Autocom and stereo phone question

[import]

Sorry if this has been discussed already. I have a "pre 2009" autocom super pro avi and a new LG Envy Touch phone. The phone 3.5mm jack output is stereo, but the autocom aux 1 input is mono. The bluetooth dongle has been suggested (not sure how that works) and I think autocom mentioned an upgrade on the circuit, but that might be costly. Anyone have any ideas? Thanks

 

Ed

[Woodie]

Get the right cable from autocom.uk There's a smartphone cable (like I use on my Treo). Call or email them.

 

[ianboydsnr]

Get the right cable from autocom.uk There's a smartphone cable (like I use on my Treo). Call or email them.

 

or ask on their forum

 

http://forums.autocom.co.uk/

[import]

Thanks, I posted this in Autocom's forum as well. No replies there yet. Smart cable will convert it? I'll have to check their site again. Thanks.

 

Ed

[John Bentall]

Sorry if this has been discussed already. I have a "pre 2009" autocom super pro avi and a new LG Envy Touch phone. The phone 3.5mm jack output is stereo, but the autocom aux 1 input is mono. The bluetooth dongle has been suggested (not sure how that works) and I think autocom mentioned an upgrade on the circuit, but that might be costly. Anyone have any ideas? Thanks

 

Ed

 

Easy - plug your phone into Aux 2 - that is exactly what is intended for! Remember to use a 4-pole 3.5mm stereo jack if you want to listen to stereo music.

[Tom B]

 

PLEASE NOTE

 

All of our new 2009 range of systems have exactly the same Aux input sockets such as Aux 1 is for bike to bike use, but Aux 2, 3, 4 (and 5 where fitted) are all 3.5mm 4 pole and all have the same new standard T2 stereo phone type inputs, and so ALL of our 2009 audio leads have a T2 plug to work in ALL Aux sockets on our new 2009 range

 

This means that ALL of our new leads shown in the new section of our website, www.autocom.co.uk or in our 2009 brochure, all have our new STANDARD (T2 stereo/phone) 4 pole plug, to plug into ANY Aux socket input on ANY of our new 2009 range.

 

Our Pre-2009 range had 4 pole socket inputs but each was wired differently for different uses, however Aux 2 was wired T2, so any of our new leads will work in your Aux 2,

 

We make several stereo phone leads that you could try in your Aux 2 socket, 2186, 2187, 2188, 2194, 2198.

 

I do not know if your phone type will work with our old Bluetooth dongle, 1273 or 1276 but if you can get into one of our dealers who has one in stock you could perhaps try one in your Aux 1 socket. Although our old Bluetooth dongle is mono, you find that your phone will be mono when used as a phone, and its only when used for music that it switches over to stereo, so your phone may work as a phone with our mono Bluetooth dongle, but perhaps not for music?

 

It could be that your phone may work well with our new stereo Bluetooth dongle, but our new dongles are designed for use with our new products, for example our stereo Bluetooth dongle part 2223 will plug into Aux 2, 3, 4 or 5 of our new SP-A system and it picks up 9 volts DC from a separate power output socket on the new SP-A. Part 2223 will plug into your Aux 2 but somehow you also need to extract the 9 volts DC that’s in the old system, out to your Bluetooth power plug, doable yes, if you know what to do and are careful!

 

So a few things to think about, like; you’ve moved on to a later type stereo phone, so why not upgrade to a later type stereo Autocom system that fully designed for such uses? Or perhaps you can use your old systems Aux 2 which is really designed for stereo music, given the way other inputs and your own speech affects it, but if you are not using the other inputs you could use your Aux 2 with a stereo phone, only remember it may 50% mute when you are speaking yourself, so any audio coming in Aux 2 (normally music, but now your phone call) may reduce while you are speaking, useable yes, but you may want Autocom UK to affect a mod so that your Aux 2 audio does not mute when you are speaking. Or try one of our Bluetooth modules?

 

Autocom UK Tom

 

PS where are you?

[flars]

Re: Autocom Tom's response...

Damn! You guys are waaaayyyy too smart. I feel like I am still using my TRS80 with the 300 baud modem.

[Woodie]

remember it may 50% mute when you are speaking yourself, so any audio coming in Aux 2 (normally music, but now your phone call) may reduce while you are speaking

 

Thanks for the excellent post, Tom. It brings up an issue I've been meaning to ask about.

 

Setup:

Autocom Pro

B2B in Aux 1

Treo (phone + stereo music) in Aux 2

Vox not in use (PTT)

 

Problem Behaviour:

The music volume does not change when B2B traffic is heard.

Phone volume is fine for phone calls (the phone shuts off the music).

 

What am I doing wrong?

 

[import]

Tom,

Thanks for the info. After my brain gets done hurting I'll go see what the aux 2 has to offer. I also bought a stereo to mono adapter for a couple bucks...will that get me an.ywhere? Its mono male end for a stereo female end...I also picked up a 4 pole 3.5mm cable to try. If I understand correctly...with the aux2..when using the phone, if I speak the other person speaking will decrease by 50%? I could probably live with that. Thanks for all the help. Ed

[John Bentall]

Tom,

If I understand correctly...with the aux2..when using the phone, if I speak the other person speaking will decrease by 50%?

That is correct - and I stupidly forgot about that in my reply - especially when it was such a bone of contention a while back. There is a mod that can be done to the unit by the factory to stop the muting.

If the cellphone function were really much more important than the music, then I would try with mono music into aux 1 and see how you get on. In the hostile listening environment of a bike, mono music is perefectly adequate for me.

[Tom B]

Woodie

 

We have made many Pro systems over the years, so can you please clarify which Pro you have. For example if it was new from May 2009 then it’s probably a Super Pro Automatic (sold as kit SP-A) If it was new between December 2005 and 2009 then it’s probably a Super Pro AVi (sold as Kit 300)

 

I will assume for now that it is our latest kit SP-A as you say you are using Aux 1 for B2B

 

Aux 2 you will see in the instructions can be used for a phone, or music, or indeed a stereo phone, but it was design for a GPS, or stereo GPS, with or without a phone through it.

 

Aux 3 is designed for a stereo phone for the rider only (but it can be switched so that it can be used by both rider and passenger.

 

Aux 4 is designed for your main stereo music input, but like all the other Aux inputs (other than Aux 1 for bike to bike) Aux 2, 3, 4 & 5 now all share our standard (T2) 3.5mm 4 pole input sockets and so all are wired for stereo phone. And this now means; any lead/any socket, you just choose the Aux inputs logical mixing and auto control features to suit your needs.

 

Aux 5 is for passengers stereo phone, which like Aux 3 riders phone, can be switched for both rider and passenger use if required

 

In terms of safety You will see in our brochure/website that we have renumbered our 2009 range Aux inputs as follows.

 

The SP-A system is sold as a Rider to passenger System

Aux 1 Bike to bike

Aux 2 Stereo GPS/phone/Music

Aux 3 Riders stereo phone/Music

Aux 4 Stereo Music

Aux 5 Passengers Stereo Phone/Music

 

(1) From a safety point of view, if you have a passenger, then being able to speak to each other in an emergency situation is far more important than anything else because you are BOTH in the same LOCAL ENVIRONMENT and may suffer the same consequences, and so being able to communicate clearly and reliably to one another at all times CAN SAVE LIVES, as such NO audio input should every interrupt the all important rider to passenger communications link.

 

(2) The same principle applies for Bike to Bike, after all, whether you have a passenger or not, another pair of eyes on another bike can provide you (or others) with the same essential (even life saving) emergency information, again because the other bikes are in your same LOCAL ENVIRONMENT and if you or they see something then they should always be able to be heard. I will give you an example; our pre-2009 systems would let the phone input auto cut the music and bike to bike inputs, and I was arguing with my General Manager (Simon; who like me also lives and breaths bikes and is my right arm in R&D) and I was saying, we must not fully cut the bike to bike audio when using the phone, but Simon having used Autocom for 16 years liked the way the earlier systems let the phone auto cut his bike to bike audio, but I said, what if there is an emergency situation and you want to tell another bikes to watch out, but you can’t because they are on the phone to mum talking about next weekend of something? We were discussing this during a bike journey back from meeting one of our suppliers, Simon on our company Blackbird, and me on a GSXR1000, when I see Simon accelerate hard from a set of green lights, but he obviously had not seen the second set of lights just beyond which I saw were red, and a glance at the three lanes of clear road ahead which were just about to become heavily congested as the other three lanes of traffic to the left were all themselves launching from the light. SIMON STOP! I shouted, to which he threw out the anchor and manage to stop the bike just in time, There’s an example of what I mean, what would have happened just then if you had been on the phone? Simon said I’d probably be dead, I now totally agree, we don’t let the phone cut the all important bike to bike audio, so I said, so lets compromise shall we, and just let the phone 50% reduce the bike to bike audio , so you can still hear important warnings, but not have to suffer unimportant chat when on the phone. Job done and another part of Autocom’s Logical mixing and control updated

 

(3) GPS is also able to provide you with useful INFORMATION about your LOCAL ENVIRONMENT, in fact when you’re in a strange and busy city, especially if also having to remember to drive on the other side of the road! Its perhaps raining and dark? And at times like this a GPS can suddenly become your best friend, because of its essential local information you need. I would say that GPS can save lives, or at least help you avoid some tricky situations by providing useful information in advance of when you are about to need it

 

(4) Phone is more important at times than music, but its not necessarily providing you with local information like rider/passenger bike/bike and GPS do

 

(5) Music, well yes it can be lovely, even helps you relax a little and maybe reduces riding fatigue, which could arguably contributor in some way to safety, but it’s our view that music is just for pleasure, and so should not interfere with any of the above

 

 

So back to your question, your music from your phone into Aux 2 is not changing when bike to bike audio comes in Aux 1. Well that could be potentially one of two things. It could be that your bike to bike audio is not set high enough to trigger the input sensor, so try turning it up some more. OR it could be that your Aux 1 input trigger for auto reducing Aux 2 is switch off, Please check page 16 of the instruction manual where you can see standard factory settings for switch block 5, where its switch 3 should be set to on, so that when Aux 1 received audio it automatically reduces Aux 2 and 4 by 50%

 

The reason for the explanation above is to help you see some of the various options this extremely versatile product can provide you with, and the logical mixing and control. For example if you are riding with conventional earplugs, or using in-ear-speaker-plugs (monitor type earplugs) you may benefit from turning the automatic volume control off or using one of the Aux inputs which are not affected by the automatic Volume control?

 

If you want more info about this check the instructions http://www.autocom.co.uk/PDF/KitSP-A.pdf or give me a call (Autocom UK)

 

Hope that helps

 

Autocom UK Tom