Serial Port Questions

I tried looking for information before I posted but I need to ask about the serial port on the mounting sleeve. When the Empeg is installed in the car and is running V2.00 and Hijack does the serial port output anything under normal operation?
What I am really after is some way of detecting what source the Empeg is using (MP3, Aux, Tuner - which I don't have)
What I was hoping was that there is some way to detect the difference between the Empeg playing MP3s and the AUX input. I wish to interface a modified factory radio to the AUX input but use my factory GM steering wheel controls to run the radio and the Empeg.
If I had a way to detect the output mode of the Empeg I could automatically switch the factory steering wheel controls between Empeg operation and factory radio operation.

Hope this makes sense... If there is not anything coming out the serial port is there any signal I can grab internally or possibly on the tuner connector?

Thanks for any help

Nick

I wish to interface a modified factory radio to the AUX input but use my factory GM steering wheel controls to run the radio and the Empeg.

You don't need the factory radio for this. Last night, I installed a converter box that let my friend Tod use his GM steering wheel controls directly on his empeg.

Currently, there's a minor technical glitch with it, but I feel confident we'll be able to work that out soon.

You may be able to do it the other way around. If you have power from the modified factory radio that turns on with the factory radio you can use the phone mute of the empeg to switch to auxillary. I don't know anyway to do it the way you want.

Thanks for the response Tony. Let me explain myself a little better. I wish to use the factory radio as the tuner for my Empeg, I don't really feel like spending $300 for a tuner on ebay. Plus my car has a heads up display that would still function if I use the factory tuner. My plans are to hide the factory AM/FM cassette down in the center console. I would remote the LCD from the radio up to the upper left of the dash where I have a factory driving light switch that would be removed or relocated. I would also have use of the factory heads up display for radio functions only. My only way of controlling the factory radio once it is hidden would be with the steering wheel controls. I would then build a multi-level interface so the 8 steering wheel functions could have 4 different "levels" of operation (or 32 commands total). Level 1 would be Empeg functions only, Level 2 would be factory radio functions with Empeg volume overlay, Level 3 would be my remote radar detector which is already mounted inside the factory trip computer module. Level 4 -- not real sure just yet!
If the Empeg could output the source over the serial port, I would be able to read it and automatically switch the steering wheel fuctions between levels 1 and 2 without having to use a button to manually switch between levels 1 and 2.

Hopefully I am not too confusing...

Nick

If you tell Hijack to NOT suppress_notify then you will get the regular status info from the Empeg, which includes the current source but only when it actually changes.

[hijack]
suppress_notify=0

Awesome! that may work just fine... Would it give status upon start up or ONLY when it changes mode?
Also, I am real new to this whole Empeg thing, can you point me in the right direction on how to edit that in? I have seen many posts where the config gets edited but am not sure how to get in and play....

Thanks for your help everyone.... I will post some information on my modifications once they are complete. Could be a while, super busy right now....

Nick

faq

I am having problems making my Empeg output serial info. I have added this to my config.ini

[output]
notify=1

When I boot up using hyperterminal, I see the Linux startup information, then after it is running nothing else comes out of the serial port.
What am I missing here? I am using the AC adaptor and the serial port directly on the back of the Empeg. Should this be working?

Nick

[hijack]
suppress_notify=0

so I just add

[Hijack]
suppress_notify=0

instead of

[output]
notify=1

or keep both in there?

both.

Ok, I will do that tonight.

Thank you.