iLounge

1

What the F***ck!!!!!!!!

Posted by diddy on August 24, 2004 at 8:28 AM (PST)

2

I’m having a hard time shoving everything back into the original iTrip shell.  Can somebody please help?

Posted by BlochPod on August 24, 2004 at 10:01 AM (PST)

3

uhh yeah i think this site and idea takes away from like 70% of the point of the itrip which is to make it compact and not ridiculous… this is both not compact and completely ridiculous, who needs that much more power out of your itrip… just figure out a differet way to hook up your ipod to your car.

Posted by robbiesan in Arlingotn, VA on August 24, 2004 at 10:17 AM (PST)

4

::sigh::

robbiesan, it’s simply a cool hack for the iTrip - nothing more.  it was not intended to be useful for most people.

props to the creators of the site

Posted by Jon on August 24, 2004 at 11:04 AM (PST)

5

Obviously what I describe is a theoretical excercise, as modifying the iTrip and then operating it, would be illegal.

Otherwise, one could replace the built-in 3” long antenna with a longer one, let’s say 30”. One could reassemble the shell and have the long wire exit through the hole where the little gray rubbers are. This longer wire barely would be a deal breaker, as it is very thin, and not that long anyway. One could experience clear reception on any of the channels while inside of the car, even in Los Angeles, where there is no static on the dial. It is more elegant than the article’s solution with alligator clips, extra power, etc and comparing the claims this workd much better…

Posted by pbox on August 24, 2004 at 3:02 PM (PST)

6

“Obviously what I describe is a theoretical excercise, as modifying the iTrip and then operating it, would be illegal.”

Thank you pbox, that was exactly my point in creating the site. It is a proof of concept only. I brainstormed several ideas for making the amplifier portable, but I currently have no plans to build any.

Ideally the point of an amplifier such as this one is to be able to broadcast powerfully over a decent range (not just the six feet to your car antenna). If all you want to do is boost your signal to get a clearer signal in your car, pbox’s method is practical and usable (providing your car reciever is up to snuff).

Posted by Outpour on August 24, 2004 at 4:04 PM (PST)

7

It’s too bad Griffin couldn’t have up’d the power on the iTrip originally (even if it meant having it’s own battery)  Mine comes in about the same quality as the weakest station on the dial and therefore I rarely ever use the darn thing.

Posted by rage on August 24, 2004 at 5:56 PM (PST)

8

I had been wanting to try pbox’s method of boosting the signal of the iTrip since I read about it months ago on another website but I just couldn’t figure out how to open the iTrip without resorting to having to use a hammer! (I even ran a search on the internet but zilch.) But thanks to this article, I finally knew how to crack the nut! Thanks for the tip!

Posted by cookie on August 24, 2004 at 11:57 PM (PST)

9

I have read a copy of BH1417F’s spec (the transmitter chip used with iTrip) and reference design booklet. These are few interesting points:

1) iTrip’s RF stage follows the reference design given by Rohm. There is a bandpass filter at the output to reduce the output harmonics. It looks like a small yellow cube next to the antenna.

2) The reference design calls for a set of resistors to attenuate the output signal. However, this is omitted from the iTrip, and instead they use a low efficiency antenna (eg, very short). This is to comply with the FCC rules. If you look carefully, there are remenace of the copper trace near the antenna. It looks like they experimented with the attenuator during the design phase.

To conclude, iTrip is effectively limitted by the size/efficiency of the antenna, since the BH1417F itself is pretty powerful.

Posted by tan on August 25, 2004 at 12:36 AM (PST)

10

yeah see i understtod the point of the site, i just still think its interesting yet silly. While its pretty intelligent, it still is useless.

Posted by robbiesan in Arlingotn, VA on August 25, 2004 at 6:51 AM (PST)

11

oh and ::sigh::... who are you the comic book guy?

Posted by robbiesan in Arlingotn, VA on August 25, 2004 at 6:52 AM (PST)

12

ok wait i take that all back…i still see the point in your concept, but now I take it the challenege is to make it conceivable for actual use.  I know its “illegal” but is there a way to actually do this and make it all go back into the itrip or be useful information?

Posted by robbiesan in Arlingotn, VA on August 25, 2004 at 6:56 AM (PST)

13

you know what never mind i shouldnt have ever spoken on this subject. i get the point. Piece!

Posted by robbiesan in Arlingotn, VA on August 25, 2004 at 7:03 AM (PST)

14

Tan: Where did you get the BH1417Fs ref design booklet?

I’m experiementing with antennas and different amplifiers. The efficiency (length) of the antenna is important (obviously).

Thanks to tan’s information I know now there is a bandpass filter on the itrip something I’ve been trying to find out. Also the fact griffin did not include the resistors to attenuate (reduce the level of the singal) theoretically the itrip is only limited by the antenna and maxes out at the max output of the transmitter chip.

Posted by Outpour on August 25, 2004 at 12:02 PM (PST)

15

Outpour, here’s the link to the pdf version of the booklet: http://128.163.147.208/lgh/datasheets/bh1415.pdf

It’s very detailed, with explanations for all the parts in the reference design.

I’m experimenting with the antenna at the moment, but my ipod died on me just now :(

Posted by tan on August 26, 2004 at 8:30 PM (PST)

16

Yeah I’ve been working on the itrip, and earlier today I fried it. Not sure how but it is gone. Gonna have to get a new one I guess.

Thanks for the link by the way.

Posted by Outpour on August 27, 2004 at 9:43 PM (PST)

17

I’m not sure it’s going to give you as much amplification as tearing apart your iTrip, but I’ve found you can plug your firewire or USB cable into the iPod while transmitting and it acts like an antenna.

To take it one step further I then plug my firewire cable into the AC adapter and plug it into the wall when I’m at home or in a location where it’s feasible to do so.

Posted by Anonymous25 on February 18, 2005 at 11:15 AM (PST)

18

funny is that this amp was stolen from the FM-10 FAQ but no props givin.

Posted by funny on June 21, 2005 at 5:32 PM (PST)

19

Hahahahaha sereousley for those of you that are handicaped in this i feel bad for you. its easy but if youv never been able to put something back together in your life then don’t try it but hay i just did it based off this suposed web site sooooo…........... i don’t see why yall who can’t get it ..... well can’t get it

Formally,
Noj

Posted by Noj on August 4, 2005 at 8:10 PM (PST)