The USA-Spec iPod Adapter

[barrysharp]

http://www.usaspec.com/ipodvol.htm

Hmmmm - what do you think about this ? Will it work ? Anyone game to order it and try ? Maybe a group buy! Price is right at $120.

[tooberand]

Does anyone know how the features of this compares to the one Volvo is making? Do we know if the one Volvo is making will work in post-2000/pre-2005 vehicles?

I'm willing to give this a shot.

Here's the Crutchfield link for those wanting a photo:

http://www.crutchfield.com/S-8ou0G8G...o&i=581PA10VOL

[littlewaywelt]

This unit seems to have all the functionality that the Volvo unit is supposed to have. After seeing that you can't get track/artists/album info and that you're limited to five or six playlists I'm not sure I really see the point since all the utility of Apple's iPod is basically lost with the obvious exception of better quality to the music. If the Volvo unit is similar, I am probably going to stick with my FM thing for the iPod. Does the phatnoise box provide artist/track info?

[Shoe]

I put a similar interface in my 04 Grand Cherokee and it only took me about 30 minutes until I was up and running with fantastic quality music compared to the FM jobber. The unit I bought for my Jeep only had a right and left RCA out, so I convert that to a 1/8" jack and control all of the song selection on the iPod itself. Not a real big deal. I just set a play list to play randomly and enjoy. This unit would be just fine for me. To be able to skip songs from the steering wheel would be a big improvement over what I have in the Jeep. If someone could direct me to a site on the net that describes taking out the Volvo radio, I could do this without fear.

[tooberand]

http://forums.swedespeed.com/zerothread?id=21836

[gary]

Does the phatnoise box provide artist/track info?

LWW,

According to the brochure it does - see page 5. http://www.xc70.com/misc/DIGITAL_JUKEBOX_GB.pdf

When I was at my Volvo dealer hear in the UK a few weeks ago, the guy in Parts wasn't aware of this jukebox. I took him a copy of this brochure and he is supposed to be researching availability, price, and installation for me (I had been told earlier in the year that it wouldn't be available until the May/June timeframe) and whether or not it is compatible with the HU-613 unit. I have the 10-CD changer and I'm hoping it's just a simple matter of switching out the units. Since the CD changer required a VADIS update when it was installed, I'm hoping that another update isn't required (wishful thinking I know).

[tooberand]

I am probably going to purchase the USA-Spec iPod connect unit for my wife's Passat. It looks the exact same as the Volvo unit and will be available five days before the Volvo one is. Plus the install will be easy since I just need to plug it into the CD changer cable in her trunk. I will post after installation and share my opinion about the unit. In the meantime, here's some insteresting information about the VW unit which probably applies to the Volvo one as well:

Playlists: The factory radio can access six discs when a CD changer is connected, this is synonymous with six playlists on the iPod. The first five are custom playlists arranged using iTunes software. The sixth playlist is a Play All command which plays all the songs on the iPod. There is no limit to the number of songs on a playlist, but the song number display on most factory radios is only two digits so after 99 the display restarts at 01.


Playlist Names: In order for the adapter/factory radio to recognize a playlist, it must be named VW1... through VW5... Text can follow the VW name and number, such as VW3_artistname or VW2-jazz. For a given disc slot (1-5), if there is no playlist named VW followed by that number, that disc slot will not be available.


Auxiliary Input: In addition to the iPod input on the PA10-VW there is an auxiliary input (RCA) for use with another source, such as a DVD system, satellite radio, etc. The aux input is accessed at disc 6 track 1 using the factory radio controls. This aux input can be used with or without the iPod connected. When using the aux input the Play All mode is moved to the Disc 5 slot and the VW5 custom playlist is lost.


Controls: The iPod is controlled using the CD Changer commands on the factory radio, so there is no need to access the buttons on the iPod or see the display. In fact the iPod enters an External Control mode and neither the controls on the iPod nor the display is active. Use the Radio's Disc Select controls to access the 5 custom mobile playlists, the Play All mode, and the auxiliary input. Track select, forward and backward, works just like on a CD. Other commands include shuffle play, scan (plays first 10 seconds of each track), Fast Track Search (skips forward or backward 10 tracks), and Fast Forward/Fast Reverse within a song (available in shuffle mode only).


Battery Charge: The PA10-VW charges iPod battery when connected. Charging stops after 1 hour of non use to prevent draining the vehicle's battery.


CD Changer Port: The adapter uses the factory radio's CD Changer port so if the vehicle has an existing outboard CD Changer it must be disconnected.


Pause: When a non iPod source is selected on the radio (AM/FM/Cass/CD) the iPod pauses.


Resume: If the iPod is not disconnected after use, it will resume playing where it left off when you restart the vehicle. If you're listening to a VW playlist portably and you plug the iPod into the adapter, playback continues from the previous spot.

[littlewaywelt]

great post tooberand. Please post back on your experience with install and usability of the system.

The more I read about how this will work, the more I think I'd rather have the occassionally fuzzy and poorer sound quality of the iPod w/ monster i play plus fm transmitter rather than the hardwire solution and keep the ability to easilly find the music I want to hear rather than be limited to five playlists. I presume Volvo's unit will work the same way.

Can someone explain (simply if it's possible) why it would be so difficult to display playlist, artist, song name, album, etc on the headunit and search the same way one does on an iPod? I would think a control like what the GPS uses would be a pretty good input (four-way scroll button with an enter and back button). I presume the radios that have RDS integrated which can display this type of info already it wouldn't be a big deal. Do the aftermarket Alpine & Kenwood type radios that have iPod compatibility allow the user to control and display the ipod info, or is it merely a line in setup?

[vtie]

Can someone explain (simply if it's possible) why it would be so difficult to display playlist, artist, song name, album, etc on the headunit and search the same way one does on an iPod?

Most likely, the current generation of Volvo radios is simply not designed to obtain that kind of information over an external connector. I'm afraid we will have to wait for a new generation of radios before this will be possible (and, by then, maybe iPod-like devices will be outdated already:->)

With an FM transmitter, there is at least the option to provide this with the RDS signal (although I'm not sure if this is actually done)

[littlewaywelt]

Most likely, the current generation of Volvo radios is simply not designed to obtain that kind of information over an external connector. I'm afraid we will have to wait for a new generation of radios before this will be possible (and, by then, maybe iPod-like devices will be outdated already:->)

With an FM transmitter, there is at least the option to provide this with the RDS signal (although I'm not sure if this is actually done)

That type of information is available through an external connector when dealing with Sirius Sat Radio.