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Zunification part 3: First implementation

It turns out that option 2 and 4 (Soundgate CORE and homebrew AUX in) are not mutually exclusive at all. So this puts the final plan at this: enable the AUX input and use a Soundgate CORE and a REMCORE (wired remote control) to charge and control the device.

Good, let's do it.

1. Upgrading the firmware

First thing first, you need to update the firmware in the RNS-E to at least 250 (260 is the latest North American release as of December 2009). This can be done by purchasing a NA Maps 2009 DVD from an Audi dealership or find someone who has it and update the unit with it. Once you've done that, you can use your old maps with no problems.

2. Recoding the unit

While the firmware upgrade activated the AUX input, it did not enable it. You need to use a special tool and enter a secret code to do that. The special tool is a combination of a cable and some software that can be obtained at http://www.ross-tech.com/ for some money. In alternative, you can ask your friendly dealer for a two minute procedure and they usually do it for free.

The software part requires to recode the RNS-E to 0xxxx5x or 0xxxx6x and reboot the RNS-E.

At this point, the AUX input should be visible in the sources available under CD/TV.

3. Building the input cable

Ok, the unit is ready now and we “only” have to build the necessary hardware to connect the Zune. The first piece to build is the audio input cable: you can find the parts at any Audi dealership for less than $15. You'll need:

Cut the wires in half and plug them in the connector as such:

Now solder the wires to a couple of female RCA connectors and you'll get something like this:

That's all that's needed now to listen to your Zune in your fancy Audi. Connect a RCA to 3.5mm jack cable and fish it out of sight, plug it into the headphone jack of the Zune and you're done.

In the next post we'll see how to spruce this up with a remote control!

12/14/2009 12:00:00 AM

Zunification

So I have this car, you know, and this car came with a stock radio that was ok but wasn't really and... ok, let's start from the beginning.

When I moved to the States, one of the first thing I did was to buy a car. I got a used 2002 Audi A6 3.0L (non quattro) that served me well for a year or so.

The stock radio (a Symphony II) had a connector for an external CD changer that I commandeered with an Ice>Link iPod adapter. I got my MP3s, put them on my 30Gb 5G iPod and linked that to the adapter that held the device by the central dashboard. All was good.

Seattle, July 2006 049

Then I got a Zune. With the Zune Pass. First a 30Gb, then an 80Gb, then an 8Gb for my wife. All the music I wanted, no question asked.

But, of course, it didn't work in my car.

Comes June 2007 and I got a new car, a 2006 Audi A3 3.2L Quattro. Sweet little monster...

DSC_0097

The A3 had the same stock radio as the A6, so I just moved the Ice>Link install to the new vehicle and all was well again. I even replaced the radio with a RSN-E navigation system and kept using the iPod adapter successfully; except that eventually the Ice>Link decided to stop working when it was too hot. Or too cold. Or just randomly when the temperature was perfectly acceptable. Then it definitely died.

So I was left with a feisty car, a sweet GPS/navigation system and no way to listen to my music.

A sad situation indeed, that I planned to solve for years and finally decided to resolve a couple of weeks ago (procrastination is awesome).

I am “Zunifying” the A3.

In the next post, I'll talk about the overall plan, the alternatives considered and the requirements needed to do the job.

But before leaving, here's a picture of me driving a kart at crazy speeds (notice the little Italian flag on my shoulder and the throttle pedal completely floored) :)

12/8/2009 12:00:00 AM

Zunification part 2: The Plan

There are several ways to use a Zune in your car, and all of them suck in one or another painful manner.

Option 1 – FM transmitter

This is the less obtrusive and pain-free option, it uses an FM transmitter connected directly to the Zune connector to send the signal to the radio. Unfortunately, US laws severely limit the power of the transmitter in the car, so much – in fact – that 80% of the time you can't tune for shit and spend your drive trying to find that elusive “free” frequency that wasn't even there in the first place.

Option 2 – Soundgate Zune CORE Car Interface

This is a most promising solution: basically a fully integrated system that lets you control the Zune directly from the stock radio (and the steering wheel controls). The problem is that my car is not supported and apparently nobody has one.

Option 3 – Audi official solution

This option doesn't even exist, so I spent only two weeks considering it.

Option 4 – AUX input

The RNS-E navigation unit doesn't have an audio auxiliary input either in the front or in the back of the unit. That appears to present an insurmountable obstacle to the actual use of this option, but  the interwebs are known to provide surprisingly useful advice, every now and then.

One of these advices was from the Audi forums, where people have way too much time on their hands and are hacking and disassembling nav units just for fun. On one of these forums I learned that it is indeed possible to add an Aux input to the unit. This process involves:

  1. Upgrade the firmware of the unit to at least rev 250
  2. Recode the unit to enable the Aux input
  3. Create a cable that connects a stereo line output to a 32 pin proprietary connector to be attached in the back of the nav unit.

At this point, you connect the Zune (or any player) to the stereo Aux input, select it from the control panel and realistic music will fill the car (after all, it is a Bose system).

In the next post, we'll see how the work started and finally see that it is possible to use a Zune in your car and even have some cool unexpected features along with it.

12/8/2009 12:00:00 AM

Gear bag

I know my readers are on the edge of their seats, waiting with baited breath to know what kind of gear I shuffle around when I try to do any kind of creative work (that is, almost never).

I do, however, have some travelling planned so I spent some time trying to figure out what could I fit into a bag that I could carry with me on a plane and not get arrested at any security checkpoint.

Enter the Jack Spade Nylon Canvas Tech Field Bag:

And here is the current configuration:

Now I just have to find some padded dividers to avoid all that stuff to move around...

11/5/2009 12:00:00 AM

I lied

Remember when I said that I wouldn't leave the blog unattended for two years? Well, I lied.

I am not working at Microsoft anymore, but still happily living in Seattle with my sweet wife and my two cats.

Now, I'll try again: let's see if I can post at least once a week, ok?

10/27/2009 12:00:00 AM

Aaand... back again

I know, this blogging thing for me comes and goes; mostly because I can't find a host/system that appeases my highly developed esthetic sense.So let's give it a try. Again.As some of you probably know, I work at Microsoft as a program manager in the Windows Experience division. I do search. And find. And browse. And, hopefully, organize. We're in the planning/design phase right now for the next version of Windows that, surprisingly as it may seem, it's going to be really really really good :) I'll try to keep you, gentle reader, updated on our progress as we start to unveil features and capabilities. Stay tuned! (yeah, I know, I'll try not to disappear for two years again)

7/27/2007 12:00:00 AM

First post

From my new phone...

2/16/2007 12:00:00 AM

iSnow

After the whole iPhone week, it's time to take a look at what really matters.

SNOW!

Awesome :)

1/11/2007 12:00:00 AM

Pet Shop Boys @ The Paramount, Seattle

Seattle, Washington, 6 novembre 2006 - dal nostro inviato

"This is the gayest concert I've ever seen!"

I Pet Shop Boys hanno deciso di far visita al nordovest del Pacifico dopo un pacco di anni. La recente rinascita di una scena elettronica da queste parti ha fatto in maniera che gruppi come I Ragazzi Del Negozio Di Peti siano di nuovo merce ricercata e svago sofisticato.

Ma ricercati da chi, esattamente? Quando ho detto ad un mio collega che andavo a vedere questo concerto, il ventiduenne mi ha guardato un po' di traverso e mi ha chiesto "Vai a vedere... chi?" Dopo aver spiegato al ragazzo chi e cosa, mi sono posto la seguente domanda: "Se la maggior parte della gente qui non ha idea (o memoria) di questo gruppo per ragioni di eta' o semplicemente di inculturalita', qual'e' il target market?"

La risposta e' piuttosto ovvia, considerndo la composizione sociale di Seattle: omosessuali.

L'area da queste parti e' piuttosto liberale, al confronto con il resto degli Stati Uniti, e dunque attira una percentuale di stili di vita alternativi piu' elevata del normale, paragonabile in qualche maniera con la scena di San Francisco.

Apparentemente questi gioviali ragazzotti hanno una spiccata preferenza per Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Madonna ed i Pet Shop Boys. Non chiedetemi perche' o percome, ma questi sono i risultati di un sondaggio condotto dal vostro inviato. Neil Tennant e' praticamente un dio minore per la comunita' gay.

Il concerto e' al Paramount, probabilmente la sala da concerti piu' raffinata di Seattle, dove si va all'opera, ecc... Ci sembra una scelta un po' strana per un concerto pop, ma non e' che ci lamentiamo, visto che un nostro amico ci procura un paio di biglietti "speciali". Tali biglietti ci danno due posti centrali sul loggione, accesso al privee ed ingressi privilegiati saltando tutte le file. Perfetto. Un evento degno di un rappresentante di Kondoria, il quale, per onorare la serata, decide inavvertitamente di sfoggiare un rigato color cioccolato di Hugo Boss con stivali da cowboy.

Un ulteriore sondaggio informale condotto alla fine della serata confermera' lo sventurato che Hugo Boss + stivaloni = un sacco di "amici" con fini ulteriori.

Ma veniamo al concerto.

Lo stage e' vuoto, eccetto per una tomografia assiale di un cervello umano alta sei metri.

Un'aria operistica inizia a suonare e la tomografia viene rimpiazzata da due silohuettes dalle quali escono tre serie di Pet Shop Boys. Ogni serie e' vestita nella stessa maniera e rispettivamente sono i coristi, i ballerini e, finalmente, Neil Tennant e Chris Lowe.

Dal sistema audio (finalmente decente) partono a 110 dB le note spudoratamente kraftwerkiane di Psychological con Lowe che approccia la solitaria tastiera+monitor alla destra del palco e Tennant sulla sinistra mentre psicanalizza uno sventurato corista.

Il pubblico apprezza. Molto.

E' interessante notare quanto la musica dei PSB sia infuenzata dai Kraftwerk in questi ultimi anni. Persino Time On My Hands, dopo un inizio che ricorda un sacco River Of Stones degli Einstein Kafe', si tuffa in un rigoroso quattro quarti teutonico con tutte le atmosfere scure e umide tipiche dei quattro (tre, adesso) ganzi mitteleuropei.

Ah, si. Il concerto. Dopo un paio di tracks, Neil Tennant finalmente si rivolge al pubblico con: "Thank you and welcome to an evening of electronic entertainment". Perche' questo e' esattamente il punto di questa serata: non e' un concerto pop, non e' una performance di danza moderna, non e' un happening multimediale. E' semplicemente una sequenza di musica e danza assemblata con un bel po' di buon gusto.

E un pacco di gay.

Non so se sono riuscito a presentare la situazione correttamente, ma gli eterosessuali nella platea (e sul palco) si contano sulle dita di un paio di mani.

Canzone dopo canzone, la serata prosegue e, dopo un'oretta, arriva l'intervallo.

 

...

 

Avete capito bene, l'intervallo. Proprio come in teatro o ai cinema di una volta. Lasciamo i nostri posti e ci dirigiamo verso il Paramount Club, ritrovo privato per i possessori dei biglietti speciali, dove il sottoscritto si gargarizza un Mojito e del succulento formaggio francese

11/14/2006 12:00:00 AM

Art Attack!

Well, how was that for a cliche' post title?

I finally got back from Victoria with the two paintings I liked :)

There's even a note from the artist!

"The Play"

in blue.

This piece is inspired in melody and music.

The blue shadows from the musical environment are captivated in this two canvas.

The people surrounding the instruments and the instruments surrounding them too.

Is an original piece from Rosa Maria Hernandez Madrigal.

9/18/2006 12:00:00 AM

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