iPod Stuff
Gur. I’m getting tired of the whole Honda / iPod thing. I just want the damn thing to work.
Here’s my current, and hopefully simple, idea. I mount an iPod holder in the console to hold the iPod. Then I figure out how to pull power from the Satellite / CD Changer / Whatever connector in the back of the stereo and do so. I have a spare Y cable for this connector, so I can tap power off of there. I then use one of these (or maybe these, if I am feeling cheap) to shove audio into the 3.5mm jack provided right on the console. Done right, it could be wired fairly transparently and completely non-invasively in the car (except for the mounting holes for the dock, which would be in a rather hidden location anyway).
The power would be pulled from the nicely filtered source on the back of the head unit, the audio would be fed in via ‘normal’ means without any special wiring / cabling / splicing, and the iPod would be mounted in an accessible location.
I’ll look more into making this work tomorrow, but I think it’s possible.
I’m also thinking of just buying a $20 Belkin Auto Kit from eBay in black so I can have one that matches the dock and is known to be well soldered and wee. Then I can just build a tiny PCB to make all the connections I want, mount that up in the console, and call it a day. Hrm. I really do think this is the best way to go… And if I plan it right, it’ll involve pulling apart the dash twice. Once to check / measure things, and another to do the install. I’ll likely go this route.
Tomorrow I’ll probably order the parts.
I hate the user interface as much as the next guy, but you’ve got to be really careful screwing with the electrical system in your car. You run all sorts of risks of voiding your warranty, let alone if that doesn’t happen and an electrical problem pops up in the car somewhere, the first thing that happens is you’ll be charged to change everything back to factory spec before they’ll even begin diagnosis.
I’d suggest getting in touch with Honda Customer Relations before you go doing anything.
I’ve been in touch with Honda Customer Relations and they’ve told me that’s how it works.
Secondly, I would agree with you about the electrical stuffs, if I was changing anything. As I stated, all I’m looking at doing is taking power from the back of the head unit, via a plug-in harness which is designed to pull power from the head unit, and powering an iPod from it. This is already done via the craptastic Honda Music Link. The other connection will plug right into the factory AUX in connector in the dash.
Oh I understand what you’re saying as far as hooking it up goes, however to a technician “trained by the factory” they’re going to take one look, see wires they havent seen before, and immediately assume that you’ve tapped into a harness as opposed to the head unit to provide power….I’m sure at that point if theres a problem somewhere you’ll get fed a line of bullshit about improper voltages, amps, etc…
Just a heads up….remember…I work for a division of Honda :-p
Oh, sure. Thanks for the heads-up, and I understand. But that’s also the point where I’d have to… I guess you’d say educate them as to what exactly I did and how it should not violate the warranty. Hopefully they’d listen…
That reminds me, I should call Honda corporate and follow up on my fax from yesterday.
Heh, too bad it wasn’t out… A few months ago. And too bad I find it ugly as hell.
I personally really, really don’t like the styling of most Chrysler vehicles. They just look too chunky for my tastes.
FM Modulator
hey dude…
Why don’t you just buy a FM Modulator and plug your iPod into it. It just plugs into your AC Adaptor then you plug your iPod into it. Voila! All for about $30.00.
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.gsp?product_id=3579125
Re: FM Modulator
Unfortunately I’ve heard those work like ass in the Detroit area becuse there are so many strong radio stations. I hope this isn’t true because it is what i have to do in my new(ish) car as the stereo doesn’t have an aux.
Re: FM Modulator
I’ve found that they really, really don’t work well at all. You may have better luck, but I personally haven’t… Adding an aux in really is the best way to go.
Re: FM Modulator
sound quality kinda sucks to boot
Re: FM Modulator
try using them in dc…i bought my wife one and i couldn’t get it to work well on any frequency because of bleed over from they gazillions of FM stations here or baltimore
Re: FM Modulator
Unfortunately they work like crap. FM is rather bandwidth-limited, too, and there’s no way it could even sound close to CD quality.
Hehe, yeah…
I wanted something a lot smaller. I really did get what I wanted, I’m just pissed about the iPod thing. Ah well, I’ll sort it out and make my own.
Oh, by the way, the not-being-able-to-remove-the-key thing before was my putting the car in park too gently and not actually putting it all the way in.