I have an iPod 160 hooked up to a Pioneer AVH-X4700BS and nine times out of ten the iPod reads OK TO DISCONNECT.
Pioneer AVH-X4700BS
That sounds normal. What are you expecting to happen?
When it locks into OK TO DISCONNECT I can't access or play any music.
Presumably, you are connecting from the iPod's 30-pin dock connector to the Pioneer. In that situation, the iPod expects to be controlled externally (i.e. from the Pioneer). Can you see any controls on the Pioneer's display for the iPod?
The message on the iPod's screen is meant to inform you that you can safely disconnect the iPod without corrupting the iPod's content. That's the way my iPod works when I connect it to my car's stereo.
No, sadly, that's my issue. When it is in the OK TO DISCONNECT mode the Pioneer won't even recognize it. Sometimes, and only sometimes, if I keep shutting the iPod on and off, or connect it to my Mac, I'll lose that iPod "message" the Pioneer will recognize it and all will be fine...everything displays and plays as it should. I wish I knew if it was a fault of the iPod, or a flaw in the Pioneer.
But as I stated, I would expect the iPod Classic to show OK TO DISCONNECT when it is connected via the 30-pin connector to an external device. So that would appear to be correct. You will not be able to access the iPod's controls when it is connected to the Pioneer.
On the Pioneer, if you tap the Mode button, is "iPod" one of the options? It may only appear as an option when the iPod is connected. (The YouTube videos I've seen regarding the X4700 have "iPod" displayed as a background on the screen, which suggests that it will work with an iPod (as well as an iPhone).
producingdirector wrote:
if I keep shutting the iPod on and off, or connect it to my Mac, I'll lose that iPod "message" the Pioneer will recognize it and all will be fine...everything displays and plays as it should.
But "everything displays as it should" doesn't mean anything because I don't know what you expect to be displayed. As stated, I would expect the iPod to keep displaying the OK TO DISCONNECT message whenever it is connected to the Pioneer and for all control of the iPod to be performed on the Pioneer. I would also expect to have to manually select "iPod" on the Pioneer by using the Mode button on the Pioneer *.
* NOTE: I would expect (from my limited experience) that an iPod with Bluetooth would subsequently connect automatically as you turn on the X4700 and possibly begin play from the last point of play. However, an iPod Classic would not do this; you would have to select iPod on the Pioneer yourself.
Have you read the instructions for the Pioneer, or looked at Pioneer's web site? Do Pioneer have a support page for the device?
I get everything you are saying and perhaps I'm not explaining myself well. When everything is working as one would expect and want, I do indeed see the iPod icon on the Pioneer and I can choose songs and playlists and artists not only from the touch screen on the Pioneer but even from my steering wheel. And when this is working, the iPod screen itself does not say OK TO DISCONNECT, in fact, it displays the album art along with the Pioneer. But, more often than not, after shutting the car off, when I start the car again the Pioneer does not recognize the iPod. It is an intermittent issue --- everything will work well for days, and then, nada. I have written to Pioneer (they have yet to respond), read the manual cover-to-cover, downloaded latest patches/firmware for the Pioneer, all without consistent luck.
Ah!
Okay, well this may possibly be a quirk of the iPod. Don't forget, the Classic is now quite an old design and perhaps there is an incompatibility issue between the Pioneer and the Classic. (There is mention of this in the X4700's instruction manual {page 16 in the pdf version}). Displaying album art (on the iPod) rather than the OK TO DISCONNECT message is probably not relevant to the issue.
Are you using Pioneer's optional CD-IU201V cable (USB to 30-pin interface cable) to connect the iPod to the receiver? I suspect that using a cable that came with the iPod may not work.
Two idiosyncrasies of my iPod:
There are times though, when it fails to automatically re-start, and on cold days, it has been known to keep playing when I leave the car.
So, while waiting for Pioneer to get back to you, I suggest you experiment with the set up to see if you can work out the quirks in in behaviour.
First off, thank you for taking the time try and work this out with me - very much appreciated. I know when the Pioneer was installed (I replaced the unit that came with the car a few months ago to upgrade to one that plays DVD's) the installer had to get a few parts from Pioneer to make it work with the Nissan. I'd have to check with them as to exactly what they did. But what I think I will do is hook up the iPod to my Mac laptop - which generally gets it going again, and then I'll try starting it before reconnecting to the Pioneer. Maybe that's just the trick it needs.
Will report back tomorrow after some experimenting.
Again, many thanks.
A couple of other things you could try:
In the meantime, I have to inspect the inside of my eyelids as it's way past my bed time. So if required, I'll respond tomorrow.
Good morning my fiendish friend. So far, starting the iPod before attaching to the Pioneer has indeed worked. Many thanks!
I have an iPod 160 hooked up to a Pioneer AVH-X4700BS and nine times out of ten the iPod reads OK TO DISCONNECT.
