Help Bugbyte kill his car PC with an iTouch/iPhone install

**Bugbyte** · 11-20-2009, 09:16 AM

I've been looking for a bluetooth A2DP receiver to wirelessly transmit the audio to my head unit. I thought this would be a good way to get sound to it without having to run cables. But I haven't found anything except possibly the Parrot bluetooth phone interface.

We did see the WiFli last year and it is pretty cool. Here's a video Rob and I did of it there.

I use the Apple A/V cable which has stereo audio output, RCA output and a USB connector on one end and of course a dock connector on the other end. Then, get something like a Griffin Powerjolt and plug that into the cigaretter lighter. I get power and audio outputs at the same time. But the problem is I don't have any good way to control the iPod.

I need a WiFi or BT app that runs on the iPod as a daemon and listens for signals to do next/previous and volume up/down over WiFi. Then I could use a keyboard emulator like the iPAC and wire in some buttons to the Sheeva plug and send commands that way.

**hutacars** · 11-20-2009, 09:20 AM

Do you think something like this might be more fitting than an iPhone? It's got a 9" touchscreen, runs full Windows 7, has a USB port, full-size virtual keyboard that can be enabled at the touch of a button, left+right click, etc. Just build a dock into the dashboard and you're good to go! I'm wishing I'd invested in this $550 device instead of the $1xxx dollars I put towards my carputer (and screen which still isn't working properly!). The only downside I can see is... it's not a phone. However, the same company will soon be selling the Archos 5 3G, which has a 5" touchscreen and runs Archos' own OS, but... it has 3G, so you can make calls as you would with a phone. Or you could just get a cheap crappy 3G phone that supports tethering, and carry the Archos 9 around with you for everything else.

**Fiberoptic** · 11-20-2009, 10:22 AM

Originally Posted by Bugbyte

I've been looking for a bluetooth A2DP receiver to wirelessly transmit the audio to my head unit. I thought this would be a good way to get sound to it without having to run cables. But I haven't found anything except possibly the Parrot bluetooth phone interface.

I am not completely familiar with your whole setup, but would this work?
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.8422
This does a2dp to a 3.5mm output for 13$

Sean did a personal video on this here:
http://www.youtube.com/optikalefxx#p/u/20/b0UvBM0IfDs

**racorbit** · 11-20-2009, 03:29 PM

I have found the product that works for my set up

http://www.griffintechnology.com/pro...ith-smartclick

I will plug the into the back of my dock and then the audio in to my head unit's audio out and the charge into the hidden charger behind my dash that runs to the battery for direct power (truck has two batteries so I'm not worried about dying from iphone charging when truck is not running)

with this setup I will have direct audio input from iphone to stereo for best quality and an rf wireless control that I will fab into my steering wheel for full ipod controls from my steering wheel without loosing sound quality or the ability to use the touch screen if I was (many ipod to stereo units turn off the iphone's screen, especially when allowing the stereo's control's to control the ipod - well they do for my pioneer deck anyway)

I am now in business, so I shall go buy this unit right now at future shop and post a seperate thread showing how it all works in the iphone forum in mp3car.

**HiJackZX1** · 11-20-2009, 03:49 PM

Originally Posted by Bugbyte

Nicely done! Of course, they are using the iPhone to control a laptop, which controls the hardware.

This is sort of the direction I've been headed because it uses the iPhone as an interface while distributing the computing across other computers.

This is something I want to do also.... well not drive the car, but control the whole PC. Isnt it easier with a Windows based system though? I use a app on my HTC called Pocket Controller, which allows me to control my phone from the PC, but I am sure they have something the other way around.

**Bugbyte** · 11-21-2009, 01:33 AM

Originally Posted by Fiberoptic

I am not completely familiar with your whole setup, but would this work?
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.8422
This does a2dp to a 3.5mm output for 13$

Sean did a personal video on this here:
http://www.youtube.com/optikalefxx#p/u/20/b0UvBM0IfDs

Ooooohhh! Shiny! That's what I'm looking for! I'll order one and try it out. Thanks,FO!

[Edit: Ordered! One for car, one for house.]

**racorbit** · 11-22-2009, 11:58 PM

Originally Posted by Fiberoptic

I am not completely familiar with your whole setup, but would this work?
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.8422
This does a2dp to a 3.5mm output for 13$

Sean did a personal video on this here:
http://www.youtube.com/optikalefxx#p/u/20/b0UvBM0IfDs

Ordered

**Bugbyte** · 12-01-2009, 10:00 PM

I'm toying around with the idea of putting my iPod Touch in my rear view mirror.

I don't really like the way the iPhone hangs out on the dash, but there's no way around it for now. However, if I put an iPod touch behind the mirror glass and connect to the stereo via my dock cable, I can hide everything there and have a permanent music player in the car.

Then, I can use MyWi on the iPhone to set up a hotspot that I can connect to from the iPod touch. I'll have all the access I get from the iPhone via the iPod touch.

I have to admit, I got this idea from one of the mp3car blog videos (was it Nate's install?). I hadn't even thought of it, but it is really quite a slick way to do it.

Problems:

1. Can I control the iPod touch if it is underneath one way glass? I'll bet I can't.
2. Sideways. I won't be able to rotate the iPod unless I want a vertical mirror glass!

I can certainly control the music player via something like the WiFli, which would give me button controls on my steering wheel for music. I don't know if I could control the iPod via the dock cable though. With what? The Sheeva plug? That would require some kind of Linux iPod control. Yikes.

I know I can see the iPod through the one way glass. If I make the mirror glass flip up, it would give me direct access to it.

Anybody got any brainwaves on this idea?

As you can see, the rear view mirror is quite fat. It should be easy to get the iPod inside it.

**icanhasboost** · 12-07-2009, 02:03 PM

Just saw this -- it looks like a time lapsed or 'two frame' in a sense type of video where he recorded the left hand and then just tapped away with the keyboard.

If this is true -- he's prob using some sort of microcontroller to bluetooth I assume; then using whatever app he created to accept inputs via bt.

This is exactly what we need..