$1 Ipod to Stereo Connection

Intro: $1 Ipod to Stereo Connection

For some reason people are surprised when I tell them this, so I decided I'd post it for all. This works for anything that has a headphone jack (e.g. laptop or desktop computer, cell phone, walkman, etc).


You just have to buy a $1 cable from a dollar store.
Picture 1


Plug one end into your ipod's earphone jack, the other end into your stereo's "aux in" or "video aux in" jacks (red and white).
Pictures 2 and 3


Then click your stereo buttons to put it into "aux mode" and press play on your ipod.
Picture 4


Done.

Comments

[cmartí]

I would improve this by using an LOD cable or LOD to female 3.5mm to female 3.5mm adapter.

Amplifying fro the headphone jack will cause unnessesary distortion and artifact in the music.

[te101]

thank UUUUUUUUUUUUUU

[guitarman63mm]

Good lord. You need to learn a thing or two about a thing called impedance. This is why you shouldn't dabble in electronics if you don't have a clue about it.

[leevonk]

are you talking to me? I trust no

[guitarman63mm]

I was referring to people who plug any electronic device into their instrument's amplifier. It's not meant for that kind of load.

[leevonk]

_what isn't made for _what kind of load? what's the 'instrument' your talking about? are you on drugs?

[guitarman63mm]

Looks like my statement does apply to you!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electrical_load

There are quite a few people out there who are using this simple jack to play their music NOT through their auxilary stereo input, but rather an input jack on an amplifier (I've seen more than one supporting this usage on a guitar amplifier) I was just clarifying that point, as it can destroy expensive equipment.

As for that last bit, I'm sober, as of right now.

[leevonk]

electric guitars can output over 1V from their pickups, so if you don't turn the volume up on your ipod should be fine (to keep the ipod output well below it's 5v max). Even if you turn the ipod volume up all the way (so that the loudest music causes 5V output) should be ok as each of those 5v pulses are very short (just the very short crest(s) of a sinusoidal sound wave). I agree there is a possibility (although slight) of damaging your guitar amp if you're using it in that way.

[guitarman63mm]

It's not about voltage, it's about the impedance. Very big difference.

[leevonk]

actually V=IR   and impedance is closely related to resistance, so it is indeed about voltage too. So the fact that ipods can vary their voltage output (by adjusting volume), should matter. This webpage (http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/audio/imped.html) seems to corroborate this and mentions that in addition, modern amplifiers solve most problems of impedance matching. Is your background in electrical guitar use? Cause as far as I know their voltage output ranges can't be adjusted, also I'm not sure on how much current they are capable of outputting,..

[7654321]

V=IR means voltage = current times resistance (I in this case stands for current not impendance)

[leevonk]

btw, I'm not trying to argue, I'm actually interested in this and making sure we both understand it fully in the end

[gernboken]

your comment is old but you seem like you know what you're talking about, so i hope you see it and respond. can you point me in the right direction to figure out how to make a jack to connect my ipod to my car stereo, which as far as i know doesn't have any sort of external input jack? i think i can buy the connectors to connect another stereo to my car's speakers, and i imagine i can buy or rig up a splitter, but i don't know how to connect my ipod to that jack without messing up my car speakers or my ipod.

[guitarman63mm]

True, it is old. In reality, I'm just a guy with an interest in electronics, but I do happen to know a bit (more than the o/p and the 12-year-old kids that post on here, at least). Unless you have a newer car, the chances of you having an auxiliary jack in your vehicle are pretty slim. This limits your choice to essentially two options. One is a common cassette tape adapter that you simply plug in, and will run you about $20 US. The other is a wireless one that plugs into you you cigarette lighter, and changes a specific frequency to whatever it chooses (say, 88.7 is your ipod). Then you simply tune to that. Probably $20. Good luck.

[baneat]

It sounds so bad that noone really would use it anyway, luckily.

[djmelton9]

Sorry but this is not an "Instructable"...This is just saying go buy the cable.

[Capt. Fat]

What if you have a micro stereo with no video aux

[gernboken]

this

[Capt. Fat]

huh?

[pancho del rancho]

do u have a mp3 line on the stereo