The Guide to a fully integrated in-car solution

[MSU ILLEST]

http://www.cablestogo.com/product.as...2033&sku=35508

[dnickell]

Originally Posted by MSU ILLEST

http://www.cablestogo.com/product.as...2033&sku=35508

Thank you, looks like a winner!

[ken1965]

Hi everyone.

In my '94 Dogoe Dakota pickup, I have a 2002 Alpine head unit that I spent more than $400 on between the unit itself and the installation charge. Therefore I want to keep it for as long as I own this truck, possibly longer. I was trying to find a good solution to being able to play my iPod through the auxilary input on my head unit, since those FM transmitters are garbage in my opinion. Unfortunately, none of the add-ons Alpine produces is compatible with my model, nor is anything else available from other manufacturers. I tried a Harmon Kardon Drive + Play that I just could not get to work. After two tech support phone calls, I gave up on that option.

There are cable available that can be connected to the auxilary inputs of the more popular mobile audio manufacturers. This website carries these cables:

http://www.peripheralelectronics.com/sitemap.asp


While browsing a do-it-yourself audio website called 41hz.com which sells stereo ampifiers as kits, I found a website with this URL:

http://home.swipnet.se/ridax/connector.htm

The guy who runs this website sells connectors that have to be assembled. This assembly requires some good soldering skills however. There is a circuit card extender available that has the iPod male and female connectors at opposite ends with solder connections with each corresponding pin. The extender circuit board even has the connections for a video output. I have purchased these parts and will soon build a cable with the respective connectors at the ends with a video output RCA jack. I have a video monitor that I can mount under the dash that can then show what is playing on the iPod while it is safely and securely hiden in the center console storage area of my truck.

When I get aroun to building this, I will post photos for you all to see. I hope I can be of help to those that have the same predicament as I do.

Sincerely,
Ken

[ken1965]

I forgot to mention that I have Scosche remote control that can be connected inline with the parts discussed above as well.

Ken

[SBrooks1]

Originally Posted by MSU ILLEST

http://www.cablestogo.com/product.as...2033&sku=35508

This is my first post thanking you for posting that link 4 months ago. I just ordered one for my AUX input.

[scakes]

Originally Posted by iBill32

Hi All,

yeah the alpine unit scrolls really slow for me in my old car. I usually just use the playlists. I however got the DICE electronics i-BMW-t for my wifes 3-series and the scrolling is much faster. Its click and advance as fast as I can press it. It also does the text on the radio display. We ordered from www.icarkits.com . I just cant wait until one comes out for the subaru. Has anyone tried the iCarplay by chance?

B

I would hold off on that second purchase. I had a kit of theirs installed on my 08 4Runner. It worked great for about 5-6 weeks until one day I no longer could control my iPod through my Nav Screen or steering wheel.
I called their Customer Support and they were no help - told me what I already read on the site. He then told me that I need to take it back to my installer and have them call Dice Cust. Support.
I did and Dice told them the same thing they told me. "Weird. It should work".
But here is the kicker. Dice is so proud of the craftsmanship and product, that they only offer a 30 day warranty on their products. 30 DAYS? That's barely enough time to have it shipped, installed and working for more than a week.
So after having the pleasure of paying to have their crap installed and removed, I'm going to have another junk unit sent to me so that I can pay to install again (and most likely removed after it breaks).
What a joke. DONT BUY ANY ELECTRONIC PRODUCT THAT'S NEW ON THE MARKET AND ONLY OFFERS A 30 DAY WARRANTY - i.e. Anything from Dice Electronics Catalog.

[partyd]

scakes all your 5 messages all over the board are the same complains about dice ipod interface just so you know this is not craigslist, go there they have a rants and raves section maybe you will feel better

Dice electronics products are good the company is been making this ipod kits for years,
we install about 20 a month no problems and the warranty is 1 full year

[panther71]

I was previously using a charger cable to connect my iPod Classic to an Alpine head unit. When I purchased a 4G iPod Touch, I purchased a Scosche PassPort. When I initially connect the PassPort and my iPod Touch to the head unit connector, I get an "Error - 01" message. After unconnecting and reconnecting several times the iPod Touch will finally start working. Is there some secret to making the connections that will ensure I don't get an error message every time I connect my iPod Touch to my car head unit?

[hollysurly]

How to Install an iPod Dock To Your Car

Broadcast radio stinks. And that's a bummer if your commute is like mine. As I navigate two states, I pass plenty of hissing, buzzing power lines and a couple of Faraday-cage tunnels while listening to the same commercials over and over again. The interference, constant dropouts and yet more ads for hair-restoration products and male enhancement are enough to make you want to stick your fingers in your ears and hum. Unfortunately, my family car is old enough that the optional iPod dock wasn't an option. Man does not live solely on a steady diet of NPR, hip-hop and treacly pop music chosen by programmers at commercial radio stations. Thankfully, there's another option.

Have It Your Way

You can consistently go to the bounded car-stereo collective for a new, iPod-ready car stereo, or (gasp) the car banker and accept your almost new car retrofitted. Bring lots of money, though. Here's how it formed out for our donor 2008 Volkswagen, for which a dealer-installed iPod/MP3 berth is available, accustomed by VW (and appropriately included in the branch warranty). The dock, if installed by a dealership artisan afore you yield supply of the vehicle, runs $199, or at atomic that's what this dealership was asking. Like a lot of things associated with affairs a new car, it's negotiable. Drive the car off the lot and acknowledgment a few weeks or years after and the price--for the exact apparatus installed by the aforementioned technician--magically all-overs to $300. The branch assurance may or may not apply. A car-stereo boutique would apparently allegation in the aforementioned about as the dealer, about $300, including labor.

We knew our car was upgradable but had no absorption in spending banker prices. (And besides: We're Saturday Mechanics.) It turns out that there are abounding sources for player-connecting hardware. The Internet is your friend, so analysis what you charge and what you can get thoroughly afore whipping out the Visa. A acceptable abode for admonition about your car is the enthusiast websites specific to your cast and model.

The amount of our locations from 20 bucks for the vehicle-specific base harness, and an added $170 for the iPod/MP3/line-level ascribe adapter. This atramentous box gives you abounding accuracy on the iPod--you can see the clue advice on the radio affectation and can ascendancy around all of the iPod functions from the dash- or steering-wheel-mounted radio controls. It aswell accuse the iPod. This agency you can leave the iPod active in the glovebox or animate added or beneath assuredly but still accept admission to it for out-of-car excursions or for loading added songs. You can aswell bung in addition non-iPod music antecedent and play it through the radio by application the adapter's 3.5-mm line-level input. That includes HD radio adapters, digital radio receivers or some non-iPod audio such as a all-encompassing MP3 amateur or even a DVD amateur or video game.

Or Maybe Not

Not all car stereo systems are upgradable. Older vehicles, ones that were bogus afore digital radio, aeronautics systems and MP3 players, may actual able-bodied not be set up for any abetting inputs at all. Your alone advantage for abounding of these cars is to alter the absolute stereo with an advancement assemblage that has all the adapted plugs on the back. How about one of those FM modulators? Nah, the audio superior is too poor for austere audiophiles, and there are too abounding affairs in a cockpit already strung with cellphones and on-dash GPS.


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