤬 It's tiny and nobody else would likely notice but I'm going to see it every time I get in the car. It's right on the edge that gets covered by the plastic cover, so I may at some point in the future try to remove the whole trim piece and then pull and reglue the vinyl so that the nick is fully covered by the cover.

Anyway, I hope this info proves useful for someone. At the time of this writing (April 2020) the CX-30 (and the similar Mazda 3) is so new that I can't find a lot of "how-to" guides on the various forums out there. In a separate post, I'll share how I managed to find input signals for my powered subwoofer.

As part of my efforts to add an underseat powered subwoofer, I needed to find a connection for my remote turn-on wire. As I mentioned in another post, my Thailand assembled model has a cigarette socket in the center storage bin that goes on and off with the car (I recognize that models in other countries vary). As such, I wanted to tap the 12v line for that socket. I found that it is quite straightforward to access the back of the panel that contains the USB, SD card slot and 12V socket.

1. Lift the center armrest and then remove the plastic cover that sits below the center console by pulling it up and back. Here's a picture of the piece and the clips on the back and how the console looks with it removed. As a side note, I discoved that thet wrapped trim (see arrows) that surrounds the storage bin outwards is connected with clips and simply pops out. I don't think it's really necessary to pull it away in order to remove the plastic cover, but this may be helpful info to someone trying to remove that trim piece.

View attachment 348 View attachment 349 View attachment 350

2. Pull the panel that holds the USB, SD and socket backwards. It pops out pretty easily, but be careful as you are obviously pulling on the wiring harnesses that connect these items.

View attachment 351 View attachment 353

3) On the back of the 12v socket, there's a gray wiring harness with a blue clip around it. The blue clip has to be removed before the harness can be pulled out of the socket. It just kind of snaps around the gray harness and is easy to remove.

View attachment 354

4. There are blue and black wires on the harness. I used a multimeter to check which one is live and as you might have guess, the blue wire carries the 12V signal. I also re-confirmed that for my car, the power goes and and off with the car.

View attachment 357

5. For my purpose, I spliced the blue wire with my remote turn-on wire, soldered the connection and taped everything up with electrical tape. Tested the remote wire for continuity before putting everything back together. The only "oh crap" moment of this project was when I was stripping the blue wire with a utility blade and slightly nicked the wrapped trim. 🤬 It's tiny and nobody else would likely notice but I'm going to see it every time I get in the car. It's right on the edge that gets covered by the plastic cover, so I may at some point in the future try to remove the whole trim piece and then pull and reglue the vinyl so that the nick is fully covered by the cover.

Anyway, I hope this info proves useful for someone. At the time of this writing (April 2020) the CX-30 (and the similar Mazda 3) is so new that I can't find a lot of "how-to" guides on the various forums out there. In a separate post, I'll share how I managed to find input signals for my powered subwoofer.

A great advice from you, thanks
hope we'll see each other

I also in Bangkok.

 

[Jayblesz]

As part of my efforts to add an underseat powered subwoofer, I needed to find a connection for my remote turn-on wire. As I mentioned in another post, my Thailand assembled model has a cigarette socket in the center storage bin that goes on and off with the car (I recognize that models in other countries vary). As such, I wanted to tap the 12v line for that socket. I found that it is quite straightforward to access the back of the panel that contains the USB, SD card slot and 12V socket.

1. Lift the center armrest and then remove the plastic cover that sits below the center console by pulling it up and back. Here's a picture of the piece and the clips on the back and how the console looks with it removed. As a side note, I discoved that thet wrapped trim (see arrows) that surrounds the storage bin outwards is connected with clips and simply pops out. I don't think it's really necessary to pull it away in order to remove the plastic cover, but this may be helpful info to someone trying to remove that trim piece.

View attachment 348 View attachment 349 View attachment 350

2. Pull the panel that holds the USB, SD and socket backwards. It pops out pretty easily, but be careful as you are obviously pulling on the wiring harnesses that connect these items.

View attachment 351 View attachment 353

3) On the back of the 12v socket, there's a gray wiring harness with a blue clip around it. The blue clip has to be removed before the harness can be pulled out of the socket. It just kind of snaps around the gray harness and is easy to remove.

View attachment 354

4. There are blue and black wires on the harness. I used a multimeter to check which one is live and as you might have guess, the blue wire carries the 12V signal. I also re-confirmed that for my car, the power goes and and off with the car.

View attachment 357

5. For my purpose, I spliced the blue wire with my remote turn-on wire, soldered the connection and taped everything up with electrical tape. Tested the remote wire for continuity before putting everything back together. The only "oh crap" moment of this project was when I was stripping the blue wire with a utility blade and slightly nicked the wrapped trim. 🤬 It's tiny and nobody else would likely notice but I'm going to see it every time I get in the car. It's right on the edge that gets covered by the plastic cover, so I may at some point in the future try to remove the whole trim piece and then pull and reglue the vinyl so that the nick is fully covered by the cover.

Anyway, I hope this info proves useful for someone. At the time of this writing (April 2020) the CX-30 (and the similar Mazda 3) is so new that I can't find a lot of "how-to" guides on the various forums out there. In a separate post, I'll share how I managed to find input signals for my powered subwoofer.

Thank you so much for making this post. I've been scratching my head about hardwiring a dashcam, and thought "...if there is some way to tap into the 12v socket from behind, that should work..." And low and behold, you have a how-to on removing the trim and tapping into it!

Have you had any issues with the Mazda electronic system or the power to your sub since the install? I'm planning on splicing off a wire to run back behind the glovebox and use as ACC for a hardwire dashcam install, using one of the live fuses from the interior fuse box for +, and grounding there or behind the glove box. Would be great to know if you faced any issues tapping directly into the wire it's self.
Cheers

 

[abejo72]

As part of my efforts to add an underseat powered subwoofer, I needed to find a connection for my remote turn-on wire. As I mentioned in another post, my Thailand assembled model has a cigarette socket in the center storage bin that goes on and off with the car (I recognize that models in other countries vary). As such, I wanted to tap the 12v line for that socket. I found that it is quite straightforward to access the back of the panel that contains the USB, SD card slot and 12V socket.

1. Lift the center armrest and then remove the plastic cover that sits below the center console by pulling it up and back. Here's a picture of the piece and the clips on the back and how the console looks with it removed. As a side note, I discoved that thet wrapped trim (see arrows) that surrounds the storage bin outwards is connected with clips and simply pops out. I don't think it's really necessary to pull it away in order to remove the plastic cover, but this may be helpful info to someone trying to remove that trim piece.

View attachment 348 View attachment 349 View attachment 350

2. Pull the panel that holds the USB, SD and socket backwards. It pops out pretty easily, but be careful as you are obviously pulling on the wiring harnesses that connect these items.

View attachment 351 View attachment 353

3) On the back of the 12v socket, there's a gray wiring harness with a blue clip around it. The blue clip has to be removed before the harness can be pulled out of the socket. It just kind of snaps around the gray harness and is easy to remove.

View attachment 354

4. There are blue and black wires on the harness. I used a multimeter to check which one is live and as you might have guess, the blue wire carries the 12V signal. I also re-confirmed that for my car, the power goes and and off with the car.

View attachment 357

5. For my purpose, I spliced the blue wire with my remote turn-on wire, soldered the connection and taped everything up with electrical tape. Tested the remote wire for continuity before putting everything back together. The only "oh crap" moment of this project was when I was stripping the blue wire with a utility blade and slightly nicked the wrapped trim. 🤬 It's tiny and nobody else would likely notice but I'm going to see it every time I get in the car. It's right on the edge that gets covered by the plastic cover, so I may at some point in the future try to remove the whole trim piece and then pull and reglue the vinyl so that the nick is fully covered by the cover.

Anyway, I hope this info proves useful for someone. At the time of this writing (April 2020) the CX-30 (and the similar Mazda 3) is so new that I can't find a lot of "how-to" guides on the various forums out there. In a separate post, I'll share how I managed to find input signals for my powered subwoofer.

Hi, do yo mind showing front pic of the connector? Maybe I can create a harness that could pnp with it without damaging the wire

 

[Gearman]

What a bummer, on my 2021 this wire stays hot even after the doors lock and lights time out. Will keep searching.

Here is a photo of plug

 

[Gearman]

quick update. Since I have a north america car. Had to run a wire through the firewall to the fuse box under the hood. What a PITA. But now dash cam and radar work how I want.

 

[conwelpic]

quick update. Since I have a north america car. Had to run a wire through the firewall to the fuse box under the hood. What a PITA. But now dash cam and radar work how I want.

any reason you couldn't use the inside fuse box?

 

[Shawk]

I went about installing a relay to tap always on power from the interior fuse box (they are all always on smh) and tapped the wireless charger cable which itself tapped a ecu cable right above the interior fuse box for signal on ignition 1. Running an escort radar and a blackview dual cam with battery back up.

Good to you had success with the center console route.

 

[Gearman]

any reason you couldn't use the inside fuse box?

All fuses under dash are always powered. Needed a fuse that only has power when ignition is on..... I have spent every day since I bought the car a month ago trying to get radar and dash cam set up like I had in my 3.....
But in my searches, thats how I came across this forum.

 

[kbabb1978]

What a bummer, on my 2021 this wire stays hot even after the doors lock and lights time out. Will keep searching.

Here is a photo of plug

View attachment 3114
View attachment 3115

Me too! In US with a 2022 Cx30 Select.
Did you figure this one out? I got these fuse wire thingies but don’t know if there are any ignition accessory (only) powered fuses on the inside fuse box. Thanks in advance!! Hope you’re enjoying your CX30

 

[woodbar]

Many thanks to the OP for the instructions on accessing the wiring at the back of the 12v outlet, most useful.

Unfortunately by the time I found that I had decided on a different route having already needed a main battery replacement in my CX-30 (under warranty) I had only had for 2 weeks as I managed to deep discharge the battery whilst just installing my dashcam - with the car door open and the remote in my pocket for about an hour! What an absolutely ludicrous power control system that keeps all internal fuses live and turns on numerous current guzzling systems as soon as you even think of going near the car with the remote in your pocket! I think the designers had been smoking something that day!

I started off by powering the dashcam from the front USB but quickly found that this turned on when you went near the car with the key (I think) and stayed live for quite some time when you turned the ignition off, exited, locked the car and put the key well away from the car - insane power control algorithm, especially considering the rather puny main battery size and capacity! Also the dealer insisted I must unplug the camera from the USB EVERYTIME I switched the car off even when I told them that it was just a power cable and did not present as having any data/music signals at all so could not "fool" the system that something was still connected after the USB eventually powered down. This was met with pointed denial and derision until I suggested they stop trying to blame a customer for Mazda's totally inept design, and for circumstances that would be normal use on any other make of vehicle and is not even mentioned in the user manual!

Luckily I found that the UK models actually control the 12v outlet in the centre console via the conventional "ACC" mode so I ended up sourcing a neat 12v to USB adapter:

Amazon.co.uk

which has both "C" and "B" type outlets on the very compact plug, as well as a battery voltage display although that is difficult to read due to the orientation of the socket, with an extension cable feeding a small unit containing an LED indicator plus 2 of "B" and 1 of "C" outlets.

The 12v plug is a nice firm fit in the Mazda socket and the cover flap is just the right size to stop it vibrating loose. The cable is JUST long enough to feed around the inside top of the centre console, exiting beside one of the lid hinges, down the side of the console, (all fixed with self small self adhesive clips) under the carpet/mat and the extension unit is mounted right at the bottom of the passenger B pillar.

Overall this works very well - it immediately turns on and off with the ACC/IGN switched positions and is an excellent location for being able to connect the front an rear cameras (independent at the moment) by running the cables along underneath the threshold covers (which just pull off) for the front and rear doors etc.

Does the trick and as it is only a 2 wire system connected to the car then once it gets turned off even the Mazda "stealth" power control system CANNOT know the plug is still inserted! I hope?

Did not think to take any pics at the time - will try and add some IF the car battery does not go flat whilst I have the door open for 5 minutes