My new used car from 2005 has a CD that will not play an MP3 CD, but I
can buy an adapter that will add an AUX input and a USB input to the
radio. (Since the radio has a CD changer jack that is not in use, and
this is designed for that shape of jack.)

Long after I ordered one for $18, it suddenly dawned on me that if it
can't play an MP3 CD, it won't be able to play an MP3 file from a
USB-connected flashdrive. That's true, is it not????


It's amazing how long it took me to think of this problem, at least a
week.

In article , NONONOmisc07
@bigfoot.com says...

My new used car from 2005 has a CD that will not play an MP3 CD, but I
can buy an adapter that will add an AUX input and a USB input to the
radio. (Since the radio has a CD changer jack that is not in use, and
this is designed for that shape of jack.)

Long after I ordered one for $18, it suddenly dawned on me that if it
can't play an MP3 CD, it won't be able to play an MP3 file from a
USB-connected flashdrive. That's true, is it not????


It's amazing how long it took me to think of this problem, at least a
week.

I'd say it depends on the capabilities of this mysterious "adaptor".
What does it claim?

Mike.

micky wrote:

Long after I ordered one for $18, it suddenly dawned on me that if it
can't play an MP3 CD, it won't be able to play an MP3 file from a
USB-connected flashdrive.

The car radio won't see a USB device, it'll see an aux level analogue
input, hopefully the $18 device acts as an MP3 player with e.g. 1/8"
jack analogue output?

Got a link?

Andy Burns wrote:

Got a link?

Is it the "iTrip" equivalent you linked to up ^^^ there somewhere?

in which case you tune the radio's FM to the device, and the device acts
as a very small range transmitter.

In article ,
micky wrote:

My new used car from 2005 has a CD that will not play an MP3 CD, but I
can buy an adapter that will add an AUX input and a USB input to the
radio. (Since the radio has a CD changer jack that is not in use, and
this is designed for that shape of jack.)

Long after I ordered one for $18, it suddenly dawned on me that if it
can't play an MP3 CD, it won't be able to play an MP3 file from a
USB-connected flashdrive. That's true, is it not????


It's amazing how long it took me to think of this problem, at least a
week.

Unless your radio is used to control a number of features on the car
(such as in a VW, which yours isn't, since in 2005 VW CD players played
MP3s) then I'd go to someplace like crutchfield.com and buy a new radio
and spend the hour or so to put it in. (been there, done that). There's
probably even a video on youtube for your make and model of car showing
just how to do it.

--

micky wrote:

My new used car from 2005 has a CD that will not play an MP3 CD, but I
can buy an adapter that will add an AUX input and a USB input to the
radio. (Since the radio has a CD changer jack that is not in use, and
this is designed for that shape of jack.)

Long after I ordered one for $18, it suddenly dawned on me that if it
can't play an MP3 CD, it won't be able to play an MP3 file from a
USB-connected flashdrive. That's true, is it not????

It's amazing how long it took me to think of this problem, at least a
week.

Staying in touch with a particular phone operator at your provider's help desk is key. MP3 players (and now the cloud) sometimes don't do what they're not specifically programmed to do and help desks can go over that with you.
If you don't want to ask your phone or device service provider what kind of car radio you should have in your car, then you could always go to the junkyard and into a ruined car and take out a radio system that may still be good.

On 10/2/2017 8:59 PM, micky wrote:
My new used car from 2005 has a CD that will not play an MP3 CD, but I
can buy an adapter that will add an AUX input and a USB input to the
radio. (Since the radio has a CD changer jack that is not in use, and
this is designed for that shape of jack.)

Long after I ordered one for $18, it suddenly dawned on me that if it
can't play an MP3 CD, it won't be able to play an MP3 file from a
USB-connected flashdrive. That's true, is it not????


It's amazing how long it took me to think of this problem, at least a
week.

Are you talking about a specification of the player or an observed symptom?
Does the player play music CDs?
Have you cleaned the player lens?
Does your MP3 CD play in other players?
CD players are designed to ignore major flaws in the data stream
caused by dirt and scratches. Playing MP3s might not be that forgiving.

The automobile is a VERY hostile place for an optical drive.
It gets very hot and there's lots of plastic to outgas and land
on the laser system.


I bought a MP3 CD player for my car. Worked ok with pristine
CDs for about a year. Then it quit. I cleaned the lens system
and it worked for about another year. I gave up and plugged
a SD card into the slot and have been using that since.
The SD slot wouldn't play anything bigger than a 2GB card.

In sci.electronics.repair, on Tue, 3 Oct 2017 09:14:44 -0700 (PDT),
wrote:

micky wrote:

My new used car from 2005 has a CD that will not play an MP3 CD, but I
can buy an adapter that will add an AUX input and a USB input to the
radio. (Since the radio has a CD changer jack that is not in use, and
this is designed for that shape of jack.)

Long after I ordered one for $18, it suddenly dawned on me that if it
can't play an MP3 CD, it won't be able to play an MP3 file from a
USB-connected flashdrive. That's true, is it not????

It's amazing how long it took me to think of this problem, at least a
week.

Staying in touch with a particular phone operator at your provider's help desk is key. MP3 players (and now the cloud) sometimes don't do what they're not specifically programmed to do and help desks can go over that with you.
If you don't want to ask your phone or device service provider what kind of car radio you should have in your car, then you could always go to the junkyard and into a ruined car and take out a radio system that may still be good.


I'm not sure, but my impression is that in the US there aren't near as
many radios in junk cars as there used to be. At least not recent or
especially good ones, and maybe not any, because the I think the
internet has made selling them easier and more common, so instead of a
junkyard waiting until someone wants one and then going out to the yard
to get it, they remove them all. Maybe it's not a general thing and
just pertains to the yards I go to, though I think I noticed it there 10
years ago.

Has anyone else noticed one way or the other.


To Mark, I know that other radios are for sale, and I know how to
install one, but for 3 or 4 reasons I don't want to get one.

In sci.electronics.repair, on Tue, 03 Oct 2017 14:03:13 -0700, mike
wrote:

On 10/2/2017 8:59 PM, micky wrote:
My new used car from 2005 has a CD that will not play an MP3 CD, but I
can buy an adapter that will add an AUX input and a USB input to the
radio. (Since the radio has a CD changer jack that is not in use, and
this is designed for that shape of jack.)

Long after I ordered one for $18, it suddenly dawned on me that if it
can't play an MP3 CD, it won't be able to play an MP3 file from a
USB-connected flashdrive. That's true, is it not????


It's amazing how long it took me to think of this problem, at least a
week.

Are you talking about a specification of the player or an observed symptom?

The ad says it will fit my car,a 2005 Toyotal Solara, but it doesn't
actually say every part of it will work.

Does the player play music CDs?

Yes, it does fine.

Have you cleaned the player lens?

Isn't that hard to do with a car CD player? Anyhow, it plays audio CDs
so gure it's clean enough.

Plus the manual for the radio/CD doesn't use the word "MP3" once.
That's what really has me convinced.

Does your MP3 CD play in other players?

It plays in the computer. I only have one other CD/DVD player and I
haven't tried it there.

CD players are designed to ignore major flaws in the data stream
caused by dirt and scratches. Playing MP3s might not be that forgiving.

The automobile is a VERY hostile place for an optical drive.
It gets very hot and there's lots of plastic to outgas and land
on the laser system.


I bought a MP3 CD player for my car. Worked ok with pristine
CDs for about a year. Then it quit. I cleaned the lens system

I think I played an audio CD in it, but now I'm not so sure. (Only had
the car two weeks.)

and it worked for about another year. I gave up and plugged
a SD card into the slot and have been using that since.
The SD slot wouldn't play anything bigger than a 2GB card.

Thhat's not so small, And you can be loading one upstairs while playing
the other.

In article , NONONOmisc07
@bigfoot.com says...

Does the player play music CDs?

Yes, it does fine.

Note that the other variable with CDs is whether they are pressed pre-
recorded or writable ones written by you (which I would suspect if MP3).

So another combination to try is a writable CD with audio tracks rather
than MP3...

Mike.

In sci.electronics.repair, on Tue, 3 Oct 2017 09:04:30 +0100, Mike Coon
wrote:

In article , NONONOmisc07
says...

My new used car from 2005 has a CD that will not play an MP3 CD, but I
can buy an adapter that will add an AUX input and a USB input to the
radio. (Since the radio has a CD changer jack that is not in use, and
this is designed for that shape of jack.)

Long after I ordered one for $18, it suddenly dawned on me that if it
can't play an MP3 CD, it won't be able to play an MP3 file from a
USB-connected flashdrive. That's true, is it not????


It's amazing how long it took me to think of this problem, at least a
week.

I'd say it depends on the capabilities of this mysterious "adaptor".
What does it claim?

Hmmm. Same link as in other post:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Car-USB-Aux-...72.m2749.l2649


It doesn't really claim much: "Car USB Aux-in Adapter MP3 Player Radio
Interface For RAV4 Yaris Tundra Lexus"

I guess it's telling the truth: I will be able to connect a USB to the
radio, even if it won't do anything.

One guy says "Very good it's perfect for my yaris 2007."

But his radio is two years newer.

(The price went up to $20 since I bought it. )



Mike.

Hm.

In sci.electronics.repair, on Tue, 3 Oct 2017 12:01:29 +0100, Andy Burns
wrote:

micky wrote:

Long after I ordered one for $18, it suddenly dawned on me that if it
can't play an MP3 CD, it won't be able to play an MP3 file from a
USB-connected flashdrive.

The car radio won't see a USB device, it'll see an aux level analogue
input,

That's what I finally realized.

hopefully the $18 device acts as an MP3 player with e.g. 1/8"
jack analogue output?

I dont' expect that. I think I'll have to use an actual MP3 player,
which isn't so bad now that I'm used to the idea. I had a rental car
which played mp3's on flashdrives

Got a link?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Car-USB-Aux-...72.m2749.l2649

micky wrote:

Andy Burns wrote:

hopefully the $18 device acts as an MP3 player with e.g. 1/8"
jack analogue output?

I dont' expect that.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Car-USB-Aux-...72.m2749.l2649

The description implies the device *is* an MP3 player, just insert a
memory stick containing MP3 files into the USB socket, with track
selection controlled by the buttons on the radio that would normalluy
operate e.g. a CD multi-changer.

In sci.electronics.repair, on Thu, 5 Oct 2017 23:19:46 +0100, Mike Coon
wrote:

In article , NONONOmisc07
says...

Does the player play music CDs?

Yes, it does fine.

Note that the other variable with CDs is whether they are pressed pre-
recorded or writable ones written by you (which I would suspect if MP3).

So another combination to try is a writable CD with audio tracks rather
than MP3...

Will VLC and WMP and Real Player and the others do that?

There's no way to add audio tracks to a flash drive, rather than mp3, is
there?

Mike.

In article , NONONOmisc07
@bigfoot.com says...

So another combination to try is a writable CD with audio tracks
rather
than MP3...

Will VLC and WMP and Real Player and the others do that?

There's no way to add audio tracks to a flash drive, rather than mp3, is
there?


I was referring to playing CDs with a CD player. I thought that was
*part* of the scenario, but rather lost the context.

There are numerous coding formats for audio (e.g. OGG) and player apps
can each cope with a repertoire of them. VLC, in particular, plays *.ts
files that my digital TV set-top box records, after I've copied them to
my PC; both audio and video!

Mike.

In sci.electronics.repair, on Fri, 6 Oct 2017 08:03:31 +0100, Andy Burns
wrote:

micky wrote:

Andy Burns wrote:

hopefully the $18 device acts as an MP3 player with e.g. 1/8"
jack analogue output?

I dont' expect that.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Car-USB-Aux-...72.m2749.l2649

The description implies the device *is* an MP3 player, just insert a

Well, I hope so. It still hasn't come yet, but I have everything else I
need, including a thing the size of a cigarette lighter socket that
panel-mounts and has a 3.5mm jack and a USB jack. It'll go in a box in
the dash in front of the shifter. They sell one that has only the
3.5mm, but I'd already ordered this one before the problem occurred to
me.

memory stick containing MP3 files into the USB socket, with track
selection controlled by the buttons on the radio that would normalluy
operate e.g. a CD multi-changer.

That would be great. It's supposed to come within a week now and I
intend to let your and everyone here know

In sci.electronics.repair, on Fri, 6 Oct 2017 15:45:52 +0100, Mike Coon
wrote:

In article , NONONOmisc07
says...

So another combination to try is a writable CD with audio tracks
rather
than MP3...

Will VLC and WMP and Real Player and the others do that?

There's no way to add audio tracks to a flash drive, rather than mp3, is
there?


I was referring to playing CDs with a CD player. I thought that was
*part* of the scenario, but rather lost the context.

Right.

There are numerous coding formats for audio (e.g. OGG) and player apps
can each cope with a repertoire of them. VLC, in particular, plays *.ts
files that my digital TV set-top box records, after I've copied them to
my PC; both audio and video!

I"m reading the help-file for VLC right now. It looks like it will
create a .cda file from an .mp3 file, but so far I don't know how to
make more than one at a time. I'll figure it out.

Mike.