Just got my 4g Nano, hurry up! :)

Is this unit compatible with a Mazda Sirius satellite installation? Since my satellite unit was pre-installed on my car, I'm not sure how it connects to the HU.

No, it is not. The factory satellite radio installation uses the same port that this unit uses. As such, only one or the other can be used.

I remember mentioning this before, but it does need to be added to the first post, so thanks for reminding me.

I just returned from drving my car tonight. After 1 day of no driving the ipod started where I left off without having to disconnect and reconnect or turn off and on the headunit. This is a great product at a great price. I will be getting rid of the icelink. Thnaks falcontx

Hmm. It's weird that you said this unit can't display text due to its connection through the external port, yet the satellite unit displays text connected the same way.

Anyway, I wonder if anyone is going to come up with a way to connect mulitple units to the external port. For now, I'll have to be satisfied with the satellite radio.

Ahh, I was under the understanding that it would not and I've never actually seen the factory satellite radio in action. I stand corrected. Thanks for pointing that out. ;)

As for connecting multiple units, I'm not exactly sure what that would entail. I'll mention it to the manufacturer of the AudioLink to see if it is something they would be interested in pursuing.

Yeah, maybe an adapter from Mbus to dual Mbus. It would be great if I could use this with the device Truemagelan posted for integration with a laptop or carputer to control winamp through the steering wheel controls.

is Audiolink the mystery company manufacturing the Ipod integration kit that does display text on the stock Red LCD display?

No, our kit does not display or scroll any text on the factory display.

Got mine works well, it will reach to the ashtray below the DSC button but the only ipod that will fit in there is the nano. Mini is close but no cigar.

My only grip is that it can't scroll through playlists on its own and if you switch playlists while you have it disconnected from the car then when you plug it back in it still tries to play the playlist from when it was last pluged, so in sort if you want a new playlist you have to select the playlist while the unit is inuse (I.E your driving) But thats no different then putting a new CD in.

What I've ended up doing is creating a bunch of playlists for each of the CD's i had in the car, and one really big playlist with all those songs plus all the other stuff i had on my HDD. I usually keep it on the one really big playlist and only switch to the separate ones I made for each CD when I feel like listening to a certain mood (they were mood cds ie 'drive', 'relax', 'feel good') I keep my old mini in the car at all times and take my video ipod around with me, works really well. The track switchs are very quick and the sound quality is excelent. Its really cool to hook up your laptop to the headphone extention and play exhaust soundclips while your in the car too :icon_no2:

Overall great product, is there anything called an AUX splitter, so that you could have sort of a "Y" harness come out of the AUX input in the back and have this hooked up to one end of the Y and sirus hooked up to the other end of the Y ?

any chance this works with a zen micro?

Well, there seems to be differing information on that particular device. However, I'll make this general statement regarding compatibility:

If you are able to plug your MP3 player into any computer and it immediately appears as a drive letter in Windows Explorer without the installation of any special drivers or software, then it will work perfectly with the AudioLink USB Mp3 Player Integration Kit.

hmm.. guess not then.

The lack of playlist control using the disc change buttons on the factory radio tick me off...

I just got a 2gb nano for xmas and I wanted to permanently wire this thing into my car... i guess i'll just be putting it into the ashtray below the DSC switch as I'm going for a stealth install (damn theives)... and get used to using the iPod while moving...

I'll most likely order this sometime soon though... I don't think i can justify another 80 bucks for the playlist control from the mp3yourcar solution... but I just might splurge for it...

Just to give you guys a quick update, it currently appears that the package will be arriving in the country this weekend. Hopefully customs won't take too long and I'll have them in hand next week to begin shipping out. It shouldn't be much longer! I'll be including a gift with each order as a token of my appreciation of your patience and support. ;)

!
 

Thank you for the update and the gift :) :) :) .

I read that you can't connect a computer. I plan to buy Dell Axim this week. Is there any way to connect a PDA(pocket pc) or buy addtional accessories to make it work with Audiolink?

I think I can sacrifice few ipod features as long as I can control the volume, prev, next, mode button from the steering wheel. All other features can be controlled from the PDA.

Please please tell me there is a way to do this. Otherwise, I may end up buying another ipod but the PDA is what I reaaaalllllllllly want...

Nedor

Well, I hate to be the bringer of bad news, but I really don't think it would work. The AudioLink is designed to read directly from a USB storage device. I would imagine that your PDA would not be recognized as a storage device and I highly doubt that there is an accessory that would provide this functionality.

Cool! I can't wait to enjoy this mp3 player. :ylsuper:

UPDATE: My first shipment has landed! It's in customs right now and will be cleared tomorrow. All orders placed prior to this post will be shipped by the end of the week.

With that having been said, every single one of the iPod units I have coming in are pre-sold at this point. Any orders placed after this post will be shipped towards the middle of January when my second shipment arrives. However, we will have several USB MP3 units in stock and ready to ship.

Thanks again for your patience and support!

are you still offering the "introductory" pricing for the next shipment? for the ipod units, that is.

Yes, since we are still taking pre-orders, the price will remain the same. In fact, if the product continues to sell well, we may just keep this price as the RX8Club special price. All pre-orders will be getting a little something extra since they're waiting patiently, however. ;)

Any update on when they'll ship? I've been loading up my iPod in anticipation :mdrmed:

I picked them up from customs today and am printing labels and invoices and processing credit cards, etc. I'll be dropping them off at the post office tomorrow morning.

Regarding cord length on the iPod units, which had been previously discussed: In this shipment, the cable going from the headunit to the AudioLink is 33.5 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 56.75 inches (about 4 feet, 9 inches), which is about 9 inches longer than the original version. Hopefully this additional length will provide greater flexibility when routing the cables.

For those who still need an even longer cable, 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 to prevent noise).

i spoke to those guys today... they said they had them in... just needed to be sent out... defenitely by early next week... i can't wait!

i was wondering if it'd be possible to connect a portable sirius unit throught the extra 1/8" jack provided w/ the kit. it would simply get plugged right into the headphone jack. will this be able to be controlled through the head unit also? i don't even care really... i don't mind using the buttons on the unit. all i care about is not losing quality through any of those FM transmiters.

Yes, you absolutely could input a protable Sirius unit via the 1/8" jack without losing any sound quality. You would still need to control the unit using it's own interface, as you suspected.

How would you select from the iPod and the Sirius source? Do I need to disconnect the ipod first?

Anybody, "EX 1", "Ex 2"?

Got this from Donny last month:

dag

Got my shipping notice - can't wait for it to arrive. :rock:

dag

so...
i've been up and down this thread several times looking for an answer to my question, but cannot find it. i have a 2004 with a head unit that has am/fm/cd, but no external cd changer or tape/md (although there are buttons for tape/md). i have firmware 9.55. There are references in this thread to plugging the AudioLink into the cd changer connection.
my question is: can i use the AudioLink with my headunit which has cd, but no external changer?
tia

Yes

I thought it used the port for the external CD unit?? Don't you hit the CD button twice to switch to the iPod source? My stereo has a SAT button for the Sirius option. Does this mean you can't configure an RX8 with Sirius and the external CD player if you aren't using this unit?? If it uses the Sirius port why wouldn't you use the SAT button to switch to it?? Thanks!

Just got a email that mine is on it way :ylsuper: .

You wouldn't need to disconnect it, but you would need to pause it. Basically, you'd just need to turn off whichever unit you weren't using.

Apparently Mazda modified the port to be a dual-use port. In other wores, they made it where you could plug in the factory satellite OR an external CD changer. You can't use both as there is only one port. The AudioLink emulates an external CD changer, which is why it is accessed by pressing the CD button twice as opposed to the SAT button. Some newer cars, like the Mazda5 also have a "Media" button that can be used as well.

My unit came without instructions so I've been reading these. In step 11 you mention some wires that need to be disconnected. Do these stay disconnected or are they unplugged so you can get to the location the mp3 adapter plugs into?

Thanks!

They do not stay disconnected. They are for your A/C controls. You'll need to reconnect anything that you disconnect in the process of removing the headunit. I'd recommend unplugging as few of the connectors as possible. Just get enough room to reach back and plug in the AudioLink and you'll be good to go.

I just recieved mine!!! I am curious where everyone is mounting the "Audio Link " box and also where they are mounting The Ipod unit itself.

Got it, thanks! Was I supposed to get <any> installation instructions with the unit or are you relying on this thread as the documentation source?

Also, how much of the transmission cover gets removed? The pictures show where to pry, and a small view of the local area after the removal. Does the cover come off all the way to the back seat? The reason I'm interested is because I have a HAM radio unit mounted in my trunk and would like to run the audio leads to the AudioLink so I can hear either the iPod or my 2 meter radio through the stock stereo.

I'm really looking forward to installing the unit! I haven't decided where I'm going to put the iPod yet though. My cup holder currently contains the 'head' unit from the HAM radio.
See: http://koczarski.com/RX8/Mods/HAM/HAM.htm
I'm hoping I can slip the iPod in there too as it would be nice to have access to it for changing playlists or pausing it so I can use the 2 meter radio. I suppose I could always put the iPod in the glove box and use one of thouse iPod in-audio-line control units to pause the iPod and switch to the HAM unit. That way the iPod would be out of site, yet I'd still be able to pause it when required?? Would one of those still control the pause feature of the iPod when it has the AudioLink unit plugged into the bottom of it?

Thanks!

No, installation instructions were not included. Since this product works on every vehicle in the Mazda line-up and since we were trying to get the product out to you as quickly as possible, and since the connection of the unit itself is very simple (it just plugs in), we chose to rely upon the pre-existing resources here on the forums regarding console disassembly/reassembly.

For the installation of this unit, only the cupholders forward is required to be removed. I supposed that more of the cover could be removed for routing the wiring that you mentioned, though I have not done it myself. Perhaps someone else here can provide some insight.

I actually hadn't heard about the iPod inline audio control units, so I'm not really sure how well it would work with the AudioLink. It seems as though it should not interfere, but you never know.

Got mine - can't wait until I find the time to install!

I am targeting installing it through the cup holders.

dag

You can see one in the 9th picture on this page.
http://koczarski.com/Motorcycles/ST1...om/Autocom.htm
I use it on my motorcycle for pausing or steping a track ahead in my master playlist. It <should> work in the car too. I'll give it a try and report back. If it does work I should be able to put the iPod in the drink holder bay next to my HAM radio head and have the remote just outside on the console for easy access even when the lid on the drink bay is closed.

My order status says "pending payment"...is that normal? I ordered mine right before xmas.

I received my kit for my Ipod Nano yesterday and installed it last night. There's a good thread somewhere on this board that shows how to remove the headunit.
In brief, you will need to remove the center console cover, ashtray, plastic cover under steering wheel to get to a 10mm bolt connected to side of head unit. Then you will need to disconnect about 4 or 5 electrical connectors and antenna cable to get the head unit out.

The only problem I had was with the electrical connectors they where a freaking bitch to disconnect. I plugged the adapter to the back of the headunit and ran the wires to the glovebox, where the ipod will stay out of sight.

System works great just need to turn the volume up on the ipod and adjust its EQ for your style.

I'll shoot you a PM.

If you use the Neo iON instructions adrain-1 posted:

http://www.neocaraudio.com/installs/...quired%20Tools

Do yourself a favor and remove the metal plate under the steering column after step 7 so that you can actually see the magical mystery bolt you need to remove in step 8.

Pic below is the BOLT you need to remove in step 8.

http://www.thommino.com/images/Mazda...en%20screw.jpg

Anyway, I removed a nut (yeah I know it is supposed be a bolt) that I thought was the correct fastener way up inside the center console. I then tried to pull the HU out and almost broke it before it dawned on me that I removed the wrong fastener. I had a hell of a time putting the nut back on. (Japanese technicians must be a little smaller than us Americans).

With the metal plate in place, I have no idea how you could even find the pictured bolt; otherwise, the instructions are first-rate.

-Mr. Wigggles

Edited for clarity I hope.

So, is this a picture of the correct bolt then?? TIA

The picture does in fact point out the correct bolt. I installed this thing on Monday. It's not on the same plane as the two bolts that are by each other, it's behind and a little above, but the bolts look the same. When it comes out, it's maybe 3/4" long (not a very long bolt).

To help ensure that you in fact have the correct bolt, give your HU a little pull (not enough to actually unlatch it) and you should see it move a bit where the bolt used to be. That's the best indication that you have the correct bolt.

Also, make sure you put a towel or something over your gear shift. I put a little scratch in my HU because it rubbed the metal shifter.

It works very well, it even pauses your ipod when you turn off the stereo (or the car for that matter). PRETTY.... PRETTY.... PRETTY... PRETTY good.