Develop Bugs

XDA with MP3 & Satnav in car

I'm looking at getting this carcomm cradle as my in car solution for my XDA2 : http://www.totalpda.co.uk/product4740_0.aspx
As i understand it, assuming I correctly wire the cradle kit to my headunit's telemute cable, when a call comes in, my stereo will be muted/paused and the cradle's speakers & mic will kick in. I gather TOMTOM instructions will work the same way.
I also have a Sony headunit with an Aux in. I'd like to use the stereo headset jack to play all that MP3 goodness into my stereo. This should reduce the amount i spend on CDR's
My question is whether having the headphone jack plugged in will stop the car kit from getting the phone call audio when a call comes in. Will the XDA try to take mic in from the headset jack or the car kit. Or will it end up dazed and confused, and slump in the footwell of my car nibbling it's toenails and rocking slowly backwards and forwards? Come to that, will I?
Hope this makes sense

I can't help you, but I enjoyed the question...
:lol:

I have roughly the same setup you have, except the car cradle is only used for charging. I have all audio (TomTom, MP3 and phone) from the headset jack, including mic.
Works like a charm, you don't really need a carkit as you can feed all audio to the car stereo

I had a look at that carcomm set. It looks like the cradle blocks the headset jack of the XDA !

For mp3 audio and phone audio, I use a very cheap device called "car baby". This consists of a small clip on device with led and on/off switch. The device is rechargable and comes with lighter plug. Basically you just go to a blank preset on your in car radio, play audio on your xda 2, then tune radio to pick up the audio, the volume on the xda 2 needs to be pretty low to prevent distortion, once setup all audio is routed through the radio allowing very reasonable hands free phone calls and mp3 playback. It also comes with a nice little mount for a phone which has suction or vent mount adaptors, this isnt big enough for xda 2 but it looks very neat and will work with lots of normal size phones. I think it works on fm frequency around 106mhz.

Thanks for your feedback guys.
@ pleun - I was planning on 'modifying' the cradle to either present me with access to the jack socket or to actually plug in a jack, but this would have to be fairly flexible as the jack is obviously at an unhelpful angle.
@cruisin-thru & pleun (again) - thanks for the ideas, My only concern is that I don't really want to have to switch the headunit to a FM channel or the Aux channel when a call comes in - too much distraction when driving. It would be fine if i was only going to be playing MP3's but i will want to continue to use the CD or radio from time to time!

your questions answered.....
hey....please read my post in this forum......How to listen to all sound via a car kit[/url]

modifying my headset

im pissed of that theres no way of piping sound through the car kit, so i want to know is this possible. i have a haicom charger/gps lead which will provide power and gps, using a cheap type holder.For sound , would it work if i cut off the earpieces, and wire to a jack plug, into my stereo aux input?...if this works, the only drawback is having to switch to aux to take a call, so could i patch in a cheap car kit speaker into the cable.....is there enough power to drive it?, i could then only use the aux input when listening to mp3......

yes it would work
but you need not kill a headset you can get
2.5mm to 3.5mm converters and just use that

Mini USB > 3.5 Jack?

Any adaptors that will allow me to use proper 3.5 inch headphone jack in place of the mini USB ones ( i dont like the in ear phones) checked ebay and couldnt see anything?

you want get one of these http://www.expansys.com/p.aspx?i=142090 - Mike

Ouch, that thing is both horribly badly designed and prohibitively expensive- it's going to stick out what looks like an inch by itself, most headphone plugs will add another inch on top of that- I need something that fits flush with the bottom of the phone (comes out at a right angle) AND supplies an input for the charger. One can only dream!
The orbit would make a great on-mains Wifi internet radio if such a gubbin existed- hook up some speakers, start TCPMP, sorted!

in which case if you don't like wires stop messing around and get a set of A2DP compatible headphones - the quality is very good, but far more costly than a cable addaptor - the choice is yours - Mike

Might have been worth while if I didn't use an iPod for all my portable audio needs- have you seen any A2DP compatible speakers around?
Looks like there are hacks out there, but no official products, the combination really would just turn the Orbit into an incredibly expensive Wifi radio! But where's the fun in just going out and buying a proper one!

Have a look at the products made by Parrot there are a few Bluetooth audio add on boxes, I fail to see the relevance to WiFi?? as the A2DP profile is Bluetooth - it even works on the T-Mobile MDA-CIII which has no WiFi - Mike

I say wifi radio because I listen to internet radio stations around the house using the Orbit, and the ol' tinternet comes via the wifi doohickey!
A2DP is, of course, a bluetooth profile and would be the method over which I get decent sounding audio from the Orbit to some speakers whilst still having the Orbit plugged into mains so the battery doesn't get sucked dry... that said I think the Orbit will last a good few hours streaming internet radio, although I have yet to put that to the test.
My other solution would be, as mentioned above, an adaptor that allows both the charger AND headset to be plugged in- I can't see this as being technically impossible.
With a brief cursory investigation I have discovered, I think, that the headset uses a proprietary 6-pin connection on the opposite side of the mini-usb connector. The headphones do not use the 4-pin standard mini-usb connector on the other side, but a connector that uses both should be reasonably simple to produce. Ergo it should be childs play for a third party to produce an Artemis dock that contains not only a connection to USB but a standard 3.5mm amplified microphone socket alongside a standard 3.5mm amplified stero audio jack... not to mention a button on the front of the dock for picking up calls and a volume slider if you really wanted them.
Call me crazy, but I want one of those!

You could try this
http://www.expansys.com/htc/p_htc_item.aspx?i=145066
Might do the trick even if it is a bit long
Rich

Dear lord! You've made my day! Hmmm, a little jiggery pokery and I might even be able to incorporate that into a dock but it'll be fantastic for charging and listening to net radio at work- takes that little extra load off my desktop PC.
Cheers!

Glad I could help

richiev4 said:
You could try this
http://www.expansys.com/htc/p_htc_item.aspx?i=145066
Might do the trick even if it is a bit long
Rich
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi,
Does anyone know if the above would work with a set of mini stereo speakers with a 3.5mm headphone jack (like the walkman speakers i used to have, back in the day...) to listen to the FM radio while charging the phone from mains? Or would you still need the headphones plugged into get any FM reception?
Daft question maybe, but I wondered whether the device would just use the speaker wires as an antenna instead of the headphone wires?

It will work fine, I am going to use mine to connect my orbit to my home stereo and charge it at the same time.
Rich

2.5mm 3 pole jack plug
Hi,
Anybody know of an Artemis mini usb to 2.5mm 3 pole jack plug adapter which allows the connection to deliver audio and microphone capability ?
I would like to connet my Artemis/Orbit to the Autocom intercom system on my motorcycle . This uses a lead with a 2.5mm jack plug at the phone end and a 3.5mm jack at the Autocom system end. Both are 3 pole.
Thanks
P.S. hope you don't mind me jumping in your postings

http://www.expansys.com/s.aspx
try doing a search for "2.5mm"

A very good Items for the Artemis on EbaY :
look :
http://cgi.ebay.fr/FOR-ORANGE-SPV-E...ryZ14419QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

2.5mm 3 pole jack plug adatper
I think I've found exactly what I'm looking for at:
http://igonemobile.com/products/html/61315310.html
I've got one on order and I'll let you know if it works.

cegmawr said:
Hi,
Anybody know of an Artemis mini usb to 2.5mm 3 pole jack plug adapter which allows the connection to deliver audio and microphone capability ?
I would like to connet my Artemis/Orbit to the Autocom intercom system on my motorcycle . This uses a lead with a 2.5mm jack plug at the phone end and a 3.5mm jack at the Autocom system end. Both are 3 pole.
Thanks
P.S. hope you don't mind me jumping in your postings
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is this so you can listen to music from the Orbit? I've had difficulty on my bike with this...music cuts out and wont restart after phone call is over. In the end, I bought the Autocom bluetooth dongle and now bluetooth the Orbit to the bike. I get phone calls and GPS just fine, but I use a wired iPod for music.

cegmawr said:
I think I've found exactly what I'm looking for at:
http://igonemobile.com/products/html/61315310.html
I've got one on order and I'll let you know if it works.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Does this support the Artemis? It isn't in the list....

There was a posting for the mini USB PinOut some Time ago. Look in the wiki Section to find it. Here is what they showed up with.
Maybe This will Help someone to build their own Adapter or whatsoever.
Greetings
Jabami

so what was the general concensus with using Autocom? Did the 2.5mm jack work?
I want to avoid using the bluetooth option on autocom, since I might just as well go for a Scala bluetooth headset instead if the jack doesnt work...

Connect TP2 to car radio on 3.5mm jack

Hi all,
Would it be possible to connect my TP2 to the aux 3.5mm jack on my car radio to effectively play music off my phone via the radio system?
I suppose once off a mini usb to mail 3.5mm jack cable would be required, but would this output work?
Anyone tried this?

This will work. There are loads of adaptors out there that plug into the miniUSB and give you miniUSB (for charging), headset port and 3.5mm jack. Or various combinations of these.
Just couple one of those with a regular jack-to-jack lead and you're good to go.
Alternatively, pair a bluetooth stereo clip that has a jack connector for your own headphones, then connect that headphone port to the car stereo.

Did it a few time, I can confirm you it works just fine.
I was using one of Brando regular adaptators that plug into the miniUSB.

My wife and I have done this with our kaisers and now the tilt 2's. Our tilt 2's came with the htc adapters in the box from att. If you didnt get one of these, you can get an adapter off ebay pretty cheap.

Use an FM transmitter
I use an FM transmitter (Belkin and others make these) that is powered from the vehicle "cigarette lighter". On one end is the power and on the other end is a 3.5 mm headphone plug, just like a standard pair of headphones uses.
Connect that to the headphone jack on the TP2 (via the adapter if you don't have the CDMA version), and tune your car radio to the selected frequency.
It's a very nice solution for GPS or long speakerphone calls where you don't have to say much or even speak at all. You can have a 2-way call like this, too, of course.

samuel613 said:
I use an FM transmitter (Belkin and others make these) that is powered from the vehicle "cigarette lighter". On one end is the power and on the other end is a 3.5 mm headphone plug, just like a standard pair of headphones uses.
Connect that to the headphone jack on the TP2 (via the adapter if you don't have the CDMA version), and tune your car radio to the selected frequency.
It's a very nice solution for GPS or long speakerphone calls where you don't have to say much or even speak at all. You can have a 2-way call like this, too, of course.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I also have a belkin transmitter but my tilt 2 wont connect audioto car speakers , any settings or plug and play on your ?thanks

carhigh said:
My wife and I have done this with our kaisers and now the tilt 2's. Our tilt 2's came with the htc adapters in the box from att. If you didnt get one of these, you can get an adapter off ebay pretty cheap.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I also use the HTC adapter that was included with the Tilt2. It provides a 3.5mm audio jack, plus you can charge the phone at the same time by plugging a cigarette lighter to mini-USB charger to the HTC adapter.

jsaid said:
I also have a belkin transmitter but my tilt 2 wont connect audioto car speakers , any settings or plug and play on your ?thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're just connecting the FM transmitter to your Tilt2 using a 3.5mm to mini-USB adapter, correct? You shouldn't need to adjust any setting on the phone. If headphones work with your phone, the FM transmitter should also.
You might need to scan around for an FM station that is not used, or even faintly receiving a radio station. Pick one that is just pure white noise.

jsaid said:
I also have a belkin transmitter but my tilt 2 wont connect audioto car speakers , any settings or plug and play on your ?thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You responded to a post over a year old, so don't hold your breath that the person you responded to will answer.

redpoint73 said:
You're just connecting the FM transmitter to your Tilt2 using a 3.5mm to mini-USB adapter, correct? You shouldn't need to adjust any setting on the phone. If headphones work with your phone, the FM transmitter should also.
You might need to scan around for an FM station that is not used, or even faintly receiving a radio station. Pick one that is just pure white noise.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
headphone work ok , the transmitter work ok in my laptop and other phone .

Need a Car adapter that will take Bluetooth Stereo audio from my Droid then go to FM?

I want to use my Droid Charge to beam audio through Bluetooth to a car adapter receiver that plugs into my cigarette lighter.. then this same adapter will send the audio via FM or whatever wireless into my car stereo's built in head unit...
is there such a device made?
how does the sound quality sound?
I can't rip out my stock head unit in the car... and I do NOT have an AUX input jack on the stock headunit.. so I want to do this all wirelessly if possible..

Great idea! Never heard of such a device but if one exists I'd buy it, if not someone should make it!

Soldering an AUX input with minijack that you plug to your phone sounds like HELL LOT easier and HELL LOT cheaper than any such device you want.

The best solution for what you want is the Motorola t505.
If not you could install a auxiliary input from these guys.
www.pie.net/
I bought one for my car for $45 and it works great.
You can also checkout dealextreme for some cheap deals bit it takes a few weeks to get here from china.

I've got a Jabra SP700 that is great for the job.
It recieves audio/calls from the phone over bluetooth and has a built in FM transmitter for the radio.
Sound quality on both ends of the conversation is excellent (even when using it's built in speaker), as is audio streaming.
It just clips to your sun visor but is small enough to slip into the glove box/door tray out of sight, and has the same micro usb charing port that my phone uses so no need for a second charger in the car, and battery life is great.
It automatically turns the FM transmitter off if it recieves no audio for 10 minutes, and turns itself off completely if not connected via bluetooth for 10 minutes.
Changing FM frequency to find a clear spot is dead easy, as is pairing/answering a call.
It reads out the phone number when someone calls you.

I think this may be what you are looking for. Its called a venturi mini. I though about bying one last year but bought a headunit with bluetooth instead.
http://www.amazon.com/Venturi-FNVMS4001-Mini-Bluetooth-Transmitter/dp/B00133BOAI