Head Units/USB...Scotty?

[JRock]

In theory, if I upgrade to a double din deck with a USB input(Likely Pioneer), could the USB input support an external hard drive? That'd be pretty baller....

Plus, you can get a terabyte for $150 now...

http://cgi.ebay.com/Hammer-1TB-External-USB-Hard-Drive-1-TB-FREE-SHIPPING_W0QQitemZ250397702729QQcmdZViewItemQQptZP CC_Drives_Storage_Internal?hash=item250397702729&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1234|66%3A2|65%3A12|39%3A1|240%3A13 08|301%3A1|293%3A1|294%3A50

[LuisT]

try to check out in a store. i know some ppl running external hard drives and the HU will play it if the HD have external power. btw the HU will take sometime reading all the files, thats sucks jeje

[IndecentXxXposur]

my kenwood has a usb port on the front of the face plate and alpine has a unit that has only a usb port no cd player or nothing im sure it has a am fm though

[JRock]

I want a pioneer 2-din touchscreen w/the volume knob. That's pretty much my stipulations. Volume buttons = fail. But if I could plug a HD into the USB slot, fuck an ipod.

[pugz]

ya the hd will have to be usb powered to make it worth it. but its a good idea

[sparkinframe]

woulkdent there be problems with the HD from the vibrations, and bumps from driving?

[JRock]

http://cgi.ebay.com/250GB-USB-Powered-External-2-5-Mini-Portable-Hard-Drive_W0QQitemZ110363169852QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_D efaultDomain_0?hash=item110363169852&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1205|66%3A4|65%3A12|39%3A1|240%3A13 18|301%3A1|293%3A1|294%3A200

i dunno, i know they've come a long way... but as small as that is, it'd be great to say "Oh, you got an 80gig iPod? Isn't that special? It only cost $500 and a dollar a track? wow, that's nifty. I don't have interface problems, no $50 cable, no $1 a track, and it cost a lot less, and nobody will ever break into my truck to take this. Also my girlfriend will never borrow it and drop it into a bathtub. It's just not as cute. Nice manicure!"

[bigbeto]

you realize it'll be impossible to find a hard drive of that capacity that runs on just USB power, right? you would need a power inverter, and a very flexible install that makes it appear permanent yet allows you to take it out easily to add music.

if you would like though, we can try this in my truck, on MY double double din touch screen with USB input, with my 750 gigabyte harddrive, and using my power inverter.. but only IF you want..

[JRock]

the 250 ^^ is straight USB only....

you got any scrap wood? i need to build an amp rack...or at least something to mount them on...

but yeah, 80 bucks for the HDD... worth a shot.

[pugz]

i think vibration would be easy to battle. just use some double sided camper(padded) tape and stick it under the dash. i think it might work. the main issue is gonna be making sure the head unit will recognize the hd. that 250gb usb one should be perfect as long as the hu will actully know what it is

[ScottXGTR]

people have already pointed out the major 2 flaws:
-will the cd player recognize the hard drive
-can you find a hard drive that will run on only usb power

also, the larger the memory, the longer it will take to find a song. these head units were designed with a certain amount of internal memory, with expected hard drive sizes of 1-16gb. anything larger than that and youll probably find the load time a bit long.

i have no problem using my ipod. 80gb cost me $200, + 25 for the cable. its fast, and i can take it out of the truck and listen to it where i want. its tucked away in the glove box out of sight. and you dont have to use itunes to get music. you can upload any mp3's to itunes and sync them to your ipod.

if you go pioneer, look into the ground issue they have with the RCA jacks.

[sparkinframe]

all i have is an alpine deck with an aux input in the back, i just have a cord with a headphone plug on each side rinning to my ash tray. and thats where i sit my 80gig i pod. works great

[JRock]

yeah, i thought about the load time too... i've got a pioneer deck in right now, but it's... well, i bought it the day after i bought the truck, so it's been in there for a while...

[pugz]

i found out today....... yes it does work

i just put in a jvc kw-avx720 and borrowed a friends 250gb usb powered portable harddrive. and about 15-30seconds and it was reading everything on it. lil slower than my ipod but does work. im thinking about doing this now. this hd it small. usb powered. and could easily be hidden away in the truck or taken with you anywhere.