# Ipod integration to 2006 Honda Odyssey



## FACP

I've been using my Ipod with my 2006 Honda Odyssey EX-L with Nav for a while now. I have it hooked up using a 6ft stereo cable to the rca inputs found on the back of the van. Works great, sounds great.


Just wondering if anybody knows of any alternative to hook up an Ipod to the van. One that can integrate and control the Ipod through the built in navigation system/touchscreen.


Is there such a thing?


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## Clepto

It depends on the head unit, there are a few that come from the factory that allow for iPod integration. Alpine is a big player in that market, and they have provided OEM equipment to Honda for car audio, so it's possible... but the Odyssey is probaly not one of the prime vehicles to get it...


I believe the latest Element may have a factory iPod interface...


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## fsrenduro

As of now there's nothing that will allow you to display info from your Ipod to your Nav screen in the Hondas. The best you can do is with a USA Spec or DICE Electronics adapter. Both these units plug into the back of the factory headunit and allow you to use FF/REW and SKIP +/- on the headunit to control your ipod. It will still give you line level input and also charge your ipod while you listen.


I have an '06 Pilot w/Nav and leave my Nano plugged in all the time (USA Spec). Everytime I get in the car it goes into play and my music is up and running.


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## FACP




> Quote:
> Originally Posted by *fsrenduro* /forum/post/0
> 
> 
> As of now there's nothing that will allow you to display info from your Ipod to your Nav screen in the Hondas. The best you can do is with a USA Spec or DICE Electronics adapter. Both these units plug into the back of the factory headunit and allow you to use FF/REW and SKIP +/- on the headunit to control your ipod. It will still give you line level input and also charge your ipod while you listen.
> 
> 
> I have an '06 Pilot w/Nav and leave my Nano plugged in all the time (USA Spec). Everytime I get in the car it goes into play and my music is up and running.





Just checked out that USA Spec Ipod Interface system, looks like a nice solution. Just wish that I can control the ipod using the nav touchscreen. Wishful thinking? Why couldn't car manufacturers offer some kind of ipod interface from the get go. Doesn't everybody own an ipod?


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## TTwaltham

FACP -- I'm amazed that you don't know about the Honda Music Link iPod interface option for your Odyssey. Its exactly what you're looking for -- lets you control your iPod using the car's stereo system, including your steering wheel mounted controls. I bought the same vehicle this past summer and I think the salesperson must have mentioned it a dozen times during our time together. Just go to the official Honda website for more information. Otherwise Google "honda music link ipod" and you'll find a ton of information -- including, unfortunately, some less than stellar reviews of the system.


Oh yeah, its not cheap --- the list price is $199, but you can get it for less here http://www.hondapartsdeals.com/produ...-odyssey-audio . Good luck.


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## jw_nash

Got a few questions on this.

I've looked at both the Honda Music Link iPod as well as the USA Spec Interface and they both appear to be able to control the iPod through the stereo.


Does one have better controls over the iPod than the other?


Also - do you still have the ability to use the iPod itself to select the music you want?

I've read somewhere that these adapters are not the most intuitive systems.


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## rlweibel

I too am looking for an Ipod adaptor, I've read terrible reviews of the Honda Music Link system I would try the USA spec product or stick with the cables to the rear RCA inputs


Is 6ft really enough to reach the RCA inputs, I was looking at purchasing a 4 Meter cable for this


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## st5000




> Quote:
> Originally Posted by *rlweibel* /forum/post/9656321
> 
> 
> I too am looking for an Ipod adaptor, I've read terrible reviews of the Honda Music Link system I would try the USA spec product or stick with the cables to the rear RCA inputs
> 
> 
> Is 6ft really enough to reach the RCA inputs, I was looking at purchasing a 4 Meter cable for this



Have a new Odyssey and want to integrate my iPod into this car - but have not found a good way of doing it!


In my last car, I modified the factory radio. I added an AUX IN & OUT. By placing a Harmon Kardon Drive & Play (1st gen) in between, I was able to hide my iPod and control and see everything from the HK's new hardware. The HK would cut out the Radio and play from the iPod. With a bit of menu work on the HK, you could listen to the radio again. The down side is that it would always revert to the iPod when ever the car was turned off.


That car and radio are gone. So I am again in the market for a new solution. However, I still haven't found it.


I think a lot of frustration extends from anyone trying to translate between the head unit and iPod's protocols. One is normally for computer use and the other for CD Changer use. Not to mention the Odyssey's head unit protocol is probably proprietary and hard to find (anyone able to point me to it?). It sounds like the USA Spec interface is close but I would still like to see what is playing on the factory radio's display.


So what would I do? With out a method for using the built in radio's display I might go back to the HK interface. However, I would need an AUX input. That would mean I still need a 3rd party Odyssey adapter. The problem I see here is that there is no way for the adapter to inform the HK it was selected or more importantly not selected. So the HK would just keep playing on and on - never autonomously pausing.


At this point the only way out appears to be building your own adapter. But, again, with out the protocol it would be difficult.


By the way, here is a comparison between the USA Spec and the Music Link:
http://www.discountcarstereo.com/pdf/pa11-hon2cs.pdf 


Also, I understand that Music Link has a tendency to run a long time on your PC (10s of minutes, maybe an hour). I don't have either so I don't know the particulars.


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## st5000




> Quote:
> Originally Posted by *st5000* /forum/post/11500000
> 
> 
> Have a new Odyssey and want to integrate my iPod into this car - but have not found a good way of doing it!....



FYI - I have used "vehicle specific mounts" before (profit) and spotted this one for the Odyssey:
http://fulllinewireless.com/New-Pana...B000M85J2Y.htm 

...but, perhaps, more to the interest of this thread, there's a description here on how to remove the front of an Odyssey's radio bezel.


If I go back to using the Harmon Kardon Drive & Play 1st gen for my iPod I'll probably use something like this to mount the additional control knob and display.


Again, can anyone point me to a good discussion regarding the Odyssey head unit's control port and protocol?


...thanks


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## st5000




> Quote:
> Originally Posted by *st5000* /forum/post/11508272
> 
> 
> ...
> 
> Again, can anyone point me to a good discussion regarding the Odyssey head unit's control port and protocol?
> 
> 
> ...thanks



It appears that Honda Odyssey's use an industry standard called IEBus. This is a differential par bus that is half duplex where multiple units can be attached at the same time. NEC makes uP with this interface. So the standard is out on the web, but I can't find the commands that Mastushita / Panasonic uses in the Odyssey. The most interesting ones would be the text display on the Odyssey's head unit and, I hope, a command to interrupt the head unit for unexpected things like a phone calls or GPS prompting. Can anyone help?


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## 10754722

*I've been using my Ipod with my 2006 Honda Odyssey EX-L with Nav for a while now. I have it hooked up using a 6ft stereo cable to the rca inputs found on the back of the van. Works great, sounds great.*



Hello! Just wondering if there is the chance that i can hook-up in my Odyssey 2006 LX model thru rca inputs? If yes where i can found it, exactlly. If not what is the cheapest way to connect my ipod to my radio - no radio tramiters, don't want to have static signal.

Thanks










DANIEL


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## st5000




> Quote:
> Originally Posted by *10754722* /forum/post/11663000
> 
> *I've been using my Ipod with my 2006 Honda Odyssey EX-L with Nav for a while now. I have it hooked up using a 6ft stereo cable to the rca inputs found on the back of the van. Works great, sounds great.*
> 
> 
> 
> Hello! Just wondering if there is the chance that i can hook-up in my Odyssey 2006 LX model thru rca inputs? If yes where i can found it, exactlly. If not what is the cheapest way to connect my ipod to my radio - no radio tramiters, don't want to have static signal.
> 
> Thanks
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> DANIEL



I think you actually needed the DVD option, not the NAV, to get audio RCA jack inputs.


I haven't done it yet as I am still looking for the ideal iPod interface (I want text on the head unit). But I would expect any IEBus (I believe you have a matsushita head unit) adapter should work (don't expect to see that in the spec). This type of adapter should cost between $80 and $200 for either an iPod or AUX input version. Or you can wait until honda returns their iPod adapter to the market (pulled for software problems). It costs between about $300 to $400 - I think. You might not even have to pull the radio (which is a pain and a security blessing on the honda odysseys). In my odyssey I think I can see the IEBus connecter strapped to the emergency break bracket. Just where the honda xmradio instulation guide said it would be (i.e. I think it has already been cabled back to the head unit).


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## cyaford




> Quote:
> Originally Posted by *st5000* /forum/post/11663164
> 
> 
> I think you actually needed the DVD option, not the NAV, to get audio RCA jack inputs.



x2.


I'm a little late to this discussion, but I am also looking for a nice MP3 connection to my 2007 Odyssey EX-L with RES and NAV. If anyone hears of something coming out that will allow for operating the MP3 on the NAV screen, please post the info here. Thanks!


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## st5000




> Quote:
> Originally Posted by *cyaford* /forum/post/12324405
> 
> 
> x2.
> 
> 
> I'm a little late to this discussion, but I am also looking for a nice MP3 connection to my 2007 Odyssey EX-L with RES and NAV. If anyone hears of something coming out that will allow for operating the MP3 on the NAV screen, please post the info here. Thanks!



I would have suggested the AXXCESS for most EX-L. I don't have one, but it was the only unit I have found so far that says it will put iPod and XM radio text on the LCD display of the Honda Odyssey OEM radio.


However, you have the OEM navigation system. So all bets are off. You probably still have an IEbus in your Odyssey, but how the AXXCESS will work with an LCD screen instead of a one line LCD display ... well, I don't know.


Say, I know an EX-L with navigation moves the radio under the air controls. But, is there still a one line LCD integrated with the radio? Yep, found a picture - so it might still work. BTW, what's a "RES"?


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## cyaford

"RES" = Rear Entertainment System. I was trying to be specific about the model of the Odyssey.










This is all may be a mute point for me. I ordered a Sansa e280 for my wife and wanted to make it easy for her to play while driving the van around. I may end up doing the crappy FM transmitter option, since it seems what I'm looking for is only for the Ipod. I found the Honda Music Link just a while ago, and it is also Ipod only. I've read a little about bluetooth transmitters, where it will be a 100% digital to digital connection. The problem is that by the time a company comes out with an adaptor for the Odyssey, we'll likely be in another vehicle. Then again, the new vehicle will probably be able to do what I want with what we have right now, so it may work out well...... in the next 5 years or so.


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## st5000




> Quote:
> Originally Posted by *cyaford* /forum/post/12324985
> 
> 
> "RES" = Rear Entertainment System. I was trying to be specific about the model of the Odyssey.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> This is all may be a mute point for me. I ordered a Sansa e280 for my wife and wanted to make it easy for her to play while driving the van around. I may end up doing the crappy FM transmitter option, since it seems what I'm looking for is only for the Ipod. I found the Honda Music Link just a while ago, and it is also Ipod only. I've read a little about bluetooth transmitters, where it will be a 100% digital to digital connection. The problem is that by the time a company comes out with an adaptor for the Odyssey, we'll likely be in another vehicle. Then again, the new vehicle will probably be able to do what I want with what we have right now, so it may work out well...... in the next 5 years or so.



If a rear entertainment system is the Honda OEM DVD player ... I think you have an audio input in the rear of the car. Why, I don't know ... but that's what the dealer told me ... note, I never verified this. This fell way short of what I wanted as I was used to an iPod w/a Harmon-Kardon Drive&Play (1 generation) adapter. However, I didn't feel like hacking up the dashboard of my new car.


I believe the SanDisk player has many features similar to the iPod. However, you would have to sell a lot of anything before there is a market for adapters.


The Honda music link, from what I understand, was recalled. It was a small adapter hidden away in the dash board where the iPod cable would drop through a hole in the glove compartment. I think it also came with software which would run with your iTunes software. I haven't seen it and last I checked it was still not available.


There are many adapters out there that will give you auxiliary inputs. I don't know if there are many that are specifically designed for the SanDisk. Still fewer that speak to your radio (recall I believe Honda uses something called IEbus by NEC ... however the protocol is probably proprietary).


I would check to see if there is already an auxiliary input in the rear of the Honda. If so, run a long shielded stereo cable to one of the up-teen-million cup holders near the driver and plug in your SanDisk.


pos:

It's an inexpensive solution.

It's a direct connection (I can not even drive to the grocery store w/o re-tuning one of those FM transmitters).


neg:

The SanDisk doesn't get recharged.

You have to use the small SanDisk controls.


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## cyaford

Yes, there is a composite input in the rear of the Honda that allows game systems, etc to be hooked up. That will probably have to do for now. Thanks for the replies.


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## yakeconti

The 1st Honda iPOD® Interface that Works with Both Nav & XM!!!


It is true? Someone bought at this interface?


I need your help


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## yakeconti

I forgot the model sorry










piehon03pods


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## nicosdad

I hooked up my ipod to the rca jacks as well. Sounds good, just not enough volume. The volume level and the limiter are both all the way up. Anybody know how I could get more volume ?

Thanks


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## raven69david

Here's a great product from HandA

http://www.handa-accessories.com/odyelec05.html


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## mikeasmel

So I am really new to this and have read all of the posts on there and am still confused.


All I want to be able to do is play my ipod directly through the Odessey's audio system. I don't have the dvd unit installed but do have an audio system.


From what I understand, there are a few options:


1) Buy an aftermarket unit that will allow my to plug directly into the car's audio system and have some limited controls of the ipod through the car's audio system. However, these systems are expensive and quirky and you need to be able to figure out how to install them.


2) Run some sort of rca input from the audio system for the ipod to simply plug into. Can someone please advise how I might actually do this? Is there in fact some sort of audio input in the rear of the van and would I think run the wires under the carpet? Also, is there an easy way to install an aux input on the actual Honda audio unit?


I am tired of the static via the fm transmitter system, and tired of all of the cables. Please help.


MG


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## st5000




> Quote:
> Originally Posted by *mikeasmel* /forum/post/15480088
> 
> 
> So I am really new to this and have read all of the posts on there and am still confused.
> 
> 
> All I want to be able to do is play my ipod directly through the Odessey's audio system. I don't have the dvd unit installed but do have an audio system.
> 
> 
> From what I understand, there are a few options:
> 
> 
> 1) Buy an aftermarket unit that will allow my to plug directly into the car's audio system and have some limited controls of the ipod through the car's audio system. However, these systems are expensive and quirky and you need to be able to figure out how to install them.
> 
> 
> 2) Run some sort of rca input from the audio system for the ipod to simply plug into. Can someone please advise how I might actually do this? Is there in fact some sort of audio input in the rear of the van and would I think run the wires under the carpet? Also, is there an easy way to install an aux input on the actual Honda audio unit?
> 
> 
> I am tired of the static via the fm transmitter system, and tired of all of the cables. Please help.
> 
> 
> MG



Nuts I just lost everything I typed... oh well - I'm tired so this will be much shorter then the 1st go around.


- You didn't give out enough info. i.e. my '07 doesn't have audio in, but later models do.

- Most adapters have problem when a DVD has been installed.

- But, I think the DVD player comes w/audio input jacks in the back of the van.


You've got 3 ways to go for direct wire:


1) Odyssey specific audio adapter w/o regard to audio source. Keep iPod out to control it. Can use any audio source if you wanted to.


2) IPod specific audio adapter. Lock the iPod away but still need some sort of audio input to the Odyssey's radio (i.e. Harmon / Kardon Drive&Play).


3) Odyssey & iPod specific audio adapter. Lock the iPod away and nothing new to mount as the head unit controls the iPod.


For 2 above:

I've installed the Harmon / Kardon Drive&Play 1st gen. I like it and it's a bargain now that it's at end of life. But I had to hack the head unit (we're talking cutting the circuit board and adding coupling capacitors) to integrate it directly into the sound system. Or you could buy a box that does "suggestion 1" above and connect them together.


For 3 above:

I'm in the middle of installing a Peripheral adapter. The jury is still out. What's playing is displayed on the Odyssey head unit's alpha numeric LCD screen. But the head unit controls are very sluggish. How sluggish? Lets just say it would be faster if not more accurate if you disconnected the iPod, changed what's playing and reconnected it.


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