Play mp3s from x51v to car stereo?

daverose808 · 06-14-06, 12:15 AM

hi. i have a bunch of mp3s on my axim x51v. i would like to play them thru my car speakers. is there a converter for the car that will work for this purpose?

(i remember a while ago reading about converters that go into the cigarette lighter input and uses FM to transmit the sound. however, i read it can get pretty staticky. i am looking for something that will sound really nice.)

thank you!

KarThiK_ · 06-14-06, 12:34 AM

If ur audio unit has AUX IN function...u can hook a RJ cable from the Axims Headphone jack to the car's AUX IN port.

^ This will be done easily by any person dealing in audio stuff...

snoopy75 · 06-14-06, 12:50 AM

Otherwise, yeah, you can pick up an FM transmitter that will plug into your headphone port and your cigarette lighter, and transmit whatever's coming through your Axim to a set FM frequency, and you can listen to it on your radio.

I have one for my mp3 player. It works a lot better away from highly populated areas, and even in good places, it seems to sound more like AM reception. Still, it's nice to have on road trips.

jslanger · 06-14-06, 02:28 AM

There are a couple of ways to do this. You mentioned an FM broadcaster. These usually work ok, and require no wires. But they can pick up interference from the normal FM radio stations (more of a problem in cities and such). And you definitely need one that is cigarette lighter powered (the battery powered ones don't broadcast a strong enough signal).

There are also FM modulators. This connects between the antenna and the radio, and when activated, turns off input from the antenna (and substitutes your input). This allows it to avoid any interference, and the sound quality is supposedly pretty good.

The easiest is a Tape adaptor. Cheap and sound quality is also quite good. Of course, many cars have now stopped coming with tape players.

People also mentioned Aux In....best sound quality, but many stereos don't have it. My car didn't have such a thing (stock Ford stereo), but my car has an input for a CD changer. They make converters that turn it into an Aux in, which is what I did, and the sound quality is great.

There are a bunch of ways to do this, and some more expensive than others, and some with better sound quality.

daverose808 · 06-14-06, 03:12 PM

thanks, i too have a ford taurus 2003, and no aux in nor tape player. (i remember back in the day connecting my CD player thru the tape player. thanks for the memories) and i live close to nyc. no way fm transmitter will sound good (once tried it quite a while ago)

so, where in the ford do u think i would find the part that would allow changing it into an aux in? what device would i need?

if it will be just as expensive as ripping out my actual CD player from the dash, i might as well be installing a mp3 cd player with sd card slot, but that is too expensive...

hope i can do the aux in adapter like u, if u could provide more info...

jslanger · 06-14-06, 04:06 PM

Funny, I have a 2004 Ford Taurus actually...as far as I know, there is no Aux in on the stereo itself. I actually found the adaptor on a couple of websites, but I figured I'd pay a few extra dollars at Crutchfield.com and get their free guide to installation in my Taurus, and buy from a company I knew. The radio is actually in the trunk (who knew??). Anyway, I knew I saved all the links I found for a reason! My install took a very short time actually. The hardest part was running the stereo wire from the console back, under the driver's seat, under the plastic kick plates to the trunk (actually very easy, it just takes a bit of effort--and make sure you tack it down somehow so it doesn't get caught if you move the driver's seat). To activate this once its plugged in and playing, just hit the CD button twice (once for the in dash CD player, and the second for the CD changer). Since the stereo thinks it is playing a CD from the changer it'll always be on 1-1, and you can't control the mp3 player from the car stereo buttons, but what can you do? Oh! I should mention that I don't have an ipod, so this install is for a generic mp3 player, or anything else with a standard headphone plug output (like an Axim).

Here are some links that I used to install in my car:

This is a install guide that I found to be VERY useful in guiding me: http://www.redclock.com/johndunne/xm/

This is the brand of converter I bought: http://www.pie.net/store/index.cfm?a...ails&ItemID=12

Check the compatibility here (but I'm pretty certain its what you need): http://pie.net/images/appguide/auxi.pdf

This is a simple diagram of how it works (just plugs into the CD changer plug, and has another plug to get power that attaches between the power cable and the radio box): http://www.pie.net/images/products/d...r_aux_diag.gif

I bought it here: http://www.crutchfield.com/S-IZZTvyz...x&i=469FRDRAUX

Here are some cheaper places: http://www.audioetc1.com/product_inf...ucts_id=205082 and http://www.discountcarstereo.com/detail.aspx?ID=346

If you want I probably could scan the relevant crutchfield guide pages and you could probabaly save money and buy from a cheaper website (but crutchfield is handy because you know what you buy will be compatible with your specific car). Good luck, and if you have any questions, I'll try to help!

spunker88 · 06-14-06, 05:16 PM

The good ol late 90s taurus have the tape player, and no cd.
The tape adapter i have, from a cd player (good times hookin it up, skippin all the way, back in the day).
Gives good sound quality though.

daverose808 · 06-15-06, 08:23 PM

dont bother with the scan, but THANK YOU!!!
my car doesnt have what u have like i hoped... oh well...
guess ill make sure my next car has a line in...
for now, its good ol cdrws...
thanks again!