Belkin Auto Charger for iPod (White) by Belkin Components
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Digital camera reviews of Belkin Auto Charger for iPod (White)
Digital camera Review: Does not work in my car
Summary: 1 Stars
Short of a full iPod integration kit which is $$$ and it's not quite there yet, technically, (at least for my car) I thought this device would work well. In my Mazda3 arm-rest box, there is a 12V outlet and an Aux input! regretably, the electrical humm from this device makes it unusable.Digital camera Review: Does not work well with my Mercedes C280
Summary: 1 Stars
My personal experience with this product has been poor and I don't believe this auto kit was worth money. I have encountered some of the same problems as a few reviewers before me.
1) First of all, the auto kit does not fit snugly inside the cigarette lighter/power outlet of my car (Mercedes C280). As a result, the auto kit frequently pops out a little after going over a bump in the road, thus severing the electrical connection and causing the music to stop (which is really annoying). I have never experienced this problem with any other car kits or FM transmitters.
2) Because the alternator is connected to the electrical system of the car (as is the case in most cars so that the battery can be recharged when you are on the road), electrical noise is present at the power outlet of the car exhibiting a RPM dependent frequency (higher RMPS, higher pitch). The Belkin Auto Kit fails to filter out this noise, so the result is a very noticeable high pitch whine in the background when I listen to music. Again, I have never experienced this before with any other adapter kit.
These two problems (mainly the second one) have been enough to make me use this component as a recharger only. Now, I just hookup my iPOD directly to the car kit.
The positives points of this product are that it recharges your iPOD, looks nice and offers a modest amplifier (if you can handle the buzzing in the background).
Digital camera Review: Does the Job...Charge!
Summary: 5 Stars
This kit connects easily to the bottom of the iPod, and does what it advertises. The cord is long enough that people in the backseat can manipulate it without pulling it out of the lighter socket. If that much cord is not needed, there is a Velcro strap that can be used to keep the excess coiled up.
When it's charging the iPod, there is a green light that shines through the plastic at the end of the adapter that plugs into the lighter socket. It makes it very easy to tell if the connection is made successfully.
Also, the whole device has a very small footprint in terms of the amount of space that it takes up when putting it into a bag with the iPod.
Digital camera Review: Doesn't work with iPhone 3G
Summary: 4 Stars
This product works great for iPods and the original iPhone. But note that it won't charge the new iPhone 3G. You can play music from the 3G through the Belkin, but it won't charge. This is because, as I understand it, the 3G is the first iPod/iPhone product that will only charge via the USB lines in the Dock Connector. But the Belkin still uses the older Firewire lines for charging.Digital camera Review: Electronics 101
Summary: 3 Stars
If you get hum/whine/buzz, you need to add a Ground Loop Isolator, also called a Grounding Block. Some audio products include such circuitry internally, the Belkin evidently does not (shame on them). You can find one at any Radio Shack or local car audio/electronics shop.
The product isn't defective, but it was skimpily engineered to be sure. Anytime you connect an audio input device to a car's power system, you need to add this filtering to keep the car's power system from feeding back onto the audio signal...