Phatbox doesnt get detected in car?

[pifiu]

I just got a Phatbox, and I followed the directions and such so I can start with the basic "welcome to the phatbox" system file playing.

A little info on my radio setup.

Its a 2000 VW Jetta with the single DIN radio, but it has the OEM extra OEM single disk cd player. So its not the newer double din models that is just one big double din piece. This one came with the OEM single din radio, and then I purchased the single din in dash cd player. (this was before the double din players came).

I did it with the car turned off, and the DMS plugged into the phatbox. I turned the radio on and hit CD, and it goes to the in-dash OEM cd player, which has a "select" button on it, to switch in between a possible cd changer in the trunk, and the in-dash one.

I hit it and nothing, it goes back to the single din.

When I installed the phatbox, the instructions said some lights would flash? I never got any flashing lights, even for a second. It almost seems like the machine is dead? I tried connecting, disconnecting, checking for cable bends, all of the goodies and still nothing.

I even tried going as far as removing my single din indash cd player, to see if maybe that was making a problem; but even with it removed it said then "No disc" error.

What am I doing wrong, is my phatbox dead? Is there any way to flash it, revive it, or see whats up with it?

[markbowen]

I don't know about the specifics of your car and head unit, but no lights = no power.  Check your cable connection on both ends, and make sure there aren't any kinks in it.

It can also happen if the DMS is not properly inserted.  Sometimes you have to give it an extra nudge to make the proper contact -- a nudge, not brute force.

If you are sure the connection to the head unit is OK, disconnect the cable from the back of the Phatbox.  Give the DMS that little nudge to make sure it is seated properly.  Then connect the cable to the back of the Phatbox.  The lights should come on.  If they still don't, put a bit more pressure on the DMS just to see if it makes contact and the lights come on.  (You may need to have the car key turned to the accessory position, but leave the radio off while doing this.)

If that still doesn't work, it could be any number of problems.  Can be that a fuse is blown, the cable might be bad, or, yes, it could be that the Phatbox itself is dead.  I'm also not sure about that head unit + CD setup.

Try this site for more info on VW installs:  http://www.phatnoise.com/vw/
There is also a specific document for installing in a Jetta (http://www.phatnoise.com/vw/downloads/Jetta%20Sedan%2099.5_.pdf), as well as some other documents that might help you out.

[pifiu]

I tried all of the things you mentioned and still no sucess.  

I will try and update the firmware, but I dont know if thats going to help. It doesnt even seem to react to the cable connection basically.

Lastly I will try it on my friends car and see what happens.


BTW will I get any warranty for it? I bought it from ebay, since it was the only place that had them. It was in 100% working condition according to the seller. I dont want to say its just bad, maybe its just a problem on my end, or during the shipping?

[markbowen]

You can try to update the firmware, but if you are not getting any power, nothing will happen.

Just to be clear, is that a VW Phatbox you bought, not some other model?  Was it used or new?  You sure you have all the right cabling?

The best way to check if your box is working or not is if you know someone with a similar VW Phatbox setup.  You can just hook yours up to his/her cable.  If it still doesn't work, you got a dud.

If it was a new unopened VW Phatbox, you might have some warranty protection from Phatnoise or VW.  If it was used then you have to deal with the seller.  Either way, dealing with the seller might be the easiest, as you also have some buyer protection when you purchase from eBay.

Good luck.

[pifiu]

You can try to update the firmware, but if you are not getting any power, nothing will happen.

Just to be clear, is that a VW Phatbox you bought, not some other model?  Was it used or new?  You sure you have all the right cabling?

The best way to check if your box is working or not is if you know someone with a similar VW Phatbox setup.  You can just hook yours up to his/her cable.  If it still doesn't work, you got a dud.

If it was a new unopened VW Phatbox, you might have some warranty protection from Phatnoise or VW.  If it was used then you have to deal with the seller.  Either way, dealing with the seller might be the easiest, as you also have some buyer protection when you purchase from eBay.

Good luck.

Yes its a VW/Audi phatbox. The cable seems to be right. Else it wouldnt even plug in right? The pins layout inside the harness seems to match that of the one from the car.

It was a used, but in excellent condition as he said. I tried updating the firmware and it still didnt do anything, since it seems to still not be receiving power. BTW the latest is like 7.02 for the VW/Audi's?

Has anyone ever had to send in their phatbox in for a repair or warranty claim? I am going to try it, they really cant know that I bought it new or used. I'll just say it stopped working and give them the serial number? Whats the worse that could happen?

ARGH I really wanted the phatbox this weekend.

[S80_UK]

Before you send it in, is there any way that you can check that power is getting to the end of the cable that plugs ointo the Phatbox?  Are you able to check, or do you know an electronics enthusiast who could help you out?

The pinout information is here http://www.bingner.com/phatnoise/pinouts.html

On the VW Phatbox,

    pins 4, 16 ---> Ground - should connect to your vehicle ground;
    pins 10, 13 --> VCar - should read + 12V or so (same as car battery voltage);
    pin 14 ------> ACC - should go to +12V or so when radio & CD are turned on (or able to be turned on according to ignition key position)

Hope this may help you.

[pifiu]

Before you send it in, is there any way that you can check that power is getting to the end of the cable that plugs ointo the Phatbox?  Are you able to check, or do you know an electronics enthusiast who could help you out?

The pinout information is here http://www.bingner.com/phatnoise/pinouts.html

On the VW Phatbox,

    pins 4, 16 ---> Ground - should connect to your vehicle ground;
    pins 10, 13 --> VCar - should read + 12V or so (same as car battery voltage);
    pin 14 ------> ACC - should go to +12V or so when radio & CD are turned on (or able to be turned on according to ignition key position)

Hope this may help you.

this is a good idea. So just get a voltmeter and test it out? I have one at home, I just need to figure out how to use it! I always get confused as to what settings I need to put on it to read it. The whole AC vs DC thing, and then the different options for those like 1, 10, 100, etc.

also is it even possible to put the pin's of the voltmeter on such a small connector? I can try, I dont have the voltmeter here, so I cant see how big my pins on the voltmeter are, but the ones on the connector to the phatbox sure look small!

[S80_UK]

This probably is not the best place to teach you some electronic debugging techniques....    It is the kind of thing you need to be shown, I cannot explain everything that you might need to know here, and you could do some serious damage to the wiring or the head unit if you mess things up.  

It is good that you have a meter, but unless you really know what you are doing (it sounds like you are not an expert...) then I would strongly recommend that you find a friend who is more comfortable with this kind of thing.  And one other piece of advice - be patient - one mistake could easily cost you more than you probably paid for the Phatbox already.

[pifiu]

This probably is not the best place to teach you some electronic debugging techniques....    It is the kind of thing you need to be shown, I cannot explain everything that you might need to know here, and you could do some serious damage to the wiring or the head unit if you mess things up.  

It is good that you have a meter, but unless you really know what you are doing (it sounds like you are not an expert...) then I would strongly recommend that you find a friend who is more comfortable with this kind of thing.  And one other piece of advice - be patient - one mistake could easily cost you more than you probably paid for the Phatbox already.

I was reading up some more about it. Not that hard to use. I will try it later today when its a bit cooler outside.

[pifiu]

I called phatnoise, and they said they dont have replacement parts for this.

[pifiu]

UPDATE!!!!:


It works on my friends car. I used  my cable, my phatbox, my DMS. It works! So I just need to figure out why it doesnt on mine.

[S80_UK]

Great!  Well, that is good news.  Personally I suspect the wiring around your head-unit, perhaps in relation to the CD player add-on that you have.  But it's very hard to diagnose much more from here (and I don't have a VW so we can't compare).  Comparing the voltages against your friends car may provide some useful information.

[LloydDobler]

I remember reading that some VW's have a plastic cover on the connector that happens to allow the cd changer or phatbox to plug in, but no contact is made.  I guess it's to prevent shorting on things in the trunk.  Make sure the cable in the car doesn't have one of those?