I am looking for a way for the voice directions from my iPAQ GPS (http://www.travroute.com/products/gps/pocketcp3/buypcop.html#g) to get pumped through my empeg. I would love to have a simple pass through from the mic input. In other words use the headphone output on the iPAQ GPS and connect that to the mic input and whenever there is output from the iPAQ it is heard from the empeg. I did some reading and it looks like the mic input is not used and I am not even sure if it would allow a pass through of the signal.

The other option is to take the headphone output from the iPAQ and jack it to the AUX input. The problem with that is I would need an automatic mechanism to switch back in forth and I think the only real way is from the cell mute lead. Is there any way to do this right? Thanks in advance for the help.

Steve

Aux-input, and having it trigger the cell mute lead (and have hijack do the extmute= thing) should work.

Then again, why does it even have to go into the empeg at all? You could use a mixing circuit or a switcher like the Sony XA39-II to have it send that stuff straight to the amp. Then it would be independent of the empeg and be able to have its own volume level etc.

I've got the CoPilot 2.0 and the Sony switchbox Tony mentions. Although I haven't done it yet I think I'll end up just putting a Y cord after the switchbox (which switches between my CD and my Empeg. One input would be from the switchbox and another would be from the 1/8" phono output jack on the Ipaq. I'm no electronics whiz, but can anyone tell me why that wouldn't work or be a Bad Thing?

-Zeke

You don't want to try combining two line-level signals without an actual mixing circuit.

Y-splitting a single output to two separate amplifiers is doable, but Y-combining two separate outputs is not. All sorts of strange things will happen if you try that.

I'd be interested in seeing the simplest possible mixing circuit for something like this diagrammed...

Hmmph. That rains on my parade...

You know, I've got the provebial 'cheap pair of speakers' as my PC speakers at home. One nice thing is that they have two phono inputs 'A' & 'B'. They mix quite nicely. That would probably require separate power though...thoughts anyone?

-Zeke

I did not even know such a device existed. That sounds like a much better idea. I just wished it was not $50.00 for the switch. Thanks!

Steve

One other thing. Does this device allow sound to come out of both sources at the same time? It looks like it is triggered by the amp trigger and switches to one source at a time. Thanks!

Steve

The XA39-II is a triggered switching device, not a mixer.

http://empeg.comms.net/php/showflat.php?Cat=&Board=install&Number=29400&page=&view=&sb=&o=&vc=1

Details how the switch works. You've got it right, it's either/or not both. Since the Ipaq doesn't have a separate 'sound on' line I've not tried attaching ipaq to it.

-Zeke

Well then I am back to square one. What I want is when a voice direction from my GPS happens I would like to be able to hear it through the speakers. The problem is the iPAQ speaker even on the loudest setting is too low to hear with music even at a low volume. The only thing I can even think is make some way for my iPAQ to trigger the mute lead on the empeg during any audio output from the GPS. Any other suggestions? Thanks!

Steve

What I want is when a voice direction from my GPS happens I would like to be able to hear it through the speakers.

For this, you need a line-level two-input stereo mixer circuit, like I said.

Unfortunately, I don't know of any off-the shelf makes of such an animal for the car (although there are plenty in pro audio), and I don't have a circuit diagram for one available.

One way I could see you being able to do this would be by using the Mic input on the Empeg/rio Car and a clamp-on type 'handsfree' speaker/microhpone ala some of the cheap handsfree kits for cellphones.

Connect the output of the handsfree microphone to both the Aux-input(s) (for listening) and the mic-input (for triggering).

Then using some mic sampling software in the empeg (which would have to written/obtained), have it sample the Empeg mic input line for speaker output (i.e. remove the white noise element), when valid sounds appear from the Ipaq (e.g. its speaking):
Switch the input to the Aux input while the sound plays then switch back shortly after the sound stops.
For ease of testing/mapping via hijack , the 'switch to aux-input' could be handled by faking a 'cellphone mute' input event and letting hijack mapping handle the rest].
the sampling software may already be in progress - someone was working on a app using the mic as a input to help set the EQ correctly in your car, so this software is probably already around and can be modified slightly for the triggering].

With a good seal on the Ipaqs speaker 'grille'/ sound output area, the leakage of noise from the cars interior into the sampling mic input should be reduced, the software could be set to ignore white noise below a certain level and to trigger the aux-input only when the Ipaq is speaking.

With some good design the system could work somehwat seamlessly in terms of switching etc.

The issue then would be connecting/covering the Ipaqs speaker output in a clever (in a practical and aesthetically pleasing) way and having to accept a "cable" connection to the Empeg for sampling and playback purposes.

I assume the Ipaq has no 'line level sound' output connection - only the internal speaker output. Which AFAICT is the case with Ipaqs.

The ipaq does have a headphone output, which when used causes the small speaker in the 5 way switch to mute.

Are headphone levels too high for the Mic input on the empeg?

Personally, I like Tony's idea of the small mixer board, but I didn't find any this afternoon in a 30 minute Google fest. The reason I like the mixing is because the 'spoken' instructions are quite clear when mixed into the music, assuming you have the tunes at a sane level. Occasionally I'll use WMP on the Ipaq for really new tunes not yet on the empeg. I use the headphone out to the Aux in on the empeg. When listening this way the GPS 'voice' is nicely mixed with the music over my speakers.

The small board seems like the simplest way to go. In my case I'd insert it after the Sony head unit switch, so it'd work with either source. The design of such a thing is outside my ken. (I'm a steel, plastic & aluminum kind of guy)
-Zeke

Here's a link to a simple mixer circuit, although I think it also needs a power supply? I dunno...

http://www.electronicsinfoline.com/cgi-bin/circuitbook/jump.cgi?ID=1578

The author of this site suggested to me that we should google on "operational amplifier, mixer, inverting, non-inverting" to find schematics for mixer circuits.

This page is even more interesting:

http://www.absurdevidence.radiostudent.si/borut/simplemixer.html