Ipod2Car works with Prius!

Thanks Mark for the explanation.

The addition of a new mode to the system when a device is plugged into the port makes sense. So you need to choose this new mode and operate it from the devices perspective. And apparently the iPod2car allows at least some iPod functionality from the steering wheel buttons such as next track and previous track. Of course I expect that you do need the iPod controls for things like play list selection and whether shuffle play is on or off.

But the better sound along with some integrated controls makes this appealing. Once I hear a first hand report about a successful install, I will probably order 1. I have been using the cassette interface for my iPod since I got my Prius and I am not really happy with the Prius sound. The iPod sound from the same cassette adaptor in my 2001 Accord is much better -- it's pretty close to the CDs I play in the Accord but in the Prius, CDs sound much better than iPod originated sound through the cassette.

Hoping to hear of some successful installations real soon now.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(mboileau\";p=\"45370)</div>

Kewl. Hope this works. If it does, I may order it. The sound quality of the cassette adapter is OK, but not ideal. And I don't like FM transmitters.

I have an iPod 3G now, but may swap it for an iPod mini when it hits 6 GB, but as I understand it the connector will work with both.

It's also nice that cable charges the unit. The only issue that worries me is drilling a hole in the back of that slot on the dash where the iPod could go. Alternatively maybe we could route the cabling into the glove box.

BTW, re: Daisy-chaining/port-splitting. Has anyone done this with success?

(I have the JBL system with the integrated in-dash 6-CD changer and no NAV.)

 

According to the literature and install manual, once integrated, the track up and track down wheel buttons are supposed to work at a minimum. Volume will also work, but I expect I'll have to set the iPod volume to some fixed level so that switching modes doesn't dramatically change the volume between iPod and everything else. No big deal, I've had to do that with my cable box, TV and sound system.... You have to select the playlist from the iPod itself. That much I was told already.

In some respects, the daisy-chaining concept has already been proven by connecting up the XM module and having it seemlessly add itself to the available Modes. The physical Aux In connector is basically internally daisy-cahined already, so adding more to the mix should be no more complicated.

As for mounting, I'm really looking at other mounting locations rather than the cubby under the stereo now that I see that the iPod cable is about six feet long. Thinking about running it up through the center console. I'd like to be able to have the iPod mounted or resting somewhere around the forward cup holder so that the display and controls are easily accessible.

I should also mention that this iPod kit is designed to work with most brands of car by simply setting some dipswitches on the box based on your car manufacturer. You specify this when you order the kit and they supply the car-specific interface cable in most cases. So if you really like how this turns out, you can consider getting one for your non-Prius variety car as well....

BTW, I would have replied to the earlier posts sooner, but for some reason, I'm not getting notifications on this one particular thread....hmmm..

Mark

 

Mark,
Do you know what pins of the 08695_00370 connector have the actual left and right audio inputs? Or the what pins on the main connector at the back of the radio? I doubt these inputs would be active unless a command arrived on the AVCLAN, but I might try them anyway. It would be nice it audio from arbitrary devices could be hooked in.
Right now I've got a Blaukpunkt DVD-ME3 temporarily hooked in to my NTSC->RGB converter. It adds DVD/TV/MP3 to the backup camera (with remote control for selection) and it would be nice to feed audio into the radio connector instead of using an FM adapter.
Mike

 

Mike, I'll get the pinouts next week. If you want audio in, you can buy a line in adapter with RCA inputs.

Also, do you have the backup camera working? That is, when you switch to reverse, does the camera kick in automatically?

Nate

 

No - so far I've just got manual switching and wires strewn all over. Hopefully soon I'll get an automatic switch-on-reverse version built.
Now that I'm adding TV to the mix I wish I had a color converter - not sure if one can be had for reasonable prices.

 

By the way, for those concerned about needing access to the iPod volume control, if you have an iPod with dock connector then you don't need to worry -- the audio is fed out through the dock connector at a constant volume on the assumption that something else (home stereo, Altec-Lansing portable speakers, etc. will be using it). About a month before I traded in my Sebring I wired in my iPod using the Aux IN on my stereo (RCA inputs) going to one one of these http://catalog.belkin.com/IWCatProductPage...oduct_Id=149006

Never had to touch the volume on my iPod.

I'm *thrilled* to hear that I don't have to give up my '05 package 6 CD changer to use iPod2Car!

Peter+

 

Brosnan, I don't have the pinouts with me, but I do have a collection of wiring diagrams, including the wiring for both versions of the factory stereo head unit. These diagrams do show the pinouts. I have them at my office and won't be able to get them to you until Monday.

Well, I've now installed the kit. Took about 2 hours by the time I experimented with different cabling locations for the iPod. It really was a snap since I've already messed with all this putting the XM in.

I mounted the 'black box' in the gap between the upper and lower glove box. This is also where I routed the XM harness, so I was familiar with this area being reasonably available. The actual cable harness to the stereo just runs along the XM cable under the right center vent and to the back of the unit. This location for the black box is pretty convenient because you can still access the box when you drop the lower glove box down beyond the stops.

The iPod cable is routed down the center console behind the plastic kickplate. I threaded it under the carpet and then brought it up through the center armreset console into the storage bin. This still leaves about 3 feet of iPod cable to play with. This way I could leave the iPod in the center console when not in use, and can actually prop it up when connected in one the two drink cup holders so I have easy access to the playlist.

Now, you're all going to scream, but I actually can't test out the works until Monday. My new iPod was supposed to arrive on Friday, but got pushed back to Tuesday. A friend at work is going to let me use his on Monday morning to verify operation.

I don't expect a problem. The XM still works after using the Y-cable splitter.

We're nearly there!

Mark

 

Any pix?

 

I cannot wait to hear how it turns out Mark! I have a concern that the audio level of the iPod might be too low to plug directly into the audio system. I too have the Belkin device that Peter mentions above. I use it in my car. (My wife has the Prius.) The Belkin device is actually a preamp that plugs into the cigarette lighter. It has a stereo mini jack in the side. You hook the iPod up via the dock connector on the cable coming from the Belkin device and the audio travels through the device, is amplified and then exits via the stereo jack. A cable with a stereo miniplug is then routed through the dash to the auxin ports on the back of the head unit. You can adjust volume both via the iPod and the Belkin preamp to an acceptable level. Of course, you then use your normal volume controls to make adjustments.

Does anyone know if the Ipod2Car system has a built-in preamp?

Mark, a bunch of us anxiously await your update. I am hoping that this is not an issue.

Thanks,
Pat

 

Initial testing looks grim....

Well, my co-worker let me use his iPod over the lunch hour to give this a try. I'm a bit concerned...

Thus far, I haven't gotten the MFD, wheel buttons or any integrated part of the car's computer system to identify the iPod as being there. When I select one of my SAT modes, I now hear both the XM and the iPod playing together at the same time on top of each other. When I dial the XM down to channel 0, which is just the receiver ID with no sound output, I can hear the iPod playing crystal clear with the CD quality they brag about. But this isn't what I expected, not for the price.

I have a call in to their techie guru (that I spoke to last week who swears it works with the Prius), to find out what (if anything) I've done wrong in setting it up.

Oh yeah, the volume up/down works. But, of course, it still thinks there's an XM playing....

I'm not giving up yet. I'll give them the benefit of the doubt until I hear from them...

Mark

 

Late afternoon update... I still don't have the answer. After a very painful interrogation with the techie (who swore this would work), it appears that what they "really" know is that OTHER Toyota 2004 models that use the Toyota XM unit and the Toyota Y-cable work correctly with the ipod2car. The 2004 Toyota Prius with the Y-cable and WITHOUT the XM unit work correctly with the ipod2car. When push comes to shove, no one has really actually tried a 2004 Prius WITH the XM unit AND the Y-cable. It was just assumed....

They suggested I disconnect the XM unit completely and try getting just the iPod to talk. I disconnected the XM at the XM unit itself since this was reasonably accessible in the rear quarter panel. This made no difference at all.

I did see one other variable in the equation that's going to be PAINFUL to test. The XM unit itself has a second connector... It appears that the second connector may be a break-out of the head unit connector which the XM is plugged into. My initial reaction when I saw this was that the XM may require itself to be in series with another connected device and may have host/server software capability to multiplex its own input with an external device. Perhaps the XM is blocking any communications with the iPod interface directly.

It's a long shot, and it doesn't explain why this didn't work when I unplugged the XM box completely, but I'm running out of options.

The vendor says they can't locate ANY documentation on the Toyota XM module to research this further.

I've got a ways to go before I call it a day and ask for a refund. I'll keep you posted.

Mark

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(mboileau\";p=\"45879)</div>

Mark,

Quite a tale of woe!

The other possibility is that you received a defective unit, or a bad cable. Apparently, also, some changes were made recently, and older units (or perhaps cables) either do not work, or do not offer control by the head unit or steering-wheel switches.

So it would be interesting to see whether the unit provides full control when the XM is disconnected at the head unit and the iPod2Car connected as the vendor has claimed is successful -- if it does not, then there is something wrong with the box or one of the wires.

If the unit is indeed fully functional when connected "by itself," it might be that your best recourse would be to build a circut with an NPDT relay so you could toggle as many wires as necessary back and forth between the iPod2Car and the XM. A mechanical switch would have to be thrown, but then the system would never "know" that there are 2 devices.

I had earlier worked out such a setup for our Passat V6 wagon (before my wife declared it "her" car ...) --- the goal had been to keep both a CD changer and an iPod adapter. I never built the circuit, tho; l got busy, then interested in the Prius (had been heading toward a 2nd Passat), and my wife is happy with just the CD changer. See the thread at:
http://www.clubb5.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=58168
(scroll to the bottom).

Good luck!

 

Ooh - bad luck! When you said

did you mean that the Ipod audio still made it through the system? If so, what source did the MFD think was generating the audio? I thought SATxxx would disappear as choices when the XM was removed. Was there enough Ipod2Car communications that the car knew something was attached? Or are the audio input lines always active regardless of source selected by the MFD?

 

Mark,
How was the volume of the iPod audio relative to a CD or the XM audio? Was it a lower level or equivalent?

Pat

 

When I said disconnecting the XM made no difference at all, that's not quite right. It didn't cause the computer to recognize the iPod. The SATxx modes disappeared completely and the iPod access was cut off. It was as if I only had the factory stereo setup.

As for the audio level, it was just fine. As someone noted earlier, the output from the actual iPod connector appears to not be regulated by any local volume control, so the full signal strength is sent to the car. I was able to adjust the volume with the car controls. The audio functionality of this system is perfectly fine and what I had hoped for. I only need to get the rest of the controls working!

As I mentioned before, I won't send it in for replacement until I've tried reconnecting it in series with the XM unit.

 

Waiting with baited breath! I still can't tell from your post if the ipod2car works with the XM totally disconnected. Man, I wish I was there to help you.

Nate

 

Sorry for sounding so vague before. I guess that just tells you where I'm at with this. No, the ipod2car did not work with XM fully disconnected. I don't know why. I looked over on PriusOnline where apparently several people have successfully installed this same adapter with no problems at all, but none of them have the XM unit.

It's entirely possible that I may have damaged the adapter when I tried it hooked up in parallel with the XM unit. The manufacturer told me step by step how to hook it up, but now that it doesn't work, they're claiming ignorance about the situation since they've never had their hands on a Toyota XM module - "maybe it's wired differently or something". That doesn't make me feel too comfortable.

I did get an RMA number to return it for replacement on a quick turn. I just hate to let go of what I've got until I know whether it's really broken or not.

I can't find a person on the planet who has any technical documentation on the Toyota XM module. If I knew for sure that the spare connector was a duplicate of the head unit Aux connector and what the XM module uses it for, I'd probably have the answers I need. I hate to just plug stuff together to see what happens.

Amazingly, even our two XM re-sellers have absolutely no documentation on this box. Toyota USA doesn't even know it exists. If anyone can find the specs on the XM system, I'd be eternally grateful....

 

mboileau, if the ipod2car doesn't work by itself, send it back, plain and simple. No, it's not damaged, not unless you are a total idiot. It probably just has the wrong firmware.

You are suffering from Prius accessory overload! Don't waste another minute. The ipod2car is supposed to work by itself. Get the folks at ipod2car to cross ship you one, so you might have it by the weekend.

Nate

 

I use the TransPod FM All-in-One Car Solution For the new 3rd Generation iPods and iPod Mini Series by Digital Lifestyle Outfitters (DL). I connect it using the console outlet, and it charges my iPod while I play my music. I have the TransPod tuned into an unused FM frequency, and set one of my stereo FM channels to the same frequency to hear the music on my iPod. I can control volume through my stereo controls, but have to choose a playlist manually.

This has worked well for me, and the cost was around $100.00. The sound quality is as good as a CD. I have the 40 GB iPod, so I have plenty of music to listen to on my hour long commute.

I travel 96 miles round trip per day, and have been getting between 50-52 MPG (mostly highway, speeds between 60 - 70 mph).