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MkII Mobile Device Interface (MDI)... IPods basically!!


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I may be jumping the gun quite a bit, but having had a look at the new brochure I think you still retain the mini-jack socket in the jumbo box, but they appear to have put the Ipod hookup in the glovebox.

Now, having seen it, i'm willing to bet that some bright spark will try retro fitting it to a mkII as it all looks very neat and 'just-cut-a-hole-to-fit-itable'. What are general opinions on this? Anyone else itching to see what the unit looks like, cos i'd LOVE to see if this is retro fittable to the MkII with the help of Mr Stanley Knife and the right cabling? I guess it would invlolve a newer headunit but it'd be worth it if you can control your ipod via the stereo/MF steering wheel at last.

:thumbup::D

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I may be jumping the gun quite a bit, but having had a look at the new brochure I think you still retain the mini-jack socket in the jumbo box, but they appear to have put the Ipod hookup in the glovebox.

Now, having seen it, i'm willing to bet that some bright spark will try retro fitting it to a mkII as it all looks very neat and 'just-cut-a-hole-to-fit-itable'. What are general opinions on this? Anyone else itching to see what the unit looks like, cos i'd LOVE to see if this is retro fittable to the MkII with the help of Mr Stanley Knife and the right cabling? I guess it would invlolve a newer headunit but it'd be worth it if you can control your ipod via the stereo/MF steering wheel at last.

:thumbup::D

I think it's retrofittable but as you've written, it needs a new headunit which supports the MDI. Swing, Bolero, Amundsen and Columbus are all ok. Older Stream, Audience or Nexus won't work.

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For the columbus HU, and ipod control I believe you need to have the newer revision 'B' unit. The MDI does work with the more common revision 'A', but a member on vwnavi.com has foun that its not possible to control an Ipod with a revision 'A' columbus but there is nothing stopping you buying a 320GB 2.5" portable drive and plugging that into the the MDI usb port.

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If you buy the Dension 100, or 200, iPOD gateway units (and the 100 is sold as an OE accessory by Skoda) it works with Stream HUs. If you have Maxidot it then also displays in that too. It replaces the CD changer input and gives you the iPOD controls through that, though you can purchase an adaptor to keep the changer too. The 100 has an iPOD dock lead, the 200 allows other inputs too, such as USB. Longer dock leads are available, any of these could be fitted int he glovebox (indeed that is where the Skoda accessory brochure showed it for the Mkll, haven't looked recently - but go on to the online brochure and the adaptor is definitely listed, for Maxidot, or without it.

I am not certain, but fairly sure, that the new Octavias, that have the iPOD plug standard, simply have the Dension adaptor factory fitted as it is still an option and an accessory!

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If you buy the Dension 100, or 200, iPOD gateway units (and the 100 is sold as an OE accessory by Skoda) it works with Stream HUs. If you have Maxidot it then also displays in that too. It replaces the CD changer input and gives you the iPOD controls through that, though you can purchase an adaptor to keep the changer too. The 100 has an iPOD dock lead, the 200 allows other inputs too, such as USB. Longer dock leads are available, any of these could be fitted int he glovebox (indeed that is where the Skoda accessory brochure showed it for the Mkll, haven't looked recently - but go on to the online brochure and the adaptor is definitely listed, for Maxidot, or without it.

I am not certain, but fairly sure, that the new Octavias, that have the iPOD plug standard, simply have the Dension adaptor factory fitted as it is still an option and an accessory!

The MDI is different. New Octavias don't have any adapters standard. The Aux in is just a small 3.5mm stereo jack. You can connect any device that has aux output on them. MF or radio doesn't control Aux in devices.

You cannot get mp3 id tags to work using Dension adapters. They need CD-Text capable HU. Stream doesn't support that.

They work as cd-changer emulators nothing else. But if mp3 id tag is not necessary, then Dension, Kufatec's digital music interface or something similar is suitable. These devices usually have some limitations. 6 folders and 99 tracks on each folder.

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Downtime - right and WRONG!

See ?koda Accessories

It shows track info and works with Stream radios, but the display only on the MaxiDot. Look also at Dension website for specs and HU compatibility.

The new Octavia does not have the MDI in any models as standard, but it is a factory fit option with e requirement to buy the appropriate leads (iPOD, MP3 etc). My guess therefore is that it is the Dension 200. New Octavia HUs (except S) can work the adaptor without the need for the MaxiDot MFD

So if you have the Octavia Mkll you can have the same interface, without track listings, by fitting the Dension 100, or 200 and IF you have MaxiDot then you get the listsings too

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Dension stuff is no good with the Audience HU though, and i'm not gonna buy a new HU for a '58 Octy just yet!

Hopefully when the warranty is up, I'll be able to get a set up to work an iPod from the stereo & steering wheel. Mind you, I need to buy an iPod first! If the car could work one without having to p*ss about on the iPod itself while you're driving i'd have got one at the same time. Seems like such an obvious trick to miss from Skoda, but i've no doubt that it wasn't included so it didn't upstage the Golf.

Boooo:finger:

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WHOA! Just clicked on the link showing the Dension Gateway 100 and unless my eyes are deceiving me it say you can use it with the Audience H/U and MF steering wheel.

Now, I'm either missing something or i've misunderstood for a while; can you stick this on the Audience H/U to get an iPod to work from the radio controls or not? I'm not really bothered about losing the mini-jack socket in the jumbo box if it is possible, as I know there's no aux socket because the cd changer is internal so can someone clear this up??

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That's what I thought. I went to the dealer today and they printed me off the installation manual for the Gateway 100 which shows that on the back of the h/u there's a blue quadlock connector in between the two isoblock connectors for the mains wiring and speaker wiring (if I could put a pic on I would).

Apparently, the wiring connector just replaces that and they said gives you full control via the steering wheel/radio. Is this the connector that everyone says has nothing running behind it and is useless?

If it comes out okay, I got the picture from a post from Vimto2000 from the following post http://briskoda.net/ice-security-insurance/skoda-audience-installation/92953/. I don't know if this is what the back of my 4 month old Audience looks like (someone mentioned they changed the Audience design a while ago), but the installation pic from Skoda shows a block in the area highlighted. However, there's nothing in the picture i've supplied so it's all a bit confusing. They said they'd gotten the old system to be fully functioning with Maxidot before, the only problem they had was that Skoda changed two wires round on the manufacture of the stereo without telling them so it took them a while to work out why the radio suffered from interferrence.

26505.attach

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Downtime - right and WRONG!

See ?koda Accessories

It shows track info and works with Stream radios, but the display only on the MaxiDot. Look also at Dension website for specs and HU compatibility.

The new Octavia does not have the MDI in any models as standard, but it is a factory fit option with e requirement to buy the appropriate leads (iPOD, MP3 etc). My guess therefore is that it is the Dension 200. New Octavia HUs (except S) can work the adaptor without the need for the MaxiDot MFD

So if you have the Octavia Mkll you can have the same interface, without track listings, by fitting the Dension 100, or 200 and IF you have MaxiDot then you get the listsings too

Has anybody here actually got the Dension 100 with the Stream or Stream MP3 radios and maxidot? I am dubious about the displaying of track info on maxidot, as it isn't explicitly stated anywhere (everytime it states depending on HU)...

:confused:

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This is the picture from Skoda's installation manual, apologies for the picture quality, but you get the idea. Next to it, it says:

'Remove the Quad lock connector to gain access to port "C". Fit gateway connector in port "C" as in FIGURE "B".

So where on the schematic diagram is that blue connector actually plugging in to??

26509.attach

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Yeah, I don't know where the cd changer position is exactly on the back of the audience. Looking at the picture I have, there appears to be two isoblocks above the blue block and a bundle of wires below making me presume there is another isoblock underneath it. If that's the case, I can't see where the connector you replace is on the back. The schematic only shows the two above and one below, not one in the middle which the picture seems to imply.

I'm obviously missing something, just can't see what. I'm having to make it out of various pictures. In my head it looks like the schematic/previous pictures apply to the old Audience and the new one has an extra block: the block you plug the Dension into. Look at where the red arrow points to on the Skoda/Dension picture.

??

You might need to walk me through how you're looking at this. If all those wires under the blue block attach INTO that block, when you take it out to replace it with tha Dension won't they make the ones you just took out redundant? Or is that the block that everyone says actually does b*gger all (cos there's no changer needed)?

Edited by blackspaven
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I think you are trying to over complicate it. Quadlock is a new type of connector that differs from ISO.

I googled it for you and came up with some images that I hope will make it become clearer.

Passat World Forums - View Single Post - Toureg MFD2 RNS DVD navi into Passat

VWvortex Forums: VW OEM Ipod Interface install

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Gotcha. The bit that confused me was the wires didn't look like they were connected to the blue block: they looked like they were in a seperate block you couldn't see underneath.

So. Given that the Audience doesn't need a CD Changer quad block and that it sounds from what everyone says that it's redundant even thought the pins are physically there, I wonder if there have been any changes to the unit design to make them active? The dealer says they've only changed to the Dension unit in the past month or so, but whatever system they sold beforehand they said they got to work, utlising MaxiDot and everything. Everything you want it to do really. It's just confusing the hell out of me.

I'd like to get it and feel i'd be more than confident enough to fit it, but with all that's been said, it seems safer to get the dealer to fit it at the cost of £100 (!) so that if/when it doesn't work I can just get my money back. However, i'm guessing they'd need to replace part or all the dash as well as they said they usually install it in the top cubby-hole as opposed to the glovebox. Drill into that and i'm guessing you can't just change that bit?!

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Yeah, that's what I thought it was (under closer inspection!). And that obviously says 'Stream Only' for the reasons I gave above. Unless, again as above, they've for some reason changed the way it's wired, and that ain't gonna become obvious unless someone's actually seen one I guess!

Hrumph!!:mad:

The replacement block that comes with the Dension looks like the picture from the ones you linked which i've placed below. The two Dension wires come out from the black bit where the blokes thumb is. It looks like it piggy backs on the side but according to the schematic that doesn't link it correctly to anything relevant to get it to work. Even www.incaripod.com sells them stating that it fits the Audience to make it even more contentious, the b*stards!

I think i'll give up!:(

26515.attach

Edited by blackspaven
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To be honest, I have had an ipod in my Mazda 6 for years and it killed its battery being on charge all the time. I now have a Ipod Touch and sit it in the drink holders or jumbo box and use the aux in jack. That way I can use the full interface of the ipod and not ******ised versions. I can also control when it gets charged or not.

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Has anybody here actually got the Dension 100 with the Stream or Stream MP3 radios and maxidot? I am dubious about the displaying of track info on maxidot, as it isn't explicitly stated anywhere (everytime it states depending on HU)...

:confused:

I'm also a little skeptical about the track info. They've clearly stated it at some point on Dension's web site that the track info needs cd-text support from HU. Stream doesn't have it. The Dension 100 plugs into the cdchanger port behind the head unit so that requirement makes sense.

The only car where the track name listing works is Audi with MMI. (I've seen it work).

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