So, I have a new 2010 RDX without the tech package. This comes with the USB connection for an iPod.

I've never owned an iPod (too expensive and not as flexible as many other mp3 players out there - but that's another story). In any case, I thought it would be nice to be able to control the iPod from the dash, instead of fumbling around with the mp3 player via the AUX connection. So I purchased a new iPod Classic over the weekend and connected it to the USB connector; and from what I've seen, it sucks.

From the radio console, the top level menu is Album. Nothing about playlists, artist, podcast, etc. So, since I have 600+ albums, it's a bear to get to the music I want.

Does anyone know if I'm missing something, or am I putting my iPod up on e-bay?

Thanks!

 

I just got the 2010 RDX w/ Tech. While the tech iPod interface leaves some things to be desired, I think the non-tech interface would be even more difficult.

I thumbed through the manual last night, and there are a number of pages devoted to the tech and non-tech USB interfaces. There probably is a way to switch between album, artist, etc. Read up.

I wish there was a way to switch between genres. I think I will pick up a couple USB flash/thumb drives, and create my pop/country/rock drives, so I can switch between them given my mood. And this way, if someone breaks in, they can take the thumb drives ($25) instead of my $??? iPod.

 

Funny mga .. I just said the same thing to someone at work, create a bunch of flash drives. One for each music type/genre/play list.

 

OK. Just a quick update. You can change the music mode to one of the following: Album, Song, Playlist or Artist. Nothing for Podcasts which is disappointing. I tried to put some podcasts in a playlist, but they don't show up on the iPod.

So, I purchased 4 4GB Memory Sticks from Amazon. This does not work either. Memory sticks need to be formatted in FAT (not FAT32). However, my new problem .. I can not format the 4GB devices as FAT because the FAT file system does not support storage devices that are larger than 2 GB. If I find a way to format them as FAT, I'll put up another post.

So, if you're going with the Memory Stick idea, don't get sicks larger than 2 GB.

If you're thinking about getting an iPod just because you think it would be easy to navigate via the menu, don't bother. The menu is not clean as it's very difficult to navigate around unless you're running off playlists.

 

Just took a little more research. To format the memory stick to FAT, run the following command from a DOS Prompt:

C:\Documents and Settings>format e: /fs:fat
Insert new disk for drive E:
and press ENTER when ready...
The type of the file system is FAT32.
The new file system is FAT.
Verifying 3823M
WARNING! The cluster size for this volume, 64K bytes, may cause
application compatibility problems, particularly with setup applications.
The volume must be less than 2048 MB in size to change this if the
default cluster size is being used.
Proceed with Format using a 64K cluster (Y/N)? y
Initializing the File Allocation Table (FAT)...
Volume label (11 characters, ENTER for none)? Rock
Format complete.

4,008,902,656 bytes total disk space.
4,008,902,656 bytes available on disk.

65,536 bytes in each allocation unit.
61,171 allocation units available on disk.

16 bits in each FAT entry.

Volume Serial Number is 6CAF-2FCF

 

My 16GB flash drive works great. Just wish it could have all the albums from one artist as subdirectories of the topmost directory. Instead you get each album listed in the topmost directory. Which is a pain if you have lots and lots of albums.