MEKEDE Car Optical Fiber Decoder Box User Manual

1. Introduction

This manual provides detailed instructions for the installation, operation, and maintenance of your MEKEDE Car Optical Fiber Decoder Box. This device is designed to integrate aftermarket head units with the original BOSE audio amplifier system in specific Mercedes Benz models (CLS, SLK/SL CLASS W211, W219, W220) by converting RCA audio signals to optical fiber signals.

Figure 1: MEKEDE Optical Fiber Decoder Box

2. Safety Information

• Professional Installation Recommended: This product involves electronic circuits and specific installation processes. Incorrect installation can lead to functional abnormalities, damage to the device or vehicle, and safety hazards. It is strongly recommended that installation be performed by qualified professional personnel.
• Power Disconnection: Always disconnect the vehicle's battery before beginning any installation to prevent electrical shorts and damage.
• Handle with Care: Avoid dropping or subjecting the device to strong impacts.
• Keep Out of Reach of Children: This product contains small parts and electronic components that could be hazardous if mishandled by children.
• Operating Voltage: Ensure the device is only connected to a 12V DC power supply.
• Environmental Conditions: Do not expose the device to extreme temperatures, direct sunlight, moisture, or corrosive environments.

3. Package Contents

Please check the package contents upon receipt. If any items are missing or damaged, contact your vendor immediately.

• MEKEDE Optical Fiber Decoder Box
• Power and RCA Audio Cable Harness

Figure 2: Decoder Box and included cables

4. Setup and Installation

The MEKEDE Optical Fiber Decoder Box converts external RCA audio signals from your aftermarket head unit into optical fiber signals, which are then transmitted to your vehicle's original amplifier. This allows the original car's sound system to function with the new head unit.

4.1. Before You Begin

• Ensure the vehicle's battery is disconnected.
• Identify the location of your vehicle's audio screen host or power amplifier, as this is where the decoder box will be installed.
• Confirm your vehicle model (Mercedes-Benz CLS, SLK/SL CLASS W211, W219, W220) and that it uses a BOSE audio system.

4.2. Decoder Box Overview

Figure 3: Rear view of the decoder box showing Fiber-Optic Interface and Power Socket.

4.3. Wiring Diagram

Figure 4: Wiring connections for the decoder box.

• 1. BATTERY B+ Cable: Connect to the positive pole of the car battery.
• 2. GND Cable: Connect to the vehicle's ground cable.
• 3 & 4. AUX-RIN AUX-LIN: Connect to the Front Right and Front Left AUX audio output ports of your aftermarket head unit.

4.4. Installation Steps

Follow these steps carefully for proper installation:

1. Prepare the Decoder Box: Take the black plug out of the decoder box, then remove the plastic protective cover from the plug.
2. Connect Fiber Optic Cable: Connect the factory car fiber optic interface to the black plug you just prepared. Then, reinsert this plug assembly back into the decoder box.
3. Connect Power and Audio Cables: Connect the BATTERY B+ cable (yellow) to the car's positive power, the GND cable (black) to the car's ground, and the AUX-RIN (red) and AUX-LIN (white) RCA cables to the corresponding audio output ports of your aftermarket head unit.

Important Note: If you connect the cables and find that the sound is abnormal, this typically indicates an issue with the vehicle's fiber communication system not communicating normally, rather than a problem with the fiber conversion module itself. Professional diagnosis may be required.

5. Operating Instructions

This section details the operation of the connected head unit's interface, which is now integrated with your vehicle's audio system via the MEKEDE Optical Fiber Decoder Box. Note that some functions or settings may differ slightly depending on the specific head unit model.

5.1. The Main Interface

• [Icon] Click on the icon.
• [Home Icon] Click to return to the main interface.
• [Window Icon] Click to open the recently run program.
• [X Icon] Click to close the screen, and then click anywhere on the screen to resume.
• [Return Arrow Icon] To return to the icon, press this button on any interface to return to the previous interface.

Meaning of Status Bar Icons

• [USB Icon] Read USB device display.
• [Time Display, e.g., 1:56] The current system display time is shown here.
• [Bluetooth Icon] This icon is highlighted to indicate that the Bluetooth connection has succeeded.
• [GPS Icon] The GPS icon.
• [Network Icon] This icon is highlighted to indicate that the network connection has been successful.

Other Operation Instructions (General)

• In any interface, slide down from the top of the display screen to access the drop-down menu. Here you can view system notifications, adjust brightness, volume, open Settings, manage wireless network connections, and more.
• Long press an application icon on the main interface to move its location or delete third-party applications.

5.2. The Radio

• [Radio Icon] Click on the icon to access the radio.
• FM-1: The radio includes FM1, FM2, FM3 bands. Click the switch to select the desired band (blue button is selected).
• [Band Switch Icon] Click to automatically switch bands.
• [Search Icon] Click to search for stations.
• [Browse/Save Icon] Click to browse or save the radio station.
• [Browse Station Icon] Click to browse the radio station.
• [EQ Icon] Click to enter the EQ (Equalizer) interface.
• [Forward Tune Icon] Click forward to fine-tune the search. You can also drag the progress bar to search stations manually.
• [Backward Tune Icon] Click backward to fine-tune the search. You can also drag the progress bar to search stations manually.
• [Frequency Scale Bar] This is the radio frequency scale bar.
• [Cursor] Cursor for radio frequency selection.

Radio Settings

• Factory Settings: In the setting interface, select "Radio Settings", enter the password, and click to enter its interface.
• Local Setting: Click "Local Setting". A pop-up will appear where you can select the required area. Click "OK" to confirm or "Cancel" to exit.
• RDS (Radio Data System): Click the RDS option to turn it on or off. When on, the radio interface will display RDS keys.
  • Click the RDS button on the radio interface to open a pop-up with 32 mode options.
  • RDS and PTY: RDS has two modes: TA and AF.
  • AF (Auto Focus): Automatically searches other channels of the current radio station to find a better and stable frequency than the original signal.
  • TA (Traffic Announcement): For traffic program/traffic announcement detection and automatic switching.
  • TP (Traffic Program): Indicates whether the current radio station supports traffic signals. Only supported stations will receive TA information.
• [Search Button] Click the search button on the radio interface. When searching and browsing, a blue indicator will appear to remind you that you are searching or browsing.

Other Radio Operation: Directly slide the frequency bar to drag to the station frequency you want.

5.3. Music Player

• [Playlist Icon] Click to view playlist, favorite list, and recent playlist. Click to collect songs; the collection icon turns red for successful collection.
• [Folder Icon] Click to view file library.
• [Shuffle Icon] The current playing mode is random. Click to switch to cyclic list mode/single playing mode.
• [Repeat All Icon] The current playing mode is circular list play. Click to switch to random play mode/single play mode.
• [Repeat One Icon] The current play mode is single play. Click to switch to cyclic list mode/random play mode.
• [Play Icon] Click to play music.
• [Pause Icon] Click to pause music.
• [Previous Track Icon] Click to switch to the previous song.
• [Next Track Icon] Click to switch to the next song.
• [Sound Effect Settings Icon] Click to enter the sound effect settings.

Other Music Player Operations:

• To delete a song, enter the list of songs, then long-press the name of the song.
• When playing music, slide the play progress bar to drag to the desired track time.

5.4. Video Player

• [Video Icon] Click on the icon to access the video player.
• Click to play all video files on HD and USB. Swipe left to see all video lists.
• Swipe right to see the list of videos currently playing.
• [Play Video Icon] Hit play video.
• [Pause Video Icon] Pause the video.
• [Previous Video Icon] Click to switch to the previous video.
• [Next Video Icon] Click to switch to the next video.
• [Zoom In Icon] Zoom in on the video.
• [Zoom Out Icon] Zoom out of the video.

Other Video Player Operations: When the video is playing, slide the playback progress bar to drag to the desired track time.

5.5. Bluetooth

• [Bluetooth Icon] Click on the icon to access Bluetooth settings.
• If Bluetooth is not connected, the input field will display "Bluetooth is not connected".
• If Bluetooth is connected, the input field will display "Bluetooth connected successfully".
• If "Bluetooth is not connected" appears, click the button to enter the Bluetooth setting interface.
• [Dialing Icon] Click to enter the Bluetooth dialing interface.
• [Contacts Icon] Click to enter the Bluetooth contact interface.
• [Call Recording Icon] Click to enter the Bluetooth call recording interface.
• [Collection Icon] Click to enter the Bluetooth collection interface.
• After successful Bluetooth connection, the dial button is displayed, and you can directly dial numbers.
• [Hang Up Icon] Click to hang up the number.
• [Answer Call Icon] Click to answer the number.
• [Speaker Icon - Car] The current call audio is from the car terminal. Click to switch to the mobile terminal.
• [Speaker Icon - Mobile] The current call audio is from the mobile terminal. Click to switch to the car terminal.
• [Call Record Sync Icon] Call record: click to update the record on the mobile terminal and synchronize it to the car terminal.
• [Historical Dialing Sync Icon] Historical dialing records: click to update the records on the mobile terminal and synchronize them to the car terminal.
• [Missed Call Sync Icon] If you miss a call record, click to update the record on the mobile terminal and synchronize it to the car terminal.
• [Address Book Sync Icon] Click to update the address book on the car terminal. You can check the address book on the bus terminal.

Bluetooth Music

Prerequisite: The mobile phone must be connected to the car via Bluetooth.

• [Bluetooth Music Icon] Click on the icon.
• [Play Music Icon] Hit Play music.
• [Pause Music Icon] Click pause music.
• [Previous Song Icon] Click to switch to the previous song.
• [Next Song Icon] Click to switch to the next song.

5.6. Sound Settings

• Click to select different types of preset sound effects.
• The user mode can be customized to adjust the frequency band.
• Heavy bass and surround sound can be customized.
• Click the "Reset" button to restore the sound effect setting parameters to the default state.

5.7. File Manager

• Can be used for file query, file expansion, and more.
• Can query pictures, video, audio, recent files. Download pictures, storage space, pictures, video, audio can be copied to the specified location.

5.8. Steering Wheel Key Learning

• Click the "Select button" to select the learning button.
• Select buttons including: mode, power supply, navigation, main interface, volume +, volume -, FM, AM, search radio, previous song, next song, play/pause, mute, return, Bluetooth, hang up, answer, APP. Light up the required button and click "OK". Up to 12 buttons can be selected.
• Choose "Short/long press" for the button action.
• Start: Click start, select a function, and press the button on the steering wheel to learn successfully. Long or short press is optional.
• Restore factory: Remove all keys to learn operation and restore to factory state.
• Save: After learning, click save to exit the application.

5.9. Car Settings

On-board Settings include: [Network] [Bluetooth] [display] [sleep] [body Settings] [navigation Settings] [Factory Settings] [More Settings] [About the car machine]

Part 1: Network

• Click into the WIFI connection interface. Optional network manual connection.
• Click on Advanced Show Flight Mode, VPN, private DNS.

Part 2: Bluetooth

• Click to enter the interface for pairing with new devices.
• The device name can be used to search for all open Bluetooth, and the device can be paired by itself.
• Click the connection preference Settings to set the page.

Part 3: Display Settings

• Click to enter the interface to set the brightness settings of day and night and wallpaper settings.

Part 4: Dormancy

• Click to enter the hibernation interface to set the hibernation aging and hibernation mode.

Part 5: Body Setup

• You can enter the handbrake detection setting, and you can choose to open, close, and cover respectively.

Part 6: Navigation Settings

• Enter the third-party navigation softening, which can be manually selected.
• Mixing ratio: The ratio of the volume played simultaneously with other audio when the navigation voice is broadcast.

Part 7: Factory Setup

• (This does not support customer operations)

Part 8: More Settings

• System Settings:
  • System restart: Manual restart of on-board equipment.
  • Restore factory Settings: Restore factory Settings with one key (Note: restoring factory Settings will clear files in the system; operate carefully).
• Voice and input method:
  • Pronunciation: You can add the required language.
  • Keyboard and input method: The input method can be switched.
  • Advanced: Input help item is currently displayed (pointer speed item has been added).
• Date and time: Optional automatic network time and manual adjustment time.
• Sound: Adjust and set the main volume, installation media volume, Bluetooth volume, media volume when backing up, Bluetooth ringtone volume, and navigation volume (to restore original state, click to reset yourself).

Part 9: About the Machine

• Display vehicle-mounted Android basic information, storage information, hardware information, and system information.

Part 10: Sound Setting (Boot Memory Volume Range)

• Pull down and click sound setting in the drop-down bar or enter the setting. Click sound setting to enter the sound setting interface.
• Click the "BOOT MEMORY VOLUME RANGE" button to open the boot memory volume range setting interface.
• If the main volume is 10 when you turn it off, but you set the boot memory to 13-30, the main volume defaults to 13 when you turn it on again. If the main volume is 33 when you turn it off, the main volume defaults to 30 when you turn it on again.

5.10. CPlink (CarPlay)

CPlink is the application that supports wireless and wired CarPlay functionality, an in-vehicle system by Apple.

Wireless Connection Steps:

1. Connect the car's Bluetooth with an iPhone.
2. Enter the CPlink application and wait for the connection.

Wired Connection Steps:

1. Enter the CPlink application.
2. Plug the iPhone USB cable into the 4-pin USB port and wait for the connection.

5.11. AndroidAuto

AndroidAuto is the application that supports wireless and wired connection of mobile phones with AndroidAuto functionality, an in-vehicle system by Google.

Wireless Connection Steps:

1. Connect the car's Bluetooth with an Android mobile phone.
2. Enter the AndroidAuto application and wait for the connection.

Wired Connection Steps:

1. Enter the AndroidAuto application.
2. Plug the Android mobile phone USB cable into the 4-pin USB port and wait for the connection.

6. Maintenance

• Cleaning: Use a soft, dry cloth to clean the exterior of the decoder box. Do not use harsh chemicals, solvents, or abrasive cleaners.
• Cable Inspection: Periodically check all connected cables for any signs of wear, damage, or loose connections.
• Environmental Protection: Ensure the device remains in a dry, stable environment within the vehicle, away from direct heat sources or excessive moisture.
• No User-Serviceable Parts: The decoder box contains no user-serviceable parts. Do not attempt to open or repair the device yourself, as this will void the warranty.

7. Troubleshooting

• No Sound or Abnormal Sound:
  • Check all wiring connections (B+, GND, RCA audio, fiber optic) to ensure they are secure and correctly connected according to the wiring diagram.
  • Verify that the aftermarket head unit is outputting audio correctly via its RCA outputs.
  • Ensure the vehicle's fiber communication system is functioning correctly. Abnormal sound often indicates an issue with the car's fiber network, not the decoder box.
  • Confirm the decoder box is receiving power (12V).
• Intermittent Sound:
  • Check for loose connections in any of the cables.
  • Ensure the fiber optic cable is not bent sharply or damaged, as this can disrupt signal transmission.
• Device Not Powering On:
  • Verify the B+ and GND connections are secure and providing proper power.
  • Check the vehicle's fuse for the audio system.

If you continue to experience issues after performing these checks, please consult a professional car audio technician or contact MEKEDE customer support.

8. Specifications

9. User Tips

Based on common user experiences:

• Always double-check the compatibility of your specific Mercedes Benz model and audio system (BOSE) before installation.
• When troubleshooting sound issues, first verify the integrity of the vehicle's existing fiber optic network, as this is a common point of failure when integrating aftermarket systems.
• Ensure all RCA connections from the head unit are securely plugged into the decoder box to prevent audio signal loss or interference.

(No specific user tips were available from provided buyer reviews or Q&A content.)

10. Warranty and Support

• Warranty Period: MEKEDE products typically come with a 1-year factory warranty.
• Warranty Extension: The warranty may be extended to 2 years if you provide a 5-star review and share installation photos, then provide feedback to MEKEDE.
• Returns and Replacements: If the product has a problem within 365 days of receipt confirmation, MEKEDE supports free return and refund within 15 days, or direct replacement of the machine. Please contact MEKEDE support first to communicate any issues.
• Software Updates: MEKEDE provides free updates for Firmware, Software, UI, and GPS Navigation maps.
• Customer Support: For technical assistance, troubleshooting, or warranty claims, please contact MEKEDE customer support through your purchase platform or official channels.

Important Notice: This product involves electronic circuits and special installation processes. Non-professional operation may result in functional abnormalities and safety hazards. Always install and operate under the guidance of professional personnel. Keep this product out of reach of children.