I know what you mean. I would love to have CD text with the Phatbox thru the RNS!!
iPod Screen Text Limitations
To my dismay, I learned a little while ago that my newly ordered A3 with Nav+ will not show text, such as playlist/song/artist/album, etc, only track 01, track 02, etc 
What is the source of this limitation? Is it the Nav+ firmware that is the limitation or is it the interface between the iPod and the Nav+ (IceLink Plus or whatever one uses)? Is this something that will eventually work or is this something that is never going to work without replacing the entire nav system/hu with a new/upgraded unit?
What is the source of this limitation? Is it the Nav+ firmware that is the limitation or is it the interface between the iPod and the Nav+ (IceLink Plus or whatever one uses)? Is this something that will eventually work or is this something that is never going to work without replacing the entire nav system/hu with a new/upgraded unit?
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The CD changer port on VW/Audi head units does not support text, just the numeric CD/track number. Until VW/Audi come out with a new concept for external devices, this won't change.
In theory it is possible, as shown with the SAT receiver in the US which are connected to the CD changer audio port but controlled via CAN. It would be possible to update the Navi software and add another audio device to the CAN bus, with a simple audio through like the SAT receiver, and chain many of those devices. Who knows why VW/Audi thinks there is no market - or maybe they don't want 3rd parties to jum on this boat and provide their own devices. Fact is that without updated head units, all you can do is to emulate OEM devices - like the CD changer, the SAT receiver or TV tuner.
In theory it is possible, as shown with the SAT receiver in the US which are connected to the CD changer audio port but controlled via CAN. It would be possible to update the Navi software and add another audio device to the CAN bus, with a simple audio through like the SAT receiver, and chain many of those devices. Who knows why VW/Audi thinks there is no market - or maybe they don't want 3rd parties to jum on this boat and provide their own devices. Fact is that without updated head units, all you can do is to emulate OEM devices - like the CD changer, the SAT receiver or TV tuner.
Ok, so the upshot is pretty much: If you get an adapter that connectes directly to the CDC port, you are SoL. If you get an adapter that connects to the SAT port, you are SoL TODAY, but maybe not when there is a firmware update.
Anyone know if the US Nav+ HU is the same as the CDN Nav+ HU? As far as I can tell, there is no option to order OEM Sat radio in Canada, but is the HU different as a result or does the CDN HU have an empty Sat port that can be used?
Anyone know if the US Nav+ HU is the same as the CDN Nav+ HU? As far as I can tell, there is no option to order OEM Sat radio in Canada, but is the HU different as a result or does the CDN HU have an empty Sat port that can be used?
AudiA4B6US said:The CD changer port on VW/Audi head units does not support text, just the numeric CD/track number. Until VW/Audi come out with a new concept for external devices, this won't change.
In theory it is possible, as shown with the SAT receiver in the US which are connected to the CD changer audio port but controlled via CAN. It would be possible to update the Navi software and add another audio device to the CAN bus, with a simple audio through like the SAT receiver, and chain many of those devices. Who knows why VW/Audi thinks there is no market - or maybe they don't want 3rd parties to jum on this boat and provide their own devices. Fact is that without updated head units, all you can do is to emulate OEM devices - like the CD changer, the SAT receiver or TV tuner.
Do you think that there could be some kind of "Black Box" or "wiring" harness that Dietz could make to utilize CD Text thru the Phatbox or CD Changer?
I'd be willing to run a new wiring harness in the car for that! Am I missing something or is it more to it than just a wiring harness that would fix this?
The Phatbox itself doesn't support text out. That means that no update from Audi or anyone else will make the Phatbox start displaying text. Their philosophy is to use their voice prompts to keep your eyes on the road. In practice, I find the Phatbox difficult to navigate.
I don't know why someone doesn't do a Phatbox-type device with voice recognition. Rather than scrolling through artists and albums using their voice promts, I'd rather just push a button and have something like this happen:
Phatbox: play artist, album, or track?
me: artist
Phatbox: Which artist should I play?
me: Duran Duran
Phatbox: Did you say Duran Duran?
me: yes
Phatbox: Play album, track, or mix?
me: album
Phatbox: Which album?
me: Astronaut
Phatbox: Did you say Astronaut?
me: yes
Yes, it's a lot of steps, but it's a heck of a lot easier than the way the Phatbox works now, and no digging for buttons except the first one. With the Symphony, at least I had actual buttons. With the RNS-E, you have to first go to the cd list screen, and then to the cd control screen. It's a pain.
Jamie
I don't know why someone doesn't do a Phatbox-type device with voice recognition. Rather than scrolling through artists and albums using their voice promts, I'd rather just push a button and have something like this happen:
Phatbox: play artist, album, or track?
me: artist
Phatbox: Which artist should I play?
me: Duran Duran
Phatbox: Did you say Duran Duran?
me: yes
Phatbox: Play album, track, or mix?
me: album
Phatbox: Which album?
me: Astronaut
Phatbox: Did you say Astronaut?
me: yes
Yes, it's a lot of steps, but it's a heck of a lot easier than the way the Phatbox works now, and no digging for buttons except the first one. With the Symphony, at least I had actual buttons. With the RNS-E, you have to first go to the cd list screen, and then to the cd control screen. It's a pain.
Jamie
How does the Kenwood Keg able to display "tags" on their head unit? It would seem that the Phatbox is capable?
The problem is that the headunit is only designed to accept data messages about the CD number and track number over the CD changer data wires. This is the language that it understands. It's not like the CANbus network from the SAT radio tuner that accepts all forms of data.
So it there not any chance of a Phatbox or CD Changer being able to be controlled by the CAN siganl?
I am asking over on the Phathack forums about, if the Phatbox could possibly be reprogrammed to be controlled via the CAN.
Here's their website if anyone is interested. They've hacked the Phatbox so that we could use our own hard drives. So I'm sure that someone over there would know what I'm talking about.
http://forum.phathack.com/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl
I am asking over on the Phathack forums about, if the Phatbox could possibly be reprogrammed to be controlled via the CAN.
Here's their website if anyone is interested. They've hacked the Phatbox so that we could use our own hard drives. So I'm sure that someone over there would know what I'm talking about.
http://forum.phathack.com/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl
Well, assume that you can make the phatbox communicate over CAN. The next problem is how to make the RNS recognize that unit on the CAN network. The RNS would have to be tricked into thinking it is either your ONE and ONLY sat radio tuner, or you could integrate it through a Dietz A/V device into the 32 pin connector's Aux audio inputs (pins 6, 21, 22) These are separate from the pins the 1417 device uses for primary audio/video in (pins 13-16, 28-32). However, AFAIK the 1417 only supports one audio/video source and has no conenctions to the RNS Aux audio inputs (6, 21, 22).
....I wish I had a $1 for everytime I responded to a post about seeing CD/MP3 text through the audi headunits....... :roll:
As for Phatbox navigation, peronally, I think it is the safest/easiest way to located artist or playlist etc (see link below for my Phatbox upgrade, thoughts etc.
I use the SD cards in my RNS-E too...and I still feel that the phatbox is an easier solution . The navigation is a bit tricky in the RNS-E (vs. the Sym I/II/Concert/Nav+)...but after a week of using it...I think I have the hang of it.
I'd love to see someone spend the time to try and create a device that will allow you to transmit Text data over the Audi protocol. If anyone can do it...it would be Dietz. In fact, if they could do it for Audi, then the same would work in VW...so the market seems big enough.
ok....rant over.
As for Phatbox navigation, peronally, I think it is the safest/easiest way to located artist or playlist etc (see link below for my Phatbox upgrade, thoughts etc.
I use the SD cards in my RNS-E too...and I still feel that the phatbox is an easier solution . The navigation is a bit tricky in the RNS-E (vs. the Sym I/II/Concert/Nav+)...but after a week of using it...I think I have the hang of it.
I'd love to see someone spend the time to try and create a device that will allow you to transmit Text data over the Audi protocol. If anyone can do it...it would be Dietz. In fact, if they could do it for Audi, then the same would work in VW...so the market seems big enough.
ok....rant over.
OK, so we know that there is no solution to having text on the rns-e through the ipod. But the new interfaces do show text on the DIS in the dash, great. My question is about this integration. I installed an xm unit using the design on nsxjr.com in which you tap into the cd changer harness and that feeds the music to the rns-e. I assume the song and artist info is transmitted along the can lines along with the info to tell the rnse to switch to xm from cd. Since I use the cd changer port for my sat radio how can I install one of these newer interfaces without losing XM. I know they all say that you lose the cd changer but most say they are compatible with the xm radio. on the same note if there is a way to keep one why is there not a way to keep both if all their input data is going into the same ports? I assume that the reason for this is that the interfaces emulate the CD changer from the view of the RNS-E. I guess that brings up my second question. The rns-e is currently configured to recognize the CD changer, XM input and TV input, is a firmware/software matter? If so, does anyone know if it would be possible to teach/code the rns-e to accept another input that could show up on the sources screen, preferably one that like the sat channel recognizes the text information and can display that on the DIS or even better the RNS-E screen itself?
I don't think the emulate a SAT receiver. It's more likely that they get in between the head unit and DIS, filter out the CAN messages coming from the head unit (only those for the top two rows on the DIS of course) and send their own messages instead. Should not conflict with a SAT seiver in any way.
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