Setup for car
 

What would be the simplest way to get winamp user interface into a car setup at the lowest cost using a harddrive.
I only have a cd player/radio in the car at the moment.
In other words I would like to be able to search my whole database which would be on say an external hd under the seat for example and be able to play these songs.
Im curious how they do it these days.
Thanks in advance.

Winamp will only run on Windows systems, so you need a PC/Laptop or whatever. Additionally you need a converter for the power connector of the PC (e.g. 12V --> 220V in Europe).
But if it's worth to use PC hardware for Winamp in a car, is doubful. Sooner or later, your car batterie will die a slow and hard dead. ;)

The best and easiest solution is, if you simply buy a car radio, which has a USB conector, then you can contact the radio with an external drive. Good CD radios have a good working interface to access the files.

Thanks Koopa.
I thought I had seen Winamp mentioned a lot on car forums so I thought they were using it in their cars.
Second option sounds the simplest.
Thanks

OQO + 1TB external HDD :D

Some of the newer head units have slots for SD Cards. This makes it easy to load up a few SD Cards with different play lists and keep 'em in a wallet in the car.

Being a cheapskate, I actually use an FM Modulator with an SD Card slot. This plays my MP3s out via FM to any car stereo tuned to that same FM station. Means you can have expensive speakers and a cheap head unit. The down side of this method is the track name display is way to small to read while driving.

http://www.svp.co.uk/electronics/dig...tail-unit.html

Thanks Batter. Thats a real cheap alternative. Get a good sized usb and you are all set.
Easy.
Do these things work well.
I see them on Ebay for as little as $20...?

Mine has very worked well. But is not perfect.

Pros include not having expensive equipment in the car to get nicked.

I have jumped in and out of numerous cars - including my mate's and hire cars - and been able to tune in the device to a free FM frequency, and then tune the stereo to match.

I find a higher frequency is better as one car had electrical noise that was also being picked up.

The remote control is useful, especially if you memorise where your favourite albums start. My remote is attached to the dash with velcro.

Cons include not being able to count beyond 255 tracks. It will play the tracks 256 and above, but when you stop the car it can't remember where it was last playing once it has got past 255. (That is 20 odd albums though)

And the tiny display is unreadable when driving. Especially when ciggie lighter is low on the dash or the sun catches it.

This means it is best used with a handful of SD Cards stored in a wallet. I use 1GB and 2GB cards as they are again cheap. Putting stickers on my SD Cards to identify them. No car journey has been longer that a card's contents yet :) Easy to swap while driving

Winamp is great for setting the cards up. Especially as my music collection is stored as FLAC on the server. Winamp's ability to convert on the fly is perfect for filling the cards up with MP3s.

Another oddity of the cheap device is it will play tracks in the order you copy them onto the device. So care needs to be taken at transfer time.


All of those cons can be bypassed if you have an MP3 player you can attach to the side of the device through that headphone lead. Or if your mate jumps in the car with his iPod and wants to play some tracks.


Summary? Can't beat it for the price.

Yep its a no brainer.
Just bought this one
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI....=STRK:MEWNX:IT
and an 8gb usb flash drive.

I plan on just throwing a heap of music randomly onto the drive.
By the sound of it I may have to rename them with random numbers to do that eg
001 Cat Stevens - Where Do The Children Play etc etc.
Appreciate the tip once again.
Looking forward to cheaply playing a lot of music in my car and being able to easily change the music too without worrying about reburning cd's or skipping tracks.
All good.

That looks like the same thing to me. Or a newer model if you are lucky.

You don't rename your tracks. Just transfer them in the order you want them. So get your playlist setup in Winamp in order, and let winamp copy the tracks on to the USB flash drive in that order. The device then displays the MP3 tags when playing.

Keep your eyes peeled for deals on "stock clearances" on small 1GB and 2GB cards. These are ideal for playlists to be kept in the car for different moods. Too many tracks on one flash drive can be hard to navigate through. (Hint - type a cheat sheet to yourself to remind yourself where certain albums are for quick changes with the remote)

SD Cards work best as they slot INTO the device neatly. A USB flash drive sticks out, and in my car the ciggie lighter is very low, but the hinge in the device allows a lot of positioning options.

Stash your SD Cards in one of these: http://cgi.ebay.com.au/Gr-Case-Bag-W...item4aa2c535d6


There is also volume on the remote. As well a a few "combo-button" presses which can change a basic equaliser on the device itself.

Great system there! Thanks Batter.
I might post an update here when I am all setup.
Thanks again for your efforts.
:-)

FM transmitter are a good solution too, but some of them have a terrible quality and you always have radio quality only.

My previous solution (before I had cd radio with USB) was simply too. I used a Y cabled, 2 connectors came in the line in of my radion and the small connector I could put in the headphone connector of my mp3 player and mobile phone.

Well I got this little baby and a usb delivered to my door from Ebay within 2 days.
2 min setup.
Loaded 100 tracks onto my new 8gb usb and it worked straight up.
After tweaking the volume (It was down a bit low by default) and discovering that the unit has 5 eq presets, I know have it flying along.
I hear you Koopa.
I would say the quality is down on cd but almost same as fm radio, definitely not am quality on this one.
Incredible value at 19 bucks.
If it breaks in 12 mths I will look for a better quality one maybe, but for now I am very happy.
It even has a remote control. Pretty amazing.
If you are looking for a cheap solution then this is recommended.
If you want audiophile quality in the car maybe not, but I am fairly critical and for me in the car with traffic noise etc its just fine.
No real noise or hiss to worry about from the unit itself.
The only down side is no shuffle but it does remember last song played when you fire it up again so sort of continuous play.
***** stars from Pete

Yeah - I agree that the "FM Quailty" is fine with all the road noise of a car. And it is playing MP3s which are not exactly audiophile quality. ;)

It is just a really neat little solution. And fits into a pocket. and a total bargain at that price. The kind of price that does not matter if it gets nicked. :D


I forgot one other niggle with my device. Sometimes I find if I drive somewhere. Then jump back in the car ten mins later, my device does not always fire up again correctly. I have to pull it out of ciggie socket, pop SD Card out, then pop it back in. The classic "Turn-it-off-and-back-on-again" fix.

What do you want for 20 bucks Batter?
:-)
Thanks again for your help.
I am wondering if the more expensive in these are actually better quality or not.
See how this goes anyway.

Exactly - at "20 bucks" (or 5 of the Queen's Pounds Sterling...) this is perfect.

I would be disappointed if it didn't have some quirks for me to live with. It gives it character. :D


Surely any "FM Transmitter" can never transmit better than FM quality by definition? Koopa's method of splicing into the line-in on his head unit gets round that by feeding higher quality direct into his head unit. But that means he has a line in available... but my head unit is so old it still has the tape deck. :D