Hi, ford mondeo 1998, mk2 with fitted radio. Previously had a tomtom pda (ipaq 4150) and
bluetooth gps navigation device, mounted on the windshield and charged by
the cig lighter. Cable would come from the lighter to the mount (pda would
sit in the mount and be charged) and the tomtom would be charged off a cable
coming from the mount.
This generally worked ok. I like to listen to bbcr5 (693mhz) and talk sport
(1071mhz). What i found was bbcr5 performed fine, but I would get some
slight interference on talksport when the pda was switched on.
I have just bought a new xda exec , I have
fitted a mount for this, the power cable is a single cable coming from the
lighter, which splits into two, one cable plugs into the pda the other
into the tomtom gps reciever.
I now find intolerable interference on the medium wave. If the tomtom
reciever is on, and the pda is on, no problem, however, if the tomtom
reciever charger is plugged in, i get a high level of hiss, and if the pda
is plugged in i get nothing more then high pitch whinning noises through the
radio. Sometimes the noise can reduce and the radio is listenable, but
mostly not.
I have tried repositioning the cables, it makes no difference.
Question is, does it sound like the charger cable itself is poorly
insulated, and thats why I am getting the interference?
If so, I am having trouble locating an alternative cable, would wrapping the
cable in insulation tape or any other material reduce the interference??
thanks
Gaz
here is the link off ebay for the charger
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/O2-XDA-Exec-I...ryZ48674QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
Related
I am 99% finished on developing a car kit for the XDAIIs. The plan is to make this available for all versions of XDA, MDA, SPV etc. when complete.
At the moment the kit will do the following
Power the XDA
Has got a microphone input.
Has got speaker output of voice through the car stereo speakers
Has got speaker output of navigation through the car speakers
Connects to a wired GPS antenna - currently using PS2 connector but I'll be making an RJ11 version on Monday!
All I need now is a way of signaling to the car kit that the XDA is in the holder! :x
From the car kit, I have 1 wire which needs to be connected to 5v to power on. I also have a 5v feed from the car kit so I could simply join the wires but thats not the point.
I would like to find either of the following options.
1 - 5v feed from the XDA when in the holder
2 - Using 2 pins on the XDA to feed 5v in and get 5v out on another pin.
I have also found that on an XDAII, there is a 5v feed on one pin when in a call, but there isn't anything out of an XDAIIs in the same situation. I just need 5v when the device is present in the holder.
If anyone can tell me if this is possible I would really appreciate it.
Regards
...Spence
In order to get the carkit to work, I think you had to ground the pin instead of putting 5V to it, as specified in this thread :
http://forum.xda-developers.com/viewtopic.php?t=4829&start=75
It would be great if you could post your circuit !
Where did you get a proper connector, or did you just modify a xda II connector ?
Ciaos,
Kristof
A modified Carcomm cradle?
THe XDA uses 3 pins for the +5 Volt charger. I believe these pins are shorted inside the XDA
If you charge through 2 of these pins you might be able to use third to recognize that the XDA is inserted
s93ncer said:
I have also found that on an XDAII, there is a 5v feed on one pin when in a call, ....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What pin is that that gives +5V when in a call on the XDAII?
What pin is that that gives +5V when in a call on the XDAII?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Pin 12 on an XDAII goes to a positive voltage when in a call.
One thing I did notice was that the voltage does just appear and disappear, it builds up and drops off over 2 seconds,
Regards
...Spence
Thanks for the info!
Is there any similar behaviour when ending a phone call
I suspect my XDAII/iMate carkit is triggered by this signal, I would like to manipulate it in order to have the carkit amplify the TomTom directions also.
Other question: what type of mic did you use? The XDAII has quite some problems with the mic input signal (resulting is bad sound quality)
The voltage builds up to about 5v when making a call and does drop off to 0 when you end the call. Also, I don't have any problems with sound quality (although this is in an office at the moment) with the microphone.
I am using a universal car kit that my company sells, just hacked the connector off the end and connected it to the XDAIIs connector.
Still having problems, but with the car kit now and not the XDA
Can't get it to switch on/off when the XDA is in the holder and taken out!
..Spence
Sounds like you've found out some good stuff Spence.
I'm working on a similar project at the moment, except I'm using a circuit that detects audio coming from the XDA's pins, which then switches a relay to ground.. this is connected to the car stereo which goes to "Telephone mode" when grounded. Its about half way done at the moment, so I'm not sure how sucessfull its going to be.. but I'm currently having trouble with the volume of the audio from the XDA, (I haven't tried a Mic on it yet)
Would be interested to know if the XDA1 also has 5v on Pin12 when in call.. as I could revert to this if my plan doesn't work, although it would mean loosing Tomtom prompts through the stereo
Keep us updated on your progress :wink:
The other added goodie that I can put into some vehicles is a thing called an intellimute - made and designed by my company!
Linked in with the stereo, it will mute the stereo when it senses audio not just when in a call hence the Nav audio as well.
This might be useful to you - but you will probably have to but one to try it out.
I don't have an XDAI to try anything with - plus most people who I have spoken to have a II or IIs
...Spence
@swifty: When Pin 19 - Car On - is connected to GND via a 10k resistor the XDA gets into 'carkit-mode' resulting in ALL audio to be sent via the bottom connector. This will help you feed the audio to your stereo.
Together with the Pin 12 behaviour (+5V when in call) one should be able to build a carkit circuit:
Connect the audio-out pins to the car-stereo audio in or -alternatively- a seperate amplifier.
Make your car stereo go into mute when Pin12 gets 'high'
BTW, I gues you checked the wiki pages:
http://wiki.xda-developers.com/index.php?pagename=Connectors
I would like to know what mic type is used by you guys, as I read in the other thread mentioned that this still might have issues.
Thanks Edsub,
Thats pretty much how i've got it hooked up at the moment, but I think there was a problem with the amplifier I was using as the audio from the stereo was very quiet. I've now changed the circuit and will be testing it out in the car tomorrow.
Spencer
What connector and cable are you using for this.
Thanks
What connector and cable are you using for this.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To cut a long story short, I had a couple of data cables for Ipaq's (3800 I think) lying around and I got a complete car kit from stock, cut the cable off at the phone cradle end and soldered on the connector from the Ipaq.
At the moment it looks a real mess, but it does work!
Haven't played with it for a few days, but might do some more today.
FYI, the problems at the moment are car kit related, not XDA - the XDA issues are solved.
...Spence
If you need an xda 1 and or the car kit to loan for your project, let me know.
I still have my iMate/XDA2 carkit (the one as sold by ie Expansys).
There still are two things I like to change:
1. Mic quality. I allready used a better mic (Nokia style gooseneck) with a thicker wire (as sugested by Expansys): Things did improve, but I still sound like I have a bag over my head (or like I am talking into a toilet bowl according to my collegue) . . .Any help greatly appreciated
2. Only the in-call audio is send to the carkit speaker. I would like to get all audio on the carkit speaker (so I get better amplified TomTom instructions). The car-audio mute only has to do its work when in a call (otherwise you wont be able to listen normally to a conversation or ie. the traffic info on the radio)..also: any clues???
A hint: In one of the other threads on this it is suggested that putting someting into the XDAII headset jack wil get all audio out, but that is not quite workable withou drilling the cradle to pieces.
Can anyone tell me what the effect on the bottom connector signals is when you insert something (ie an empty plug) in the headset jack?
Hi all.
Great topic. There's one thing I still don't know.
Does IN_CALL pin work in XDA 2s / MDA III ?
Mine XDA IIs doesn't put anything on IN_CALL pin when calling.
I have been having similar problems with audio with powered cradles/car kits. Just cannot get the damned audio to come out of the car kit, only call audio! (XDAIIi/Qtek 2020i)
http://forum.xda-developers.com/viewtopic.php?t=41716&highlight=
http://forum.xda-developers.com/viewtopic.php?t=45779&highlight=
http://forum.xda-developers.com/viewtopic.php?t=45462&highlight=
Suggestion
Why not simply have a mini contact switch in the bottom of the cradle to sense when the phone is in the cradle?, or use a simple current sensing circuit?
a VERY simple circuit would be a coil of the 5v feed and a reed switch, when current is being drawn through the coil it will generate a weak magnetic field, which could be used to close the reed switch...
Simple yet effective...
Ok guys.. what i would like to do is get the sound of the himalaya on my car stereo so i can watch a movie with perfect car sound instead of the internal speaker of the himalaya.
1st option: An FM Modulator that wil be connected through the 2,5mm jack but the problem here is i have to modify the cradle so the 2,5mm jack will fit.
2nd option: maybe a bluetoothdevice that is connected to the car stereo??
any other option??
i would like some opinions on how to deal with this one..
what i did was used a 2.5 to 3.5 jack converter (got it from hk but should be available elsewhere). then i used a an audio in-out jack (with a 3.5mm jack); plugged it into the now converted 3.5mm xda jack, then plugged the output into the audio input jack of my car stereo and there you go. almost similar to the system used for plugging in your ipod to the car's sound system. i use a bt headset so that takes of the calls. when the phone rings the music stops and the call comes in. butttttt....sometimes the media player doesn't come back on and i have to hit the play button. sure the unit is mounted but it can be a drag sometimes...
do u have some pics?
how did u solve the cradle problem blocking the 2,5mm jack input?
i am so curious!!
i'll have to take pics then. but the car mount i use is not officially for an xda unit; i just went and bought one when i was in hk for a business trip. the cradle is basic; clamps on the unit from the sides using those spring-action arms with anti-slip rubber-like material (?). the underside is supported by two stems...giving it the appearance of being a 2-legged fork. the supports are small enough so that they don't block the slot for plugging in the car charger and the microphone jack. the cradle is then supported from the back; which leads to the arm connected to the windshield via a heavy duty suction cup....well so far it hasn't fallen off... from there the 2.5 to 3.5 plug converter is around...an inch and half long maybe...the "male" 2.5 end plugs into the xda's "female" jack and at the other end is the "female" plug. the audio input/output connectors are basically similar to your vcr to tv connection; one plugs into the female 3.5 plug (connected to the xda) and the other simply plugs into the car stereo. not complicated at all if you ask me...and you don't really need to have the cradle / holder since you can just leave your unit on one of the shelves under the dash. again, similar to how the ipods are plugged into the car stereo...
ok i have a pretty good idea what it looks like but the problem i have is that my carholder/cradle is blocking the female jack connector so i think im gonna drill out a hole.
i bought me a 2,5 mm jack that i have to solder but the jack itself is too big so now i need an L shaped 2,5mm jack similar to the headphones of the himalaya...
thx for the input m8 (lol) stil a pic would be nice
Hi
Just after some input on connecting to a car stereo. My thoughts
1) I have read the guide on creating your own mini usb to 3.5mm jack plug cable and have also seen similar things for sale
2) I have seen on a car forum for the car i own a guide for making a cable connecting 3.5mm jack plug to the AUX on the car stereo (used for the cd changer).
3) I can charger my kaiser through a usb cable in the car.
4) There is obviously a power source on the stereo.
Given the above, would it be possible in theory to have a direct connection between the phone usb and the stereo that would allow the phone to play through the stereo and also charge it at the same time?
I dont want to go through the process of doing it if there is some fundamental reason why it cant be done.
this might be wht your looking for hxxp://cgi.ebay.co.uk/3in1-usb-Adapter-for-HTC-KAISER-P4550-TYTN-II-VARIO-III_W0QQitemZ190232228190QQcmdZViewItem?hash=item190232228190&_trkparms=72%3A12%7C39%3A1%7C65%3A12&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14
Of course you could. But keep in mind that your microphone won't work for most usb+3.5mm adapter. It's very troublesome to pick up the phone. I would recommend you to opt for BT route. e.g. Stereo bt headset w/ 3.5 mm adapter like Sony Ds-220 or BT head unit like JVC BT-1
Something you might have to research is alternator whine.
I made a lead myself as you described. But as long as the device was charging There would be a buzzing coming from the speakers. This went away when running on battery power and when the device was fully charged.
I also tried a bluetooth device, and again if I tried to use it while it was charging I would get the dreaded buzzing.
I still have not found a solution. FM transmitters have never worked either for me. There is not enough space between channels here.
5manarmy said:
Something you might have to research is alternator whine.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can solve this by installing ground looping isolator if the power source from yr car is not clean
Hi.
I had the same problem, see my solution with the help of others:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=2353474
Good luck.
Well I think based on what I have read and the replies on here I am going to give it a go.
I will update on here once completed
I have a bluetooth stereo in my cab and my phone connects to the stereo using the bluetooth, I am also able to use Btmusic and play anything on my phone thru my car stereo its great for the odd file just wish it would do video as well thru bluetooth.
Os
jackleung said:
Of course you could. But keep in mind that your microphone won't work for most usb+3.5mm adapter. It's very troublesome to pick up the phone. I would recommend you to opt for BT route. e.g. Stereo bt headset w/ 3.5 mm adapter like Sony Ds-220 or BT head unit like JVC BT-1
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The original mic supplied works okay for me with the headphones chopped, but its very echoey even mounted as far from my speakers as possible so would agree with the above.
Ive the same setup in my car. The phone stuff was easy, it was getting the right VAG adapter to fit my cars HU that gave me the most trouble.
I also hardwired in my charging cable to keep it tidier and my cig lighter free, might be worth thinking about.
I have made a start on this. I have wired in the cable from the Car stereo and at the moment this ends with a 3.5mm Jack Plug. I have also bought the YC A200 cable from HTC which allows connection of the 3.5mm jack plug, a wired headset and also mini usb charging. In fact two of the HTC cables were delivered to me (one ordered but 2 delivered and invoiced) so I might use one as a development cable.
So far - music plays through stereo ok, not over impressed with the quality so far but am going to fiddle with the settings. SatNav also plays through the stereo - much easier to hear. I have had an issue this morning when having music playing and satnav running that the GPS signal was being lost. Not sure if this is a problem with running the two things at once or an interference issue from somewhere. I have never had problems with the GPS before. Am going to do a soft reset and try again on the way home tonight.
I was looking at hardwiring the charging cable to tidy things up and free up the lighter socket. I was going to use the 12v feed from the stereo. Is there anything I need to do or be aware of on this?
How does the mic etc work? I know you can use the headset but I would prefer to use the car speakers if possible. We also have a number of old nokia car kits at work which I was thinking of using for the mic. Would the speaker side work if I connected the relevant cables from the headset port on the HTC adaptor to the 3.5mm jack plug connections?
Im just using the mic from the supplied headset, chopped off the cable past the mic/volume slider and mounted it in the car. Call audio comes through the car speakers.
To hardwire the charger in you need step the voltage down from 12v to the needed 5v. I took a live and earth from the back of the stereo, took apart a usb cig charger and soldered the cables into it, put it back together and hid it behind the dash. Then just took a mini usb cable from that up to the 3in1 plugged into the phone.
SRSWOWHD cleaned my sound up considerably using Pocketplayer.
Well, my experiences so far,
Got the HTC YC A200 cable
1) Playing music through car stereo works great
2) GPS works fine most of the time, still not sure what the problem is, mainly voice directions not working properly all the time
3) Charging via the cigarette lighter socket, still got to hard wire the charging
Latest development
Got a Nokia car kit mic, just had to trim the locking lugs off the 2.5mm (or is it 2mm) jack plug. The mic works fine and the caller can hear me ok. The sound comes through the stereo but is not as loud as the music but i can change this slightly by fiddling with the plug, gets louder or quieter but still not the same volume as the music.
Any ideas? Would it be that the HTC adaptor is expecting the htc wired headset?
removing alternator whine / hum
Finally solved the alternator whine / hum over at my place too. Key is to take the power for the charger directly from the power feeding the car stereo. That way both the stereo and charger reference the same ground which eliminated the ground loop and thus the alternator noise.
http://www.jenrathbun.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=26&p=76#p76
Hi guys,
I have a problem that I had not anticipated and is somewhat problematic!
Having recently purchased a Brodit holder for my Kaiser with a three in one adaptor, I noticed that when the phone is in the cradle, instructions from TomTom are muted.
I can only assume that the Kaiser believes that the headphones are plugged in, which is not the case.
When removed from the cradle, the instructions are fine and when the Aux cable is plugged in any my stereo set to Aux input, I can hear the instructions perfectly through the car loudspeakers. However, this precludes a scenario where the Kaiser is in the cradle charging, I’m using TomTom but just want to listen to the Radio!
As you can imagine, this is far from ideal! Any suggestions greatly appreciated!
Squiggs
Hello all,
I've been hunting but haven't found this yet. Is there any kind of antenna that plugs into the HTC mini-port but let's you listen to the FM radio through the phone speaker instead of headphones?
TIA.
That would be handy as I'd like to listen to the radio via my bluetooth headphones
I also wanted to listen to radio on Bluetooth headphones so I ended up getting a D-Clip Radio. It works great too and I reckon the radio reception on this device is much better than that of the Touch Pro. You can also use any headset of your choosing as long as it has a standard 3.5mm audio jack.
jcaudill said:
Hello all,
I've been hunting but haven't found this yet. Is there any kind of antenna that plugs into the HTC mini-port but let's you listen to the FM radio through the phone speaker instead of headphones?
TIA.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Likewise I was looking for a device to plug into the MiniUSB port (without messy cords) and use my bluetooth to listen to the radio. I have seen such a device for i-phone which plugs into i-phone and enable radio listening.
You can actually choose output from the radio software. Needs the antenna but might solve your problem
i was under the impression that it had fm radio capability. Just sprint 86'd it because it competes with sprint radio?
whats wrong with pluggin in a usb11 to 3.5mm adapter and switching on speaker phone?
works good.
Wow - so this pleases the HTC software and suffices for an FM antenna?
Thanks!
jcaudill said:
Wow - so this pleases the HTC software and suffices for an FM antenna?
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'd also like to know if that plug works. Could you cut the wire off just past the mini-usb plug and it still serve as an antenna? I'm looking for something very small to plug in the bottom with no wires.
thedocrn said:
I'd also like to know if that plug works. Could you cut the wire off just past the mini-usb plug and it still serve as an antenna? I'm looking for something very small to plug in the bottom with no wires.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was thinking the same thing
Maybe I'll try with an old broken cable..
I went to radioshack the other day and tried to do this with a motorola adapter cable like the one pictured above. When I started the Fmradio software I still got the message to plug in a headset. So there must be something in the miniusb plug or in-line with the headset that tells the Fuze it has an antenna.
Or perhaps the pinout was just wrong with the motorola adapter. I'm thinking someone could make a tiny miniusb plug that when installed would be flush, or almost flush, with the bottom of the Fuze. Maybe some type of resistor would need to be in the small plug to trick the phone into thinking a wired headset is plugged in?
thedocrn said:
I went to radioshack the other day and tried to do this with a motorola adapter cable like the one pictured above. When I started the Fmradio software I still got the message to plug in a headset. So there must be something in the miniusb plug or in-line with the headset that tells the Fuze it has an antenna.
Or perhaps the pinout was just wrong with the motorola adapter. I'm thinking someone could make a tiny miniusb plug that when installed would be flush, or almost flush, with the bottom of the Fuze. Maybe some type of resistor would need to be in the small plug to trick the phone into thinking a wired headset is plugged in?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm pretty sure the phone needs at least some wire to act as an antenna. It's not the headset that is required or there wouldn't be the option to listen via the loudspeaker.
what i use to get my fm radio is the dongle that came with my phone and its offical from HTC, works great to, i just plug it in, and plug in my regular ipod headphone and it works, the bad about it is, this dongle is so dam big
allthatinny said:
what i use to get my fm radio is the dongle that came with my phone and its offical from HTC, works great to, i just plug it in, and plug in my regular ipod headphone and it works, the bad about it is, this dongle is so dam big
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yea.. it works with the dongle and regular headphones, but that only solves the problem of not having USB headphones..
I use a USB to 3.5mm adapter
I got my adapter at a Palm store in ATL airport, but Seidio makes different adapters. Once I plug in a standard headset it works great. You can try http://www.seidioonline.com/SearchResults.asp?Cat=2940 but many other vendors sell this item (try ebay).
Michael95GT said:
I'm pretty sure the phone needs at least some wire to act as an antenna.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yep. Though that doesn't mean you can't make a flush plug in antenna... Just would need to be a small plate with the antenna printed onto it. Perhaps with the edges moulded up around the sides a little to keep it from snapping the connector.
Only trouble is the market would be too small for commercially making it, and good like DIYing something like that.
It is a good idea for DIY. Keep in mind that the reception quality depends on the material the "antenna" is made of. I get mediocre reception with some thinly-wired, cheap little earbuds. However, I get GREAT reception when I plug in the audio out line (which is nice and thick) to my computer speakers!
I bought a 3.5mm Extusb adapter for my Raphael on ebay. It acts like an antenna, but the signal isn't quite that well.
So I guess you need a cable or something to get enough signal for good radioreception.