iPod Integration Module?

Has anyone tried the iPod Integration Module. It's available from
Rosenthal Mozda?

http://www.finishlineperformance.com...n&key=MIAA1019

It appears to be a kit that allows connection of the iPod but this
website gives little detail. Where does the iPod sit when connected?
Are installation instructions included in this kit? Is this a OEM of
a kit manufactured by someone with a more descriptive website?

How does it work? Are the iPod controls accessible through the radio
controls (volume certainly, but what about track selection (next,
prev, etc)? What about display of currently playing track? Playlist
selection?

It's very curious.

-Bob

go to Miata.net forums, incredible amount of advice there on this device.
Bottom line, buyer beware. It may not do ALL you want it to.

--
I work for the ILEC ...." stuff happens! "



> wrote in message
...
> Has anyone tried the iPod Integration Module. It's available from
> Rosenthal Mozda?
>
> http://www.finishlineperformance.com...n&key=MIAA1019
>
> It appears to be a kit that allows connection of the iPod but this
> website gives little detail. Where does the iPod sit when connected?
> Are installation instructions included in this kit? Is this a OEM of
> a kit manufactured by someone with a more descriptive website?
>
> How does it work? Are the iPod controls accessible through the radio
> controls (volume certainly, but what about track selection (next,
> prev, etc)? What about display of currently playing track? Playlist
> selection?
>
> It's very curious.
>
> -Bob
>

My kids bought a device that plugs into the headphone jack. It is
actually an FM Stereo transmitter. You select a frequency on the device
then tune your radio to the same frequency. You use the iPod in the
normal manner. It seems to work just fine.

Ken


wrote:
> Has anyone tried the iPod Integration Module. It's available from
> Rosenthal Mozda?
>
> http://www.finishlineperformance.com...n&key=MIAA1019
>
> It appears to be a kit that allows connection of the iPod but this
> website gives little detail. Where does the iPod sit when connected?
> Are installation instructions included in this kit? Is this a OEM of
> a kit manufactured by someone with a more descriptive website?
>
> How does it work? Are the iPod controls accessible through the radio
> controls (volume certainly, but what about track selection (next,
> prev, etc)? What about display of currently playing track? Playlist
> selection?
>
> It's very curious.
>
> -Bob
>

> wrote in message
...
> Has anyone tried the iPod Integration Module. It's available from
> Rosenthal Mozda?
>

Nope. But if you have an early Miata it's a fairly easy job to wire in a
connection to the OEM head unit. I connected a 1/8 stereo plug in the side
of the console to the DIN connector at the back of the head unit where the
OEM CD player plugs in. I've used it with a digital player and even my
cellphone for handsfree calls.

> Where does the iPod sit when connected?

I sit mine in one of the cup holders, in the passanger seat, or even in the
little glovebox in the center console. It could even be wired so that the
player is in the glovebox.

> Are the iPod controls accessible through the radio
> controls (volume certainly, but what about track selection (next, > prev,
> etc)? What about display of currently playing track? Playlist
> selection?
>

Volume, balance, etc, work as normal on the head unit, but you can't control
the player from the headunit. I believe only a head unit designed to work
with an iPod would allow control of the iPod from the headunit.

If your interested in how to do this, send me an email and I'll send you a
wiring diagram. I sent one to someone several years ago who said they would
post it on a website, but I never saw it appear anywhere.

Gus

nosfatsug > wrote:

> > wrote in message
> ...
> > Has anyone tried the iPod Integration Module. It's available from
> > Rosenthal Mozda?
> >

> Nope. But if you have an early Miata it's a fairly easy job to wire in a
> connection to the OEM head unit...

Thanks Gus, but I'm looking at something for my '05 MSM w/Bose. I'm
not particularly inteested in replacing the head unit and all the
speakers. I just want something that will allow me to connect my
iPod, be usable and not look like a mess of wires coming out of my
center console.

Thanks for those who pointed me to miata.net. It appears the DICE
unit is the adaptor of choice, but still has it's limitations.

-Bob

On Wed, 06 Dec 2006 06:34:50 +0000, bobino wrote:

> Thanks Gus, but I'm looking at something for my '05 MSM w/Bose. I'm not
> particularly inteested in replacing the head unit and all the speakers.
> I just want something that will allow me to connect my iPod, be usable
> and not look like a mess of wires coming out of my center console.
>
> Thanks for those who pointed me to miata.net. It appears the DICE unit
> is the adaptor of choice, but still has it's limitations.

I just ordered the Harman Kardon Drive+Play for my wife. We tried another
one when she got the ipod but was one of those FM radio models and the
sound was awful. This one can be wired into your stereo's aux input. It
ought to sound a lot better. I don't have it yet so I don't know how
painful it's going to be to install. I got it on Amazon for around $70.

Gus, isn't this your writeup?
http://www.miata.net/garage/external...interface.html

On Dec 5 2006, 11:28 pm, "nosfatsug" > wrote:
> > wrote in message
>
> ...
>
> > Has anyone tried the iPod Integration Module. It's available from
> > Rosenthal Mozda?
>
> Nope. But if you have an early Miata it's a fairly easy job to wire in a
> connection to the OEM head unit. I connected a 1/8 stereo plug in the side
> of the console to the DIN connector at the back of the head unit where the
> OEM CD player plugs in. I've used it with a digital player and even my
> cellphone for handsfree calls.
>
> > Where does the iPod sit when connected?
>
> I sit mine in one of the cup holders, in the passanger seat, or even in the
> little glovebox in the center console. It could even be wired so that the
> player is in the glovebox.
>
> > Are the iPod controls accessible through the radio
> > controls (volume certainly, but what about track selection (next, > prev,
> > etc)? What about display of currently playing track? Playlist
> > selection?
>
> Volume, balance, etc, work as normal on the head unit, but you can't control
> the player from the headunit. I believe only a head unit designed to work
> with an iPod would allow control of the iPod from the headunit.
>
> If your interested in how to do this, send me an email and I'll send you a
> wiring diagram. I sent one to someone several years ago who said they would
> post it on a website, but I never saw it appear anywhere.
>
> Gus

writes:

> Has anyone tried the iPod Integration Module.

Yes, I just had one installed on my '07 Miata. It works well, but it
has close to the world's worst user interface ever.

> Where does the iPod sit when connected?

In your glove compartment.

> Are installation instructions included in this kit?

I don't know -- I had my Mazda dealer install it.

> Is this a OEM of a kit manufactured by someone with a more
> descriptive website?

Not that I know of, but I could be wrong. The manual that came with
mine claims that it is made by Mazda.

> How does it work?

With the world's worst user interface. The interface is saved only by
the fact that iPods have the "On-The-Go" playlist feature. The only
reasonable way to use the iPod Integration Module is to have very few
or zero playlists on your iPod. Before you start driving, or while
stopped at a light, detach the iPod from the dock connector, decide
what albums you want to listen to by making an On-The-Go playlist,
plug the iPod back into the dock cable, and you're ready to go.
Listening to anything other than the On-The-Go playlist is way too
much trouble to be worth it.

Oh, yeah, you can also put the iPod into random shuffle mode pretty
easily, but this option doesn't sit well for me, as I find it
unbearable to not be able to see any track information for the song
that is currently playing.

> Are the iPod controls accessible through the radio
> controls (volume certainly, but what about track selection (next,
> prev, etc)?

Yes, the Miata built-in CD controls will let you you adjust the iPod
volume, skip forward and back tracks in your playlist, go into random
track order mode, and fast-forward and rewind within a track.

> What about display of currently playing track?

Yes.

> Playlist selection?

Yes, but it's difficult to select among playlists if you have more
than just a few of them. Likewise for selecting by album or artist.
These things *can* be done, but doing so is unbearably cumbersome,
unless you just wish to play through all of your albums in
alphabetical order.

|>oug

I wrote:

>> What about display of currently playing track?

> Yes.

I should clarify the above. You are shown the track number within a
playlist, but that's all. There is no way to see the artist, album,
or track name. Not even by looking at the iPod, since when the iPod
is connected to the iPod Integration Module, all it shows on the
display screen is a Mazda logo.

|>oug