Apple to USB Adapter

G

GreatestOne

Limp Gawd
Joined
May 15, 2005
Messages
488
Hey guys, happy holidays!

I have what seems to be an Apple port (I have never owned an Apple product since the IIe and Mac Classic so forgive me) in my car's glove compartment.

My ideal solution for music was to buy a new stereo with a USB port to insert a flash drive full of MP3's and play that. However my stereo is working fine, so I am thinking its a cheaper and easier solution to just get an adapter that goes from what u see in the image to a female USB port that I can plug in a flash drive in the same way.

The only worry if that even exists is, will it autoplay the MP3's, does anyone have actual experience in using this? I understand some features may depend on my stereo and apologies but I do not have any type of stereo info.

Thanks!

http://minus.com/i/RZ8rTuAk9Rf9
 
That's a 30 pin apple connector. Google "30 pin apple female to XXX" to find the adapter you seek. Just becuase you can physically adapt it doesnt mean your car will play from a flash drive though. It might be worth it to pick up an older model ipod touch just for the car.

Adapting to 3.5mm headphone jack might also be a safer option then just use it as a line in for your phone.

An example http://www.amazon.com/Radtech-13-300-ProCable-30-Pin-Adapter/dp/B004XJI5L0 I do not own that cable so don't consider this an endorsement. It's just an example.
 
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If it's a 30 pin then nope, it won't work. The audio off that cable is just analog L/R signaling along with some extra controls for skipping songs. You can adapt it to lightning however, so if you want to get a new ipod touch or a used iPhone, that would work. The main downside is having to deal with the plague that is iTunes. If you can deal with that then the actual hardware is decent. Plus the 30 pin will likely also charge your device.

Don't ask me why but from the review it sounds like this one works better than the adapter one: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/con...uiLeQ-8kCFZGMaQod2QwC9A&is=REG&ap=y&A=details

It also will work with cases where the other short one will not because it will hit the side of the case before the lightning connector is fully plugged in.

If you have wheel controls then using an apple product is handy because you can skip songs, and if you get a new enough device to be on the latest iOS it will work even with other apps like Pandora and Amazon Music.
 
bman212121 said:
The main downside is having to deal with the plague that is iTunes.
Click to expand...

Let me know when you find something better..... :rolleyes:

Getting an iPod 30GB would probably be a good option. You can easily refurbish it yourself. I installed a 32GB compact flash, new battery, and new front case on mine and it was probably $40 in parts.

iPods presents a standardized structure to the car, so navigating is much better. Using SD cards and USB sticks is more of a hassle because they have to assume minimal organization.
 
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Most Apple only connectors are made to work only with Apple devices. Most likely whatever you are trying to connect isn't going to work.
 
westrock2000 said:
Let me know when you find something better..... :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

Just about anything is better. Drag + drop is better, Zunc sync is better, I'd rather even use WMP than iTunes. I don't want to derail the thread but any software that requires you to wipe your device if you want to sync it with another computer running the same software is garbage. You have 200GB of music on your classic and the computer running iTunes on it dies? Have fun wiping off all 200GB from the device and reloading it from another pc.

Grentz said:
Beware this does not work with all 30pin connectors as it depends on if the device on the other side is looking for analog or digital signaling through the connector, but you can try it for cheap:

http://www.amazon.com/Iphone-Female-Docking-Connection-Output/dp/B00L4XC7C6
Click to expand...


In the case of the OP those probably do work with car systems because they are basically just connecting the line inputs from the 3.5mm to the correct pins on the apple connector, which are being connected back to the line input for an auxiliary device on the stereo. If the car stereo was using digital it probably would have a usb port on it instead. The main disadvantage is that you lose wheel controls for skipping if you have them. You also would need another cable to charge your device as well.
 
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ND40oz said:
They have Apple 30 pin to bluetooth adaptors that you could use with any bluetooth music device.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00GHUHMUS/
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Nice! I would have suggested one of these but the last popular one that was out they did not have apple's permission to use the 30 pin connector and got sued out of existence.

If that has AVCRP on it then you can gain the same functionality of the ipod connector with being able to skip tracks on a Bluetooth device in addition to the audio. I can't seem to find anyone that actually says if it does or not.
 
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That adapter looks aftermarket, what kind of car is it? I think I used to have a similar kit, I'll try to track down what it was. There may be more hardware to the kit behind a door in the glove compartment or behind the radio if you were to pull it out. Usually a box with the ability to plug an AUX cable directly in.

I'd totally get an iPod Classic or some sort of simpler iPod to manage music - it'll be much more hassle free to deal with iTunes (or figure out an open source alternative, they exist) than to try and get your car's mediocre electronics to figure it out. Or as some above said, create a Bluetooth setup so you can just have it auto-connect to your phone.
 
I dislike iTunes as much as the next person, but I'll admit having a 160GB old classic for the car is great and simple.
 
Yakk said:
I dislike iTunes as much as the next person, but I'll admit having a 160GB old classic for the car is great and simple.
Click to expand...
there are programs for windows that you can use to bypass iTunes, i use copy trans manager...just like windows explorer - drag and drop
 
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