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FM transmitter that works with iphone and ipod classic

lindsayanng

lindsayanng

macrumors 68000
Original poster
May 4, 2008
1,515
1
East Haven, CT
I know that SOME items dont work with the iphone (i have 2G) and the ipods.. so i was looking for a transmitter that will work with both my iphone and soon to be ipod classic.

I also was going to buy TWO, one for my and my 2 devices, and one for my husband and his two devices (iphone 2G and ipod video)

THANKS
 
is it me or does that image if the mangled mess of cables stuffed into the console. I really would LIKE to have a dock style one that goes in the vent or on top of the dash or something.. But i am not going to drop 79.99 on the intellitune if it will only work with one or another
 
I have a Belkin FM transmitter that seems to be working (I was previously using it with an older iPod). It says "accessory not supported" when I plug the iPhone in, but the music plays and it also charges my iPhone.
 
DLO Transdock works with both. Interestingly, when I connected my iPhone to it today, I got an error message (it's never done that before). Nevertheless, it worked fine.
 
anthony, i emailed the supplies of the DLO and they said it is NOT compatable with the iphone. The reason that error pops up but the phone still works is an amperage issue (i believe) the items that pop up that error are actually trying to pull more juice out of the iphone than one made for an actual iphone, which will burn out the connector, circuit boards, and the battery..

I will not use something that give you that error for that reason.. so i am looking for something that is COMPATABLE for both.. without the error/
 
lindsayanng said:
anthony, i emailed the supplies of the DLO and they said it is NOT compatable with the iphone. The reason that error pops up but the phone still works is an amperage issue (i believe) the items that pop up that error are actually trying to pull more juice out of the iphone than one made for an actual iphone, which will burn out the connector, circuit boards, and the battery..

I will not use something that give you that error for that reason.. so i am looking for something that is COMPATABLE for both.. without the error/
Click to expand...

Wow, thanks for the information! I didn't know that. I wonder why the error just popped up today, though. I've used the phone with the dock about five times before. :(
 
well, that is what i BELIEVE to be true, it is MOST definitely true for the chargers that pop up that warning, and talking to my electrical engineers at my office, they seem to think the same. It is NOT a good idea to ignore that warning in my opinion..

BUT this makes it REALLY hard to find one that i LIKE..

basically, with amperage, if you have too much, you will fry it, but too little will either make it not work at all, or will be ok. So if you get a FM transmitter for an iphone, as long as it works, it will be safe to use on the ipod, but NOT the other way around..

The VOLTAGE is the same, because you really cant change cvoltage and make it work in a car, because you only have ONE option for the volts which is 12 volts from the car which is ok.. but then, with the chargers for the newer iphone, they need only 5 volts, so they need to use the firewire charger to control the volts too
 
just wanted to let those know who MIGHT be following this thread

I found THIS charger/dock.fm transmitter which is AWESOME for my needs, but if you have a 3G iphone (which is 5volt) then you can use it ONLY as a dock and fm transmitter but NOT as a charger because it the wrong kind of cable.

But its a good deal if you ask me. I am going to buy it tomorrow if myself (or anyone else) doesnt come up with something better
 
I bought a Belkin Tunebase after reading a review that said it worked great with the 3G (in the store on my phone, man I love this thing). It did seem to work well, but I was getting that error the two times that I used it. I have to say that using Pandora in the car was awesome. The third time I plugged in my phone it would not start. At all. I tried it a every once in a while for about an hour or so, until it finally started back up. Needless to say the tunebase is going back as soon as I finish work today, and after reading the post above about voltage and what not, I'm not buying any more accessories that do not officially support the iphone. Am I correct in thinking that the iphone (1st gen) and the iPhone 3G have the same voltage/amperage req? Or do I need to be wary of products that support the original iphone as well? Does that mean that if I get a generic DC to USB (something like this) that I should be careful about the voltage/amperage?
 
Supposedly the f8z183 version of the belkin tunebase fm works with the iPhone 3g. Someone posted that they had it and that it works completely with the 3g. I ordered one and it should be shipping today. It specifically says it works with the iPhone, unlike the Belkin Tunebase above which is made for the iPod only. Look for model F8Z183,it is the newest version. It's sold by Apple (delayed 6-8 weeks), jr.com (status went to backorder today), buy.com (in stock last I checked), and Amazon (again in stock last I checked). It's a very difficult model to find as almost no one carries it, but it's supposed to work flawlessly with the iPhone 3G (as reported by another forum poster).

I ordered mine from jr.com when it was on preorder with them, they ran out of stock quickly,but they said my order shipped today.

Search for the model number on the forums to find the threads where the guy posted about how it works with the iPhone 3G.
 
actually, the iphone 2G CAN run on 12Volts and not get fried, it is the 3G that people are really getting screwed..

basically, with the 2G iphone, you have an amperage problem, but like i explained above, it is the 'doable" type of problem where it just wouldnt WORK if it was wrong, and since it is working, it is not doing damage.. the 2G gives that error because the amperage is supposed to be too LOW (but its not too low to the point of it not working, so it works and is safe for the most part)

The 3G is the ONLY one that requires the 5volt power charger, so with the 3G you REALLY have to get the one FOR THE 3G
 
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