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Matt Dralle
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Joined: 08 Nov 2005
Posts: 25204
Location: Livermore CA USA
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 Posted: Sun Jul 01, 2007 11:29 am Post subject: XPD-4K + C90 with PAC Unilink Aux Input Adaptor - A bit Sq |
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At 03:09 AM 7/1/2007 Sunday, you wrote:
| Quote: | I am re-vamping my 1999 Tacoma Audio installation, and I integrated a 30GB Video iPod with my C90 + XDP-4K combo. I bought a "PAC" brand "Unilink Aux Input Adaptor" that plugs into the CD-Changer Unilink Input on my XDP-4k, and tricks the Head Unit (or XDP) into thinking a Unilink CD-Changer is connected (The C90 displays "CD2, Track 00 Time 00:00" continuously while listening to the iPod), and allows you to use the associated RCA Inputs for whatever source you want (an iPod's "Dock" Line Out in my case). I removed my dual 10-Disc changers in favor of the iPod (and I still have the C90's CD Player via Toslink for more "Critical Listening").
The PAC Unilink adaptor is like this:
http://home.speedfactory.net/tcashin/pacdongle.jpg |
Sounds to me like the PacDongle isn't following the Unilink protocol correctly. There are quite a few "nuances" about the protocol that must be emulated exactly if reliable operation is expected. I wrote a Unilink emulator for a 8051-core microcontroller and spent a substantial amount of effort getting the timing correct and emulating the protocol correctly. To my knowledge, there is no officially available "specification" from Sony on the Unilink protocol, and anyone that has ever done it other than Sony, did it by reverse engineering it.
I was pretty motivated for a while on building a device similar to the PacDongle that you have and actually have built a system that does a full CD Changer emulation including track and album information in a test enviroment. Unfortunately, as you pointed out, the the market for a Unilink product is dwendling quickly. Here's a couple of pics of the system I built with a 60GB hard drive. The close up is of the 100 mips 8051-based microcontroller to specifically do the Unilink emulation. It also does full Unilink decode on the bus and outputs to RS232 for debugging.
http://www.matronics.com/xdp-4000x/MattsUnilinkMP3-CompleteSystem.jpg
http://www.matronics.com/xdp-4000x/MattsUnilinkMP3-100mips8051.jpg
http://www.matronics.com/xdp-4000x/MattsUnilinkMP3-DebugDecodingDump.pdf
I've been using the Phatnoise Phatbox system in both my car and truck C90/4000x installations for about 5 years now. http://www.phatnoise.com/ The Phatbox is basically what I was building. The Phatbox is in the trunk and looks in every way just like a full-featured CD Changer. The Phatbox has its quirks, but generally works great and has been extremely reliable. There is a website called PhatHack http://www.phathack.com/ that has hacked the Phatbox firmware such that you can use your own OEM hard drives now, and I have recently upgraded both of Phatboxes to 160GB. My library is currently at 85GB so I can have my entire collection online with the Phatbox. For me, the best part of the Phatbox type implementation is that it is truly like a CD Changer in that it is remotely mounted and I simply control it from the C90 including all track display information. Fumbling around with an iPod in the passenger area is just a car accident waiting to happen not to mention pretty kludgy with the wires and what not. Its also big sign asking someone to break in a steal it.
My recommendation? Dump the iPod and PacDongle and get yourself a sweet Phatbox setup. Your friends will be impressed and you will be too.
Matt Dralle
Matt G Dralle | Matronics | PO Box 347 | Livermore | CA | 94551
925-606-1001 V | 925-606-6281 F | dralle(at)matronics.com Email
http://www.matronics.com/ WWW | Featuring Products For Aircraft [quote][b]
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Matt Dralle
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Matt Dralle
Site Admin
Joined: 08 Nov 2005
Posts: 25204
Location: Livermore CA USA
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| Posted: Sun Jul 01, 2007 12:58 pm Post subject: XPD-4K + C90 with PAC Unilink Aux Input Adaptor - A bit Sq |
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At 01:25 PM 7/1/2007 Sunday, you wrote:
| Quote: | That's some hadcore DIY'ing, Matt! I considered the Phatbox for some time, but I could not justify its cost or the cost of it's HD's (the Hacked Firmware sounds interesting). I can live with this "PAC Issue" like it is, but it is just annoying. I bet it would work fine w/o the XDP4k (if I had the PAC adaptor plugged directly into the C90).
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You might want to contact the Dongle manufacture; they might be interested in working with you on the issue. When I was doing my Unilink development, I found that even Sony's Unilink implementation varied from head unit to head unit. On my emulator, something that would work on the C90 wouldn't quite work on a C8850 for example, so a little timing tweak was required to get them to both work. I picked up a number of different Sony head units off Ebay so that I could test my development across a variety of different Sony implementations. Sounds to me like the developer of your dongle assumed that if his implimentation worked on one head unit, it would work on all of them. Not.
But screw all that, check out this sweet deal I just found directly from Sony:
http://www.xplodsony.com/xplod/accessories/XA-110IP
http://www.xplodsony.com/files/manuals/XA-110IP_Owners_Manual.pdf
At $50 what have you got to lose? I just ordered one from Crutchfield for $49.95, in stock. I will post a review when I receive it and had a chance to play with it. Note that it even charges the IPod.
| Quote: | Any ideas on how to kill the noise I'm getting when the iPod is charging? I'll probably just add a seperate toggle switch so I can charge it when I'm not listening to it, and play off the Battery while listening (or even do a "Reverse Relay" that kicks on when I turn off the Truck)...
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This problem is almost always related to the grounding and the fact that the C90/4000x/iPod grounds are not at exactly the same potential. I ran big old 8 gauge Power AND Ground wire from my stereo power distribution up to the C90 and also to the 4000x. I don't switch anything through the ignition.
The Phatbox is powered through the Unilink cable though, and I found that if I screwed the chassis of the Phatbox (metal) directly to the floor pan of my truck (also metal), I would get a bad whine. I mounted the Phatbox to a piece of plexiglass and then mounted the plexiglass to the floor pan of the truck and all the noise went away. Make sure that you run specific ground wires to all of the components and use big wire like 10 or 8 gauge and tie all the grounds together. Also, if at all possible isolate all of the components from the car chassis.
Best regards,
Matt Dralle
Matt G Dralle | Matronics | PO Box 347 | Livermore | CA | 94551
925-606-1001 V | 925-606-6281 F | dralle(at)matronics.com Email
http://www.matronics.com/ WWW | Featuring Products For Aircraft
| | - The Matronics XDP4000X-List Email Forum - | | | Use the List Feature Navigator to browse the many List utilities available such as the Email Subscriptions page, Archive Search & Download, 7-Day Browse, Chat, FAQ, Photoshare, and much more:
http://www.matronics.com/Navigator?XDP4000X-List |
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