mp3 compatibility

[redlester]

We've just taken delivery of a March 06 registered S40 1.6SE as a company car. It's fitted with the 6-CD changer, which seems to work very well. But I notice the Volvo accessories brochure (which the dealer provided us with) states that the 6-CD changer will also play CD's burned with mp3 files. I've tried this and it doesn't work! Is this only available on certain specific models?

[Bobster]

March '06 means MY'06, and sadly MP3 compatibility didn't come in until two months later, on MY'07 models. I've a MY'06 premium stereo including 6 CD changer, and no luck with MP3 CD's - so it's not 'model-specific (within the S40 range).
It's a bit of a pain, as there's no aux socket either.

Normal CD's it is I'm afraid......

Bob

[redlester]

March '06 means MY'06, and sadly MP3 compatibility didn't come in until two months later, on MY'07 models. I've a MY'06 premium stereo including 6 CD changer, and no luck with MP3 CD's - so it's not 'model-specific (within the S40 range).
It's a bit of a pain, as there's no aux socket either.

Normal CD's it is I'm afraid......

Bob

Boo! Dammit.
Can a newer unit be retrofitted by the dealer? At a price of course...

[Hashluck]

Has anyone been able to confirm that this works in 07MY cars?

Was it introduced at the same time as the Aux Input (ie. if a car has an aux input will it also play mp3 CDs). Any tips on burning mp3 CDs?

[webbie]

Has anyone been able to confirm that this works in 07MY cars?

Was it introduced at the same time as the Aux Input (ie. if a car has an aux input will it also play mp3 CDs). Any tips on burning mp3 CDs?

yes works fine for me on 07 V50 with the aux input.

I normally just burn my discs as music files so they will play on anything (.wav) but if I need to fit more songs on a disc (like a double album) I then burn them as mp3's (.mp3) and they play fine, plus I cant tell the difference between them.

Think the last one I did was Aerosmiths Greatest Hits (36 songs on 1 disc). The disc is fine but the music is ****

I usually use RealPlayer to burn my discs but sometime Windows Media Player 11 does it. I use Acoustica MP3 to WAV converter to convert them each way as required.

hope this helps

Webbie

[Hashluck]

I was thinking of putting as much of my music collection as possible on 6 CDs as mp3s and just leaving them in the changer.

This will give me more control than plugging an iPod or MP3 player into the aux input in that at least I can skip a track easily etc.

I have all my music as mp3s on my pc hard drvie already (have a Digital Jukebox on my S60) but I have just never made an mp3 CD before. Do I just make a 'data' disk?

[webbie]

Do I just make a 'data' disk?

yes MP3's are just data, like what the PC uses

I always burn my discs with all the artist name and song title etc so it scrolls across the stereo display.

you can also get bigger CD's so you can store even more on them.

I sometimes use 90 min discs (800mb) but maybe you can get bigger still. standard discs are 700mb (80 minutes).

good luck

Webbie

[Philip Fisher]

You guys mention an "Aux in". Any ideas if it possible to retro-fit to a 2006 MY V50 with standard sound system?

[36016v]

you could try an fm modulator if your looking for the hardwired route into the audio system, got one cheap on ebay then wired it to the ariel cables

this is a good guide

http://www.greggrocheford.com/volvo/audio_solution.html

[36016v]

ok heres an mp3 update for you with the s40/v50

I had a v50 06 plate today as a hire car while mines in for repairs, as soon as i saw the aux port my eyes lit up.

I spent saturday afternoon ripping the car to pieces and tracing stuff.

the aux port has three wires comming from it that go straight into the back of the media player module (6 disc changer)

http://img260.imageshack.us/img260/1496/v50008tt0.jpg

The black is an earth, the yellow is audio right and the unsheathed wire is audio left.

http://img260.imageshack.us/img260/4169/v50006hy4.jpg

these go into the back in a 14 way grey connector

there is also the airiel cables from the back of the car so either the afm tuner module is now integrated into the mpm or some other reason

http://img161.imageshack.us/img161/2788/v50005yc0.jpg

the lid off the cd changer unit shows the pin connecter on the pcb circled

here is a blown up photo of the pcb

http://img260.imageshack.us/img260/6404/v50015ra2.jpg

i will check my media player module on my s40 t5 when its back from the dealer and see if the pcb's are similar in any way, but it would appear that volvo are right and the newer mpm are wired differently, however it shouldnt be too hard to replicate the inputs in the grey connector to that of the combined most and power inputs on pre my07 models
heres a picky of the other input wires to the grey connector

http://img123.imageshack.us/img123/2066/v50007tm4.jpg

ill try and find out what the other three wires do before i hand the car back and what sort of voltages they carry

hope this helps people

[36016v]

ripped it apart again today
the yellow wire is audio right (position 9)
the unsheathed wire is the ground for the 3.5mm jack (position 14)
the black wire behind the unsheathed wire is audio left (posistion 7 on grey plug)
sorry for any confusion
the yellow and red (pos 1) and green and red (position 2) in the grey connector are 12v supplies
the black wire (pos 8) is an earth.

[JamboV50]

Hi,

Keep me informed with your findings, ive just bought a V50 and want to retro fit the Aux socket into mine.

Cheers

JamboV50