Thank you for being a valued part of the CNET community. As of December 1, 2020, the forums are in read-only format. In early 2021, CNET Forums will no longer be available. We are grateful for the participation and advice you have provided to one another over the years.

Thanks,

CNET Support

Question

2 Pin DIM Converter/Adapter Help

Hello,

I have a receiver that only has an output to what I guess is a 2 DIN Pin speaker. It has two prongs, like an electrical outlet, except the bottom prong is vertical and the top prong is horizontal. What is this called?

Now to what I really need. Is there a converter or adapter to plug in to the back of this receiver that has an RCA female outlet?

Discussion is locked

- Collapse -
Answer
Sadly it's called a connector.
May 7, 2015 4:28AM PDT

And one of the big issues with connectors is there are so many of them. Back in the 1980's GM had some 36,000 different connectors in use across the product lines. They eventually figured out that this was not a good idea.

In your case it's just 2 connections. What any good tech can do is to replace these with something available in your area or make that adapter.

Need proof there are over a million connectors out there? Look at http://www.mouser.com/Connectors/_/N-5g3y
Bob

- Collapse -
My bet is it was a DIN connector. Still thousands out there.
May 7, 2015 6:14AM PDT
- Collapse -
Answer
How about a little more details?
May 7, 2015 6:08AM PDT

Let's start with what DIM stand for. What receiver, what speakers, RCA outlets? Yeah lots of missing details.

- Collapse -
Craig Pioneer 3203

I have a Craig Pioneer 3203 8 track tape deck. The speakers were made specifically for this unit, and there is no name, number, or anything on the speakers. I guess the first step is to find out exactly what this connector is called, so I can see if there are adapters for it. I have a photo of it, if I can figure out how to attach it to this message.

My ultimate goal is to give this unit an output so I can transfer 8 tracks. Now, you may think that just getting a different 8 track player would be easier, but I'm here to tell you that I have worried with that for the past two weeks. I have driven many miles and paid a lot of money for things that are ultimately useless for my purposes. Either the players drag, enormous volume (to the point of distortion), or the head is messed up. I'm not a mechanical type of person, but I did manage to take my console apart and look at everything. Cleaning doesn't help, the belts look fine, etc.

The only problem with this Craig Pioneer is the fact that it has no outputs. This unit plays 8 tracks like nothing I have heard before, and the speakers sound so good that I would hate to permanently mess them up, because they fit nothing else that I have. It would render them useless. That's why I am hoping there is an adapter that will fit the back of this unit with an RCA plug so I can eventually transfer the 8 tracks.

- Collapse -
Pioneer Speaker Plugs
- Collapse -
So you could wire up that to some RCA pig tail?
May 7, 2015 9:28AM PDT
- Collapse -
It doesn't look like anything special.
May 7, 2015 9:42AM PDT

To me it's just a connection for 2 speaker wires (no adapter/converter). If you are handy, just a little improvising should do it. Of course you are now thinking of connecting the speaker output as "line-out" which may or may not work but I suppose you can try...but make sure the volume is crank way down.

- Collapse -
Line out won't work
May 8, 2015 2:56AM PDT

You hinted around the issue at hand. If there's no supporting circuitry inside, it's a non-starter unfortunately.

I would consider looking into a commercial transfer of the 8 track tape contents if legally possible (e.g. personal recordings/not copyrighted material). Plus, a professional grade service will do a better job since they have higher quality equipment on hand. Audio transfer is normally less costly than video too.

Good luck to the OP in getting this one in any case.

- Collapse -
At the risk of upsetting folk.
May 8, 2015 3:36AM PDT
- Collapse -
Frankly...
May 8, 2015 3:39AM PDT

...anyone can google that and connect as such. Sure, worth a try maybe since it's cheap. But understanding that the unit in question was built about three decades ago and was not done so in an era where inter-connectivity of devices was the focus but rather 'blasting' out via speakers, I'd probably skip the project and move on Wink

cheers

- Collapse -
One can't guess why this isn't "done."
May 8, 2015 3:46AM PDT

Even if there was an issue with amplitude everyone in the office can add a potentiometer to fix that up. 3 wires. Ugg. Where have all the tech folk gone?
Bob

- Collapse -
I think they are all either...
May 8, 2015 4:54AM PDT

...on a beach somewhere, or busy on their smartphones Wink