Develop Bugs

How to make our own Headset to use with Universal

Anyone interested in this topic to advice to make our own Headset

Count me in
I would be interested. The headset supplied is not very good: the earpieces don't stay in place to get the best sound and the wires are to 'wirey', ie they're not soft enough, and they don't lay straight.
I had seen before someone had taken the Nokia hands-free headphones (similar to the Universals, with a central piece with a mic and button on) and they manages to fit a tiny 2.5mm stereo socket in it, so any standard headphones would plug in. But on the Universals, I don't think there's room.

www.remtrak.com sell 4-way Jack Plugs (3.5MM Angled or Straight) so we could feasibly manufacture our own, with the corrct pin out.
L, R, GND, Mic - But which is which?!
I have an old 80's BT Viscount Handset removed from it's phone base and itching for headset duties. . .

shaju said:
Anyone interested in this topic to advice to make our own Headset
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Instead of making one how about one of these?
http://pc-mobile.net/pxuaa.htm
Matt

I don't see how that helps me hook up a Pokia, Novophone, or connect my own home-made devices. But good link for Non-Geeks!

adapter for sound *in*?

Hi all!
For sound out, there are adapters (I already have one), which convert from that custom 2.5" jack to a standard 3.5" - which even let the built in microphone active. OK.
But is there any adapter for the opposite? Converting the microphone / sound in part of that custom 2.5" to an e.g. 3.5" - so that some standard microphone or some other sound pickup could be attached?
Wether built in speaker would be left active or not isn't relevant for me.
Background: I have one of those programs for tuning musical instruments. It works fine with the built in mic in relatively silent rooms and for acoustic instruments. But imagine beeing on stage between two songs while the crowd is cheering!
If no such accessory is available: I would spend some extra Euros for a second hands free thing, cut off the side with the 2.5" plug and tinker a 3.5" on the open end.
But will this work - or have I to include some resistors or such?
Thanks, greetings
Manfred

There are such adapter on sales
http://www.expansys.com/product.asp?code=113967&tab=0
As for the issue of resister, I don't think you will be needing any. I've no experience on electric musical instruments, but a microphone is a essentially an active resistor/capacitor that convert sounds to resistance/capacitance-variation and hence electric signals. It does not produce any form of voltage itself (eg. you do not need battery for microphone).
Hence, it depends on your musical instruments. If you were to get the adaptor above, perform a voltage test on all 6 combinations (of the 3 contacts) to make sure your instruments does not produce any form of voltage/current. If it does not produce any form of voltage, you ought to be safe for a direct plug-in.

(oops, did I mix up " with mm in my initial post )
Are you using this adaptor yourself? With a Prophet? Does it work?
Not to appear nagging, but there are three facts that make me doubt:
- the description there tells me, that it "converts the standard 2.5mm three conductor jack"
- which can also be seen on the "larger image" (those pictures at expansys often are near causing eye cancer >;-) ), where the plug has *three* contacts
- description also tells us, the adaptor converts to a "3.5mm Mono Headphone Jack".
Well, the jack of Prophet has *four* contacts, and sound out comes in *stereo*. I guess that: tip and first ring are - stereo - out; 2nd ring is mic in; last "ring" obviously is ground. This I take from the fact, that my adaptor for standard 2.5mm to standard 3.5mm stereo earphones really delivers stereo out, but the internal mic is still working.
So I also guess, that this adaptor here has e.g. *mono* out on tip, mic in on 1st ring - and ground on third and last ring - which also would lead to connecting Prophet's mic to ground.
Or am I totally wrong here?
The question about resistors (and such) comes from looking at
http://wiki.xda-developers.com/index.php?pagename=Connectors
(but that's Wallaby and Himalaya wiring, and with the latter there's also an extra (5th!) "outer sleeve" connector); but you can see in the drawing there, that there are a diode and three capacitors between mic and ground, and serially a resistor (but all without values).
So I fear, that just connecting a (passive) guitar pickup won't deliver satisfying results.

Hmm. didn't notice that one is a mono output. Anyway, can't really find one with mic and headphone out for streo (actually, gave up searching). I guess there aren't enough market for people pluging in their own mic.
As for the diagram, it looks like that, for the micrphone, the circular wiring thing is an inductor, not a resistor, since it is marked as L1. From what it seems, it looks like those capacitors and inductor is there to bias the circuit such that the mic is to be in the right impedance to pickup speech. That is more to "adjust" the mic such that it will gives the correct values (probably due to its small size?). So, if you were to plugin in your instruments directly, the result may not be that good. But probably it will. You may need to tune your software to adjust for this?
As for the z-diode there, it is a mystery to me. Can't think of anything useful for it, except to ensure the mic-in is always >= 0 (greater or equals to zero).

Well, first of all: thanks a lot for your answers!!
I also gave up searching before posting here; also searched for a separate 4-ring 2.5mm plug; but before investing in a second headset just to get that plug, I thought I'd ask here ...
Inductors, resistors et all ... it's been way too long since my physics intensive course on grammar school ...
Your thoughts sound logical.
So I'll get me the headset for the plug and tinker an adaptor myself - without any extra inductors or capacitors. Will see how it works - if not, well, I'll come back here again to ask for the values of them ... and tinker along ;-)

I build an adapter on my own out of the standard hands free headphone which was included in delivery.Unfortuately I had to destroy the case a bit I just made a kabel with a 3,5 mm jack and soldered it on the circuit board and bridged the build in mikrophone.Now I am able to connect a stand alone microphone to my Prophet.
Cheers

you can order one @ http://mobile.brando.com.hk/

@ Repose: you mean the handsfree headphone? I already ordered one at expansys
@ colida: that's another idea, keeping the circuit board. Such, all capacitors etc. are in place ... maybe just looks a bit ugly, you really have to break that little housing.

Evo to Ipod Dock Adapter DIY

I would like to be able to connect my Evo to my car so that I can listen to Pandora using the car stereo. Unfortunately my car only has an Ipod dock connector.
Would it be possible to create an adapter that will allow you to connect an HTC Evo to an Ipod dock and output audio?
I have seen something similar being done with a T-Mobile G1.
webnetta.com/2008/12/27/hack-connects-t-mobile-g1-to-ipod-dock/
Is it just as simple as getting a Ipod dock extender cable like this one:
monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=108&cp_id=10831&cs_id=1083101&p_id=6828
and cutting off the male and of this cable and soldering it to a male end of microusb cable?
Any help would be appreciated.

this is a huge area where android needs improvement.

There's no audio through the Evo USB port. I was searching for the same thing last night. I have a logitech ipod speaker: (can't post links)
I also have this ipod bluetooth adapter:
What I'm thinking about doing is to hardwire the bluetooth adapter to the inside of the speaker. Then get the 5v from the dock and make a cable or adapter to go to the Evo's mini usb port. It's not the best solution, but I do have all of the parts already. If I didn't, headphones would suffice.

find the schematic for the ipod dock and solder a headphone jack to the audio inputs on the connector and you're done. I have done the same thing and it worked just fine for my friend that I did it for.
the thing that sucks about that is you will need an extra cable to charge the phone.

speedracerbubba said:
find the schematic for the ipod dock and solder a headphone jack to the audio inputs on the connector and you're done. I have done the same thing and it worked just fine for my friend that I did it for.
the thing that sucks about that is you will need an extra cable to charge the phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hence my bluetooth idea.

I did some digging around a couple weeks ago and came across this
talkandroid.com/guides/ipod-dock-adapter-for-motorola-droidmilestone/
It sucks you need the 3.5 adapter, but better than letting letting a perfectly good dock sit and collect dust.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App

I just ordered a couple of these last week. My car has an ipod adapter, and this should let me connect to that and connect the 3mm to my EVO.
It's coming from Hong Kong so may be a bit longer before it's delivered. I'll report back when I get it.
I can't post links yet - go to bestofferbuy.com and search
"3.5mm Male to iPod/iPhone 2G/3G/3GS Female Adapter Cable - Black (95CM-Length)"
It's $2.60 shipped so I bought two. Can't go wrong for 5bucks

oooo ^ good find. picked up two myself.

I've been using one of these in my car for about 6 months now, originally it was to have audio from netbook. It has now been doing me good on the evo.
*correct the link and bingo... Cant post the real link because of my noobness
w w w.cablejive.com/products/Dock-Input-Cable.html

I had the same problem, I think the best solution is to go Bluetooth. This will future proof you for phone changes down the line as well. Long story short, here is the best solution I've found and it works great! Just connect it to your ipod cable and stream over Bluetooth. So far it has worked with everything ipod, iPhone and iPad that I own, especially my custom installed iPhone stereo connector.
Just look up item number 190402178083 on eBay.
Sent from my EVO 4G using XDA App

Step 1: Buy some Sugru or ShapeLock
Step 2: Buy Cheapie $1 headphones
Step 3: Buy iPod female Dock connector and MicroUSB Male end
Step 4: Use Pinout.ru to connect the points appropriately (iPod dock connector pins are pretty small and you must work quickly or your will melt the plastic, do not forget the internal resistors if needed for your application)
Step 5: Wrap it up in Sugru or Shapelock (use hairdryer to smooth it out with your hands)
Step 6: Paint and Enjoy!
Creating custom cables and docks and such is really not that difficult, just need some decent soldering skill and patience.
You could also just buy this:
http://www.cablejive.com/universal-dock-converter

FIPO Bluetooth
I use this in my BMW for streaming over the bluetooth to the stereo. Works great and convient to just start the car and the Evo start playing music/podcast/etc.
FIPO Amazon Sprint search will turn up the 20 dollar adapter.

Childofthehorn said:
Creating custom cables and docks and such is really not that difficult, just need some decent soldering skill and patience.
http://www.cablejive.com/universal-dock-converter
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Some of us do have the necessary skills, but do not want a ugly wire staring us in the face. Also the components themselves tend to get expensive when ripping apart 3 different cords for parts... not to mention when someone tries this and melts something, then you have to go through the hassle of ordering more components. That is the main reason we come here, because someone may already be on the job.
Now..... if your offering to do it, and you have a pricetag and are willing to offer support in case it doesn't work or kills our phones or car stereos, then I am all ears. But definitely thanks for the link.
As far as BT goes, the one poster is kind of right, I think the phone industry is betting on bluetooth, although its been 15 years, and BT performance is still at best Mediocre.

00-Photon said:
I had the same problem, I think the best solution is to go Bluetooth. This will future proof you for phone changes down the line as well. Long story short, here is the best solution I've found and it works great! Just connect it to your ipod cable and stream over Bluetooth. So far it has worked with everything ipod, iPhone and iPad that I own, especially my custom installed iPhone stereo connector.
Just look up item number 190402178083 on eBay.
Sent from my EVO 4G using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
now that is sweet! best solution yet!

What if we took audio out from the HDMI port?

Brutal-Force said:
Also the components themselves tend to get expensive when ripping apart 3 different cords for parts... not to mention when someone tries this and melts something, then you have to go through the hassle of ordering more components.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
True, But there are those of us with drive to do something unique and have something that fits our needs exactly. DealExtreme.com is a great place to buy the cables to be ripped up and dollar stores can be a real treasure trove. Craft/ART stores also have a lot of things which can be easily repurposed.
Brutal-Force said:
Now..... if your offering to do it, and you have a pricetag and are willing to offer support in case it doesn't work or kills our phones or car stereos, then I am all ears.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I used to be a person who did his kind of work in college, but it is time consuming and repetitive. Plus, this is likely a market of people who are not willing to spend great amounts of money on handmade products. Even if someone charged $30 each it would not be worth the average techies time, but a worthwhile effort for a high school or college student with the drive to learn and perfect.
Brutal-Force said:
As far as BT goes, the one poster is kind of right, I think the phone industry is betting on bluetooth, although its been 15 years, and BT performance is still at best Mediocre.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You are correct in MOST scenarios!
It is more of an issue not with the BT technology itself rather the way it is popularly implemented. BT does have the ability to send out very high quality audio streams and many of which are nearly lossless in quality. The issues are with the device that streams and the device that receives. The chosen connection type between the two devices must be mutual. Problem is that most BT devices streaming A2DP use only SBC coding of varied bit rate and quality.
Now if you have a really well done setup that is very thought out you can have your EVO sending out a pure 320kbps MP3 or AAC or other compatible stream direct with no conversion being done in real time to a BT receiver which is MP3, etc. stream compatible and has an excellent, typically non-chip integrated, DAC with a nice buffered output. Problem is that many BT receiver chips are made to be as cheap as possible, have crappy dacs, and push out very little power (or simply have no buffer at all) to even crappier speakers. When you combine that with real time conversion of MP3 and other formats to SBC at an even lower bit rate, you have an even worse experience.
IMO, the headphone output on the EVO does not sound that good and if you have a car that does accept MP3 320k BT streams and you use an alternative media player like meridian that allows that kind of behavior, then it should be fine for even above average car audio.
Have a Great Listening Experience!

JoeBass said:
I just ordered a couple of these last week. My car has an ipod adapter, and this should let me connect to that and connect the 3mm to my EVO.
It's coming from Hong Kong so may be a bit longer before it's delivered. I'll report back when I get it.
I can't post links yet - go to bestofferbuy.com and search
"3.5mm Male to iPod/iPhone 2G/3G/3GS Female Adapter Cable - Black (95CM-Length)"
It's $2.60 shipped so I bought two. Can't go wrong for 5bucks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Great find! Just ordered one for myself

Childofthehorn said:
True, But there are those of us with drive to do something unique and have something that fits our needs exactly. DealExtreme.com is a great place to buy the cables to be ripped up and dollar stores can be a real treasure trove. Craft/ART stores also have a lot of things which can be easily repurposed.
I used to be a person who did his kind of work in college, but it is time consuming and repetitive. Plus, this is likely a market of people who are not willing to spend great amounts of money on handmade products. Even if someone charged $30 each it would not be worth the average techies time, but a worthwhile effort for a high school or college student with the drive to learn and perfect.
You are correct in MOST scenarios!
It is more of an issue not with the BT technology itself rather the way it is popularly implemented. BT does have the ability to send out very high quality audio streams and many of which are nearly lossless in quality. The issues are with the device that streams and the device that receives. The chosen connection type between the two devices must be mutual. Problem is that most BT devices streaming A2DP use only SBC coding of varied bit rate and quality.
Now if you have a really well done setup that is very thought out you can have your EVO sending out a pure 320kbps MP3 or AAC or other compatible stream direct with no conversion being done in real time to a BT receiver which is MP3, etc. stream compatible and has an excellent, typically non-chip integrated, DAC with a nice buffered output. Problem is that many BT receiver chips are made to be as cheap as possible, have crappy dacs, and push out very little power (or simply have no buffer at all) to even crappier speakers. When you combine that with real time conversion of MP3 and other formats to SBC at an even lower bit rate, you have an even worse experience.
IMO, the headphone output on the EVO does not sound that good and if you have a car that does accept MP3 320k BT streams and you use an alternative media player like meridian that allows that kind of behavior, then it should be fine for even above average car audio.
Have a Great Listening Experience!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, that was a mouthfull. Thanks though, it helps a little. I did spend quite a while researching different Bluetooth headsets. But alas, as you have pointed out, although most of what is considered to be high end headsets, still only use bluetooth 2.0. The EVO also doesn't do a very good job at streaming bluetooth. Pandora and Music Player skip horribly. I was not aware that Meridian did a better job. I guess, that might have been another option.
As far as the bluetooth headsets go though, if your looking for A2DP, the selection is still limited, unless you want a dongle type headset, which IMO, you might as well use a wire. The Motorola, Rocketfish and Jabra headsets of top end just don't do as good a job as seating properly, unless you spend 50+ dollars on a custom ear piece.
There really are a lot of trade-offs in audio performance, but a good set high quality ear buds or headphones are hard to beat. Then comes the Car audio as well as home audio into play. I use mine as a MP3 player both on the go and in the car. My car has a Audio In jack, so I am happy with that.
I ordered a E5 Amplifier to go with mine, it should be here in a week or two. While my headset has finally broken in, I could do with about 10-20% more volume, but I am hoping for a little improved base since it will have the power to push my Vmoda Remix.

Brutal-Force said:
Well, that was a mouthful....
The Motorola, Rocketfish and Jabra headsets of top end just don't do as good a job as seating properly, unless you spend 50+ dollars on a custom ear piece.
There really are a lot of trade-offs in audio performance, but a good set high quality ear buds or headphones are hard to beat.
I ordered a E5 Amplifier to go with mine, it should be here in a week or two. While my headset has finally broken in, I could do with about 10-20% more volume, but I am hoping for a little improved base since it will have the power to push my Vmoda Remix.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, The E5 is a decent beginner set. You may want to look at building a CMoy at some point, make sure to use slightly larger electrolytic caps and good film caps (resistors don't matter as much). If you make one with good parts and socketed chip, you can roll in to your flavor and it will take portable amps that are $100 or more to beat it. As far as kit amps go, its hard to beat a Mini3 for $100 to put together yourself.
I only say this as a person who actually owns a $450 Portable Amp and $575 Custom triple driver In-ear's. Don't even get me started about the stuff that is at home (I have way too much audio crap!)
BTW - you can make your own custom silicone ear pieces by using some Sugru or if you know an audiologist, you can get some of the Westone two part silicone that they normally use for getting impressions. As with everything, be careful and YMMV.
I wish i had the time to work on getting a USB host for the EVO so that we could use external USB DAC's (like the very small alien and grub).

00-Photon said:
I had the same problem, I think the best solution is to go Bluetooth. This will future proof you for phone changes down the line as well. Long story short, here is the best solution I've found and it works great! Just connect it to your ipod cable and stream over Bluetooth. So far it has worked with everything ipod, iPhone and iPad that I own, especially my custom installed iPhone stereo connector.
Just look up item number 190402178083 on eBay.
Sent from my EVO 4G using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just ordered this too. The cable I ordered from Bestofferbuy . c o m was backordered, so I canceled. I agree with you, this should do the trick, saw it on another forum and looks like it will also allow some steering wheel functionality.
I ordered two through amazon, also found it on geek . com. Searching either with "Sprint Anycom Bluetooth A2DP Reciever" will get you there.

BTAXS motorMOUTH II - Handsfree & Streaming Audio Car Kit

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qgLxM2bOtyM&feature=player_embedded#!
- Plugs directly into your vehicle's MP3/AUX input to allow handsfree phone conversations to play through your speakers
- Auto-paring makes initial set up hassle free
- One touch voice dialing with most Bluetooth cellular phones
- DSP echo cancellation ensures a crystal clear conversation even in noisy vehicles
- Includes switching audio splitter, AUX relocation cable, USB charging cable and car charger
- Support profiles: HFP and A2DP
SHIPPING LATE SEPTEMBER, PRE-ORDER NOW

scosche.com/products/sfID1/217/sfID2/219/productID/1919
This is EXACTLY what I've been waiting for. One less cable to attach to my evo

$80 is WAY too much for this. You can accomplish the same thing with a $20 BT3030 adapter, or any headphone adapter.
Here's a tip:
Grab one of these and one of these, and you'll never know the difference.

i just bought one on these and i'm liking it. Maybe it can be done cheaper but I know this works well.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=470939291&pf_rd_i=507846

scl23enn4m3 said:
$80 is WAY too much for this. You can accomplish the same thing with a $20 BT3030 adapter, or any headphone adapter.
Here's a tip:
Grab one of these and one of these, and you'll never know the difference.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Does the first one allow you to stream bluetooth music to your cd player?

backdown said:
Does the first one allow you to stream bluetooth music to your cd player?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It will let you stream to anything with an audio input.
EDIT: I'll have a full blown write up on this method in a few weeks hopefully. I'm waiting on a bunch of parts to come in and I'm hooking mine and my father's car up.

That doesn't look like it charges and outputs at the same time. The scosche appears to do this.
Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk

pinoyxpryde said:
That doesn't look like it charges and outputs at the same time. The scosche appears to do this.
Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just used that as an example as how cheap you can go. Personally, I'm making a cable that does both.
If you want one that charges and plays at the same time out of the box, try this for 20 bucks:
http://cgi.ebay.com/New-Jabra-BT303...uetooth_Wireless_Products&hash=item4aa3833d38
It's the Jabra BT3030. One end is the audio output (which plugs into your audio input) and the mini USB port is on the other for charging.

Looks awesome but quality of sound is probably ****...

How is bluetooth sound quality now adays. I listen to flac, which is lossless audio, so if it isn't really good - great sound quality wise I will just keep using a 3.5mm cable.

I'm not an audio expert (nor is my ear sensitive enough to pick up subtle differences), but I definitely wouldn't call bluetooth audio ****. I can't tell the difference between the bluetooth connection and wired connection. I've heard accounts saying flac sounds beautiful through bluetooth, but then again audio is something that has always been subjective.

Thanks for your opinion, i appreciate you taking the time to respond
I got a motorocker or something like that yesterday at walmart. It was like 90 bucks regularly on clearance for 60, but i got an extra good deal on it.
When i get my evo back I'll post my opinion on it. I have audiophilistic ears lol. It also fm modulates, so i know frequency is going to limited on the upper end to 16kish. But much over 16k doesn't contain much musical content depending on what you are listening to anyways.

Not that great over FM, glad i didn't pay much for it. I am sure the device you listed would sound very good though as it goes through a regular aux port instead of fm modulation. There didn't appear to be any bluetooth related noise, just fm garbage.

I bought a new Sony desk (BT2800) with Bluetooth built-in, and the quality is near flawless. It seems like I actually have less distortion than when it was physically plugged in. There was a ground short or something when I had it plugged in to charge and to the aux input ( but you only could notice if u turn the volume up with nothing playing). I don't know if that's with all cars or just my older car.

scl23enn4m3, you don't know what you are talking about. I hope people don't follow your ****ty advice.
First of all, that BT thing you linked to on ebay does not charge and stream at the same time. It has been covered in the comments section on dealextreme.
Second, I have yet to find any bluetooth reciever that I can add to my stock stereo system that will auto-pair. Auto pairing is a huge deal. If you have to screw around with the bluetooth settings on your phone every time you turn your car on, you might as well plug in the damn aux cable.
I am excited to check this product out.

so mine came in i couldnt get out of my car lol
i think im going to buy one for my home surround sound so i can stream music from laying in bed from my phone (my best tunes are always on my phone even though i have a 2tb and home server running boxee setup on my tv)
But seriously this motormouth btaxs is amazign (for you cheapskates out there stick to your long wires or jerryrigged stuff and leave this toy for those who want it all done right without soldeign and running wires all over)
Yes it charges while in use (I have mine plugged in all the time now and i have it setup so once i put my evo in my dock it auto ons my bluetooth and connects automatically to it)
call quality is good i just tested in loud car on speakerphone and no reverb and works flawless with one button touch then speak the name u want to call
love the damn thing i cant wait to go to work i use my phone all day while driving around and havign to plug in two wires everytime i get in and out was askign too much
now only need one wire and thats if my battery is dead ill add pics in a bit

spyngamerman said:
But seriously this motormouth btaxs is amazign (for you cheapskates out there stick to your long wires or jerryrigged stuff and leave this toy for those who want it all done right without soldeign and running wires all over)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Too bad my '07 Porsche 911 doesn't have a Aux/MP3 input jack.

Woo-Hoo!
Ordered mine from Hawk Electronics on Wednesday night - showed up on the front doorstep today (it helps that their warehouse is here in DFW).
This thing is amazing. Sound quality for music over BT far surpasses what I was getting via 3.5mm jack, and there's no 25% sound reduction just because you docked. In combination with my Sprint car dock, this is just exactly what I've been waiting for. Cool thing about car dock mode: it turns on BT, GPS, and 4G when you dock. It paired without issue, and it fires up the second I dock it in the car.
I used the extension thingy for the microphone, because my AUX port is over on the passenger side in my Element.
Road trip tomorrow.

Here'sa pic comes with charging cable too with car adapter
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App

This device looks nice but too bad my aux input is in the glove compartment...

Headphone extension cable with mic/buttons

I just bought a different set of headphones for use with my S3, but I miss having the pause/play and volume buttons on the headphone cable. Does anybody know of a male-male or a male-female cable that will provide these buttons? My headphones have a 3.5mm female jack on the bottom of them so I would prefer a male-male cable, plus that would also work for when I am playing music on my phone in my car, it would be nice to not have to use the touchscreen for pausing / skipping tracks.

There are a few about - search on Google for "phone control headphone adapter" - but you may also want to consider the Sony Ericsson MW600. It works via Bluetooth rather than wire, but it has all the controls you're after and more. Fairly well priced, too, and I can confirm it works with the S3.
Only difficulty for you will be your wish to have a male jack - that's a pretty unusual combination. Most adapters will have a female jack for you to plug a standard set of headphones into it.

have you used the mw600's ? sound quality? anyone have a source for a nice short LOUD single earbud with a short leash to use with this as a headset (not legal to have 2 buds in most states not safe either)

Like this?

so basically this is an auxiliary cord with controls? like on beats headphones? those sound perfect for you.
sent from my I747

nerys71 said:
have you used the mw600's ? sound quality? anyone have a source for a nice short LOUD single earbud with a short leash to use with this as a headset (not legal to have 2 buds in most states not safe either)
Click to expand...
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I can vouch for the MW600's sound quality. It's excellent, and the signal strength on the WiFi is very good even when the phone is in my backpack with the MW600 clipped to my coat front. Only one caveat - the lead from standard headphones will end up being quite long if you clip the MW600 at chest height or above, so you'll have a fair amount of slack to deal with. I just stuff it into my inside pocket.

Thanks for the answers. Bluetooth solutions are not ideal since they then have batteries that also need to be charged and typically cannot be charged and used at the same time (not to mention for decent quality ones that sound good the price is higher than I would like to spend). That radioshack cable is interesting, I have been searching around for other cables like that and have turned up a few possibilities. Have any of you guys bought any of these cables and can give a review or opinions about which ones are good?

I have a feeling that this is something that is actually quite common but "hard to find" since it uses generic search terms (try finding the little gizmo that lets you insert a full size SD card into a Micro SD Card slot hehe common and about $4-$5 but hard to find since any search terms you use to find it finds you "other" things

nerys71 said:
I have a feeling that this is something that is actually quite common but "hard to find" since it uses generic search terms (try finding the little gizmo that lets you insert a full size SD card into a Micro SD Card slot hehe common and about $4-$5 but hard to find since any search terms you use to find it finds you "other" things
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I think you are right, I keep finding all sorts of things that aren't what I am looking for when I search... maybe I should just write DX and ask them to make one