IPOD into audio panel

[Webb]

Does an IPOD have enough output to drive an audio panel (GMA 340)?

Seems it would be easy to install an input jack on the panel and plug one of those little guys up when you want some air tunes on a trip.

Webb
RV7A

[John Clark]

You might want to do a search on "ipod." There are over a hundred hits. Pay special attention to the issue of the older iPods not working at altitude.

John Clark
RV8 N18U "Sunshine"
KSBA

[tmbg]

I feed a PM-8000B audio panel with an ipod all the time, and it works flawlessly.


And yes, the hard drive based ones do have trouble at altitude. I have three ipods, an OLD OLD ipod mini (flash based) that doesn't have trouble at all (but I broke the screen on it), a recent 30G ipod (hard drive based), which resets itself often above 9000' or so, and an iphone (flash based), which works fine. The only problem with the iphone is Apple went and made the headphone jack recessed, and the recess is smaller than most plugs' barrels. It's a pain tracking down cords that'll fit it, but I found a source.

[Flyrod]

I have an AUX input cord wired to my PS PMA6000S intercom that plugs directly into an ipod that works very well. Most all intercoms have music input. The PS models automatically mute the music when the comm radios speak up. The Aux input of these intercoms are designed for the low output of musical devices.

[Webb]

Originally Posted by John Clark

You might want to do a search on "ipod." There are over a hundred hits. Pay special attention to the issue of the older iPods not working at altitude.

John Clark
RV8 N18U "Sunshine"
KSBA

Thanks John. I saw those hits . Let me be a bit more specific.

Does one of the new IPODs have enough output to drive a Garmin GMA340?

Webb
RV7A

[tmbg]

Originally Posted by Webb

Thanks John. I saw those hits . Let me be a bit more specific.

Does one of the new IPODs have enough output to drive a Garmin GMA340?

Webb
RV7A

All ipods operate at roughly (if not exactly) the same audio line level. The 340 should have a dedicated aux or music in that will accept line level audio. No problem.

[rvmills]

Talked this through with an avionics guy, as I was considering hooking the IPOD to another unused GMA 340 input, like NAV 2, so I could route the XM radio to Music 1 on the GMA 340. The avionics guy said the IPOD would not work to another input without amplification, so the plan now is to route both the XM radio and IPOD to Music 1, with a switch to select between the two. The pro said that IPOD to a 340 music input works just fine, as others have said here. (There are two music inputs on the 340...the second goes only to pax headphones, not pilot or co-pilot).

Cheers,

Bob Mills
"Rocket" RV-6
N600SS
4SD

[tmbg]

Originally Posted by rvmills

Talked this through with an avionics guy, as I was considering hooking the IPOD to another unused GMA 340 input, like NAV 2, so I could route the XM radio to Music 1 on the GMA 340. The avionics guy said the IPOD would not work to another input without amplification, so the plan now is to route both the XM radio and IPOD to Music 1, with a switch to select between the two. The pro said that IPOD to a 340 music input works just fine, as others have said here. (There are two music inputs on the 340...the second goes only to pax headphones, not pilot or co-pilot).

Cheers,

Bob Mills
"Rocket" RV-6
N600SS
4SD

yep, 100% right. The PMA-8000B is the same way; two music inputs, #2 only useful for pax output. Not exactly what I wanted! I ended up putting in a switch, and the other side of that switch is wired to a DB9 connector in the panel that the 496 plugs into which carries power/RS232/audio.

[81T]

Works perfect with my GMA 347 which is virtually the same as the 340.

[tc1234c]

I have GMA 340 in my ship. When plugging in IPOD or CD player the volume is too low. On GMA 340 installation manual, when grounding pin 15 on J2 the input is supposed to have a 20 db gain. However, this works only if MOD 5 is incorporated (I have no idea what it is). Obviously, it is not incorporated on my unit.

I took the advise of GMCpilot on a previous thread and built a pre-amp. The pre-amp is from Velleman-kit, kit # K2572. You can get it from the following website or others (do a google search):

http://store.qkits.com/moreinfo.cfm/K2572

It costs $16.95 and can be wired directly into the 12V (or 24V) ship power. It has a adjustable gain of 40db.