Contents:
Introduction
(replacing the Car Player PC by Archos Jukebox):
The whole story (playing MP3
in the car) was once beginning with the Car
Player.
I realised the Car Player Project
in 2002-2003, because commercial MP3 players with large storage capacity
were relatively expensive that time.
End of 2003 the prices for
harddisk based MP3 players (at least for used ones in good condition) reached
a reasonable level, that were more or less equivalent to the cost of the
self-made car player. Today that car player would only be a option, if
somebody has the parts (more or less) complete at home.
That time I decided to buy
a Archos Jukebox Studio 20 Player.
In my personal opinion,
that player has some advantages compared to others:
-
Pretty small (Walkman size)
-
Very robust
-
Also usable as external harddisk
-
Harddisk is easy exchangeble by
another (larger) 2.5" laptop HDD
-
Accumulator and external power
operation
-
Original Archos firmware can be
easily replaced by the superb Rockbox open-source firmware, what frees
the way for own software modifications
-
Possibility of remote control
In my former car (Chrysler Voyager)
there was enough space in the trunk to mount my "own" car player PC.
After we switched to a VW
Passat, there was a "little" space problem, that was finally the deciding
factor to replace the car player PC by a Archos Jukebox (AJB).
Replacing
the CD changer by MP3 player:
I already mentioned in the
introduction, that we switched cars to a VW Passat.
Mine was coming with a MCD
navigation system and a 6x CD changer (CDC) from the factory.
Both are VAG (Volkswagen AG)
devices, that means VW manufacturer specific.
For first, the idea for the
replacement was pretty simple:
-
Take out the CDC
-
Mount the AJB on a mobile phone
support next to the middle console
-
Connect the AJB's audio outputs
to the audio inputs of the navigation system's Mini-ISO connector
-
ready.....
.....but the car manufacturer
doesn't let you do that as easy !
Problem
(VAG radio does not enable the audio inputs):
If you connect any other audio
source than the CD changer to the VW MCD and then press the "CD" key (hoping
that music now starts to play), there is happening absolutely nothing and
the display shows "NO DISC".
The problem is, that the MCD
is enabling the audio inputs on the CDC connector only in case there is
a CDC control signal available.
That finally was causing me
to launch this project.
As I know, there are at least
the following further VAG radios/navi systems affected by the same problem:
-
VW MCD navigation system
-
VW MFD navigation system
-
VW Gamma radio
-
Audi radio and navigation systems
-
....probably there are all further
radios and navigation systems with CDC connection affected by this problem
CDC
interface simulation:
The function principle of
the CDC simulator is explained pretty short:
-
The simulator simulates the communication
between the CD changer and the car radio/navi system.
-
That way the radio is fooled and
thinks there is a CD changer connected
-
and enables the audio inputs on
the CD changer connector.
That way, the audio outputs of
the AJB can be connected to the audio inputs of the CD changer connector.
If you now press the "CD"
key on the radio/navi system, you will hear music coming from the AJB.
