[HOWTO] Converting your iPhone dock into an USB port

[Chillout]

What you need:
-allen bits
- USB stick
- 15 minutes of your time

Step 1:
Confirm you have this iPhone dock.
Pull the parking brake up to create some space to work in.

Step 2:
Remove the rubber part to expose the allen bolt.

Step 3:
Remove the allen bolt and pull the plastic part up. This is quite tricky, as it takes some force. Pull upwards, towards the parking brake. In step 4 you see a picture of what's underneath, that might help you.

Step 4:
Here you see the clip that was holding the plastic dock part, on the left of the picture. There are also a lot of cables. Follow the iPhone dock cable, and see how it splits into two ends. One of the ends leads to an USB connection. The other leads to a 3.5mm jack. You can easily find the 3.5mm jack and unplug it. The USB is tucked away somewhere else.
Do not unplug any of the other wires.

Step 5:
I took a picture of the insides of the center console, to find out where the USB connection was located. In the back of the picture, somewhere in the dust, there you see it! Pull the USB cable towards you. It will come out and you can unplug it too.

Step 6:
Pull the USB through the plastic dock bit and put everything back together, putting the allen bolt back where it belongs.

Step 7:
Plug in an USB stick.

Step 8:
Set source to USB Audio, and enjoy the music!

note:
It looks pretty flimsy at the moment, I'm planning to get a nice USB panel. Of course, I will update this topic as soon as it's in.

 

[augkuo]

great! Nice DIY instructions and pictures

 

[Chillout]

Thank you! Now I think of it... maybe I should move this to the Wiki...

 

[Slackjaw]

Great - thanks. Also +1 for the lego guy, now I've got "Everything is Awesome" stuck in my head again!

Can you tell me - which stereo unit is that? I've got the Alpine in my 2.5 but the interface is different I think. Yours looks nicer.

 

[Chillout]

Great - thanks. Also +1 for the lego guy, now I've got "Everything is Awesome" stuck in my head again!

Can you tell me - which stereo unit is that? I've got the Alpine in my 2.5 but the interface is different I think. Yours looks nicer.

:biggrin::biggrin:

Oh dear, now I have it in my head as well!

It's the Alpine W502 unit. The interface color can be changed in the settings menu when the car is stationary. You can also hit the "style" button in the top right corner to have a different interface
Today, the USB panel parts came in the mail, so I will update the topic as soon as I've built everything.

 

[TOBASH]

I found this on Ebay:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/iPad-iPhone...ader_Chargers_Sync_Cables&hash=item1c441cbb4d

Also found this:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Dock-30-Pin...Phone_PDA_Cables_Adapters&hash=item4183b934e5

I ordered them and I will give them a try.

I will report some time after August 16, 2014, as that is when seller estimates shipping/delivery date.

Best,

T

 

[shrink]

Well, this didn't work out so well for me. I have a 2.0 with the JVC. I found what is pictured below. The dock connector cable seems to run up the center console towards the dash and headunit. I didn't see any USB port. Is the above solution only for 2.5's with the Alpine?

Has anyone with a 2.0 and JVC swapped that dock connector for a lightning cable. If so, any tips?

Thanks.

 

[Chillout]

Did you take a picture of the insides?

 

[m0rph]

I found this on Ebay:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/iPad-iPhone...ader_Chargers_Sync_Cables&hash=item1c441cbb4d

Also found this:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Dock-30-Pin...Phone_PDA_Cables_Adapters&hash=item4183b934e5

I ordered them and I will give them a try.

I will report some time after August 16, 2014, as that is when seller estimates shipping/delivery date.

Best,

T

Hi TOBASH,

Did you have any success with those connectors? What did you end up connecting to it and does it charge sufficiently?

Best, P.

 

[m0rph]

Step 4:
Here you see the clip that was holding the plastic dock part, on the left of the picture.
View attachment 55170

Hi,

In what direction do you pull out the "plastic dock part"? I tried but am affraid to break it...

Thx

 

[Chillout]

Hi,

In what direction do you pull out the "plastic dock part"? I tried but am affraid to break it...

Thx

Pull it upward, a little towards the front of the car

 

[augkuo]

The other end of the iphone dock is connected to the USB connector (red arrow). It's not that small so it's possibly snagged on something inside. Maybe bring it up as far as
you can and use a screwdriver or something to move the wires caught on it to free itself.

 

[Juanmax]

I've done this conversion three months ago when I got my roadster. It works but with a limitation. Whenever I put too many songs on the USB drive, the unit will stop playing. It is quite wierd. It is not related to the format nor the size of the drive, but to the amount of songs. Currently I have four albums and it works, but 1GB is too much. Do you also have this issue? Or is it probably something related to the ASCII coding in the mp3 tag info of some song? I got a mix of Spanish and German titles, so plenty of non English characters there.

 

[Chillout]

I know some players have troubles having more than 255 tracks in one directory or too much directory nesting. Could that be your problem?

 

[Juanmax]

I don't think that the folder structure was the problem in my car. I have no access to it the next 6weeks

If I recall it properly, on the root folder there is one folder per album. So it must be something else.

 

[Chillout]

Maybe do a disk check in windows, scanning for incorrect files/structures?



OT: I finished the project, installing a USB/Aux port in the USB/12V area.
I took most of the center console apart and then drilled a hole in the part I took out. Sh!tty drillsaw was sh!tty and slipped a little, but this can't be seen anymore since this part is tucked away in such a remote and hard to reach area.

And here it is while in operation: Looks pretty OEM I guess

 

[Juanmax]

I like it! was it hard to pass the USB connector down the gear button console?

 

[Chillout]

Thanks!
No, you can detach the bottom lid of the console and route the cable through

 

[Stefan T]

Qustion
What are the 3,5 mm jack to?
are there power or some audio devce in it?

 

[Chillout]

I guess it's aux in, but I haven't tested yet, to be honest.