Connecting iPod to Audio 20 (E220, W212)

[roop_the_loop]

Hi All,

Newbie alert - first time poster! Also, a bit of an odd question, hoping that someone out there has come across this before...

I have a new E220, and I'm trying to connect my iPod to the USB interface of the Audio 20 ent unit. I first tried with my daughter's new-ish iPod Touch, but the car said 'device not recognised' or words to that effect; however, the same device connects happily over Bluetooth.

I then tried her old 4th gen iPod Nano, which connected fine through the exact same USB interface and the same cable even. However, I thought before I start using the device I'll just go and re-format it via iTunes, and after I did that it also said 'device not recognised'.

What I did notice was that the Nano was previously formatted with the Windows file type, whereas I reformatted it with my Mac. Also the Touch has been formatted with a Mac. Could this be the reason, and if so can it really be true that the MB system is not compatible with Mac-formatted MP3 players? It makes no sense to me, especially given that the Touch connects via Bluetooth (after all, it's the same music files on the same mass memory!), but the reformatting was the only thing that changed between the first and second attempt.

Any pointers, anyone? All suggestions gratefully received...

 

[npuk]

The USB input doesnt support ipods. It is for USB pendrives / harddrives. You need the optional media interface for ipod connectivity or connect them over bluetooth.

Shuffle may have worked as I assume it supports mass storage mode.

 

[roop_the_loop]

The USB input doesnt support ipods. It is for USB pendrives / harddrives. You need the optional media interface for ipod connectivity or connect them over bluetooth.

Shuffle may have worked as I assume it supports mass storage mode.

Thanks, that's helpful. Is the media interface a retrofit, or should it have been factory-specced?

Going by what you say, it seems that the Nano under Windows format may have been recognisable as a mass storage device, then, whereas under Mac format it isn't?

I did also try to connect via AUX through the 3.5mm jack, which worked, but it doesn't pass any file/folder info to the head unit, which makes using a bit clunky.

 

[npuk]

Media interface is an option that can be factory specced or retrofitted but its not cheap. A specialist like comand.co.uk in Lightwater, Surrey will be able to retrofit it for you if you want at a lower cost than a dealer.

If your cars pre MY12 then you can instead fit the mercedes ipod kit.

http://www.commandonline.co.uk/C-GLK-E-E-Coupe-class-W204-W212-W207/

 

[Long John Silver]

Just come up against the same issue. The simple solution is to buy a USB memory stick. I have all the music for my ipod on itunes installed on my PC. It was then a simple matter to copy files from itunes to the memory stick. Mine is 32GB and takes a lot of music. Cost about £25 from PC world and works perfectly.

 

[roop_the_loop]

Just come up against the same issue. The simple solution is to buy a USB memory stick. I have all the music for my ipod on itunes installed on my PC. It was then a simple matter to copy files from itunes to the memory stick. Mine is 32GB and takes a lot of music. Cost about £25 from PC world and works perfectly.

Yes, it seems that as long as the device you use is in the mass storage mode, and (possibly, I'm not yet 100% sure) formatted with the Windows rather than Mac file system, it works pretty well. I even managed to get my album cover art embedded into the music files so now have Sound & Vision!

The remaining slight niggle is that folders seem to confuse the system, eg. if you want to play tracks in random order it pulls tracks from across all folders and not just the active one (which is fine if you have similar music in all, but I might have Beethoven piano sonatas in one folder and Black Sabbath in another, and mixing those creates some fairly interesting mood swings...)