How to use Tow/Haul shifter buttons to control Android radio

[hekg]

Hi all. I bought a very nice Escalade shift lever with the tow/haul and up/down buttons for my OBS Tahoe. I also have an Android radio which has two cables called Key1 and Key2 to connect to steering wheel controls for volume and other radio functions.

Does anybody know how I can use the shifter's cables to somehow connect to my radio and use those buttons as if they were steering wheel radio buttons?

The shifter has four cables but I have no idea which cable or cable combination controls which button.

According to the radio documentation, key 1 and key 2 produce +5 volts and one or both of those wires in combination with ground, allow you to read steering wheel button resistance."

You must be registered for see images attach

 

[hekg]

I was able to figure out how to properly connect this Escalade shifter to control my Android/Carplay radio.

There are two white wires and two black wires that come out of the shifter. I connected one of the white cables to a body ground and the other white cable to my radio's cable labeled KEY 2. Then I went into the radio's steering wheel control options page and I selected the MUTE button then held down the shifter's thumb button for 1 second until the radio learned it and assigned it to the mute audio function.

I did the same with the black cables as well, I connected one of the black cables to a body ground and I connected the other black cable to the radio's KEY 1 cable. Then I went back to the steering wheel controls option page on the radio and I selected the VOL + button then I held down the + button on the shifter for one second and I did the same thing for the - button.

Now I can mute the radio or put the volume up or down from my shifter. These radios have a ton of other options that you can assign to the shifter's buttons or any other aftermarket steering wheel control buttons.

These radios are very cool and give your rig most of the options that the fancy Tesla screens have! You can use Apple maps, Waze maps, Google satellite views maps which is my favorite because you see real world images as you drive instead of just map graphics, youtube, Netflix, OBD2, tire pressure monitoring if you get the bluetooth tire pressure caps which I love, etc.
It's like having an entire iPad or tablet on your dash and all of its functions depending on the apps that you install plus actual old school live radio tuning of course. Highly recommended!

I bought mine on amazon if interested in one you can check it out here https://amzn.to/2P7XCLq

 

[xjsciortino]

Very cool. Been meaning to update my single din to a double din. I think this would be a great upgrade. I've noticed a lot of the newer radios are much easier to program buttons for, just never thought of something like this. Thanks for the information

 

[hekg]

Very cool. Been meaning to update my single din to a double din. I think this would be a great upgrade. I've noticed a lot of the newer radios are much easier to program buttons for, just never thought of something like this. Thanks for the information

No problem.

For the price of most standard aftermarket radios nowadays you can get yourself one of these super radios that can pretty much do anything that a computer or a phone can do. I'm very happy with this upgrade.