Will this USB Radio Work?

**SUVputer** · 10-11-2007, 04:56 PM

all this is great, now we have to fix the car antenna to the radio and get the RDS working (if it's possible)!

I bet that Brando guys are asking themselves why they suddenly a rise in demand for this product...

**veetid** · 10-11-2007, 05:04 PM

I have a couple of other Silabs issues, anyone with the devices interested in helping debug the radio module code? not many issues with it, I just don't have anymore working Silabs devices to fix, why they haven't been fixed yet...

silabs does not seek/scan or save presets
silabs radio module does not cut off when you exit or switch to media
silabs not working on resume from hibernation/standby
silabs does not always work with RDS

Those are the reported issues with the radio module...

david

**NiSlo** · 10-11-2007, 06:20 PM

David,

I'm keen to sort the silabs module out. The main reason I'm not using the silabs at the moment is becuase of the cutoff issue.

Let me know how I can help...

**aghazi** · 10-12-2007, 01:21 AM

midiwall, have you tried to connect main antenna to usb module? What's the game plan?

Should we remove the original one, remove the main antenna plug and attach it the wire to usb module board?

**midiwall** · 10-12-2007, 09:34 AM

Originally Posted by aghazi

midiwall, have you tried to connect main antenna to usb module? What's the game plan?

Should we remove the original one, remove the main antenna plug and attach it the wire to usb module board?

I haven't tried it with the car antenna yet, but I did hang a wire off of the stock antenna to confirm the concept.

Ideally you want to make a solid connection with the board, so I'll be soldering straight to it. I think I'll get a pigtail socket so that I don't actually tie myself to a specific antenna.

Finding a socket looks like it's gonna be an issue... Hmm. I've been through the normal big electronics depots. Gotta find the right search term.

ref "motorola connector": http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motorola_connector

**aghazi** · 10-12-2007, 01:39 PM

OK, I removed the built-in antenna. Didn't open the box. Pushed the car's antenna's plug into that hole. Reception is fine but one problem. Whenever I turn on the LCD (Xenarc), reception got pretty low, lot of noise. If I turn LCD off (still plugged-in), reception got better. Any idea to overcome this?

**midiwall** · 10-12-2007, 03:51 PM

Originally Posted by aghazi

OK, I removed the built-in antenna. Didn't open the box. Pushed the car's antenna's plug into that hole. Reception is fine but one problem. Whenever I turn on the LCD (Xenarc), reception got pretty low, lot of noise. If I turn LCD off (still plugged-in), reception got better. Any idea to overcome this?

Yeah, I think you're gonna need to tie into the ground on the module, which is probably the same ground on the computer chassis.

The issue you're having is the RFI/EMI from the LCD panel radiating back down the video line which itself is acting line an antenna. It'll get better if you shield the monitor, ground the antenna and/or wrap the video cable around a ferrite core. The latter two things will make more of a difference than shielding the monitor.

**jwrpalmer** · 10-17-2007, 12:19 PM

received this today and after 10 mins I realised that the fact that radio doesnt shut off when switching to media is a killer blow - if i can help fix this let me know, otherwise shelved this for now!

**lez** · 10-19-2007, 04:52 AM

Why is it everyone is having problems with the shutoff, the silabs software has no issue, so its obviously not being told to shut off or something needs unloading, as it creates a windows mixer device, could that just not be muted?

Sorry if all that is no use I'm not using anything but silabs software, which works 100%, so I'm guessing at the problem, but it surely has got to be easier to /stop/ something working then making it work.........

**aghazi** · 10-19-2007, 05:02 AM

Originally Posted by jwrpalmer

received this today and after 10 mins I realised that the fact that radio doesnt shut off when switching to media is a killer blow - if i can help fix this let me know, otherwise shelved this for now!

Strange, I am not having this problem. If I switch to media, radio shuts itself off.