Anyone Have a Phatbox in their Mazda5?
- Thread starter mazdadude
- Start date
mazdadude
ZOOOOOOOOOM ZOOOOOOOOOM
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- '16.5 Mazda CX-5 Touring
mazdadude said:
The reason I ask, is that VW/Audi is selling the Phatbox for $120, and I was going to buy one of them, and then the Mazda Install kit for the Mazda3.
But if no one else has tried it I guess I might as well give it a crack. (deadhorse
jamesandruth
Member
mazdadude said:
I have one of the PhatBoxes in my VW and I really like it. I was able to get one of the $120 units. They may be running out so you may want to move pretty quickly. I do know that the Phatboxen can be re-flashed to work with different maker's head units, and that you can get the various interface cables for them.
I test drove a 2006 Mazda 5 this weekend and it seemed to me that the PhatBox wouldn't work, since it is pretty much designed to impersonate a remote CD changer. The 6 disk in the 2006, at least, looks to load all 6 from the front. The salesman didn't know about a Phatbox dealer option--but that is an Argument ad Ignorantiam.
mazdadude
ZOOOOOOOOOM ZOOOOOOOOOM
- :
- '16.5 Mazda CX-5 Touring
Well, I went ahead and got the Phatbox VW/AUDI version. $150
Then I ordered the Mazda 3 Phatbox install cable. $35
I removed the factory stereo, and installed the cable that runs from the back of the headunit, to the Glovebox, and tried to boot up the unit, but the VW software doesn't work with the Mazda stereo.
Now I am trying to find someone who has the Mazda Phatbox in order to get the "Mazda" files, and copy them over in place of the VW/Audi Files. I have yet to find the Mazda Phatbox Files though, and I am still looking!
I will offer a Paypal reward to anyone that can provide me with the Mazda DMS files. (first)
Thanks again
Mazdadude
Then I ordered the Mazda 3 Phatbox install cable. $35
I removed the factory stereo, and installed the cable that runs from the back of the headunit, to the Glovebox, and tried to boot up the unit, but the VW software doesn't work with the Mazda stereo.
Now I am trying to find someone who has the Mazda Phatbox in order to get the "Mazda" files, and copy them over in place of the VW/Audi Files. I have yet to find the Mazda Phatbox Files though, and I am still looking!
I will offer a Paypal reward to anyone that can provide me with the Mazda DMS files. (first)
Thanks again
Mazdadude
How did you make out it can be done some one is selling them onebay for 400. been thinking of doing this on my 2006 but not sure I did find someplace that had the VW phatbox for 119. and ebay for like 150 Just not sure if anyone can get me the software updates needed to work on the 3.
Chris
Chris
mazdadude said:
mazdadude
ZOOOOOOOOOM ZOOOOOOOOOM
- :
- '16.5 Mazda CX-5 Touring
Well, I am still working on getting the Phatbox installed. Here is the update.
I was able to obtain an MAZDA DMS cartridge off of ebay.
With the Mazda DMS cartridge in the Audi Phatbox, I was able to play through the Mazda5 headunit. When you press the "CD" source button on the headunit, it Displays "EX 1", and the Phatbox begins to play.
However, here are some of the issues that I have noticed.
While the track up and down buttons, random, and search forward/rev buttons work, the unit freezes up sometimes, and will not unfreeze even if you switch back to the In dash CD player, and try to go back to EX1 mode again. The only way to unfreezes seems to be turning the ignition switch all the way off, back on, and then restarting the vehicle.
The info display on the dash that displays the track/cd time will sometimes freeze, or display odd times, but it seems to "RESYNC" itself if you go up or down a track.
I am also unable to change the playlists, so I have to load all of my music on one playlist.
I am not sure if these problems would occur if you used a OEM MAZDA Phatbox, or a Mazda3, RX8, Mazda6, but I don't think the extra 500$ is worth the minor headaches I am having with my Audi Phatbox conversion.
My next project is to find out if I can mount the guts of the Phatbox, and install the cartridge assembly into the blank space where the modular cassete deck would mount. It looks like it can be done, and I think it would be sweet to have a removable 20gig cartrige right on the headunit. (Think --- 8-track player. LOL (stoned) )You would then need a hard drive ribbon cable running from the cartridge assy in the headunit, to the rest of the Phatbox guts, which could be mounted up in the dash or maybe in the glovebox. (Once you see how little stuff there is inside, I think you would cry if you spent $700 on it, and saw what was actually inside. (hah) )
Or i will just cut off the "extra" fins on the Audi heatsink, and stuff it up in the Glovebox where the DVD player is if you have Factory Navigation. I don't have Nav, so I do have the room in there, which is where the unit is now.
So for $130 for the Phatbox, $40 for Mazda3 install kit, and $80 for a Mazda DMS cartridge off ebay. = $250, not to mention, I now can ebay the Audi Phatbox cable, since I will never need, and get a few $ back.
Keep Zooming
I was able to obtain an MAZDA DMS cartridge off of ebay.
With the Mazda DMS cartridge in the Audi Phatbox, I was able to play through the Mazda5 headunit. When you press the "CD" source button on the headunit, it Displays "EX 1", and the Phatbox begins to play.
However, here are some of the issues that I have noticed.
While the track up and down buttons, random, and search forward/rev buttons work, the unit freezes up sometimes, and will not unfreeze even if you switch back to the In dash CD player, and try to go back to EX1 mode again. The only way to unfreezes seems to be turning the ignition switch all the way off, back on, and then restarting the vehicle.
The info display on the dash that displays the track/cd time will sometimes freeze, or display odd times, but it seems to "RESYNC" itself if you go up or down a track.
I am also unable to change the playlists, so I have to load all of my music on one playlist.
I am not sure if these problems would occur if you used a OEM MAZDA Phatbox, or a Mazda3, RX8, Mazda6, but I don't think the extra 500$ is worth the minor headaches I am having with my Audi Phatbox conversion.
My next project is to find out if I can mount the guts of the Phatbox, and install the cartridge assembly into the blank space where the modular cassete deck would mount. It looks like it can be done, and I think it would be sweet to have a removable 20gig cartrige right on the headunit. (Think --- 8-track player. LOL (stoned) )You would then need a hard drive ribbon cable running from the cartridge assy in the headunit, to the rest of the Phatbox guts, which could be mounted up in the dash or maybe in the glovebox. (Once you see how little stuff there is inside, I think you would cry if you spent $700 on it, and saw what was actually inside. (hah) )
Or i will just cut off the "extra" fins on the Audi heatsink, and stuff it up in the Glovebox where the DVD player is if you have Factory Navigation. I don't have Nav, so I do have the room in there, which is where the unit is now.
So for $130 for the Phatbox, $40 for Mazda3 install kit, and $80 for a Mazda DMS cartridge off ebay. = $250, not to mention, I now can ebay the Audi Phatbox cable, since I will never need, and get a few $ back.
Keep Zooming
