Retro solution to playing music from other device
Discussion
Hi,
I've got a BMW 840ci (the one recently featured as 'the brave pill') with both the original BMW Business Head Unit and a period-correct Becker Traffic Pro Head Unit.
I've currently got the Becker unit installed.
Are there any clever solutions to playing music from my phone or a USB through either of these units? Alternatively, are there any modern head units, with modern functionality, that wouldn't look too out of place in my car?
The only thing which I can think of is to use an RF Transmitter, but I had one years ago and it was crap.
I've got a BMW 840ci (the one recently featured as 'the brave pill') with both the original BMW Business Head Unit and a period-correct Becker Traffic Pro Head Unit.
I've currently got the Becker unit installed.
Are there any clever solutions to playing music from my phone or a USB through either of these units? Alternatively, are there any modern head units, with modern functionality, that wouldn't look too out of place in my car?
The only thing which I can think of is to use an RF Transmitter, but I had one years ago and it was crap.
Has it got a cassette player?
I used a cassette to 3.5mm headphone jack adaptor in my Alfa and it wasn't bad (better than the cheap FM transmitter i had previously).
Worth spending a few extra quid for a Phillips one rather than the no-name ones on eBay (they tend to add a lot of 'noise')
I used a cassette to 3.5mm headphone jack adaptor in my Alfa and it wasn't bad (better than the cheap FM transmitter i had previously).
Worth spending a few extra quid for a Phillips one rather than the no-name ones on eBay (they tend to add a lot of 'noise')
The BMW headunit has a tape player, but I'd rather avoid the mess of a trailing cable from one of those tape converter things.
The CD multichanger may provide a solution - I wonder if I could replace this (in the boot) with something which I can connect my phone to and play media through...
The CD multichanger may provide a solution - I wonder if I could replace this (in the boot) with something which I can connect my phone to and play media through...
You might be able to get a proper CD-changer emulator to aux for, most likely, the BMW Headunit.
You could hack up an emulator from an Arduino, if you have the inclination.
Or you could major-bodge it, as I have in the past:
This relies a) on having the actual changer and b) not wanting to use it. You need to hijack the 3 audio wires from the CD-changer (L/R/Gnd) and cut them. Then splice in a 3.5mm jack to the headunit side. This gives the Aux in. You then need to play anything from the CD changer to select it, and Bobs your uncle, you can play through the 3.5mm.
(You could probably "T" into the audio line to get both CD functionality and Aux, but you'd have to play silence from the CD whilst using the AUX, and the (low) output impedance of the CD-C would be "driven" by your iPhone or whatever - won't do anything any good, but whether it does it any harm I don't know.)
You could hack up an emulator from an Arduino, if you have the inclination.
Or you could major-bodge it, as I have in the past:
This relies a) on having the actual changer and b) not wanting to use it. You need to hijack the 3 audio wires from the CD-changer (L/R/Gnd) and cut them. Then splice in a 3.5mm jack to the headunit side. This gives the Aux in. You then need to play anything from the CD changer to select it, and Bobs your uncle, you can play through the 3.5mm.
(You could probably "T" into the audio line to get both CD functionality and Aux, but you'd have to play silence from the CD whilst using the AUX, and the (low) output impedance of the CD-C would be "driven" by your iPhone or whatever - won't do anything any good, but whether it does it any harm I don't know.)
I've just found this - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Bluetooth-Changer-Adapter...
Presumably, I'd need to run this with this BMW head unit. I don't mind that though - I don't use the sat-nav function on the Becker unit anyway and that's the only thing which separates them really.
Does anyone have any experience of this?
Presumably, I'd need to run this with this BMW head unit. I don't mind that though - I don't use the sat-nav function on the Becker unit anyway and that's the only thing which separates them really.
Does anyone have any experience of this?
Does the car have aux in somewhere? If so I used to have one of these before I had the parrot kit installed.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/FIREFLY-Smallest-Bluetoot...
https://www.amazon.co.uk/FIREFLY-Smallest-Bluetoot...
Have you thought about the latest pure Highways? A lot cheaper than the much earlier version that I have (which doesn't do bluetooth)- can place it in line with the analogue aerial feed so that it 'injects' its FM relay directly this avoids all the issue with interference from ebay specials and the like - new versions also include hands free calling.
For Bluetooth as another reader suggested I use a little receiver that plugs into the aux socket - I've got a couple of cheapo Amazon ones in various motors and they work a treat
Trev
For Bluetooth as another reader suggested I use a little receiver that plugs into the aux socket - I've got a couple of cheapo Amazon ones in various motors and they work a treat
Trev
90saddict said:
- can place it in line with the analogue aerial feed so that it 'injects' its FM relay directly this avoids all the issue with interference from ebay specials and the like
Trev
Are you sure? I just looked at the install guide and I can't see where you can do that. It will plug into a Aux socket if there is one but I doubt the OPs car has one.Trev
milb001 said:
I've just found this - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Bluetooth-Changer-Adapter...
Presumably, I'd need to run this with this BMW head unit. I don't mind that though - I don't use the sat-nav function on the Becker unit anyway and that's the only thing which separates them really.
Does anyone have any experience of this?
This looks like the best solution if you're not concerned with DAB and want to keep the original unit.Presumably, I'd need to run this with this BMW head unit. I don't mind that though - I don't use the sat-nav function on the Becker unit anyway and that's the only thing which separates them really.
Does anyone have any experience of this?
gmaz said:
90saddict said:
- can place it in line with the analogue aerial feed so that it 'injects' its FM relay directly this avoids all the issue with interference from ebay specials and the like
Trev
Are you sure? I just looked at the install guide and I can't see where you can do that. It will plug into a Aux socket if there is one but I doubt the OPs car has one.Trev
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