hotpot

1008com, I have one question.
Is it possible to run the audio cable under the cupholders compartment, into the storage compartment (where the cigarette lighter socket is), instead of through the cupholders compartment? It would be a cleaner installation. Can the cupholders compartment be lifted up/removed somehow?

truemagellen

yes...

but the cupholder compartment doesn't come out like the front panel

okay just use the NAV diy I did...it shows you how to remove the panels...easy
https://www.rx8club.com/series-i-do-yourself-forum-73/diy-s-video-into-nav-av-electronic-video-switcher-install-44095/

hotpot

That's great. Thanks magellen, you've saved me a couple of hours of searching.

truemagellen

your welcome

Noguni

This was the reason I started my carputer project. I ended up doing the PIE adapter because the silence cd wouldn't burn....couldn't get any of my friends that work at Universal to burn it either. Funny that the reason I built my carputer....I ended up not using. Wasted my 30 dollar speaker wire too

l008com

hey thew, while I think my hack is a great alternative to the expensive PIE controller thing, I just realized that you said it lets you control the ipod with the steering wheel controls? All through the dock connector? Can you link me to this item because I searched and searched and I couldn't find any info or pictures of this thing at all, only a listed price of $220. If I can switch tracks through the steering wheel, well than thats a whole other issue and I might get one of those connectors for that (i had planned on buying overload's module soon as he added the feature of steering wheel controls). But i need more details, like if this doesn't work through the dock connector, then forget it. Get back to me!

l008com

OK Help me clear this up because I've done lots of research and its very confusing. And all these web sites (P.I.E.) etc looks like an 8 year old made them, 10 years ago.
So the way I have it now, I have a Belkin Power adapter that has a dock connector, and a line level output, and I assume a ground loop isolator thing, since i've never gotten anything but perfect audio out of my ipod. The line out goes into my hack, and magic, I get iPod audio.

Now the alternative is the $80 PIE Mazda to MBUS converter. That I understand, that gives me an MBUS port. From there it gets sketchy. I know you can get a really cheap RCA adapter. But that gives me no steering wheel controls, so I might as well forget it. Now I saw the denison icelink, but that costs like another $200 doesn't it? Plus it has the ugly cradle charger that I don't want. My cupholder mount is fine. Plus. does the denison unit also power the ipod through the dock connector? And does it provide ground loop protection? Thew keeps saying $90, but that doesn't include steering wheel control does it? Also where is this store he was talking about because I couldn't find it.

l008com

OK the people at Dension are Retards. I emailed them to try and get all my questions about their product answered since it isn't clear exactly what the deal is. So heres my questions:
Heres the response I get:
Apparently they are too busy to read sales emails. Too bad cause I would have bought one of those shitty things.

magixpuma

it def says zoltan lol.

Juxagent

The cradle for the dension icelink does charge the ipod, and yes is does look ugly in the pics, but you can just use the basic wire hookup and use an existing mount or leave it loose. Im under the impression that the cable method does charge the unit but i cant be certain. oh yeah and it only works with v9.67 firmware and greater.

I would like more info on the Mazdaparts PIE though

l008com

I was reading that the text display doesn't really work on the RX8, is this true, anyone know?

pcimino

I have the 6 CD changer ... does that mean I don't need the $80 PIE, just the connector?

truemagellen

u need the PIE it uses a different port

Janetta

To l008.com:

I can't tell you enough how much I appreciated your step-by-step DIY radio removal pic tutorial. I didn't solder (sp?) anything but used your pics and steps to pull my radio out and plug in my PIE adaptor to make my ipod work through the car stereo.

My husband was very leary about what I was getting ready to do with my new '05 RX-8. I ordered my parts from Jason at Mazadaparts.com and he stayed with me via email the entire time making sure I was completely comfortable with installation. I swear, I've never seen the inside of my engine, let alone underneath my dash and behind my radio.

My 13-year old son told me I reminded him of Jessica Simpson trying to fix her car when he pulled up with his friends and saw me under the hood hooking up the battery after my PIE install. Whatever he meant by that, I took it as a compliment, as it all worked!!!

My Ipod sounds great through the AUX and I was so proud to have done it myself. Locally, several car & stereo places told me it would cost 200.00 to install. Bestbuy, I think was around 50.00 for install (That was if I brought my own parts in...)

Anyways, throughout the installation, my husband was very impressed with everything you documented. Thanks to you and the rest of the RX8 club. I'm having a blast and am looking for more mods to do now.

Note: Go48 (Larry) has also sent me great pics of oil change procedures. I've got an in-garage (tornado) storm shelter where I can drive my car over and change from underneath. Yikes, I could be my own Petboys... My gosh, my husband is now concerned. He's not sure if he should call AAA for tow pickup, the Firestation for on-call notification during my initial oil change, or Dr. Phil for my new and serious quest of working on my own car. Personally, I think it excites him ...hmmm

Thanks again for everyone's great advice.

G0t m4xx 21

I did this mod today, the PIE and other adapters are way too expensive for what they really are, just a small circuit board with some wires and plugs.

I have the 6CD changer and it works great, I just have the silence cd on disk 6. I also added a ground loop isolator since the input is connected to the Xbox under my seat.

Aweosme tutorial!!! It took me forever to find that one bolt under the dash though... and to push the tabs to unplug the connectors from the back. Once i got the HU out it was very easy.

l008com

Yeah that bolt is a BITCH!

truemagellen

you build a half size xbox?

G0t m4xx 21

Yeah pretty much...

I'm using a 100gb laptop hard drive, and the DVD drive is farther forward under my seat so i can put in a disk under there, so the case could be made very small. Plus I made a 12v PSU kinda like the ones for carputer installs so i didn't need an inverter.

truemagellen

nice I've got a 12v on mine two...it has an auto relay built in so I direct wired it to the battery and it turns on when the accessory is on and has a 10sec delay so it doesn't shutdown during ignition or if the electricity cuts out for a couple of seconds (if my gf stalls it )

I have mine installed in the trunk...I have a 400gig standard size drive and loaded everyhting on it...

the xbox autostarts into XBMC then autoplays the playlist I setup

Speedrx8er

where you get the lcd screen?

airspeed

Zoltan the leader of the guys in bubble-wraps in Dude, Where's my car?

G0t m4xx 21

Sounds sweet. Same here, it boots to XBMC then autoplays my playlist. What modchip you got?

Only problem Ive found with this mod is that the CD player playing silence pulls down the volume level of the aux input, so its not very loud. I already modified the Xbox motherboard to increase the volume of the line-out:

http://forums.xbox-scene.com/index.php?showtopic=453997

I'm trying to figure out a way around this, but i need a schematic of the stock 6 CD Changer, to find the two mute transistors and increase the value of the resistors connected to them.

truemagellen

I had the SmartX ver2 but dumped it when I switched to a 1.2 box (I had a 1.6 and the dc to dc powersupply I was using hated a 1.6 ) so now I have an alladin, funny thing is it boots much faster. Plus I removed as much startup crap as I could (including the green flubber animation).

The one thing that would finish it off is I want it to startup in full screen, not at the menu screen. Yes the playlist autostarts now but if I want to track forward or back I have to enter full screen, if I could have it boot straight into full screen visualiztion then I'd be set .

The xbox doesn't seem to output high enough as I have the same issue with my PIE adaptor but since I did a direct ground to the battery there is absolutley no feedback or distortion with the volume all the way up, before it was bad.

G0t m4xx 21

I haven't figured out a way to make it boot straight to the visualization, the closest thing I could do was lower the timeout for the screensaver to come on to one minute (the lowest you can get), so after a minute of no controller input it will go to he visualization, then you can toggle tracks and stuff.

I'm using an Xecuter 2.3 pro in the one in my car (it's a 1.4), a Xenium in my 1.6, and I tsop flashed my 1.0.

Yeah the version 1.6 uses a different power supply then all the other verisons, the pinout and voltages are all funky. It's amazing you didnt fry the board (unless you did...)

but yeah I'm an Xbox guru (I have xbox parts and soldering irons all over my room), so if you ever need anything let me know. i've modded over 40 xboxes so far.

G0t m4xx 21

Ahh I found your power supply. You had the Lamma make it, right?

Yeah I saw that. I made mine myself though using a bunch of scrap parts and two DC-DC power converters. The 12V passes straight through, and is stepped down to 5v and 3.3v though the converters.



It started out as a project to make a portable xbox that ran on 12v batteries, which I completed last January, and about a month ago i finally gave up on it due to short battery life (the Xbox is a HUGE power hog), so I put the xbox on my car.