There have been a few out there that have been talking about rebuilding some B&O equipment to take an iPod or integrate their iPod in the Beo system some other way.  Has anyone done anything yet?

 I have been making a PCB (for other purposes really) that could be useful for this (the board below has a lot of connectors not needed).  With the optional chip and IR receiver, you can control the iPod with the B&O remote either through IR or by connecting Datalink to the chip.  Now I am just thinking about which poor B&O equipment might be most suitable to hold an iPod...  For my Beo7000 system the Beocord 7000 would be possible, if it weren't because of the risk to cut the iPod when it is standing up in the drawer, by accidentally closing the drawer.

If anyone is interested in getting a PCB and a chip for a custom B&O design, just let me know.

Hi Ridax:

I'm not sure that I like the idea of gutting a B&O to put an Ipod inside? The question in my mind is is this really beneficial? Why can't you have the IPOD hidden away much as you would a CD changer? I'd only do this IF the changers were reversible!

But here's an idea.....

I think if you could put an Ipod Touch inside the cassette bay of the 9500 this could be interesting. It could lay flat and unobstructed with the door. It would only be worth doing if we could interface the tape deck controls with the 9500 touch panel.

Derek 

I guess the taste is different and I like the look of the iPod as well as the B&O system.  Different, but both stylish in my opinion.  I don't need to have the iPod visible necessarily, but I would want it to be easily dockable/removable and putting it down into a cassette compartment and connecting the dock connector at the same time, doesn't sound like an easy physical operation.  would just like to put it down somewhere or push it in somewhere, in one move, not everytime working with fitting it into the equipment.

There is a lot of older B&O equipment that is broken or not so useful anymore,  so gutting a B&O item as you say, wouldn't feel that hard to me.

Well in the case of the 9500.... the thought would be that it IPOD would not be portable.

You'd slide the cassette panel open and use it to access the IPOD when necessary. If it is to be a dockable/removable solution, I'm not sure that there is a good B&O unit that would lend it self to this... It would just serve as a  fancy drawer. For example say if you were to gut your Becord 7000 tape deck just so that you would have room to put an ipod in it. You'd slide the drawer out, make the connection, put the ipod flat and close the door. Where's the fun/novelty in that?

If the Ipod Touch could be made to operate under a piece of glass..... there might be something for say the 1600 system. You'd put the Ipod under the wedged glass panel and control it by touching the glass on top. But the ipod would be permanently integrated. The idea here is that you'd gut the tuner section have a big LCD panel underneath the glass that would come to life once the unit powers on; go away into blackness once powered off.

You are right..... they are both stylish in their own right; but probably less so as a Frankenstein product :)

Not to be negative at all about your efforts....just convince me that at the end of the day it looks/functions better!  

About the best aesthetic effort that I've seen is the B&O Mac Mod.

Lets keep brainstorming!

Derek

The point is I want to have a docking station for the iPod that is better integrated (physically) than the standard iPod dock.  As it is now, the iPod dock is on top of the Beogram 7000 (record player).  It is neither practical nor attractive.  Let's say you had a unit looking and working llike the Beogram CD 7000 instead.  You push the panel and out comes a shelf with an iPod cradle and you put your iPod down there and the shelf would refuse to withdraw as long as an iPod is docked there.

Well, maybe I should gut the Beocord 7000 and just disable the drawer motor while the iPod is there....

I appreciate you not liking your Ipod resting on top of your beogram. I'm not sure that such a radical modification makes sense for what you want to achieve... seems like a bit of an extreme sacrifice.

But if a cool drawer is what you want....... the Ipod touch is probably more suitable because you can put it on its side. You can create a collapsible bracket for the ipod to rest on. When the drawer opens the bracket folds up (ie like the tray in the CDX) and the Ipod folds up at an angle facing you. When the drawer goes in, the bracket collapses allowing the ipod to lie flat and the drawer to close.

What would the sacrifice be?  A Beocord 5500/6500/7000 doesn't cost much these days, if you find a separate one, you can get it for £39 or something...  That's the only sacrifice there is and some hours of hardware hacking (if that would be sacrifice).

There is not so much point with the iPod touch I think, as I believe the connector is still at the short end.

 But actually I think you all miss the point...  the point is that there has been OTHERS discussing this in the past and I just point out that now I happen to have a PCB that would fit quite well for this purpose, if someone wanted to do it, as it both provide the iPod connector, the wires for powering the iPod, the audio signals and the chip that can datalink/IR the iPod.

 I even don't use my iPod that much.  Haven't used it for several months, except for development testing.  Didn't buy it to use it, to start with...  But now, I guess I have to do that B&O iPod rebuild as I started this discussion....

Philosophically I'm opposed to "gutting" for lack of a better term otherwise perfectly functioning pieces of equipment to harvest a case.. (Unless of course it can not be reasonably repaired) This is my personal opinion; other people feel otherwise and I don't have a problem with this other than maybe cringing .

As for your initiatives at providing a viable interface for the iPOD to the datalink/IR, that is simply fantastic. I may even buy one! There are two things older B&Os need to help them maintain relevance in the digital multimedia age: 1) more source inputs 2) control/access to a high capacity music storage device and with your interfaces you've provided that! Very cool!

Help me understand though, functionally is there a difference between this board and your modified IPOD dock?

Derek 

My view on "gutting" a B&O piece is that better gut it and reuse it for something than just store it in the garage and let it rust there.  I know most of us here like B&O pieces, but even so, we can't use possibly use, display or salvage all B&O equipment.  There will always be B&O equipment that are not appriciated by its owner anymore.  So better get one and gut it and put it in use instead.

 As for the PCB I have made, it is no principal difference in the solution to the modified iPod dock.  But this PCB is much better suited for those that want to do their own solution in some way, rather than have a ready modified Apple dock.  It has easily accesible solder terminals for DC power, Line Out signal, ready made position for the chip and IR receiver logic.  Who want to gut an Apple dock just to get the PCB, that would also need a lot of modifications to fit the purpose?

Hello,

 Can you be more specific on what the datalinkconnection means?  Does that mean that you can control the ipod via the BM-master and even from a linkroom?

Maybe I build an ipoddock, not in an old beocord, but in some nice clear plexi.  That will also nice fit my white BM... :-)

 
Kind regards
Joost
Gent (B)
 

Yes, datalinking your iPod means remote controlling it through your Beomaster, and thus it will work from link rooms as well.

Hello,

@Ridax: I'm considering to give it a try to build my own dock.  I'v been looking around on your site, but I don't find all the components.  Can you give a list of what is needed to make an IR and datalink controled ipoddock?

Thanks

Kind regards
Joost, Belgium
 

I asked this question months ago, about putting an ipod into a BC9000's tape side.

My idea was to remove the tape carrier and replace it with something like the ipod dock in the phillips portable DVD player (with ipod dock) hook it up to the system with Ridax's cable and Bob's your uncle. Its integrated, hidden, and would be so cool.

Can it be done?????????

@Ridax: Is the post still alive?  I'm wondering about the datalinking (see my PM to you).  How can it be done?  I didn't see that connector on your partslist.

Kind regards

Joost Declercq

Gent 

Hi! I'm more than willing to gut my Beocenter 9300 and add an iPod integration module (I actually think it'd look swell) :D What i was thinking of though is that the iPod remains upright - meaning the tape sliding cover remains open when the iPod is being used.

If anybody can point me to where i can order and buy the module and also some people here who can assist me online (probably through step-by-step email instructs or through videochat) in the actual "gutting" of the Beocenter then this is a project I'm definitely looking forward to :)
 

This would be a cool solution...

http://www.beodesign.org/

I must say, that i don´t have the knowlech to integrate it via remote, but simply put it in there, and use it via AUX, should not be a problem.

I´ll start building next week.

In the meentime i could use a board like "Ridax" has made, to build in.... for full use?

Att: Ridax

What would a PCB cost if i would want to integrate it in to a Overture.

Could i buy a raw PCB to integrate, from you?

Ridax has apparently last visited the forum in February, so I think you better try to contact him by some other means than posting here...

Hi there

I've done this and it works really well and is totally integrated as well as being able to control it from link rooms through TVs.

The solution was one ONKYO iPod Doc - this has an On Screen Display and one Lintronic Box.

This is how it works, the lintronic box is programmed to control the Onkyo dock. The Lintronic box and Onkyo dock are connected to my Avant via a scart cable - sound and video come from the onkyo, whilst the control signals are sent to the lintronic box. The Lintronic box is programmed to receive V.Tape/V.Mem signals and convert them to Onkyo codes. The Avant Scart is set to V.Tape - so it passes the commands to lintronic and then sends to teh onkyo.

It works amazingly well and is fast - you get access to Albums, Artists and Playlists etc. The on-screen display is simple but effective and pressing V.Mem in any link room gives you access to the iPod as well as the display. In the living room I usually then press Speakers 2 or 4 so that the sound is in stereo or four speakers rather than mainly through the Avant. Another advantage is that it is all hidden away.

I think there is a link here for you

http://www.chargeconverter.com/shop/connector.htm?conndev.htm

I hope this will resume the contact to the project

/Frede