Scosche passPORT Charging Adapter for iPod & iPhone (Black)
by Scosche
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Category: Network Media Player
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Digital Photo Product Details
Manufacturer: ScoscheBrand: Scosche
Edition: Electronics
Model: IFWAR
Color: BLACK
Publisher: Scosche
Studio: Scosche
Music Label: Scosche
Product features:
- Compatibility: iPod nano 4G; iPod touch 2G; iPhone 3G
- Allows accessories that do not support USB charging to work with iPod and iPhone
- Allows car integration accessories that do not support charging to work with the iPhone 3G and September 2008-released iPods
- Pass-through port allows for easy plug-and-play installation
- Compatible with several aftermarket auto head-units
Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Scosche passPORT Charging Adapter for iPod & iPhone (Black)
Customer Review: it works great, but there *are* design flaws
Summary: 4 Stars
I bought this hoping that Scosche's compatibility chart (available on their site) was correct. Thankfully, it was, and it does exactly what it is supposed to do; works great. I can confirm that this adapter works in my 2007 Scion TC (using the factory "in-console" iPod kit) with an iPod Touch 3G. That's the good news -- I'm happy the product works, and restores full functionality to my iPod touch in the car.
My iHome IP9 (alarm clock/dock) did not require an adapter, it must have been designed to use USB pins for charging (thank you iHome! I recommend the IP9, btw... good product). glad to see my sub-100 dollar alarm clock was wired correctly, and quite angry that the 350+ dollar factory kit for my car wasn't.
The other side of the coin, I wish it were a bit smaller than it is. The size seems a bit excessive for what it does. If you want a clearer idea of the size, imagine a zippo lighter without the flip-top on it (i.e. the bottom half of it) and that will give you a close size estimate.
If your cord that originally would plug into the iPod has the locking metal clasps to prevent it from coming loose, you are halfway lucky, in that it *will* snap into place and lock itself into the bottom of this adapter. The bad news here is that the metal (male) part of this adapter does *not* have these same locking clasps, and as others have mentioned, it is held in purely by friction/fit. This is not to say that it slides out *extremely* easy, but with a small amount of tug or flexion on the cord/angle of the connection, it can disconnect from the iPod, so they lose points for this.
My #1 complaint is that because of the size (length), when appended to the plug on the end of your original cord, you have this thin "bridge", about 2.5 or 3 inches sticking out from the iPod itself -- it feels like if you were to "bend" it or put any weight on the end of this "bridged" area (...like... an iPod), that it may just snap off the metal part in your iPod, or at the very least your iPod is going to snap off the adapter and fall, crashing into your dash or in between your seats, etc... To be clear, unless you are keeping the iPod, adapter, and cord completely straight like this -------- by keeping it positioned this way, it could (and does) have a bowing type effect where the weight of the iPod causes a bending or angling at the connection, which worries me.
For example, if you attached them all together, then attempted to hold the iPod up by the adapter cord handle... you'll hear a snap... I'm quite sure of it. It's like a 500 pound man standing on the end of a 12 foot diving board -- imagine the bend there -- then imagine the same situation, in iPod scale, and you get my visual.
This becomes problematic for me in the real world when one considers that the iPod connector for my car is inside the arm-rest console, where I have about 6" by 4" space to hold the iPod in there. With this attached (even without), I have to angle the iPod to fit it in there, since it cannot lay flat on the bottom surface. So it sits like _/_ that in the console (side view, _ is the bottom of the console, / is the iPod itself). In this case, I have no choice but to put a certain amount of strain on the adapter/cord connection, causing a bowing between the adapter and the iPod, and at times it can, and has slipped out of the iPod because of this. I'm waiting for this small amount of strain to snap the metal part of this adapter off in my iPod (or damage it somehow). For now, I have to just pull the cord out of the console and leave the iPod sitting on my thigh while driving; a real headache, and I can't count how many times it has slid off my leg and into the dreaded crevice between the seats.
Long story short --- this could have been easily remedied by adding locking clasps to the metal part of this adapter, something the manufacturer failed to realize in their design and testing.
I feel I am going to have to somehow rig something up so that I can connect my iPod up inside the console without me being constantly worried about it or my iPod breaking.
Last comments and bits of info for those curious (these hold true for my 2007 Scion TC factory iPod kit and my iPod Touch 3G, I can't speak for other cars/kits/configurations):
1) Obviously it charges with this adapter
2) It fixes all stereo/dash/steering wheel functionality
3) There are no "accessory" splash screens that come up when it is plugged in (such as "this accessory is not supported" or "accessory attached", etc.)
4) I was having a random problem where if I attached the iPod Touch without this adapter, I would get an error saying "No songs found" or something similar on my car stereo's display, and no amount of reconnects, power on/off, etc could get it to see that there were, in fact, plenty of songs on it. I could not pin down what was causing this problem, but thankfully I have *not* run into this error when going through this adapter.
In summary, if you're buying this for the strict functionality, or you have a dash mount or other solution to where cord tension/angling isn't a problem, you're good.
There are two ways that this product could have (and should have) been improved -- those are: adding the locking prongs so that it does not easily detach (accidentally) from the iPod -- and cutting the size of this thing (lengthwise) in half. Doing these two things would eliminate any gripes I have about the product, but I expected these issues since I read the reviews before buying it (and realized I didn't have much choice if I wanted to use my new $400 iPod touch in my car!). I did expect it to be a bit bigger than it actually is, but even so, I still feel it needs to be quite a bit smaller. Maybe in the future Scosche can make these improvements, and I may buy such a product, but these should have been addressed before release! I shouldn't have to buy an adapter... to fix my adapter... to fix my iPod -- enough is enough! I think those of us who are having to buy one of these adapters are already irritated enough with the whole incompatibility situation and having to buy extra stuff to make our already expensive equipment work. (Of course, this is not Scosche's fault, they're the solution, not the problem!)
Description of Scosche passPORT Charging Adapter for iPod & iPhone (Black)
The Scosche passPORT USB charging adapter allows accessories that do not support USB charging to work with iPod and iPhone.Firewire-to-USB Charging Pass-Through
If you have an older iPod interface in your car, battery backup system, or similar product, you might find that charging is not supported with your new iPod. The Scosche passPORT solves that problem with Firewire-to-USB charging capabilities, providing a 12V to 5V solution for iPod nano 4G, iPod touch 2G, and iPhone 3G.
Using passPORT is simple:
- Plug the dock connector into the female side of the passPORT.
- Plug the passPORT adapter into your iPod or iPhone.
- Select a song from your iPod or iPhone and begin enjoying your music while charging
Great for Vehicle iPod Accessories
The passPORT is perfect for older car integration accessories that don't support charging for the iPhone 3G and iPod models released in September 2008 or later. The passPORT is compatible with: several aftermarket head-units as well as Acura, Audi, Aston Martin, Bentley, BMW, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Dodge, Ferrari, Ford, Honda, Hummer, Hyundai, Infiniti, Jaguar, Jeep, Lexus, Lincoln, Mazda, Mercedes Benz, Mercury, Mini Cooper, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Pontiac, Porsche, Rolls Royce, Saab, Saturn, Scion, Suzuki, Toyota, Volvo, and VW. (Not compatible with select Pioneer head-units that use the CD-iB100 or CD-i200 iPod to IP-Bus adapter.)
Note: The passPORT is specifically designed to fix the charging error associated with several iPod and iPhone accessories. If the accessory you are intending to use does not initially support the audio or video functionality of the iPod or iPhone, the passPORT will not enable these features.
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