VentureMP3 player

[midnightventure]

A while back there was a thread about a MP3 player that interfaced with the radio and was controlled by the radio controls. Although I was hesitant because of a lack of info I took advantage of the sale that was going on and ordered one. I installed it today and thought I would try to get some more info out about it. Here is a video I made of it operating.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aj3bAjEdPOc]Venture MP3 install - YouTube[/ame]

 

Here are a couple of pictures.

http://i932.photobucket.com/albums/ad166/midnightventure/CIMG1418.jpg

http://i932.photobucket.com/albums/ad166/midnightventure/CIMG1414.jpg

Even though I had a cold I couldn't resist going for a ride and trying it out. Rode about 35 miles on some rough paved roads and about a mile on gravel. It worked perfect on the pavement but it did quit and I had to cycle through AUX,FM1,FM2 and back to CD and it took right off were it left off. So far I am satisfied with it but I wish that I had felt better so I could have rode 100 miles. The directions state to load the songs for the first CD directly to the SD card and then create 5 more folders called CD02 through CD06. You can load 99 songs to each folder. Total of 594 songs. Also it says to make sure there are no odd symbols like ')in the titles. I had already gone through and fixed all my titles and ended up with 2 1/2 SD cards full. It plays MP3 and WMA. If you pop one SD card out and put nin another it starts at the same disc and song number it was on before. Long pushes on the switch changes Cds (folders) and quick pushs change songs. It creates CD01 soon as it fires up.

[Kirby]

Thanks for the video Bill. I got mine installed last week and have enjoyed it ever since! It's so nice to be able to not have to unplug the mp3 player and stash it in a secure place every time I decide I might want to leave the bike and go inside a store. And it starts right back at the place where it was turned off at. I had to buy a good sd card to get it to play right. The first one I tried didn't work right so I "borrowed" the spare one from my wife's digital camera. After that it worked just as it was advertised. I put mine in the left saddlebag where my cd changer used to be because when I ran the wires for my rear led lights, I used the hole in the trunk to run the wiring for that through there and I didn't want to upset any of that wiring trying to get this hooked up. Anyway I'm enjoying this new toy immensely!!!

[midnightventure]

I had my 6 cd changer in a saddle bag but I had gotten tired of having to take the wire out every time I changed a back tire.

[KeithR]

Thanks for the video....looks interesting. I know it came from Spain but is there any indication where it was made ?

 

Keith

[spear]

Hey Bill.

For for posting that.

Looks like a nice unit.

Will it play any other sort of music?

(Sorry - not a CM fan.)

Man, I needs to know - do you have a link to the seller?

I googled VentureMP3 and came up with zilch.

[spear]

As you were Bill.

Just found it.

http://www.venturemp3.com/

Bit pricey, don't ya think??

[KeithR]

It is a tad expensive but compared to the CD changer I guess its in line price wise. I use my Zumo for music now but where I live I really don't have to use a GPS to get around. This would be a nice option and wouldn't have to remove it every time you stop etc. I'm giving it some consideration....wondering if it might eventually be available from other Vendors as time goes on or are these guys making them ? Just curious!

 

Keith

[midnightventure]

It was designed in Spain and made in China. Has a 2 year warranty but you never know how good a warranty is until you need it. Now that somebody has taken the time to design one after all these years I quess somebody might reverse engineer it and make them cheaper. I got mine for 127 dollars on sale.

[Kirby]

It was designed in Spain and made in China. Has a 2 year warranty but you never know how good a warranty is until you need it. Now that somebody has taken the time to design one after all these years I quess somebody might reverse engineer it and make them cheaper. I got mine for 127 dollars on sale.

 

 

 

[Ottawa]

Thanks for the time you took to make the video and post it for us. I am looking for something for my bike and the walk through answered all my questions.

 

P.S. Good songs!

[67mini67]

Do you need an existing CD changer cable or does the cable that comes with it enough? Thanks,

[rickardracing]

It was designed in Spain and made in China. Has a 2 year warranty but you never know how good a warranty is until you need it. Now that somebody has taken the time to design one after all these years I quess somebody might reverse engineer it and make them cheaper. I got mine for 127 dollars on sale.

 

 

Where did you get it?

[midnightventure]

It comes with everything needed including the cable. It is sold here.

http://www.venturemp3.com/

You email them and tell them you want it and they send the info to pay with paypal which is what I did. I believe there is an option to pay directly from your checking account. The day they shipped I got an email with a picture of my package with my address on it.

Edited October 31, 2011 by midnightventure
more info

[Kirby]

Well I guess I bragged a little too much about the player in a previous post. After sitting for 6 days without starting I went out this morning to ride the bike to work and the battery was almost drained. They told me this would happen if I didn't unplug the player if left unattended for several days. Anyway, when I got home this evening I put the bike on the charger and it charged right back up. There was a suggestion in the box that came with the player that if I wanted to install a switch to turn it off completely, I could contact the seller and he would send a schematic to show how to do this. For now I have disconnected the player head and will plug it back in only when I know I won't be letting the bike sit for any length of time. So, to make a long story short, unplug it if you aren't going to ride it for 4 or 5 days.

[midnightventure]

Thanks for the info. This is the kind of info thats needed to make decisions. I'm going to keep mine on the battery tender.

[Danaman]

Good job on the video, very helpful. One question, does this system have a shuffle feature (you select the shuffle feature and it ramdomly plays songs)?

[midnightventure]

No it doesn't. It works just like the 6CD changer that it replaces. You can manually change between the 6 folders or 99 songs on a folder with the thumb controls on the radio control.

[KeithR]

Has anyone decided to install a switch to avoid the battery drain ?

 

Keith

[Kirby]

I am going to do this but so far, the battery is staying up as long as I ride it every day or so.

[Mel]

I have installed the BikeMP3 player on my Goldwing, was an easier installation. Merely had to take the seat off, slightly modify the trunk, and route the provided harness to the connector located under the seat. When the ignition is turned off, the power to the MP3 player is turned off. No battery drain nor need for a seperate switch.

 

I, obviously, am not familiar with how the power is supplied to the Venture MP3, but if it is somehow connected to a constant on power supply, couldn't that be modified and connected to a "through the ignition" 12V supply, fused, and then it would be turned off (disconnected) whenever the ignition is off. Seems like the power supply to the accessories would be a likely source, then it would work when the key is in the accessory position.

 

It just doesn't seem proper to have to have a seperate switch to turn it off.

[rickardracing]

I agree. Why would there be power to the unit when the key is off? Obviously there is if it drains the battery. I like the unit, but not if I have to install a separate switch. Kind of silly. Not a very well thought out unit. Makes me wonder about the quality.

[DANGEROUSDANA]

I would VENTURE to guess, that if the power was automatically cut to the MP3 player every time you turned the bike off, the MP3 player would not resume from where it left off, but back at the beginning. i.e. folder one track one. This would be annoying with stop and go around town driving, because every time you resumed your trip, you would be back on song 1, (so you would get tired of the first few songs, and almost never hear the last songs, unless you manually moved to the later songs via pushing the button 50 or 60 times (which in itself would be annoying.)) Battery drain is a trade off, but this is the reason the MP3 needs to stay powered up all the time. It is probably a tiny drain, but it is what it is...

 

dana

[rickardracing]

It can't be a tiny drain if it is killing a battery after 4 or 5 days.

[M61A1MECH]

For what it is worth Yamaha Sports Plaza has the I simple from Yamaha on their web site for $168.71.

See the link below.

http://www.yamahasportsplaza.com/pages/catalogs/detail/26/459/1035/188431/1/0/0/1/4/90/69/331/isimple-gateway-ipod-adaptor.aspx

[KeithR]

I sent an Email to them and this is the reply I received regarding battery drain.

 

 

 

 

Hi Keith,

If you not rides frequently, we recommend remove the black connector to the headunit.

 

Due to Yamaha wiring, the VentureMp3 is always powered. If your battery is not in good health, may be discharged.

 

To install a ON/OFF switch, we can send an wiring scheme

 

 

 

A cordial greeting

 

 

 

Jesus