timmus
A2OC Donor
Eight months or so ago, I finally changed my sturdy but simple Nokia Brick for an iPhone. Almost immediately, I started thinking about how to integrate it into my A2. I wanted a solution that didn't result in any wires, holes or cradles on show. In other words, if the iPhone wasn't in use, then my A2's interior had to show no evidence of the phone's integration. Furthermore, I didn't want to have to modify any major components; my A2 might be timeless, but the iPhone isn't, so the solution had to be completely reversible.
First and foremost, the integration was about playing music from the phone through the Bose system. With 64GB of storage in the phone, it holds a large portion of my CD collection. To have all that music available wherever I go was the major driving force, but I also wanted to be able to use the phone as a SatNav system on occasions. For the most part, I'm not a fan of SatNav - I like to look at a map and have a sense of where I'm going - but when getting through the streets of inner Birmingham, for instance, SatNav comes into its own. So, keeping the phone within view from the driver's seat was also important.
Whenever I need to use a cup holder, I choose to place my drink either in the rear cup holder between the front seats or I use the passenger's front cup holder. I find that the driver's front cup holder gets in the way of the indicator stalk and the cruise buttons, so it's never used. As such, I decided it was to be converted into a pop-out iPhone dock.
The driver's cup holder is now a pop-out dock.
The iPhone on its dock, playing music.
Compared to the cup holder, the dock's range of travel is limited, meaning it doesn't get in the way of the indicator stalk.
The iPhone in use as SatNav. I keep my phone in a leather flip case, but the dock still accepts the phone in its case.
I'm really chuffed with the result. With the dock 'drawer' closed, you'd never know it was there. When in use, the phone's screen is positioned excellently. And all I've done is modify a spare cup holder, meaning reverting to standard is a job of minutes.
The dock itself supports and charges the phone, but the integration with the stereo is done over Bluetooth. All audio is streamed wirelessly using the A2DP profile. The audio connection supports 320kbps transfer, which in an automotive environment is more than adequate. When listening on my home stereo, nothing less than 16-bit PCM will do, but in the car its just not necessary.
Control is done using the AVRCP profile. The stereo buttons, such as track skipping, wirelessly control the phone. Removing the keys from the ignition causes a pause command to be sent to the phone. Similarly, turning the ignition on causes the stereo to turn back on and the phone to resume playback. It functions exactly as though a CD was in the Concert II head unit. However, given that the dock is merely for charging and holding the phone within view, it's not always necessary to use the dock. With the phone in my pocket, it works in exactly the same way.
For all that I've emphasised music playback, the system also works as a hands-free kit, with a microphone hidden above the driver's head.
The Bluetooth interface is made by XCarLink. It's a little box of tricks that connects to the CD changer port on the back of the head unit. It has a CD changer pass-through function, meaning it works alongside my boot-mounted CD changer. This device is also responsible for providing power to the dock. It provides power whenever the ignition is turned on or whenever the stereo is turned on. I've nestled it neatly inside the foam piece beneath the centre console tray.
Compared to products that require the phone to be docked, another advantage of this setup is that no earth loops are created. I've found audio hiss can increase greatly when using iPhone/iPod interfaces, but there's no risk of this when connecting over Bluetooth. Furthermore, for all that my dock is made specifically for 30-pin Apple devices, any Bluetooth-enabled device can connect to my A2. For instance, whenever my sister hops in my car with her Android phone, she can choose to play her music. Thankfully her record collection overlaps greatly with mine! There's also a 3.5mm jack input for analgue audio transfer, but I've not employed that (yet).
As a complete setup, compared to RNS-E, it has a few drawbacks. Obviously the phone has to be docked to be usefully employed as a SatNav system whereas RNS-E is always ready to go, but that's hardly an issue. The real downside is that the head unit has to have its input set to the Bluetooth channel in order for it to work. Again, if you're looking to use the phone as a music player or as SatNav, that's hardly an issue, but if your phone rings whilst you're listening to the radio, answering the call through the hands-free function requires a few buttons to be pressed.
However, compared to RNS-E, it also has many advantages. It's an iPhone.
Tom
First and foremost, the integration was about playing music from the phone through the Bose system. With 64GB of storage in the phone, it holds a large portion of my CD collection. To have all that music available wherever I go was the major driving force, but I also wanted to be able to use the phone as a SatNav system on occasions. For the most part, I'm not a fan of SatNav - I like to look at a map and have a sense of where I'm going - but when getting through the streets of inner Birmingham, for instance, SatNav comes into its own. So, keeping the phone within view from the driver's seat was also important.
Whenever I need to use a cup holder, I choose to place my drink either in the rear cup holder between the front seats or I use the passenger's front cup holder. I find that the driver's front cup holder gets in the way of the indicator stalk and the cruise buttons, so it's never used. As such, I decided it was to be converted into a pop-out iPhone dock.
The driver's cup holder is now a pop-out dock.
The iPhone on its dock, playing music.
Compared to the cup holder, the dock's range of travel is limited, meaning it doesn't get in the way of the indicator stalk.
The iPhone in use as SatNav. I keep my phone in a leather flip case, but the dock still accepts the phone in its case.
I'm really chuffed with the result. With the dock 'drawer' closed, you'd never know it was there. When in use, the phone's screen is positioned excellently. And all I've done is modify a spare cup holder, meaning reverting to standard is a job of minutes.
The dock itself supports and charges the phone, but the integration with the stereo is done over Bluetooth. All audio is streamed wirelessly using the A2DP profile. The audio connection supports 320kbps transfer, which in an automotive environment is more than adequate. When listening on my home stereo, nothing less than 16-bit PCM will do, but in the car its just not necessary.
Control is done using the AVRCP profile. The stereo buttons, such as track skipping, wirelessly control the phone. Removing the keys from the ignition causes a pause command to be sent to the phone. Similarly, turning the ignition on causes the stereo to turn back on and the phone to resume playback. It functions exactly as though a CD was in the Concert II head unit. However, given that the dock is merely for charging and holding the phone within view, it's not always necessary to use the dock. With the phone in my pocket, it works in exactly the same way.
For all that I've emphasised music playback, the system also works as a hands-free kit, with a microphone hidden above the driver's head.
The Bluetooth interface is made by XCarLink. It's a little box of tricks that connects to the CD changer port on the back of the head unit. It has a CD changer pass-through function, meaning it works alongside my boot-mounted CD changer. This device is also responsible for providing power to the dock. It provides power whenever the ignition is turned on or whenever the stereo is turned on. I've nestled it neatly inside the foam piece beneath the centre console tray.
Compared to products that require the phone to be docked, another advantage of this setup is that no earth loops are created. I've found audio hiss can increase greatly when using iPhone/iPod interfaces, but there's no risk of this when connecting over Bluetooth. Furthermore, for all that my dock is made specifically for 30-pin Apple devices, any Bluetooth-enabled device can connect to my A2. For instance, whenever my sister hops in my car with her Android phone, she can choose to play her music. Thankfully her record collection overlaps greatly with mine! There's also a 3.5mm jack input for analgue audio transfer, but I've not employed that (yet).
As a complete setup, compared to RNS-E, it has a few drawbacks. Obviously the phone has to be docked to be usefully employed as a SatNav system whereas RNS-E is always ready to go, but that's hardly an issue. The real downside is that the head unit has to have its input set to the Bluetooth channel in order for it to work. Again, if you're looking to use the phone as a music player or as SatNav, that's hardly an issue, but if your phone rings whilst you're listening to the radio, answering the call through the hands-free function requires a few buttons to be pressed.
However, compared to RNS-E, it also has many advantages. It's an iPhone.
Tom
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