Last weekend, while I was putting an iPod interface into my Scion I did the same thing for my 2002 Honda Civic. Using Ben Johnson’s story as a guide, I bought a PIE HON98-AUX interface and dove in.

Aside from tools (screwdrivers and 8 and 10mm sockets), you’ll need:

• The interface adapter
• Audio wiring — I used a 6′ RCA to 1/8th inch cable from Radio Shack
• Power — I used a Belkin car charger plugged into this 12v extension cord I picked up from Radio Shack

I also recommend a sufficient quantity of good beer or other beverage. I used raspberry wheat for this project.

As I noted in my previous post, most people recommend unhooking the battery to guard against short circuits while doing this sort of thing. For my part, I usually skip that and let a fuse automatically disconnect things when it blows. Either way, though, you’d do well to find your factory radio’s 5 digit security code, as if the power gets disconnected, it won’t work again without it.

Underneath the dashboard is a panel with the car’s only power socket. The panel can be removed with some careful-but-stern pulling around the edges. Five friction clips (two on each side, one on the top center) hold it in place, but by working a flathead screwdriver around the sides I was able to pull it off.

Behind the panel are the screws that hold the dashboard console assembly in place.

With those two screws removed, I was able to push the assembly from behind and ease it out of the dashboard cavity.

Again, however, I had to fight these friction clips that held the top and sides of the assembly in place.

Once the assembly was out, I could plug in the interface adapter into the CD changer port.

I routed the interface adapter’s cable bundle behind the stereo and down to the accessory power panel. There’s enough space behind there for the adapter to sit, but first I wanted to test it.

Unlike the Toyota adapter, the Honda adapter has a separate ground wire. Fortunately, there’s another ground wire screwed in down there behind the 12v jack too.

To power my iPhone, I cut the plug end off the 12v extension cord and tapped it in to the wires leading to the existing 12v socket.

The inline taps are hugely useful.

I fished the cable for both the extension socket and the audio along the center console, hidden behind the plastic on the passenger side. The socket end of the extension emerges from the console at a convenient spot along with the audio cable. My old Belkin car charger plugs in there, the audio cable plugs into the base of it, and the dock-connector cable plugs in to my iPhone. The only thing I have to futz with is the dock connector cable, everything else is out of sight.

People have asked me why I chose to use the low-tech PIE adapter, instead of a smarter one that would allow me to control the iPod from the factory stereo. Up to the time I got my iPhone, I was sure that that was what I wanted, but the message I get every time I plug an old accessory into the dock connector is enough to make me cautious about building infrastructure around the interface. I don’t know what music device I’ll use next, but I would rather not have to take apart my car again to plug it in.

In my next post on this topic, I’ll explain how I replaced the rear speakers in this car.

Based on this story about an iPod interface install I purchased a PIE TOY03-AUX aux input adapter so I could finally listen to my iPhone without using the lousy FM transmitter. Sure, I coulda bought a new car, as the manufacturers seem to have finally come to their senses and started including such inputs, but I refuse to buy another car until I can have one that gets well over 40MPG.

The parts:

Thing is, buying all the parts is the easy part.

The dashboard:

Remove all three knobs and these two screws:

Pull the panel out from the bottom. As the hooks at the top of the panel are released, the panel should move freely:

Be careful of the wires to the A/C, defrost, and hazards. Thinking of electrics, most people recommend unhooking the battery to guard against short circuits while doing this sort of thing. For my part, I usually skip that and let a fuse automatically disconnect things when it blows.

Once the panel is clear, remove the four screws that hold the radio in place (two each side):

With the radio out, the interface adapter plugs in easily. There’s lots of room behind the dash to hide the box, and lots of open space to route the audio cable through.

But why spend so much time on this and still plug the iPhone into the dash’s 12V accessory socket? I wired the extension cable into the existing power. Getting at the wires to the power socket requires removing another panel. Easy enough, but it looks an awful mess:

With the audio cable and the new power jack, I simply plugged in an old Belkin car charger, plugged the audio cable 1/8th inch end into that, and now all I have to do is connect the dock connector to listen to my iPod in the car.

Total time for the job? If you don’t include having to run out for a new fuse, then it’s under an hour.

Even Bob Borchers, Apple’s senior director of iPod worldwide product marketing, calls most iPod car setups an “inelegant mess of cassette adaptors and wires.” Indeed, while Apple aparently doesn’t want to get into the car audio business, they do want to improve the in-car iPod experience:

What Apple really wants you to buy is a car that’s designed from the ground up to interface with the iPod,” the Web site said. “The 30-pin connector on newer iPods can transmit all the information displayed on the iPod screen to a remote display. This lets car manufacturers display track information on the dashboard.

Still, Apple has a long way to go in uncluttering the wires from the iPod ecosystem. After reviewing current iPod integration offerings from premium car makers like Audi, BMW, Mini, and from audio/accessory vendors Pioneer, Kensington, and Dension, Francois Planque gives up on the fancy tricks and reccommends the simplest solutions possible:

I could go on and on with other iPod integration solutions, but really, most of them are pure crap. The only thing they get right is charging your iPod while you drive!

However, if you seriously care about listening to your iPod in your car, if you want to listen to podcasts and not to the same old playlist again and again, I think the only effective solution today is to use the iPod’s native interface and get the analog sound out, either through the headphone jack, or through the dock connector with an adapter.

You can then pump the audio into your car stereo in several ways:

• A cassette adapter (bit quality sound won’t be that good)
• A jack connector on your head unit if you’re lucky to have one
• RCA connectors at the back of some head units (you can get an optional box from some manufacturers, like Pioneer…)

Then of course, some kind of docking system to have your iPod accessible at a convenient position can also help, compared to leaving your iPod on the passenger seat.

If you can’t live without charging your iPod while you drive, then the Dension RDS solution may be the best deal.

Anything more “advanced” is currently a waste of money. It’s good for demos and showing off. It’s useless for daily use.

Jake Ludington agrees, saying “big fat deal” to the much vaunted iPod + BMW integration that displays only playlist and track numbers — not names! — on the car’s stereo.

Integration means the metadata attached to the song gets passed to the car stereo system. Buttons built into the steering wheel don’t really make this better; the iPod’s remote could have accomplished the same thing, with very little intrusion.

So, aside from putting an iPod Hi-Fi on the dash, what’s a person to do to get easy iPod control in the car?

Joe Padula posted some pics of a very classy-looking mod (picture above) that turned his car’s in-dash cassette deck into an iPod dock, but he doesn’t show how he’s controlling it.

The iStore offers an adapter that seems to offer some promise. The iPod connects to the stereo via a standard dock connector, users can control the tracks via the car stereo and the iPod’s built-in controls.

Unlike some other car solutions, iPod2Car does not disable the controls or display of your iPod, so you will still be able to view track details and playlist information on your iPod. You will still be able to control the iPod with its controls in addition to your radio controls.

DICE Electronics has a similar offering that promises the addition of song titles in the radio display as well as an additional auxiliary input.

The good news is that at $160, it’s less expensive than iPod2Car’s adapter while appearing to offer more features, and it’s available for my Scion XB.

Now, where did the simple line-in jacks that were common on stereos ten years ago disappear to?

ipod, car, integration, ipod integration, car kit, car audio, line in, adapter, mobile audio, in car ipod

MacNN reports that Saab has released an iPod integration kit:

Saab has quietly introduced its own iPod/MP3 Player audio integration system. The new system, listed in the most recent Saab Accessories Catalog from October 2004, offers direct input for and control of the iPod on its Saab 9-3, according to one MacNN reader: “I spoke with the parts department at my dealership and they confirmed that it’s available. Evidently it’s wired through to the center console armrest and will be out of site. A tech told me the unit has power and will be able to control the iPod from the steering wheel controls. I took this to mean switching songs via the OnStar / radio controls that are stock on Saab 9-3s.”

Of note: new Saabs apparently have some built-in windows-based computer that crashes a bunch. Or, at least it crashed once and somebody got a picture, the blog story really doesn’t give much context. Here’s to hoping the iPod integration works better.

Related iPod stories at MaisonBisson:
Integration: In Car iPod, In Car iPod Take 2, iPod Integration Kits Proliferate For Home And Car, Saab, and PIE iPod Input Adapter.
Hacks, laughs, and background: iPod Hacks, iPod Giggles, What Does Proprietary Mean Anyway?

Technorati Tags: adapter, apple, integration, integration kit, ipod, ipod mini, saab

A reader, Mike, wrote in to reccomend the Precision Interface Electronics aux input adapter to connect the audio from my iPod to my Scion’s factory head unit.

I don’t know if you ever found a solution to connecting your iPod to your Scion head unit, but if not, you can use this adapter to add an AUX input to the Scion factory head unit.

I asked Mike for followup and details, and he offered this:

I am not affiliated with myradiostore.com, I sent that link because I am comfortable recommending that retailer based on my past experience with them. That particular part is available from a variety of other retailers as well.

I myself have not used that particular part but I have installed similar products from that manufacturer in customer’s vehicles (I install stereos as a side job). Sound quality is just the same as if the receiver had its own AUX input jacks.

I have yet to try any input adapters, so it’s nice to get reader feedback. Thanks, Mike.

A quick glance at the PIE website shows that the adapter is available in several models for compatibility with cars and stereos from a the full range of manufacturers.

Also look here and here for related news.

Related iPod stories at MaisonBisson:
Integration: In Car iPod, In Car iPod Take 2, iPod Integration Kits Proliferate For Home And Car, Saab, and PIE iPod Input Adapter.
Hacks, laughs, and background: iPod Hacks, iPod Giggles, What Does Proprietary Mean Anyway?

Technorati Tags: adapter, apple, car, integration, integration kit, ipod, ipod mini, scion, stereo, stereos

MacNN reports the Sonance iPort will ship later this month, which must mean next week. Anyway, the iPort is a wall mounted dock that hides all the cables — audio, firewire, dock, others — in the wall. The MacNN story includes nice pictures of the unit, including the beauty shot and a view of the ports and connectors. Sonance makes no end of “architectural-audio” equipment, including those speakers you sometimes find hidden in the wall.

— – –

A short while ago, Monster annouced their iCruze for iPod car audio integration kit.

The iPod and iPod mini can be hidden away and controlled by the CD player that it is connected to. Users can select the songs and playlists of their choice through either the steering wheel controls or the CD player’s controls. The song information can also be viewed on the optional display and the iPod can be mounted anywhere in the vehicle.

The product was developed with assistance from SoundGate, and is said to cost $500. No word on when it’s going to ship, though.

— – –

Denison, I think, was first to market with an iPod car integration kit. Their original Ice > Link debuted during the 1G iPod days, but now they’ve added control and display via compatible head units to the Link: Plus“>Ice > Link: Plus.

Use your radio or iPod to navigate through playlists, albums and songs and access the simple to use ipod interface. The ice>Link interprets the radio controls from your vehicle to the iPod to emulate a fully loaded CD changer with advanced features.

iPod integration kits seem to be proliferating, but the Denison kit seems to differentiate itself by including a bit of software that appears to run on the iPod itself to add control and features not possible through the head unit (though the ”software“ might only be a playlist of special tracks that signal commands via the audio out, as with the iTrip). Their compatibility list includes cars from Audi, BMW/Mini, Chrysler, Ford, GM, Honda/Accura, Jaguar, Landrover, Lexus, Mazda, Mercedes, Nissan/Infiniti, Porsche, Saab, Scion, Subaru, Toyota, Volkswagen, Volvo. At $200, it looks like a deal.

– – –

Recent news related to iPod integration also available in: In Car iPod, InCar iPod, Take 2, iPod News.

[update:] There’s been lots more iPod news since this story came out.

Related iPod stories at MaisonBisson:
Integration: In Car iPod, In Car iPod Take 2, iPod Integration Kits Proliferate For Home And Car, Saab, and PIE iPod Input Adapter.
Hacks, laughs, and background: iPod Hacks, iPod Giggles, What Does Proprietary Mean Anyway?

Technorati Tags: adapter, icruze, integration, ipod, ipod mini, iport, monster, monstercable, sonance, soundgate

Engadget echoed a story from AutoBlog (duh, I just noticed that they’re both from Weblogs Inc.) about an iPod integration kit that works with most all 1998-or-newer cars: iPod2car.

First, it gives a clean line-in to the stero from the iPod, then it gives next and previous track as well as rewind and fastforward control on the stereo. Sure, you can buy a 2005 BMW and get the same deal as an option, but this is cheaper.

Most importantly, it’s compatible with both my Scion xB and Sandee’s Honda Civic. The FAQ answers some questions, and links to the installation manual.

The manual also helps answer some basic questions about the xB stereo. For instance, all Toyota (1998 – 2005), Scion (2003-2005), and Isuzu (1998 – 2003) factory stereos apparently have the same connections. But, Toyotas require a cable adapter that’s only available from the dealer (part #08695-00370). With this in mind, I can probably get a cheaper audio-only input adapter. I went looking for such a solution before, but details about the Scion radio are scarce.

Also in iPod2car FAQs is a link to carstereohelp.com’s stereo removal guides. And, back at Autoblog, they’ve got an entire section devoted to the xB.

Then, for home-use, I can’t help but like the Bose SoundDock.

Related iPod stories at MaisonBisson:
Integration: In Car iPod, In Car iPod Take 2, iPod Integration Kits Proliferate For Home And Car, Saab, and PIE iPod Input Adapter.
Hacks, laughs, and background: iPod Hacks, iPod Giggles, What Does Proprietary Mean Anyway?

Technorati Tags: adapter, bose, civic, engadget, honda, honda civic, icruze, integration, ipod, ipod2car, scion, scion xb, toyota

Without wanting to get into the rest of the story, I’m now trying to figure out how to plug an iPod into a Scion xB. The xB comes with a stereo by Pioneer, but I haven’t been able to get details about what inputs it supports.

Installer.com and Logjam both offer connection kits that appear to give me RCA aux inputs to the radio head unit, but Pioneer offers a simple IP Bus adapter that might also do the trick. The question is: does the Scion radio by Pioneer have IP Bus support?

I’d RTFM, but I can’t get specifics about what model Pioneer is in the xB, and Scion doesn’t have any manuals that I can find online.

Pioneer is using the xB as a demo car. In this context, their story about it reveals that the xB has a full double-DIN radio bay, and that they successfully installed both an AVIC-80DVD navigation system and AVH-P7500DVD head unit in place of the standard stereo.

Though nice enough, the sales guys knew nothing, of course. I’m hoping to get more details about it when the radio actually gets installed. Maybe the service guys will actually let me see the back of the radio before it goes in, or maybe they’ve actually got docs they can share with me. Maybe.

[update]: More info, details, and solutions in In Car iPod, Take 2.

Related iPod stories at MaisonBisson:
Integration: In Car iPod, In Car iPod Take 2, iPod Integration Kits Proliferate For Home And Car, Saab, and PIE iPod Input Adapter.
Hacks, laughs, and background: iPod Hacks, iPod Giggles, What Does Proprietary Mean Anyway?

Technorati Tags: adapter, apple, ipod, pioneer, scion