Related
I came across this product and had to order one for my tomtom kit, it is the loudest speaker moutn I have ever heard, and the XDA 2 fits in the mount perfectly:
http://www.pdamods.com/products.asp?cat=78
I used to have a ipaq 1910 and the speaker on that was rubbish, then upgraded to an XDA 2 and thought it was better than the 1910 but could not hear the voice directions if the radio was loud, however this mount is seriously amazing, it has its own built in amplifier with full volume control.
I have got this holder for the car, unfortunately the TomTom GPS receiver has a RJ11 connector and the holder has a mini USB port, so therefore i can not use it.
It came with a PS2 to mini USB connector and thats it.
Very sad if you ask me
I'm now waiting for a lead connector from TomTom RJ11 to Mini USB
Sorry to hear that they may have made a mistake cos I chose tomtom cable and they sent me the RJ11 cable - believe me when you get the right cable you will love this device !!
On ebay is sold a little rechargeable device called car baby, it clips over the speaker and then you get the audio from the xda or any other device through your car speakers.
Arkon PDA Mount
Hi guys,
I'll let you know my experience with the Arkon car mount kit.
First what I have?
1) O2 XDAII
2) Arkon car mount kit for Vent and Windshield mount.
3) Arkon cables for XDAII
4) Emtac CRUXII/BTGPS
What you gain?
1) A complete car kit that charge both devices (XDA and BT Gps)
2) A handsfree car kit with a good speaker
3) A handsfree Navigation system
Hope this helps a choice.
All these powered mounts are great (i've got the Arkon PDA Mount) except that they all pick up the background radio signels that the phone transmits when it is active or syncing with the network and that's really annoying if you're driving along trying to listen to anything else.
I've had the same problem as you jashry but I've found a little S.P. (Service pack) to that.
Just turn the 3,5 mm cable so that it touches the Arkon device on the backside. And you'll hear less noise due to GSM signal.
Hope it helps!
Arkon 700 car mount for XDA2
I called a well known supplier of kit based in Manchester and asked for a car mount for the XDA2, to run with (and charge) a Bluetooth Tom Tom headset.
The first set came without an audio lead - so rendered the XDA2 useless for receiving calls.
I called and was rudely told of the company's arcane returns policy which made me see red (working in the legal profession) as the kit was clearly defective. To save time, I bought another one subject to some concessions re postage and return of the original etc.
The second kit arrived - complete with a 3.5mm audio lead. The XDA2, which I specified, has a (standard for mobile phones) 2.5mm audio socket. So, it is still useless.
Tried it with a jack adapter (3.5 to 2.5mm) - sound is barely audible, even with everything turned up and "loud' selected on the Ultra Profiler. So, both are now going back with a terse note regarding the Sale of Goods Act.
Can anyone recommend a good car kit (and where to get one from, ideally quickly). Basically, I need something loud and reliable, that will charge a TomTom bluetooth GPS. Ideally, I would like something that can be vent mounted (neater, less 'shake') tha can be hard wired (neater).
I am afraid that finding a jack adapter was at the limit of my technical abilities - suggesting that I splice this and patch in that is akin to suggesting that I learn to fly or communicate by ESP. I wish...
Thanks
PDAMOD Speaker mount for Qtek
Bought one of these mounts that Jashry recommended, but I'm having all kinds of problems with it!
To use the amplifierfacility I have to use the audiosocket in the corner of the Qtek, and they do indeed supply a small cable for that.
But when this cable is mounted, the Qtek barely touches the bottomsocket of the mount, and the connection is lousy!
Actually I HAVE heard the voice, because I can "rock" the Qtek to the side a little, and then I can test the TOMTOM voice, and it sounds great, problem is this prohibits the connection to the GPS, so at the moment it is useless.
On their homepage I can find pics of a Qtek in the mount, but without the little cable in the corner....!
Wonder if anyone uses this device, and if they have had the same problems and maybe somehow solved them?
/HM
angusmcintyre said:
All these powered mounts are great (i've got the Arkon PDA Mount) except that they all pick up the background radio signels that the phone transmits when it is active or syncing with the network and that's really annoying if you're driving along trying to listen to anything else.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry I'm a bit late on this thread, but have you tried using an external antenna lead on your device? This should direct all of that radiation where it belongs.
I have to add that I haven't chosen my amplifier cradle yet because of this issue, but I am eager to know whether the antenna theory does work.
I too tried the mount recommended (after the Arkons which went back) and the loudest sound I have ever heard is interference from the radio signal of the 'phone.
Anyone want one? At the moment it is just an overpriced charging cradle.
I now have a 'Silver Shield' mount, and yes it does sqawk when the phone transitter is operative. However, it also does that when I hold it near my nokia, but not when the nokia is in its car-kit. I should be receiving an external antenna tomorrow, so I'll let you know whether the theory works in practise. In the meantime Dr. Fresh, I'll take any unwanted goods!
I tried the Arkon mount, it landed somewhere near the service station at Bristol on the M5 when I launched it out the window, interference was so loud, it should have been returned to the designer and inserted up his ass....sideways.
It works!!!!
Just got my external antenna and adaptor; plugged it into the XDAII, inserted this into the amplified mount and hey-presto, you can hardly hear the interference, whilst the audio signal is strong enough that you could leave the whole lot at home and hear it on a trip to France! (Well, almost!)
My only problem now is that the Antenna adaptor is a bit bulky, sticking out of the back (about 11mm or so), which makes it a little lop-sided in the holder. I now have to take a look at modifying the mount to fit the connector in. Will let you know how I get on
Inspecta. I am interested to know if using an external antenna fixed the problem. I think it will probably make it worse, it is direct rf breakthrough from the phones radio causing the problem and I think the antenna lead is just another place for it to splash its unwanted interference over.
Interference
Hiya Cruisin,
absolutely, it is the external antenna which rectifies the problem.
When using the internal antenna, all of the r.f. energy is in close proximity to the speaker and amplifier. By using an external antenna, you have the same amount of energy, but it is radiated from the antenna located on (in this case) the windscreen. Energy is radiated in all 3 planes, so the interference reduces by the CUBE of the distance, therefore, by doubling the distance from the speaker/amplifier, the amount of interference reduces by eight times. You can verify this effect by placing any mobile up to your car radio; it will eventually pick up the noise, no matter how good the radio.
........ sorry about going off on one! Yes it does work; I removed the external antenna, and the set-up went back to its bad old ways, replaced it and everything is great!
(Now got to get some shares in external antennas!)
And now I will admit my stupidity by telling you I was pretty stoned when I wrote that reply and for some reason i thought you were referring to an external gps antenna, now I cant blame the dope so i will accept all responsibility, thanks for the lowdown on the rf.
or you couyld get a holux like received this morning just tried it and its great amplified speaker and built in gps receiver worked with my xda2 no problem
Must have missed something here.
I've got an arkon powered mount CM532 with built in speaker and gps connection but the voice prompts from the nav software only come thru the internal speaker on my XDA2. I can't get them thru the mounts speaker.
Any suggestions?
ROM 1.60.00WWE
ExtROM 1.60.50
Radio 1.10.00
Did you get a cable to plug into the handsfree socket and into the amplified mount? You need this for all of the mounts that I looked at. If you ordered the mount specifically for the XDA, you should have received a cable to go with it.
Hi all, hoping somebody can tell me if here is a difference in the connectors at the bottom of these 2 phones??? The reason I ask is because I have come into possession of a Professional GPS Carkit for a XDA2 whic I have modified cosmeticly to accomodate the XDA. All parts other than sound and microphone are working. I would appreciate any guidance some of those in the know would be forthcoming with.........I have put my phone back to standard with the rom etc to be sure the upgrading of it had no adverse affect, so it is exactly as I bought it now, and still doesn't work properly
Check the wiki for the connector pinouts to confirm they are the same. They only device using a slightly different 22 pin connector is the blueangel with two ridges in the sleeve.
Richard
my xda1 got stolen and i could use both the cradle (xda1 cradle is soooo much better then xda2's)
and charger connector (of cause)
and headset
ok......a little progress nowhere really but, anyone got ideas on this........I pulled the control panel apart on the car kit, i have found that if i put the phone in the cradle whilst on a call and the sound comes through the speaker when it beeps to say it is in the cradle???? Upon checking it further, the control panel clicks, i presume that it 'opens' the connection to the speaker, but will close the connection and not reopen it if i make a call from the cradle tus rendering the speaker an the mic inoperative. I have found that the 'car on' wire appears to go through a resistor once on the board so could this be cutting down the input too much for the signal from an xad1??? Anyone with some technical knowledge on this would be really helpful. Thanks in advance
This is not something new and have been shown many times in YouTube. It is interesting to have for any phone with 3.5mm audio jack that can be easily done within a few minutes. I do not use my headset with my phone so this would be a nice hack to have around to listen with your friends on some local radio without consuming your data plan and phone battery.
Find a headset that you do not need. We only want the part with the 3.5mm audio jack. Just trim it down to about 20cm in length and fold it in half and tie a knot at the end. I tied a lasso knot at the end just so I can adjust the length of the receiver later on though it may not help much in reception quality.
Tested several length from 1 meter all the way to 20 centimetres and found not much difference in reception quality for a fact that you will be using your loudspeaker to listen to the FM radio. The same with whether to loop or not to loop the receiver but looping the receiver gives it a cleaner look while maintaining the same reception frequency.
Putting your phone too close to a human body greatly interferes with the FM signal. On the other hand, placing your phone on a metal table may enhance the FM reception.
Perhaps those who have knowledge in electronics can shed some light to optimize this simple hack further.
Have fun...
I didn't know. Works like a charm !! Thank You
Doesn't work for me. When I plug in the trimmed headset cable with the ear pieces cut off, the FM App keeps asking me to plug in a headset. Works OK when I plug in an untrimmed headset and switch to speaker in FM App menu.
Is there a further trick to getting this to work? Are you using the stock FM App?
I had the same problem myself, and it stems from the fact that smartphones will interrogate any headset you plug in to check if it is suitable. There are basic stereo headphones with three contacts on the jack plug (from the tip they are left, right and ground) and should work on any phone regardless. But there are two variants of headset (i.e. those with a microphone) that use four contacts, the difference being whether they connect the mic on the third or fourth contact.
As of 2016 most manufacturers have standardised on one system (left, right, mic then ground), but there are enough older phones and matching headsets out there that use the alternative pinout scheme. For example my old Sony Xperia used L-R-G-M (the same as say Blackberry), necessitating the use of an adapter for certain accessories. My latest Z5 however, has moved to the L-R-M-G pattern, which means I can no longer use my favourite old Sony headset anymore, not even as plain headphones, the Z5 just refused to talk to them.
That explains why a dumb wire might not work with a smartphone, because it is looking for a signal loop on all four (or three) contacts to try and figure out what's been plugged into it. The solution is to short out the wires to fool the phone into thinking there actually is something on the other end. Simply bare all of the wires at the cut end of the cable, burn off the fine lacquer or cotton that is used as an insulation, then twist the wires together to short them all to the ground. Better still, solder them together and cover with a bit of heat-shrink for a proper finish.
Found some pre-made antennas in ebay, you can try searching for 3.5mm antenna. They look pretty decent. I am also looking for compatible antenna, if any, that is compatible for steven303's new headphone jack.
Edit: did some research and found that the 3.5mm steven303 mentioned is called '3.5mm 4 conductor' or 'TRRS antenna 3.5mm', you can try searching for them in ebay or look for similar ones lying around with wires long enough to be loops around to be used as antenna for new phones with the new type of head jack.
I got two item I think can be suitable for this purpose; search with the following keyword in ebay;
1. 3.5mm 1/8'' Male To Male 4-Pole 3 Ring TRRS AV Audio Extension Cable 1.2M/4Feet
2. 4-Pole 3Ring TRRS 3.5mm (1/8'') Male To Female AV Extension Cable 3FT/1M Black
I have an additional issue. I use my phone's fm radio feature with an old pair of headphones for an antenna and listen via blue tooth headphones when I'm running or just working around the house, etc. My problem is that as the phone moves around in my pocket, the movement causes the phone to think the headphones came unplugged for a second and the radio turns off. When that happens I have to take the phone out and turn the radio back on. This happens often enough that it is a pain in the neck.
A separate but related issue. With some old, non functioning headphone cables the phone doesn't think there is anything plugged into it. I am lucky in that my phone gives me the option to "Play anyway through speaker or bluetooth". So even though it thinks there isn't anything plugged into it, I do, and I have good FM reception.
Here is what I want: I want to know what to do to my old headphone wire so that my phone doesn't think there is anything plugged into it when it is, in fact, plugged in. I hope that makes sense!
I have a MTCD GS unit for an Audi TT and I get a feint electrical noise constantly through the cars speakers. If you have music or the radio on it is not too noticable but otherwise it is really obvious. It is definitely the unit as it isn't there with the stock head unit and if you hard reset the GS unit with the reset button whilst it is running it immediately goes away until the unit has booted. It was originally supplied with a RK3188/PX3 board running Android 5.0. I have since replaced the board with a PX5 board and have upgraded it to Android 8.0 (Malaysk). I isn't a software issue and is down to the hardware (I think...).
I have tried disabling WiFi and BlueTooth - although I don't think BlueTooth can be disabled as its not a native Android component of the system - and the noise remains. It is a feint pop and hiss noise that I think is an earth/grounding issue. I was going to replace the cable that goes to the WiFi antenna on the rear socket as this looks flimsy, however I am not sure it will make a difference.
Any ideas?
Andy
dirty power maybe? did you connect a chassis ground for the 0v on the unit.. my harness came with a ground with ring terminal..
Sent from my PH-1 using Tapatalk
I have exactly same problem. But when the colors on LCD screen black : electrical noise increases. Any other color : electrical noise decreases. I will check groundings of unit in this weekend. I ll write here if i find out anything.
stinger4321 said:
dirty power maybe? did you connect a chassis ground for the 0v on the unit.. my harness came with a ground with ring terminal..
Sent from my PH-1 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It shouldn't be dirty power as it connects into the factory loom. I'll take it out at weekend and see if grounding the chassis of the head unit to the car does anything.
Andy
I had this problem on my ksp. Ultimately I found opamps under the sound processor with dirty ground on the feedback resistors. I substituted resistors to the processor board ground header lead. Now all I hear is my fan.
I took the head unit out last weekend and tried earthing the chassis to the car and it made no difference - you can still hear the feint pops and hiss (all I can think to describe it is radio interference?). I also noticed that it gets worse when the cars lights are on and the head unit backlights come on (via CANBUS telling it I assume?).
It is a MTCD GS unit and has an external 'dongle' that is covered with heatshrink that is inline with the audio outputs. This has something to do with the level of the audio out - however I am just guessing here TBH.
Any other ideas how to eliminate this noise?
Cheers
Andy
ADB100 said:
I took the head unit out last weekend and tried earthing the chassis to the car and it made no difference - you can still hear the feint pops and hiss (all I can think to describe it is radio interference?). I also noticed that it gets worse when the cars lights are on and the head unit backlights come on (via CANBUS telling it I assume?).
It is a MTCD GS unit and has an external 'dongle' that is covered with heatshrink that is inline with the audio outputs. This has something to do with the level of the audio out - however I am just guessing here TBH.
Any other ideas how to eliminate this noise?
Cheers
Andy
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Try grounding the PX5 board heatsink with the unit chassis.
iRcKenny said:
Try grounding the PX5 board heatsink with the unit chassis.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had the same noise issue when the PX3 board was installed and this has a much smaller heatsink than the PX5?
I'll give it a shot but its a bit more involved than just taking the unit out of the car though...
Andy
ADB100 said:
I had the same noise issue when the PX3 board was installed and this has a much smaller heatsink than the PX5?
I'll give it a shot but its a bit more involved than just taking the unit out of the car though...
Andy
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So, you also have that noise before upgrading the core board, have you any chance to temporaly install another common radio like low budget Pionner, Alpine or similar? If yes check if the noise persist; some TT owners with noise from speakers said that the cause is the factory amplifier.
Have luck!
i have heard that the problem may be from the antenna, try getting a noise filter for the antenna
Record the noise with a video. Some quiet electrical noise is common, but we're talking almost silent and only when no music is playing at all.
ADB100 said:
I took the head unit out last weekend and tried earthing the chassis to the car and it made no difference - you can still hear the feint pops and hiss (all I can think to describe it is radio interference?). I also noticed that it gets worse when the cars lights are on and the head unit backlights come on (via CANBUS telling it I assume?).
It is a MTCD GS unit and has an external 'dongle' that is covered with heatshrink that is inline with the audio outputs. This has something to do with the level of the audio out - however I am just guessing here TBH.
Any other ideas how to eliminate this noise?
Cheers
Andy
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have the same thing on my A3 and although it doesn’t really bother me I’d be interested to see if someone finds a fix. On the A3’s it only affects the ones with Bose.
All my cabling is exactly the same as yours aswell.
I once emailed a company that sells the factory Bose amps for the audis and reconditions them and the bloke said that the signal sent to the Bose amp from the aftermarket headunit is different to the signal that is sent from the factory unit so I’d guess it’s something to do with that.
In regards to the dongle thing in heatshrink, that is a little board with a plug on it that the audio cables plug into. My speakers stopped working so I cut that open once and the connector had become unplugged inside. I think it’s there because the blue amp cable is connected through it aswell which is supposed to be for the amp to turn it on and that blue cable never used to be there on the older model units.
I have the same issue on my brand new dasaita 10.2 inch px5 android 8. Connected through RCA to my amp.
I will do some troubleshooting and see if I can figure it out.
BTW, there is a very loud static noise when my bluetooth is connected to my phone, I emailed dasaita about that particular issue.
checksum123 said:
I have the same issue on my brand new dasaita 10.2 inch px5 android 8. Connected through RCA to my amp.
I will do some troubleshooting and see if I can figure it out.
BTW, there is a very loud static noise when my bluetooth is connected to my phone, I emailed dasaita about that particular issue.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have the same unit with the same issues. Hot Audio sent me a replacement bluetooth module to solder in. That fixed the bluetooth noise. I still have slight background hiss all the time.
could you guys please take a look at my issue which includes electrical noise - even when radio is off.
e.g.
- downloading maps on Sygic, there is a clicking that goes with the increase in % of the download.
- browsing the menu and / or selecting apps has a varying noise
Interestingly, the rear-camera power seems unstable as does the GPS.
I also noted, that i couldn't power the unit on the bench via the vw quadlock connector, i had to use the white connector.
Makes me wonder if there is some general grounding problem that is the problem.
https://forum.xda-developers.com/an...droid-8-px5-mtcelmv2-881-vw-multiple-t3884665
I have an equal problem with my eonon px3 7.1, which is then klyde. Light rustling always constant, then when I register with the front usb camera the noise is much higher and seems a squeak of mouse .. I changed mb sent by them but the problem remains, even connecting the ground to the chassis of the car. Quache solution please guys, I'm going crazy.
gwaitsi said:
could you guys please take a look at my issue which includes electrical noise - even when radio is off.
e.g.
- downloading maps on Sygic, there is a clicking that goes with the increase in % of the download.
- browsing the menu and / or selecting apps has a varying noise
Interestingly, the rear-camera power seems unstable as does the GPS.
I also noted, that i couldn't power the unit on the bench via the vw quadlock connector, i had to use the white connector.
Makes me wonder if there is some general grounding problem that is the problem.
https://forum.xda-developers.com/an...droid-8-px5-mtcelmv2-881-vw-multiple-t3884665
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ADB100 said:
I have a MTCD GS unit for an Audi TT and I get a feint electrical noise constantly through the cars speakers. If you have music or the radio on it is not too noticable but otherwise it is really obvious. It is definitely the unit as it isn't there with the stock head unit and if you hard reset the GS unit with the reset button whilst it is running it immediately goes away until the unit has booted. It was originally supplied with a RK3188/PX3 board running Android 5.0. I have since replaced the board with a PX5 board and have upgraded it to Android 8.0 (Malaysk). I isn't a software issue and is down to the hardware (I think...).
I have tried disabling WiFi and BlueTooth - although I don't think BlueTooth can be disabled as its not a native Android component of the system - and the noise remains. It is a feint pop and hiss noise that I think is an earth/grounding issue. I was going to replace the cable that goes to the WiFi antenna on the rear socket as this looks flimsy, however I am not sure it will make a difference.
Any ideas?
Andy
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have the same isue, almost gone when changed the poor quality antenna from the WIFI (used a 9DB antenna)
Pick one from amazon,
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07GDCLVPJ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_detailpage_o00_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1
You can try to purchase a extension canble an antenna and put away from the unit and the engine.
In my case the pops and hiss almos gone and are barely noticiable.
The qualty of the original antenna is horrible.
jerrymh said:
I have the same isue, almost gone when changed the poor quality antenna from the WIFI (used a 9DB antenna)
Pick one from amazon,
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07GDCLVPJ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_detailpage_o00_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1
You can try to purchase a extension canble an antenna and put away from the unit and the engine.
In my case the pops and hiss almos gone and are barely noticiable.
The qualty of the original antenna is horrible.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
by that token, simply turning off the wifi would prove it no?
gwaitsi said:
by that token, simply turning off the wifi would prove it no?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You would think so wouldn't you?
I have a couple of spare SMA WiFi antennas that I can try. If I get some time later today I'll try and get the head unit out of the dash and try them. I'll post whether it makes any difference (the spare antenna I have might also be crap though...).
Andy
What I found helped is that I put some ferrite beads on the power cables to the headunit and the speaker cables from the unit. It hasn’t totally removed the issue but it is certainly better and I haven’t lost any sound quality(if anything it’s slightly better as there’s less interference).
I installed this unit in wife's 2018 Highlander today. It sounds great if wifi is switched off, or if it's on and no data is flowing. I am using Network Mini to monitor data, and as soon as data is going up/down, the crackling starts.
I've reached out to Dasaita and am awaiting a reply
I have grounded the black wire with the ringlet directly to the frame but it makes no difference. I have NOT grounded the radio chassis yet. Also the noise goes away when the unit isn't crammed into the dash. When all the wires are in close proximity to radio is when it picks up
Anyone seen this issue. Love the radio otherwise...
Video:.
https://youtu.be/NhSzLh7CD_0
Wow - that's REALLY bad... I'm starting to get a little fed up with the interference noises from my Eonon MTCE-WWW unit as well. I don't have any issues when using the internal amp, but if I connect to an external amp with the line-out RCAs, I get interference from USB devices, the LED backlighting on the unit, etc. It's shame becuase I love the idea of an Android unit, but not sure I can deal with the subpar quality issues....
Going to try connecting to my amp via speaker-level outputs next and see if that helps at all.
Do you have a stock or aftermarket amp in your vehicle?
Cracks and noises for me as well with my Belsee BP3 PX5 unit.
For me too the noises seem to fade away when I turn off WiFi.
I upgraded the firmware of the unit with a Cs-x sound mod one (there's an recente one for Dasaita too) and it seem to have reduced the issue
https://forum.xda-developers.com/an...ent/mod-cs-x-mod-mtcd-e-mcu-firmware-t3816042
Maybe you can check this out ?
TheDiB said:
Cracks and noises for me as well with my Belsee BP3 PX5 unit.
For me too the noises seem to fade away when I turn off WiFi.
I upgraded the firmware of the unit with a Cs-x sound mod one (there's an recente one for Dasaita too) and it seem to have reduced the issue
https://forum.xda-developers.com/an...ent/mod-cs-x-mod-mtcd-e-mcu-firmware-t3816042
Maybe you can check this out ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I suppose I could try updates, but I don't hold out much hope given that the problem seems to be related to proximity to the wifi antenna. It did this on the stock rom, as well as the Hal9k variant.
I'll update this thread if I manage to find an improvement.
The alternate sound-patched MCU's didn't make any difference whatsoever on my Eonon MTCE-WWW unit. I tried both the cs-x version and the wazdio verion. Same noise-related issues. You may help "hide" them a little by turning down the pre-amp value, but you can also do that with the stock MCUs, under the Factory Settings "Voice" tab.
To put it simply, I think they just use low-quality components with limited R&D - which is why these units are so inexpensive compared to more premium brands of plug-and-play units like Rosen, Dynavin, etc (they run WinCE though).
If using speaker-level outputs on the Eonon doesn't help in my case, I'll probably be going back to a WInCE unit, just becuase they seem to have much higher-quality audio components (better DAC's, 4V pre-outs, BBE processor, real 9-band EQ, time-delay, etc). I was really looking forward to an Android head-unit, but I'm just not willing to sacrifice sound quality to get the Android interface. Viper4Android helps a LOT in terms of sound-quality, but it can't help with the noise-related issues, which are more of a hardware thing...
Maybe some day they'll get there. I really wish they made low- and high-end versions of these radios - that way people had a choice between low-cost and high-quality.
That's a shame, as there is so much potential. I have a Hizpo PK5 in my (JBL-equipped) Sequoia, and it's completely noise-free. But this Dasaita for the Highlander is just very loud. It seems like it's a shielding issue. As stated previously, if I keep the head unit out with all the cables extended, the sound stops. I'm halfway tempted to buy an SMA wifi antenna with a cable long enough to get the RF signal away from the wires. The sound is exclusive to the left channel (both front and rear).
@TheDiB, missed your prior question. It's a JBL-equipped vehicle.
Yeah, your particular noise is REALLY bad (mine is more of something that you only hear if the music is muted or during really quiet parts of the music - and only in certain cases (but it still bothers me knowing that it's there).
Being that you can stop the noise by pulling the radio out, you may be able to figure out what is causing it. Maybe try disconnecting the AM/FM antenna to see if that has anytihng to do with it - I've read some cases where hte antenna was causing interference. Or just re-routing some of the wiring - or something along those lines.
In my case, the noises are present no matter what - but only if I use the RCA line-level outputs and an extrnal amp. If I use the stock built-in amp, there is no noise whatsoever. So mine seems to be related to the RCA line-level output hardware (shielding related, I'm guessing).
I would experiment some more if you are happy with the radio and sound-quality otherwise.
I'm hoping I hear something helpful back from Dasaita in the coming days. On this particular unit, the wifi antenna comes out about 1/2" above the main ISO plug for the radio. I suppose I could relocate the antenna by running the existing bulkhead SMA fitting through a screw hole elsewhere on the case to provide more distance. I'm not giving up yet The other issue is that it's the wife's car, so my access to it is limited.
I'm not using line-level outputs. The four pairs for the speaker output comes out of that ISO plug, and goes straight to the Toyota harness. Fader control (as well as a bunch of other controls/data) goes through the can bus adapter. But ultimately, those four speaker pair end up at the factory JBL amplifier.
Aside from the noise, the audio quality is equivalent to the stock radio. But, I'm not an audiophile, and I have the opposite of OCD...
So your stock JBL amp actually accepts speaker-level inputs? Usually, amps take line-level inputs. With the Eonon MTCE-WWW units for GM's, if your car has a stock Bose amp, there is a special "Bose adpater" that connects to the same port where you would connect the line-level RCA jacks for aftermarket amps, which is line-level - but instead of having RCA jacks at the other end, it just connects into the main wiring harness, so I guess it sends line-level signals through the speaker wires, to the Bose amp - and then the Bose amp amplifies them (that is just a guess though, based on the fact that the audio is coming from the same port that is used for an external aftermarket amp, which is line-level).
So the wiring harness you use for yours is exactly the same regardless of whether the car has a stock amplifier or not? Or maybe it's not an option on your car and they ALL come with JBL amps? Just trying to understand your setup a little better. Do you have a link to the unit you purcahsed?
jtrosky said:
So your stock JBL amp actually accepts speaker-level inputs? Usually, amps take line-level inputs. With the Eonon MTCE-WWW units for GM's, if your car has a stock Bose amp, there is a special "Bose adpater" that connects to the same port where you would connect the line-level RCA jacks for aftermarket amps, which is line-level - but instead of having RCA jacks at the other end, it just connects into the main wiring harness, so I guess it sends line-level signals through the speaker wires, to the Bose amp - and then the Bose amp amplifies them (that is just a guess though, based on the fact that the audio is coming from the same port that is used for an external aftermarket amp, which is line-level).
So the wiring harness you use for yours is exactly the same regardless of whether the car has a stock amplifier or not? Or maybe it's not an option on your car and they ALL come with JBL amps? Just trying to understand your setup a little better. Do you have a link to the unit you purcahsed?
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It must, because I'm not using any coax/low-level outputs. In fact, I haven't hooked up most of the pigtail connectors. The ISO harness has about 5 or 6 connectors that are used, and about as many that aren't (presumably for the non-JBL vehicles). I think the Toyota JBL set up is much like the Bose you described. In a previous Tundra, I had to buy an adapter that would convert the two-pair per speaker wires to RCA plugs which I could then use to connect my aftermarket radio (to use the low level outputs). That converter (made by Metra or Scoche, IIRC) also somehow tied into the canbus to power the amp and control the fader.
Ultimately with this PX5, I'm using the purple/green/gray/white speaker level outputs to go directly to the factory harness. No adapter in between. I can only assume the JBL amp is designed to accept this somehow. Both my Sequoia and now this Highlander are set up the same way.
Well, I am happy to report that I was able to resolve the noise by replacing the Dasaita wifi antenna with a full-sized SMA-equipped antenna from an old Asus router. The antenna was a female SMA, so I had to slip a small copper conductor into it so it would interface with the female SMA bulkhead on the radio - but once I did that, ALL the noise disappeared! So either something is wrong with the antenna they provided, or it's simply dumping too much RF right on top of the ISO connector with all the speaker outputs. Whew!
Very cool! Glad to hear that you got it resolved. So is the antenna now further away from the ISO connector - or is it just becuase it's a different antenna? You may to get an adapter or an antenna with the right connecter for long-term use (instead of using the wrong gender anteanna with a piece of copper wire installed).
Regardless, glad to hear that you figure it out! I wish my noise-related issues were so easy to solve.
Although, I did some brief testing this morning and it seems that using the speaker-level outputs is better than using the line-level outputs on mine (for connecting external amp). The noises are still there, but they aren't as loud when using speaker-level outputs for my external amp (usually, it's the other way around with higher-quality head-units).
These units are so close to being really good - it's a shame they have these noise-relasted issues...
jtrosky said:
Very cool! Glad to hear that you got it resolved. So is the antenna now further away from the ISO connector - or is it just becuase it's a different antenna? You may to get an adapter or an antenna with the right connecter for long-term use (instead of using the wrong gender anteanna with a piece of copper wire installed).
Regardless, glad to hear that you figure it out! I wish my noise-related issues were so easy to solve.
Although, I did some brief testing this morning and it seems that using the speaker-level outputs is better than using the line-level outputs on mine (for connecting external amp). The noises are still there, but they aren't as loud when using speaker-level outputs for my external amp (usually, it's the other way around with higher-quality head-units).
These units are so close to being really good - it's a shame they have these noise-relasted issues...
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Click to collapse
I didn't move the bulkhead SMA fitting. I would have had to break the factory seal, and I didn't want to jeopardize warranty just yet. The antenna I added is about 4x longer than the stubby they provided, so I suppose it is spreading the RF over a larger area. It has a hinge on it and if I aim it straight back the noise is still present. Bending it 90° away from the harness makes it totally silent - and there is no depreciation in the signal strength.
I have ordered a gender changer and a 3" SMA extension cable from Amazon, but I probably won't install it unless the problem returns. I figure why rock the boat.
Is the noise you're experiencing related to data transmission? Does it stop if you disable the wifi? I'm wondering if wrapping the first few inches of the wiring bundle with copper tape wouldn't provide shielding against induced RF noise.
Ah - I see. Interesting - so just a different antenna resolved your issue. Like you said, I guess it's spreading out the signal enough to avoid causing the interference. I'm sure someone else will find that info very useful in the future!
My noise issues are not realted to wifi. I have interference noises in the following situations:
1. If car is not running and radio LED backlighting is on (cuases a hum through the speakers). Mainly only noticeable when no music is playing (between songs, for example) or when there are very quiet parts of the music.
2. When using my headrest monitors.
3. Anytime the system accesses USB devices. The interference is pretty noticeable when reading/writing USB thumb drives - especially if they have LEDs on them.
4. If I my Eonon USB dashcam is active, it makes a strange intference noise from the speakers. Again, really only noticeable when no music is playing, but...
None of these are huge issues in of themselves, but at the same time, it just bothers me knowing that the interference exists. I've also noticed that the overall sound quality just isn't as good as my previous WinCE-based head-units - (much more expensive units - they have 4v preouts, higher-quality DAC's, etc) - even when using an external amplifier. Never had interference noises with them, so the Android unit is really a downgrade in terms of sound-quality, which is more important to me than having Android, I guess. I was hoping that there woulnd't be much difference in sound quality when using an external amp, but there still is...
At first, I thought the Android head-unit was awesome while testng "on the bench" - until I connected it in-car and used it for a few days, then I started noticing all of the "cons" (warning chimes and turn-signal sounds are horrible, button backlighting doesn't dim with the rest of the interior lights when dimmed, screen isn't as nice or as bright as previous units, super-reflecitive screen, the noise issues mentioned above, no true dual-zone for my headrest monitors, no XM tuner, having to jump through all kind of hoops just to get music to continue playing where it left off when restarting the car, etc). When I add up all of these "cons", I'm just not sure the Android unit is worth it for me. I'll probably be going back to my WinCE head-unit very soon (Dynavin N7 or Rosen GM1010/1210). The WinCE units are not as flexible as the Android units, but the sound quality is more important to me.
I'd *gladly* pay more for a higher-quality Android head-unit, but right now, they just don't seem to exist - which is unfortunate...
jtrosky said:
Ah - I see. Interesting - so just a different antenna resolved your issue. Like you said, I guess it's spreading out the signal enough to avoid causing the interference. I'm sure someone else will find that info very useful in the future!
My noise issues are not realted to wifi. I have interference noises in the following situations:
1. If car is not running and radio LED backlighting is on (cuases a hum through the speakers). Mainly only noticeable when no music is playing (between songs, for example) or when there are very quiet parts of the music.
2. When using my headrest monitors.
3. Anytime the system accesses USB devices. The interference is pretty noticeable when reading/writing USB thumb drives - especially if they have LEDs on them.
4. If I my Eonon USB dashcam is active, it makes a strange intference noise from the speakers. Again, really only noticeable when no music is playing, but...
None of these are huge issues in of themselves, but at the same time, it just bothers me knowing that the interference exists. I've also noticed that the overall sound quality just isn't as good as my previous WinCE-based head-units - (much more expensive units - they have 4v preouts, higher-quality DAC's, etc) - even when using an external amplifier. Never had interference noises with them, so the Android unit is really a downgrade in terms of sound-quality, which is more important to me than having Android, I guess. I was hoping that there woulnd't be much difference in sound quality when using an external amp, but there still is...
At first, I thought the Android head-unit was awesome while testng "on the bench" - until I connected it in-car and used it for a few days, then I started noticing all of the "cons" (warning chimes and turn-signal sounds are horrible, button backlighting doesn't dim with the rest of the interior lights when dimmed, screen isn't as nice or as bright as previous units, super-reflecitive screen, the noise issues mentioned above, no true dual-zone for my headrest monitors, no XM tuner, having to jump through all kind of hoops just to get music to continue playing where it left off when restarting the car, etc). When I add up all of these "cons", I'm just not sure the Android unit is worth it for me. I'll probably be going back to my WinCE head-unit very soon (Dynavin N7 or Rosen GM1010/1210). The WinCE units are not as flexible as the Android units, but the sound quality is more important to me.
I'd *gladly* pay more for a higher-quality Android head-unit, but right now, they just don't seem to exist - which is unfortunate...
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Hello, have you found a solution, how you fix noise ?
jtrosky said:
Ah - I see. Interesting - so just a different antenna resolved your issue. Like you said, I guess it's spreading out the signal enough to avoid causing the interference. I'm sure someone else will find that info very useful in the future!
My noise issues are not realted to wifi. I have interference noises in the following situations:
1. If car is not running and radio LED backlighting is on (cuases a hum through the speakers). Mainly only noticeable when no music is playing (between songs, for example) or when there are very quiet parts of the music.
2. When using my headrest monitors.
3. Anytime the system accesses USB devices. The interference is pretty noticeable when reading/writing USB thumb drives - especially if they have LEDs on them.
4. If I my Eonon USB dashcam is active, it makes a strange intference noise from the speakers. Again, really only noticeable when no music is playing, but...
None of these are huge issues in of themselves, but at the same time, it just bothers me knowing that the interference exists. I've also noticed that the overall sound quality just isn't as good as my previous WinCE-based head-units - (much more expensive units - they have 4v preouts, higher-quality DAC's, etc) - even when using an external amplifier. Never had interference noises with them, so the Android unit is really a downgrade in terms of sound-quality, which is more important to me than having Android, I guess. I was hoping that there woulnd't be much difference in sound quality when using an external amp, but there still is...
At first, I thought the Android head-unit was awesome while testng "on the bench" - until I connected it in-car and used it for a few days, then I started noticing all of the "cons" (warning chimes and turn-signal sounds are horrible, button backlighting doesn't dim with the rest of the interior lights when dimmed, screen isn't as nice or as bright as previous units, super-reflecitive screen, the noise issues mentioned above, no true dual-zone for my headrest monitors, no XM tuner, having to jump through all kind of hoops just to get music to continue playing where it left off when restarting the car, etc). When I add up all of these "cons", I'm just not sure the Android unit is worth it for me. I'll probably be going back to my WinCE head-unit very soon (Dynavin N7 or Rosen GM1010/1210). The WinCE units are not as flexible as the Android units, but the sound quality is more important to me.
I'd *gladly* pay more for a higher-quality Android head-unit, but right now, they just don't seem to exist - which is unfortunate...
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I also wanted to hear if you found out the problem .. since I myself have the same...