Most active commenters
  • aetch(3)

←back to thread

Ask HN: Most interesting tech you built for just yourself?

1901 points l2silver | 12 comments | 27 Apr 23 15:04 UTC | HN request time: 0.938s | source | bottom

Maybe you've created your own AR program for wearables that shows the definition of a word when you highlight it IRL, or you've built a personal calendar app for your family to display on a monitor in the kitchen. Whatever it is, I'd love to hear it.
1. aetch ◴[28 Apr 23 11:41 UTC] No.35740074[source]▶
Older 1999-2007 model year Ford vehicles don’t come with an aux input audio option and they have a cd changer under the seat instead. I made an Arduino shield that emulates the CD changer and injects my iPhone’s audio pretending to be a CD. The shield also handles intercepting the car headunit’s playback commands when you press the physical radio buttons on your car so it does a second emulation of a earphone clicker and passes headunit playback commands back to control the phone over the aux cable.

In short I can control my phone’s audio playback using my retro radio headunit using only a wired connection and no Bluetooth.

My schematic and source code are available at https://github.com/ansonl/FordACP-AUX

replies(3): >>35740433 #>>35741959 #>>35749673 #
2. gymbeaux ◴[28 Apr 23 12:23 UTC] No.35740433[source]▶
2007?! They were putting CD players in cars in 2007?! Are you in the US?
replies(6): >>35741054 #>>35741197 #>>35747132 #>>35748269 #>>35749775 #>>35772717 #
3. blcArmadillo ◴[28 Apr 23 13:29 UTC] No.35741054[source]▶
Ford's first iteration of their Sync infotainment system came out in 2007. What were they supposed to use before that?
4. critsysdev ◴[28 Apr 23 13:44 UTC] No.35741197[source]▶
I’m not sure if that’s surprisingly early or late

I live in the US and had a 1991 Acura Legend with a six disc CD changer in the trunk (it was ahead of its time in a few ways) and have recently had a 2014 Honda Accord with a single CD player in the center infotainment area

replies(1): >>35749940 #
5. rahimnathwani ◴[28 Apr 23 14:50 UTC] No.35741959[source]▶
This is awesome! How did you figure out the signalling protocol between the head unit and the CD changer?
replies(1): >>35772693 #
6. mthoms ◴[28 Apr 23 21:09 UTC] No.35747132[source]▶
My 2010 Audi (bought used) has a 5 disc changer and an iPod connector. Very futuristic.
7. sleepytimetea ◴[28 Apr 23 23:05 UTC] No.35748269[source]▶
I had a 2008 Lexus RX with a CD changer and a cassette player in the dash. Old people is their primary target audience.
8. oftenwrong ◴[29 Apr 23 03:13 UTC] No.35749673[source]▶
One of the easiest ways to add an aux audio input to a car is to get a radio antenna bypass box, like the iSimple IS31.
9. gnicholas ◴[29 Apr 23 03:34 UTC] No.35749775[source]▶
My 2014 Ford has a CD player (which we never use).
10. gymbeaux ◴[29 Apr 23 04:08 UTC] No.35749940{3}[source]▶
I'm not sure what I was thinking, I must have been tired and maybe mixed up 2007 and 2017. 2007 absolutely would have been CD player central with a sprinkle of Aux/3.5mm connector every now and then.
11. aetch ◴[01 May 23 13:45 UTC] No.35772693[source]▶
There was some previous hobbyist research into implementing the protocol which is the Ford Audio Control Protocol. You can see my summary and all sources linked here http://ansonliu.com/2017/09/ford-acp-cd-changer-emulator-aux...
12. aetch ◴[01 May 23 13:47 UTC] No.35772717[source]▶
Yep, the 2007 Ford Escape hybrid I have is a US model. The next year in 2008 was when the new Escape model design had the Ford Sync audio system with aux input.