Phatbox Questions

[billybimmer]

I know there are countless threads on this site but none have really addressed the questions I have with this unit, so I started a new thread hoping someone could shed some light on my questions.

My questions basically revolve around the stock stereo unit located in the dash and how it performs after the install of the Phatbox.

1. If you so desire, can you still play just a regular CD in the dash unit, even with the Phatbox installed?

2. When you choose to use the Phatbox, what shows up on the stock stereo units display? Does it just show a track number or does it actually show the artist/title playing? (I have a 2001 330ci...not sure if that makes a difference).

3. When searching for songs/artists, what exactly do they mean when it says it uses a "SSA/Voice Interface"? And there is mention of the fact that if you have an SSA compatible stereo you will not have text displayed on the stereo face. How do you determine what your stock stereo unit has/does not have?

Thanks in advance for reading this post (I know there are tons of Phatbox posts) and many thanks if you can provide me with some answers! :thumbup:

Thanks!

[·clyde·]

I know there are countless threads on this site but none have really addressed the questions I have with this unit, so I started a new thread hoping someone could shed some light on my questions.

My questions basically revolve around the stock stereo unit located in the dash and how it performs after the install of the Phatbox.

1. If you so desire, can you still play just a regular CD in the dash unit, even with the Phatbox installed?

2. When you choose to use the Phatbox, what shows up on the stock stereo units display? Does it just show a track number or does it actually show the artist/title playing? (I have a 2001 330ci...not sure if that makes a difference).

3. When searching for songs/artists, what exactly do they mean when it says it uses a "SSA/Voice Interface"? And there is mention of the fact that if you have an SSA compatible stereo you will not have text displayed on the stereo face. How do you determine what your stock stereo unit has/does not have?

Thanks in advance for reading this post (I know there are tons of Phatbox posts) and many thanks if you can provide me with some answers! :thumbup:

Thanks!

1) yes

2) two digit disc number and two digit track number. The way the PhatBox data cartridge (disk drive) is set up, it emulates separate CDs. Even though the display will only show 1-99 for discs and tracks, you can have thousands of "discs" (I think you can have 9,999, but I can't remember), each with thousands of tracks. The display just cuts off everything but the last two digits of each.

3) The PhatBox can't display text info on any BMW head unit. Some people have tried to hack around and get them to do so, but AFAIK, no one has had any success.

The SSA/Voice interface should be described somewhere on their website, but it's very simple and efficent to use in the real world. You use the buttons on the headunit and/or steering wheel like you would for a CD changer. As you "scroll" through "discs" (read: artists, albums, etc) it uses a text to speech converter to speak the names of whatever it is that you're sorting by. There are a couple different ways to do it and some people have created some pretty useful utilitites to make it even better (Terry Kennedy, a frequent poster here has been heavily involved in that effort).

Hope that makes some sense.

[Terry Kennedy]

Thanks in advance for reading this post (I know there are tons of Phatbox posts) and many thanks if you can provide me with some answers! :thumbup:Clyde pretty much covered it. If you're ever in the NYC area I could demo the unit for you. I'm also in eastern PA (Bath) occasionally if you wanted to meet somewhere around there.

[billybimmer]

The SSA/Voice interface should be described somewhere on their website, but it's very simple and efficent to use in the real world. You use the buttons on the headunit and/or steering wheel like you would for a CD changer. As you "scroll" through "discs" (read: artists, albums, etc) it uses a text to speech converter to speak the names of whatever it is that you're sorting by. There are a couple different ways to do it and some people have created some pretty useful utilitites to make it even better (Terry Kennedy, a frequent poster here has been heavily involved in that effort).

Hope that makes some sense.

All of this totally makes much more sense to me now...thanks!

One more quick question...that whole text to speech converter thing. Does it physically "speak" as your are searching??? For instance, if I was searching through the rock section (just an example), would a voice physically say "ROCK" through my stereo system??? Or am I totally reading this the wrong way? Would it do the same for artists/songs (i.e. "Beatles/Here Comes the Sun" which just happened to be the song on my radio right now) as they scrolled through them? Or, am I again, reading this totally wrong?

TIA :thumbup:

[flashinthepan]

Clyde has answered your questions,

I will add my opinion - I love it !! :thumbup:

I rip CD's into the DMS cartridge, I download from the new Napster and import the songs directly into the DMS cartridge, sound quality is great, navigation is far better than my old 6-cd player.

If there is competition it will be the new iPod set-up, from what I read it is plug & play in the trunk as well - along with factory controls etc.

I would buy the Phat-box again.

[billybimmer]

If you're ever in the NYC area I could demo the unit for you. I'm also in eastern PA (Bath) occasionally if you wanted to meet somewhere around there.

NYC might be a difficult one for me to pull off, but I would definitely be willing to meet you in Bath to check it out :thumbup: Let me know of any upcoming trips to Bath and I will try to coordinate meeting you!

Thanks for the info/feedback!

[Terry Kennedy]

One more quick question...that whole text to speech converter thing. Does it physically "speak" as your are searching??? For instance, if I was searching through the rock section (just an example), would a voice physically say "ROCK" through my stereo system??? Or am I totally reading this the wrong way? Would it do the same for artists/songs (i.e. "Beatles/Here Comes the Sun" which just happened to be the song on my radio right now) as they scrolled through them? Or, am I again, reading this totally wrong?Yes, though the actual voice is generated when you put music on the cartridge using your PC. It just plays back the generated speech in the car as needed.

Song titles are not generated / spoken by default (the defaults are artist / album / playlist / genre). But you can add song titles if you want.

To hear speech samples, look at my PhatVoice page (http://www.tmk.com/PhatVoice/) (click on "Pronunciation samples"). There are many aftermarket voices you can add (click on the "Welcome to the PhatNoise Car Audio System" on that same page).

[billybimmer]

To hear speech samples, look at my PhatVoice page (http://www.tmk.com/PhatVoice/) (click on "Pronunciation samples"). There are many aftermarket voices you can add (click on the "Welcome to the PhatNoise Car Audio System" on that same page).

That's just simply amazing!!! I think the idea of having someone talk to me through my stereo is just amazing. I might just buy it for that feature alone!

Thanks for the link Terry. :thumbup: That's unreal that you were able to do all of that with the Phatbox system.

:bow:

[billybimmer]

More questions...

Where do I find the wires to hook up my Phatbox in the trunk? I'm assuming that they are buried behind the left panel inside the trunk but just not sure what to be looking for :dunno:

Anyone help?

[Cliff]

More questions...

Where do I find the wires to hook up my Phatbox in the trunk? I'm assuming that they are buried behind the left panel inside the trunk but just not sure what to be looking for :dunno:

Anyone help?
http://www.coates3.com/docs/PN_Tech_Doc_2--BMW_3-Series_Install.pdf

[billybimmer]

http://www.coates3.com/docs/PN_Tech_Doc_2--BMW_3-Series_Install.pdf

But what if I don't currently have a CD changer installed in my car? I only have the stock head unit, no changer, no mounting brackets, no wiring for a changer. Do I need to order additional parts to hook up the Phatbox or can I locate the wires in that area and just "Plug & Play?"

Thanks!

[Cliff]

The car comes prewired for a CD changer so the wiring is there in the area depicted in the photo. It's behind the current trunk liner. This site (http://www.bmw325i.net/inst_mp3cd.shtml) has a good generic DIY on CD changer installation. You can order the install brackets and trunk liner, and back before Circle BMW "improved" their site, I could have provided you with part numbers pretty easily.

[billybimmer]

The car comes prewired for a CD changer so the wiring is there in the area depicted in the photo. It's behind the current trunk liner. This site (http://www.bmw325i.net/inst_mp3cd.shtml) has a good generic DIY on CD changer installation. You can order the install brackets and trunk liner, and back before Circle BMW "improved" their site, I could have provided you with part numbers pretty easily.

So if I remove the left panel and the floor panel in the trunk, I should be able to find the wires to hook up the Phatbox? I don't plan to mount the Phatbox in the same area where the CD changer is supposed to go so I don't think I'll need to do a lot of the modifications in that DIY for the CD changer. I plan to install the Phatbox where the rear speakers are located, right next to the realease to fold down the rear seats, with the use of some velcro.

[Cliff]

So if I remove the left panel and the floor panel in the trunk, I should be able to find the wires to hook up the Phatbox?
Yes

[billybimmer]

Yes

Cool :thumbup:

[flashinthepan]

Cool :thumbup:

If you dont feel like mounting the Phat-box "car-toys" will do it for around $40.00 its pretty straight forward.

[billybimmer]

If you dont feel like mounting the Phat-box "car-toys" will do it for around $40.00 its pretty straight forward.

Huh? :dunno:

[flashinthepan]

Huh? :dunno:

The install cost would be extremely low on this, I was quoted $40

[billybimmer]

The install cost would be extremely low on this, I was quoted $40

You're in Oregon, I'm in Philly :dunno:

Where were you quoted this price?

[flashinthepan]

You're in Oregon, I'm in Philly :dunno:

Where were you quoted this price?

I guess my point is...."if" you did not want to install yourself, you "could" have an audio installer do it for a fairly reasonable price. "Car toys" is an Car audio chain store, I just looked and they however are not in Philly. .

[billybimmer]

I guess my point is...."if" you did not want to install yourself, you "could" have an audio installer do it for a fairly reasonable price. "Car toys" is an Car audio chain store, I just looked and they however are not in Philly. .

Yeah, see, that doesn't really help me out all that much. I'm sure there is a place around here that I could have someone install it for me cheap. I'll have to look around.

[Terry Kennedy]

Yeah, see, that doesn't really help me out all that much. I'm sure there is a place around here that I could have someone install it for me cheap. I'll have to look around.It isn't hard to do the install yourself. The biggest issue is that the PhatBox doesn't match the size / shape / mounting holes of the BMW CD changer, so you will have to adapt it to fit. Ignoring the wagon for now (it has its own issues) you should be able to either mount it where the stock changer goes (by making up some brackets and - if your car didn't have the larger side panel for the NAV / CD / etc. - installing the larger side panel) or installing it somewhere else. The PhatBox has something like a 3-foot cord on it, so you have a pretty wide variety of choices. Note that if you take it to an installer, make sure to agree on exactly where you want them to put it, and be certain that they'll contact you first if for some reason they need to install it in a different spot. Otherwise you may be very upset when you see what they did (I've seen CD changers mounted in the middle of the trunk floor, for example :yikes: ).

In the wagon, it won't fit in the stock location due to how little space there is back there. I mounted mine on the outside of the left trim panel, which also allows me access to the DMS without disassembling the trunk (the wagon's side panel doesn't have a hatch, while the other models have one if the larger side panel is installed).

http://www.tmk.com/bmw/6F5S0475-s.jpg

http://www.tmk.com/bmw/6F5S0456-s.jpg

http://www.tmk.com/bmw/6F5S0468-s.jpg

http://www.tmk.com/bmw/6F5S0469-s.jpg

[billybimmer]

It isn't hard to do the install yourself. The biggest issue is that the PhatBox doesn't match the size / shape / mounting holes of the BMW CD changer, so you will have to adapt it to fit. Ignoring the wagon for now (it has its own issues) you should be able to either mount it where the stock changer goes (by making up some brackets and - if your car didn't have the larger side panel for the NAV / CD / etc. - installing the larger side panel) or installing it somewhere else. The PhatBox has something like a 3-foot cord on it, so you have a pretty wide variety of choices. Note that if you take it to an installer, make sure to agree on exactly where you want them to put it, and be certain that they'll contact you first if for some reason they need to install it in a different spot. Otherwise you may be very upset when you see what they did (I've seen CD changers mounted in the middle of the trunk floor, for example :yikes: ).

In the wagon, it won't fit in the stock location due to how little space there is back there. I mounted mine on the outside of the left trim panel, which also allows me access to the DMS without disassembling the trunk (the wagon's side panel doesn't have a hatch, while the other models have one if the larger side panel is installed).


Thanks for the tips/advice Terry! I think I'm going to install mine on the underside of the rear deck (where the backseat speakers are located) just so I don't have to worry about ripping apart my trunk and then trying to figure out how to put it back together. I was going to install it there with some velcro for easy install and removal. This way it's off the floor/side panels and won't be in the way of my everyday use of the trunk.

Terry, with having a wagon, don't you worry about someone seeing the exposed unit? That's the only thing that would scare me is that it's out there in the open for some punk to see and try to steal.

[Terry Kennedy]

Thanks for the tips/advice Terry! I think I'm going to install mine on the underside of the rear deck (where the backseat speakers are located) just so I don't have to worry about ripping apart my trunk and then trying to figure out how to put it back together. I was going to install it there with some velcro for easy install and removal. This way it's off the floor/side panels and won't be in the way of my everyday use of the trunk.If I understand you correctly, you want to suspend it via Velcro from the underside of the deck? I'd be careful as the PhatBox is quite heavy (it has a purely-decorative large metal casting w/ fins). Velcro might not be enough for it. I used "Extreme Velcro" which used to be available at Staples (but no longer) to mount my CPT8000 phone control module. I'd worry about a PhatBox even with that stuff, though.Terry, with having a wagon, don't you worry about someone seeing the exposed unit? That's the only thing that would scare me is that it's out there in the open for some punk to see and try to steal.The wagons have a "window shade" roller gizmo that normally covers the trunk area. You can see it (retracted) in this picture:

http://www.tmk.com/bmw/6F5S0474-s.jpg

[billybimmer]

If I understand you correctly, you want to suspend it via Velcro from the underside of the deck? I'd be careful as the PhatBox is quite heavy (it has a purely-decorative large metal casting w/ fins). Velcro might not be enough for it. I used "Extreme Velcro" which used to be available at Staples (but no longer) to mount my CPT8000 phone control module. I'd worry about a PhatBox even with that stuff, though.

Hmmm...I'll have to give some more thought to this. I was hoping to just get some Extreme Velcro (like the stuff used to hold your EZ Pass in place) and use that to hold the unit in place. I probably wouldn't want to drill into the underside of the deck for fear of damaging something. I'll have to think a little bit about alternate mounting methods...

[billybimmer]

I have another question...

Can you only play music that you download from your CD's to the DMS Cartridge? In other words, I can't download music from, say Napster and copy them to the DMS Cartridge? I can only use my own CD's?? :dunno:

[Terry Kennedy]

Can you only play music that you download from your CD's to the DMS Cartridge? In other words, I can't download music from, say Napster and copy them to the DMS Cartridge? I can only use my own CD's?? :dunno:The PhatBox will play music encoded with various techniques - MP3, Windows Media (some restrictions apply), FLAC, Ogg Vorbis (some restrictions apply) and possibly others. What it doesn't do is play copy-protected (DRM) media, except for Audible (books on tape, mostly) format.