Aristo82

Thanks for the update. On the upside, GROM is still pursuing a fix for this issue.

Anybody willing to chime in on the reliability of the PXAMG Gateway device? It's so frustrating to be limited to 6CDs (mine is a 06M so putting MP3s on CDs is not an option). But I don't want to put more money on a device that works sometimes...

worker

^ I'm in the same boat as U. U should try to burn audio dvd. I guess the only benefit is u get more songs on disk than with cd.

BinaryJay

Last week I received the new hardware from GROM, apparently they have gone through at least 3 new hardware revisions according to the model number printed on the two boxes.

I've installed it, and *so far* it has been starting up with the car flawlessly since replacing the "old" box. I've said this before, so take my results with a grain of salt until a while longer has passed but it's looking up that whatever startup problem that plagued my box was due to the hardware and whatever it was has been resolved.

The downsides to the whole process?

1) Months of frustration, updating to new firmwares with the promise of it helping but it never making much of a difference.

2) Having to tear the console apart like a dozen times.

3) Having to pay for return shipping to California to get them the old box back.

4) Not getting my deposit refunded yet, no communication from them since USPS says that the box was delivered to the P.O. Box.

Just thought I'd throw this out there in case anybody else has problems with the box not showing up in the head unit at all when starting up sometimes. There is a separate issue where it does show up but doesn't play anything, but I think for some reason it goes out of USB mode and goes into ipod or aux mode (or at least DID) under some circumstances and you may be able to just switch modes to fix that particular weirdness.

You may want to contact them to get an "834" box, I believe mine was an "831" box, as indicated by a sticker on the metal casing.

Aristo82

Thanks for the update. I will keep that in mind when my PXAMG breaks down.

I jumped on an offer that I could not resist - $99 shipped for PXAMG + Lexus/Toyota wiring. This thing works great - less buggy than the Dice Mediabridge 1000.

I do occasionally have issues when I disconnect my Ipod and plug it back into the cable. Usually I have to disconnect the cable and reconnect to let the device find my Ipod (needs this only once though). The device works great and picks up where it left off every single time I turn on the car. The user interface is much better than the Mediabridge also. I can scroll through Artists/Albums/Songs without much difficulty.

The only downside that I see is the Ipod continually charges if left plugged in. I worry about how long it would take to drain my battery down if the car is left unused for a few days. Seems to be a normal thing for PXAMG users so maybe I don't need to worry too much.

worker

so I"ll check back next year see if U reported having any issue with this new hardware. I'm out of DVD disk.

BinaryJay

A year hasn't passed yet, but I haven't had any problems since installing the new hardware. Even though I didn't have any problems with the new hardware, they sent me another firmware update stating they found and fixed another issue that could cause it to lock up.

I installed it, even though it seemed to be fine already... can't hurt, right? Anyway, so far so good with their currently shipping hardware and the 3GS. If it continues to "just work" then I probably won't be in any rush to blow a ton of cash to upgrade to SL2iC any time soon.

username32

I hate to bump a old thread, but i was looking for someway i can integrate my iphone 4/ ipods to the OEM 2006 stereo. I have a 06 GS300 w/ Nav but it is NOT Mark Levinson from what i can so (supports no mp3 or DVD) Whats the best method of achieving this with text and full support?

Drift King

Any updates BJ?

BinaryJay

Yeah I hate GROM.

Even after a replacement unit with a newer hardware revision and up to version 42(!) of the firmware it still disappears randomly from the stereo on ignition. The last time it happened, last week, it never came back even through multiple days of starting and stopping the car. I was forced to disconnect it from the harness and reconnect it to make it come back to life. Just today, I started the car again after having driven somewhere and it disappeared...

I am just about to give up, every time I think it's fixed it bites me again.

Does anybody know off the top of the head the location of a fuse that will cut power to the stereo? It might be easier than disconnecting the harness for when the thing gets truly locked up.

Drift King

Damn, sorry to hear about the problems that you are having... I guess I'll be passing on GROM and waiting for the new MediaLinQ Plus to come out... Thanks for the update!

worker

You can cut the wire in the back and install a switch to do this power off. Clean and more convenient.

BinaryJay

I read on some Mercedes forum that somebody was having troubles with GROM like this and that perhaps they fixed it by removing extra tags from their mp3 files such as embedded album art.

I definitely have embedded album art into almost all of my collection, it never occurred to me that this might cause it to lock up. I'm going to set up a test stick and remove all of the album art from the files on it and try that again for a while. I'm just hoping that the damn GROM won't be permalocked when I go down to try it as I just took my console apart last week to get it to come back to life and while it's not hard to do I feel like every time I pry it up it's going to make it more prone to creaking every time.

I'll probably just try to find a fuse that will reset it first, I looked in the manual and I think there is one in the drivers side fuse box called RAD #3 that might do the trick, though there are more than one fuse that seems to list audio system as one of the circuits so I'm kind of confused about which one will do what.

rominl

iTrader: (4)

wow, jay, i thought after the latest firmware things got better, guess it's still in the work

BinaryJay

Yet another firmware (Version 43!) was posted the other day with "stability improvements" in the short changelog for the 100th time, I have not tried it. I'll install it, and continue using the stick with the MP3s that I stripped all of the album art out of and see what happens going forward.

I emailed them my questions about the album art and all I got back was "Tell us how it goes and we'll update our documentation to tell people to not use embedded album art".

Well, jeez... how about you guys determine if that's a problem and if it is fix it because I certainly don't want to have to go through and retag everything I ever want to play in the car and I certainly don't want to lose all of my album art that I painstakingly applied to my whole library.

It's pretty crazy that it's still not working right after all this time, on top of paying for return shipping of the older hardware revision and that when it does break it does so thoroughly so the only thing I can do to get it back is pull my console apart (though in the future I'm going to try to be smart and start pulling fuses instead). I'm a master console disassembler now.

worker

Maybe a nice software out there that can remove tags automatically? Make a copy and do this to the copy so U don't have to retag.

to the master. LOL