Hi there! New member to the board here making his first post.

I got my spanking new Mk2a yesterday and after some trouble getting it connected via USB (don't put it on the same device as an ADSL USB Modem 'cos together they suck too much power & make u think your new toy is broken!) I know I've definitely made the right decision in buying one without securing a Tuner first.

My original plan was to wait until a reasonably priced Tuner became available before installing it in my car (Corrado VR6 Storm) but now that I've played with the thing in the flesh I just can't wait! I've decided to buy a second-hand centre console moulding and redesign it to take 2 DIN units which will allow me to install both my new pride & joy and my current Kenwood CD player/Radio as well. Now - putting aside the potential nightmare of getting the buggers mounted properly, I have a few questions to ask some of you guys regarding some potential wiring problems I might run into when trying to operate 2 units from 1 standard wiring loom. Please bear in mind that while I am extremely enthusiastic and my practical skills are more than up to the job, my technical knowledge is lacking and I need a little reassurance that what I plan on doing won't end in tears.

I plan on powering both Head units from the same main wiring loom and then connecting the Kenwood's 4v Line Output to the Empeg (can't bring myself to call it a Rio) via its Aux input. The first question here is would powering 2 units from the same loom be within acceptable operating parameters or would it be too much of a load? If so then how else would I be able to route both units through the same fuse in the fusebox?

Next, assuming we have cleared up the power issues above, I need a little clarification regarding the accessory wire. What I want to happen is this: Both units and the Amp should stay on when the ignition is turned off but all 3 should turn off when the Empeg is put into standby mode (ie pressing and holding the top button). I assume that to achieve this I would have to do the following:

1) wrap the accessory input wire and the 12v input wire on the Empeg to the main 12v power wire from the car (thus negating the turn-off-when-the-ignition-is-off problem)

2) Connect the 12v output "power antenna" wire from the Empeg to the Accessory Input wire on the Kenwood thus making it turn on and off when the Empeg goes in and out of standby mode (or is removed from its sled I guess).

3) Connect the 12v output "power antenna" wire from the Kenwood to the 12v input "Control" wire on the Amp in the boot (which will obvioulsy still draw its main power directly from the battery) thus making it turn on and off when the Kenwood does.

Would that work or am I being really stoopid?

Sorry for the length of the post but I have so many questions it's hard to keep them short!