Quote:
Originally Posted by richard_leeds  ... and that doesn't work with the Audio 20??  |
See my post here
http://www.slkworld.com/slk-r171-gen...ions-help.html - these are pretty much the "non-comand" options as far as I'm aware. If ANYONE is aware of other aftermarket MOST interfaces, let me know, I'd like to keep the list up to date.
Dan, to answer your question, the MB iPob interface does not have a "dumb" mode - it assumes control of the iPod rendering it into a lump of metal. As has been noted elsewhere, it also only uses CANBUS to the MFD, and does not scroll (or at least last years version...) long names, so the artist / title info is a bit difficult to navigate.
On the post mentioned above, I did not explicitly state which solutions support "dumb" mode (allowing control from the iPod itself.) The Denison and DICE solutions both support dumb mode, allowing you to control the iPod either from the iPod interface or through the steering/HU controls.
At the moment, both support text data to the HU if the HU is a COMAND OR if the HU supports "CDTEXT" mode. It's easy to test your HU - if you put a new (ie less than 2 years old) CD in, and get track information, your HU supports CD text. None of the solutions display anything other than "CDxx TRACKxx" in the MFD. Denison has the electronics and software to write to the CANBUS on the v3 GW500 (current shipping version), but have yet to bring the necessary cable loom to market - their demo showed full integration into the MFD.
I'm going to try a different solution when I pick my SLK up next week - I don't have time to install a GW500, so I'm going to use a modified iPod dock interface with a controllable built in line level amp. This *should* allow me to 1] have one cable going to the iPod 2] Charge the iPod while it's in use, and 3] equalize the COMAND AUX input with the other sources so that I get a consistent volume across all inputs. Wish me luck - I'll post pictures; in reality the biggest problem is going to be getting power in the glovebox..
On that last note - Oh Mighty Dan of the part numbers... Would you by any chance have the part numbers for the 1] power plug for the CD changer, 2] Pins for #1, 3] power socket that will fit #1, and 4] pins for #3? I'm thinking of making a "Y" adapter so that I can split the power from the CD changer and share it with the iPod, since I only need 150ma.
Just as an aside - I have a DICE interface in my C200 with an A10 headunit (D2B). The sound quality is excellent, the steering controls are useless except for volume and "up/down" to navigate in an album. Having the ability to still "drive" the iPod itself is critical - while you don't "need" to do it all the time, when you have a navigator, it cuts down on all sorts of frustrations.. ;P