It Works!! iPod adapter w/ real Text Display!!
07-03-2007, 01:17 PM
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It Works!! iPod adapter w/ real Text Display!!
Yes, in fact it does work:
ebay link
Simple install (I've got some pics of that, I'll upload in a bit).
Works exactly as described. Shows the playlist name (use the text **** to scroll L-R), hit the "DISP" button and it'll show the track number, name and the artist name.
It does disable the iPod, but, obviously that's not that big a deal if you can read playlist info.
ebay link
Simple install (I've got some pics of that, I'll upload in a bit).
Works exactly as described. Shows the playlist name (use the text **** to scroll L-R), hit the "DISP" button and it'll show the track number, name and the artist name.
It does disable the iPod, but, obviously that's not that big a deal if you can read playlist info.
07-03-2007, 01:41 PM
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fricken awesome find! the other answers we want to know:
can you use the track selector and volume on your steering wheel? see link
this plugs into where the tape deck goes, correct? see link
can you look for other tracks while a song is playing?
does it scroll through the menus pretty fast?
does it play playlists ONLY?
thanks!
**excuse my excitement. i see a couple of my questions have been answered on the link too, but feel free to add your input.
can you use the track selector and volume on your steering wheel? see link
this plugs into where the tape deck goes, correct? see link
can you look for other tracks while a song is playing?
does it scroll through the menus pretty fast?
does it play playlists ONLY?
thanks!
**excuse my excitement. i see a couple of my questions have been answered on the link too, but feel free to add your input.
07-03-2007, 03:06 PM
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The web-link says the interface disables the Ipod once the it is plugged in, but does it keep playing the track of what was playing before the Ipod was plugged in?
If you could do a couple tests, it would be very helpful:
1. Start a track on your IPOD using the rotary dial. Plug it into the interface. Does it continue to play or does it reset the IPOD?
2. With your IPOD unplugged, start playing all of your music (i.e. NOT a playlist). Now, plug the IPOD in. Does the music continue to play? Can you scroll through all of your tracks?
Basically what I am trying to see is if the song HAS to be in a playlist to have access to it and do you HAVE to use the Interface controls to search for a song. Many other adapters that lock-out IPOD controls will allow the user to unplug the IPOD, find the song, and then plug the IPOD back in.
A few more questions:
A. Does it remember what song you were on when you restart your car?
B. Hows the sound quality? Play a silent or low level portion of a song with the volume cranked. Do you hear any hissing or anything like that?
C. Does it display track time information or anything like that?
Good find,
-Mr. Wigggles
If you could do a couple tests, it would be very helpful:
1. Start a track on your IPOD using the rotary dial. Plug it into the interface. Does it continue to play or does it reset the IPOD?
2. With your IPOD unplugged, start playing all of your music (i.e. NOT a playlist). Now, plug the IPOD in. Does the music continue to play? Can you scroll through all of your tracks?
Basically what I am trying to see is if the song HAS to be in a playlist to have access to it and do you HAVE to use the Interface controls to search for a song. Many other adapters that lock-out IPOD controls will allow the user to unplug the IPOD, find the song, and then plug the IPOD back in.
A few more questions:
A. Does it remember what song you were on when you restart your car?
B. Hows the sound quality? Play a silent or low level portion of a song with the volume cranked. Do you hear any hissing or anything like that?
C. Does it display track time information or anything like that?
Good find,
-Mr. Wigggles
Last edited by MrWigggles; 07-03-2007 at 03:10 PM.
07-03-2007, 03:10 PM
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Answers. . .
fricken awesome find! the other answers we want to know:
can you use the track selector and volume on your steering wheel? see link
Yes steering wheel controls work precisely as they should
this plugs into where the tape deck goes, correct? see link
Yup
can you look for other tracks while a song is playing?
No, works like a CD, jump forward or back a track -- also, pretty cool, the "Scan" works, plays about 10 sec of a track then jumps to the next track.
does it scroll through the menus pretty fast?
Yeah, pretty well. Not like scrolling the iPod itself, more like jumping around on a CD. Takes it a moment to get to the next playlist. Also, it takes a moment for it to figure out the track name -- it'll start the track, give you a track number and the time remaining countdown, then it'll identify the track/artist.
does it play playlists ONLY?
As far as I can tell so far, yeah, that's right. Only playlists. There doesn't appear to be a function to take you back to selecting via artist or album. If you've got a full Nano (like I do) it'll take a bit to find a particular track. But, one cool thing is the "repeat" and "random" buttons work. Hit the "random" button and it'll shuffle the tracks on the iPod (not sure it'll work in a playlist or if it just shuffles the entire iPod contents).
any minimum firmware requirement?
I don't know. I've got an '06, so I don't have an old firmware. I found the manufacturer and traded emails with their tech support before buying, I'll post that address when I get a chance and you can contact them. They were very responsive.
I will say the packaging on the Mazda specific parts listed "2004 RX-8," which would imply it should work on the older firmware.
Is it me or are you climate controls gone on the display?
Huh, no it ain't you. No climate controls on the display in those pics. They do work just fine, maybe they don't turn on in "ACC" (which is where I had the key when taking those shots -- I didn't have the engine running). But it definitely was working this morning (when it was 89 at 9:30 this morning. . .).
thanks!
Anytime! Exceedingly happy to have something that works so well. . .
I'll post a little more on the kit and installation later, when I've got some more time.
-Rogman
can you use the track selector and volume on your steering wheel? see link
Yes steering wheel controls work precisely as they should
this plugs into where the tape deck goes, correct? see link
Yup
can you look for other tracks while a song is playing?
No, works like a CD, jump forward or back a track -- also, pretty cool, the "Scan" works, plays about 10 sec of a track then jumps to the next track.
does it scroll through the menus pretty fast?
Yeah, pretty well. Not like scrolling the iPod itself, more like jumping around on a CD. Takes it a moment to get to the next playlist. Also, it takes a moment for it to figure out the track name -- it'll start the track, give you a track number and the time remaining countdown, then it'll identify the track/artist.
does it play playlists ONLY?
As far as I can tell so far, yeah, that's right. Only playlists. There doesn't appear to be a function to take you back to selecting via artist or album. If you've got a full Nano (like I do) it'll take a bit to find a particular track. But, one cool thing is the "repeat" and "random" buttons work. Hit the "random" button and it'll shuffle the tracks on the iPod (not sure it'll work in a playlist or if it just shuffles the entire iPod contents).
any minimum firmware requirement?
I don't know. I've got an '06, so I don't have an old firmware. I found the manufacturer and traded emails with their tech support before buying, I'll post that address when I get a chance and you can contact them. They were very responsive.
I will say the packaging on the Mazda specific parts listed "2004 RX-8," which would imply it should work on the older firmware.
Is it me or are you climate controls gone on the display?
Huh, no it ain't you. No climate controls on the display in those pics. They do work just fine, maybe they don't turn on in "ACC" (which is where I had the key when taking those shots -- I didn't have the engine running). But it definitely was working this morning (when it was 89 at 9:30 this morning. . .).
thanks!
Anytime! Exceedingly happy to have something that works so well. . .
I'll post a little more on the kit and installation later, when I've got some more time.
-Rogman
07-03-2007, 03:24 PM
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very cool! thanks for sharing:
question: where do you have the connector ...i.e, where in the car did you set it up for the ipod to connect to it? glove compartment or is the mounting harness just "exposed"?
thanks-
question: where do you have the connector ...i.e, where in the car did you set it up for the ipod to connect to it? glove compartment or is the mounting harness just "exposed"?
thanks-
07-03-2007, 03:26 PM
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I have been looking at that set up for the past couple of weeks and just haven't pulled the trigger................I am thinking of getting the same set-up with the XM added to it.
I have the factory Sirius "not active" but gotta have my XM for the NHL coverage.
The only draw back on the XM is there is no way to have preset stations on it......have to flip categories then stations.
It looks pretty straight forward to install.
Keeps us posted on the pros and cons!
I wonder how it will act with the iphone.....since it locks out the ipod funtcions.
I have the factory Sirius "not active" but gotta have my XM for the NHL coverage.
The only draw back on the XM is there is no way to have preset stations on it......have to flip categories then stations.
It looks pretty straight forward to install.
Keeps us posted on the pros and cons!
I wonder how it will act with the iphone.....since it locks out the ipod funtcions.
07-03-2007, 07:54 PM
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Looks interesting...waiting for a few more people to try this out before I buy one though.
Out of curiousity, if you have a device that is being charged with an 12V adapter plugged into AUX on this kit are there any grounding issues resulting in static noises emanating from the speakers?
Or would you have to buy a seperate ground kit to insert between the 2 RCA jacks on this kit and an RCA to 1/8" cord going to the device (i.e. non-Apple mp3 player)?
Out of curiousity, if you have a device that is being charged with an 12V adapter plugged into AUX on this kit are there any grounding issues resulting in static noises emanating from the speakers?
Or would you have to buy a seperate ground kit to insert between the 2 RCA jacks on this kit and an RCA to 1/8" cord going to the device (i.e. non-Apple mp3 player)?
07-03-2007, 09:27 PM
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More Answers. . .
The web-link says the interface disables the Ipod once the it is plugged in, but does it keep playing the track of what was playing before the Ipod was plugged in?
Yup. The iPod display has the Axxess logo and says "Okay to disconnect", so, yeah, you can yank the connector out, scroll about on the iPod and select a track and play it, plug the connector back in and it will continue from there.
If you could do a couple tests, it would be very helpful:
1. Start a track on your IPOD using the rotary dial. Plug it into the interface. Does it continue to play or does it reset the IPOD?
Yup, (see above)
2. With your IPOD unplugged, start playing all of your music (i.e. NOT a playlist). Now, plug the IPOD in. Does the music continue to play? Can you scroll through all of your tracks?
Yeah, I believe so. Using the iPod controls I went to "Artist" picked an artist (with a couple albums) and hit play all. Once reconnected I can tab through the tracks on both albums. At the end of the last track of the second album, it went back to the first track of the first album.
Basically what I am trying to see is if the song HAS to be in a playlist to have access to it and do you HAVE to use the Interface controls to search for a song. Many other adapters that lock-out IPOD controls will allow the user to unplug the IPOD, find the song, and then plug the IPOD back in.
Definitely doesn't have to be in a playlist to play it. As I mentioned before, if you hit the "RNDM" button it will shuffle all the tracks on the iPod. One of my playlists is "base library" which just has everything in it, so I can always choose that.
A few more questions:
A. Does it remember what song you were on when you restart your car?
Yup. Picks up where it left off.
B. Hows the sound quality? Play a silent or low level portion of a song with the volume cranked. Do you hear any hissing or anything like that?
Nope, it really is crystal clear. Better sounding than the last CD I had in, but that was an old recording (Meatloaf) so the CD prolly had some tape hiss. I 'spose I could head to head compare, but the iPod is definitely clean sounding, possibly better than the CD player.
C. Does it display track time information or anything like that?
Yup, track number (which seems to be the track number of the album if playing an album, or the playlist number if playing a playlist, or some other number if playing the entire library), song title, artist. There are three display modes, one that shows a track number and the time remaining on the track, one that shows the track number, the song title, and the artist, and one that shows the playlist name and the album title. Hit the "DISP" button to tab through the display modes.
Good find,
Yeah, so far I'm really happy.
question: where do you have the connector ...i.e, where in the car did you set it up for the ipod to connect to it? glove compartment or is the mounting harness just "exposed"?
Currently I have it in the glove box. The kit comes with a six foot long cable, so you could mount it pretty much anywhere ya like. I may do something more elaborate in the future, but it's outa sight, outa mind in the glove box, but plenty of cable to pull it out and hand it to anyone in the car if I want to.
I have the factory Sirius "not active" but gotta have my XM for the NHL coverage.
The only draw back on the XM is there is no way to have preset stations on it......have to flip categories then stations.
With XM and Sirius merging, can't ya get the NHL on Sirius next season? Not having presets would suck with satellite.
I wonder how it will act with the iphone.....since it locks out the ipod funtcions.
Good question. That'll have to wait for someone else at the moment -- too many $$$ for the iPhone for me for now.
Out of curiousity, if you have a device that is being charged with an 12V adapter plugged into AUX on this kit are there any grounding issues resulting in static noises emanating from the speakers?
I wouldn't expect there to be any issues. I decided against pluging in the AUX in for now, so I can't check it out for ya.
I'll post some more pics on the installation and keep ya updated on the performance.
Great so far.
-Rogman
Yup. The iPod display has the Axxess logo and says "Okay to disconnect", so, yeah, you can yank the connector out, scroll about on the iPod and select a track and play it, plug the connector back in and it will continue from there.
If you could do a couple tests, it would be very helpful:
1. Start a track on your IPOD using the rotary dial. Plug it into the interface. Does it continue to play or does it reset the IPOD?
Yup, (see above)
2. With your IPOD unplugged, start playing all of your music (i.e. NOT a playlist). Now, plug the IPOD in. Does the music continue to play? Can you scroll through all of your tracks?
Yeah, I believe so. Using the iPod controls I went to "Artist" picked an artist (with a couple albums) and hit play all. Once reconnected I can tab through the tracks on both albums. At the end of the last track of the second album, it went back to the first track of the first album.
Basically what I am trying to see is if the song HAS to be in a playlist to have access to it and do you HAVE to use the Interface controls to search for a song. Many other adapters that lock-out IPOD controls will allow the user to unplug the IPOD, find the song, and then plug the IPOD back in.
Definitely doesn't have to be in a playlist to play it. As I mentioned before, if you hit the "RNDM" button it will shuffle all the tracks on the iPod. One of my playlists is "base library" which just has everything in it, so I can always choose that.
A few more questions:
A. Does it remember what song you were on when you restart your car?
Yup. Picks up where it left off.
B. Hows the sound quality? Play a silent or low level portion of a song with the volume cranked. Do you hear any hissing or anything like that?
Nope, it really is crystal clear. Better sounding than the last CD I had in, but that was an old recording (Meatloaf) so the CD prolly had some tape hiss. I 'spose I could head to head compare, but the iPod is definitely clean sounding, possibly better than the CD player.
C. Does it display track time information or anything like that?
Yup, track number (which seems to be the track number of the album if playing an album, or the playlist number if playing a playlist, or some other number if playing the entire library), song title, artist. There are three display modes, one that shows a track number and the time remaining on the track, one that shows the track number, the song title, and the artist, and one that shows the playlist name and the album title. Hit the "DISP" button to tab through the display modes.
Good find,
Yeah, so far I'm really happy.
question: where do you have the connector ...i.e, where in the car did you set it up for the ipod to connect to it? glove compartment or is the mounting harness just "exposed"?
Currently I have it in the glove box. The kit comes with a six foot long cable, so you could mount it pretty much anywhere ya like. I may do something more elaborate in the future, but it's outa sight, outa mind in the glove box, but plenty of cable to pull it out and hand it to anyone in the car if I want to.
I have the factory Sirius "not active" but gotta have my XM for the NHL coverage.
The only draw back on the XM is there is no way to have preset stations on it......have to flip categories then stations.
With XM and Sirius merging, can't ya get the NHL on Sirius next season? Not having presets would suck with satellite.
I wonder how it will act with the iphone.....since it locks out the ipod funtcions.
Good question. That'll have to wait for someone else at the moment -- too many $$$ for the iPhone for me for now.
Out of curiousity, if you have a device that is being charged with an 12V adapter plugged into AUX on this kit are there any grounding issues resulting in static noises emanating from the speakers?
I wouldn't expect there to be any issues. I decided against pluging in the AUX in for now, so I can't check it out for ya.
I'll post some more pics on the installation and keep ya updated on the performance.
Great so far.
-Rogman
07-03-2007, 11:53 PM
#11
Great find Rogman! I've wanted this for a long time but they said my 8 was uncompatible because of my Factory installed sirius radio. The Ebay link says it's compatible with factory XM satellite radio? Oh well I think it was a typo and you said it plugs into the tape/md slot so I should be fine. Right?
07-05-2007, 04:10 PM
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Rogman-
thanks for all your detailed answers !
one more question (i'm not sure this was addressed, my apologies if it was-)
Using only the car controls (i.e., not the ipod- as i probably will mount mine if I get it in the glove box), how do you "search" for a song, or go 'directly' to a band or playlist? Is this possible? I.e., if you just want to hear a particular band, but are driving, and must use the regular car controls.
Thanks!
thanks for all your detailed answers !
one more question (i'm not sure this was addressed, my apologies if it was-)
Using only the car controls (i.e., not the ipod- as i probably will mount mine if I get it in the glove box), how do you "search" for a song, or go 'directly' to a band or playlist? Is this possible? I.e., if you just want to hear a particular band, but are driving, and must use the regular car controls.
Thanks!
07-05-2007, 06:34 PM
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A couple more answers. . .
Great find Rogman! I've wanted this for a long time but they said my 8 was uncompatible because of my Factory installed sirius radio. The Ebay link says it's compatible with factory XM satellite radio? Oh well I think it was a typo and you said it plugs into the tape/md slot so I should be fine. Right?
Yeah, I don't see any reason why it wouldn't work with the factory Sirius. You can install the minidisk with the facory Sirius, right? As long as you can get to the minidisk connector, all is well.
Any idea if it can display other languages? Japanese? Chinese?
Huh, my initial (American-centric) response would be no. But, actually I don't see why not, does the iPod display in other languages? That's where the display info comes from, so it's theoretically possible. Another question for their tech support. . .
Using only the car controls (i.e., not the ipod- as i probably will mount mine if I get it in the glove box), how do you "search" for a song, or go 'directly' to a band or playlist? Is this possible? I.e., if you just want to hear a particular band, but are driving, and must use the regular car controls.
Yeah, that's the tricky part. As far as I can tell, you can select a playlist and you can tab through that playlist a track at a time, but there doesn't seem to be a way to access by Artist or Album. Sooo, either (as Mr. Wigggles suggested), before you get rolling, disconnect the iPod, find the album you want, reconnect and hit the road, or build playlists that you can sort through. It's actually pretty workable.
So, far so good. Now if I can make sure my iPod doesn't melt in the glove box when I forget to take it out!
-Rogman
Yeah, I don't see any reason why it wouldn't work with the factory Sirius. You can install the minidisk with the facory Sirius, right? As long as you can get to the minidisk connector, all is well.
Any idea if it can display other languages? Japanese? Chinese?
Huh, my initial (American-centric) response would be no. But, actually I don't see why not, does the iPod display in other languages? That's where the display info comes from, so it's theoretically possible. Another question for their tech support. . .
Using only the car controls (i.e., not the ipod- as i probably will mount mine if I get it in the glove box), how do you "search" for a song, or go 'directly' to a band or playlist? Is this possible? I.e., if you just want to hear a particular band, but are driving, and must use the regular car controls.
Yeah, that's the tricky part. As far as I can tell, you can select a playlist and you can tab through that playlist a track at a time, but there doesn't seem to be a way to access by Artist or Album. Sooo, either (as Mr. Wigggles suggested), before you get rolling, disconnect the iPod, find the album you want, reconnect and hit the road, or build playlists that you can sort through. It's actually pretty workable.
So, far so good. Now if I can make sure my iPod doesn't melt in the glove box when I forget to take it out!
-Rogman
07-05-2007, 06:45 PM
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The tech support email address:
techsupport <@> metra-autosound.com
This is the manufacturers web address:
Metra Online
This is the Axxess interface site (you can get there from the metra site):
Axxess Interface
You will find the Axxess Interface site doesn't have the RX-8 listed (or the 6 or 3. . . ) I found that site really unhelpful. If it's possible to buy it from them, I didn't figure how, so I just bought the kit from the ebay store (which was fast and correct).
Enjoy!
-Rogman
This is the manufacturers web address:
Metra Online
This is the Axxess interface site (you can get there from the metra site):
Axxess Interface
You will find the Axxess Interface site doesn't have the RX-8 listed (or the 6 or 3. . . ) I found that site really unhelpful. If it's possible to buy it from them, I didn't figure how, so I just bought the kit from the ebay store (which was fast and correct).
Enjoy!
-Rogman
07-07-2007, 08:49 AM
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I have been reading these forums for a couple weeks now looking for this. I found the eBay link posted here and was on Cloud9. However, I found one better.
http://www.autotoys.com/x/cust/produ...roductid=10025
Currently they are on backorder until the middle of next week. However, I will post back once it gets installed and let you know how it goes. *crosses fingers*
http://www.autotoys.com/x/cust/produ...roductid=10025
Currently they are on backorder until the middle of next week. However, I will post back once it gets installed and let you know how it goes. *crosses fingers*
07-09-2007, 11:59 AM
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Is there a limited number of playlists you can have?
Is it possible to still use the IPOD controls to find a playlist/song or does it disable the IPOD altogether?
It just seems it would be difficult to find a particular artist using just playlists without using the ipod controls itself.....any info on how you have it would be great.
Is it possible to still use the IPOD controls to find a playlist/song or does it disable the IPOD altogether?
It just seems it would be difficult to find a particular artist using just playlists without using the ipod controls itself.....any info on how you have it would be great.
Last edited by silkd; 07-09-2007 at 12:09 PM.
