Issues With VW Phatbox

[TALL]

Recently installed a 20 gig VW phatbox in my 2003 Jetta and have noticed one major problem.  Sometimes the head unit stops reconizing the Phatbox.  In order to get it working again I have to disconnect/reconnect the cable.  I have the Monsoon double din CD/Cass head unit and the last few times I had the problem I had switched sources(used the cd player or tape deck) when I tried to switch back to the phatbox it wasn't there.  Seems like it could be a firmware issue or I maybe I have a defective unit.  Since I am new to the phatbox world any direction would be very helpful.  I consider myself a pretty technical person and not afarid to give any suggestions a whirl.  

[InterMurph]

I experienced the same thing yesterday.  20G Phatbox, Passat wagon with Monsoon radio, worked fine for two weeks, then "NO CD".

The DMS mounted fine in my PC, and all the songs were there.  I rebuilt the database and the voice prompts, but to no avail.

So I unplugged it, waited, and plugged it in again, and it worked.

This was with an unmodified Phatbox, so it sounds like a lame bug.  I checked, and I have the latest VW firmware.

[eggm4n]

I had a similar issue in my Passat Wagon.  I think mine was realted to a poorly seated connection.  I have a seriously hacky install (removed the metal housing) so I just made sure the connection was fully seated, and have been fine since.

[InterMurph]

My install is about as clean as it could be, and my connector is seated & screwed in tightly.  It just sounds like a bug in the Phatbox firmware.

[judb]

Could be a flakey cable short or something.

The Phatbox has been known to do this in BMW and VW/Audi cars.. I've seen lots of posts to that effect here and the old phatnoise forums.

[damb]

has anybody figured out this problem.

[TALL]

In my case, I narrowed down it to the Phatbox Cable(as someone suggested in this thread, Thanks!!)
There seems to be a loose connection in the plug that connects to the factory changer cable.  If I wiggle the cable slightly the phatbox will power down completly and I have to move the cable around to get it to come  back on.  I haven't had time to address the issue, but my thoughts are to maybe to drop some solder or silicone in the plug to strengthen the connections and keep the wires from moving.  Im also going to look at ways to better secure the cable to minimize movement.  I will report back.

[Steveo369]

See my reply in this thread:
http://forum.phathack.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.cgi?board=phatnoisehd;action=display;num=1125341707

I had similar issues w/ a VW/Audi Phatbox.  Replacement at a local dealer under warranty.  (The VW/Audi PB's are official VW products, & supposed to be backed by dealer warranty)

Not exactly the answer you want to hear, but certainly a possibility.  With the number of similar complaints I've seen here and on VW/Audi boards, I think there may be something of a QC issue w/ the VW/Audi PB's.

[damb]

I called phatnoise today they sent me this email and said it would work, I have tried it yet because my unit has not did it yet today.

Thank you for using the PhatNoise Car Audio System! Please make sure
that all your cables are in tact and that there is enough clearance so
that the cable is not bent at any odd angle.

This may be caused by a corrupted DMS or bad database. You should also
follow the instructions in these knowledgebase entries:

Run a defrag and error checking on both partitions:
http://www.phatnoise.com/kb/index.php?page=index_v2&id=76&c=10
http://www.phatnoise.com/kb/index.php?page=index_v2&id=850&c=7

If that does not work:


Please find a link to the alternate firmware below:
http://www.dailyphat.com/install/f701_2004-08-02_noPD.zip

Please unzip these files to your PHYSYS directory. You do not need to
reprogram
your PhatBox. If you need assistance, please reply to this email.

Please note, these files will not pass the PhatNoise DMS Doctor
"Checking
for System Files" test until it becomes an official beta release. Please

provide feedback at your convenience.

See this link for information regarding the "speak failed" error
message:
http://www.phatnoise.com/kb/index.php?page=index_v2&id=107&c=14


Best regards,

PhatNoise Customer Support


let me know if anybody has any luck with this.

[A543]

Phatnoise is still releasing firmware updates?  It will be interesting to see what's in them.

[Terry_Kennedy]

Phatnoise is still releasing firmware updates?  It will be interesting to see what's in them.

Look at the date on that update - it is over a year old, and older than the official VW firmware. The newest firmware is the Volvo stuff, from April 2005.

[RichDiesel]

I know this is a very old thread but....

I was having the same problems with my Phatbox and it not recognizing the DMS. It would be fine for awhile, then just not work. I would have to unplug the unit, wait a few seconds then plug it back in to reset it. That would work for a short while then I'd have to do it again.

In the post by "damb" Phatnoise customer support gave a link to "alternate firmware". I loaded this firmwear onto my DMS and it, thus far, appreares to have cured the problem. I have been using it for 3-4 weeks now and I have not had any problems what so ever.

Hope this helps others out there who were frustrated with this issue.