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Aera 660 audio wiring

jbDC9

Well Known Member
I searched the archives for an answer here but didn't find it, so here goes...

I'm installing a Garmin Aera 660 GPS in my new panel and need to connect the audio, but I don't have a "true" audio panel; I'm using the AP-60 audio panel which then feeds my existing intercom. The 660 has stereo audio output with Left, Right and Common wires... so help the dummy here (me); how do I wire the L/R audio channels to the mono AP-60 audio panel? Or do I just pick a single channel and connect it?

Thanks!
JB
 
Do you have two free inputs? Connect left to one, right to another, common to the ground. It will ?mix?; you?ll hear left and right together in each ear, not stereo.
 
You can tie L and R together into the single input if you don't care about stereo audio.

Actually that's a bad idea, if you need to tie them together do it using something like 1K resistors and 'Y' them together.
 
I searched the archives for an answer here but didn't find it, so here goes...

I'm installing a Garmin Aera 660 GPS in my new panel and need to connect the audio, but I don't have a "true" audio panel; I'm using the AP-60 audio panel which then feeds my existing intercom. The 660 has stereo audio output with Left, Right and Common wires... so help the dummy here (me); how do I wire the L/R audio channels to the mono AP-60 audio panel? Or do I just pick a single channel and connect it?

Thanks!
JB

This was previously answered in this post.

In a mono audio installation, just connect the Audio Left and Audio Common from the Aera 660 bare wire cable. Leave the Audio Right disconnected.

Never tie the left/right channels together.

Steve
 
Last edited:
This was previously answered in this post.

In a mono audio installation, just connect the Audio Left and Audio Common from the Aera 660 bare wire cable. Leave the Audio Right disconnected.

Never tie the left/right channels together.

Steve
Ah, exactly the info from Garmin that I needed! Apparently my forum search mojo is pretty weak... thanks Steve!
 
Actually that's a bad idea, if you need to tie them together do it using something like 1K resistors and 'Y' them together.
I guess this is "best practices" trumping what has worked in limited practise for me in the past. I've never blown anything up, but we should be following good practises. Point taken.
 
Aera 660 Audio

If you are connecting the 660 with its separate XM Satt Weather and Radio the XM Audio only comes out of the XM reciever, no XM audio from the 660 at all, 660 Recieves WX and does the XM tuning and adjusts audio volume (via Bluetooth). Go Figure?
This little tidbit was definitely not clear in the instructions.
 
If you are connecting the 660 with its separate XM Satt Weather and Radio the XM Audio only comes out of the XM reciever, no XM audio from the 660 at all, 660 Recieves WX and does the XM tuning and adjusts audio volume (via Bluetooth). Go Figure?
This little tidbit was definitely not clear in the instructions.

As it should be. Let the GDL 52(R) take care of the sattelite radio audio. The only audio coming from the 660 is B*#'n Betty for terrain and traffic. I personally skip wiring the audio connections from the aera 660 to the audio panel or intercom because I find the alerts annoying. I do wire in the stereo audio from the GDL 52(R) or GDU w/SXM. To each his own.

By the way, the aera doesn't just control the XM channels and audio by Bluetooth. That is an option. It's native control is better hardwired to the GDL 5X(R) for control over the RS232 interface via the oprional bare wire kit.
 
area 660 audio test doesn’t work

Hi Steve,

I have installed a area 660 with bare wire cable in my aircraft. Everything was working fine, since a short time the is no more audio from the device. What can be the reason? Wiring is good, have tested with a other unit.

Regard
gflyer
 
Hi Steve,

I have installed a area 660 with bare wire cable in my aircraft. Everything was working fine, since a short time the is no more audio from the device. What can be the reason? Wiring is good, have tested with a other unit.

Regard
gflyer

gflyer,

Sorry to hear that you lost your audio.

What troubleshooting steps have you taken besides trying another Aera 660 unit?

I would start by going to the Aera 660 Sound Setup page and make sure that audio has not been accidentally muted and make sure that all your volumes are up high enough to break squelch on your audio panel input. Also make sure that the desired types of audio are enabled on that page.

There is a Play Test Audio button on the Sound Setup page that can be used to test your volume setting changes.

I would also clean the contacts on the back of the Aera 660 with a soft cloth and alcohol in case the audio output contact has become oxidized.

If you are using Audio Left and Audio Common to drive your audio panel, you could also try switching to using Audio Right and Audio Common in case the left channel has developed a problem.

Steve
 
gflyer,

Sorry to hear that you lost your audio.

What troubleshooting steps have you taken besides trying another Aera 660 unit?

I would start by going to the Aera 660 Sound Setup page and make sure that audio has not been accidentally muted and make sure that all your volumes are up high enough to break squelch on your audio panel input. Also make sure that the desired types of audio are enabled on that page.

There is a Play Test Audio button on the Sound Setup page that can be used to test your volume setting changes.

I would also clean the contacts on the back of the Aera 660 with a soft cloth and alcohol in case the audio output contact has become oxidized.

If you are using Audio Left and Audio Common to drive your audio panel, you could also try switching to using Audio Right and Audio Common in case the left channel has developed a problem.

Steve

Hi Steve,

thank you for quick answer. I know the sound setup page, set everything back to default and tried several times. Contacts seams to be fine, but no sound. I can try again cleaning them but I think this would’nt help. Can try the other channel as you told. For the case the unit is faulty, is there a repair service and how much would it be?

gflyer
 
Hi Steve,

thank you for quick answer. I know the sound setup page, set everything back to default and tried several times. Contacts seams to be fine, but no sound. I can try again cleaning them but I think this would’nt help. Can try the other channel as you told. For the case the unit is faulty, is there a repair service and how much would it be?

gflyer
gflyer,

What device and what input in your aircraft are you connecting the Aera 660 audio to?

I see that restoring the defaults on the Sound Setup Page sets the master volume to 50%. Is that enough to overcome the threshold on your audio input?

In other words, I would try raising all the volumes to 100% just to rule out this potential problem.

Garmin has a web page that lets you look up the out-of-warranty repair cost.

Steve
 
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