VW -> Kenwood -> new HD

[cowgill]

So, I'm new at all this, and a bit overwhelmed.

Correct me if I'm wrong here, but nothing is stopping me from buying a PhatNoise unit from a VW dealer, changing the firmware to a Kenwood firmware, and then slapping in a new laptop HD.

What about the cable?  I know it's different, but you can't buy it anywhere, right?  So what I would have to do there is buy a Kenwood changer cable, cut both that and the PhatNoise cable, and splice them together with the available wiring diagrams?

Anything wrong with my plan?

[judb]

that plan should work just dandy for you... good luck man

[sbingner]

So, I'm new at all this, and a bit overwhelmed.

Correct me if I'm wrong here, but nothing is stopping me from buying a PhatNoise unit from a VW dealer, changing the firmware to a Kenwood firmware, and then slapping in a new laptop HD.

What about the cable?  I know it's different, but you can't buy it anywhere, right?  So what I would have to do there is buy a Kenwood changer cable, cut both that and the PhatNoise cable, and splice them together with the available wiring diagrams?

Anything wrong with my plan?

Apparently the phatbox end of the cable isn't always the same, so yes there could be a flaw in your plan.... but you should be able to fix it

[FiftyPence]

You can buy the cable in the UK from:

Fullers LTD
Riverside View
Wickham Market
Ipswich
IP13 0TA

Tel no: 01728 746500
Fax no: 01728 746900
E-mail: spares@kenwoodspares.co.uk
Opening hours: Monday to Thursday 9.00 to 5.30, Friday 9.30 to 4.30

Or in the US from:

http://www.kenwoodparts.com/parts/search.php

the part number is KHD-5L1.

The circuit in my kenwood music keg decided to fry itself so i am currently waiting for a nice shiny new phatnoise phatbox to arrive, at which point I will see if i can take the circuitboard out of the Phatbox and put it into the Kenwood Music Keg box because it is smaller and change the firmware accordingly.

I also have a bid on a 60GB 2.5'' Laptop HDD on ebay which i will then put into one of my DMS cartridges.

So yes, you can get a phatbox and change the firmware to run as a music keg to run with a kenwood HU

[LloydDobler]

The cable isn't as simple as it sounds.  The VW cable connects to a completely different set of pins and only has 9 conductors as opposed to the 13 in the Keg cable. Better to just buy it from www.pacparts.com.  

Otherwise yes your plan is fine.  I've done it.  You do need a kenwood head unit with changer control, I didn't see you mention that.  You also left out the step of hacking the phatbox which is pretty slick with the disc they made here, but isn't exactly 'slap in a new hd'.