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iPod A few questions regarding shuffles and ipods

jkelly888

jkelly888

macrumors regular
Original poster
Oct 29, 2005
184
0
pluto
i'll add the last question after i scan in something that pertains to the last Question

1. can the ipod shuffle do line out thru the usb port? or just charge and update?
2. what parts of a usb port go into chargeing a shuffle?
3. Can i use an AC power adapter that apple makes with a usb hub or something to the like with 2 ipods? (a shuffle and a video)
4. is the electrical lay out diagram in the upper left correctly layed out? it'll change if the shuffle can't use line out feature of the docking ipod.


dockplans2.jpg
 
panoz7

panoz7

macrumors 6502a
Nov 21, 2005
904
1
Raleigh, NC
jkelly888 said:
1. can the ipod shuffle do line out thru the usb port? or just charge and update?

3. Can i use an AC power adapter that apple makes with a usb hub or something to the like with 2 ipods? (a shuffle and a video)
]
Click to expand...

I use a powered USB hub to charge my iPod. It works just like my apple firewire charger but lets me keep the iPod plugged into the computer whenever my laptop is on the desk. I've charged two iPod's simotaneously with it.

I'm pretty sure the shuffle can do line out thru the usb port... I remember seeing an FM modulator for the shuffle that plugged into the usb port, so there must be some sort of way to get audio out of it. Its probably alot more expensive then just using two cables...

I can't comment on the electrical diagrams. I was a little confused. Why are you trying to have two ipods hooked up to a stereo at the same time? Sorry if I misunderstood what you drew.

Good Luck.
 
jkelly888

jkelly888

macrumors regular
Original poster
Oct 29, 2005
184
0
pluto
panoz7 said:
I use a powered USB hub to charge my iPod. It works just like my apple firewire charger but lets me keep the iPod plugged into the computer whenever my laptop is on the desk. I've charged two iPod's simotaneously with it.

I'm pretty sure the shuffle can do line out thru the usb port... I remember seeing an FM modulator for the shuffle that plugged into the usb port, so there must be some sort of way to get audio out of it. Its probably alot more expensive then just using two cables...

I can't comment on the electrical diagrams. I was a little confused. Why are you trying to have two ipods hooked up to a stereo at the same time? Sorry if I misunderstood what you drew.

Good Luck.
Click to expand...
is the usb hub seperately powered?

i saw these speakers that someone makes that have a shuffle plug into it and have a plug comeing out of it that plugs into the headphone port. you'd think that a company that mass produces stuff for it would use what is could and such.

heres how the diagram works. i'm planning on using this as a dock for my ipod and soon to be ipod shuffle. the switch in the middle switches between whether i'm planning on useing the ipod dock connecter and the usb port to either connect to the comp or play thru my stereo. when one is not doing either of the two, the dock charges it.
 
Revlimit Punk

Revlimit Punk

macrumors regular
Jan 8, 2006
166
0
Italy
jkelly888 said:
is the usb hub seperately powered?

heres how the diagram works. i'm planning on using this as a dock for my ipod and soon to be ipod shuffle. the switch in the middle switches between whether i'm planning on useing the ipod dock connecter and the usb port to either connect to the comp or play thru my stereo. when one is not doing either of the two, the dock charges it.
Click to expand...
Some usb hubs are powered by an external ac adapter while some others are bus powered, which means that they are sharing the power coming from the usb port they are connected to (in your case that would be the apple adapter usb)

Wouldn't it be easier to leave the ipods both connected to the computer and then have a switch on your hi-fi to switch between one and the other?
Also i don't get why you would want to use the ipod line out when you could connect the computer itself to the hifi and browse through your songs at a faster pace with iTunes.
 
jkelly888

jkelly888

macrumors regular
Original poster
Oct 29, 2005
184
0
pluto
Revlimit Punk said:
4. It looks confusing to me, what is the goal?
Click to expand...

the goal is to have a homemade dock that i can dock my ipod on and my soon to be shuffle. with this, it would alway be hooked up to my computer and my stereo. the middle switch (between the two circles) controls whether the usb for the shuffle is used or whether the dock connecter port is used. the switches determines whether it communicates with my stereo to play music or to my computer to update. when the stereo part is selected, or when the middle switch is not on that port, if it has an ipod in it, it charges it. i hope thats clear.

Revlimit Punk said:
Some usb hubs are powered by an external ac adapter while some others are bus powered, which means that they are sharing the power coming from the usb port they are connected to (in your case that would be the apple adapter usb)

Wouldn't it be easier to leave the ipods both connected to the computer and then have a switch on your hi-fi to switch between one and the other?
Also i don't get why you would want to use the ipod line out when you could connect the computer itself to the hifi and browse through your songs at a faster pace with iTunes.
Click to expand...
i have one powered by the bus.
the comp i'm gonna be using in my room has one usb hub and is really slow (windows). if by hifi, you mean the new apple hifi, i dun have one but if your talking about my stereo, its pretty old. so since my comp is really slow, using the ipod itself would be quicker
 
C

ChrisA

macrumors G5
Jan 5, 2006
12,581
1,695
Redondo Beach, California
[

1. can the ipod shuffle do line out thru the usb port? or just charge and update?

It would be a non-standard USB port if it carried an
analog signal on one of the pins. I'm pretty sure
that the iPod looks exactly lke any other USB mass
storage device.

2. what parts of a usb port go into chargeing a shuffle?

USB has a protocol it uses. A device when plugged it
"asks" for a certain amount of power, the USB hub
decides if that is available or not and grants or
rejects the request. Only after the grant is the USB
device alowed to draw more than a very nominal
amount of power. Basically an iPOd will not
charge itself unless it is told buy the USB hub
that it may do so. The iPod could possaby
make a second request for less power but I have
no idea if they are so sophiticated. I doubt it

3. Can i use an AC power adapter that apple makes with a usb hub or something to the like with 2 ipods? (a shuffle and a video)

Most powered USB hubs do have enough power to
charge two iPods
 
Revlimit Punk

Revlimit Punk

macrumors regular
Jan 8, 2006
166
0
Italy
ChrisA said:
Basically an iPOd will not
charge itself unless it is told buy the USB hub
that it may do so.
Click to expand...
What are your sources?
The ipod will accept the current coming from the usb port in any case unless it is damaged or it isn't in the acceptable volt range.
The fact that an usb controller won't allow a device to draw too much power is another matter entirely. It's the controller that asks the device how much is its consumption before giving it the power it requires. If you give the iPod power through a usb connector, it will charge just fine.
 
panoz7

panoz7

macrumors 6502a
Nov 21, 2005
904
1
Raleigh, NC
Ok... i sort of get what you're doing now. I still don't entirelly understand why you would want to listen to the shuffle on the stereo when you have a normal ipod with presumably the same songs on it already. That doesn't matter though... I'm sure you've got good reasons. Anyway, my hub is the powered kind, and it has been able to supply enough power to sync / charge two ipods and run an external bus powered harddrive all at the same time. I love it.

Now, regarding the line out through the USB port... can someone please explain how this thing works?

http://www.xtrememac.com/audio/wireless/airplay_shuffle.php

It's getting the audio somehow. Unless its clever enough to somehow get songs off the shuffle and decode them through the usb port I don't see how it could work. Is it possible that this is a special USB port that does have an analog component in it somewhere?
 
panoz7

panoz7

macrumors 6502a
Nov 21, 2005
904
1
Raleigh, NC
"The transmitter also doesn't produce a true line signal, so volume is still controlled by shuffle's own controls (audio accessories that plug into 3G/4G and mini iPods produce higher-quality line-out signals that bypass iPod's volume controls), though this is likely due to the shuffle itself and not AirPlay."

Just found that in a review of that airplay thing. It seems as if there must be something in the usb port that is transmiting the same audio that's coming out of the head phone port.
 
Revlimit Punk

Revlimit Punk

macrumors regular
Jan 8, 2006
166
0
Italy
panoz7 said:
Now, regarding the line out through the USB port... can someone please explain how this thing works?

http://www.xtrememac.com/audio/wireless/airplay_shuffle.php

It's getting the audio somehow. Unless its clever enough to somehow get songs off the shuffle and decode them through the usb port I don't see how it could work. Is it possible that this is a special USB port that does have an analog component in it somewhere?
Click to expand...
I've done a bit of research and yes you are absolutely right, it turns out that the shuffle connector is not a standard one. I was basing my statements on the tech specs at apple.com, sorry for the misinformation.
If anybody wants to take a look, here is the connector of the iPod Shuffle:
http://www.chipmunk.nl/ipod/ipodshuffle-2.html
 
jkelly888

jkelly888

macrumors regular
Original poster
Oct 29, 2005
184
0
pluto
panoz7 said:
Now, regarding the line out through the USB port... can someone please explain how this thing works?

http://www.xtrememac.com/audio/wireless/airplay_shuffle.php

It's getting the audio somehow. Unless its clever enough to somehow get songs off the shuffle and decode them through the usb port I don't see how it could work. Is it possible that this is a special USB port that does have an analog component in it somewhere?
Click to expand...
i dunno. i figure it'd be more simple (can't spell plural of easy for beans) to just use the usb for charging and docking
 
Revlimit Punk

Revlimit Punk

macrumors regular
Jan 8, 2006
166
0
Italy
panoz7 said:
"The transmitter also doesn't produce a true line signal, so volume is still controlled by shuffle's own controls (audio accessories that plug into 3G/4G and mini iPods produce higher-quality line-out signals that bypass iPod's volume controls), though this is likely due to the shuffle itself and not AirPlay."

Just found that in a review of that airplay thing. It seems as if there must be something in the usb port that is transmiting the same audio that's coming out of the head phone port.
Click to expand...
I found another product that seems similar, here is the review:
http://www.ilounge.com/index.php/reviews/comments/dlo-transpod-for-ipod-shuffle-ipod/
 
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