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I'm sick of trying to find a car cradle that has audio out, ps2 and 12v for charging!
Why is it that no manufacturers of xda cradles ever realise that some of us want to listen to mp3's in the car and have tom-tom voice prompts coming through our stereos!
Being right handed, I want my PDA on the right of the steering wheel, so I can operate Tom-Tom before setting off, or change tracks on media player. I did look at the Brodit pro-clip solutions, but they all seem to be for the centre console for my car (a citroen AX)
I've discovered that the driver's side vent mount has a removable panel, which means I can easily mount a small piece of wood (effectively a small flat shelf) for mounting a cradle, this also brings the device out of the reflective glare zone in the windscreen during night driving. It also means all I need is a standard xda iis cradle to do this mod.
So with much careful thought I've decided to do the following:
Buy a spare cradle:
http://www.my-xda.com/xda2s_other.html
Which leads me to the next question....
Has anyone got any modding experience with the xda2/xdaiis cradle?
similar to this old posting for the Wallaby...
http://forum.xda-developers.com/viewtopic.php?t=256&highlight=cradle
(although I couldnt see any of the images on this old posting!)
In theory, this project has 3 key issues to resolve...
1) Powering the cradle and Bluetooth GPS
Three options seem to be available...
a) The hobbyist approach...I've seen various "car-kit diagrams" like this one,
http://forum.xda-developers.com/files/xda_car_kit_circuit.jpg
but to be honest I have no pcb making experience.
b) 12V to 5dc cigarette socket transformer adapter to provide power to the cradle, and perhaps to the bluetooth gps for charging. This should be easier to achieve!
Anyone have any links for low cost solutions for this, obviously it would need to convert 12VDC to 5DC at 2-3Amps
c) As the xdaiis usb cradle charges directly from a USB power source, this seems an Ideal solution!
http://www.expansys.com/product.asp?code=EXP_USB-CLA
2) Audio out: THE MAIN PROBLEM!
Ideally I just want to get in the car and cradle the device, no other connections being required.
Therefore I need to modify the xdaiis cradle for audio output...
Ideally, the feed for the audio should come from the bottom connector, when the xdaiis is cradled.
With this in mind, I found this article about dismantling an xdaii cradle...
http://en.pdamobiz.com/en/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=42&PN=1
If you look at the images on this web-page, you can see that - at the back of the cradle on the opposite side of the usb cable from the 5volt dc input is what looks like a pcb pinout for a headphone connector...
is this right? Can anyone confirm this.
Would it be possible to solder a connector onto here (assuming the solder pads connect to the 22pin connector!)
As this would be far easier than mucking about trying to solder onto the miniscule pins on the bottom of the 22pin connector on the cradle as it goes into the pcb!
If it works of course!
b) modify a headset
I did consider modifying an old wallaby headset to wire it into my car amp
http://wiki.xda-developers.com/wiki/Connectors , does anyone have any info on the pinout for the himalaya/blue angel headphone socket? I have also tried a friend's xda II headset on the IIs and yet again they have changed the pinout! The audio connections are once again totally different, resulting in the "echoing" effect when one headset is plugged in from the other device. This means that the audio ground pin has changed since the xdaII headphone socket schematic! This difference is also confirmed by looking at the handsfree "pod" on both headsets... The IIs has one button for answering a call, where the II has two buttons, wether it is the same as the XDA1 (Wallaby) remains to be seen....
c) buy a PDA2k 3.5mm headphone adapter...
http://www.expansys.com/product.asp?code=118289&sbadd=118289
Then use a standard lead to connect it to the hi-fi amp in the car.
3) charging the TOM TOM BLUETOOTH GPS
I'm wary of putting anything other than the recommended voltage (5VDC) into this device, so the best option is to supply power using (1b) or (1c) above, perhaps cutting into the supplied RJ cable to minijack psu to hook it up from the same supply.
While I'm on the subject of the bluetooth gps.... Does anyone knopw how long does the tom tom bluetooth gps work with a full charge?
Does it vary based on an active connection, or is it the same as on standby?
Do I need to power it in the car at all? Can I not just charge it as required at home? There doesnt seem to be much literature about the Bluetooth GPS reciever's battery life in the box!
Anyone care to comment on these ideas?
:lol: :lol:
I think the fact that no-one makes a cradle which provides audio-out through the bottom connector of the XDA2 is because the XDA2 doesn't provide this possibility. It's not the car-kit manufacturers' fault. Blame HTC.
However, I could be wrong... :roll:
My solution: I bought one of these XDA2 mounts ( http://www.pdamods.com/proddetail.asp?prod=A11XDA2MNT&cat=23 ) which works really well. It charges the phone and my TomTom BT GPS. To achieve audio-out I plan (eventually) to use the XDA2's headphone socket by drilling a hole through the mount's base in the right spot and using a 2.5mm jack adapted to play through the car stereo. Not an ideal solution, but surely must be simpler for you than trying to build a reliable (and safe!) 12V -> 5V convertor and butchering a spare XDA2 desktop cradle?
Just a suggestion... 8) Let us know how you get on. Good luck!
QUOTE 12V to 5dc cigarette socket transformer adapter to provide power to the cradle, and perhaps to the bluetooth gps for charging. This should be easier to achieve!
Anyone have any links for low cost solutions for this, obviously it would need to convert 12VDC to 5DC at 2-3Amps
Just about any mobile phone car charger will do.
Silicon s, you must be wrong :lol:
I have found someone that makes a DSP handsfree set with Audio on your car speakers, separate mic and all with the bottom connector. It even delivers laptopconnection for Dialup and GPS.
The overview
http://www.thb.de/showpage.php?lang=en&mode=show_product&cat=1&pid=2
Car Talk DSP
http://www.thb.de/showpage.php?lang=en&mode=show_product&cat=1&pid=2
The Cradles
http://www.thb.de/showpage.php?lang=en&mode=show_product&cat=1&pid=2
XDA docked
http://www.thb.de/bilder/take_talk/mda2_gps_big.jpg
http://www.thb.de/bilder/take_talk/mdaIII_large.jpg
MDA III - Important Information:
Replace file "Wavedev.dll" on your MDA III and restart the system. Audio response now can be listen via loudspeaker.
http://www.thb-service.de/download/MDAIII/Wavedev.dll
FYI, It appears that the replacement WaveDev.dll file offered by the car Kit company causes bluetooth headsets to stop working at all (not just in the car).
tfletch said:
FYI, It appears that the replacement WaveDev.dll file offered by the car Kit company causes bluetooth headsets to stop working at all (not just in the car).
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That's what I'm looking for. Have you found anywhere to actually buy them? I looked over the whole site.
How about this alternative cradle. I bought one for my XDAIIs and it works perfectly. Got one for the birds XDA2 and that work great too.
It provides power to either a wired GPS or charges a bluetooth GPS, it has a built in speaker and a cables provided to run from the XDA's headphone socket to the cradle. THIS THING IS LOUD!
One word of caution, the speakers in my car are shielded so I don't get that warning noise from them that I am about to get a call or text. The speaker on the cradle is NOT shielded and so you do get interference when you are about to get a call or switch cells.
http://www.pdamods.com/proddetail.asp?prod=A1SSSPKMNT&cat=23
i thought about using my 6601 as an MP3 player in my car as well. but since my eclipse cdplayer does mp3, i abandoned the idea
option 1: cut up a 2.5mm headset and plug it into the top of the device
pros: cheap and effective
cons: have to plug it in every time (and unplug it to take a call)
option 2: pair a bluetooth headset with the device, crack it open and wire the speaker to a preamp
pros: wireless
cons: ruin an otherwise good bt headset, music would be in mono
option 3:
http://motorola.digitalriver.com/se...e&SiteID=motostor&productID=36065700&Env=BASE
"transfer audio to hands-free"
pros: wireless
cons: EXPENSIVE, pretty vague description
option 4:
http://www.itechdynamic.com/html/border22.htm
http://xprnnews.xfn.info/itech/nightingaleBSH338/en.htm
pros: wireless, stereo, routes incoming cails through car
cons: i cant find it anywhere
its called the "nightingale BSH338" or the "Bluetooth Stereo Clip Headset"
if anyone finds one, please reply with a link
ok i did some more reading on the subject and i found this (page 2 of the forum)
http://www.seidioonline.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=CK8AG21MXDA3
http://forum.xda-developers.com/viewtopic.php?t=17149
I haven't been able to find one here or via google, but I'm holding out hope that a dock exists that has an audio-out from the hermes. I'm planning on installing it in my vehicle, so it would be nice to pipe the audio to the head unit. BT isn't really an option since I'm going to have to plug in the unit to the external antenna anyway, and I want to have it powered as well so the screen is always on(I use the notes in appointments for directions).
Anyone seen such a beast? If I can't find one, I may buy one of those brando music docks plus the standard docks and spend an afternoon in the shop creating a frankenstein version, but I'd really rather just buy one.
Hermes dock
Another suggestion:
1. Use just a car craddle
2. Then get the parriot ck3300 (bluetooth handsfree w/GPS antenna built-in)
3. Charge with a DC car adapter.
All on EBAY....ebay is like QVC on CRACK!!!
You can purchase the 3-in-1 audio/charge adapter for the Hermes and use the 3.5mm audio out jack from that to run to your car. You're also able to charge the phone. That's what I do with mine...
Does a desk docking station exist with audio out, so I can have it sitting in a dock, charging, whilst listening to music from it at work...?
(using either a standard headphone jack or the bizzare (and annoying) Hermes headphone connector)
for some strange reason you would think HTC or ATT would have this as standard? but no... esp since they made this 11 pin usb plug... i tried to find one but i cant.. my only hope is to buy or use the stock or oem 11 pin wires and spliting them apart and trying to find all the pins... that or im getting sick of it and might as well make my own custom 3.5mm jack maybe one with a mic as well? who knows... i took my 8525 apart i saw some wasted space inside it could work. if others havent done so already...
though your right single plug and using the exisiting one is ideal.. and would be best for things like car docking cradle with usb sound and charging...
Have you seen this? I'm thinking of getting it...
http://www.bargaincell.com/product_15549_2614.html
Can't really find more info or reviews on it.
Interesting docking station... but doesn't have audio out, only audio in for other devices to use the speakers. I'm after a desktop docking station with simply a line out so I can have it docked and use headphones at the same time... I suppose bluetooth headphones is the only way.
mudda said:
Have you seen this? I'm thinking of getting it...
http://www.bargaincell.com/product_15549_2614.html
Can't really find more info or reviews on it.
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Click to collapse
AVOID THIS COMPANY LIKE THE PLAGUE!
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=1443395&postcount=22
Guys,
I bought a cradle from ebay (leeonline) because I cannot get a 4 in 1 adaptor from HTC. I tried using the vga-out (17 inch CRT Monitor), rca video out (our Television Set), Brandless USB hub, Generic/standard USB Keyboard and Generic/standard USB Mouse on it all at the same time. Everything works.
Now, I really no longer bring my laptop to work. My athena is all I need for Word Processing, Spreadsheets etc. There are quirks though. Sometimes, the mouse stops working or the athena hangs. (It may be the amount of programs installed.) Then again, It is still faster to boot than my laptop. The other downside is that even with the cradle plugged to the adaptor, It will still consume energy from the battery of the unit.
What I have done to my athena may not be new to most people but I would like to hear from other people what attachments or modifications they have done to make their athena more useful and powerful. In this way, we can all benefit from these ideas. Thanks!
Thanks!
yetdy said:
Guys,
I bought a cradle from ebay (leeonline) because I cannot get a 4 in 1 adaptor from HTC. I tried using the vga-out (17 inch CRT Monitor), rca video out (our Television Set), Brandless USB hub, Generic/standard USB Keyboard and Generic/standard USB Mouse on it all at the same time. Everything works.
Now, I really no longer bring my laptop to work. My athena is all I need for Word Processing, Spreadsheets etc. There are quirks though. Sometimes, the mouse stops working or the athena hangs. (It may be the amount of programs installed.) Then again, It is still faster to boot than my laptop. The other downside is that even with the cradle plugged to the adaptor, It will still consume energy from the battery of the unit.
What I have done to my athena may not be new to most people but I would like to hear from other people what attachments or modifications they have done to make their athena more useful and powerful. In this way, we can all benefit from these ideas. Thanks!
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I used to do that, but the novelty wore off eventually. Now i just bring in a mini notebook. It's easier than carrying loads of bits about and connecting things to monitors (though that option is still there if necessary).
Pretty cool though if you like your gadgets.
Leoni is correct, however he can always leave the other stuff connected to the cradle and use it sorta like a docking station, but you would need a second cradle for the home TV. I'm glad this thread started because I myself was considering getting one for my TV. However, what should I do about the audio coming from my device (will I still be able to connect audio to my AV receiver)? As far as the 4 in 1 cable I would be able to get to the audio jack on the Athena however the down side is that not all USB flash drives would be supported with the 4 in 1 cable. Yetdy can you tell me how you work around getting audio streamed?
I think there are a few ways to stream audio.
#1 S-Video if I'm not mistaken is supposed to stream audio to your TV.
#2 Audio Jack to RCA Audio converters connected directly to the TV or amplifier would also help assumming you are using the 4-in 1 adaptor. Cradle cannot help you out with this option.
#3 Of course there is bluetooth connection which is what I am going to use. Got a bluetooth transmitter and receiver from ebay but is currently busted (bad seller). Another is to get a BT that has a changeable earphone/buds. Change the earphone to an audio jack to RCA Audio jack and follow #2.
Hope this helps.
yes and no
yetdy said:
I think there are a few ways to stream audio.
#1 S-Video if I'm not mistaken is supposed to stream audio to your TV.
****You are mistaken, S-video is video only (the pins are luminance, chroma, ground and something else I can't remember off the top of my head) ****
#2 Audio Jack to RCA Audio converters connected directly to the TV or amplifier would also help assumming you are using the 4-in 1 adaptor. Cradle cannot help you out with this option.
****if it is anything like the one I got from ebay then no, as it covers up the headphones out port from the athena but does not replicate it on the back ! the athena also carries audio out from the same USB connector that you charge it from (this is why the socket on the athena is an unusual/different shape compared to your plug on USB charger) if they had replicated this port propely on the dock then you could have got audio out that way, but the dock connector for that is also wrong (standard USB shaped socket, not the odd one from the athena) ****
#3 Of course there is bluetooth connection which is what I am going to use. Got a bluetooth transmitter and receiver from ebay but is currently busted (bad seller). Another is to get a BT that has a changeable earphone/buds. Change the earphone to an audio jack to RCA Audio jack and follow #2.
****it is feasible to have the athena transmit stereo bluetooth to a nearby device !****
Hope this helps.
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Click to collapse
just my 2 pence worth
If you want to play audio on your home theatre speaker, you could also consider the option of plugging an FM transmitterinto the headphone jack, then use your FM receiver to play through your theatre speaker.
That was how I used to play my music in the car, through the car's srereo speakers.
eaglesteve said:
If you want to play audio on your home theatre speaker, you could also consider the option of plugging an FM transmitterinto the headphone jack, then use your FM receiver to play through your theatre speaker.
That was how I used to play my music in the car, through the car's srereo speakers.
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Click to collapse
wont work if the Athena is in the ebay dock/cradle, as it covers up the audio out port, but does not replicate it.
Ice coffee,
Maybe you can share some other options here. You may have other ideas that may be useful to us. I just got my athena last month and cradle last week so I cannot really say with authority what it can and what it cannot do. If you can help us out in maximizing the athena with its cradle, many will appreciate it.
None of the video outputs from the 4-in-1 carry audio, the only options are BT a2dp or the headphones jack. Seems a bit long-winded to me though - I'm sure there are less fiddly mods out there. I just used to use the magnetic keyboard as a stand, slipped a BT keyboard over the top of it and the 4-in-1 for usb hub etc. This left a free audio jack to use as I wished. Seems like the docking station is more of a hindrance than a help.
HTC Advantage
Docking station
Keyboard
Mouse
Hifi Bluetooth A2DP adaptor
USB Hub....
I think my EEE pc is a more convenient device on the whole than the above setup would've been if i'd carried all that with me I wouldn't have had any space to fit my work stuff!
I came accross another docking station for $119.00 USD that has the audio option on the side along with 2 standard USB ports instead of 1. I think it's a bit too pricey, due to the fact that on flebay they do have a2dp stereo bluetooth adapters for like $50 USD. Besides with that and your bluetooth headsets it might still be possible to answer a incoming phone call on your bt headset without having to hear the audio coming from your A/V receiver (considering you left the phone on). Leoni, both options have their own drawback (no powering source with the 4 in 1 cable for all USB storage devices and the inaccessable headphone jack when using the docking station). But anyway I'm going to order the 4 in 1 cable too and see which one works best for me on a day to day use.
as I said the only simple option is to use bluetooth and as tootalk2000 pointed out you can get adaptors on ebay for £25 ish, I suppose the other more complicated option would be to, take your cradle apart and replace the USB connector into the phone with this,
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/2in1-Audio-US...oryZ3728QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
and then take the other end of this apart and make it fit in your cradle, it would actually be quite easy to do as there is a lot of space in the cradle.
ice_coffee said:
as I said the only simple option is to use bluetooth and as tootalk2000 pointed out you can get adaptors on ebay for £25 ish, I suppose the other more complicated option would be to, take your cradle apart and replace the USB connector into the phone with this,
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/2in1-Audio-US...oryZ3728QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
and then take the other end of this apart and make it fit in your cradle, it would actually be quite easy to do as there is a lot of space in the cradle.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Awwwww shux, someone just gave me some experimenting to go do. I'm ordering one of those jacks today, and hopefully it will come around the same time as cradle. I'll just super glue it to the back portion of the cradle and plug it in externally. Due to the fact that the USB port is still on there you would still be able to sync even when the ear phone jack is still in use.
tootallk2000 said:
Awwwww shux, someone just gave me some experimenting to go do. I'm ordering one of those jacks today, and hopefully it will come around the same time as cradle. I'll just super glue it to the back portion of the cradle and plug it in externally. Due to the fact that the USB port is still on there you would still be able to sync even when the ear phone jack is still in use.
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Click to collapse
lol my thoughts exactly.
I got a Note 1 car dock in anticipation of making it work with my new Note 2. the new Note barely wont fit, so its kind of a bust. more alarmingly, the hardware (circuit) part of the car dock doesn't trigger car mode. I personally love the samsung oem car mounts, they are low profile, i can hardwire the charging to the dock, and its a snap to trigger car mode. the circuit within the dock is very basic, just a few resistors and a pass through for charging, and a line out port for audio. i removed the circuit from the dock and plugged it into the Note 2 and nothing happens. on every samsung device that i've tried (epic touch, galaxy player, s3) it always triggers the car mode. I'm hoping that its a software issue, and that a rom will be able to restore the functionality once i can get one on. does anyone know how the car dock function is triggered? does anyone else use their phones like this? i have mine permanently mounted beside the rear view, like a HUD display
cdthomas9 said:
I'm hoping that its a software issue, and that a rom will be able to restore the functionality once i can get one on. does anyone know how the car dock function is triggered?
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Click to collapse
A bit old, so I'm sure you've discovered the answer by now. but...
The stock kernel has the car dock detection disabled at this time. I'd imagine they'll change that in a future update, maybe when Drive Link is released for the Note 2 in the US.
It uses the same 619K resistor across pins 4&5 of the USB that many other Samsungs use to trigger the car mode.
I just rigged a usb cable with the resistor and a headphone jack. With the Perseus kernel, the Note 2 will go into car mode, and can send the audio out the USB connector if desired.
FWIW, The only reason I even bothered adding the headphone jack is because I haven't gotten around to getting a car receiver with bluetooth yet.
With the alternate kernel, in Car Mode will the In Call Screen go landscape? I use this constantly in my car and being able to tap numbers into an 800 number call is useful