I'm happy now, they sent me a new one, and this one works perfectly!

 

ok so my audio link just stopped working all of a sudden

the head unit will not go into EX mode. the ipod seems to recognize the cable just fine (the backlight comes on when plugging/unplugging the audiolink to/from the ipod).

I havent tried unplugging the battery or ripping out the headunit just yet. im hoping its like most Windows bugs, where the problem resolves itself after enought restarts

 

One "restart" should fix it. If not, contact the retailer you bought it from for a replacement.

 

that did it! thanks!

 

Please explain "restart". You mean restarting the car?

 

No, we were referring to disconnecting the battery in order to reset the headunit and AudioLink.

 

Hey Falcon, I am having the same problem at Zojas here. I have had this unit for some time now and all has been great, even with some restarts here and there. Well currently, I cannot get the radio to read the cable. I have done everything Zojas has done below and still nothing. I even put the old chip back in and still nothing.....Is there something I am missing? Like I said, I have had this product long enough to know how to quickly get it up and running, but now i think the unit is just done...

 

If you purchased from RPM and are having trouble, please click the "Contact Us" link at www.therpmstore.com. Fill in your name and email address, and in the enquiry box, describe your problem. Include your order number and current shipping address and you'll be taken care of promptly.

 

fitted mine at the weekend works lovely top bit of kit cheers guys oh and i got mined from RPM with no problems

 

The iPod control wheel is disabled and interface SUCKS A$$. If you have anything bigger than a 4 gb iPod, you will hate the adapter. Now, the thing I don't get is that the pictures here show a 1/8th" plug (fits the headphones jack). The one they installed in my car doesn't have this and I wish it did. Then I could actually control the iPod the way it's designed, and don't have to guess which menu I'm in - as with the bottom port connection.

I admit I haven't read this whole thread yet and I'm hoping to find a solution here. Let's see...

 

Part II...

Ok, I read a bunch of posts on this thread and it seems that all of you are talking about something different than what I bought. I bought the iPod adapter from Mazda (Dec. '06), and it completely disables the control wheel on the iPod and restricts all controls to the head unit and steering wheel. Since I have a 60 gb iPod, this is terrible. I have to guess which menu I'm in and once I figure that out, I have to press track up or disc up hundreds of times to get to a specific song. The connector cable does not have a 1/8" cable, only the iPod cable. And, the Mazda symbol is displayed on my iPod screen (ergo, it's disabled).

This interface is terrible. If I manage to get to the ARTISTS menu, I have to press and hold disc up and guess until I get there. Then I have to press it again way too much to get to an artist who's name begins with "M."

Am I missing something here? Do you guys have a different adapter?

 

Yes and yes

You have a different adapter but I have the same one you do.

If you want to select a menu you hold down the cd change button (up or down) for one second or more. The number scrolls but you ignore that. When you release the button the time counter shows the menu number for a second or so before the next song starts counting.
The cd change button also is used to change the list number within the menu you selected. The list is changed if you press the button for less than one second. The only issue here is if you hit the cd button twice in one second it will change the menu instead of the list so you have to change lists slowly.
The menu numbers are documented in the manual and the list in each menu is selected in the order programmed on your IPOD.

 

Based upon your comments, it seems you are referring to the iPod adapter that Mazda sells at it's dealerships. This thread is not about that product.

The AudioLink iPod integration kit is a completely different product that provides far more functionality and flexibility. You can read more about it here:
http://www.therpmstore.com/product_i...roducts_id=142

It seems our product will do exactly what you want it to do, so perhaps you should consider returning the Mazda kit, and going with the AudioLink. You'd be much happier!

 

Canuck, are you talking about AudioLink? Because you *can* use the iPod control wheel with Audiolink. When your iPod is plugged in and you're on EX, hit the radio's "1" button. That put's it back in standard EX mode and the iPod controls work fine. I'm running an 80GB iPod thru mine and it works just fine. Next project...to get the video to show thru the Nav screen. :-/

 

I think I have a loose component too. My audiolink still kind of working but sound level is dropped significantly all of a sudden in the middle of a song and stay that way even after "restart". After I see the above quote, I check the unit by slightly shaking it and hear something rattle inside. I will file a warranty request from the RPM webside.

 

Installed mine today, took about 30 minutes. Probably could have done it faster but was being super careful not to scratch, crack, or break anything.

Oh and small hands make things so much easier, didn't even have to unplug anything from the back.

 

Installed mine this weekend, a few notes:

There's a small ledge between the radio and the glovebox, a perfect place to secure the unit so it's out of the way.

I must be born under an unlucky star. I cannot find an 8 pin mini din connector anywhere. I'll be ordering it online today.

The dreaded bolt on the side of the radio isn't that scarey (once you find it). It's been said here many times but worth saying again. You'll see two bolts and above them is an empty hole, that is not where the bolt "was". When you see the two bolts look down and to the right, the brass colored bolt will be there.

Total time from removing the first trim piece to popping it back in place, 20 mins. Thank you to everyone who has posted their hints and intructions, made all the difference.

 

Is this going to be back in stock soon or what? I've been waiting a while. According to the site this shipment should have arrived but there's no update. Thinking I should just buy the Dice kit.

 

It arrived. We're in the process of shipping all the pre-orders right now.

 

Thanks for the info Donny. I didn't pre-order. You're going to have extra units right?

 

As falcontx had mentioned earlier, I have observed that my USB Audiolink was not playing the songs in each folder quite alphabetically. So I've been doing some testing and I finally got it to play the MP3s in the order that I want. Its not pretty, its a lot of trouble, but it works.

From reading through this thread, I already had 1 folder per genre with exactly 99 songs per folder. I even prefixed all the filenames with numbers so I could play them in my preferred order (eg A001_song1.mp3, A002_song2.mp3).

But in the end the play order seems to depend (or maybe ALSO depends - might need alphabetical also) on the position of the file on the flash drive. I found Sysintenals tool DiskView (http://tinyurl.com/2qe4yd) very useful for checking what my delete/format/defrag/copy test was actually doing to the drive.

I didn't end up trying just a defrag. I copied all the files off the flash drive, formatted the flash drive (important - or else when you copy the files back on they go back to their previous positions) then copied the files back onto the drive one folder at a time, using DiskView after each folder copy to check the placement of the files.

When I copied over the third folder back to the flashdrive, DiskView showed a big space has been left between it and the previous folder. So at that point I used Windows Defrag to pack the drive, which worked nicely. After copying my four folders across, now it plays EX:1 to EX:4 and the songs within each folder in the order I expect. NB Folders don't need to be called CD01, CD02 etc. When I tested that it didn't seem to make any difference.

One more thing I noticed. When I first plug in a flash drive, the display shows the previously played song, but AL plays the first song on the drive. eg if I was playing EX3:5 when I switched off the engine, then when I plug in a new drive, the display says "EX3:5" but what I hear is EX1:1. This then goes away by changing "discs" eg down to EX1.

Falcontx, any news on firmware updates for the USB Audiolink? I've had mine about 12 months.

W4tch3r ‹•¿•›

 

There have been minor updates to the USB unit over the past year. However, things other than just the firmware were changed, and as a result, we can not offer firmware upgrades.

 

With my unit most of the times when I turn on the radio or I switch from the radio to ex I have to press play on the ipod or turn on and off the radio for it to work. Is there fix for this?

 

We have a firmware update that will resolve this issue. Please send an email via the contact form on our website, and we will mail it to you. Be sure to include your original order number and your current shipping address.

 

I just sent the email, I wished I knew there was upgrade that was only problem I ever had with the unit.