Independent volume controller

kittigadu · 17th September 2010, 17:09

Gurus,
I never had any ice setup in my jeep. Now that i bought a car, i find it very inconvenient to operate the small buttoned volume and mute controllers.
Swift and SX4 had big volume control knobs and i like them. One can blindly reach them and control the volume and easy to mute too. The modern ones are very difficult to operate without seeing them and is very annoying in traffic.

I was thinking if i can get an aftermarket volume controller knob separately and fix that like show in the image.

Independent volume controller-volumecontroller-medium.jpg

Please suggest

regards,
krishna.

Epic · 17th September 2010, 18:45

Your post is not very clear. Which car have you bought? When you say it is difficult to operate the buttons on you head unit (I assume), is this an aftermarket head unit or OE?

The one that you have mentioned in your pic is available as OE in only high end cars like Mercs, BMWs, etc and I believe they control a lot other functions and not just the volume as these cars not only come with a remote control for the audio AV system but also have audio controls on the steering wheel.

Why don't you just get a steering remote instead of looking for an aftermarket volume controller which I doubt is even possible as you need to connect it to the electronics of your head unit??

kittigadu · 18th September 2010, 13:07

Sorry for not being clear,

I bought a used Contessa and it came with an aftermarket sony HU

This HU has the volume controller as buttons rather than a knob. I find it very difficult to operate while driving. So, i was looking for just a volume controller unit (if available) that i can fix somewhere.

Regards,
Krishna.

Epic · 18th September 2010, 17:06

Quote:

Originally Posted by kittigadu

Sorry for not being clear,

I bought a used Contessa and it came with an aftermarket sony HU
Attachment 425733
This HU has the volume controller as buttons rather than a knob. I find it very difficult to operate while driving. So, i was looking for just a volume controller unit (if available) that i can fix somewhere.

Regards,
Krishna.

Hi Krishna,

I guess this Sony head unit of yours doesn't have a remote control? If it does, using the remote control would be your best bet.

To tell you the truth, your request is really one of a kind. If you do not have a remote control for your Sony head unit and really fussy about having a knob on your head unit for volume control, why don't you just buy a new or used head unit instead? You can look at the basic Pioneer head units like the Pioneer DEH-1190MP, Pioneer DEH-2190UB with Front AUX-In & Front USB slot, Pioneer DEH -2290UB with Front AUX-In, Front USB & iPod control, etc I believe they range in the 4k to 6k bracket. So you will have the latest and a way better head unit than the Sony, support to control external media players from the head unit itself, remote control and most importantly (to you) a knob to control volume and other functions on the head unit

nitrous · 18th September 2010, 17:45

Quote:

Originally Posted by kittigadu

Gurus,

I was thinking if i can get an aftermarket volume controller knob separately and fix that like show in the image.
Attachment 425291

Thats a BMW iDrive controller.
Not a specific volume controller.

Bass&Trouble · 18th September 2010, 22:17

Even in the BMW, the iDrive knob that you have illustrated as an example, cannot be used to control the volume. For volume, you have to use the knob on the head unit, or use steering controls.

Sony used to have a stalk-like, wired remote. Not sure if it'll work with your head unit.

prateekm · 18th September 2010, 23:34

You can get steering mounted volume controls if that can help

I think some Innova owner on this forum has done it for 1-2k.

kittigadu · 19th September 2010, 20:16

Quote:

Thats a BMW iDrive controller. Not a specific volume controller.

The image is only for illustration to put forward my idea of a volume controller. I don't know what it is for in a BMW.

Quote:

You can look at the basic Pioneer head units like the Pioneer DEH-1190MP, Pioneer DEH-2190UB with Front AUX-In & Front USB slot, Pioneer DEH -2290UB with Front AUX-In, Front USB & iPod control, etc I believe they range in the 4k to 6k bracket.

Since my current HU is working fine with decent sound quality, i don't want to spend more on a new HU. But the options you have mentioned are interesting for their price. Shall save the list for my next upgrade.

Some where my engineering skills tell me that i can buy a volume controller with a plastic knob from the radio parts shop and connect the speaker wires to it and control centrally. I am not sure if it works. Wanted to know if any ready made solutions already exists and hence this post.

Looking at the options, i believe i have to look for a steering based control only.

Regards,
Krishna.

greenhorn · 19th September 2010, 20:24

kittigadu, what you are thinking about is a potentiometer, what is traditionally used in analog equipment, but where will you hook it up to ? if you were using a seperate amp, then yes, you could have it between the HU and the amp, but when using the HU alone, you will have to dismantle the HU, find a suitable spot where there is an analog signal present , break the track there ( very risky) and then run wires to and back from the potentiometer). if you are thinking about putting a pot in the output side, before the speakers, you may find your pot fried, or you will need to have a big one.

In addition, most modern equipment use rotary optical encoders ( which can keep on rotating, unlike pots which have only about 270 degrees of rotation)

Epic · 20th September 2010, 13:59

Quote:

Originally Posted by greenhorn

kittigadu, what you are thinking about is a potentiometer, what is traditionally used in analog equipment, but where will you hook it up to ? if you were using a seperate amp, then yes, you could have it between the HU and the amp, but when using the HU alone, you will have to dismantle the HU, find a suitable spot where there is an analog signal present , break the track there ( very risky) and then run wires to and back from the potentiometer). if you are thinking about putting a pot in the output side, before the speakers, you may find your pot fried, or you will need to have a big one.

In addition, most modern equipment use rotary optical encoders ( which can keep on rotating, unlike pots which have only about 270 degrees of rotation)

Quote:

Originally Posted by kittigadu

Since my current HU is working fine with decent sound quality, i don't want to spend more on a new HU. But the options you have mentioned are interesting for their price. Shall save the list for my next upgrade.

Some where my engineering skills tell me that i can buy a volume controller with a plastic knob from the radio parts shop and connect the speaker wires to it and control centrally. I am not sure if it works. Wanted to know if any ready made solutions already exists and hence this post.

Looking at the options, i believe i have to look for a steering based control only.

Regards,
Krishna.

Well, if your current head unit is fine and in perfect working condition, a wiser option would be to sell this head unit for about 2k to 2.5k and invest in a better head unit as per the options above which I can assure you will have better sound quality than the Sony for sure and you will have all your other requirements too by spending say around 3k or just get a steering remote for your Sony head unit which I guess should cost you around 0.8k to 1k. However, you will have to check whether your current head unit supports a remote control function in the first place.

I believe the above is a better, wiser and cheaper option I guess than possibly frying your existing head unit which is in perfect working condition based on the feedback given by 'greenhorn'.

kittigadu · 20th September 2010, 14:06

Epic,
Your suggestion makes sense.
Shall go for a new one this weekend.

Quote:

a wiser option would be to sell this head unit for about 2k to 2.5k and invest in a better head unit as per the options above which I can assure you will have better sound quality than the Sony for sure and you will have all your other requirements too by spending say around 3k

Greenhorn,
I believe the potentiometer thing is quiet risky though the theory seems quiets simple. I shall go for a simple upgrade.

Thank you all.

Regards,
Krishna.

greenhorn · 20th September 2010, 17:36

I was not saying that you should do it, nor how to. I was merely saying how you could try to (since you had posted that you were going to experiment anyway) , and how they would be infeasible. I was just trying to save you from a potentially expensive experiment

17th September 2010, 17:09	#1
kittigadu BHPian Join Date: May 2008 Location: TS-07 Posts: 244 Thanked: 267 Times	Independent volume controller Gurus, I never had any ice setup in my jeep. Now that i bought a car, i find it very inconvenient to operate the small buttoned volume and mute controllers. Swift and SX4 had big volume control knobs and i like them. One can blindly reach them and control the volume and easy to mute too. The modern ones are very difficult to operate without seeing them and is very annoying in traffic. I was thinking if i can get an aftermarket volume controller knob separately and fix that like show in the image. Please suggest regards, krishna. Last edited by aah78 : 18th September 2010 at 23:45. Reason: Typo corrected.
	() Thanks

17th September 2010, 18:45	#2
Epic Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Mumbai Posts: 1,563 Thanked: 936 Times	Your post is not very clear. Which car have you bought? When you say it is difficult to operate the buttons on you head unit (I assume), is this an aftermarket head unit or OE? The one that you have mentioned in your pic is available as OE in only high end cars like Mercs, BMWs, etc and I believe they control a lot other functions and not just the volume as these cars not only come with a remote control for the audio AV system but also have audio controls on the steering wheel. Why don't you just get a steering remote instead of looking for an aftermarket volume controller which I doubt is even possible as you need to connect it to the electronics of your head unit?? Last edited by Epic : 17th September 2010 at 18:46.
	() Thanks

18th September 2010, 13:07	#3
kittigadu BHPian Join Date: May 2008 Location: TS-07 Posts: 244 Thanked: 267 Times	Sorry for not being clear, I bought a used Contessa and it came with an aftermarket sony HU This HU has the volume controller as buttons rather than a knob. I find it very difficult to operate while driving. So, i was looking for just a volume controller unit (if available) that i can fix somewhere. Regards, Krishna.
	() Thanks

18th September 2010, 22:17	#6
Bass&Trouble Senior - BHPian Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Bombay Posts: 2,756 Thanked: 135 Times	Even in the BMW, the iDrive knob that you have illustrated as an example, cannot be used to control the volume. For volume, you have to use the knob on the head unit, or use steering controls. Sony used to have a stalk-like, wired remote. Not sure if it'll work with your head unit. Last edited by Bass&Trouble : 18th September 2010 at 22:19.
	() Thanks

18th September 2010, 23:34	#7
prateekm BHPian Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Mumbai & BLR Posts: 790 Thanked: 553 Times	You can get steering mounted volume controls if that can help I think some Innova owner on this forum has done it for 1-2k.
	() Thanks

19th September 2010, 20:24	#9
greenhorn Senior - BHPian Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: KL-01 Posts: 7,840 Thanked: 4,724 Times View My Garage	kittigadu, what you are thinking about is a potentiometer, what is traditionally used in analog equipment, but where will you hook it up to ? if you were using a seperate amp, then yes, you could have it between the HU and the amp, but when using the HU alone, you will have to dismantle the HU, find a suitable spot where there is an analog signal present , break the track there ( very risky) and then run wires to and back from the potentiometer). if you are thinking about putting a pot in the output side, before the speakers, you may find your pot fried, or you will need to have a big one. In addition, most modern equipment use rotary optical encoders ( which can keep on rotating, unlike pots which have only about 270 degrees of rotation) Last edited by greenhorn : 19th September 2010 at 20:27.
	() Thanks

20th September 2010, 17:36	#12
greenhorn Senior - BHPian Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: KL-01 Posts: 7,840 Thanked: 4,724 Times View My Garage	I was not saying that you should do it, nor how to. I was merely saying how you could try to (since you had posted that you were going to experiment anyway) , and how they would be infeasible. I was just trying to save you from a potentially expensive experiment
	() Thanks