Most of the other devices have worked with 9.55 so It would be great if this worked as well. Definetly let us know as I have a 9.55 as well.

It has been verified to work on v9.55. At this time, we are unsure if it will work on any version prior to this.

Regarding cord length on the iPod unit:

I've asked the manufacturer about this, and they said that this is something that they will consider for the future, but that there are no options for longer cables at the current time. To give you a better idea of the dimensions of the current unit, the cable going from the headunit to the AudioLink is 24.75 inches. The unit itself is 3.25 inches, and the iPod connector cable is 20 inches. This makes the entire length from the headunit to the iPod a total of 48 inches. Hopefully that will give you a better idea about the possibilities for locations.

For those who are determined to have a longer cable immediately, I'll note that extending the current cable that leads from the AudioLink to the headunit would not be that difficult. It would simply require the use of a soldering iron and a cable with eight 24-guage wires, such as standard CAT-5 networking cable (shielded is preferable).


Regarding headunit firmware:

I'll be testing the unit on a vehicle with 9.50 firmware on Saturday. I'll post the results as soon as I get them!

when you try it on the 9.50 try turning the head unit on and off, the car on and off, and try switching between inputs, aux ins usually freak out after a couple minutes of use after the unit was turned off or inputs switched back and forth

fyi :)

Will do. Thanks for the suggestion.

Good News! We just learned that the USB MP3 Player Integration Kit will be shipped at the same time as our iPod units! So we are now taking pre-orders on those units as well! I have updated the first post!

Just placed my order buddy. Used my coupon code too. AWESOME.
Thanks for a great product. Be sure to keep us posted when the first shipments go out.
Hopefully I'm among them. :)

Will do! All pre-orders will ship at the same time once everything gets here. Of course, being in Texas, you'll probably get yours the day after I ship. There may be a little something extra in it for those who pre-order as well. ;)

I have an icelink and i reflashed the firmware so I don't have the power on/off problem, but the one thing that icelink can't do is shuffle songs/playlists. I have to remove the ipod, manually enable shuffling and reconnect. Changing playlists loses the shuffle ability.

How well does shuffle work on this unit? Any limitations?

Yes, shuffle works perfectly. This unit does not allow the changing of playlists via the console, but it also does not disable your iPod controls while you are using it, so you can easily switch playlists using the iPod itself.

Ordered this morning
 

Looking forward to listening to my IPod in my 8, and for only 120 bucks... not bad

I was the Pre 9.55 Firmware test subject, and it did not work, so you do need to have frim ware of 9.55 or higher. My only question is mazdaparts the only source to get your firmware upgraded?

By the way Donnie is a great guy, and he knows his stuff.

Thanks for posting the results! I need to update the first post and my website with the newly verified info.

Erm...how do I know what firmware I have

edit: nevermind

Just did the firmware check. Holding text and 1 only got me a beep.

I'm not sure what caused that, but make sure that your headunit is turned on and you are listening to FM, not CD.

Yea, I had FM radio music playing.

try hitting text first then 1 i had the same problem

Hey guys I'm another test subject Donnie sent a unit to (great guy, thanks Donnie). I'm installing it tomorrow (Sunday). I'll post pics and results shortly after. I have a 2004 v9.55 with Navi, and a 30gb Video iPod. I eventually want to get the music videos to play on my Navi screen, so hopefully this audio link box doesnt disable the ipods video out function on the earphone port. Of course I would also need that av electronics video box. But it would be great to have music video playlists running on the Nav screen with the ability to skip to the next song with the radio/steering wheel controls.

I have some question about the USB unit
-I assume the USB is USB 2.0?
-How does the unit deal with the file structure (i.e. folders and such). Also what file system is expected? Hopefully I can attach a 40gb usb drive or so
-I am hoping to use one of thise external USB drives that are powered from the USB port itself. How much power can the USB port on the unit provide?

I got firmware 9.53. Oh well, I'll stick with my itrip.

thew can upgrade it if u so desire, easy as pie :)

For $50?

Just finished installing my unit. Installation took about half an hour, some of those harnesses are tough to loosen! Just as falcontx say's, its an easy 1 plug install after you get the head unit out. I routed the wire to my glovebox where the little black box is. Plugged my 5g video iPod in, and it worked great on the first try. Changing tracks works well using both the steering wheel and head unit, and changing modes with both work well also. Overall I am extremely pleased with this product, the audio sounds great! I also tested the aux in with my iPod (plugged it into the headphone port), clean audio as well. I will be using the aux for my sirius replay unit soon.

One weird thing though, when I turn the headunit off, my Nav screen shows a weird screen with what I believe is Japanese text with "TV" on the top left and "AUTO-M" on the bottom right? Turning the radio back on or pressing "POS" on the nav control clears that screen out and I can see my location again. Doesnt look like anything serious, and I can live with it. Here is a picture from my sidekick phone:

http://img208.imageshack.us/img208/3...chphoto0qp.jpg

I will post some pictures when I get around to adding my Sirius Replay unit.

that is the control interface for the Japanese Tv tuner which Mazda would never ever sell in the US :)

don't worry about it just a bunch of aliens taking over you car ;)