iPod Connection

[Dan the 480 Man]

Hi Guys...

I thought i'd ask here-i don't really know where else to post and hopefully someone might be able to help. I have heard and read that you can connect an iPod to your car stereo through the RCA's on the rear of the headunit. However, all of my RCA's are being used to power both my Amps. Has anybody here wired an iPod to their headunit, or know of somebody who has? It would be so handy-no more jumping CD's! Oh, and i have a CD player, so getting the 'Casette' conversion is out of the question...

I know i'm a 440 driver, but any help would be much appreciated!
Cheers,
Daniel M

[LASEROWL]

Hi Dan

Regards connecting your ipod to your head unit it needs to have Aux In sounds like you only have Aux out ( connected to your amps ). I had this problem trying to connect my in car PC ended up with a new Head Unit.

I think you can connect an Aux input to your amps as well as the head unit but you really need to spk to someone more clued up on ICE than me.

Wayne

[Bramdeman]

What Laserowl said... but you need some kind of audio-IN on either your cd player or on your amp that you can convert to mini-jack wich goes in your ipod. There is another thing called an Itrip, wich you plug into your ipod and it works like a small fm station, that you can pick up on your Radio. Except it works like sh*t in most cars. Also it's not legal in some country's anymore since its considered a pirate radiostation (that is so weak you can't even pick it up in your own car )

For power there is a thing called Powerpod, wich u plug into the cigarette lighter, that works fine. I wired mine in below the ashtray and just have a firewire cable out from under the dash.

[Murf]

when i built my car pc i wondered for a while about input options. i finally settled on buying a blaupunkt cassette player off ebay and hacking it and putting rca's on the back to connect extra equipment to.
the stereo itself is magic quality and the aux in sound is brilliant too, no crackle or hiss at all. i figured i wouldnt need a cd player again which is why i got a cassette player, they are all dirt cheap cos everyone ironically wants a cd player
it has line level outputs on the back for connecting to amps as well.

alternatively if that aint your thing you can buy alpine head units that have auxiliary in terminals, jvc do them as well and sony too.

i wouldnt reccomend the fm tuner things, they suck!!

[wedge69]

There was a suplement in one of the weekend papers about new gadgets.

What you need is an i-Trip. Can't rememeber the exact details, but you plug it into your i-Pod and it acts as a very weak radio transmitter. This means that just by placing it in your can you can use your sound system to play music from your i-Pod.

It's legal to buy, though not to use

[Murf]

What you need is an i-Trip

i wouldnt reccomend the fm tuner things, they suck!!

trouble is because you are using the tuner section of the stereo you will never get quality above that of standard FM radio. that kinda defeats the purpose of having cd quality music, you would probably better off using cassette tapes!
its ok for people that dont mind this but given that dan has a bootfull of amps it sounds like he wants as high quality as he can get and amps and a decent stereo setup would make the itrips drawbacks even more apparent!

[Murf]

eh, sorry if that sounded a bit shirty wedge,i didnt mean to piss on your campfire, i just reckon that you will never get the same quality from a wireless connection that you will from a hard wired connection!

[wedge69]

Don't worry about it, I neither have an iPod nor a pumping stereo, so it doesn't matter!

[Dan the 480 Man]

Hi Guys...

Thanks for the responses. I figured it wasn't going to be an easy task. You're right-i am after a good sound quality, so an iTrip would def. be out of the question. I'm surprised that some developer hasn't yet thought about taking the wire from CD changer and popping a jack on the end of that....surely it would do the same thing?

I was wondering, as the amps have the Audio In, wether i may be able to buy some splitters therefore doubling up my 'Audio In' capacity and wiring the iPod to that...i know i would have to then run a cable to the front of the cabin so the iPod isn't in the boot, but that wouldn't be a problem... I have wired up my stereo (other than my headunit) to a constant live feed, which i turn on and off via a little switch, so i wouldn't even need the headunit on....

A potentially challenging task ahead i feel-but not an un-obtainable one i hope! I love a good challenge...

Cheers guys again...

[Dan the 480 Man]

Hi...

Me again...Just been playing around in my boot. I've got an Apple Laptop, which has a 'Jack In'. I also have a Jack to Phono adaptor. I turned my stereo on via the live feed (headunit remained off the whole time), and i used 2 RCA splitters (2 male going to 1 female) and popped them into the 'Audio In' on my amp. I then took a set of regular phono cables that join to a jack at the other end, plugged them into the RCA splitters and the jack to my laptop....and hey presto! Music from my laptop was playing in my car. The amp's would need a little tweaking to get the sound levels right, but it can be done. The wiring would be a bit of a nightmare-loads of extra splitters as i have two amps...confused?

It sounds complicated with all the wires but it isn't really that bad. You just need to be able to get your head round it!

All i need now is "Father Christmas" to bring me the iPod i paid 75% of to really be able to give it a bash...

Dan M

[Bramdeman]

headunit remained off the whole time

What will happen when you turn your cd player on while the ipod is connected ? You will have 2 sounds playing at once, that wouldn't be horrible but i don't know how the iPod would like it's output channel connected to the output of your headunit.

Or am i missing something?

[Murf]

What will happen when you turn your cd player on while the ipod is connected ? You will have 2 sounds playing at once, that wouldn't be horrible but i don't know how the iPod would like it's output channel connected to the output of your headunit.

yep, you need to get an RCA switch box or use double pole double throw relays to isolate one source from the other.
what you have suggested is a perfectly do-able solution,get it all set up now ready for christmas day when the big plug in starts!!

i didnt suggest this method to you cos i figured you would want to keep you head unit for the radio. for some stupid reason i always assume that wiring up sources directly to amps means also getting rid of your HU!!

[Dan the 480 Man]

Hey guys...

I'm not very good at explaining things! What i meant was, that because i have my Amps wired to a live feed with the capacity to turn them on and off, my headunit does not need to be 'On' to make the amps switch on. This means that i can take the face plate off, but still have the amps switched on to run the iPod...is that making a bit more sense? As i said, not too good at explaining things!

I can run my CD and my iPod at the same time, but i wouldn't do that anyway-i would primarily keep my headunit for, as you said, the radio, and my Pod for my music...after all, i've got nearly 3000 songs on my hard drive, and there's no way i'd fit all those CD's in my car....unless somebody knows of a 3000 disc changer

Its just a shame that there is so much extra wiring involved-it could get a little 'complex', but i'm sure it'll be ok. I can wire my laptop up to test it's all running ok. The only thing now is where to mount it....any ideas? I know the cabin is a bit different to a 480...



Any ideas? I need to keep the three switches for amps, and front n rear neons (sad, i know!)...i was thinking about taking them out and just putting a panel in that would hold the iPod flush, and taking an info centre switch, adapting it so it would do away with my 3 switches and popping that in next to the clock....any better solutions?

Cheers guys...

[Murf]

if you use the ipod else where and remove it from the car i would just put a bit of velcro on the back of your ipod to stop it sliding about and pop it in the pocket above your switches. that way it is easily accessable to press the buttons on it and you can leave the wiring in the pocket when you remove the pod.
as for wiring you could greatly simplify things by making your own wiring instead of using loads of adapters.just cut the audio cables and solder together the ones you need and run one long phono cable into the cabin to get a source from.

if you dont want to put your pod in the pocket you could get a universal mobile holder bracket and screw it to the side of the dash beside the air vent. this would hold it in place, let you see the screen and use the buttons and it would still be removeable at night time. this would also let you keep the switches for your chav lights!
do you have a dc ipod adapter to charge it up with?

[Dan the 480 Man]

Hi...

Thats not a bad idea-cutting the wires i need then soldering them together. I never thought of that! I'm a bit fussy when it comes to mounting things too, so i was just trying to think of a way to make it sit and fit in nice in the interior...i think if i can sucessfully wire it up i'll be happy to start with!

I'm not quite sure what you mean by a DC adaptor for the iPod...if you mean a charger for the cigarette lighter, then no i don't. I know that the iPod will run for about 12 hours on a full charge, and i'm not usually in my car for any more than that...Do you think it would be worth having a charge adaptor in the car then?

While i'm on the subject of car audio, i'm just going to put another question to you if i may (i get the impression you have an understanding of all this kind of thing)...i have two amps in the boot-both 4 channel. One powers my four mid-range speakers, and the other amp is bridged and powers my two subs. Now, a few weeks back, the amp driving my mid-range speakers stopped working. I couldn't figure out what the problem was, until i checked the fuse's. They had both blown. Easy, i thought, just pop some new ones in. But as soon as i touch the blade fuses on their connection, they spark instantly and short out. I thought it might be a wiring problem, so i swapped my amps over-but it done the same thing again, and the other amp was fine...i've checked everything in my car-earths, cut wire's, connections, the lot-but i can't find the problem. Is this something inside the amp do you think? It has been taken away by a mate to look at, but he's not found anything yet. Sorry to be a pain, i just wondered if perhaps you might have a theory....

And you're right, got to keep the old neons, definaltey

Cheers again...
P.s.-if you can't help, it doesnt matter-i appreciate all this as it is!

[Murf]

I'm not quite sure what you mean by a DC adaptor for the iPod

yes, a cigarette lighter adapter or something like that. i guess you dont really need it if the batteries last for 12 hours,it will simplify the wiring a lot if you just run it off batteries.

Now, a few weeks back, the amp driving my mid-range speakers stopped working. I couldn't figure out what the problem was, until i checked the fuse's. They had both blown.

it sounds like someone has been cranking there amps up full blast!

so just the one amp blew and it had two fuses in it? if all the external wiring was ok it sounds like you have blown the amp. possibly one of the transistors has blown, they often use the amp casing (which is earthed) as a heatsink. therefore if the transistor has blown it is shorting straight to earth and will therefore cause massive current draw and (you've guessed it!!) blown fuses!!

fortunately these will be easy to spot as they will be big and the blown one will have flash marks round it and a big hole in the outer casing!!
are they good amps and are they under warranty? if your mate cant find the problem you can wing them up to me and i will have a quick poke about inside them if you want. if they are just cheap amps you might be better getting bigger/better ones to annoy your neighbours with!

[Murf]

a big hole in the outer casing!!

self correction, a hole in the transistor casing that is, not in the amps outer casing!!

[Dan the 480 Man]

Hi Murf...

It may be possible i was playing them too loud...they aren't under guarntee anymore, but even if they were, i would have voided it because i fitted it all myself. I dont see how though. My mid range speakers are only 35 watt RMS, and the amp RMS is around 400. They were £150 JBL GTO models...clear panel on the top of the amp. I did have a look at the inside when i dismantled it, but i couldn't find anything...partly because looking at that circuitry just made my head spin !

I thought i had maybe blown something inside. I would just replace the amp-they have come down in price, but i'm in full time education still (23 and loving it!) so money is a little tight, specially as i just gave my parents loads of money for my iPod. My mate who's having a look works at a car audio centre, but he can't just walk in with it, he's got to try and sneak it in without being caught, otherwise its a £35 bill for me just to have it looked at

Where about's do you live then? If i can't get it sorted, i may consider sending it your way-if that wouldn't be a problem? I live right on the most easterly point of the UK-sunny Lowestoft! I'm hoping it can be sorted though, i miss my tunes! Take a look....



Looks good at night with the 'Gary-boy' neons lighting it all up...it's kind of my favourite part of my car-it looks so pants now with only 1 amp in it!

Anyway, digressing....Cheers for the advice-i suppose you reccomend turning the gain down a little if it eventually gets fixed??!

Speak soon...

[Dan the 480 Man]

Oh, and i will keep posting pictures because i've just figured out how to do it...the novelty will wear off i'm sure

And i've just noticed you live in Scotland...quite a way from me!

[Murf]

My mid range speakers are only 35 watt RMS, and the amp RMS is around 400.

my brain hasnt woken up suffiently to answer this properly but it probably depends on how you connect the speakers up, series or parallel. one of the methods will half the overall impedance of the system which could overdrive the amp and blow it. the power handling of the speakers isnt really important, its just a way of stopping you blowing your speakers.

but i'm in full time education still

me too, im 24 and still a full time scrounger, i know what it feels like to be broke and not have money for gadgets!

i suppose you reccomend turning the gain down a little if it eventually gets fixed??!

hell no, thats what amps are for!! your install looks very clean, odd seeing a 440 boot with subs in it!!

i may consider sending it your way

no bother! i'm about as far away as i could possibly get. hopefully your mate will be able to sort it!

why dont you use the amp for the subs to power the midrange speakers in the meantime, just do without your subs for a while. or buy a shitty 2nd hand amp to power your subs in the meantime. check your wiring 1st though so you dont blow your good amp too!!!