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View Full Version : Stock Alpine IPod video cable capability question


Vicbuilder
03-02-2010, 09:23 PM
So just picked up the new 2010 yesterday. We opted for the mid-level Alpine system. Didn't know it before delivery, but I guess there is a cable that you can hook to it so your IPod will play its videos on the screen. I ordered it today, but won't see it for a few days.
Couple of questions:
Anyone done this yet? Dealer says it plugs into the back and I'll have to pull the stereo out and run the cord. Where then does the cord come out? I thought I had read in the Alpine manual you could use either of the existing ports to plug in to.
Dealer also says that the park brake will have to be on to play videos. Sounds like a typical safety deal. Hypothetically (of course) a person could, say, wire in a toggle switch in the e-brake circut to mimic the brake being on, and have video play while driving. Not that i would of course, but that sure would be nice for the passenger on long road trips.....hypothetically.....

JJGeneral1
03-03-2010, 08:07 AM
So just picked up the new 2010 yesterday. We opted for the mid-level Alpine system. Didn't know it before delivery, but I guess there is a cable that you can hook to it so your IPod will play its videos on the screen. I ordered it today, but won't see it for a few days.
Couple of questions:
Anyone done this yet? Dealer says it plugs into the back and I'll have to pull the stereo out and run the cord. Where then does the cord come out? I thought I had read in the Alpine manual you could use either of the existing ports to plug in to.
Dealer also says that the park brake will have to be on to play videos. Sounds like a typical safety deal. Hypothetically (of course) a person could, say, wire in a toggle switch in the e-brake circut to mimic the brake being on, and have video play while driving. Not that i would of course, but that sure would be nice for the passenger on long road trips.....hypothetically.....


i thought about it, but because of running the cable, i chose not to.

second, i would run the cable behind the radio and down behind the cigarette lighter plug and out the passenger side of that "hole" in the center console (by the vent).

third, yes you can override the e-brake thing, there's a ton of DIY's on other forums for the dvd players. i imagine the override would be the exact same set-up for the e-brake.

Vicbuilder
03-03-2010, 08:43 AM
Thanks for the reply - I'll keep searching for more info and when that cable comes in I'll keep everyone posted.

TheLittleDeviant
03-03-2010, 09:00 AM
I was under the impression that on the 2010's you can use the usb port to get the video to show up... I may be mistaken though. All I know is that when I pick up my next scion I will be doing this as well. Video on a stock head unit, PRICELESS!!!

Vicbuilder
03-03-2010, 12:04 PM
I was under the impression that on the 2010's you can use the usb port to get the video to show up... I may be mistaken though. All I know is that when I pick up my next scion I will be doing this as well. Video on a stock head unit, PRICELESS!!!

Well yeah, thats what I thought too. But no dice, tried it yesterday.

xDTool
03-03-2010, 01:01 PM
So just picked up the new 2010 yesterday. We opted for the mid-level Alpine system. Didn't know it before delivery, but I guess there is a cable that you can hook to it so your IPod will play its videos on the screen. I ordered it today, but won't see it for a few days.
Couple of questions:
Anyone done this yet? Dealer says it plugs into the back and I'll have to pull the stereo out and run the cord. Where then does the cord come out? I thought I had read in the Alpine manual you could use either of the existing ports to plug in to.
Dealer also says that the park brake will have to be on to play videos. Sounds like a typical safety deal. Hypothetically (of course) a person could, say, wire in a toggle switch in the e-brake circut to mimic the brake being on, and have video play while driving. Not that i would of course, but that sure would be nice for the passenger on long road trips.....hypothetically.....

I havn't done this with the stock unit, but I'm basing my knowledge on the deck that I do have, which is the Pioneer AVH-P4100DVD.

first: Pulling the radio and plugging the cable into the back is very very simple to say the least, simply pulling on the waterfall detaches it, and 4 screws later the deck is pulling out.

second: I ran my USB (since i dont have a stock unit i couldnt use the supplied ports), down to that little pocket at the very bottom/front of the waterfall and when I replaced the trim i just sort of snapped the plastic down over it, so that the cord comes out slightly to the USB port. (can take pictures if youd like to give you an idea).

Yep, the parking brake is a safety feature, Mine's bypassed using the technique you described, basically the parking brake makes a ground contact when you turn it on (gives you the brake light on your cluster), so you hook the "ebrake cable" to a switch and run the other end to a ground, then toggle until it works. not sure if this is the same for your deck, i remember hearing that some other brands require the use of Relays to bypass the ebrake safety.

As for questions specific to the Alpine unit, i'm not much help, but as for taking the waterfall apart, its a cake walk... and i can help you with that, the switches, and ideas with wire running.

Added: Also, on the video function, if its like the AVH-P4100DVD, the reason is that the unit cannot compute the data for the video from the iPod, therefore you have to have an auxiliary video plugged up so basically the iPod cable for my deck is an iPod plug on one end, and a split wire on the other, one going to a USB, and the other going to a set of composites. (not likely that your deck is the same, just describing mine to give you an idea of what you might be running into)

Vicbuilder
03-12-2010, 11:11 AM
Quick update:
Got the cable in but there are problems. The I-Pod cable isn't what they describe. Its actually an adpator for either the rear camera, or the i-pod. I thought it would be a direct plug-in to an i-pod, but it has RCA inputs.
So I see that and decide to go down to the Apple store to get an I-pod to RCA cord. There's another $50 on top of the $30 Scion cord. But that'll be ok if it works...right?
Nope, got the whole thing hooked up and no dice. So I called the dealer, they've never actually done this before. So he's going to call Scion aftermarket support. I guess we'll see how that goes.
I did a google search and it seems like no-one has done this on a 2010 xD. Has anyone? The wiring is super simple, just a ground wire to tell the radio that the e-brake is on. But nontheless the radio still says "no display while vehicle in motion" *sigh*
Anyone?

xDTool
03-12-2010, 01:30 PM
Quick update:
Got the cable in but there are problems. The I-Pod cable isn't what they describe. Its actually an adpator for either the rear camera, or the i-pod. I thought it would be a direct plug-in to an i-pod, but it has RCA inputs.
So I see that and decide to go down to the Apple store to get an I-pod to RCA cord. There's another $50 on top of the $30 Scion cord. But that'll be ok if it works...right?
Nope, got the whole thing hooked up and no dice. So I called the dealer, they've never actually done this before. So he's going to call Scion aftermarket support. I guess we'll see how that goes.
I did a google search and it seems like no-one has done this on a 2010 xD. Has anyone? The wiring is super simple, just a ground wire to tell the radio that the e-brake is on. But nontheless the radio still says "no display while vehicle in motion" *sigh*
Anyone?

I'd make sure that the E-brake ground for the radio doesnt work the way mine is supposed to, which is you need to engage, disengage, and reengage the parking brake for the radio to recognize it (I'm guessing you are trying this stopped with the e-brake engaged?). Also for the RCA cable that you got in, it was a yellow/red/white composite set right? which would make it not for the rear camera? or are you telling us that it is labeled as both? I'm also guessing that the cable is rca composite + ground on one end and a harness plug on the other end? if not check double check all of your inputs into the head unit to make sure things are going into the right place... If so, then maybe test your contacts to make sure the cable is good.

Pictures could also help us try to help you if someone notices something wrong that you might not have caught.

JJGeneral1
03-12-2010, 02:40 PM
have you checked for the 2010 xb's to have this done? maybe no xd's, but xb's?

Vicbuilder
03-12-2010, 04:36 PM
I'd make sure that the E-brake ground for the radio doesnt work the way mine is supposed to, which is you need to engage, disengage, and reengage the parking brake for the radio to recognize it (I'm guessing you are trying this stopped with the e-brake engaged?). Also for the RCA cable that you got in, it was a yellow/red/white composite set right? which would make it not for the rear camera? or are you telling us that it is labeled as both? I'm also guessing that the cable is rca composite + ground on one end and a harness plug on the other end? if not check double check all of your inputs into the head unit to make sure things are going into the right place... If so, then maybe test your contacts to make sure the cable is good.

Pictures could also help us try to help you if someone notices something wrong that you might not have caught.

Humm - didn't try the on-off-on method. How did you find out about that? It wasn't in any of the instructions.
As for the red/white/yellow cables I assumed they were also for the rear camera because of the two other wires to connect. One is the afformentioned ground to the e-brake, the other is supposed to connect to a reverse wire (thus telling the radio you are in reverse and kick on the camera). Anyway the Scion salesman called me back today and I'm supposed to get a call from someone at both Alpine and Scion accessories. I'm going to feel like a fool if there is an on-off-on procedure for the e-brake!

Vicbuilder
03-12-2010, 06:29 PM
Here's some pics of what I'm dealing with. I just went out and tried the on-off-on and nothing. Still displays "no video while vehicle is in motion"

The green is (suppoedly) the reverse trigger wire. The blue is the (supposedly) e-brake trigger. You can also see the apple cord plugged in too. Me thinks something is wrong with the stereo as it locked up the I-pod several times.

xDTool
03-12-2010, 09:08 PM
Here's some pics of what I'm dealing with. I just went out and tried the on-off-on and nothing. Still displays "no video while vehicle is in motion"

The green is (suppoedly) the reverse trigger wire. The blue is the (supposedly) e-brake trigger. You can also see the apple cord plugged in too. Me thinks something is wrong with the stereo as it locked up the I-pod several times.

About the on off on thing, most manufacturers use that sequence to prevent people from just grounding the ebrake wire (although switches still work).

As for what youre working with. the last thing i got is have you triedhooking up the green wire to the ebrake?, dont forget to try the on off on sequence with the other wire hooked up as well. the only other thing i can think of, which is probably not the case with yours but is required for my pioneer deck, is does your apple cable have the usb port too, and have you tried to use it (2010s have a USB port right?)

If you were in or around Louisiana, I'd be happy to at least take a look at it, the only other thing i could recommend after that is maybe to swing by a different dealership or maybe a stereo shop.

Vicbuilder
03-12-2010, 09:46 PM
Well I actually got a call from Alpine customer support this eve. He was stumped too, but is going to send another cord on Monday (free of charge). He said he was going to test it out in his shop first to verify it works so we can rule out that part of the equation.
Some points he made: The blue wire just needs a simple ground. No on-off-on sequence. Extremely simple.
Even when the blue is unhooked there should still be sound (I'm getting no sound or picture).
Green reverse wire doesn't need hooked up.
So I'm thinking its an I-pod problem, or radio problem cuz everthing is hooked up right - but I'm hoping the new cables do the trick!
P.S. Kudos to Alpine and Scion for jumping right on this for me! WOW!

JJGeneral1
03-13-2010, 04:18 PM
About the on off on thing, most manufacturers use that sequence to prevent people from just grounding the ebrake wire (although switches still work).

how does that stop someone from wiring it to a switch that's grounded, that can be flipped on-off-on-off while driving to watch video?

xDTool
03-15-2010, 09:59 AM
how does that stop someone from wiring it to a switch that's grounded, that can be flipped on-off-on-off while driving to watch video?

It doesnt LOL , like I said in what you quoted.... which is what I did for my head unit. I guess the reality of it is 75-90% of people that buy a head unit dont know jack electrical wise or dont realize that your e-brake lead is just a simple ground, and it's likely that its something manufacturers do as a minimum requirement by federal (or some other) standards.

Vicbuilder
03-25-2010, 09:35 AM
Well Alpine came through with their promise to send another cord - and would you believe it - IT WORKED!
Here are some pics of the install. Since this is a show car and will never see public roads ;)I felt free to ground the park brake signal wire to a brace behind the radio. Worked great! No park brake issues.
A couple of notes: 1) The instructions are worthless. The wire colors are wrong and it is just hard to make sense of the wording and "instruction". The install is a piece of cake though - took about 15 minutes including soldering a wire end on the ground and notching the button blank to run the cord out of.
2) The video capability doesn't use the touch screen or the USB charging/input port. You have to work the I-pod itself to work your videos. The Apple cord that I used has a USB connection, but it doesn't work in the car (I stuffed it behind the dash).
Well I'ma happy camper - thanks all who replied to the thread, I'm glad this worked out.

JJGeneral1
03-25-2010, 01:48 PM
that's cool that it actually shows the video on the screen. maybe gotta format them for that screen, being a bit bigger than the ipod one. I'd use "pspvideo9" to encode it to the PSP screen size, as that would probably match the alpine radio screen.

not bad!!!