O2 XDA Car Kit vs Home Made Car Kit

[roycruse]

I am looking for info / help on Car Kits.
I have a TomTom Navigator SatNav System and am trying to decide whether or not to by an O2 Car Kit or Start modifying what I allready have to do the same job.

1. Does the O2 Car kit have voice cancellation Circuitry to reduce bounce back to my caller.

2. Does anyone have any circuit diagrams that will create the Radio Mute function on audio output from the XDA (I also want the radio to mute on voice navigation prompts)

3. Does the O2 Car Kit have a socket to enable me to attach my TomTom GPS Reciever or will i have to modify the Car Kit if i decide to buy rather than make.

4. Whats the cheapest place in the UK to buy the car kit from.

5. Does anyone have any other advice on this topic as it would be very usefull to me.

[LumpiStefan]

I am looking for info / help on Car Kits.
I have a TomTom Navigator SatNav System and am trying to decide whether or not to by an O2 Car Kit or Start modifying what I allready have to do the same job.

1. Does the O2 Car kit have voice cancellation Circuitry to reduce bounce back to my caller.

I think, the Car kit does include such a system. The "voice quality" is quiet good, like on other car kits....


2. Does anyone have any circuit diagrams that will create the Radio Mute function on audio output from the XDA (I also want the radio to mute on voice navigation prompts)

This is the same function like the original Car kit do. It does mute the radio on all audio ouputs from the xda. There is no difference if the audio output is either from a calling, nor from the Navisystem, nor if the mediaplayer is used. But this is also a little problem. It turns off radio too, when you tap on the startmenu and get the "tap-beep"....


3. Does the O2 Car Kit have a socket to enable me to attach my TomTom GPS Reciever or will i have to modify the Car Kit if i decide to buy rather than make.

You have to modify it a little bit. Most of the GPS Recievers have a PS2 Connector to attach it to the XDA. The Car kit have an other Connector (don't know what it is..). i change the connectors of the Car kit to PS2 and it works fine....

4. Whats the cheapest place in the UK to buy the car kit from.
I buyed my Car Kit at Ebay for 149.- €uro. This was the cheapiest place i found... (I live in Germany)

5. Does anyone have any other advice on this topic as it would be very usefull to me.

There is a thread about FVH an he has also a review of the original car kit.
Search here in the forum...

Regards

Stefan

[roycruse]

I notice the O2 car kit claims to require professional installation and an external antenea

I presume the external antenea is optional and not required.

What is actually involved in connecting it all up - both electrically and physically.

[LumpiStefan]

In every car kit, there is a hint, to go to an "professional" to install it.
But you can do it yourself, when you're able to do some basic "electrical an pysical" installations.

You need to connect it to circuit of the car and to your radio and you have to install the speaker and the microphone. That's all.

The external antena is optional and not required. The same thing with the gps-receiver.
At the car kit are connectors for:
battery +
battery -
icognition or also battery +
Radio mute
2 x speaker output
microphone
external antena
gps

That's all...