[WoodburyMan]

I've had the GM PA-20 SPEC-USA adapter working for over half a year in my G8 (
http://www.g8board.com/forums/showthread.php?t=57797 ). Played audio, charged the phone. Showed all track info.

I just got myself a Galaxy S4 and was looking for ways to charge my phone and have audio playing via the same cable like I did with my iPhone.

I found a adapter that might work. A company called GROM makes it, GROM-USB2P-GM ( http://www.gromaudio.com/store/usb_...ick_usb_bluetooth_android_ipod_interface.html ). It states it works with a great deal of GM Vehicles, not the G8 specifically. However that was the case with the PA-20 kit and it still worked. The thing I hate is it doesn't show the install instructions or any info for the GM Version of the adapter. For other brands of cars, some of them go through the XM Module like the PA20 I had did, others directly into stereo. it doesnt say anything.

Anyone have any experience with this kit? Or know of any other kits like it that provide USB Audio Playback / Bluetooth audio streaming support that integrate into the factory head unit?

 

[[email protected]]

youtube

 

[WoodburyMan]

youtube

??

I searched there's nothing about this kit or any kit like it working with the G8.

I know Demon's and others mods to add a digitizer to the G8's LCD and allow remote control of devices. However I'm not looking to spend that amount of money or modification. Nor can I afford a iQ system for native bluetooth streaming...

There are no install videos I could find on Youtube for any GM vehicle. Just a few showing it works in Silverado's and such. Nothing about the install. Peaking at the low-res photos I can find and that the site supplied for the GM Wiring adapter they use it *appears* to use the 16pin cable that the XM Module in our trucks use (How my PA20-GM was connected) but there are no good straight on views that verify it.

 

[DRUMSBH]

SUB'D Hopefully it works still in an 08??? Even though we dont have an XM box.

 

[WoodburyMan]

SUB'D Hopefully it works still in an 08??? Even though we dont have an XM box.

Pretty sure it won't work directly with out XM. The PA20-GM I had wouldn't work without XM, as the plug for it went directly into the XM Module in the trunk. Although I could be wrong.

 

[ghodge]

I picked up one of the PA20-GM modules with the intent to reverse engineer how it worked with our stereos via the XM module as another XM station but as far as I could tell, there would be no means of pausing. I noticed in the documentation that said if you did not have XM built in to the vehicle, there was an "11-bit GMLAN cable" (their words) that would connect the unit straight to the radio. I didn't want want to invest anything more in the project so I never gave the cable a second thought.

 

[[email protected]]

You asked for GM version install and I replied youtube because it has dozens of videos of GM vehicle installs including Chevy trucks which has the same XM module as G8 does.

The thing I hate is it doesn't show the install instructions or any info for the GM Version of the adapter

??

I searched there's nothing about this kit or any kit like it working with the G8.

I know Demon's and others mods to add a digitizer to the G8's LCD and allow remote control of devices. However I'm not looking to spend that amount of money or modification. Nor can I afford a iQ system for native bluetooth streaming...

There are no install videos I could find on Youtube for any GM vehicle. Just a few showing it works in Silverado's and such. Nothing about the install. Peaking at the low-res photos I can find and that the site supplied for the GM Wiring adapter they use it *appears* to use the 16pin cable that the XM Module in our trucks use (How my PA20-GM was connected) but there are no good straight on views that verify it.

 

[WoodburyMan]

You asked for GM version install and I replied youtube because it has dozens of videos of GM vehicle installs including Chevy trucks which has the same XM module as G8 does.

Ah okay. My current PA20-GM installs via the XM Module. I got that down, ultra simple. The thing is I don't know if it uses the XM connector. I only have grainy photos of the wiring harness they use. No pictures or video of this adapter or harness for this plugged into any GM vehicle, the only videos I can find of it are it running on some GM Trucks, but they only show the Radio of it working, not the install or connections.

I did contact the manufacturer. They did contact me back asking for pictures of how my current PA20-GM is installed, pictures of my XM Module, and pictures of the connections on the radio. Replied back, waiting to hear back. Giving it a few days. if they don't reply I might just pull the trigger and grab it and see if it is the same 16 pin connector my PA20-Gm uses for XM.

 

[WoodburyMan]

From what I can make out of their picture of the GM Harness, it *DOES* have some 16 pin cable that matches the XM Module / PA20-GM I have...

Here is the cable for GM...

For Comparison
Subaru Adapter

Ford Adapter

Note the two male/female plugs that match up in every photo, that's the end that goes into the GROM-USB2P unit. The other end is what changes.

The GM unit has TWO 16 pin connectors plus some other type of connector that I can't quite make out. It looks like *maybe* a 20ish pin connector. The 16 pin connector resumbles the 16 Pin XM connector. However, there's two of them? Plug the 20 pin connector. This has thrown me off. Anyone know if our radio has these connectors in the back? The only Diagrams I could find were actually off of the old JHP iPod Kit instructions but it only had the two connectors it used to attach to the GM LAN system.

 

[brentsten]

Interesting.. I'd never heard of anyone actually seeing track info on the radio. I have a note 2; I almost did the rear aux cable + VIM, but it's just a lot of wires.. If you'd be able to mirror your display wirelessly, that'd be money. I'd still do wires if I could get track info on the factory display. Sub'd for details/updates. Good luck!

Sent from AutoGuide.com Free App

 

[WoodburyMan]

Interesting.. I'd never heard of anyone actually seeing track info on the radio. I have a note 2; I almost did the rear aux cable + VIM, but it's just a lot of wires.. If you'd be able to mirror your display wirelessly, that'd be money. I'd still do wires if I could get track info on the factory display. Sub'd for details/updates. Good luck!

Sent from AutoGuide.com Free App

Yea. I wanted to avoid all that and try and make it as plug and play as possible.

If there's no way this will work, I might just picked up the cheapest iPod touch and use that for music with my PA20-GM I already have.

 

[WoodburyMan]

Well I heard back from them.

I've taken a look at the pictures you have sent.
This radio is nothing like any of the current GM radios, It is more European than anything from the looks of the plug at the radio. It seems like a combination of GM and European mixed together.

It may be possible to splice in together but we would not be able to support this. So from what harness and tested units perspective, we do not support this vehicle.

I would have to splice it in, and from what they're saying they plug directly into the radio and don't utilize the XM Module like the PA20 does.

Oh well

Maybe I can look around on Ausi sites and see if I can find something like this made for Holden VE series..
I don't have any idea how I would go about splicing stuff in unless I was told "This wire goes here".. don't want to fry anything.

 

[WoodburyMan]

I found a backwards way of getting this to work...

There are TONS of iPod adapters out there for VE Commodores that use the Rear Aux connection. The PA20-GM uses a digital signal to pass through Tract Info/Names via GM LAN bus through XM Module. These cheap adapters use the Rear Aux connection and utilize analog audio. This is the key.
I purchased this thing called SamDock http://www.cablejive.com/products/samDock.html
This lets S3, S4, and Note2 Samsung devices connect to Apple Dock interface. It allows charging, as well as audio. ANALOG audio only. It does not work with my PA20-GM because it is digital. This would work! It would be backwards way but i would get audio and charging in one cable. No track info or control.

The other option is to wait it out. CableJive customer support when I contacted them about it not working with me PA20 stated they are working on a digital adapter that might come out soon.. so we'll see....

 

[napalm]

So to resurrect an old thread.

Do the PA-20 device work on the G8 that has an XM module but no XM service? IE does it plug in place of the XM module?

secondly - what is the interface between it and the iphone/pod? is it a USB cord? did you happen to try using your android device on that USB plug.

oddly enough many a car I've been in with ipod interface via USB - work perfectly fine with an android device.

 

[WoodburyMan]

So to resurrect an old thread.

Do the PA-20 device work on the G8 that has an XM module but no XM service? IE does it plug in place of the XM module?

secondly - what is the interface between it and the iphone/pod? is it a USB cord? did you happen to try using your android device on that USB plug.

oddly enough many a car I've been in with ipod interface via USB - work perfectly fine with an android device.

The PA-20 works with XM. I believe it will only work with G8's equiped with XM. You can still use your XM Radio while it's connected. Basically it plugs into the antenna input on the XM Module in the trunk and piggybacks on it, broadcasting itself on "Channel 255"/ It has a pass through plug that you plug the original antenna in to, so you still can get all your XM Channels. I don't subscribe so I only get the preview channels, but it did work when they had the free week or 2 week period earlier this month.

The iPod/iPhone connects via iPod Dock Cable. It plugs into the unit via this special serial cable-like interface plug. Special connector. There are no adapters to convert it to USB. The signal on the plug is digital, there are some cables out there that convert Apple dock connector to a MicroUSB that work on some phone, however they only convert analog audio from the dock connector, since it's digital it's a no go. Also I have yet to try any newer iPod/iPhones with the Lightning cable. One would assume you'd need the original Apple lightning to dock adapter that converts the digital audio on the dock connector on the lightning cable to the dock connector as well, there are cheap ones out there that are generic that don't from what I read. SPEC-USA might make their own adapter perhaps. I have to look into this soon as I've been using a very old iPhone 3G, or 3GS, forgot which it is, just for the car. It's getting full, and it's also very old not sure how much longer it will last and all the newer devices are all lightning.