pendragn

Certainly hard drives would prefer to not get the shock of road conditions, but it isn't necessarily a death sentence. The MG-25 uses laptop hard drives, which are built to expect more shock than their 3.5" counterparts, so that works in our favor. I also mounted mine on its side, so that the hard drive platters are perpendicular to the road and in line with car, front to back. That way big bounces are less likely to cause a head crash. I had a Kenwood Music Keg (OEM Phatbox) for many years and it was hard drive based. I never had any problem with it and would be using it today if it worked with my MDX.

tk

Madmikeee

Also if you are that concerned you can always mount some rubber feet on the unit that can be bought at ANY Home Depot or Lowes.

dan7u

is there anyway to hardwire this ?

datmrman

What do you mean? Hardwire the power? If you can figure out how to convert the 12V power provided from the car to 5V power required by the mediagate, sure.

dan7u

yeah, thats wht i mean. has anyone done it?

datmrman

Not that I know of. Any reason why you would want to do that?


BTW, AL Tech recently opened up a mini forum on their website for Q&A. I've just made a request for random/shuffle mode in the next firmware release.

The mini forum is located here: http://www.airlinktek.com/english/e_...ion2=mediagate

BrandonClaps

on mine, sometimes the movie will be choppy. anyone else have this problem?

JesterNRG

I had this problem on mine. I found that mp4 movies are very choppy. I have since been using mpg files and haven't had a problem. If there is something to change about how the mp4 is ripped or compressed, I'd actually like to know.

datmrman

It depends on how the video is encoded.

My two programs of choice are: AutoGK and iRiverter

pendragn

I hardwirded a Sony PSP power connector in and use it to power my MG-25. The connector is a little longer than what the MG-25 wants, but it works fine. I mounted the converter under my console and just have the end coming through a hole.

tk

dan7u

How'd you do it? Do you have pics?

shuang.jay@gmail.com

datmrman. i got my avox last night. put in the hdd. plugged it into my computer and put in the vantec cd to reformat the thing. i could not get it to work because it said i needed win98. also. if i want to use the firmware 1.4.7 i need to get it to work first. im a lil stuck. could you please help me out? thanks

datmrman

The Vantec CD? I didn't even know it came with one (you don't need it).

What version of Windows are you running (2000/XP)? Both should support USB hard drives without the need for drivers.

Here is how to format a hard drive in Windows XP (should be similar in Windows 2000 as well):

1. Connect the Vantec via USB.
2. Right mouse click on the My Computer icon on your desktop or start menu.
3. Select Manage from the pop up menu.
4. The Computer Management window should appear. Under Storage, select Disk Management.
5. You should see the Vantec drive appear as a foreign drive letter (i.e. E:, F:, etc)
6. Right mouse click on the block indicating the drive and select Format
7. Depending on the size of the drive, this could take a few minutes.
8. It will be ready to use after the formatting process.

If the Vantec drive doesn't appear in Disk Management, then something is wrong with the connections. Let me know if you need additional help. Good luck!

shuang.jay@gmail.com

what i was wondering. are a few things. i tried putting music onto the thing and it worked. however. is there a repeat button? once the songs in the folder end, it just stops. is there a repeat button to keep the music playing?

when i open up my pics folder, i still see my music folders. is that supposed to happen? just wondering. it does not categorize them into the tabs on the avox?

for the background pics. it said that rename it to "mybg.jpg" i could not get that to work.

thanks so much for your help.

shuang.jay@gmail.com

btw, why can't i pm you?

datmrman

The repeat option was added in the last firmware update 1.4.7. It was mentioned in post #411

The avox will open the last folder opened no matter what mode you're in. You will have to navigate your way to the correct folders.


I haven't tried the background yet so I can't help you other than telling you to reread the instructions. Edit: Nevermind, I can point you to post #416.


As for why you can't send PM's (yet), we've taken preventative measures against spam via PMs. You will be able to use the PM system after five posts.

shuang.jay@gmail.com

yea i do have the new firmware, 1.4.7. i dled it from the vantech website, do i need to be in playlist mode to use the repeat button or in the music folder to use the repeat button. whenever i tried pushing it, i don't see anything happen.

shuang.jay@gmail.com

sorry for the multiple posts. i think i need to go to setup in order to change the repeat stuff.

so my other question is. how come i see my music folders when i pick on the picture tab on the avox. same goes for the video tab. i still see my music folders. is there a way to keep the videos in the video section and the music in the music section?

datmrman

Go into setup to toggle the repeat option.

The filters will filter out unsupported content, not folders. For instance, when you are in "Audio" mode, you won't be able to see any video or photo files, but you sure can see folders. When you're in "Video" mode, you won't be able to see audio or photo files, but folders and supported video files will appear.

If it really bothers you, you can place everything in one large folder. I've learned to live with it and keep my folder structure to no more than three levels deep.

shuang.jay@gmail.com

gotcha...ok

i know that it has probably been answered some where in these 18 pages, but my eyes are hurtin already.

what is the best way to power off the thing. is turning off my car straight up ok? or will that cause damage to the unit. what is the best way. it seems a bit of a hassle to have to hit power and then turn everything off. and then shut my car off.

i'm getting my thing installed with my nav by a shop, so is there anything i need to tell the installer to tie the power to?

i'm using the psp adaptor to power the avox.

t.i.a

datmrman

I manually turn off the mediagate before shutting off the car. Seems like the safest bet to me, but I know some would like to argue.

I didn't hardwire my power; didn't think it was necessary. Here is my installation thread to help you get ideas.

shuang.jay@gmail.com

hey all

i need some help with this!

when i create a playlist, is there a way i can keep it? everytime i close the avox, i lose all the songs that i put in there. i chose to put a folder full of my songs, however the only way i can play them randomly is if i put them in the playlist tab. but everytime i turn it off, i lose all the songs that i had to individually put in the playlist tab.

is there a way i can play the songs randomly under the music tab?

is there a way i can select all when moving it into the playlist? i had to move them all one by one only to have them disappear when i turned it off. that was a pain in the ass.

thanks for your help.

datmrman

Unfortunately, playlists are not saved and theres really not a random mode.

I made a request over at the AL Tech forum under the MG-25P. Maybe you should chime in as well. They've provided me with a solution, but I have yet to try it out.

Here is a link to the AL Tech forum: http://www.airlinktek.com/english/e_...ion2=mediagate

Here is a straight link to the thread: http://www.airlinktek.com/english/e_...&prod_sch=0512

shuang.jay@gmail.com

thanks for that info. i'll try that out later. that playlist thing is annoying!!

anyways, my other question is....i have chinese music on my player, but it won't show the song names because they are in chinese. i see that there is a pdate on the vantec site that is a chinese update for the avox. is that something i want to do? is it an update so that i can read the words or does it change my whole thing to chinese. if it changes the whole thing to chinese, i do not want that. but if it is a language patch that enables me to read it, then i do. do you know what it is?

so how do you do shuffle mode then or do you just listen to them in alph order?

thanks for your help.

datmrman

Which firmware and version are you running?

I thought the latest version from AL Tech included Chinese character support. The Chinese update from Vantec will not change the whole interface to Chinese. That should do it for you. You can also PM waacow because I know he is running the device with Chinese character support. It could be a character encoding thing too.

Currently, I am listening to the songs in alpha order, but according to the admin's response in the AL Tech forum, pressing 3 should do something. I have yet to try that out.

RidinDurty

Ok guys I'm sorry but after 13 pages, and a couple of brain farts... I thinks it's time I ask a couple questions

Basically I need to make a list of everything I need. Please help me out here, I am one of those guys who is just hard headed when it comes to this kind of things. Ok so here goes nothing. This is the list of things I have gathered thus far:

*Avox Jukebox
*HITACHI 120 GB could somone please click this link and show me exactly which one out of the 20 they list? They have some 3.5" and 2.5".
*Archos Car Adaptor
*Gefen IR Extender
Then I guess I need the RCA/wall plug. Is there anything I missed?

Ok actually BEFORE anything let me explain my plans for this set up in my car. I own a 2nd gen TL non Navy. I am looking forward to buying the dash/AC parts from the 02-03 Navy. Here is the link to the thread I started as soon as I found out about this thread If you skim through it you will see what I mean about using the 02-03 TL Navy set up CLICKY . I wanted to use an after market double DIN screen set up in place of where the stock Navy screen goes. One of my main concerns is, where can I find one with RCA plugs? I wanted to get the Eclipse NAV/DVD/CD (I think Malayalee King has it). But again, Im not sure if it has RCA plugs.

Please guys I just need a list of exactly everything I need to make this work. the installation I will worry about once I have the parts. My fathers best friend owns a Car Audio shop so he could help me out there. I think I got a pretty good idea about what I need but if i missed something please let me know. I would appreciate any help from you guys. Thanks in advance.

datmrman

You will want the 2.5" hard drive. You have the mediagate part down. But you have a few more things to worry about after that. This also applies to the 3G TL.

Once you get your non-nav to nav conversion complete, you will need to look at getting a video interface to interact with your new navi screen (provide the video RCA connections you need). Fortunately, Dom's TVandNav2Go is also compatible for your car. If you don't know what that is, please perform a search.

Other than video, you will also need an audio interface to interact with the factory sound system. There are a couple available for the 3G (PIE, USA Spec, Blitzsafe), but I am not sure what works with the 2G. This audio interface needs to provide the audio RCA connects.

The combination of a video interface and an audio interface will provide the RCA connection you need to use the AVOX or any media player (DVD, iPod video, carPC).

Now, if you replace the factory head unit with an aftermarket one with RCA connections, problem is solved and you don't need to worry about these interfaces.

Hope that helps.

RidinDurty

I already have an aftermarket head unit, Im just not sure if it has RCAs. Thanx for the info.

shuang.jay@gmail.com

hey datmrman. i need some of your help again. i have everything in except one problem. when i plug in my psp adaptor. it powers on the avox and then it loses power quickly. i see the red lights power on, and then it just dies. i read that i need to use some wire and put it inside the psp adaptor head and then it will work. is that the way to go? do you know which wires i need to use? if you could please reply asap as i am gettin pretty frustrated. thanks for all the help.

shuang.jay@gmail.com

so i tried using the wire technique and now i got the f***ing thing stuck in there and i need to toss the adaptor out because i can't get it out and i cant fit the avox head into it anymore...DAMNIT! are there any other recommendations for an adaptor that is 12vand 5v? please help. thanks

datmrman

I responded to your PM as well, but there are a few other options outlined in post# 2.

Otherwise, there is always the option of using a power inverter.

Malayalee King

iTrader: (1)

Here is everything I used:
> Eclipse AVN-2454 (with ALL the harnesses -- there is an RCA harness as there are no RCA plug directly on the back of the unit)
> Myron IR extender
> 5 feet of RCA (red, yellow, white) cable
> Archos Car Adaptor
> RCA Wall Adaptor
> Drill, bits, super glue

Here is a link with pictures of what I did:
https://acurazine.com/forums/showthr...ng#post1508253

When the IR extender came in, I remove the console again, and ran it to the dash piece directly around the steering column and superglued it there. I wish i could have integrated it better but it was tough to make it hidden!

Let me know if you have more questions! But yeah, get a unit that has all the RCA harnesses.

GOod luck!

RidinDurty

Damn thanx King, that really does help to know that. One thing though, do you think this Eclipse unit will have enough space up top where I want to put it in? Basically where the stock navy goes. The eclipse 2454 dimensions are (W x H x D) 7-1/2 inches x 4-1/2 inches x 6-1/2 (180 mm x 100 mm x 165 mm). I don't know if that will clear ...

Malayalee King

iTrader: (1)

so i've taken my dash apart a number of times and i think it would be VERY difficult to get that to fit. you could try removing the screen and extending the wires, but then where would you put the rest of the stuff without the screen....hmmm

or just get a stock navi and do DOM vid adapter?

RidinDurty

Meh I definitely don't want the stock Navy

I'll figure something out. I'll take my car down to the shop sometime this week or next week and I'll talk to them about it. Thanx for your help though, I appreciate it.

skippy911

I bought the official psp car adapter but it seems to not be a perfect fit. If I wiggle the unit when the adapter is plugged in the power cuts off. Has anyone else had this problem and if so what did you do? Another thing, anyone hardwire it to their car if so is there diy? TIA

awin

i've only been on the forum for a couple of days....browsing blah blah...but because of DATMRMAN...i just rang up a big bill on my mastercard...dom's...piex3...backup cam...mediagate 25p...black emblems....debadged....typeS tails & rear sidemarkers...13%/6% tint...hopefully i'll be able to install all of it without running into problems....we SD boys do it right...

lembowski

iTrader: (1)

And where did you find the black emblems?

datmrman

Sweet. You'll be the fourth SD guy with the mediagate. Let me know if you need any help.

awin

i tinted them black with testors window tint paint for rc cars then used several coats of clear