VW Phatbox drops out while playing and says No Magazine

[jimm]

Hi all

I think I have a common problem but I'm hoping that maybe somebody has some special insight into what may be wrong here.

My Phatbox is installed in a 2000 Passat. It is hacked. It does play just fine with the original DMS and a hacked one for days on end. However, often while in the midst of playing a song it will beep and complain "No Magazin" in the display. Sometimes it just simply goes to No Magazin overnight or whenever it feels like it.

It has happened enough times to me that I know now that no combination of reinserting the cartridge or playing with the external cables will fix it. I have found, out of frustration, that if I give the unit a good rap with my knuckles it will work on the next try. (Of course I don't hit it with the cartridge inserted.)

So I am pretty sure that my problem has nothing to do with the hack or my external cables. Also, my car's electrical system seems strong, my radio has no problem playing while the engine cranks.

I'm thinking I should just open it up and see if I can find a loose cable or bad solder connection. Does anybody know if this sounds productive or have any experience in what might be a good place to check?

Thanks for reading and for any help you may have in advance!

[S80_UK]

Hi,

This sounds like one of two possible problems.  A common problem is that an internal ribbon cable connecting the main board to the DMS connector can come loose.  So you would need to open up the unit to reseat the connectors.  The other possibility is that the tiny switch wich is operated when the DMS is inserted has either gone intermittent, or has been damaged in some way. It sits on the same board as the DMS connector, so again you need to open up the unit.

[jimm]

Thanks S8_UK. Those are good suggestions and I will check those for certain when and if I have to open the box.

Right now, I am on my final 'experiment' with this problem which I began only an hour ago. My Phatbox is mounted in the prescribed VW position, which is vertical on side of trunk. The distance between the rear panel of the unit and the floor of the trunk is the exact distance requested by Phatnoise for the install. I blame this mounting for preventing me from seeing exactly what was happening.

On a hunch, I dismounted the unit to take a very good look at the connector where it plugs into the back panel. To my great surprise, I found that the two binding screws that keep the connection together allow way too much movement of the cable. The screws bottom out before the connector is fully seated. They are too long. I'd say the cable is between a 1/16 and 1/8 inch from seating fully.

I saw a post here, somewhere, where a fellow felt the the mounting nuts on the back panel were not screwed in all the way which caused a similar symptom for him.

On very close observation today, I can say that with the screws as tight as possible (I even lubed the threads to make sure they were not binding) the connector moves a lot. My player was working and pulled the cable out while fastened 'securely' and I got the 'no magazine' message. I pushed it in fully by hand and the problem cleared.

I think I have made progress now in the diagnosis of this. Why these things always seem to happen after posting the problem is beyond me. I think it's the same thing of asking a merchant why the package hasn't shown up yet and then the doorbell rings.

I think that wiggling the cables while the unit was mounted prevented me from finding the problem. You can't see what the connector is doing very well. I wiggled side to side, which does nothing. Now I see when I PULL it away from the case, then the problem appears. I believed that the connection was tight, because the screws on the plug were very tight. I never did pull on it so far as I recall. That was a wrong assumption. 

Now I have it temporarily mounted horizontally and the plug is held fast to the connector with strong rubber bands. It is working perfectly so far. If it continues to work for a few days, I will shorten the screws so the two connectors can mate fully and let it go for a few more days for a final confirmation and hopefully: success!

So my preliminary diagnosis for the cause of the problem is that the screws do not allow the connectors to mate. VW owners who have their units mounted like mine are cursed in troubleshooting this because they can't see the connection. If you just tighten the screws, they really do nothing. This was the loosest 'tight' connection I've ever seen.

If it fails again, time to open her up for surgery.

[S80_UK]

Hi,

Thanks for the update.  It sounds very likely that you have hit upon the problem. Strange to get a No Magazine error though - but maybe that is the VW default.  On my Volvo I get No Cartridge for no DMS and CD Error if communication with the box breaks, so I figured yours would be similar. Not to worry.

Do let us knwo the final outcome.

Cheers,

Les.

[jimm]

I'll be happy to post the outcome so maybe this will all help somebody.

I don't fully understand why the error messages make little sense between situations. I do know that VW requires a programming word to be changed when a CD player is installed so error messages can be handled properly. I have been told this allows the headunit to handle error messages from cd player (and I asuume the changer/Phatbox).

Dealers recode the headunit when they install the player or changer. Just a guess, but those who installed things themselves aftermarket may not have the optimum coding for the headunit and therefore error messages regarding the CD status may be incorrect.

Cheers!

[jimm]

I am claiming a win on this one.

The unit has worked perfectly these past few days with the cable modified so that the screws hold the connectors together properly. Lately, it had been dropping out once or twice a day.

It is frustrating that the fix was so obvious and yet so hard to find. The thumb screws were tight, but the cable was just not being held together completely. The mounting position of the unit made it hard to see what was happening. Hopefully someone else can learn from this experience.

Thanks for the help!