Alfa 166 CD changer emulator, mp3 player -> www.loudlink.eu

[arnoldf]

Originally Posted by arnoldf

Tony, if you have ideas to make loudlink better, write them!
A.

AND GUYS! IF ANYBODY have idea to make this player better...write loudlink.

If the price is high...write them - what is acceptable!

Thats easy!

A.

[Marco166]

or you could always buy a factory fitted cd changer ...pm me , got 2 for sale , with brackets and all

[arnoldf]

Originally Posted by Marco166

or you could always buy a factory fitted cd changer ...pm me , got 2 for sale , with brackets and all

ebay?

[Cluffstarr]

If anyone on here has one of these, what's the biggest SD card it can read? Also, does the system come with the kit to upload songs to the SD card?

I have been toying with the idea of a CD changer / Rogiers line in thing for a while. I am making do with an FM transmitter at present using my phone's MP3 player, however it's not brilliant unlike a nice line in system...

Think the ideal solution would be install Rogiers thing, route a cable through from the back to the armrest box / glove box and buy an iPod to stack all of my CDs onto. However obviously this is costly (iPod cost to start with and it will take hours to transfer all CDs to MP3) and Rogier seems to not be responding to people's enquiries. Therefore it's looking like CD changer or loudlink is the way forward...

[Cluffstarr]

How much do you want for a changer?

[rogier166]

I was on holiday these last 2 weeks. I emailed RichT yesterday. I didn't receive any other request from users of this forum. Normally I reply the same day.

I think the Loudlink is a great solution. It's a fair price, but it's not cheap, but at the other hand, buying a (used) cd changer with all it's disadvantages costs probably more than 200 euro's. It looks good. If I didn't have an MP3 player in my car I probably will buy it.

The ICS doen't support CD Text, so showing the mp3 tags is no possible.

I have the mp3's on a USB stick. I can select my songs via the ICS (MP3 tag's) with an IR remote control. I also can use a MMC/SD or CF card, but I always use the USB. I can also watch tv with dvb-t (only the free-to-air channels). And I have to make the Dolby Digital 5.1 work in the future...

Here are some examples when I was testing it.
http://home.tiscali.nl/~rvbaar/pictu...;20(Small).JPG
http://home.tiscali.nl/~rvbaar/pictu...%20(Small).JPG

I used a 68 euro DVD/Divx player with built in DVB-T receiver and USB/SD/MMC input, my 55 euro audio aux in adapter and my ?? euro video in adapter (with auto-rear view camera, and a none-alfa navigation system with TMC) for the ICS.

[Rich T]

Rogier,

Woo hoo! Will send you another email. Way I see it, if you already have an MP3 player the dongle makes the most sense.

Rich

[Mitch166]

I want TV on my ICS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[niallmoran]

me too!!! That would be super cool

Come on Rogier, get those boards finished...i'm drooling at the possibilities now....

[Tony Rome]

Yep, this is the way forward, especially if you already have an MP3 player. I suspect you'll have a lot of customers if you can come up with the goods, Rogier

[Tony Rome]

Originally Posted by arnoldf

Shuffle -> play random order
Scan-> play the first 10 second of the song
Playlist(coming soon)-> particular order
FWD, RWD, FFWD,FRWD

I'm using the following functions frequently:
switch to FM
switch to CD
CD1 CD2 CD3 CD4 CD5 CD6 buttons

How will the Playlist function work, Arnold? Will it be a new model or some kind of add-on to the existing unit?

[arnoldf]

Originally Posted by Mitch166

I want TV on my ICS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Take a look:
http://www.alfaamore.hu/members.php?id=125

This guy maked it several years ago...but these days buyed a loudlink, and installed to in place of cassette...

[arnoldf]

Originally Posted by Tony Rome

How will the Playlist function work, Arnold? Will it be a new model or some kind of add-on to the existing unit?

Simply updating firmware....

Hey man! We are in year 2007!!

Take a look:
http://www.loudlink.eu/downloads.html

[arnoldf]

Originally Posted by Tony Rome

How will the Playlist function work, Arnold?

How you want?!

A.

[Mitch166]

I don't really understand why, if there clever guys can make the ICS play DVD's and TV, why don't they market it? For a sensible price they would have loads of takers. It's one of the things that lets the ICS down, people get in the car and think it's a TV screen or DVD and the reality is (although clever and convienient) its a bit boring. The MP3 and DVD idea that Rogier has would transform it. I would deffo upgrade mine if I could.

[arnoldf]

Originally Posted by Mitch166

I don't really understand why, if there clever guys can make the ICS play DVD's and TV, why don't they market it?

Because very difficult, and many time and work to install the similar system. You need to removing, disassembing ICS at first. Soldering, cutting, screwing, (debugging, repairing!) etc.
And on the market there are at least 3 different ICS version.
The first contain 3 layer of PCBoards. (in my car) The second only just 2 layer (in my desk). (Rogier's ICS is a second version...by snapshots). The third - I don't know...I've never seen disassemled one.

One of these guys installed this system to cars for money. But he stopped, because it was lot of work and time...and everybody see one or two times DVD/TV on the ICS screen. (ICS position/resolution/etc is not ideal for it...)

But when you frequently going to party....this is a f...cking cool stuff.

A.

[arnoldf]

The adapter what is able to emulate satnav unit...that gonna be a very good stuff. In this case you don't need to hacking ICS.
It would be a ready to market stuff.

Just connect it to place of SATNAV unit, and push NAV button.
And multi media system is ready to use...

I'm working on it...I would like connect PC with GPS & DIVX & MP3 & all other things...

A.

[rogier166]

Alfa 1e generation is BE2569 (2 layers and radio layer) (i have this one)
Alfa 2e generation is BE2580 (2 layers and radio layer)
http://i12.tinypic.com/471qdr5.jpg
All these types look almost the same

[arnoldf]

Originally Posted by rogier166

Alfa 1e generation is BE2569 (2 layers and radio layer) (i have this one)
Alfa 2e generation is BE2580 (2 layers and radio layer)
http://i12.tinypic.com/471qdr5.jpg
All these types look almost the same

http://www.mobil-diszkont.hu/idis/index.html

This is a 3 layer ICS...for example...
I think Be25xx not identified exactly the ICS.

(Maybe it just the type of MD player.)


A.

[arnoldf]

Originally Posted by arnoldf

http://www.mobil-diszkont.hu/idis/index.html

This is a 3 layer ICS...for example...
I think Be25xx not identified exactly the ICS.

(Maybe it just the type of MD player.)


A.

HOPP! Sorry It's same...

I've called it for a three layer ICS.

I'll take a photo soon from the two layer ICS. (1 ICS layer + 1MD layer)

A.

[rogier166]

Originally Posted by arnoldf

.... and push NAV button. And multi media system is ready to use...
A.

When I push NAV, "No navigation available" appears, pressing NAV again is for my Panasonic DV2300 navigation (displayed on the ICS, but with its original remote of course), pressing NAV again is for the rear view camera (also automatic selected when I put the gear in reverse)

I put the speaker of the nav unit under my chair. For audio I must press the CDC button to enable the audio aux in adapter.

[arnoldf]

Originally Posted by rogier166

When I push NAV, "No navigation available" appears, pressing NAV again is for my Panasonic DV2300 navigation (displayed on the ICS, but with its original remote of course), pressing NAV again is for the rear view camera (also automatic selected when I put the gear in reverse)

I put the speaker of the nav unit under my chair. For audio I must press the CDC button to enable the audio aux in adapter.

Nice!!!! But this solution hard to market...because install the additional PCB to inside of ICS is many work...

If you want to sell it people who live in different country(location) than you...it's maybe impossible...

But for own use...it's perfect solution!!!

Hungarian guy installed similar system to others ...(rear view camera,
night vision camera, dvd, mp3, etc ) but he stopped it...because it was too much work, and time.

The good way maybe a KIT, and a very good documentation....and an automotive PCB design... ( fire protection...fuses, supressors, high temp elco-s etc...)
And a good homepage with FAQ....
And not a public email, just forum (thousend of "stupid" questions )

Take care!

A.

[Tony Rome]

Originally Posted by arnoldf

Simply updating firmware....

Of course! D'oh

But I'm still not clear on how you will be able to compile a playlist from the ICS, as you've already said it can't display any track details. Presumably, all you could do would be to listen to each track, working your way through them with the > button and adding the ones you wanted in the playlist. That would be painfully slow if you wanted to select 50 particular tracks from several hundred stored on the SD card...

[arnoldf]

Originally Posted by Tony Rome

Of course! D'oh

But I'm still not clear on how you will be able to compile a playlist from the ICS, as you've already said it can't display any track details. Presumably, all you could do would be to listen to each track, working your way through them with the > button and adding the ones you wanted in the playlist. That would be painfully slow if you wanted to select 50 particular tracks from several hundred stored on the SD card...

On a PC....you can edit several playlists... for loving1,loving2 for driving1,driving2,driving3 for rainy wheather, for sunny wheather, for party, for blablabla....

In my car, for example:
directory cd1 contain many songs for driving...Billy Idol, Dire Straits, etc.
...
directory cd4 contain many songs for party

It's more than enough...editing playlist in the car? ... I'll never use this feature... but the peoples are different

Who wants to editing playlist...they need DVD&MP3&etc system...

A.

[nzorikko]

I wonder how many Loudlinks it has been sold. Is it a stable system that work day out and day in without maintenance.

I wonder if Loudlink can play uncompressed formats. For instance if you copy a whole CD to an SD-memory card. This would probably give the best audiophile sound.