Aftermarket head unit control from MFSW

Finally, after more than a year of having a Kenwood head unit installed in GBMINI, I got round to installing the PAC SWI-X which I had bought through MikeyTheMini long before GBMINI was built!
The PAC SWI-X receives the steering wheel audio control messages and converts them to infra red transmission, mimicing the remote control that comes with the aftermarket head unit. During installation you “teach” it the correct codes by pressing steering wheel buttons then pressing remote control buttons repeatedly.

The PAC SWI-X is not difficult to install, but you have to access wires in the steering column (see this thread on MINI2). I removed the trim above and below the steering wheel (which also requires removal of the rev counter), and then had easy access to the wires. I cut the “white with red stripe and yellow dots” wire which carries the MFSW signals, and put bullet connectors on both cut ends – that way I can easily restore orginal function if I need to.
I put another bullet connector on the yellow SWI-X wire and connected it to the steering wheel side of the MFSW signal wire.
I also found a switched 12V and 0V at the same connector and spliced into them to power the SWI-X (easier for me than picking them up behind the head unit).

Next I programmed the PAC SWI-X, following the MINI2 instructions from DavBret. The first time I programmed the “mode”, it missed one press so went into mode 4 – but that is easy to diagnose because the SWI-X flashes only 4 times. Be sure to get this right, because changing the “mode” loses all the other programming and forces you to start again.
Now I programmed the steering wheel buttons to send the correct codes (learned from the Kenwood remote). You have to concentrate here! If you wait more than a few seconds the SWI-X times out, and you cannot continue programming – you are forced to start again.
Also, the first time I did it the steering wheel volume up/down only did one step for each press – no auto repeat. I found that you have to press and hold the steering wheel volume buttons for a couple of seconds so that the SWI-X learns to repeat the IR signal.

Next I temporarily put the PAC SWI-X on the euro shelf, and taped the IR LED above the head unit, on the trim piece around the speedometer. I tested the position for a few days to make sure it controlled the head unit properly in all weathers.
When all seemed well, I permanently installed the SWI-X by taping it to the back of the euro shelf, then I removed the center trim piece and drilled a hole in it to mount the IR LED. I routed the LED through the bodywork from behind the euro shelf up to behind the trim piece.
After a lot of careful drilling I successfully mounted the IR LED in its bezel in the center trim piece, over and pointing down onto the head unit.

Initially the controls no longer worked – I should have drilled further round the curve of the trim piece so that the LED was pointing lower. I found that the bezel around the IR LED was blocking the signal to the head unit, so my colleague carefully modified the bezel with a file, to remove some of its lower edge.
Now everything works fine and on the anthracite trim you do not really notice the LED; it is wonderful to finally have my steering wheel controls working again!