Table of Contents GETTING STARTED ....................................................................................... 4 Four steps to a quick start....................................................................................... 5 System Components .............................................................................................. 6 Manuals and Guides ............................................................................................... 7 PhatBox Overview ......................
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Getting Started The PhatNoise Car Audio System is one of the most advanced digital automotive music systems available today. By offering one-touch access to a virtually unlimited number of MP3s, WMAs and other music files, it provides music lovers the ultimate in power and flexibility through its seamless automotive integration. Page 4 PhatNoise Car Audio System User Manual 1302-MAN Copyright 2003 PhatNoise Inc.
Four steps to a quick start This manual contains step-by-step instructions for the operation of your PhatNoise Car Audio System. Here is a quick overview of the four major steps: Step 1) Installing the PhatBox in your car. For more information on how to install the PhatBox in your car, see section I. Step 2) Installing the PhatNoise Music Manager software on your PC. For more information on how to set up your PC, see section II. Step 3) Creating playlists of your favorite music.
System Components Please check to make sure your PhatNoise Car Audio System package is complete. You should have received all of the following parts: 1 1 1 1 1 1 PhatBox PhatBox connector cable DMS cartridge USB cradle with attached USB cable USB cradle power adapter PhatNoise Music Manager software CD-ROM PhatBox PhatBox connector cable DMS Cartridge USB Cradle Page 6 PhatNoise Car Audio System User Manual 1302-MAN Copyright 2003 PhatNoise Inc.
USB Cradle power adapter PhatNoise Music Manager software CD-ROM Mounting Screws Manuals and Guides There are two manuals that are included with your package – these manuals provide essential information for installing and using your PhatBox. PhatNoise Car Audio System User’s Manual – This manual, a general guide for installing and troubleshooting the PhatNoise car audio system. PhatNoise Quick Start Guide – A guide specifically designed for your radio.
PhatBox Overview The PhatBox chassis is the “brain” of the PhatNoise Car Audio System. It is a computer that you install permanently in your vehicle. The PhatBox software and the music files themselves are contained on the cartridge that is inserted into the PhatBox. ! Note: Please refer to the included Quick Start Guide for detailed connection diagrams for your radio. Page 8 PhatNoise Car Audio System User Manual 1302-MAN Copyright 2003 PhatNoise Inc.
DMS Cartridge Overview The DMS cartridge is what makes the PhatBox flexible. Just like a computer hard drive, its huge storage capacity can accommodate thousands of music files. When inserting the DMS Cartridge into the PhatBox, make sure the cartridge slides all the way in until the latches click. Press the release button whenever pulling the drive out of the cradle or the PhatBox. ! Do not open the DMS cartridge casing. Doing so will void your warranty.
USB Cradle Overview The USB cradle plugs into the USB port in the back of your computer. Inserting the DMS cartridge into the USB cradle allows your computer to download and store music files in your DMS cartridge. This cradle is USB 2.0 compatible for fast transfer speeds. It is highly recommended that you use your USB cradle with a highspeed USB 2.0 port in order to achieve the fastest transfer rate. There are many brands of inexpensive USB 2.0 PCI adapter cards available today.
Safety and Handling Precautions Do not install the PhatBox on the rear deck of a car where it will be subjected to direct sunlight and high temperatures. Do not install the PhatBox where it will be subjected to hot air from the heater or any other high-temperature location. Do not install the PhatBox where you cannot firmly secure the unit, or in high-vibration areas. Do not install the PhatBox in an area of high humidity or where large amounts of airborne dust/dirt are present.
Section I: Installation Guide For your convenience, the PhatBox has already been configured for your head unit. For the PhatBox to recognize this configuration, you must insert the DMS cartridge into the PhatBox, prior to installation. ! If you have no experience installing car audio equipment, we recommend you go to a professional installer for the mounting and wiring of the PhatBox.
Mounting Clearance You must leave the front of the PhatBox unobstructed to allow the DMS cartridge to be removed from the DMS cartridge slot. The PhatBox cable needs at least 3 inches of clearance to keep the cables from straining or bending unnecessarily. Please keep this in mind when choosing a mounting location. Connecting the PhatBox to your head unit As far as your car stereo head unit is concerned, the PhatBox appears to be regular CD changer.
Once you have made all the connections and the PhatBox does not begin playing back, please check the front lights for the following: No lights come on at all: Possible Cause Solution The PhatBox connector cable and/or head unit wiring harness is connected incorrectly. Reconnect the PhatBox connector cable and/or head unit wiring harness correctly. Make sure each connection is firmly connected. A fuse in the car has blown.
Section II: Setting up at Home Installing the PhatNoise Music Manager software The PhatNoise Music Manager software is included on the CD found in your package. You can use the software to create and manage playlists of MP3s, WMA and WAV files. ! You must install the PhatNoise Music Manager software on your computer before you connect the USB cradle to your computer. To configure the software, it is very important to follow these steps in order.
6. When the installation is finished, the setup program will ask you to reboot the computer. 7. Once rebooted, plug the power connector into the USB cradle. Make sure the other end of the power cable is plugged into a wall outlet before connecting the USB cradle to your computer. 8. Connect the USB cradle to a USB port on your PC. (We recommend that if your computer does not already support USB 2.0, that you purchase a USB 2.0 PCI adapter card to take advantage of the much faster transfer speed). 9.
11. Let the Autoplay feature finish. 12. Next, dialog boxes will appear for two new drives, labeled PHTDTA and PHTSYS: Page 17 PhatNoise Car Audio System User Manual 1302-MAN Copyright 2003 PhatNoise Inc.
13. For each dialog box, select “Take No Action” and check “Always do the selected Action”, then Click “OK”. 14. ! Your DMS is ready! If you have USB 2.0 ports installed on your machine, but the cradle is plugged into a USB 1.0 port, Windows XP will give the warning below. To solve this, plug the cradle into a USB 2.0 port. Page 18 PhatNoise Car Audio System User Manual 1302-MAN Copyright 2003 PhatNoise Inc.
Section III: Creating and Managing Playlists ! This section of the instruction manual serves to introduce the core features of the PhatNoise Music Manager software. To explore all the features of the software, press F1 while the Music Manager is running MP3 Files and ID3 Tags The PhatNoise Music Manager software allows you to organize, play, and create digital music files. These music files come in many different formats, but the most popular is the MP3 format.
o Double-click the PhatNoise Music Manager icon on your desktop. o Click “Start”, select “Program Files”, and select the PhatNoise Music Manager icon. 2. You will see the Music Manager splash screen, then the “Load Songs” screen will appear. 3. Choose a location on your computer that contains songs you wish to load into the PhatNoise Music Manager database. This may be a music folder you already have (i.e. “C:\My Music”).
Converting an Audio CD to computer files The CD Encoder view allows you to create MP3 files from your CDs. 1. Switch to the CD Encoder view by pressing this button: 2. Insert the CD into the computer. Press the Load CD button. 3. If the computer is connected to the Internet, the songs names will appear next to the track number as follows: 4. If you are not connected to the Internet, the tracks will be listed "Track 01", "Track 02", etc.
5. Edit the “Artist”, “Title”, “Genre”, and “Year” information if it is missing or incorrect. 6. Choose the tracks to encode using the checkboxes. 7. Choose the file format to encode. 8. Choose the bitrate of the file to be created. We recommend the MP3 format at 192kbps for the best combination of sound quality and file size. 9. Press the Start Encoding button in the Encode panel and the process will begin. Page 22 PhatNoise Car Audio System User Manual 1302-MAN Copyright 2003 PhatNoise Inc.
Finding Music First, display the library of music you have loaded into the Music Manager. Click on the Library View button: The Library view appears: Page 23 PhatNoise Car Audio System User Manual 1302-MAN Copyright 2003 PhatNoise Inc.
There are many ways of finding music with the PhatNoise Music Manager. Here are a few you may find useful: Search Box: Type artist, album, genre, path, or filename information into the search box and view the results below. Browse View: Click the browse view button to see a breakdown of your music library by Artist and Album. Hint: Right click on “All Songs” and choose “Enable Genre Browsing” to see the available Genres as well.
Media Explorer: Open the Media Explorer tree to see where your music is located. This display mirrors how your music is stored on your computer. Creating Playlists A playlist is a collection of songs. It can simply be a collection of songs you choose (static) or a playlist based on criteria (dynamic). Adding songs to a static playlist 1. Click the Create playlist button. Enter a name for this playlist, choose Empty Playlist, then press Ok 2. Click on the All Songs playlist.
3. Find the songs you wish to include in the playlist, and then highlight the desired songs. 4. Drag the desired songs into your playlist. Adding songs to a dynamic playlist 1. Click the Create playlist button. Enter a name for this playlist, choose Dynamic Playlist, then press Ok 2. The playlist properties window will automatically appear. 3. To add criteria to a playlist, select the criteria to add. The criteria category selected will determine what is displayed in the criteria window.
4. Each time you select a playlist in the PhatNoise Music Manager software, the list of criteria in that playlist is checked against the MP3 collection on your PC's hard drive. All songs that match the criteria are automatically added to your dynamic playlist. Accessing the DMS Cartridge 1. Insert the DMS cartridge into the USB cradle. The LED lights on the cradle will flicker when the cartridge has been properly inserted. 2. Access the Device view by clicking the Device button. 3.
The Device view is organized in two parts: • The PhatNoise Music Manager Playlist and Windows Explorer panels • The All Supported Devices panels 4. Activate the PhatNoise DMS cartridge by clicking PhatNoise DMS in the All Supported Devices panel. When the DMS cartridge is connected properly, a summary screen appears with a red GO button. If a blue Reconnect button appears, click on it to activate your DMS cartridge. If the DMS cartridge has not been configured properly, a configuration wizard will launch.
1. Find the base folder where all your encoded CDs are located using the Media Explorer. In this example, it is under C:\My Music: 2. Drag the Folder onto the bottom left space of the window to create a “virtual” Disc 1. On the bottom right you can see the music contained in this Disc (see next page). Page 29 PhatNoise Car Audio System User Manual 1302-MAN Copyright 2003 PhatNoise Inc.
You can also browse this content in the car by Album, Artist, and Genre; no further setup is necessary to do this. Skip to the next section titled ‘Ejecting the DMS’ to begin copying your music to the DMS cartridge. Playlist Based: If you like to create custom mixes of music, follow these steps: 1. Select All Songs, then choose the songs you would like to place on the DMS. Page 30 PhatNoise Car Audio System User Manual 1302-MAN Copyright 2003 PhatNoise Inc.
2. Drag the selected songs onto the bottom left space of the window to create a “virtual” Disc of these songs. Page 31 PhatNoise Car Audio System User Manual 1302-MAN Copyright 2003 PhatNoise Inc.
3. Give the Disc a name by selecting the disc twice – this name will be read aloud to you in the car when you play this disc. 4. You can also directly drag a playlist you created earlier, listed under All Playlists, onto the DMS. These virtual discs are now available in the car with the same names and numbering using the Playlist mode. Ejecting the DMS When you are finished modifying the contents of the DMS disc, click Save/Eject DMS.
Syncing Music The PhatNoise Music Manager has a one-click synchronization feature. This allows you to easily update the DMS cartridge with new music you may have. In the Device view, a yellow star next to the Disc icon denotes a dynamic playlist. This playlist is set to find songs that match certain criteria.
Section IV: Operating the PhatBox The PhatBox is controlled through the CD changer controls of your existing car stereo head unit. ! The PhatBox operates differently than a standard CD Changer! Please read the instructions below carefully to learn how to properly use the PhatNoise Car Audio system. Becuase every radio is designed differently, please refer to the included Quick Start Guide to learn how to use the buttons on your particular radio. Most radios have limited control and display capabilities.
Using SSA The SSA interface mirrors the music organization performed by the PhatNoise Music Manager on your home PC. You can access the Virtual Discs in the order you placed them onto the DMS cartridge via the Playlist Mode, or you can have the PhatBox sort the music by Album, Artist, or Genre via the corresponding playback modes. Playback Modes Mode 1 is Track Mode In this mode (if available), the Track up/down buttons move playback to the next/previous track determined by the active playback mode.
Mode 6 is Features Mode In the Feature mode you can set special features and options of the PhatBox. The Track up/down buttons change the feature to be selected. To make a selection, press the SCAN or Fast Forward button. A voice will describe the features that can be activated. To learn how to access each of the modes using your particular radio, please refer to the included Quick Start Guide.
Playback Example Our current song playing is “Love my way” by Beth Jones. This song has the following ID3 tag information: Playlist My Music Album The Best of Beth Jones Artist Beth Jones Genre Rock Looking at all the 4 lists on the PhatBox, you can see this particular song’s location in each list from the arrows illustrated below. The Active Playback Mode is currently set to Playlist Playback (e.g. we are listening to our “My Music” playlist).
Now the next song we will hear is of the Rock genre. Since we are not changing the genre, the current song will continue until it is finished playing. If we were to change genres to Blues, then the first Blues song would begin playing. Other Notes Voice Prompting When changing modes, the PhatBox will announce which mode it is entering. This will help you as you learn the functions of the buttons on the head unit.
To alleviate this, the SSA album mode sorts by artist first, then alphabetically sorts by album name.
Appendix A: Updating the Firmware in your PhatBox Your PhatBox has firmware programmed inside of it. It has already been setup at the factory to work with your car stereo head unit. PhatNoise periodically releases updates to the firmware in order to fix problems or to provide feature upgrades. A notice of firmware updates may appear on the PhatNoise website, or you may be contacted via the email address you registered with PhatNoise when you loaded your PhatNoise Music Manager Software onto your PC.
4. Click the text PhatNoise DMS and then press the “GO” button. 5. Press the Hardware Options button. Page 41 PhatNoise Car Audio System User Manual 1302-MAN Copyright 2003 PhatNoise Inc.
6. If you have the Ford/Visteon MACH MP3 Jukebox, make sure the ‘Installed Product’ is the MACH MP3 Jukebox. Otherwise, ‘Installed Product’ should be PhatNoise Car Audio System. Press the Start Wizard button to begin the update process. Page 42 PhatNoise Car Audio System User Manual 1302-MAN Copyright 2003 PhatNoise Inc.
7. The wizard will begin. Press Next to skip the introductory screen. Page 43 PhatNoise Car Audio System User Manual 1302-MAN Copyright 2003 PhatNoise Inc.
8. Press the Check for Updates from PhatNoise Website button to load the latest set of head unit firmware available for download. NOTE: if the Version number of the firmware package is higher than the version number in your “Current Setup,” it is newer firmware. Left click on the firmware package you want to download (there may be only one). Page 44 PhatNoise Car Audio System User Manual 1302-MAN Copyright 2003 PhatNoise Inc.
9. Press the Next button. The window will display information about this particular version of firmware. 10. Press the Next button one more time. This screen summarizes the options you have chosen. Press Update PhatNoise DMS when you are done, and the firmware will then be downloaded to your DMS Cartridge. ! Make sure you are choosing the correct options. Reprogramming the PhatBox for an incorrect head unit may damage your system 11. The wizard will close. Now press the Save/Eject DMS button.
After completing these steps, your DMS cartridge is set to reprogram the PhatBox with the firmware you just downloaded. Now the PhatBox can be updated using the following steps: 12. While your car radio is off, insert the DMS cartridge into your PhatBox. 13. Turn on the radio and verify that the PhatBox powers on (the green light begins to blink). 14. While the green light is blinking, the PhatBox is reprogramming itself. This will take about 7 minutes.
Appendix B: Troubleshooting Note: For the latest support information, please check the PhatNoise website and support sections: http://www.phatnoise.com http://www.phatnoise.com/support When Installing the PhatBox: Problem Cause/Solution No lights come on at all. The PhatBox connector cable and/or head unit wiring harness is connected incorrectly. Reconnect the PhatBox connector cable and/or head unit wiring harness correctly. Make sure each connection is firmly connected.
The DMS cartridge is not fully inserted. Fully insert the DMS cartridge. Or, The radio displays NO CD. File(s) on your cartridge may be corrupt. Run the PhatNoise DMS Doctor on your computer and follow the recommendations. No playlists were found on the DMS cartridge. Please place playlists on the DMS cartridge using the PhatNoise Music Manager. Or, File(s) on your cartridge may be corrupt. Run the PhatNoise DMS Doctor on your computer and follow the recommendations.
WMA files are not playing in the PhatBox PhatNoise Music Manager software errors containing a “Codebase” message. Or The PhatNoise Music Manager playlists are missing or not working properly. When transferring files to the DMS a message appears “Long Filenames not supported” When a DMS cartridge is inserted into the USB cradle, neither the green nor the red light turn on. USB cradle is not recognized properly. playback mode changes a brief mute in sound may occur.
Voice prompts are missing in the car proper USB support. - The USB interface has been disabled in the system settings or in the motherboard BIOS. Check your voice prompt settings: Page 50 PhatNoise Car Audio System User Manual 1302-MAN Copyright 2003 PhatNoise Inc. 1. 2. 3. 4. Insert the DMS. Open the Device view and select the DMS. Press the Hardware Options button. Open the DMS Database/Voice Prompts tab and click Fix Voice Prompts.
Appendix C: Important Safety and Handling Instructions FCC WARNING This equipment may generate or use radio frequency energy. Changes or modifications to this equipment may cause harmful interference unless the modifications are expressly approved in the instruction manual. The user could use the authority to operate this equipment if an unauthorized change or modification is made.
Digital Media Storage Cartridge Precautions 1. Do not remove the DMS Cartridge from the PhatBox Player unless the PhatBox Player is turned off. 2. Do not remove the DMS Cartridge from the USB Cradle until downloading is complete. 3. Do not leave the DMS Cartridge in locations with high temperatures and high humidity, such as on a car dashboard or in the rear window where it will be subject to direct sunlight. Do not subject the DMS Cartridge to extreme cold temperatures. 4.
Appendix D: Using Audible content with your PhatNoise Car Audio System Introduction Audible is a huge collection of audio programming delivered digitally over the Internet, anywhere, anytime. At audible.com, you can choose from over 4,500 audiobooks and 14,000 other audio programs. You can download those programs to your computer and listen immediately, or you can transfer them to your PhatBox and listen on the go.
3. When you click the "All Audible Content" link for the first time you will be presented with the following dialog box: The Audible User Name Entry dialog box gives you the following three options: Welcome - Tell Me More! Click the Tell Me More! Button to get more information about audible.com Existing Users - Click Here! Click the Existing Users Click Here! Button if you already have an audible.com account. Page 54 PhatNoise Car Audio System User Manual 1302-MAN Copyright 2003 PhatNoise Inc.
Enter your audible.com username and password. Then press the OK button. A dialog box will appear asking if you would like to synchronize your subscriptions with the Audible.com servers. We recommend you press the Yes button. New Users - Click Here! Click the New Users Click Here! Button to create a new audible.com account and take advantage of our special introductory offer. Page 55 PhatNoise Car Audio System User Manual 1302-MAN Copyright 2003 PhatNoise Inc.
You will be taken to the new user signup page at audible.com. Please follow the instructions on the site. Once you have registered at the audible.com site, return back to the PhatNoise Music Manager. Now that you are a registered audible.com user, click the Existing Users - Click Here! button and follow the steps explained above. Once your audible.
3. Click on the "PhatNoise DMS" text under the All Supported Devices panel 4. Click on the red GO button 5. On the top portion of the Device view click on the "All Audible Content" text in the Playlist panel 6. Drag an audible file to a DMS disc Page 57 PhatNoise Car Audio System User Manual 1302-MAN Copyright 2003 PhatNoise Inc.
You will notice that the Audible file will be added, and each section break will correspond to a track on the PhatNoise DMS. Assigning a track to each index point is meant to assist you in finding your place in longer audiobooks and/or periodicals. Dynamic Audible Subscription Discs It is possible to create discs that will automatically update with issues of Audible subscriptions. To create a dynamic audible subscription disc, follow these steps: 1. Click the Disc Wizard button from the PhatNoise DMS view.
2. Choose "Audible Subscriptions" from the "Create From" drop down list. 3. Select one or more Audible subscriptions and click one of the Create buttons 4. You will then be asked if you'd like to include all of the issues of the subscription, or only the most recent issue. Click yes or no as desired. Page 59 PhatNoise Car Audio System User Manual 1302-MAN Copyright 2003 PhatNoise Inc.
To update the Audible Subscription Discs Discs will automatically be updated when you click the Sync DMS button. Saving Your Changes When you have finished organizing your Audible content, click the SAVE/EJECT DMS button. Playing Audible content in your car A playlist with Audible content on it will auto-resume. The Auto-resume feature allows the PhatBox to remember where playback stopped in a playlist. For example, suppose you are listening to an Audible playlist and you switch to a different playlist.
Appendix E: Contacting PhatNoise Support Need help? What goes where, compatibility, and troubleshooting? First, check our Frequently Asked Questions: http://www.phatnoise.com/support/faq/ If you can’t find the answer to your question there, please feel free to contact us at: Web/Email: http://www.phatnoise.com/support Phone: 310-954-3650 Call center is available 10:00am – 6:00pm PST Monday through Friday. Page 61 PhatNoise Car Audio System User Manual 1302-MAN Copyright 2003 PhatNoise Inc.
